Free Empire & Ecolitan by L. E. Modesitt Jr. Page A

assistance or transportation to places not served by normal commercial channels, we suggest that you request such transportation through the Institute, rather than flying yourself in equipment of potentially dubious performance. If you prefer to be the pilot, the Institute will provide a flitter and a backup pilot.
    â€œIn return for this openness, Accord will know what you see, or at least have a good idea.”
    â€œBeing unduly generous?”
    â€œPractical. Short of assassinating you, Major, which would be easy enough to do, no one could stop you. We’d rather you didn’t expire on our watch.” She fixed his eyes with hers.
    Jimjoy found their opacity disturbing in their intensity.
    â€œWe may also request that you actually observe other activities, from time to time, if we feel you may be missing information for your report.”
    â€œIndoctrination now?”
    â€œHardly. We hope for a limited balance in your findings, and more information shouldn’t exactly hurt you. Your report will need to be more than brilliant, in any case.”
    Jimjoy smiled wryly. In that respect, Cerla was right. Dead right.
    â€œThat it?” He stood, ignoring the burning in his right arm.
    â€œAlmost.” She stood and turned back toward the console, where she picked up the folder from the flat top. She took two steps back toward Jimjoy and extended the documents. “Those are your clearances, as well as a list of fax numbers you may find helpful. At the end are the particulars circulated on you, which you may find of some interest.”
    Cerla inclined her head toward the portal. “That’s it, Major. Turn to the left as you leave. Your cabin is the last on the left. You won’t need it that long, though. This is a short hop. Less than twenty-four hours before we swing orbit.” She paused again. “And, Major, you might consider that being a loner is not the same as being independent.”
    â€œI’ll think about it. Sleep on it, in fact, since that’s what I need most right now.”
    Cerla raised her eyebrows, but said nothing. She continued to extend the documents.
    Jimjoy took them, meeting her eyes. He nodded and stepped away, turning.
    The portal opened before he approached and stepped through, heading to the left. He could feel the purser’s eyes on his back as he departed, knew she was watching since he had not heard her close the portal. She was interested in him, but not in any romantic or sensual way.
    Her parting comment bothered him, even more than the implications about Accord’s use of the so-called surface carriage index. While Accord could have invented the concept just to fluster him, that didn’t make sense either.
    He found himself shaking his head again. Accord wasn’t going to be any picnic, not if they were all as sharp as he’d seen so far. And that was scary for another reason. Accord wasn’t even independent. Just a colony with a few scattered colonial forces, a colonial council, and a ragtag Institute pretending to be a university.

XI
    A NY POWER WHICH merely opposes its own destruction or the loss of its territory almost never wins the ensuing conflict unless it defines its objectives beyond survival or the perpetuation of the status quo.
    In warfare, status never remains quo. All things change, and success for the defender rests on the ability to shift the fight from defense to offense, to place its attacker or attackers on the defensive.
    Without such a de facto switch in positions, the most that can be gained is a stalemate, and the result of such a stalemate is inevitably a change in the actual governments of both attacker and defender, even if the outward forms remain apparently unaltered.
    Thus, the eventual outcome of any war is a change in the government of at least one of the parties. For this reason, no war should be undertaken by any government interested in its survival without change, not unless the