Without asking he crossed the room in a few long strides and touched a small inset wall panel. A holographic Chagall reproduction instantly disappeared from the wall, replaced by a three-dimensional image of a woman being wheeled through a hospital corridor. "Goddamned soaps," Marrett grumbled as he touched the panel again.

Kinsman sat back in his special chair and suddenly saw a holographic picture of himself striding painfully toward the crowd at the UN garage. The camera was somewhere in the crowd, heads and placards constantly getting in the way as his weird skeletal figure clambered up the garage ramp.

The newscaster's voice-over was saying things about "unearthly appearance . . . terrific physical strain of ordinary gravity . . . message of peace and friendship ..."

Good Christ! Kinsman said to himself as he watched. I actually did raise my hands like an old-time Indian scout.

Marrett abruptly shut off the picture. "The government's gone apeshit," he said, grinning broadly. "They thought they had everything all buttoned up and orchestrated. No news- men at the airport, nobody allowed to get near you guys."

"But there were cameramen in the crowd."

"Sure! Half of 'em were government goons, there to record the riot."

"There was supposed to be a riot?" Harriman asked.

"It is an old tactic," Landau said. "The government plants agitators in the crowd; natural leaders seize the oppor- tunity to vent their passions; the riot begins, the natural leaders have identified themselves. They can be taken by the police during the riot or, if that is inconvenient, at least their pictures are recorded. They can be picked up later."

"And at the same time." Marrett added, "they have video footage to show the American public that the people are dead-set against you. It's called 'forming a climate of opinion.' Happens all the time."

"An old trick," Jamsuren agreed. 533

"Wonder who they learned it from?" Harriman mur- mured.

The Secretary General arrived precisely at ten. He came alone, without flunkies or fanfare. He merely knocked on the door once and opened it. As he entered the room, all five men present got to their feet. Kinsman ignored the whine of his servos.

"Please—sit down," said the Secretary General. "I insist."

As they did so, he added, "And since this is an informal meeting, please let us dispense with titles. My name is Emanuel De Paolo. I know your names; Mr. Kinsman, Mr. Harriman, Dr. Landau. So let us relax and speak freely. I can assure you that this room has been carefully inspected as recently as an hour ago to ensure that it is not wired by anyone."

Kinsman found himself immediately liking this slim, tan-faced man with the dark sad eyes. De Paolo took a chair for himself and brought it close to Kinsman's. Marrett pushed the breakfast table out of the way. The morning sunlight struggled through the murky haze of the city to make the room seem warm and bright.

"Now then, Mr. Kinsman," De Paolo said, "you have shown considerable courage and wit. You are an instant hero with the American public this morning. How long such popularity can last is questionable, however. Many Ameri- cans, perhaps most of them, honestly consider you to be a traitor."

"I'm sure most Englishmen considered George Washing- ton a traitor," Kinsman replied.

De Paolo shrugged. "Yes, of course. . . . Eh, you have come here to seek recognition for your new nation, is that correct?"

"Yes. We want to create a political environment in which Selene can be free from the threat of attack by the United States or the Soviet Union. In return for this, we can offer to all the nations of the world a safeguard against missile attack—against nuclear war."

Dr. Paolo pursed his lips. "You offer us much more than that."

Glancing at Marrett, Kinsman said, "You mean the weather control."

"I mean much more than that. Much, much more."

Kinsman leaned forward in his chair. The seat back moved with him. "I don't understand."

With a smile that looked more sad than pleased, De Paolo said, "Let me try to explain." He paused. Then, "What causes war? You may say, political differences, conflict over territory, or even, the competition for natural resources. None of these is completely true. Wars are caused by nations. National governments decide that they can obtain by force something that they cannot obtain any other way. Once they have decided to use force, there is no way to prevent them from fighting."