Anne McCaffrey - Tower05 The Tower And The Hive

I have excellent reason to he particularly grateful to four experts in writing this conclusion of the Talent (aka The Tower and the Hive) series. Dr. Jack Cohen of the University of Warwick and I discussed how I could solve the problem of colonizing Hivers. So I had a structure to begin with. I was dumbfounded to discover that my dictionary had only five lines about the very complex subject of pheromones. The Web came to my assistance and I asked for help, which was quick m coming from Jonathan Brecher and Louis Culot of CambridgeSoft on their special expertise, both as generalists and for specific knowledge about pheromones. We had some lively E-mail exchanges, since Jonathan knew of Lyon's Pride when I approached him for assistance. His colleague Louis Culot supplied additional details. I wish also to thank Bibb Graves from Hewlett Packard Houston for a description of gas chromatographs, which register the strength and composition of pheromones. We extrapolated — as is the function of science fiction — that the future would miniaturize what are actually large and cumbersome instruments. But then most current gas chromatographs (GCs) have altered considerably from their original forms, and no doubt will have altered even more by the time of The Tower and the Hive.

I am also grateful to my readers — Mary Jean Holmes, Lea Day and my daughter, Georgeannc Kennedy — who try to spot any inconsistencies, typos and grammar problems which might occur in the fifth of a series that was first started in 1990. I am indebted to my editor, Susan Allison, and her staff of copyeditors, for their valuable comments and assistance overall.

When an unknown enemy threatened all Human life on Deneb, Jeff Raven shouted — telephathically — for help and reached the Rowan,1 the lonely Lady in the Tower at the Calhsto Tower of Federated Teleport and Telepath (FT&T). With her help as Callisto Prime Talent, Jeli freed his planet of invasion. He also became the next Earth Prime.

The Rowan and Jeff Raven had five children. The precocious Damia, the second daughter of their marriage, emerges as a Prime Talent too, and is sent to occupy the Tower at lota Aungae's new mining planet." There she encounters an intelligence on a distance spaceship, known as Sodan. He tries to lure her into giving him directions to her planet. Her family become suspicious of her enchantment with this "mind" and send her brothers Larak and Afra to divert her. In the ensuing meeting of minds, Larak is killed by a brutal telepathic bolt from Sodan, who is only a mind. Damia and Afra are seriously injured too. While recuperating on Deneb, Damia and Afra are contacted by the "dreams" of the Mrdini. An alien race, they have been fighting the dread spheres of the Hiver queens, who were the invaders which Jeff and the Rowan had thwarted.

The Mrdini are exceedingly impressed by the fact that Deneb was able to defeat the attacking Hiver sphere without loss of life. They have been fighting the Hivers for two centuries and only suicide squadrons are able to penetrate and destroy the spheres.

In order to cement relations between the two species, Mrdini young are placed with Human young and grow up learning each other's language and culture. Damia's children/ starting with young Lana, each have a pair of Mrdini young.

When Laria reaches sixteen years of age, she is sent to Clarf, one of the five Mrdini worlds. On Clarf, Laria teaches Haste to Mrdinis and learns their "adult" language, accompanied by her two 'Dims, Tip and Hut. At eighteen, she takes over as KT&T Prime at Clarf Tower as the Star League Alliance of Human and Mrdini continues to track down or resist the Hiver incursions.

Then three Hiver spheres penetrate League Space and three pursuit squadrons of mixed Human and Mrdini ships are sent after each of the Hiver ships, to track them to their separate destinations. Another group is sent to trace their ion trails back to their planet of origin. In order to continue these searches most effectively, FT&T is asked to supply the flagship of each group with a Prime, or sufficient lesser Talents, to keep m touch with the League Rase and to "receive" additional supplies of food and material on what could be long voyages.

Young Thian Raven, Laria s brother, is sent to the I/2z</zm, under the command of Captain Ashiant, as he and the ships backtrack the fleeing Hiver spheres. Thian himself comes under threat when the nova-blasted, derelict Great Sphere of the Hivers is found in space. A jealous latent Talent attacks him while he is part of a team exploring the dead sphere, and he is nearly killed. Damia assists him in identifying his assailant.

Meanwhile one of the queens fleeing the Great Sphere has been captured and is incarcerated in an unused facility on Heinlein Moon Rase, where she can he studied from a viewing station carefully placed safely out of her reach in her "prison." Mrdini and Humans alike await her exit from the pod. Attempts to contact the huge, mantis!ike queen are futile, as she does not recognize any other species. All hopes to establish negotiations and thus curtail Hiver incursions in the Star League are thwarted.

The Mrdini are not convinced that the nova which had devastated the Great Sphere has destroyed the Hivcr homework! and wish to have proof. Thiun, bravely recovering from the attack, agrees to accompany the Mrdmi ship the AJATL in its Search, thus making sure of supplies and contact during what is possibly a yearlong trek. Hy doing so, he will

prevent any young Mrdinis from "going on the line"—a Mrdini euphemism for self-sacrifice to feed their crewmates.

The League decides to try to salvage what they can of the Great Sphere to learn more about Hiver space engineering.

Afra accompanies his second-born son, Rojer, to the Gf+fjff under Captain Etienne Osullivan, for special duty when a sphere is tracked to a Hiver-occupied system identified on Mrdini maps. Despite being of the same species, the sphere is fired upon from the planet and its queens are destroyed as they try to escape the bombardment of their ship in pods.

Back on Iota Aurigae, Zara Lyon, sister of Laria, Thian and Rojer, becomes quite upset about the condition of the queen in Heinlein Base and determines to assist the captive. She manage;, to sneak a ride to Earth's Moon. Her interference results in saving the life of the captive queen, who has been slowly freezing. Even before this incident, Damia and Afra have worried about Zara's potential as a Tower Prime. Jeff and Rowan Raven agree that Zara might be better suited to another profession and Zara is, with Elizara Reidinger, as a dedicated medical T-l.

Despite orders from the High Council to maintain a watching brief,"* a Mrdini ship's captain attempts to coerce Rojer into teleporting the ship's missiles to destroy Hiver settlements on Xh-j J. Rojer's two 'Dini friends, K.at and Gil, are killed defending him from the Mrdini captain. Rojer barely escapes with his life. His mother, Damia, arrives to succor him and removes him to his grandmother's quiet home on Deneb Five to recuperate from the loss of his dear friends."*

The Rowan, arriving on the (jfofjff in the Xh-jj system, helps Captain Rtienne Osullivan execute a daring plan to "steal" the refugee sphere, and to destroy the two Hiver vehicles in orbit about Xh-J S. She requires the assistance of Thian, returned from his post on the Mrdini ship, and HI a via, a T-l from the Rowan's native planet, Altai r. With the use of Talent, the sphere is purloined from the system and sent

on its way to the League, thus giving the Alliance a relatively urn.lam-aged Hiver spaceship for Mrdini and Human engineers to examine. Teleported explosives Mow up any chance tor the Xh-jj Hiver population to leave the surface. The smaller Hiver scout ships that emerge from an underground hangar to tight hack arc also destroyed. The Alliance sets up on one of the Xh-jj moons to monitor the surface. Once the intact sphere ship is moored off Phobos Moon Base, teams are set up to examine it in detail. This is best accomplished with the help of Talents. To avoid the aggravating "sting-pzzt" emanating from Hiver artifacts, the Talents control the exploration from a distance. Thian heads the team that includes the newest engineering graduate, his brother Rojcr, Flavia and other assorted Talents, including several latent ones (Lieutenant Commander Scmirame Kloo) who discover that they are bothered by the sting-pzzt emanations of Hiver artifacts. (Only Talents are affected by this phenomenon.)

While the Talented team is able to search the intricate labyrinth of a Hiver ship, including the "bridge" apparently staffed by twelve queens, they are unable to power it up. The Talents decide that the only recourse is to teleport the Heinlcin Base queen mto the bridge and see how she activates the ship. Lver watchful of his grandchildren, )eff Raven, Earth Prime, approves of this ploy and comes along to he sure the queen does not escape. She shows the watching Primes the power-up sequence and is then deftly 'ported back to her prison.

Meanwhile, other squadrons are following a sphere designated Number Three, which seems uninterested in many likely M-? worlds that it passes. These are briefly investigated by Talents, in one instance by T-2 Kincaid Dano, whose capacity is overtaxed by the scope of the mission. Before he can be burned out, either by his duties and by the unfortunate struggle for his attentions by officers on the ship, he is transferred to Laria's Tower on Clarf with his TJinis, Nil and Plus. He insists, despite his fatigue, on contacting Rarth Prime with a report that there arc more Hiver-occupicd worlds than previously suspected: Hivcrs now occupy four of the twenty likely planets he has probed.

He recommends that these worlds be examined by the League as possible colonial worlds to relieve the pressure on overpopulated Mrdini planets.

Consequently, while the main squadron under Captain Ashiant continues to follow the sphere so obviously headed in a special direction, another group, under the command of Captain Vestapia Soligen on the Columbia, is staffed to explore the four M-type worlds: Talavera, Waterloo, Marengo and Ciudad Rodrigo. Prime Talent Flavia, Zara Lyon and Lieutenant Rhodri Eagles, T-3 and incidentally cousin to the Lyon children, arc part of that contingent.

Suddenly more spheres are identified, some uncomfortably close to the Columbia while others speed to join or assist the Hiver that Captain Ashiant is tracking. This unexpected development suggests that the Hivers do have some form of communication. It would appear that this sphere is searching for a star as near to their homeworld's primary as possible. But what are the parameters? From records of earlier star maps in the general area of the nova, the signature of the primary, before it was destroyed by its primary, is verified. Thus the searchers are able to discover exactly what sort of primary the Hivers are looking for.

Following Number Three, the astrogators spot a primary with the requisite signature and Captain Ashiant engages some of the enemy spheres in a space battle. At first the Human/Mrdini ships are overwhelmed, until Thian realizes that Talent can end the battle by tele-porting explosives to detonate the fuel tanks of the Hiver ships. As Talents are not supposed to engage in defensive, or offensive, maneuvers, there is some criticism of Thian's actions. However, the explosives do destroy the spheres. Captain Soligen's squadron, also being pursued by Hivers, is able to use this method too to destroy the spheres. In contrast to a direct confrontation, the Hivers do recognize other spaceships as threats, so the Hivcrs are prevented from establishing a new home-world.

While that threat is eliminated, many more Hiver worlds have been

located during the chase. All of them must he identified, and since the ethics or the Human/Mrdini Alliance do not include species genocide, how can the Hivers be prevented from following their cyclic behavior of overpopulating their planets and looking tor new worlds to inhabit? How can FT&T under Jeff Raven's capable management find enough suitable Talents to keep up with the ever-expanding demands for Primes?

By noon ot the clay after the destruction of the Number Three Hiver sphere, the newly promoted Admiral Ashiant was already giving orders to elements of his Fleet to implement the second phase of their five-year mission. They could now begin to identify and reconnoitre all Hiver-occupied worlds in this quadrant ot space. They were to initiate in-depth probes ot such planets, disable any orbiting spheres and establish monitoring satellites to warn the Alliance of any further suspicious surface activity.

As the Viidim and KLTL were already within the system targeted by Number Three as possessing a primary similar to their original one, Admiral Ashiant ordered Captains Pat Shepherd and Prim to do a thorough environmental exploration of the viable planets in the M-S and M-6 positions.

"They might as well," Admiral Ashiant told his Captain, Ailsah Vandermeer, "since the chase to destroy the two remaining scouts has already taken them halfway there. Rather tar out to consider an immediate colonization of ihose worlds, but who knows how hist the Alliance will spread once the threat of Hivers is reduced? The Mrchni certainly need more space."

"So they do," Ailsah agreed sympathetically.

"I suspect those habitable worlds closer in to our home systems, 'Dini and Human, will receive the first mandates. However"—and he slapped his desk top decisively—"no need for us to hang about. Captain Vandermeer, if you will please initiate a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn of the Washington, we'll begin the long journey home."

"Aye, sir," Vandermeer said, giving him a crisp salute and a wry grin. "It will, as you know, take us five full ship days to slow enough to execute the maneuver."

"Long enough for Shepherd and Prim to do their probes and be halfway back to us," Ashiant murmured.

"Should be an interesting cruise, sir."

"Indeed," Admiral Ashiant said, lightly fingering the circle of tiny stars that was bis new rank. Hastily withdrawing his hand, he cleared his throat.

"Anything else, sir?" Vandermeer asked, pretending not to see that gesture.

"No, Captain, that'll be all. Good day."

When news of those orders reached the Primes relaxing in the FT&T lounge, there was both excitement and regret.

