Later that afternoon

There are so many VIP processions driving around the city – motorcycle pairs at head and tail plus three to five cars in the middle – that they are usually invisible to the residents, particularly when they are only moving a few blocks. Thanks to a news flash, however, a small crowd had gathered to watch this procession leave the hotel, pick up its escorts, turn east, north, and west around the block, before turning south and then back east on the same busy one-way street it had started from. But before it reached its starting point, the well-known armored limousine in the middle of the line turned right into a narrow lane that leads to the entrance of a low white building while the motorcycles and the lead and the chase cars continued straight ahead.

There were six marines waiting as the limo stopped, three on either side of the red carpet. As the car came to a stop, the nearest marine reached to open the door, and a motherly looking blond woman in an elegant blue outfit emerged, nodded her thanks to the marine, and moved to the north entrance of the West Wing

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Four men and two women rose as Eliza Danvers entered the Oval Office: President Baker, the Attorney General the Secretaries of State, Defense, Commerce and Agriculture. Cameras clicked as Eliza was introduced and shook hands with them all.

"Dr. Danvers," the President said, "Thank you for rearranging your schedule on very short notice. Unfortunately, that dam failure means I must leave for California tonight. And thanks also for putting our personal disagreement into the proper context for the news people. And most important of all, thank you for not mentioning any classified matters in the hearing, particularly when Congressman Parsons tried to get into that area."

"You're welcome, Mr. President"

"And I'm sorry we couldn't let you walk across Lafayette Park. But with all the anti-alien sentiment out there right now, the Honorary Consul of Argo is someone we can't risk anything happening to."

"Don't worry about it," Eliza replied, "I should have thought of that myself, but as the Czech writer Vaclav Havel once said about a similar situation, 'Politics is not my day job.'"

"True enough," said the Secretary of State, "but you've certainly started off on the right foot."

"Thank you."

"But since time waits for none of us, I think we'd best see what we can come up with. Let's sit down," President Baker suggested. He and his team took seats on one couch with chairs at each end, leaving Eliza alone on the other. She sat, totally unperturbed.

"Before I speak officially as Argo's Honorary Consul, I need to say something personally as Eliza Danvers, American," Eliza began, "I told Chair Zor-El and the High Council that the only way I would take this job was if I was convinced that what they were offering was truly beneficial to both parties. And it is only because I believe their negotiating posture is a win-win opportunity that I accepted the commission."

She looked around, and everyone nodded.

"With that said and putting my official hat on, I'd like to give you the context in which Argo's high council sees the situation and we can then discuss any differences in viewpoints before we come to the details." Again, she looked around, and again the others nodded.

"First, the High Council, on behalf of the people of Argo, thanks the United States for offering to initiate diplomatic and trade relationships between the two polities. The council unanimously believes that such a relationship will be mutually beneficial. Krypton had several thousand years of experience engaging in such relationships across interstellar distances and, as Chair Zor-El said in her reply to your original message, the principles that governed Krypton's interstellar relationships were close enough to the Vienna Conventions that Argo is happy to use those conventions as the basis of its relationships with governments here.

Second, the High Council notes that Argo will inevitably be invited by other Earth polities to establish diplomatic and trade relationships and Argo will have to accept such invitations if only to secure international patent protection for any technologies shared with the USA. But rest assured that Argo will follow Krypton's longstanding policy of interstellar neutrality and therefore will not form military alliances with any nation. Despite a basic policy of neutrality, however, Argo is committed to giving the United States certain trade preferences for a ten-year period. This latter stance is Argo's "Thank you" for the country's unwitting support as the Danvers family raised Kara Zor-El in a way that met Kryptonian as well as American standards."

"Third, Cat Grant has sent the council a copy of the WTO rules, and the council notes that Argo fits all the conditions for Most Favored Nation status vis a vis the US and would prefer to trade on that basis. Complete documentation supporting the council's view will be delivered to State's liaison team on Argo within the next day or so."

"And finally, neither Argo nor the US will fail to survive if no deal is reached. Therefore, no deal will happen if it is not beneficial for both sides. Does anyone see any problems with any part of this perspective?"

The others present shook their heads.

"Then since the United States suggested setting up this relationship, you probably have some ideas for what you would like to see in an agreement," Eliza concluded.

