Between the Stars by John Maddox Roberts, Eric Kotani Page B

closed up his lab and made his way to the plush senior scientist lodgings in one of Aeaea's newer sections. There was always a certain satisfaction in returning here. The address was a high status symbol in Aeaea's complicated hierarchy. It had taken him seven years to gain such a position. He had almost forgotten his old debt.
    As he entered his apartment, he saw the message light flashing on his communication console. The flash-pattern indicated that it was from off Aeaea, and he wondered who it might be. He went to the console and punched in his personal code. As the message appeared above the console, he paled. It had come at last. "I will be arriving in Avalon in two weeks and staying at the Omni. I would like to see you if you can get some vacation time. Your Uncle Donald."
    He closed his eyes for a moment. It was a shock, but he did not seriously consider defiance. His sister's life and comfort were too important to him. Resignedly, he booked a passage on a regular Aeaea-to-Avalon run of the liner Horai-Maru .
    Two weeks later, he checked into the Omni, one of the asteroid's luxury establishments. He had no idea whom he would be contacted by. Undoubtedly, it would not be the man who had "recruited" him, a faceless man of a type common to all governments and most large institutes and businesses. Vecchio was not even certain whether his "employer" was a government or a private enterprise, and he had been careful not to ask. Since it had happened on Earth, it was probably the former. However, it was not outside the realm of possibility that one of the other asteroid tech stations had wanted a mole in Aeaea. He dismissed such thoughts from his mind.
    As he awaited his contact, Vecchio pondered the timing of the summons. Coming when it did, it probably concerned the Rhea Object. On Aeaea, it was the subject of all conversation, even among those who were not assigned to the project. If so, his caller would be disappointed. Thus far, they had discovered nothing of much use to anybody. To scientists, of course, this lack of response to tests was as exciting as the no doubt shattering discoveries that would inevitably be made. Exploiters, however, would want something more concrete and immediate.
    The small room's console announced a visitor. Aldo took a deep breath and touched the entrance control. The door slid back to reveal a burly man, hairless and pale. Something struck Aldo as strange about the man's looks, but he refused to speculate on what it was.
    " Buona sera , Signore Vecchio. I bring you greetings from Signorina Nilze."
    "Come in, please." Like nearly everyone offworld, Vecchio had spoken English all his life, but on Mars he had been raised in the small Italian community. His own family was from Trieste, and he recognized the man's accent as Slavonic, possibly Serbian.
    "I am Josip Mihajlovic. For our purposes, I am from Trieste, and our families back on Earth are old friends for many generations."
    "As you wish," Aldo said, with a sinking feeling. The man's name, although undoubtedly false, was not unthinkable. Trieste had a sizable Yugoslavian community. In the turmoil of World War II, Croatians had attacked their traditional enemy Serbs, many of whom had fled there in the aftermath.
    "Please take a couch." Aldo indicated a spindly structure with a sling of thin cloth. "May I get you a drink?"
    "That would be excellent," the man said in English. "Gin, if you don't mind." The English was flawless. If he had not spoken Italian, Aldo might not have guessed his origin. He went to the compact bar and drew gin for Mihajlovic, chianti for himself. To the Serb, this obviously took care of the amenities.
    "I am here to learn what I can about the Rhea Object," said Mihajlovic. "My employers do not believe that Aeaea is making public all that they have learned about the thing."
    Aldo released a tiny sigh of relief. "I can assure you that they have. So far, we know nothing save that it defeats all our attempts at