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buy hypothesis two, Royce thought. As he remembered, Transcendental Science didn’t put anything on the Web except straight propaganda, and Pacifica’s “News of the Galaxy” stringers were barred from their planets.
    But the key question was the so-called “Transcendental Science.” These jockos were obviously Machiavellian political meddlers, but they couldn’t have run up against anything like the Pacifican political system before, and Royce didn’t seriously believe that anything could subvert Pacifica’s peculiar brand of dynamic stability. But did the cargo of the Heisenberg include anything that could benefit Pacifica sufficiently to justify whatever ijsk there was in letting them hawk their wares planetside?
    “Program,” he ordered the access computer. “Report Transcendental Science and technology in advance of Pacifican or general galactic levels.”
    “Verified: Transcendental Science Arkologies are capable of _ traversing a given distance 40 percent faster than any other known starships, method unknown,” the computer voice said. “Verified: inhabitants of Arkologies have survived prolonged 15-gravity acceleration with no ill effects, method unknown. Reported but unverified: possible extended lifespans, cloning, organ regeneration, telekinesis, telepathy, artificial sentience, time travel, matter transmittal, simulkinesis, methods unknown.”
    “Query: have any of these technologies been offered for sale on the Web Exchange by any planet with an Institute of Transcendental Science?”
    “Answer: negative. Elucidation: all relevant planets have ceased to buy or sell technology via the Web within three years of establishment of an Institute of Transcendental Science.”
    Now that is ominous, Royce thought. If any of this superscience is real, the buggers are deliberately keeping it a monopoly of their effing Institutes. You can’t buy it, you can only join the club. They seem to be using it as some kind of political weapon.
    Royce scratched Rugo’s head mechanically, regarding the image of the Heisenberg on his obscreen with a newly soured expression. He was beginning to see why it was called the Pink and Blue War. In a situation where physical invasion was a logistical impossibility, this kind of behavior was about as close to interstellar aggression as you could get. It violated one of the basic principles of civilized interstellar conduct: free commerce in science and technology.
    In a more somber mood now, Royce called up a briefing tape on the Pink and Blue War, using not the public access banks but the Parliamentary computer; he wanted the bottom line, not the surface stuff that everyone knew.
    A schematic of the human worlds appeared on the Parliamentary access screen—neutral systems as white dots, Transcendental Science systems in blue, Earth and four other systems in pink.
    “The Pink and Blue War,” said the computer voice. “Pacifican vernacular for the ideological and political conflict between Transcendental Science and Femocracy. Vectors: Transcendental Science Arkologies, four known Femocrat interstellar missions, Web propaganda. Avowed Femocrat goal: the establishment of Femocratic social systems on all human worlds. Analyzed Femocrat goal: same. Avowed Transcendental Science goal: dissemination of advanced science and technology to all human worlds. Analyzed Transcendental Science goal: establishment of a unified Transcendental Science dominion over all human worlds through Institutes of Transcendental Science. Cause of conflict: mutually incompatible political goals. Current status: four solar systems converted to Femocracy, six solar systems dominated by Institutes of Transcendental Science, thirty-nine neutral. Vector analysis: Web propaganda ineffective, maximum result, Femocrat political parties on twelve planets. Known Femocrat missions: 100 percent effective. Known Transcendental Science missions: 100 percent effective. Projection, one century...”
    Two of the white