"I wish one of us had been able to go with Captain Shepherd," said the recently promoted Lieutenant T-2 Clancy Sparrow in a wistful tone. "It'd be interesting to see what Hivers consider 'perfect worlds.' "

"They seem to have found sixteen planets near enough perfect

to eliminate any other life-forms, including Deneb," Prime Talent Thian remarked in a droll tone. "And seemingly about one in five of other M-type worlds we marked on our way while pursuing Number Three."

He still couldn't believe that he and his fellow Talents had managed to defeat the Hiver sphere: a process in which, after the first skirmish, only the enemy had died. It had been incumbent on the Alliance— somehow—to keep the Hivers from establishing a new home system to replace the original world that had been consumed by their sun's nova. If Prime Talent Thian had thought of a way to reduce loss of life among Human and Mrdini, surely he should not be criticized for devising what was now known as the Genesec ploy. That fact that he was Talent was the point of dispute, for Talent should not be involved in combat, however tenuous the connection. The pacifist element of Humankind had been appalled and the FT&T organization had received considerable criticism, despite the success of the Genesee ploy. The success was almost irrelevant in the storm of display and rebuke. However, the ma-jority of the Alliance had been relieved that the problem had resulted in few losses. After all, the Prime Talents had only delivered what the Navy explosive experts had prepared. "Teleportation" was a main FT&T function. The explosive packages, carefully placed on the Hiver fuel tanks, had been actually detonated by naval personnel with the sanction of the High Council and on the orders of Admiral Ashiant, so the Talent involvement had been a quite legitimate duty.

The old argument about a gun not being dangerous until it is loaded and aimed at a target was revised and adjusted to the FT&T. So, as the delivery agent, like a gun delivering a bullet, were the Talents guilty because they had sent a lethal package where it could destroy the acknowledged enemy of the Alliance? Or were those who gave the command for the substance to explode the guilty ones? That the resultant combination of "Talents" and "naval specialists" had caused the enemy ships to disintegrate offered much fuel to the point where the satisfactory outcome was nearly irrelevant.

A good night's sleep had restored energy to the Primes and the rest

of"their team on the Washington, ;incl they'd wound up the hist details of their controversial participation in the hattle to their own satisfaction. They were definitely looking forward to the exploration phase of their current assignment, studying the scanty probe reports of the first Hiver-occupied planet on the Fleet's return heading.

"Will we have to wait until the other ships rejoin the Fleet before we actually get to probe or land on the up-coming world?1' Clancy asked, [lacing up and down die lounge cabin.

"Don't see why we'd need to wait for Shepherd and Prim," Thian said. He was himself beginning to get restless, though the respite from frantic activity and precision teleportations had been welcome.

"Don't see why not if we get there first," Clancy said.

"Speaking of getting a/zyw/fnr, just when do I get transferred to the Columbia-" asked Prime Rojer, cocking his head and making his urgency plain to his older brother and team leader. "That was the deal for me, remember? I help demolish the Hiver spheres and then 1 get transferred to the Columbia—"

"And Cousin Asia," Clancy put in, his expression carefully bland. Rojer shot him a dire look that Clancy ignored.

"When you've helped me reprovision this squadron," Thian answered, linking his fingers behind his head as he leaned back and stretched out his long legs.

"Then you don't think the conservatives are going to insist that FT&T stop assisting the Fleet?" Roj asked.

Clancy's scoffing laugh echoed Thian's dismissal of that possibility.

"Look, bro," Thian said, sitting forward, elbows on his knees. "The FT&T was very carefully," and he emphasized the syllables, "nurtured as an autonomous public service—"

"And who can argue that getting rid of an implacable enemy isn't a public service3" Clancy put in.

"Back in the twenty-first century, when Henry Darrow was the manager of our budding organization, he determined to split it from any political group and to remain legally separate from any governmental agency until harth became a united world. His successors stu-

diously kept FT&T apolitical and also made certain that the facilities of the Towers were on a iirst-corne-first-serve basis. It's impossible to bribe a Talent, remember, not with Primes who can 'read'anyone's mind. The guilty always give themselves away anyhow." He grinned. "Of course, the present emergency with the greedy Hivcrs required FT&T to do a lot of kinetic transfers that would make the founders of our elite band spin in their graves. Nevertheless, it is still in our precious Charter that we Talents are required to teleporta lot of people and things that are repellent to our sensitive souls, though not illegal. Meanwhile we preserve the entity and integrity of FT&T . . ."

"And suborn Primes whenever they could be found . . ." Clancy added. "Like your grandmother on Altair."

"Granddad was the one who was really suborned. He had had no intention of leaving Deneb . . . before he met Grandmother." Thian's grin was broad. "Had the Hiversbut known they had met their match in Jeff Raven and Angharad Gwyn aka the Rowan as partners, they might have quit while they were ahead."

"Not while there were Hiver queens needing planets to colonize," Clancy put in.

"And that, of course, brought the entire FT&T organization in at the time of the Deneb Penetration with the Rowan as the focus for the Mind Merge that helped Jeff Raven dispatch the Hiver scouts trying to depopulate his homework!," said Roger.

"And why the Mrdinis decided to ask us, through Mother and Dad, to join forces and defeat the Hivers," Thian said, ".since we could take out a Hiver sphere without having to resort to suicide missions." He leaned back again, pleased with his summation of the events leading up to recent developments: denying the Hivers a new base from which to continue their unique form of colonization.

"I wonder how many of the bleeding hearts and conservatives have bothered to see the Hiver queen at Heinlein Base," Rojer said. "The sight of her would be instructive."

"We could ask Cousin Roddie Eagles." Thian gave his brother another slv look.

Rojer's anxiety to get to the Columbia had much to do with his courtship of Roddie's youngest sister, Asia, an engineer as well as a T-4. Initially the Columbia, flagship of Squadron B's five ships, had been sent to examine four M-type planets that had been used, and abused, by the Hivers, one—named Marengo—being on the verge of total ecological disaster. The massive effort initiated to save the world was well under way and some encouraging succession of hardy gras-soids had already been triumphantly broadcast. Ruins of Hiver occupations were evident on two of the other planets, Waterloo and Talavera, while the fourth, Ciudad Rodrigo, seemed to have an active Hiver colony.

"I should be aboard the Columbia. Now. Not still stuck here."

"Don't fret so, Roj," Thian said, broadcasting soothing thoughts to his pacing brother. "Our orders were approved by both High Councillors, Admiral Mekturian and Gktmglnt. They'll handle any interference to the rest of our mission."

"Not to mention Earth Prime [eff Raven and Callisto Prime Rowan," Clancy added. "1 see no reason for anxiety, Roj." Clancy at least forbore to tease his cousin about the real reason for his fretfulness—missing Asia.

"All we have to do on our way home," Thian said, "is Hnd all the Hiver-occupied planets . . . and constrain attempts by any of them to dispatch another colonial venture."

"That's all!" Rojer's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Which will probably take the best part of our lives," Clancy said, not particularly depressed by the prospect. "I might even make commander by the time we're done."

"I doubt we'll devote our lives to the project," Thian said, gesturing to include his brother.

"No, you're Primes," Clancy agreed without rancor.

There was a pause.

"Think I can talk the Admiral into letting me get down on the Hiver world we're heading for?" Thian asked wistfully. He clasped and unclasped his hands in frustration.

Thi Tiwtr and the Hive I

"You're a Prime, Thi," Clancy said. "Too valuable to be risked."

"And far more capable of defending myself than anyone else on the ship," Thian said, then bowed quickly to his brother. "And you too, Roj. I'm sure I'd find something no one else could."

"You're a Lyon, aren't you," Clancy said, "as well as a Prime? You will," he added with a reassuring grin, and stretched his legs out, yawning. "The Admiral won't deny you anything."

"Well, then again, Ashiant may be under orders not to risk you on anything, Thian," said Rojer in a knowing drawl.

"Oh?" Thian's raised eyebrows encouraged Rojer to elaborate on that statement.

"You can't be risked, bro," Rojer said with a snort. "They need you to take over from either Grandmother or possibly Grandfather."

Thian gawked at his brother. "How do you come to that remarkable conclusion?"

"You've been the focus for all our Mind Merges. I'm surprised you didn't guess. It's obvious to me"—Rojer looked over to Clancy, who nodded in agreement—"that you're the logical successor."

Thian sat for a moment, mouth agape; then he "glanced" into the minds of his younger brother and cousin and realized that both were certain of that. Slapping his forehead dramatically, he flung himself back on the couch, staggered by the prospect.

"Not for a few more decades," Rojer said consolingly, "since, praise be, our grandparents seem in excellent health."

"Spare me!" Thian said, groaning, his hand still clapped to his forehead.

What's the matter, Thian? asked Alison Ann Greevy, T-5, nursing em-path, from the sick bay.

Thian let his lover, Gravy, "hear" the conversation.

Oh, I thought something was wrong, she said with a mental sigh of relief, and her mind touch left his.

"What's wrong with that sort of future, bro?" Rojer asked. "You're at least getting a chance to travel now and see real life and all that good stuff. Besides, you've got Gravy. And it isn't as if you can't pick a nice

inaccessible spot to live in to enjoy your private lire when you do get stuck with being Earth Prime." Rojer rolled his eyes, coloring his thoughts with envious scenes of marital harmony.

That's enough of that! Thian said sternly, abandoning his shocked surprise.

Rojer only grinned, delighted to have annoyed Thian. "And don't keep me here one moment past getting the last load of supplies on board."

"I'll be well rid ot you," Thian said emphatically.

"I'll never be more than a thought away," Rojer said, and teleported himself out of the room before his brother could take physical vengeance.

Thian caught (fancy's amused glance and, wit ha laugh, was restored to his usual good humor.

"Younger brothers," Clancy murmured sympathetically.

That evening in the privacy ot their quarters, Thian and Gravy had talked over the prospect of his having to take up either of those tremendous responsibilities—Earth Prime or Callisto Station. Since both his parents and grandparents had expressed their approval of Alison Ann, the couple no longer needed to conduct their liaison as discreetly as possible. Indeed, once Thian knew his attachment to Gravy was approved, he teleported her belongings into his quarters.

"Frees space up for someone else," she'd muttered as she saw her things neatly being fitted into his closets and drawers. "Though it was kmda fun being zapped about by you, Thi darlin'."

"You never knew where you were going to wake up, though," he'd teased, hugging her tightly against him.

"Well, I'm here where I belong," was her contented reply.

She was, however, surprised when Admiral Ashiant adroitly started including Lieutenant Greevy when he invited the FT&T personnel to his mess table, a tacit recognition of their current status as well as pub-

lic approval. Once Alison Ann got over the shock, she rather enjoyed the perks that now came her way more frequently.

"'Sides which, no one dares complain about 'em either," Gravy added, tweaking Thian's nose. "They're jealous and can't do a thing about it."

The next morning Earth Prime Jeff Raven contacted Thian.

Supply drones are ready, Thian, said Jeff. Let's see how many we can forward at a time, shall we?

As you like, Thian replied, accepting the challenge, and allowed his grandfather to hear him summoning the merge on his end of the exchange. He smiled to himself, remembering Rojer's prediction, though he kept that very much in the back ot his mind. He didn't intend to be styled a "cocky boy" by his grandmother, the Rowan. Incoming cargo, he 'pathed to the other ships in the Fleet in a broadcast alert.

Thian's team quickly assembled in their "command" room, with its comformable couches: Rojer teleported in, Clancy and Commander Semirame Kino used their own feet, and so did CPO Lea Day since she had been nearby when she received Thian's summons. The Fleet electrician was a new addition to the team but was improving steadily with each new opportunity to use her previously unexpected parapsychic Talent. She liked being what she called a "power weasel."

They had only just arranged themselves on the couches when Jeff warned them of the first shipment—nine drones.

And we thought the big daddies from lota Aurigae were heavy, Rojer said, and warned the boat bays to stand by to receive the drones about to be imported.

On their way, Jeff said, and the team caught the first shipment at the halfway mark and deftly brought them in to the readied space.

That's for the Washington. Are the other boat bays alerted? asked Jeff.

They have been, Thian replied, and checking briefly, knew the other ships' Talents were standing by to receive.

Then (eft called out which drones went to which ship and they spent the next half an hour completing the reprovisioning.

Now can I go to the Columbia, Grandfather? Rojer asked.

Are you packed? There was a malicious laugh tagging along with that question.

Half a mo, Rojer replied, frowning in concentration.

"We'll send on anything you left behind," Thian said at his most helpful. "And say hi to all when you get there."

Rojer disappeared from his couch, his 'Dinis, Gil and Kat, with him.

We're set. Ta^es longer to get into the carrier than . . .

