Of tranquillity created by absolute, unchanging knowledge of all that deserved to be known. 'Suppose we wait and see.' And then, not yet affecting the changelessness of her eyes, her lips began to dance with a wicked, teasing playfulness; a moment later a new and different spark ignited within her eyes and thereupon the expression of her entire face underwent a total change. 'The door,' she said wickedly, her eyes gleaming and intense, her mouth twitching in a mirth-ridden giggle almost that of an adolescent girl, 'flies open and there stands a silent delegate from Prox-ima. Ah, what a sight. A bloated greasy enemy reeg. Secretly, and incredibly because of Freneksy's snooping secret police, a reeg here officially to negotiate for a—' She broke off and then at last in a low monotone finished, '—a separate peace between us and them.' With a dark and moody expression, her eyes no longer lit by any spark whatsoever, she listlessly finished her drink. 'Yes, that'll be the day. How well I can picture it. Old Virgil sits in, beaming and crackling as usual. And sees his war contracts, every fnugging last one of them, slither down the drain. Back to fake mink. Back to the bat crap days ... when the whole factory stank to high heaven.' She laughed shortly, a brisk bark of derision. 'Any minute now, doctor. Oh sure.'

'Freneksy's cops,' Eric said, sharing her mood, 'as you pointed out yourself, would swoop down on Wash-35 so dalb fast—'

'I know. It's a fantasy, a wish-fulfilment dream. Born out of hopeless longing. So it hardly matters whether Virgil would decide to mastermind – and try to carry off – such an encounter or not, does it? Because it couldn't be done successfully in a million light-years. It could be tried. But not done.'

'Too bad,' Eric said, half to himself, deep in thought.

'Traitor! You want to be popped into the slave-labor pool?'