tood why Shavash agreed to the
president's condition - not to participate in the elections - so easily.
     "Why did you instigate the whole thing?" Bemish asked. "Did you want to
get 2000% profit in ten days? Were  you trying to save  your country or were
you spinning an insider deal?"
     "Where  is insider trading here?" Shavash was surprised. "I didn't know
how your government would reply to my proposal."
     "And still, having reaped your profits, you refused to become the first
minister of Weia."
     Here Shavash smiled slowly and victoriously.
     "There  are  a lot  of people,"  he  said, "who are  worthier  of  this
appointment than I am. At a certain  point,  Mr. Nan was dismissed from  the
first minister  position under  the pretext that he was a citizen of another
country. They passed a law that made  it  impossible for foreigners  to hold
governmental  appointments.  Now, we are all citizens of the  same state and
the  law  is  no longer valid.  You  have  to agree,  that it  will be quite
advantageous if an Earthman represents  our  country in the  Assembly of the
heads of the states."
     Bemish was completely shocked.
     "Shavash, everybody thought that you betrayed Nan."
     "Never follow the general opinion, Terence.  If you had thought  better
about me, you would have been a billion or two richer today."
     Having  said this,  the  small  official  bowed  ceremoniously  to  the
Earthman  and walked  down the  path,  back to the  carved spires  and onion
shaped turrets of the main palace pavilions.