Thian didn't really need his team's help to push Rojer's personal capsule to the Columbia, for he felt his grandfather's touch assisting him, then Flavia's when Rojer arrived at the Constellation-class Columbia flagship.

Thanks, Jeff, Thian. We've been expecting him.

Keep him out of trouble, Thian said, and sent a fleeting kiss to Flavia and his younger sister, Zara, who was present in the Columbian teleport team.

You couldn't, was Zara's pert reminder, and Thian kinetically tweaked her nose to remind her of his seniority. She sent a laugh back over the incredible distance between them.

How soon will you arrive at the first suspect system, Thian? asked his grandfather, all business after the sibling exchange.

Admiral . . . Thian paused to emphasize the new rank and felt his grandfather's satisfaction. Ashiant advised us last night that we should make the hehopause by tomorrow evening. We re slotting now. The first exploratory probe indicates that the M-4 is occupied and has an old Hwer ship ni orbit.

Strange the Hwers didn't notice the proximity of such a close match for their homcworld.

rhere's quite a distance between the two star systems, sir. And besides, if the ship's as old as it loof^s to be, the colony queens probably didn't /(now it existed when they stopped at this one.

Same sphere ship design? asked Jeff.

Hwer design never changes . . . except to get bigger. Anyway, analysis of the pitting and metal fatigue on this sphere suggests this one has been hanging in orbit a long time.

Garbage? Jeff asked succinctly, since Hiver planets invariably used space as a refuse dump.

Not as much as you'd thin^fwm the age of the sphere.

Hmm. Chec\ it out thoroughly.

Why? Does another 'Dim planet want its own display?

There had been four vacant spheres captured in orbit around other Hiver-occupied planets. These bad been brought back to the 'Dini homeworlds, much honor accruing to the colors of the prize crews.

No. We're more curious about length of settlement as well as its current population. There doesn't seem to be a hard-and-fast rule of when queens send out new expeditions.

Or when their planet begins to get overcrowded?

That's it.

Why is that important, Grandfather? Thian asked.

If we fyiew precisely what factors precipitate a need for migration, we might f^now how to inhibit them and contain the queens on the planets they now inhabit.

Trouble with the conservatives? Or the bleeding hearts?

Thian caught the amusement in his grandfather's response. A bit of both.

From which source? Human or 'Dim?

A laugh echoed between minds. A bit of both.

All right. I'll refrain from asking questions you have no intention of answering.

Your grandmother sends her regards. So do your mother and father. And the presence that was Jeff Raven left Thian's mind.

When he took notice again of his immediate surroundings, Gravy was there with a glass of his favorite restorative. F.ven though that had not been a particularly taxing use of his Talent, Alison Ann in her capacity as Talent nurturer insisted that they all replenish their bodies

after every tcleportational session. She had halt finished her own drink. Clancy, Semirame and Lea Day were dutifully sipping theirs. The "power weasel" didn't look as tired from this day's work as she had been from others'. She was shaping up nicely into a good backup kinetic. She raised her glass in a toast to him. As he returned it, his eyes fell on the couch that Rojer had so recently occupied. He blinked.

Didn't you thitil{ you'd miss him, Thi? Gravy asked, cocking her head at him.

Actually, no, hut I do. And that surprised Thian. And if you say he's only a thought away, I'll. . . I'll. . .

"Quickly now, Prime, think of something," she teased, and ruffled his hair.

He patiently smoothed it back with his free hand just as the com unit bleated.

'LYes sir," Thian said promptly, for the call originated from the Admiral's ready room. Ashiant's rugged (ace filled die screen.

"Will you and your team please join me for dinner tonight, Prime Lyon?" Ashiant asked.

"We'd be delighted, sir," Thian replied. "Did your steward get all he ordered?"

"He's still checking, but I understand the manifests included all his requirements and wishes to make full use of the freshes!."

"Very thoughtful of you, sir," Thian replied.

"My choice, Prime," Ashiant said, and disconnected.

"No more than he should," said Gravy staunchly. "You should get pick of the crop."

"He doesn't mean me, does he;" asked Lea Day, surprised. CP( Xsdid not normally dine at the captain's table.

"You're part of the team. Lea," Thian said. "What's the matter: Don't you like slumming in officers' territory?"

"Not really ... if it's only us, the team, 1 mean. I try not to disappear from my station, you know. Might cause bad feeling."

"We'll avoid that whenever possible," Thian said, though he doubted the problem was immediate since the whole squadron was still elated by

their destruction of the final Hiver sphere. As Lea Day had been part of the Talent team to help effect that destruction, she was & persona very grata. But envy was common among the non-Talented for those who had a measurable quantity of psychic ability. Maybe he should discuss her position with the Admiral and see if Lea could be bumped up to ensign. He suspected she'd rather stay a CPO, top of her own pile, than become an ensign and bottom of another. Not that, in the final analysis, a Talent was ever bottom of anything.

She was an attractive woman, her dark hair crew-cut like a velvet skullcap in the acceptable fashion that did not, in her case, disguise her essential femininity. In her early forties, she was nearly as tall as he, lean and trim in her shipsuit; a career petty officer, having come up from the ranks: a native of Earth from the old American continental mass who'd joined as soon as she was old enough to enlist. Her electrical skills—especially her uncanny ability to avoid live wires and unnecessary shocks and to dowse exactly the trouble spot in the mass of circuit conduits needed by spaceships—should have alerted someone long ago to her latent Talent. Commander Kloo had spotted it when CPO Day had been assigned to the crews examining the captured sphere that Rojer and his father had teleported back to Phobos Moon Base. Admiral Ashiant had had her transferred to the Washington on Kloo's recommendation.

"Now that Rojer's gone," Thian went on, to put Lea at ease, "we'll be needing you more, rather than less. We'll add another of the crew Talent to keep you company. By the time we're through with you, Chief, you'll definitely be able to integrate into any Talent team."

"Gee, Talent Captain, sir, that's real nice of you."

Thian wanted to grin at her ambivalent reception of that threat. Instead he took her rejoinder at face value and gave her a bow.

"If that's all. Talent Captain, sir?" she said, coming to attention, "I'd best return to the profession of my choice."

"Can we send you on your way?" Thian asked, his lips twitching to keep his grin under control.

"Thanks, but no thanks, sir," she said as she strode on quick long legs

to the door. "I can do just fine the ordinary way." She closed the door firmly behind her.

They all had a good laugh then at her hasty retreat.

"Any truth in what she said about envy, Rame:" Thian asked the commander.

Kloo made a face and tilted her head from one side to the other. "I haven't heard of any disgruntlement. I'll keep an ear open. Mind you, that power weasel can take care of herself. She's been in the Navy long enough to know how. Hut you're wise to shift around with the other lower Talents. Give all ot them a break as well as practical lessons."

"Some are much better than others," Clancy said. "See you at dinner?" he added as he and Kloo also took their leave.

Well? asked the Rowan, Callisto Prime, pointedly of her husband, Jeff Raven, Earth Prime.

Well what? was the innocent response.

/ don't want to have to drag it out of you.

I'm waiting JOY Damia . . . Ah, there you are, Jeff said, ignoring the exasperated snort from his wife. All your /(ids are fine and healthy in tone and we shipped every single one of those heavy supply drones with nary a variation on either gestalt support. Rojer and his 'Dints are now on board the Columbia, and that should prove interesting.

Are you sure about Thian? Damia asked.

Can't you feel the truth in my mind? Jeft asked.

Don't be difficult, Father, Damia said. You f^eep taking my children and depositing them where you want them, and wonder why 1 worry.

It isn't as if they haven't improved, her mother said in a slightly censorious tone.

just remember the pressures they are not subjected to right now, Jeff said with no humor at all in his mental touch.

Is it getting worse, Dad? Damia asked contritely.

Anything we can do to help? added Atra. The two Primes had sensed

his presence, but Afra waited for the appropriate moment to join conversations between his wife and her parents.

just keep our good friends on Iota Aur/gae happy and ship off as much of that fine ore as possible.

More ships? asked Afra.

The Navy wants six'Wellington-class so it can reduce the number of support vessels needed. They plan to use the Constellations and Galaxies to stand guard on Hwer worlds that might be about to send off a new colony ship. Jeffs tone was droll. That Genesee ploy the kids invented has given both Navies tremendous confidence.

Too much? Afra asked.

We'll see.

Even if there's been such criticism about Talents abandoning our "traditional" noncombative role? Damia asked, her tone wry. She'd been very proud of Thian and Rojer for coming up with a strategy that had ended the need of suicide missions to destroy Hiver spheres. It had gone against Afra's methody pacifism that events bad caused his sons to think of such a tactic even if it had saved lives and, in another application, destroyed Hiver spheres.

Defense has always been permissible, Jeff replied. The Council now has other, more pressing worries.

Then the estimated ratio of Hiver-occupied planets has gone up? Afra asked.

Unconfirmed. Probably down, since some of those probed show dead installations. But that doesn't reduce the threat the species poses. The results of Kincaid's report while on search with Squadron D have to be revised if four of the twenty probed are either ecologically nonviable or prove to be failed colonies.

Those were all farther out p'om the original homeworld, said Afra pensively.

True, so we've just begun to search. The humorous note in Jeffs voice as he paraphrased an old adage showed his incredible resilience in the face of constant attacks and criticisms from the various factions of the two allies. Human and Mrdini. I'm only the messenger, he added, as if

he had perceived Afra's thought. The two knew each other to their fundamental conscious levels.

For which we arc all eternally grateful, said the Rowan crisply.

What's being reported for the other side of the galaxy? Afra asked.

I'm waiting to hear. Perry's the Prime with the Fourth Fleet. I should have told Thian that Admiral Ashiant's squadron is to be called First Fleet from now on.

My, we are getting fancy, the Rowan said.

I'm so glad you got Perry and Morge lie away from old David, Damia said at the same time.

ye>, their Talent was being wasted, Jeff replied, especially since David is now willing to tram up Xahra and that youngling Prime he just discovered in his own backyard. I'll have to reassign Morge lie from Second Fleet shortly but she's learned enough, Flavia said, to run a Tower. You provoked him, you know, Damia, with all your brood . . .

Not all my brood, Dad, and you leave the babies alone. I don't want them to have to grow up fast li%e Thian and Rojer did.

That's a low blow, Damia, said her mother and her husband almost in the same thought.

No one can regret the attack^ on Thian or Prtglm's outrageous wasting of Gil and Kat and its effect on Rojer more than I. There was such deep remorse in her father's voice that Damia was immediately contrite, laving him with affection and apology.

They did mature from those experiences, Damia, said the Rowan in a neutral tone . . . and Damia was further rueful when she knew her mother obliquely referred to her brother Larak, dead these many years, lost in the necessity of countering the mental entity Sodan. She had been the designated focus, but Larak had gone in first and Sodan's mental strike, aimed at her, had killed her T-2 brother. And we are all exceedingly proud of them.

Which David would life a little of, please, for his children, Jeff continued, getting over that sad reminder quickly. You'll be happy to know that Gollee Gren's found a half-dozen new potential high Talents. One who had

a near-death accident bringing out latent kinetic Talent, lie's testing well at the Two Level.

Is he? That's very good news. Damia meant that sincerely. So I get to keep my younglings awhile longer?

We'll see how they develop, her father said in a teasing lone, as if he didn't expect much from the four younger Lyons.

Dad!

Jeff chuckled. You do leave yourself wide open for a tease, you know, dear heart. To business—when's the next ore shipment?

Miner Mexalgo has four big daddies but wants to wait till he has the full half-dozen. To ma^e our effort worthwhile. Another hull from the mines of Iota Aurigae? Damia's tone held pride for her world's ability to supply the raw materials that would become elements of the expanding Allied Fleet. /'// let you kjiow. It shouldn't be too long at the rate they're wording: Humans and Mrdini. She chuckled and heard her father echo that.

Iota Aurigae had as many Mrdini settlers now as it had Human. The 'Dinis missed their hot fierce primaries, but in a mine, who sees the sun? They had space, their own settlements including finer hibernatories, better than those on their home planets, Clarf and Sef, although there was considerably more prestige in going to a Clarf facility.

As a Prime Talent, Damia was far more aware than most people that the Mrdini worlds were overpopulated and the pressure on them needed relief: much of her awareness derived from her oldest daughter, Lana, who was Clarfs Prime. The High Council had discussed the disposition of colonial expansion in private and public debates. Since the seven Human colony worlds had been free from the Hivcr assaults until the Hivcrs' abortive attempt on Deneb—known as the Deneb Penetration—Human worlds were by no means as critical in population densities as the five Mrdini planets were. With the Alliance, fewer Dim were dying in combat against spheres, although their birth rate remained as high as it had been when more spacers were needed. The Allied Council had voted, almost unanimously, that the first nine suitable planets would be given to the Mrdini and the tenth made available

for Humans. That decision had immediately met with resistance from a new faction, calling itself Planets for People, to the many disparate "voices" on the twelve Alliance worlds. However, the High Council was not moved to award an equal distribution of suitable worlds, since the intent of that opposition was specious.

