He was wiry thin, with black hair combed straight back from his receding hairline, face round and flat with deep brown eyes that sparkled with intelligence and what might even have been humor.

As he sat on his heels opposite Joanna, Yamagata shook his head and put on a rueful expression. "No matter how carefully you pick your assistants and how well you train them, they always seem to find some emergency that only you can resolve.' He laughed heartily.

"How true," Joanna said. "I trained Ibrahim al-Rashid for many years, and now that he's risen to the top of Masterson Corporation he's trying to undermine everything I stand for."

Yamagata's brows rose a few millimeters.

Three young women in identical kimonos brought each of them individual trays of sake and, kneeling, placed them on the table.

Yamagata used the moment to consider Joanna's words. "Yes," he said slowly, "I can see that you do not agree with the direction Rashid has taken. I hope this little meeting can clear up the difficulty between us."

He looked directly into Joanna's eyes as he spoke, ignoring Lev. At least he's not a male chauvinist, Joanna thought.

"I didn't realize until just a short time ago," Joanna said,'that Faure is actually being controlled by you."

Yamagata's eyes widened momentarily, then he threw his head back and laughed. "Controlled? By me? Whatever gave you that idea?"

"He's using the nanotech treaty as a pretext for seizing Moonbase, yet he intends to have your people run Moonbase and continue to use nanomachines just as we are doing now."

Instead of answering her, Yamagata lifted his tiny cup of sake. "A toast. To better understanding."

Joanna clicked her cup against his, then Lev's. As if it were an afterthought, Yamagata touched his cup to Lev's also.

"Do I misunderstand the situation?" Joanna asked, after sipping the warm rice wine.

"It's not a question of misunderstanding," Yamagata answered,'so much as comprehending the entire picture."

"Please enlarge my understanding, then," she said.

"Gladly. Moonbase is the leading center of nanotechnology development, that is true. Faure is using the nanotech treaty as a means of establishing U.N. control over the nations of the Earth, that is also true. As long as Moonbase continues to defy the treaty Faure will bend every effort at his command to stop you."

Joanna nodded. "That much I already know."

"However," Yamagata raised one finger, "once the U.N. has taken control of Moonbase, Faure will turn the operation of the base over to Yamagata Industries."

"I knew that, too," Joanna said.

"Yes, of course. Yamagata will continue to operate Moon-base just as before, but under the direction and supervision of United Nations inspectors."

"How will that be different from the way Moonbase is being run now?"

Yamagata took another sip of sake. "The major difference," he said, after smacking his lips, "is that Yamagata Industries will stop the manufacture of Clipperships and their export to Earth."

"Stop building Clipperships!"