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appreciate your coming here and briefing me on this plan, and I support everything you wish to do. But otherwise, why do you need special help from my office? This whole operation is something you can handle within the Ministry of Justice."
    "I was getting to that, ma'am," Nast replied. "I need your help because I need you to order the Commandant of the Confederation Marine Corps to detail three men to me—no explanation offered—to be my special undercover agents on Havanagas. They will make contact with my one agent who has the goods on the mob and the resistance. Discharged Marines, spending their savings on liberty on Havanagas, it's perfect cover. Here," he continued as he loaded a crystal into a reader, "I've got the files on the three men I want for this operation."
    Madame Chang-Sturdevant gasped. "I know these men, two of them anyway!"
    Chief Long gave Nast a long and thoughtful look before announcing that he too knew lance corporals Joe Dean and Rachman Claypoole. "They worked with me on Wanderjahr, Thom," he said. "Damned good men, but..." He was now having doubts about the success of Nast's plan.
    "Mr. Nast, these men saved the life of an ambassador on Diamunde," Madame Chang-Sturdevant said. "I will not have them sacrificed to bring down the syndicate on Havanagas. I will not!"
    Nast had not anticipated Chang-Sturdevant 's reaction. He'd picked Dean and Claypoole because they were brave and resourceful young men, and both Chief Long and the president knew them. He thought this would increase their confidence in his choice of the Marines for the mission.
    "Madame President, I fully understand how you feel," he said. "I picked these men because they have the qualities needed to pull this operation off and survive. They will be under the guidance of Corporal Pasquin, who is a brave and resourceful NCO, but the two lance corporals, Dean and Claypoole, can think on their feet too. They have all been under fire. Ma'am, you know how desperate the fighting was on Diamunde. Dean and Claypoole were in the thick of it. That's what Marines do, they go into tough situations and survive. The Corps will send them into battle again and again as long as they wear the uniform. Like beat cops, they swear an oath to put themselves in harm's way to protect those who can't protect themselves. They are trained to take care of each other. That technique has worked to help Marines survive over the centuries. It'll work with these three men on Havanagas too. I need them for this operation, ma'am. It won't work without them."
    Chang-Sturdevant was silent for a long time. "Can you guarantee me their safety?" she asked at last.
    Before he could reply, Chief Long answered the question: "No, we can't. But as Thom just pointed out, Madame President, they are aces at survival." Long had concluded that if Nast thought these men were good enough to make his plan work, then he would support it.
    "I will personally monitor the entire operation, ma'am," Nast added. "I'll be with the reaction teams.
    We'll go in at the first sign the Marines have been compromised."
    Again Madame Chang-Sturdevant was silent. At last she said, "Guarantee me one thing, gentlemen.
    You will not sugar-coat this mission. You will tell them just how dangerous it can be. Give them the option of refusing to go."
    Nast sighed mentally with relief. "Yes, Madame President, I promise you I will do that," he pronounced gravely.
    "Well, your time is up, gentlemen." She stood up and her visitors did the same. "I have to prepare for a reception for the new ambassador from Ivanosk. Keep me briefed on this operation, Chief. I'll tell my secretary you get in to see me whenever you have news."
    They were halfway to the door when the President stopped them. "One more question: Why did you pick three Marines, Thom? Why not two or four?"
    Nast had not expected the question, but he was ready, "Well, three is the normal composition of a fire team, ma'am, and these three men were in the same