In the first place, an "ideal" Mrdim planet would be hotter than those comfortable for Human habitation. In the second place, few Humans realized how desperately crowded the five Mrdini worlds were, in conditions no Human would tolerate. The Humans had only begun to spread out across the earth-type planets in the Capella, Dencb and Iota Aurigae systems. Their need was not as urgent—unless it was prompted by obvious tit-for-tat mentalities. On Clarf and Sef, the two most overpopulated Mrdini worlds, a corresponding faction immediately erupted, demanding that the first twenty suitable worlds should be Mrdini, since their race had struggled alone for two hundred years against the Hivers.

In the third place, the disposition or. any new colonial worlds depended on many factors, the most important being that the relevant planet not already be occupied by an emerging sentient species. To which the obvious argument was that if the Hivers had already rid the planet of any large, possibly predatory life-forms, that wouldn't be a problem, would it? Since Talavera, a world that had been "prepared" for Hiver occupation, was ecologically ill, how many other prospective planets would be in a similar state?

There would probably be as many theories—and opponents of those theories—as there were M-type planets in the galaxy. And who knew what other intelligent spacefanng species might exist in the quadrants not yet explored by Mrdim, Human and Hiver ships?

While most Humans met Mrdini on equal terms, not all Humans and not all Mrdini were in favor of continued close association now that the enemy—the Hivers—had received a major setback. Matters closer to home and divisive individual concerns often received more attention and publicity than the problem that still faced the Allies: finding Hiver-occupied worlds and somehow restricting the alien creatures to them.

Masses of details needed to be gathered by elements or both Navies: discovering which worlds the Hivers occupied, how full they were, which M-type planets ignored by the spheres trying to find a new home-world would be suitable for Mrclim or Human occupation.

One loud group didn't want any further Human expansion. A more virulent sect wanted to control FT&T because FT&T were "weasel lovers" and should not be trusted to conduct the Towers in strict accordance with its original Charter. This ominously growing group took note of the most minute variation, discrepancy or minor modification undertaken by Towers or emanating from the Blundell Building, the main FT&T headquarters on Earth. Some of the dissidents were medium to low Talents, dissatisfied by their assignments or claiming professional partisanship.

"Everyone knows that the Towers are dominated by a few families," was the most frequently lodged, and unfortunately accurate, accusation. The fact that Primes were rare enough did not apparently enter into the complaints. In the matter of Tower Primes, nepotism was far more benign than malignant or inefficient. In reality, the responsibilities and duties of a Prime far outweighed any reward: remuneration was strictly controlled, although a Prime could, by virtue of his or her ability, live anywhere he or she chose. Genetics played a critical part in providing more high Talents, though some emerged from unexpected sources, as had the Rowan, Calhsto Prime, reared on Altair, and (eft Raven, Earth Prime, who had come—rather reluctantly—from Deneb to assume the responsibilities which had been Peter Reidinger's until his death. Children on every Human world were now routinely tested at puberty for any vestige of trainable Talent. Every scrap of latent Talent was carefully nurtured, developed and trained to make the best possible use of it. If some had delusions of strength, they were soon meluctably placed in the category appropriate to their real abilities. Oftentimes, a minor Talent increased with usage, and FT&T was only too pleased to reassess and upgrade that person.

It had been a matter of necessity that four of the five children born to the Rowan and Jeff had been encouraged to produce large families.

Jeran, C'era and Damia were T-l's, Ezro was a T-3 physician, while the deceased Larak had been a T-2. Even his one child, Grayhan, was a T-2. All of the of fspring in the Raven-Lyon marriage were T-l's, though for some time it was thought that Zara, the second daughter, might be a dysfunctional T-l. She was now fully trained in a medically oriented Talent, so it was unlikely that she'd be asked to assume the responsibilities of a Tower.

David of Betelgeuse had three T-l children: Perry, Morgelle and Xahra. Jeran, now Denebian Prime, had four, Barry being of an age with Ro)cr, while Cera had three, also potential high Talents. The Bastianmajam couple from Altair had produced a T-l in Flavia, though her brothers and sisters were lesser Talents. They were completely unrelated to the (Jwyn-Raven-Lyon group. Rather more Denebians had latent Talents than other first-generation colonial worlds. They were la/y about using them, though the Eagleses, Ravens, Sparrows and other clans supplied many <>f the high -4, 3 and 2 Talents—when they chose to move off-planet. No one could be forced, against personal inclination, to make use of Talent. The Denebians, as a group, were tar more interested in developing their world. Unfortunately, Talents were still an elite and limited group and their abilities were more and more in demand now that Humans and Mrdmis were spreading ever outward from their home-worlds. The plain facts, of course, rarely figured in the complaints of nepotism that were lodged.

Any good news? the Rowan asked, so pointedly her daughter winced.

If you mean great-grandchildren, no, Damia said with a sigh. She had so hoped that Laria would be able to win Vanteer's constant affection. The T-6 engineer at Glarf Tower had one failing: he couldn't settle to just one woman ant) already had several offspring from different women. Humans living on Clarf. That two of the infants seemed to have Talented minds augured well tor any children he might give Earia.

What's the problem? the Rowan asked.

/ thinfy—the reply came from Afra—that Laria intimidates him. A T-6 would have no defense against a mental invasion by a determined

Prime. Damia was pleased that Laria had not resorted to that in her wish to become pleasing to Vanteer.

What? The Rowan found that hard to believe. She's not aggressive.

Life some you could name, Damia put in, referring to her own teenage experiments in finding a partner.

But you sorted yourself out, her mother said.

Larta is a different personality entirely . . .

For which we are grateful, said Jeff, teasing again, but his touch was fond.

So don't you two meddle, Damia said sharply.

We have our ethics, Jeff said, though there are some who do not believe it.

Father, of course you do. I'm sorry I said that. Damia was once again contrite.

We might shift some more willing prospects to Clarf now that we have some breathing space, Jeff suggested.

I can't thin^ who would be suitable, Damia said with another sigh.

Well, this latent T-2 fynetic, the one Gollee Gren s been training, is an attractive person, the Rowan said. / thinly he's also related to Yoshu/( at Sef Tower, a younger brother.

Yoshufy's a good man, Damia said with a lift of hope in her voice. There was a hint in her mind that she found Vanteer's reluctance to ally her daughter an insult to the entire family.

She's twenty-six and a bit, Afra reminded them. Give her time to settle on someone who is compatible. And no need to remind us, Damia m'love, that you'd had four children at Laria's age.

I was lucfyy. The deep love and affection she had for Afra was a vibrant note in her voice.

You were! the Rowan said softly.

I was the lucfyy one, Afra said firmly. Worth waiting for, and let us give Laria that option too.

Agreed, said Jeff, and on that comment he and the Rowan left the merge.

"How can Vanteer say that Laria intimidates him?" Damia asked.

sliding upright and swinging her legs to the side of her couch. "Zara might, but not Laria. She's very careful with relationships. Look how well she and Kincaid get along . . ." She made a face. "I so wish he was interested in women." She gave a gusty sigh. "As a T-2, he'd be an ideal match."

Afra sat up too, his expression thoughtful. "Kincaid is so good with our younger ones when he visits." Damia gave him a sharp look. But he shrugged, "fust an observation. She and Kincaid have a very good rapport."

"Not that good . . ."

"At least as far as it goes."

Then she said briskly. "It Gollee has someone to send to Clarf for training, it might even make Vanteer jealous. After all, there'll be a lot of activity from that planet once colonization starts. Another Talent might be needed."

"Kincaid's certain that Clarf has already started provisioning colony ships, choosing specialists and color groups, ready to go the moment First Fleet—I rather like that new designation—"

"So do I," Damia agreed, standing up and arching her back in a stretch.

"That Clarf will be over worked, sending off personnel carriers, message tubes and cargo drones. Up, up and away." He grinned at her over such eagerness.

"Well, the 'Dinis need the room to spread out in, that's certainly true. I just hope the Hivers haven't ruined other, perfectly good worlds as they did Talavera." She frowned, having heard from Zara in detail about the ecological damage wreaked on that planet. She put on her coat and prepared to leave.

Putting an affectionate arm about his wife's shoulders, Afra guided her to the Tower steps. They met Keylarion on her way up.

"Oh, you haven't gone," their T-6 station manager said, surprised.

"Oh yes, we have and you haven't seen us," Damia said.

"Unless it's urgent," Afra appended, giving his wife a reproving look. She made a face at him.

He Tmr and

"Xexo and me are set to do some recalibrations, that's all," Keylarion said, and as if on cue, the T-8 engineer arrived from his section of the Tower, diagnostic equipment hanging from both arms and down his back.

"Ah, you're finished. Good," Xexo said as he went past them on the stairs, grunting at the weight he was carrying.

"Anything serious1" Damia asked, since Afra's reproof had recalled her sense of duty.

"No, just to be sure," Xexo said, and Keylarion winked as she followed him.

Damia grinned back at her, knowing how particular the engineer was about his beloved generators.

Outside in the brisk late-winter air of lota Aungae, Damia folded her coat about her and huddled against Afra's long frame, to shield herself from the worst of the wind.

Their 'Dinis came rushing out of the house, chattering as if their friends had been gone for weeks instead of a few hours. Tri caught Afra's free hand while Fok took Damia's and escorted them the rest of the way.

Roier joined the Columbia in the middle of ship night, just before the dogwatch came on.

Sorry, Flavia. Should have checked to be sure it was convenient, he s;ml. We'd just finished hauling the drones, and Grandfather was ready to ship me out, so it seemed silly to waste the ride,

"I'm here, I'm here," said Flavia, appearing in the boat bay and nearly colliding with the duty officer, Lieutenant Sad-ler Ismail, who was on his way to the personnel carrier. "Zara went back to bed."

"Oops, sorry about that, Prime." He took Flavia's arm to steady her precipitous arrival. "(iood to see you, sir," Ismail said, belatedly saluting as he remembered that Prime Talents had the honorary rank of captain while on Fleet

maneuvers. "Need some help there, Gil, Kat:" he added as the 'Dinis emerged.

Vd've had Asia greet you, but she stayed below on some minor emergency. Ij I'd known . . .

That's all right. So we're orbiting Talauera.

Sure. Flavia looked surprised. Didn't you know'?

No, I didn't ({now. Grandfather jus! whined me away from the Washington.

Just then various items dropped into the personnel carrier just vacated: one soft-soled boot, a cascade of disks and two worn, obviously dirty shipsuits.

l'l left the suits behind for a reason," Rojer said, making a face in the general direction of his previous ship. He pointed to a shoulder patch that displayed a clearly printed "A.S.S. Washington."

Flavia grabbed the offending suits and they disappeared: a disposal hatch hissed receipt. She gave him an affectionate hug, touching his mind with warm greetings.

"You needn't have come down yourself, Flavia." He returned her embrace. "But I'm glad you did." Despite the hour, she felt as vibrant and self-assured as ever. He could wish, feeling her very womanly body against his, that she wasn't already attached to Jesper Ornigo, T-6 from Betelgeuse.

I know. It's sad we can't replicate ourselves and share the wealth, she said, half teasing. "C'mon, I'll take you to your quarters. Thanks, Sadler. He's my problem now."

"Yes ma'am." Ismail signaled for one of the yeomen on duty to take Rojer's luggage.

"No need to disturb your watch," Flavia said airily, and with a gesture the duffels disappeared, including the ship shoe and the disks.

"We'll go the easy way," she said. Turning to say good night to officer and watch, she took his hand and 'ported him to the passageway outside his assigned quarters.

"You go on back to bed now, Flavia. I'll settle myself in." He gave her a mental push.

I

"I'm just two doors down," she said, and walked away. "G'night!" "Night," he responded with an airy kiss for her cheek. He put his hand on the doorplate and it slid open, showing him a room that contained both bed alcove and a lounge. Not as luxurious as the specially designed quarters tor the Talents on the Washington, but larger than his original accommodations on the Genesee and Phobos Moon Base. You wanted the change of assignment, he muttered to himself.

He had indeed half hoped that Asia would be there to welcome him. That was the trouble with Primes. Always launching people when it was convenient for them. He glanced at his duffels, wincing because of the speed with which he had stuffed them. Ah well, he could sort them out tomorrow. Right now he'd follow Flavin's example and get some sleep. He took off his ship shoes, loosened the top cover of his bunk and slid under it. With a mild suggestion to bis diurnal self, he was asleep in moments.

