"I'm sure," Stern said. It took every bit of self-control he had to
keep from leaping across the desk at the man.
It was clear that the man had something else in mind than the freeing
of people who had been condemned by the Council of Judges. What was it
that Elizabeth had said?
_All of us have been exiled illegally._
If that was true, it meant that Matt Skardoth was behind the illegal
ostracism of every Condelarian citizen on the planet!
And that was the main thing that held Stern back. If what he thought
was actually true, then he was the only one who really knew what Matt
Skardoth had done! And, by the way Skardoth was treating him, Skardoth
didn't know that Stern was aware of his identity!
Skardoth leaned back behind his desk and smiled blandly. "It is
probably obvious to you that the Federation has, for some reason of its
own, framed you on this charge." He smiled softly. "Naturally, I don't
know why you've been condemned to Earth, but that doesn't concern the
Group. We _do_ know that you have been condemned illegally--so you
will want to escape.
"What we have in mind is this: we will get away from this planet after
we have taken it over. We will force the Condelari Federation to
recognize us as an independent government. Are you with us?"