If the Transitional Authority forces took over the southern highlands, then the underground might have infiltrated the cities, but to what purpose? Scattered so thinly they couldn’t budge the two world order, based as it was on Earth. Suddenly Maya had the ugly feeling that the whole independence project was no more than a dream, a compensatory fantasy for the decrepit survivors of a losing cause.

“You know why this step-up in security has happened,” she said, glaring at Sax. “Those big sabotages were what did it.”

Sax showed no sign of hearing her.

Vlad said, “It’s too bad we couldn’t have fixed on some sort of plan of action at Dorsa Brevia.”

“Dorsa Brevia,” Maya said scornfully.

“It was a good idea,” Marina said.

“Maybe it was. But without a plan of action, agreed on by all, the constitutional stuff was just—” Maya waved a hand. “Building sandcastles. A game.”

“The notion was that each group would do what it thought best,” Vlad said.

“That was the notion in sixty-one,” Maya pointed out. “And now, if Coyote and the radicals start a guerrilla war and it touches things off, then we’re right back in sixty-one all over again.”

“What do you think we should do?” Ursula asked her curiously.

“We should take over ourselves! We make the plan, we decide what to do. We disseminate it through the underground. If we don’t take responsibility for this, then whatever happens will be our fault.”

“That’s what Arkady tried to do,” Vlad pointed out.

“At least Arkady tried! We should build on what was good in his work!” She laughed shortly. “I never thought I would hear myself say that. But we should work with the Bogdanovists, and then everyone else who will join. We have to take charge! We are the First Hundred, we are the only ones with the authority to pull it off. The Sabishiians will help us, and the Bogdanovists will come along.”

“We need Praxis too,” Vlad said. “Praxis, and the Swiss. It has to be a coup rather than a general war.”

“Praxis wants to help,” Marina said. “But what about the radicals?”

“We have to coerce them,” Maya said. “Cut off their supplies, take away their members—”

“That way leads to civil war,” Ursula objected.

“Well, they must be stopped! If they start a revolt too soon and the metanationals come down on us before we’re ready, then we’re doomed. All these uncoordinated strikes at them ought to stop. They accomplish nothing, they only increase the levels of security and make things more difficult for us. Things like knocking Deimos out of its orbit only make them more aware of our presence, without doing anything else.”