"Thank you for a very cogent presentation of how Argo sees the background, Dr. Danvers," said the Secretary of State, "For the record, we fully agree on the context as you have described it." As Eliza nodded, he continued, "As for trade possibilities, there are key four items we'd like to discuss as the foundation for the relationship. First, our liaison team has reported that Argo has cold fusion technology. That is something we would very much like to have. Second, you have interstellar travel. That too is something we would like. Third, we'd like to have your knowledge learning systems. And finally, we want to develop a politically palatable way to get some additional Kryptonians to come here as police auxiliaries.

"The cold fusion and educational technologies will be no problem," replied Eliza, "We'd be happy to license them to American companies for a fair price once we secure international patents on them."

"Would you give the USA exclusive rights to those technologies and let us license them to other countries for a fee?" asked the Secretary.

"That wouldn't be the Council's preference," Eliza replied, "Historically Krypton, like Switzerland, was a state that operated from a policy of neutrality. Argo wants to continue in that tradition. Experience has shown the High Council that if they trade with any polity on a multi-polity planet, they must be open to trading with all of them. When Krypton tried to engage in a "most favored nation approach" as a basic policy, what usually followed was a series of unfortunate consequences for both partners. As noted, the Council does want to give this country certain time-limited trade preferences for a specific reason but they are not inclined to go beyond their initial offer. And regarding cold fusion, Argo understands that the worldwide adoption of cold fusion technology would quickly solve some serious pollution problems and climate change issues that are hurting the planet while lowering industrial and residential power costs by 50%, and the biggest of these problems arise outside the United States. If Argo works directly with countries such as China, Russia, and India as well as the US to set up this technology, a lot of the world's pollution hot spots will be cleared up faster. And while that change will benefit those other countries directly, it will benefit the USA indirectly as well."

"That's interesting. What about interstellar travel?" asked the Secretary of Defense.

"Argo is willing in principle to share that technology, but as a practical matter, there's no point in sharing it until you have a continent-wide power network up and running. I'm not competent to discuss the technical details, but if you'd like to send a team of your most advanced electrical and mechanical engineers to Argo, they will be able to report on the challenges that will be involved. In the meantime, the Council estimates that it will take between five and ten years for you to build the power net you'll need. During that period Argo proposes to do its American and worldwide trading deliveries and contract signings on a FOB at a US port basis. That way, instead of licensing fees, you'll get the tax revenues on the transactions and you won't need to pay the interstellar transportation costs." Eliza carefully did not mention a possible real objective hidden in the American request: that of controlling the worldwide diffusion of Kryptonian technology.

Does Argo have any other suggestions for trade?" the Secretary of Commerce asked.

"Yes," Eliza replied, "When the planets in Krypton's solar system were spun off from Rao their sun, the mineralization distribution on Krypton differed quite a bit from what happened here. Argo has huge quantities of all the seventeen heavy rare earth minerals that US industry needs for the foreseeable future. Would you be interested in purchasing anything up to 80,000 metric tons annually for up to twenty years, at ten percent below the CME market price on a sole-customer wholesale contract, delivery and settlement to take place at mutually determined locations within the USA?"

The President and the Secretaries of Defense and Commerce took deep breaths in unison. This was an unexpected surprise that opened the door to tremendous possibilities.

Rare earth minerals were essential for computer memory, DVDs, rechargeable batteries, cell phones, catalytic converters, magnets, fluorescent lighting and much more. They were a critical item in the national defence stockpile, but the US only produced 15,000 metric tons a year and could only use half of that for defence uses because the other half was needed for civilian use. The shortage was a major bottleneck in defence planning. And it didn't help that China could produce five times what the US could and charged extremely high export prices. Now Eliza Danvers had calmly told them they could have all they needed and more – for both the civilian and military markets, at a discount, together with having an additional supply available to be sold elsewhere. And Argo's proposal to trade FOB at US ports meant that the United States would gain two billion-dollar revenue streams, one from taxing domestic buys and the other from doing the same to foreign purchases.

"That's certainly an effective way of getting our attention," the Secretary of Commerce was the first to find her voice, "But did I hear you say that you wanted delivery and settlement to take place here?"

"Yes," Eliza Danvers replied.

"Then even after taxes, your trading company will have a balance sheet with tens of billions of dollars in annual revenues. What will you do with all that money? You can't repatriate it to Argo."

"No, but Argo can use it to finance its representation here and to trade for other desirables such as purchasing a substantial proportion of the US annual food reserve for at least the next seven to twenty years."