Is that all, Ftfw? Laria asked as Clarf Tower's genera tors hit an even pitch after the latest drone launch.

Yup! was the relieved response. / told you we were going to get busier.

It's toing-and-froing freight, Lana said, somewhat disgusted.

Throwing freight, you mean, Lionasha, Tower's T-7 expediter, corrected. It's much more jun froing 'Dinis about,

Ah ah ah! Kincaid Dano said, with a mental image of a wagging finger. He grinned across the way at Laria as they both sat up on their Tower couches and stretched against the long session.

"I don't feel like a mule," Laria said, rotating her shoulder blades and rubbing her neck. "1 feel like I've been kicked by one."

Kincaid swung his long legs over the edge of his couch and, with equally long arms, reached across the narrow space and began to massage her neck, his strong fingers sensitively touching just the right spot. Laria let her head hang and murmured appreciatively.

Van s a damned fool, Kincaid said on a tight link with her.

Leave it, Dano, Laria said.

Why should /? the T-2 asked. For nil he's one of the best Tower engineers, he's an aggravation.

Do I sound aggravated? Laria asked.

Patient is what you sound and \ou're too good jor him. He gave her a final hard rub, nearly sliding her oft the smooth surface of her couch. He caught her body with a mental block and she couldn't help but giggle. That's better.

He's handy, she said with a shrug.

You should tell him that and depress his ego.

It's the thought of a T-l in his bed that depresses him, Laria said, and sighed.

/ don't thinly you're in love with him anyway, Laria. Not the way you should be. He has been, as you say, handy. And in an attractive enough package.

Very, very deeply, Laria thought that Kincaid was in an even more attractive package, but his preference lay with bis own sex. Meanwhile that didn't interfere with their understanding each other as perfectly as she could have wished Van and she did.

"Which idiot was it that said once we've got the last sphere, work'll slack off?" Lionasba asked, as Laria and Kincaid descended the short flight of steps from the cupola above the station building that acted as a Tower.

"Wasn't me," Kincaid said, making for the cold drinks cabinet. "What'll you have, Laria, with your electrolytes'" he asked.

"Do we still have any of that real old-fashioned lemonade flavor.13"

"We do." Kincaid 'ported her a nice cold flask, grinning as she deftly caught it in her open hand. "Not a drop spilled either."

Vanteer joined them from the lower level that housed the great generators needed for Talent gestalt. He was wiping his hands on a greasy cloth.

"I need a beer," he said, and 'ported one without quite the same deftness as the others used. Lie shot them a look as he peeled off the cap. "Number three needs servicing. I had to rev it manually during the last three 'ports."

"Will it be down long?" Laria asked.

Lionasha also looked apprehensive. "We've the same schedule for tomorrow, you know."

"So you told me. I'll have it up and running sweetly by tomorrow when it's needed," he said, turning to retrace his steps, "even if I have to work all night."

Lionasha looked from Laria to Kincaid and rolled her tawny eyes.

Keep a lid on it, Lio, Laria said, aiming the thought at the Tower expediter, whose eyes matched her hair, set off by a skin that took Clarfs sun well.

Kincaid gave a low snort. Li^es to rub it in, doesn't he!

You too, Dano. Laria glared at the T-2.

Lionasha returned to her desk, shaking her head, and began checking the next day's schedule on her screen.

We're a good team. Let's never forget that, Laria said. "I'm going swimming."

"You'll fry," both Lionasha and Kincaid told her.

She held up sun-browned arms, as dark as acorn hulls, and laughed. "I've sunblock. I need the exercise."

WE COME TOO, cried her 'Dinis, just entering the Tower from the landing field.

Kincaid stretched, yawned. "I'm tor a nap, frankly." His 'Dinis, who arrived on Laria's heels, vehemently agreed, all three sauntering down the cool hall to their quarters.

She went to her room and changed into her swim togs, struggled into the long caftan that would also be a protection against Clarfs late-afternoon sun. Tip and Huf rummaged to find pads to lie on and the umbrella that Laria wisely carried to shield herself from the sun at the swim place.

"Have fun," Lionasha said as she watched the three of them file out the door.

Halfway there in her ground car, her caftan clinging to her sweating body, Laria wondered why under any sun she was doing this now.

She could have waited until sunset, when the air was less humid and Clarfs primary was not shining directly in her eyes, as it was now that she was heading west. If Vanteer was going to work on the generator, she couldn't remain in the Tower premises, especially after Kincaid's remarks.

She knew Van had acquired another girlfriend: a chemical analyst just in from Betelgeuse on a three-month assignment. That was a long enough stay for most Humans who came from colder Human planets. They might exude joy over a world that rarely had any rain; when they had to endure the constant heat and humidity night and day, the novelty soon wore off. An unlucky minority would prove to be allergic to the harsh rays and have to be transferred, to the annoyance of their contractors, Human or 'Dini. Meanwhile, there was no point in trying to get Van's attention: this Marjolec Hess-Tukin monopolized him. Lana had seen her at the very party where Van first met her: a pretty little woman, Laria admitted impartially, with long eyelashes, which she used to good effect on any male. Ironically, it was because Vanteer was Talented and part of the Clarf Tower staff that he was such a conquest for Marjolee. Doubtless one of the other, less tactful females who had also been wooed by Vanteer would warn the girl of his fickle nature. Laria had come to the reluctant conclusion that Van couldn't resist the challenge of a new female to be courted and won. He required diversity. And the way he kept up with the demands made on him by his other women—he had once sworn to Laria that he loved her to the exclusion of any other woman he'd ever known—astounded his colleagues in the Tower.

"How does he do it?" Lionasha often remarked when Van had lured yet another girl into his bed.

"I know' plenty of men who'cl like to know," Kincaid had replied, grinning. "Of both inclinations," he'd added with a droll smile.

Whatever, Lana needed to get out of the Tower. She thought wistfully of cool, dark-sun Iota Aurigae and home: with the wild wind and the mountains, and riding Saki to hunt scurriers and avians. But now was not the time to ask for home leave.

I

One of the four planets that Rincaid had discovered of those he had probed on his unhappy stint in Squadron D on the Galaxy-class Valparaiso had been named Talavera, following the nineteenth-century naming of his other three M-type finds: Marengo, Waterloo and Ciudad Rodrigo. Its primary was not quite as fierce as Clarfs but would certainly suit 'Dinis better than Humans. With so few dying in combat against the Hivers, all five worlds were bursting with candidates willing to undertake the immense task of colonizing, even if it meant heavy ecological work. No birth control methods existed for the 'Dini species. Indeed, their prolificacy had been an advantage during their two hundred years of fighting the spheres. They could "lose" suicide crews, knowing that others of the same genetic pattern would be born in the hibernatories at some later date. Such a "reincarnation" allowed the 'Dinis, if it became necessary, to sacrifice themselves willingly. This was, of course, a fundamental difference between them and Humans, who did not waste their space personnel. Fortunately, Mrdini High Command and all its Councillors were aware of this major psychological difference between the two speeies, or the mind-set might have caused an insuperable schism. The difference occasionally caused trouble on mixed-species crew ships despite continued lectures on the subject.

Ironically, the Mrdini race had originally been attracted to the Humans because they had witnessed the seemingly effortless destruction of the first Hiver sphere to approach Human space at Deneb, when the Mind Merge of the Rowan and all female Talents had paralyzed the Hiver queens and the male Mind Merge of Jeff had sent their sphere into Deneb's sun.

The 'Dinis had come to the point where, with dwindling resources, they were hard pressed to continue their defense against the spheres. So they had used "dreams" to make contact with Humans—with Laria's mother and father, Damin and Afra, recuperating on Deneb from Larak's tragic death and their exhaustion in battling the mental entity Sodan. An Alliance had been promulgated between Human and Mrdini. Now, if suitable worlds could reduce the population density on

the five 'Dini homeworlds, much of the growing dissatisfaction on the 'Dini half of the Alliance would be eased.

Laria reached the river swimming facility before the place became crowded. 'Dims liked water sports. Though sun-warmed, the water was noticeably cooler—since the current was swift—and Laria sank gratefully into it vip to her neck. Tip handed her one of the rope harnesses that the wise swimmer looped around the arms. She let her body be carried flat out to the length of the rope by the current. The river flowed over her in a rippling massage. Tip and Hut joined her, their furry bodies silkily touching hers now and then in the current. Letting herself relax with her head back, Laria closed her eyes. She was facing east so that the sun was no longer in her face. Tip and Huf gurgled happily, and there they remained until the Clarf sun with its customary abruptness sank below the distant hills and darkness spread across the deep plain, with its thousands of 'Dini dwellings and the occasional lump of a hibernatory.

As soon as Laria heard the revving of other ground cars, the put-put of individual fliers approaching the riverbank and the chatter of'Dini tongues, she flipped over and began to pull herself, hand over hand, to the bank. Shucking off the harness, she swam vigorously to the slanted permacrete lip that assisted entry and exit. Almost before she reached her car, Tip and Huf dancing beside her, totally refreshed by the swim, her skin and her suit were dry. But the water had been therapeutic. She made a private wager that Vanteer would have finished the servicing and would be gone when she returned to the Tower.

She won.

Lionasha had left a note saying she was dining with friends in the Human Compound, lavishly air-conditioned. Lio had a new male interest. Kincaid was probably still asleep, but he was always a restful and undemanding companion.

Laria woke in the night, gasping with panic, her heart pounding against her ribs, her 'Dims twitching in their sleep and mumbling. She had been

caught in their dream and it bad been . . . What hat! it been.' Terrifying: No. But charged . . . heavy with emotion and an odd "dead" smell.

"Laria?" Kincaid 'ported into her room, striding to her bedside and gathering her up in an anxious embrace. "What is it? What's the trouble?"

She clung to bis bare arms, her head against his chest, struggling with the aftermath of such intense sensations, gasping for breath.

"Easy now, easy now," he said as be stroked tangled hair hack trom her face, his hands gentle. " 'Dim dream:"

She nodded.

"Are they due for hibernation"' he asked.

Tip and Huf were flapping at her side in whatever dream still held them.

"Possibly," she said, and knew that had to be parr of the problem. Humans might not know how 'Dinis mated—the hibernatories were off limits and even 'Dinis did not mention what went on—but sometimes, when her pair were close to that part of their life cycle, their dreams could be extremely erotic. Her own frustration had magnified the intensity of their dreams and she had been frightened by her own response. That was what had wakened her. "They usually know and tell me."

Kincaid pulled her closer, holding her against him, soothing her with soft touches and a wave of mental consolation. It felt so good to be held—a thought she kept very, very tight. Good to be held by Kincaid. That rider startled her, and her panicky breathing under control, she started to push away from him. His hands resisted.

I offer myself, Laria," he said softly in her ear. "You need someone right now and 1 am here." He gave a soft, self-deprecating laugh.

She gripped his arm, unable to answer yet desperately wanting to agree.

You offered me friendship, dear Laria, when 1 needed it desperately. Why may I not assuage your need now:"

She could feel his mind touching hers, lightly at first, then stressing his remarkable offer, as his arms folded her more closely to him. She

could not deny the honesty of his gesture. She most certainly could not deny her need of relief.

"Admittedly I'd be a virgin sacrifice." The laughter in his voice-found an amused response in her. "But I like you better than any other woman I have ever met. And I am not the least bit intimidated by you being a Prime." He kissed her forehead and then held her away from him, seeking her eyes in the darkness as his mind sought hers on a deeper level. She did not resist. "After all, it's much the same with either partner." His mouth curled in an iromc smile. "Shall we see if we can make it together?"

She opened her mind completely and felt within him the desire to console, the respect and admiration he had for her and a suddenly fierce yearning for sexual release.

/ am honored, she said.

/ am horny.

That's my problem too.

Let's solve that mutual problem. Just don't, he added, shield for or from me.

Gently he pushed her backward onto the rumpled bed, stretching his long self beside her, and then pulled her tightly against him, one arm about her shoulders, the other fondling her bare body. She let down all mental and physical barriers, felt him do the same, saw all that had troubled him before he came to Clarf Tower, and was shaken by an incredibly powerful desire to erase such devastating memories with a selfless abandon to the growing passion that Kincaid's deft lovcmaking roused in her.

Laria hadn't had many lovers and the fulfillment they gave her had been satisfactory enough. But nothing was like the climax she achieved with Kincaid, and she felt the surprise in him, the exaltation, when he collapsed against her, shuddering in release. They lay together for a long time in the sweet aftermath, his mind wondering at his response to Laria, hers savoring the fullness of rapport with the personality that bad taken refuge in irony and detachment.

That was rather more than I expected, he said wryly.

And exactly what I needed, dear friend.

I am more than your friend now, Laria.

Are you?

