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great."
    Colson nodded tolerantly. "So the colonial boy finally gets back to the center of things."
    "What do you mean?" Justin asked cautiously.
    "Just that. It's good for offworlders to come back to Earth and realize where the center and power of things truly are."
    "Say, Colson," Pradeep interrupted. "It's Wendell Colson III, isn't it?"
    Golson nodded.
    'Tour father's on the Space Security Council."
    "The same."
    Matt looked at him closely, his face darkening.
    "And your family owns Colson Construction, don't they?"
    "What of it?"
    Justin looked over at Matt and sensed something building.
    "Just that they make the worst damn habitat units and ship pods in the system."
    "And what's that supposed to mean?" Colson replied coolly.
    "Just that," Matt snapped back. "Substandard construction. Gasket seals prematurely aging and blowing. You people knew about it, should have issued recalls, but didn't."
    "That was all cleared up." Colson answered as if Matt were barely worth talking to. "I don't see why you're getting all upset."
    "Upset?" Matt snapped back. "Me upset? Wouldn't you be upset if your pod blew and your parents shoved you into an airlock, then stayed on the other side because the three of you couldn't survive in that tiny room, and you were there for weeks watching them float in vacuum?"
    Matt's voice went up sharply and he drew closer to Colson. Justin stepped between them.
    "Investigations cleared my family of any wrong doing," Colson replied sharply.
    Justin could see the rage in Matt's eyes and understand it. Yet he knew it was unfair to blame someone his own age for an incident that happened years ago.
    "Cool it down, Matt," Justin said, pushing him back. He looked at Matt, and to his surprise he could see tears forming. "Cool it," Justin whispered, "it's not his fault."
    Matt nodded and started to lower his head.
    "And besides," Colson offered, "it was most likely their own damn fault anyhow that they got killed."
    Matt surged back up again. Justin turned to face Colson, struggling with the desire to simply let Matt go.
    "That was uncalled-for," Pradeep now interjected. "So both of you, calm down."
    "Calm? Of course I'm calm," Colson replied smoothly. "Just keep that sailor boy away from me. Offworlders , they're all alike, always ready to blame their woes on those who do the real work."
    "Just what is that crack supposed to mean?" Justin asked,
    "Why, it's obviously the truth, Bell," Colson snapped back.
    "Elaborate on this?" Pradeep asked softly. "I'm curious."
    Justin looked back at Matt, who was staring with cold rage at Colson.
    "He isn't worth it," Justin whispered. "Hit him and you're out of here. Now go to the head, cool off and then come back" Justin pushed Matt to the door. Matt started to turn, but to his own surprise Justin actually managed to shove him out into the corridor.
    Matt started back for the door, but Justin stopped him.
    "Look, you can't blame Mr. Stuck-up, in there for what happened to your parents."
    "Yeah, I know. I was off the handle, but what he said about them killing themselves . That's what got me."
    "I understand. But we've got to live with each other."
    "Well, there's more. His old man is one of the guys really stoking this crisis."
    "How so?"
    "He's on the Security Council Board for Space. He's the guy calling everyone out here ungrateful traitors and pushing for the Service to preemptively intervene at any colony where known separatist leaders might be located."
    Surprised, Justin looked back to the room. The door was half-open and Pradeep and Colson were obviously in a hot debate.
    "That would be war," Justin said.
    "Darn straight, and Justin between us, it'd throw me over to their side once and for all."
    Justin looked back into the room and thought he saw a flicker of interest from Colson. The cadet half-turned away from Pradeep , and then turned back.
    "Well, the Service would never buy it," Justin whispered. "That's a straight-out violation of freedom of speech. You can't