A chuckle turned all eyes to the grinning Secretary of Agriculture as he said, "Now I know why you wanted me here. Dr. Danvers. I think we might be able to work something out. But settlement and delivery will have to be here also."

"That's no problem."

"Then what would your initial purchases look like? How many people do you have?"

Eliza told him, and he nodded, "Based on our production figures for the last five years, we should be able to supply all those items with no trouble at all."

"We thought so. And finally, additional Kryptonians are easy," Eliza concluded, "Director Danvers has played a little hooky on her medical leave. She has spent enough time with Argo's police department and special teams to identify where they are like ours, where they differ, and what training they'll need. She passed her report on the matter to Acting Director Lane earlier today, and it should be in your email queue by now, Mr. President. But the bottom line is this: Argo could have fifty police officers, trained in DEO rules of engagement, on-planet, and patrolling within two weeks with as many as 150 more able to follow within a few months. The High Council also understands that you will need to keep the radical anti-alien protests to a reasonable level, so it would be your option to limit the Argo team's rules of engagement to supporting the DEO, or whether you would want them to work with local police departments as well."

"That might be very useful," commented the Attorney General, "Particularly if Superman and Supergirl come with them. When will they be returning to Earth?"

"Superman tells me that he would prefer to keep to his original schedule, which means he'll be back in about six months. He's getting to know his parents and his heritage in a way we'd all thought was impossible, and he's taking his time to do so. My daughter, however, faces a more complex situation."

"What situation is that?" the Secretary of State asked.

"I'll need President Baker's authorization to answer that specific question since I don't know whether all of you are cleared for classified information regarding Supergirl and the DEO."

"The revelation of how you made the deal with former President Donaldson is public knowledge," the Attorney General replied, "And he will be facing charges for an unauthorized release of classified information."

"I'm glad you told me that," Eliza said. "Has former President Donaldson provided you with the full text of our agreement?"

The AG shook her head. "No. It wasn't necessary for us to see that. We know what happened."

"I'm afraid your statement is incorrect," replied Eliza, "If you had seen the full text, you would have known that charging the former President would be inadvisable because one of the minor terms of our agreement was that it would not be classified. As the then-sitting President, President Donaldson had every legal right to make that determination. I also know that former President Marsden and her successor did nothing to change the agreement's classification status."

The AG and the President both winced: they knew that any change in the agreement's security status would have required Eliza Danvers to sign the legally required classification change notification. Eliza carefully didn't notice.

"Thank you for letting us know that detail," said the AG.

"You're welcome," said Eliza, "But to return to my daughter's situation: speaking hypothetically, might it be possible that other factors than the now-public incident that prompted our deal are pertinent?"

The President caught the unspoken message, "Secretaries Grantham and Billingsley, please wait outside for a few moments." The Secretaries of Commerce and Agriculture rose and left. As they left the President continued, "Dr. Danvers, you may continue on my authorization. For the record, the Attorney General, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Defense are now authorized for any compartment containing classified information at whatever level that bears on Supergirl's situation."

"Personally, I'd be happy to accept your statement as given, but since I am also Argo's Honorary Consul, it might be best if I were to have it in writing."

President Baker raised an eyebrow.

"To avoid any possible future complications," Eliza suggested.

The President nodded, walked to his desk, wrote a few words on a scratch pad, tore the page off and handed it to Eliza. "Will that do?"

"Yes, Mr. President, and thank you," Eliza replied, as she put the note into her purse, "To continue: any discussion of a future role for Supergirl on Earth must start with Kara Zor-El Danvers, not Supergirl. The distinction is important. Supergirl is a job description and a uniform. Kara is the person at the heart of the situation."

She paused for emphasis and the three men and one woman nodded.

"As you know, Kara was about thirteen when she left Krypton," Eliza began, "By the time my husband was forced to volunteer for the DEO, we had already learned something of Krypton's political environment as Kara had known it. Thanks to their educational technologies, she had already been trained in Kryptonian history, military history, and politics to the level of a US university senior majoring in Political Science with a military history minor."

"In political terms, Krypton was an oligarchy, but it was a remarkably successful one. Today's closest earth parallel is probably Singapore, which for the last fifty years has been ruled by a meritocratic elite that has carefully subordinated their interests to those of the populace. Because of that stance, that elite has remained in office for all those years without losing a single election. Like the Singaporeans, the elite families of Krypton kept tight links with the peoples they served and they did not allow their personal or relational short-term interests to get in the way of the interests of the Kryptonian people. And so they have remained a trusted and respected elite – for over four thousand years. But as you know, that's not the norm for earth. The vast majority of our oligarchies have ended in civil war or great political turmoil, mostly within a few decades."