You can see that easily enough, Prime.

Yes, but is it right for you?

She could feel his mental shrug, vividly accompanied by the lingering astonishment of completion with a woman.

You would consider that aspect, dear heart, he said in a droll tone. / feel we should explore the possibilities without prejudice. Certainly I have never felt such rapport with anyone since josh died.

Because he still had all his shields dropped, she knew who Josh was, how deeply they had loved each other and how Josh bad died in a sporting accident that happened so quickly Kincaid had "seen" only when it was too late to save his lover. Struggling to find equilibrium after such a terrible loss, Kincaid had welcomed the assignment to the Valparaiso in an effort to distance himself from increasingly painful memories— only to find himself torn in two directions by the officers who vied for his company.

One thing sure, Laria said sternly. / cannot hurt you as those two did.

Of that I'm sure, he responded with one of his soft chuckles, and he gave her a hug. "Now get some sleep. Tomorrow will be busy." He made a move to sit up.

She made a sound, closing her mind quickly lest he see how reluctant she was to have him leave her.

"On second thought," he said, settling back down, wedging the pillow under his head and replacing his arm around her shoulders, "that would require more effort than I care to make right now."

Thanf^ you.

Don't mention it. Now sleep, Prime.

Yes sir, she satd in a meek tone, and wove ber fingers into his hand.

Beyond them, on the wide bed, the 'Dinis also sank into a deeper, more restful slumber.

"That swim did you good," Lionasha remarked as Lam started up the steps to her Tower the next morning.

"Yes, I think it did," Laria replied as casually as she could, because Kincaid let out a burst of laughter in his room, and let her hear it.

"That's good," Lionasha said with obvious relief. "We've a very busy day. ()h, the generator wasn't as much of a problem as Yanteer thought."

"I know. He wasn't here when I got back," Laria said over her shoulder, unperturbed.

No, Lio can't read us, my dear, Kincaid said, and then as he swung into the Tower hall from the private quarters, added: "Morning, Lio. Good evening?"

"Yes indeed." And the other two Talents caught the unmistakable smugness of her satisfaction with her evening's pleasure.

"Good for you," Kincaid said affably, trotting up the stairs. "At least you didn't get a burn yesterday at the river," he added, grinning at Laria as he reached the Tower. The mischief in his smile made Laria quickly stifle her amusement lest Lionasha catch it. He shook his head, indicating that he was not projecting his ebullient mood.

"Morning, all," said Yanteer, striding into the Tower. He leaned into the stairwell, calling up to them. "Fixed the generator, Laria. Did you have a good swim""

"Yes, thanks," she called back cheerfully. "Start 'cm up, Van, we've a busy day ahead. Got two hours before that sun starts scorching again. Let's get to it."

Kincaid touched her with approval as he settled back on his couch and got into position for the work ahead.

They had had a very full day by noon and took time off for a siesta. Even their 'Dinis grumbled about the heat on the plascrete of the landing field. There were not as many loads for the late afternoon, but enough to tire them. Laria made a salad for supper with fresh fruit that Yoshuk had sent them from Sef. They all ate together, while Lionasha sorted out

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the orders for the next day's teleportations. Soon after Van had wandered off by himself, Plrgtgl arrived, its poll eye draped in vivid magenta lace, with endless questions tor Laria and Kincaid about the progress of the explorations.

Over and over, Laria repeated that as soon as she heard something she would most certainly inform Plrgtgl. Kincaid brought up the files on their lounge screen, showing Plus, as Laria called her 'Dini contact, what was so far known about the four planets that he had found, paraphrasing Laria's reassurances with his own. Their 'Dinis, of course, served Plrgtgl the juice drink it preferred and got whatever their Human partners asked for, as well as some of the bits and nibbles which Plus had come to like.

SEF IS MUCH LIKE THAT, Plus said in 'Dini, pointing its flipper at the surface of Talavera.

THE PLANKT COULD EASILY BE SHF-RHNEWED, Kincaid agreed. IT SUFFERED DAMAGE BY HIVERS WHICH MUST BE REPAIRED AND WILL NEED LIFE-FORMS FROM THE SMALLEST——

NO, said Plus firmly. THERE ARE SOMK THAT WE CAN DO WITHOUT THIS TIME. LIKE TI IE LICE, AS YOU CALL TITEM, AND THE STINGERS, NO HARM TO THE ECOLOGY BY LEAVING THEM OUT.

HOW CAN YOU BE SURE? Laria asked, amused at Plus's vehemence as well as its wish to leave behind such bugs. She saw that Tip and Huf as well as Nil and his Plus were keenly interested in both queries and answers though they did not voice their own opinions, not in the presence of such a senior 'Dini.

WE HAVE STUDIED CAREFULLY, Plus said, shaking the lace on its poll eye until Laria was afraid it would come loose. WE USE THIS AS PROBLEMS IN TEACHING THE YOUNG. WHAT MAKES A GOOD PLANET BETTER. WHAT is NP:EDED TO SPREAD POLLENS AND SEEDINGS. WE

WOULD BE UP AND RUNNING, AS YOU SAY — Plus's large frame shook with its delight in using Basic slang—BEFORE YOU CAN SAY BOO? is THAT WHAT YOU SAY ... BOO?

Boo" came out in Basic. Laria and Kincaid agreed that Plus had used

the slang properly and then listened as it enumerated the various plans for the revitalization of the planet.

Full night had settled on Clarf before the two Talents tactfully managed to get Plus to leave.

"I thought it'd never go," Laria said, exhaling with exaggeration.

"They've been doing a lotot research on reviving Talavera's ecology," Kincaid said thoughtfully.

"From the way Plus was going on, that must be their latest game to play at night."

"As useful an occupation as many, certainly," he agreed.

"I'm for a shower and bed," she said, waving over her shoulder at him as she left the lounge for her own room. Tip and Hut following on her heels.

"I won't be far behind."

She was tired, and when she had soaped and rinsed herself, turned the shower to cool to reduce her body temperature. Wrapping a towel about her body in sarong fashion, she left the bathroom. Her 'Dinis were already curled up.

"Let's have nice dreams tonight, shall we?" she said, but they did not answer.

She had no trouble falling asleep. But once again, early in the new day, she woke with the same panic syndrome, gasping for breath, unable to remember what had roused her so thoroughly.

Again?

Again, and worse this time, she said, tears dripping down her cheeks.

Kincaid seemed to step into the room at the bedside and was enfolding her in his arms, mentally soothing her alarm and helping her control the ragged breaths and agitated respiration.

"What are they doing to you?"

"I don't know. They've . . . never been like . . . this before. And I'm in much better shape . . . after you . . . last night," she said, leaning her

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head against his shoulder, gripping his arm with both hands and trying to still the shudders that ran up and down her spine.

"You were fully asleep, weren't you? I wasn't." He said the last ruefully. "I couldn't seem to get comfortable. Odd smell in my room the circulator isn't removing." His hands smoothed down her back, as if he were trying to push the shudders from her.

Gradually they ceased and she lay limply against him, her hands still on his arm, keeping her by him. When he ft-It her totally relax, he shifted slightly and she grabbed reflexively to keep him close, as if he were the talisman to ward oft the frightening dream.

"Don't worry. I'll stay. Perhaps you can help me get to sleep?" His voice was oddly wistful and she giggled.

"Why not? We both got to sleep last night."

"This could get to be a habit," he said, chuckling as he put one hand on her chest and pushed her back into the pillows.

"Not if it has to start with me scaring myself to death," she said as she reached out with her hands to collect him to her.

The third night was worse as both Lana and Kincaid woke at the same instant, both feeling the shafts of intense emotion. Sobbing, Laria was struggling out of the twisted sheets of her bed when Kincaid arrived, tripping over the sheet he had 'ported with him in his haste. Laria shot up, reaching to steady him, and then they clung together until the spasms gradually eased.

I thinf^both sets of Dim pals—his tone was sharper than she had ever heard from him—need to go to the hibernatory. That smell ought to have alerted us. I remember it from 'Dims in our squadron. They've been having fun and games with us.

They have? Laria was astonished. She didn't want their new intimacy to be anyone's fun and games, even her devoted 'Dinis'.

Can you explain this any other way?

Are you angry with them?

Ah! His arms tightened about her, his lips turning up a soft smile as he gazed clown at her. I can't say that I am, dear heart, but I'll be damned if VII let them manipulate us like this. I can do without the panic triggers and ] know you can.

She glanced over her shoulder, half expecting to see two bright poll eyes watching them. They're fast asleep, she said, seeing only the two lumps to one side of her wide bed.

And so were Plus and Nit when 1 staggered out of bed, but that doesn't keep them from conniving dreams. You'd have had more experience with 'Dim dreaming than I.

Not I. My parents were the first to have 'Dim dreams. Tip and Hufhave always given me nice dreams.

My pair f^ept me from going crazy on the Valparaiso, Kincaid allowed, his tone puzzled now. Tomorrow we'll tafye all four to the hibernatory and see what their condition is. D'you want to bet they've used their sex drive to stimulate ours?

Laria tried very hard not to giggle at the outrage in Kincaid's tone. Of course, he could feel the rising laughter in her under his hands, and he held her off to look into her face.

And it worked, she said meekly just before a chuckle broke from her lips.

All right, all right, he said, rocking her from side to side in his arms. I'll give in. Will you?

She hesitated, not quite sure how to handle this because she had no intention of forcing herself on Kincaid, despite how deep her feelings for him had become. She felt him begin to withdraw and tightened her arms about his neck.

I just want to be sure you want to too.

I do. And she couldn't doubt he meant it.

The next morning, just as false dawn lit the skies, they hauled all four 'Dims into the ground car and drove them to the nearest hibernatory.

I

an

The large keeper, unusually gaunt tor ;i Mrdini of its age, took one look at the quartet and started scolding them.

HOW DARK COLORS GKT INTO SUCH CONDITION'., MAKING SUCH DEAD SMKLLS! NI'L, PLS ARK YOUNGER, HUT TU> AND HGK KNOW WHEN SMELL TOO MAD. WHY DKLAY? THIS SI'KCIAL TLMK AND SPECIAL PLACE THIS TIME. DELAY CAUSE PROBLEMS. COULD BE ALL WRONG. TIMING IS ESSENTIAL NOW ()[• ALL "LIMES. Railing at them angrily, the keeper pushed them ahead of il — swatting first Kmcaid's Plus and then Tip, Nil and Huf because they weren't moving fast enough to suit it — through the door, which was emphatically slammed shut.

As much amused by the scolding their friends bad received as relieved by the knowledge they had acted properly, Rincaid and Laria locked arms and made their way back to their ground vehicle.

Such dead smells? Rincaid said rhetorically, grinning. Could cause great problems?

They did smell and they were trying to put something over on us.

And succeeded very well, didn't they, dear heart?

I concur, dear man. I concur.

He stopped and, in the peculiarly pellucid light of C'larf, looked deeply into her eyes and touched her mind.

If they were the problem, Laria . . .

She caught his hands. / haven't asked for any promises, Kincaid. I am first and always your friend.

Yes, that you are, dear heart. That you always are. Then he gave her a gentle push toward the ground car and he drove them back to the Tower.

The Washington hung behind the largest of the three moons that circled the subject planet, while probes began their exploratory flights. Thian had control of those investigating the planet while Clancy and Semirame Kloo had sent theirs to the sphere set in a geosynchronous orbit above what appeared to be the same sort of flat field used for Hiver scout ships on the Xh-33 Hiver world.

"That ship is ancient," Clancy reported to Admiral Ashiant, who w;is seated behind the Talents' couches.

"It is?"

"The hull's pitted," Rame Kloo added. And that odd covering they use on their spheres

A II II 6

has all worn away. Never seen that before. We should ask the 'Dinis about such erosion."

"I'll send a message to Captain Spktm on the KSTS," Clancy said, and gestured tor Rame to continue searching without him tor a moment.

"Can yon get inside the sphere, Commander?" the Admiral asked Kloo, leaning forward, elbows on his knees, as he peered at the screen which did indeed show the deterioration of the surface of the I liver vessel.

"Indeed we can. sir," Ramc said. "They left a door open for us," she added in a droll voice.

The Admiral recoiled slightly in reflex as the probe dove fora jagged hole in the exterior. For a moment, the screen was black. Then the probe's lights came on and displayed the now-familiar drive area, did a sweep and then focused on the hull fragments from the hole littering the deck.

"Just what we need," Clancy said and activated the probe's sweeper to collect the debris. "I'll )ust 'port them to the lab, sir, and we should get an estimate of its age from forensic examination.

"I'll tell them to expect it," the Admiral said, raising his wrist com to his lips.

