She stopped and looked at him with eyes as lambent as those of an angry cat. "If you have thoughts of helping your own cause by going to Varsek about me, forget them. In the first place, Varsek helps nobody. In the second place, I can have you silenced before you could ever get to him." "No," said Wyatt slowly, "I wasn't thinking of going to Varsek. But what he said about you is true. You do want the command. You figured that Earth, armed and prepared, would give Varsek such a setback that you might be able to oust him and take over." "Do you blame me?" whispered Brinna. "He's a swine. A cruel, treacherous, sadistic swine. You saw him. No wonder there's a Second Party." "How big is it, Brinna?" "Big enough to worry Varsek. Loran is the third poor devil he's tortured to death trying to find out who's in it. He hasn't managed it yet, but he will. And then--" She made an expressive gesture of slashing. "You said you hated everything the Second Party stands for. What does it stand for?" "Peace," said Brinna, as though it was a shameful word. "They want to take the Task Force home and force the government to stop this galaxy-wide swing of conquest." "And you don't want peace?" "I'm a soldier. What use would I be at peace?" Her face was hard, shining, exalted with ambition. "Not while I'm still young and unsatisfied, anyway. Listen, Wyatt. I told you women are not segregated and discriminated against in our society and that's true--except for top positions of power in politics and the military. Even there it's never stated openly. But somehow or other the women candidates never quite make it. I'm going to be the first one to break that custom. I am going to command this Task Force." * * * * * She put her hand on his arm, speaking rapidly, with urgent force. "I'm not alone, Wyatt. I have a powerful group behind me. Varsek isn't popular with the officers. The men love him because he wins battles and looks the other way when they abuse the native women, but they don't have to deal with him. All we need is an excuse--a demonstration that Varsek has blundered badly--and we can step in. _I_ can step in. Earth could give us that excuse, if your people put up enough of a surprise fight. So you see our interests do run together." "That far, they do," said Wyatt. "But afterward?" "What do you mean, afterward?" "After you take over. What happens to Earth then?" He shook her hand away. "Don't treat me like a fool, Brinna. You don't take over from Varsek on the grounds that he's failed and then admit that you too are licked by the same situation." Her eyes had narrowed and the anger-light was in them again. "So?" "So you will then proceed to smash my world. You have to, to prove you're more capable than Varsek. Otherwise, somebody will oust _you_."