
antagonistic public forums. Then she looked back up and bit off a curse as Oskar Dieter entered with his
now-constant shadow, Fouchet.
She felt Ladislaus materialize by her side. Dear Lad! He played the buffoon for the Innerworlders, but his
fellow Beauforters knew his worth. Indeed, she sometimes wished she didn't know him quite so well. It
would be nice to lose herself in an affair with someone with his strength and integrity, but any liaison with
him would have felt incestuous.
Dieter paused at the head of the reception line, and his dark eyes glittered. Fionna didn't like Dieter; she
never had, and she knew the feeling was mutual. Unlike Taliaferro, Dieter was a poor hand at hiding his
emotions, and she'd flicked him on the raw often in debate. He resented that, and resented it all the more
because she was a woman. The Constitution might outlaw sexual discrimination, but New Zurich's
unwritten law enshrined it, and she suspected Dieter found her an insult to his prejudices as well as to his
ambitions. Still, there were amenities to be observed, and sheeaheld out her hand with a smile.
"Mister Dieter." "Ms. MacTagsart." He bowed slightly, ignoring her hand, and his voice was cold, his
eyes scornful. Fionna's palm itched.
"A pleasure to see you, sir," she made herself lie. "I understand you will be taking a major role in
tomorrow's debate?" "Indeed," he said. "And so, I hear, will you. Playing your usual obstructionist role, I
presume." Conversation slackened, and Fionna felt Ladislaus tighten beside her. She touched his hand
unobtrusively.
"I prefer, sir, to consider my role as that of a constrnc,-tive advooate for the Fringe Worlds," she said,
equally coldly. "We, too, have a right to present our point of view and to contend for our values and
dreams." "Values and dreams?! Fringe garbage!" Dieter flushed suddenly, his voice hissing, and Fionna's
eyes widened. Good God, what ailed the man? One simply didn't say things like that at formal
receptions!
"Yes, Mister Dieter," she heard herself say, "we, too, have our dreams and aspirations--or will the
Corporate Worlds take even those from us?" Ripples of silence raced outward. Fionna dared not turn to
see the effect of the acid exchange, yet neither dared she to ,ill disi! retreat. It was one thing to appear
reasonable; it was quite another to appear weak.
"We have no desire for them," Dieter sneered. "You speak very prettily in debate, for a Fringe Worlder,
Madam, but the Assembly'will not be blind to your barbarism and xenophobia forever. You and your
kind have stood in the path of civilization too long?
He almost spat the last words, and suddenly she smelled his breath. Reefgrubs! He was almost in orbit
on New Athens mizir! How could he be so stupid as to meet her in this condition? But whatever madness
possessed him wasn't her worry; responding to his attack was.
"We may be barbarians, sir," she said, and her voice rang clearly in the silence, "but at least we have the
advantage of you in manners!" Dieter's face twisted as the crowd murmured approval. Even through the
haze of mizir fumes he could sense the incredible blunder he'd made. But recognizing it and reo trieving it
were two different things, and his fuddled brain was unequal to the task.
"Slut!" he hissed suddenly, thrusting his face close to hers. "You've aped your betters for too long! Get
home to your stinking little ball of mud and make babies to play in the muck!" Fionna and her guests
froze. Enmity between political leaders was nothing new, but this--to No one could quite believe Dieter
was so lost to self-control, yet his words hung in the supercharged air like a sub-critical mass of