"Within this context, we must also consider the House of El, Kara's clan. Although its members usually have not sought political office directly, their eminence in the fields of science, the law, and the military meant that they usually were in key positions in times of crisis. Over the past forty centuries, members of that house have won great credit by exemplifying the virtues of responsible service. As a result, they gained an extraordinary measure of trust from the Kryptonian people and that trust has often propelled them into high office, as it did with Kara's mother. Growing up as a daughter of this house, Kara knew from her earliest days that she would face the challenge of meeting those high expectations, and that challenge is something that she was specifically trained for, even as a child. While on Krypton, she accepted that state of affairs as inevitable, but when she got here, those expectations became irrelevant to her new life. Here, she could choose her own life and be who she wanted to be. And the person she wanted to be was first Cat Grant's assistant, and second a responsible and competent journalist. But she also felt an increasing desire to do something else in addition to the life she had chosen."

"By the time I negotiated with President Donaldson, I knew that Kara would want to follow in her cousin's footsteps in using her powers to help people. And I also knew, from watching Superman, that there was only one way she could use her powers that would be acceptable to the public at large: Superman's way; that of helping the police and the government as a volunteer operating within the law. As you all know, had Kara tried any other approach, she would have been hunted down as a criminal by the DEO."

"So, as I told President Donaldson, I raised Kara in the tradition of the finest American ideals of politics and citizenship. I saw to it that she gained an understanding of the background to the Revolution, the Declaration, the Constitution, what those documents meant to the Founders, and the reasons why all levels of government were, and still are, limited in their powers. I taught her about the high ideals of our founders and the uneasy compromises they and their successors have sometimes had to make in order to progress toward those goals."

"As you might imagine, the American view of government appeared very strange at first to someone with Kara's background where the Kryptonian oligarchy never lost connections with the full range of its people. But once I showed Kara that human governments have consistently lost touch with their people, and why the American ideals remain valid despite the compromises, I could then go on to show her that those who leverage those ideals to achieve their purposes have consistently won out over the compromisers in the long term. Once she saw that she realized that building on our ideals was why we have been able to survive even when our elites became disconnected from those outside their circles. And that's why she became so committed to the rule of law and to helping people within that framework."

"But since she came out as Supergirl, Kara has faced a number of unique challenges completely unsupported and the cumulative strain of those challenges has been immense. Unfortunately, several of these challenges directly involved the US government and its interactions with our family and herself personally. More important, those interactions showed the US Government saying one thing yet doing another when it comes to following what it says are its highest ideals.

The Attorney General caught the President's signal, "What happened?"

"Several things," Eliza replied, "First, you already know how we lost my husband and her adoptive father whom Kara had quickly grown to love: The day after I arrived on Argo, I learned a critical detail about that situation which I had not known. Her mother told me that Kara disobeyed Jeremiah when he told her not to listen to our meeting with those DEO agents the night he was forced to volunteer to work for the DEO. And because a mistake of hers was one of the factors that led to that meeting and put Jeremiah on the road to his death, Kara has blamed both herself and the US government equally for Jeremiah's death ever since."

"But I believe you recently learned that your husband may be alive," commented the President, "Doesn't that change the picture?"

"In the best of all possible worlds, it might. In the world as it is, it won't change anything in Kara's mind. For one thing, we knew that Jeremiah was dead for over twelve years. That certainty left a mark in all our hearts; not just Kara's. Moreover, during the Cadmus affair, we discovered that the US government agent who initially recruited him was a longstanding Cadmus double agent. And he was also the one who led my husband's kidnapping by Cadmus where he was effectively brainwashed. During short the time my husband was with us before disappearing again, he committed some crimes, and if he reappears, he will face charges. As far as Kara is concerned, the US government forced her earth father into that position, and the fact that it did so is the first strike against it."

"If you'll let us know the details of those charges, I can advise the pardon advisors at the Department of Justice to look into the matter," said the AG, "If what you say is correct, a pardon would possibly be appropriate."

"Thank you," replied Eliza, "Acting Director Lane is aware of the situation and you can ask her for the appropriate files. But I'm afraid that this is not the only problematic incident."

"Go on, please," asked the AG.

