The long and drawn out meeting on the 45th floor of the I.I.S.C. Headquarters Building was coming to a close when James Sloane, Chief of Planetary Affairs, interrupted the closing statements. ?General, there is actually one more piece of business. I hesitate to bring this up but I hate to have unfinished business hanging over my head. We received a communiqu? two days ago ? a rather unusual one.?

?Who is it from,? General Lloyd Morningstar asked impatience clearly evident in his voice.

Sloane winced slightly as he spoke the name. ?It?s from the emperor of that Rigel system in Galactic Quad 2. Kaiser Wolfgang. You might remember the name.?

General Morningstar put his palm to his forehead and just shook his head, then looked at Sloane. ?Unfortunately, I do. I knew his father, Joachim III, better. They?re all pompous, arrogant fools who think the Rigelian Empire is God?s gift to the galaxy. What does he want??

?Well, that?s the unusual part in all this. It seems that they are offering to be a royal host for Colonel Savage until such time as we would ratify an agreement for the Rigelian star system to have a Hyperspace Trading Station for the new trade route.? Sloane?s face twisted and contorted as he tried not to laugh. ?They want us to direct Savage to accept their gracious offer.?

The room went from the silence of total disbelief to a burst of laughter.

?Savage died months ago,? said Commander Zeritt, head of Trade Security.

Sloane stopped laughing and nodded in agreement. ?It looks like the Kaiser pulled the wrong bluff to get us to reconsider that trade lane. Besides, it was Savage who gave it a negative report. This doesn?t make sense. Savage never cared for the Rigelian?s anyway after what happened during that campaign on Rigel IV. He got a bad rap for that.?

?It was politically necessary,? Morningstar interjected. ?We all know that. Savage knew it too. He knew the rules.?

?True, but then that incident with his wife . . . even if Savage were still alive it would take something extraordinary to get him back to Rigel. How should I respond to the Kaiser??

?Tell him that the chances of Rigel getting an HTS are about as dead as Colonel Savage.?

A thin man with black hair, goatee, and a patch over one eye lifted his head to speak. Girmen Maitux was the representative for the Shipping Guild, and he didn?t speak much at these meetings. They bored him. Whenever he did speak, it was important. His words were slow and deliberate. ?Perhaps Savage is not dead.?

No one in the room was still laughing.

?His transport ship exploded. We went to the scene and scanned the entire area and found nothing living. Believe me, he?s dead.? Zeritt was convinced.

General Morningstar just sat there silent except for the drumming of his fingers on the table as he thought about what had been said. None of this made sense. The Kaiser might be arrogant, but he was not stupid. There was information that was missing and he wanted to know what it was. He looked to the Chief of Planetary Affairs. ?Sloane, forget what I said. Respond with ?We are considering your request?, that?s all. Zerrit, prepare a small delegation to visit Rigel. It?s been a while since our last visit and I think it?s time to once again evaluate the security of the Rigelian system. A surprise visit is always quite revealing; besides, we should make sure that our special agent is being treated . . . royally.?

General Lloyd Morningstar shut down his communication with Colonel Savage, sat there for a moment and then mumbled to himself, ?Sonovabitch.? He flipped on the intercom to his secretary, ?Zania, have Zeritt, Sloane, and Brik in my office in 15 minutes.?

?Yes, Sir,? came the response just before his shut off the intercom.

General Brik was head of Internal Security. He was a huge man with a bald head and no sense of humor. He was responsible for the I.I.S.C. agent loyalty, discipline and training. He took his position very seriously.

When they were all gathered, General Morningstar spoke first. ?Gentlemen, I?ve spoken to Agent Savage. He?s alive and well, and evidently in the Rigelian system.?

?Yes!? General Brik said through teeth that were spaced too far apart and much too yellow. ?That?s m?boy! I knew an explodin? ship wouldn?t kill m?Wil!? His regard for his favorite agent was obvious, yet everyone knew it wasn?t out of anything that could be considered any affection or admiration. It was simply that Wil had always accomplished his missions and made General Brik look good. Wil was no more than a ?tool? to the general. Brik was as happy as a man who had just found a favorite tool that he thought he had lost.

?Evidently not,? Morningstar replied. ?But ?your boy? has been hiding out with MY ship!? He paused just enough to have any elation settle. ?As you know, we have agents on the way to Rigel. They?ll be there soon.? He turned directly to Slone. ?As you are fully aware, the emperor or Kaiser, or what ever the hell he is, of Rigel has requested to house Savage. Send a message giving him our permission and thanks. I want Savage where our agents can easily find him.?

Slone nodded, ?I?ll take care of that, sir.?

?Oh, and tell him that Savage?s request for a Hyperspace Trading Station in the Rigelian system is being very favorably considered.?

?An HTS? But sir. . . I thought. . .?

?Just tell him that, Sloane. And butter him up. You know what I mean, right??

Sloane sighed and nodded. ?I understand. It?ll be done as you say.?

Morningstar then turned to Brik. ?Have your men arrest Savage and bring him back here. But make sure he reveals the location of our prototype fighter. I want that back here with Savage. Is that clear.?

Brik was emotionless. ?It shall be done. Savage will be standing here within the week.?

General Morningstar now had a saccharine sweet smile on his face, ?Very good. Men, I do believe we have our Savage and our ship back in our hands. Life is good. You are all dismissed.?

- - - -

Later that night Sloane sent a message to the Emperor of Rigel,

To His Royal Highness, the Emperor of Rigel and all its Systems,

The Interstellar Intelligence and Security Commission greets you and wishes Their Majesties all peace and prosperity.

We are most grateful for your generous offer to house and protect our agent, Colonel William Samuel Savage. We wish to accept your offer and request that it be fulfilled at your earliest convenience. Furthermore, your concern for our agent demonstrates the attributes that Colonel Savage reported ? the attributes of a ruler and a star system which could properly manage the great responsibilities of hosting a Hyperspace Trading Station. We are considering the request very favorably at Colonel Savage?s request.

We are looking forward to further negotiations that will lead to our mutual benefit.

James Sloane, Chief of Planetary Affairs
Interplanetary Intelligence and Security Commission