"If you wouldn't mind, sir," Clancy said, grinning to himself. Sometimes he had the notion that Admiral Ashiant felt somewhat at a disadvantage in the presence of the Talents. "Spktm is querying its experts on the deterioration of the sphere's skin. It'll come back if it has any information."

"Ah, here we arc, sir," Thian said, gesturing to the screens he had just activated, showing pictures of the surface taken by the probes he was controlling. "Odd."

"What's odd?" the Admiral asked, lowering the com now that he had contacted the lab technicians.

"I'd've expected a much larger facility if this planet has been settled as long as the age oi the ship seems to indicate."

"Yes, you're right in that. The Xh~33 had a much larger installation

near its field. Can you see the entrances to the underground scout storage?"

Thian shook his head. One probe swooped lower to the ground and then quartered the field area. Thian halted it a few centimeters above the ground.

"I can just make out a long seam, sir. . ."

"Yes, yes, and covered with sand or dust or whatever."

"Hangars don't look to have been opened in a long while," Thian said.

"No, they don't."

"And if you'll look to the other screen, sir, there doesn't seem to be as much under cultivation."

"Is this colony then dying?"

"Doesn't look to be, not with those flourishing crops which seem to be well tended. In fact, it's a rather nice world, Admiral. There's a good balance between cultivated and fallow fields. See that stretch just coming up ... and forestry. And that lake . . . lovely. Almost Arcadian," Thian remarked.

"Arcadian?" the Admiral echoed. "What's its designation on the Mrdini star maps."

"Huh? Oh. Let me see." Thian tapped a few keys before he said, "Cj-70."

Ashiant gave a disapproving grunt deep in his throat. "Shame to stick to alpha numerics on it, pretty as it is. Let's refer to it as Arcadia. Agreed?"

'Willingly, sir," Thian said obligingly, and keyed in a substitution. 'However, it's certainly not as active as Xh-33 was."

To this the Admiral agreed, seeing the neatly weeded rows of greenery, the adjacent field sporting some dark purply-green foliage. Go on, will you, Thian?"

And Thian sent his two probes, in opposite directions, skimming over the surface at a height of twenty meters. In each screen, they saw several of the collection squares, none as big as those on Xh-33 but substantial enough. Finally the right-hand screen showed movement and

homed in on it. Workers were trundling along in their ordered phalanx down to yet another collection point. The creatures were head to tail, moving on six limbs at a brisk trot. Two more limbs were cocked at each "head" and the watchers could see the specialized arrangement of trowel and fork.

"Thosecreatures aren't as large as theories Rojer recorded on Xh-33, are they?" Ashiant said, puzzled.

"No, they don't seem to be," Thian concurred, and activated another screen with the relevant disk of Rojer's exploration of that planet. "Much smaller."

"But carrying the same sort of tools, so they're similar 10 the XH-.3.3 workers. Why would they be smaller?"

"I haven't a clue, sir. Shall I get one oi the xenbios in here:"

"Aren't you projecting all this on their lab screens?"

"I am, but there's no reason you can't have a running report on their assessment."

"Ask Lieutenant Weiman and 'Dini (Jrm to join me at the Talent post, will you?" Admiral Ashiant said into bis wrist com, his eyes not leaving the screen.

While they were waiting for the specialists to arrive, Ashiant gave Thian a curious look. "Would you mind my asking you"—his glance included the other Talents—"a little more about Talent? I mean, I know that Primes do both telepathy and teleport over enormous distances, but Clancy here's a T-2 and 1 know he 'paths as well as 'ports and . . ." Ashiant shrugged, his rugged face indicating a sincere desire for a full briefing on the distinctions.

Thian grinned, saw Clancy reddening and Kloo trying hard not to grin.

"It's basically a difference in strength and length, and combinations of inherent skills, sir. I can "path or 'port with or without generator gestalt. Clancy's got more kinetic ability than telepathic, and while he s strong in kinetics, he can't really 'path or receive far, even in gestalt, but his abilities multiply mine. And Kloo. Now she didn't know she was a latent Talent until the Phobos examination. At first she could only

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send." Thian smiled again at Kloo rolling her eyes over her discovery of latent abilities. "Now she can receive, and come in to add strength to our"—he pointed to Clancy-—''merge. Alison Ann was a T-S em path, but she's advanced in skill, learning to'port as well as 'path, but her initial ability made her a superb nurse."

"It's association with us lot that's improved her at least a full grade up," Clancy said, slyly grinning at Thian.

"It does help to be continually in use, as it were, sir. Our father, Afra Lyon, was originally a T-.3, but constant association with our grand-mother increased his skills to T-2. He may even be as close to Prime as he wants to get."

Clancy made a grimace of surprise.

"Not that he'd admit it," Thian went on. "However, two T~2's, one with more telepathic strength, the other with kinetic, like Yoshuk and Nesrun on Sef, or the Bastianmajanis, Flavia's parents, on Altair, mesh Talent so well they are all but equal to Prime. My sister Zara, as another example, has both kinetic and telepathic ability but her empathic level is too high for her ever to be a Tower Prime. Like Hli/.ara, she's best fitted for the medical and healing profession. So not all T-]"s can automatically he Tower Primes . . . which, as you know, sir, FT&T badly needs."

Ashiant nodded and gestured for Thian to continue. Below the 2's, you get variations of the abilities to 'port or 'path, sometimes just one and not the other at all. Or some can receive but not send. Or send a fair distance on a gestalt but not receive. T-/Ts are useful as aids to T-2's or Primes. There are far more T-4's and downward available as backup, but they don't have the inherent stamina, even in connection with a gestalt, to work on their own, or for very long. However, engineers from T-4 down are apt to work solo anywhere and We've a lot of choice among them."

I thought that your cousin Asia"—Ashiant turned to Clancy— trained with Rojer as engineer."

Yes, she did, sir, and is on the (Columbia as T-4 and will probably get a post on a Tower."

"That's just the Federated Teleport and Telepath side of Talent," Thian went on. "Sometimes we get T-2 rank for clairvoyants, finders and empaths. FT&T tries to contact anyone with latent Talent, assess and train them. Some are better off going into private firms where their particular level of other aspects of Talent, like dowsing or affinities to water and tire, makes them invaluable to their employers."Thian made a face and scratched the back of his head. "I know my grandfather's trying to lure some of the higher ranks away from commerce and industry because F'T&T never expected to expand so heavily into this sort of assignment. . ." Thian gestured to indicate the Washington and naval duty.

"Damned glad FT&T permits it," Ashiant said, nodding his head and then giving Thian a wry smile. "Though I wouldn't have thought I'd admit that when you first came aboard."

Thian laughed out loud, remembering how many naval regulations and traditions he had set on their ears in his first few hours aboard the old Vadim. Ashiant grinned back and nodded his head.

"We've both learned a thing or two since then, haven't we, Isthian?" Ashiant said, using his Prime's full first name.

"I know I have, sir," Thian said. He turned toward the entrance to the Talent quarters. "The xenbees're here." A discreet knock on the door panel followed his words.

However, when Ashiant explained the reason for their summons, neither Weiman nor Grm could give him any answer to the puzzle.

"The queens activate whatever sort of worker they need for the task," Sam said, rubbing his chin while Grm, a dusty brown 'Dim, rocked gently on its flat feet. "I have been noticing, Admiral, that this planet doesn't seem to be as densely farmed as Xh-33."

"I have decreed"—the Admiral glanced about in a pseudopompous manner—"that this planet is to be referred to in all documentation as 'Arcadia.' "

"That gives it more personality than Cj-70," Sam said with a big grin.

Grrn pondered this, fingering its chin. AGREE. AR-CA-DKH-A.

At that point, the Admiral's wrist corn bleeped quietly with an incoming message.

"Yes? Now that's very interesting. Thank you, Commander," Ashiant said. "They've dated the sphere by the deterioration of the metal fragments at five hundred and eighty years old."

"That's old!" Sam added a soft whistle. "What is the oldest sphere you ever encountered, Grin?"

"This one older than any seen," Grm replied in good Basic, still rocking on its feet. "We have only two hundred years fighting. That is much older." Now it shook its head up and down and clicked softly in its throat. "Far, far from homework! too."

"Rather daunting, actually," Ashiant murmured, "just how deeply have they penetrated our galaxy?"

The probes had entered the night side of the planet.

"Shall we continue, sir?"

"Yes, since I believe those probes are equipped for dark-vision. I want to know just how many collection points and queen installations there are, and where."

"Queens live deep under the ground," Grm said, pointing to the deck and jabbing its digit to indicate considerable depth.

Have we got any probes sensitive enough to pick up queen life-form readings?" Ashiant asked Thian.

Rojer managed to do some probing in the collection facilities on Xh-33," Thian said, "but he didn't actually find a tunnel that opened into a queens living quarters. It was a maze . . . with low-ceilinged waiting places for the various types of workers." He shook his head at the immensity of such an undertaking.

Much smaller workers," Sam said, still rubbing his jaw. "Don't understand what that could mean. Prime, can you get us some soil samples from"— he grinned—"Arcadia's surface? Dr. Tru Blairik, the bio on the Columbia, suggests that the soil on Marengo and Talavera was deficient in a variety of minerals and earths. We also have the components of the Xh-33 for comparison."

"I'll direct the probes to start collecting soil samples. Random selection. Lieutenant?" Thian asked.

"Yes, please."

"We can help you now," Clancy said. "There's nothing left in that sphere that we haven't seen in the others, though it doesn't have escape pods. Maybe that was a brand-new innovation for the Hivers when they met Mrdims, Grm." He grinned at the 'Dim, who swiveled its poll eye around to Clancy.

"Int'resting." Admiral Ashiant began to rub his chin thoughtfully.

"Indeed," (inn agreed, continuing to rock as if that was as much an aid to thought as jaw rubbing.

"Prime, have we any updates from Squadron . . . excuse me. Fleet B?" the Admiral asked.

Thian leaned across to Clancy and indicated that the T-2 was to take over the maneuvering of the probes. Clancy nodded as he and Rame took firm control of the two, while Thian leaned into one of the Washington's generators for the gestalt needed for a far sending. While he could have done it without aid, he had learned to save unassisted contact for emergencies.

Rojer? You available?

Always, was the cheerful reply, and a mental sketch of a deep bow.

Is it daytime wherever you are? Thian couldn't be sure, since it was his brother's touch that he had contacted, not the ship or a planetary surface.

It is —and I'm on Talavera, where we've started investigations.

And?

This is the one with a failed Hiver colony, and we've about concluded that the soil lacked some element vital to the queens. There's one queen corpse left and a few workers', but they've been here a long time.

Five hundred and eighty years or so?

What? No. At least I don't thinly so. Why?

Thian informed his brother of their discoveries on Arcadia, emphasizing the size of the workers.

That's int'resting, Rojer said. Yafyamasura and Blairify noticed that with the worker shells here. Much smaller than those at Xh-33. You can see the difference with the nafed eve. Are \ou telling me that the planet you're investigating is that old and not overcrowded?

That's what I'm telling you.

What's the soil analysis?

Just getting in samples now.

Ts/(, tsf(, you're slow.

Not at all, Thian replied, refusing to rise to his brother's jibe, just being cautious. This planet is occupied.

Hmmm.yes, that would advise some caution, I suppose. Five hundred and eighty years? That's grabbed the xenos' attention. And there was laughter in Rojer's mental tone. Yes, that's what Thian said. . . . How'd you arrive at that estimate? they want to know.

Forensic analysis of fragments of their sphere.

Pass that along, would you?

Thian flipped the tile in a 'port to his brother's position.

Hey, close shave, bro. So your planet's off the colony list?

It's occupied.

Well, this one isn 't. The 'Dints can have it. All except this compound until we've scraped all the data we can from it. Those Hivers obviously didn't do enough homewor\. But then, they had queens to waste, didn't they?

Loo^s life.

Deed it does. Send me your soil analyses when they're ready, will you, bro? Blairif^ is doing comparisons. We're moving to a more felicitous site. . . to erect the Tower.

I'll send on the samples. And with an image of himself giving Rojer a brotherly pat on the back, Thian disengaged.

He did not, however, resume his control of the probes. I would like to get down to Arcadia's surface, Admiral Ashiant," he said after a long, thoughtful pause.

'What?" Ashiant was astounded. "I don't think I can allow that, •Ihian. You're far too valuable to us . . ."

1 man held up his hand. "I'd run no risk, I assure you." Then he

turned to (inn and Weiman. "The queen kept on the Hcmlcin Base. Is she still ignoring the presence of Humans or 'Dim?"

"It has made no response at all," Grm said, shaking its head.

