'I didn't resign. The University of Hawaii pays a lot better.'

'Okay – you didn't resign – you were one jump ahead of them. After all these years, Woody, you can't fool me, and you should give up trying. If they offered the NCA back to you right now, would you hesitate?'

'All right, you old Cossak. What do you want to know?'

'First of all, there are lots of loose ends in the report you finally issued after so much prodding. We'll overlook the ridiculous and frankly illegal secrecy with which your people dug up the Tycho monolith -'

'That wasn't my idea.'

'Glad to hear it: I even believe you. And we appreciate the fact that you're now letting everyone examine the thing – which of course is what you should have done in the first place. Not that it's done much good...'

There was a gloomy silence while the two men contemplated the black enigma up there on the Moon, still contemptuously defying all the weapons that human ingenuity could bring to bear upon it. Then the Russian scientist continued.

'Anyway, whatever the Tycho monolith may be, there's something more important out at Jupiter. That's where it sent its signal, after all. And that's where your people ran into trouble. Sorry about that, by the way – though Frank Poole was the only one I knew personally. Met him at the '98 IAF Congress – he seemed a good man.'

'Thank you; they were all good men. I wish we knew what happened to them.'

'Whatever it was, surely you'll admit that it now concerns the whole human race – not merely the United States. You can no longer try to use your knowledge for purely national advantage.'

'Dimitri – you know perfectly well that your side would have done exactly the same thing. And you'd have helped.'

'You're absolutely right. But that's ancient history – like the just-departed administration of yours that was responsible for the whole mess. With a new President, perhaps wiser counsels will prevail.'