"The second strike is what happened after Kara rescued flight 237. By the way, her sister was on that flight, which is why Kara revealed her Kryptonian abilities and subsequently came out as Supergirl. But a couple of days later, she saw a large city fire, went to help, was shot out of the sky and rendered unconscious by a Kryptonite dart, was taken to the DEO as a prisoner where was told in no uncertain terms that any more assistance on her part was not wanted and would be dealt with severely. To that point, she had done nothing illegal or immoral either as Kara Danvers or as Supergirl, so she sees that incident as the second time the US government betrayed the founding American ideals and treated her as less than a citizen."

"But she ignored the warning," said the President.

"No, Mr. President, she obeyed it. Right up until the moment when the DEO found itself facing an alien threat it couldn't handle and they ordered her sister – someone who Kara knew was vehemently opposed to her acting as Supergirl – to demand that she help them. Even though Kara noticed the radical about-face on her sister's part and realized what was going on, she chose to help the DEO. And it's a good thing she did: if she hadn't, National City would now be the world's largest bomb crater. The file on that incident – the Vartox incident – is in the email Director Danvers sent you the night of the interview."

"And I was strike three," said the President.

"No, Mr. President, you were strike four," Eliza replied, "Or more properly strike five."

"What do you mean?"

"Strike three was the way the government treated General Astra In-Ze after Supergirl initially captured her before she was exchanged for the kidnapped DEO Director. A US army general who was then in temporary command of the DEO injected her with concentrated liquid kryptonite – in front of Supergirl. A few months later, Kara was similarly injected when she was captured by Cadmus, so she has firsthand experience of what her aunt experienced that day. Watching the torture of her beloved aunt had an undeniable impact. And what her aunt endured taught her once again that the US government did not regard it as necessary to treat aliens as sentient beings."

"I can see that. Who was the General in question?" asked the Secretary of Defense.

"I don't want to mention his name although you can easily find it. Since there was no law governing that situation on the books at the time or even now, you couldn't prosecute him for his actions, and I'm very happy to report that he later came to a better mind.

And what was strike four?" asked the Secretary of State.

"Strike four wasn't an attack on Supergirl, but it was the game-changer. Argo turned up in our sky."

"Why did that change things?" the AG wondered.

"Because that gave Kara an out: she was no longer trapped on Earth. She could leave for Argo at a moment's notice. And she also knew that she could arrange matters so that her sister and I could no longer be held hostage to ensure that she would comply with the government's wishes."

"Do you really think we'd do something like that, Dr. Danvers?" asked the AG softly.

"If I did, I wouldn't be here," came the cool reply, "But the question Kara was facing was not 'What can the government do at this moment?' but 'What could the government have done when Argo had not yet turned up?' Seeing her sister forced into begging for her to act as Supergirl taught her that her sister and I were hostages against her good behavior. So, she couldn't ignore the possibility that the government might move against us if she did something it didn't like. But with Argo in our sky, she knows it would be counterproductive if you tried to do something like that now. She also agrees with the High Council that the potential trade benefits are too good for either side to ignore. But to get back to your original question, these issues have had an impact and Kara needs to work through them before she returns. She's not quick at thinking through personal issues, she's going to need some months to do that, even though she has been wise enough to seek help. She has already had a couple of meetings with Argo's leading psychologist. And what she'll eventually decide to do will be up to her."

"While it would be great to get additional Kryptonians," interjected the Secretary of Defense, "the American people know and trust Superman and Supergirl, but they don't know members of the Argo Police Department. It would be far more difficult to win acceptance for deploying them if Superman and Supergirl aren't present to lead them. And unfortunately, like it or not, politics is the art of the possible."

"You've raised a good point," commented Eliza, "It's one that both the High Council and I thought would be raised, and the council has authorized me to speak to it personally before I present the Council's position. Speaking personally as Eliza Danvers, American and Kara's earth mother, I can tell you that if her participation is made a condition of any trade deal with Earth, Kara will refuse to return. Speaking as Argo's Honorary Consul I am authorized to tell you that the Council will not attempt to force the issue and will not pursue negotiations further if Kara's refusal is a deal-breaker for you."

"That seems a little extreme," commented the Secretary of State, "Why are they taking that view?"

