"Let Pat Kelly do it," Colt said.
Kinsman could feel his jaw muscles clench. "I can't trust Pat. Besides, he's in no emotional condition to do anything. If we get through this alive and the war is stopped, we'll ship him and his family home."
Colt repeated, "I'm not on your side."
"I don't care which side you're on," Kinsman said. "Can you run our half of Selene for a few days—as a temporary neutral?"
"That'd be helping you, man!"
"I'll do it," Diane said.
Kinsman blinked at her. Harriman mumbled something undecipherable.
Diane smiled at them. "Don't look so shocked. I can be a leader of men, as you so neatly put it, Chet."
Harriman's brows rose and he shot Kinsman a quizzical glance.
"Don't think that running road tours all those years didn't take leadership skills," Diane said. "I've dealt with drugged-out musicians and union bosses looking for payoffs. The people you have here are all pussycats, by comparison. I can manage the base for a few days."
It took several seconds for Kinsman to say, "You'd want to ... to take that responsibility?"
With a nod, Diane answered, "Somebody's got to. And I really am on your side, you know. I can run the base." 441
Kinsman admitted, "I never thought of you as base commander."
But Diane had already turned toward Colt. "I'd expect you not to make any trouble while Chefs back is turned."
Kinsman returned his attention to the black Major. "How about it, Frank? A temporary truce. Will you promise not to try to grab the comm center or the launchpad?"
Colt frowned and blinked and struggled visibly with himself. Finally, "Aw, shit. Okay. 1 won't make any waves. But I want to be on the first damned shuttle that goes Earthside! I want no part of your crazy revolution."
Harriman looked dubious, but for once he kept his silence. Kinsman felt uneasy and must have looked it.
"What's the matter, Chet?" Diane asked, with a know- ing little smile. "Afraid to let a woman run the show? Even for a few days?"
He shrugged and grinned and surrendered gracefully. After all, he told himself, what choice do I have?
A green light was flashing, breaking Kinsman's troubled reverie.
