n synthesize data for a new job, if it's not
too different. But there isn't any information on the kind of person
needed in a new world. What the devil are you getting so upset about?"

The historian threw himself into a chair and glared at Rod. "If you
couldn't find the kind of people you needed to test, you could have
asked a historian if he knew anything about them!"

Rod shook his head puzzledly. "Subjective data, such as that--"

"Don't bring subjectivity into this, damn it! We get enough of that from
physical scientists." Jaimie held himself in the chair, almost shaking
with the intensity of his feeling. "Look, Rod, you know I want to see
the project succeed. And you admit that you haven't got an answer. Well,
baby, I think I have! It's an idea that has about a fifty-fifty chance
of being right in this case ... would you be willing to try it?"

"If I had been betting on your side for the last few months, I'd be
several dollars richer," Rod smiled. "Yes, I think I might go along with
your idea, if you can convince me it has an even chance for success.
Three failures out of three tries makes for poorer odds than that. What
do you have in mind?"

"H'm," Jaimie said. "I imagine your stock isn't so high with old
scabbard and blade right now, is it?"

Rod laughed. "I don't think he'll shoot on sight, but I'm not positive
enough to stand in front of a lighted window."

"Well, then--if I had an idea you agreed with, the surest way to kill it
would be to have you present it to him, right? And if you _fight_ it,
that's sure to convince Carlson!" Jaimie thought hard for a moment,
tapping the chair-arm. "Rod, I have to do something you aren't going to
like. Do you trust me?"

"You mean you're going to try this without even discussing it with the
personnel group?"

"That's right. If I don't tell you what I'm doing, I know you'll fight
it. And I'll need that kind of help from you to push Carlson into doing
it.

"But I have to do something far worse than that, Rod. I'm going to tell
the general that you knew my plan from the start, and have been sitting
on it because I'm not a psychologist. I'm going to ruin your reputation
with the worst set of lies since the Red purges. I'll say you're
fighting me, because you can't accept an idea that came from a man
outside of your own group. If the scheme doesn't work you'll be ruined,
because there'll be no way to retract the lies. If it does work, we can
announce that we put o