New Title 1 by Steven Lyle Jordan Page A

hoped.”
    “It’s that obvious, isn’t it?” Lambert grimaced and leaned far back in his chair. “Verdant doesn’t seem too impressed by our sole bargaining chip, we don’t have enough to get Geneva to put pressure on them, and things are not looking promising.”
    Shay nodded sympathetically. Lambert had been so out-of-sorts from their rushed evacuation the day before that he had not wanted to talk about the situation last night, though he had been more forthcoming in the morning. Now, though the situation sounded no better, at least he seemed to be himself again.
    “I can’t imagine,” Shay commented, “how Verdant, or any of the satellites, could survive without regular supplies from the ground. If they refuse to believe that now, they’re bound to come to the realization after deliveries stop.”
    “They can’t survive,” Lambert assured her. “They’re not designed to survive independently. Sooner or later, they need infusions from Earth.”
    “Well then, maybe making it sooner…” Lambert looked at Shay, who eyed him expectantly. “After all, you run the country,” she continued after a moment. “You have some influence on the manufacturers and freight companies. You must be able to force the issue, at least long enough to make the satellites feel it.”
    “Not the way I’d prefer to do that,” Lambert commented.
    “But it’s a national emergency.”
    “Yes, it is.”
    “Perhaps,” Shay said slowly, measuring her words, “if the freight companies were more directly involved in the negotiations.” Lambert looked at her. “After all, they’re the ones who are being asked to risk their vehicles, their pilots and freight, to get here and go back. Maybe they won’t be willing to take such risks on their own. But with U.S. government support, maybe they’ll accept more of the risk. And if Verdant will accept the U.S.’s conditions… maybe you’d be glad to extend that help…”
    Lambert considered her suggestion silently, idly watching her as he did so, his lips characteristically pursed in thought. Shay waited patiently, smiling helpfully and shifting back in the chair to put a bit more tension on the fabric across her breasts.
    Finally, he reached one hand out and tapped the intercom to Thompson’s office. “Enu, where are we?”
    “I just finished talking to one of our diplomats. She’s going to see what kind of inside information she can get out of the CnC on our behalf.”
    “Good,” Lambert said. “Come to my office. Something we should try.”
     
     

5: The Diplomat
07Aug2229
    “I have a contact at thirty-two by dash-niner-two, orbit-bound.” Lieutenant Henry “Hunter” Reilly nudged the stick and brought his stocky orbital fighter about a few degrees, to bring his more powerful forward sensors to bear on the target. After a moment, the readout next to his sensor screen began filling with numbers. “Broadcasting in the green, freight ballistic, homing on Verdant Interpoint B.” About two seconds passed when he was done speaking, which prompted him to key his mike again. “Goldie, you awake there?”
    “Yeah, yeah, I got it.” Lieutenant Goldie Maina brought her gaze back from the wide red stain spreading over the planet below, and back to her screens. “Confirmed freight ballistic homing on Verdant Interpoint B—”
    “Bad enough everything’s going to hell down below,” Hunter interrupted her over the open com. “Then we pull busy-work, babysitting freight deliveries. And all you want to do is sight-see.”
    “Oh, I’m sorry,” Goldie replied, “maybe you’d rather have a scintillating conversation on the last Orbits game?” She heard a rude noise over her com. “Then eat it. Come on, Hunter, look down there! You can’t tell me that doesn’t do something to you. It’s a disaster! It makes me ill just looking at it.”
    “Then don’t look,” Hunter told her. “Yeah, I know what’s going on down there. But I’m more concerned about my job