"As I said earlier, Kara's new life on earth gave her the ability to freely choose who she wanted to be without being faced with any external expectations. On Krypton before the explosion, and to a much greater extent on Argo now, her life would have been a public life rather than a private one. Here, for the first time ever, Kara could just be herself, without carrying the political expectations of more than four thousand years of Kryptonian history on her shoulders and Kara regarded this new public anonymity of her life in this world as one of its greatest blessings. Even when she came out as Supergirl, Kara was not a law enforcement professional: she served as an anonymous volunteer. Living as Kara Danvers, she could help people as Supergirl without carrying the impossible expectations that we expect of Supergirl into her private life. Unfortunately, her service with the DEO was publicly rejected, and in a most unfortunate way. Do I need to explain why her anonymity would have been quickly lost following that rejection?"

"I think we can see what would have happened," said the Secretary of Defense, "Sooner or later someone would notice the lack of Supergirl/DEO cooperation in an alien case, particularly if it resulted in significant public harm. Questions would have been asked, and the answers to those questions would have triggered a nationwide hunt to find out Supergirl's identity. Am I right?"

"You are," said Eliza, as the President and the AG frowned at the Secretary, "Kara was a volunteer. She will not be a law enforcement professional on earth. And Krypton and Argo are like the US in one way, neither government can force a specific individual to do anything they do not want to do except for exceptional circumstances such as wars. More important, the psychologist I mentioned has already advised Kara and the High Coucil that she should not return to her Supergirl role prior to working out her issues. The stakes between the polities are too high and she would be under too much strain produced by her unresolved internal tensions."

"That is a problem," commented the Secretary of State

"Now if you feel that you really need a known Kryptonian in addition to the police team, I do have two alternative suggestions," Eliza continued.

"What are they, Dr. Danvers?" asked the Secretary of State.

"You have a contact team on Argo. Why not have them talk to Superman and see whether they can negotiate an agreement that brings him back earlier, perhaps on a part-time basis? Or, if the public has moved so strongly against Kryptonians in general that you feel you need Superman and Supergirl to lead them, you might want to reconsider whether you need the additional Kryptonians at all. As Director Danvers testified this morning, while Kryptonians are nice assets to have, they are not essential to the country's defence. And as it happens, both Kara and the High Council know that Director Danvers' statement is the truth of the matter."

"How does the High Council know that?" asked the AG.

"Because Kara told her mother of the fates of her sister and brother in law, the public details of the Daxamite invasion, and the details of the Reign issue as part of the background to getting the specific element, harun-el, that enabled us to deal with that individual.

"Then Supergirl shared classified material with unauthorized individuals. Twice," the AG pounced.

"Once again, that's inaccurate," said Eliza, "In the first place, once he learned of the circumstances, the then Director of the DEO recognized that Kara's sharing of the fates of Astra and Non In-Ze was justified by the overriding necessity to obtain the harun-el and he retroactively authorized her actions under the unanticipated circumstances clause in the classification rules. As for the latter incident, even before Kara left for Argo, the Director recognized that knowledge of the Reign situation was essential for the High Council to determine whether they could help us, and he authorized Supergirl to release that information." And Eliza knew as well as they did that the DEO Director had the right to make those determinations.

The four American politicians looked at each other. The two Secretaries and the AG nodded; the latter's reservations were obvious.

"Time presses, but I think that we have the beginnings of a deal here," said the President, "We'll want a day or two to think this over after I get back from California, but I don't see any major roadblocks, even though we'd love to have Superman back here and preferably Supergirl with him. That said, Dr. Danvers would you be happy with a communique saying that our discussion has been an exceptionally productive first meeting and that we are likely well on our way to an agreement that is a win for both sides?"

"Change the wording to 'we appear to be on our way to an agreement that is a win for both sides' and I think that's a fair description. And I like the fact that the communique is short."

"I've already learned that short and simple is best," replied the President. "I'll have my AA type it up and then we'll move to the Briefing Room to brief the press and then to the State Dining room at the White House for the official dinner before I leave for California. May I suggest, Dr. Danvers, that we not mention any specifics when we brief the press?"

"Will saying 'we have identified, discussed and made significant progress toward agreements in power, educational technologies, minerals, and agricultural products' be general enough for you?" asked Eliza.

"That would be ideal," said the President. "Are you sure you are not a diplomat?"

"No, Mr. President, I just had to run a university department and political negotiations are the same everywhere. And, of course, I had a few talks with Argo's Office of Diplomacy to help form Argo's position. But there is one more matter I need to mention before we leave for the Press Room, but it's not part of any potential agreement."

"Oh?"

"Yes. This concerns your Ambassador-designate, Dr. Lena Luthor."