（外文电子版资料）Asaro, Catherine - A Roll of the Dice.pdfVIP

A Roll of the Dice Catherine Asaro Year: 2000 In research, theres no substitute for field experience — but there can be too much of a good thing! Table of Contents 1 Quis Web 2 An Oath Unasked 3 Mountain Passage 1. Quis Web Jeremiahs kidnappers let him watch the delegation that came to negotiate on his behalf. The wall in front of him was one-way glassplex; he could see the people in the room beyond, but to them the wall appeared opaque. He didnt recognize the man speaking, but the fellow wore the uniform of the Foreign Affairs Corps for the Allied Worlds of Earth. Jeremiah knew the other two people in the delegation: Deborah Svenson, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard, and Professor Jack Brenn, Jeremiahs thesis advisor in the anthropology department. One of Jeremiahs kidnappers also stood in the room: Chankah Dahl. As Manager of Dahl, she governed one of the largest city-states in the human settlement on the planet Coba. A tall woman with gray hair, she ranked high in the power hierarchy of the Twelve Estates. The voice of the Foreign Affairs officer came over an audiocom set high in the wall. You must understand, Manager Dahl, he continued. Jeremiah Coltman is a citizen of the Allied Worlds. Your decision to send him to another Estate against his will is considered abduction by our people. Manager Dahl remained unperturbed. You are well aware that before Jeremiah came here, he signed an agreement to abide by our laws. She looked around at them. Your government has no jurisdiction here. He is ours now. Jack Brenn stiffened. A large man with broad shoulders and a shock of black hair, his intensity almost crackled in the room. You have no right to hijack him this way! He signed that agreement with the understanding that it meant you could deport him if you didnt like him. But we do like him, Chankah said mildly. We have bestowed our highest honor on him. Dean Svenson spoke. Now that Jeremiahs field