"Solleremos knows I'll try to stop him. That's why he had Tauncer, his right-hand man, set that little trap for you. They know I trust you. They hoped I'd have told you how I plan to block them." Kirk looked at him, and then said, "How are you going to stop them?" Ferdias said, "There's a big celebration coming up on Earth soon. The two-hundredth anniversary of the first space-flight from Earth. It means a lot to them. Their Council invited me to send an official delegation to represent Lyra Sector. So I'm sending you." Kirk stared. "Me—to Earth? But what can I do if—" Ferdias interrupted. "The Fifth Squadron will go with you. To take part in the commemoration pageant, the fly-over." Now Kirk began to understand. "Then if Solleremos tries anything, the Fifth will be there waiting for him?" "Exactly." Ferdias spoke the word like a wolf-snap. "I know Solleremos' intentions. I know about when he plans his grab for Earth. Earth can't stop him, not with their small forces. But the Fifth can!" Kirk felt a bit stunned. Fighting the hidden border wars of the rival Governors was one thing. But a full-fledged struggle between Sectors, back there at old Earth, was quite another. It could rock the galaxy.... Ferdias went on matter-of-factly, "You'll take off five days from now. You may be there a while, so you'll take full supply auxiliaries and transports." Kirk looked up. Transports meant the families of all personnel would accompany the squadron—and that meant Lyllin would go with him. He was glad of that. "But when we get there," he said. "Besides taking part in that celebration, what do we do?" Ferdias said, "Go and look up your ancestral home." "My—what?" "Ancestral home. Place where the Kirks came from, on Earth. I had it hunted out, and it's still standing. It's in Orville, a place near the city New York. You go and look it up first thing." Kirk began to get it. "You'll send me orders there?" "You'll hear from me. And you'll get warning if Solleremos moves on Earth. But Kirk—one more thing."
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