Sam Weiman sighed. "I had the opportunity to transfer to the . . . ah ... facility," he said. "Stood as close to her as 1 am to you right now, sir. I have never been so completely ignored in my life." He gave a droll grin on his moon face. "No one has ever had a reaction from her. There have been so many attempts at some form of communication. F,very method has been tried: sound, color, every radio-wave band and electromagnetic frequency modulation. We don't even know if she's been aware of them." He sighed again. "It is so terribly frustrating," he added with considerable vehemence.

Thian turned to the Admiral. "I would be in no danger because the Hivers do not recognize us as enemies or friends, or anything. They don't recognize. . . any . . . other . . . living species."

"Not even those who have recently blasted all their spheres to bits;" asked the Admiral, cocking one eyebrow at Thian.

"I won't be in the ship, sir. I do need to be in their ambience," Thian said in a slow, measured way. "I will bring a lull squad of marines, if you feel that is necessary. I don't. And Clancy would be here to snatch me right back if I was threatened."

Sam Weiman jerked his index finger up and down, the eagerness on his broad pink face suggesting that he'd be very willing to accompany any such expedition. Grm gave Thian a long searching, hopeful look.

"You go. Prime. I go and Sam," it said with more than usual firmness.

All three regarded the Admiral, who looked from one to another as if he doubted their good sense.

"Such a mission, seeing the queens in their natural habitat, would be most instructive, sir," Sam said, his body taut with anticipation. "I'd like to lake as many readings as possible, of soil, air . . . anything that might be useful for our study of the Hivers as a species. And perhaps leave remotes to view while we're still in orbit?"

Ashiant gave a snort, then exhaled with a combination of impatience and irritation.

"Very well," he said, flicking his fingers to show that he was not happy with the request but permitting it. "If there is any reaction groundside, you'll be hauled out instantly." He fixed a basilisk stare at Clancy, who nodded vigorously in agreement.

Sam's face was beatific, Grm did a little dance on its feet and Thian grinned.

"And that squad will be right there beside you . . ." Ashiant pointed at each in turn. Then he twisted around, finger pointing at Clancy, who was trying to maintain an imperturbable expression, though his eyes danced. "And you don't lose sight of them for one moment."

"No sir, of course, sir," Clancy replied, sitting up as if at attention. One of the probes zigzagged and he instantly rectified its course.

"Sir, if I may be allowed to lead the surface party," Lieutenant Commander Semirame Kloo said, "I'd be able to assist Lieutenant Sparrow with a speedy evacuation."

Ashiant widened his eyes, threw both hands in the air and rose to his feet.

"You're all mad. Very well, Commander. Assemble a squad. Handpicked martial arts experts. I've seen the clips of how fast that queen can move the few times she has. Side arms, missile-loaded. I want to see where you intend to land! And you"—Ashiant pointed again to Thian, his finger shaking a bit—"wear body armor."

"Yes sir."

Ashiant glared about the room once more and then with an exasperated "Whoosh" went through to the bridge.

'Admiral on the bridge," was plainly heard just as the door slid shut.

Thian brought his hands together with a loud clap. "Let's get with it, team, he said enthusiastically. "Sam, you get into body armor too. Grm, do you have anything similar?"

Grm drew itself up to its full meter and a half. "I am 'Dini. I need no armor against queens."

/ could throw Grm bac\ by myself, if I had to, Semirame said with a

sniff. Then she held up her wrist com and started snapping out her orders.

"Shall i keep on with the probes:" Clancy asked.

"Please, Clancy. We ought to have a full surface scan so we can map all the Hiver installations. (Jet Lea Day up here to help, and who's that other good telekinetic on board?"

"Ylad Ivanov in the machine shop," Thian said. "He'll do tine it he's

available."

"He is," Semirame said, interrupting herself. "Thought he'd be needed. And have you picked out our landing spot?"

"Yes." Thian pointed to one of the unused screens in the bank ranged across the bulkhead. A scene came up from some of the initial footage of their day's scanning of Arcadia.

"By a collection facility?" Semirame asked in surprise.

"Why not: That space right there." Thian put the cursor on the spot. "Nice open space tor the shuttle, good visibility. Computer, print screen five." The hard copy rapidly extruded from the unit and he handed it to Semirame, who frowned as she scanned it. "Copy to the Admiral's screen. I'll leave it up tor you, Clancy."

"Thanks," his cousin said drolly.

Then Thian flicked his fingers at Sam Weiman and (inn. "C'mon. (Jet ready- I don't want to hang around ... in ease the Admiral has second thoughts about this." He grinned, once more, mischievously before he turned. With a skip and hop more suited to a much younger person, Thian made his way to bis room to suit himself in the gear specified by the Admiral.

Any sign we've been noticed, Clancy? Thian asked when he felt the slight bump as the shuttle landed on Arcadia's surface. Nice 'port. \ou're

improving.

Thanl^ you. Clancy's tone was droll. Nary a flicker on the telltales!

Thian turned. "Let's have a reading on the air, Mocmurra," he said, and the woman promptly held up the peculiar device she earned. A

long, thin spiral tube contained a worm of intricate, flexible coils coated with a polyamide material that turned them brown: a compact and efficient gas chromatograph.

Mocmurra grinned. "Air's fresher than the Washington^."

"Let's move out, men," Commander Semirame said, touching the shuttle's hatch control as her squad instantly got to their feet. She nodded to Thian, allowing him to be first, but Grrn slipped in ahead of him and jumped deftly to the ground, the tools on the belt it wore clanking together.

"Soft," it said as it flipped its feet through the greeny-brown ground cover that stretched beyond and over the collection facility. Tendrils from the vegetation had spilled over the wide entrance but were trimmed short of covering it.

"Keep the place tidy, don't they," Semirame said, right at Thian's elbow as he stepped onto the surface. She gestured for her squad to spread out and around the shuttle, checking on all sides.

"All clear, sir," her sergeant reported.

"Now what, Thian?" she asked.

"I don't quite know," he said, looking around at the plain that extended in all directions, at the cultivated land with an occasional access alley for the workers. He took deep breaths of the air, tasting it, feeling it on his skin. "Faint odor?"

"There is." Semirame took another deep breath. "Sort of ... crisp."

"Yes, exactly," Thian said, having been unable to find the right descriptive word for the lingering smell in the air.

It was extraordinary to be standing here, on a Hiver world, and he didn't bother to hide the slight smile of wonderment and incredulity this moment provoked. He snapped mental fingers at Rojer's jibe that he'd never be "risked" on a personal tour.

Semirame pointed. "Look at it move!"

Thian saw the 'Dim, cavorting over the ground cover, beaded right for the collection facility entrance, down the slope.

Semirame whistled for her squad leader's attention, but the sergeant had already allocated two men to follow the 'Dim.

Any activity, Clancy?

Not so much as a pip out of place. Admiral's m here, on your couch, eyes glued to the screen. His expression—well, I'd call it avid, I thinly. Certainly nothing's going to surprise him. What's it life?

Life any other M-typeplanet we've been on. Air has a nice crispness to it. We've fallen GC readings and Weiman's taking samples of the ground cover. Grm's on its way down the embankment to the entrance and we're following. Keep trac\ of me.

Just don't expect me to move all of you out of danger if you run into it. Clancy's tone was slightly sour.

YOM can come on the next excursion, Clancy.

Do I have a choice?

Thian only laughed as he started down the steep slope that led into the subsurface collection center. He was elated in a way he had never before experienced, not even when he and Kiely-Austin had penetrated the nova-seared Great Sphere and found the egg repositories intact. Even the familiar sting-pzzt that was now noticeable couldn't dampen his mood. Anyway, the body armor somewhat deadened the sensation. He hoped that it would continue to do so when they were in closer proximity to the Hivers.

Semirame had sent men trotting on ahead of the adventurous Grm, whose short legs could not match the jog trot of the marines. She gave a brisk nod of her head and then tilted it to mentally inform Thian that her advance scouts had seen nothing inside to alarm them. Thian stepped onto the approach ramp, excitement rising inside him. With his special senses, he couldn't hear, see or feel anything. No, that wasn t quite right. There was something ... a presence . . . not something truly sentient, but something alive. Some things, he corrected himself.

The ground beneath his feet had been trampled down for so long that it was now below its original level by several centimeters. In fact, if he looked closely he could see the slight ruts worn by workers that had tramped up and down it for centuries. In the depths beyond the overhang, he could see light—Semirame's scouts checking it out.

Hi Tome

"Scouts say it's all clear. Stinks a lot, like rotted vegetation," she said with a snort.

She raised her arm to call the rest of her team forward. Sam Weiman had knelt down to scoop up more soil samples, grunting as he forced his tool to loosen the closely packed dirt. Semirame pulled down the dark-vision visor from her helmet and Thian followed her example as they moved into the facility.

The prevalent smell was indeed of slightly rotting vegetation. The odor deepened as they penetrated farther in. The flooring was clean and their boots scraped on a different surface. Thian leaned down to touch it.

"Some sort of plascrete," he said.

Another of Semirame's noncommittal grunts.

"Lots of low tunnels now, sir, leading deeper in and down to other levels," said the tinny voice issuing from Semirame's wrist com. She looked at Thian for orders.

"Can you navigate them?" he asked into his own wrist unit.

"Can do," was the answer after a slight pause.

"Hands-and-knecs job1" Thian asked.

"Can do," was repeated.

"Found where the stuff must get dumped, sir," another voice reported. "Straight ahead of you. 'Bout ten meters."

Semirame and Thian rapidly covered the distance, their quick steps echoing in the underground space since stealth did not seem to be required.

The smell was heavier as they reached the dumping point. Peering down the slide that was at a forty-five degree angle, they could sec a parallel chute and conveyor belt. Despite the smell, their handlights showed no refuse at all, the plascrete clean.

Down and down they go," Semirame remarked at her driest. "Hemmer, Vale, Singh, take a look below." To Thian she added, Mark &n as they pass you, Thian, so'syou ^nott''em to bring'em backup, life you did the crews m the Phobos Sphere.

He could see her wide grin, her teeth showing brightly in his visor. He nodded, getting a touch of each of them as the troopers imper-turbably slid down the ramp and started examining the direction of the belt.

"Found a whole bay or holding level full of ... worker? Sir? Sir?" another trooper reported. "Smells bad but no garbage."

"Got enough light to send me back a scan, Wixell?"

"Do my best. Place's as dark as . . ." Wixell paused, cleared her throat and went on. "Dark, sir."

Thian watched his wrist unit and the scan came up, lumps of darkness then illuminated by a slowly moving beam of light.

"The workers," Thian said when he saw the tool extension crossed lifelessly on the front of the creature. "Standing by for orders from the queen?"

"Can't move any farther in, sir," Wixell went on. "Place is stuffed with them, and the ceiling's just high enough for them to lie down, or whatever it is they're doing. More vegetable stink too."

"Any other exit from the . . ." Scmirame paused, grimacing as she tried to find an appropriate word.

"Stabler" Thian suggested.

"Stables are for living things. That's a garage," she said, sounding disgusted.

"No sir, blank walls."

"C'mon back then, Wixell."

"Sir:" Another scout reported in. "Found a bigger tunnel, leads down and straight ahead for several hundred meters." Her voice had an edge of excitement. "Big enough for a queen, I think, sir. I'm getting static from the GC, so I'll take readings."

"Do that, Mocmurra." Thian could see the commander grinning-

"(Jo on, Thian. I'll call them." She jerked her thumb toward the slide and then her finger in the direction Thian should go. "Captain Lyon s on his way, Mocmurra. Wait for him, will ya? Bessy, Tramor, scour ahead for the captain."

Thian trotted across to the light held by the figure at the opening to

I

the tunnel's slit. It wasn't very wide, hut then the queens weren't either; they were tall.

"This way, sir," Mocmurra said; the sturdy marine was grinning over her discovery. "Only one the size for Humans."

"Anyone know where Gnu is?" Thian asked, realizing he hadn't caught sight of the 'Dini since it had entered.

"It was with me, sir. It's up ahead."

"Let's move it, then," Thian said. It wouldn't do for a 'Dini specialist to get hurt or captured by the Hivers. He picked up his feet and ran down the straight tunnel, blessing the visibility of the visor.

It's ofyay, Thian, came (fancy's reassuring thought.

Can you track, Grm ?

It's got a locator on its tool belt.

Thian kept running, trying to keep the nail-studded bootheels from hitting the tunnel floor too loudly, just in case the queen could feel vibrations. He had nearly run Grm down when the 'Dini appeared in front of him, at the T-junction. Actually, it was more than a T, for additional tunnels, all queen height, opened up like a delta. Nine more.

THIS WAY, Grm said, pointing to the first one on the left-hand side, its poll eye gleaming with excitement and the fur at an almost perpendicular angle to its body. When Thian would have moved forward, it held up one flipper, bringing it around to its mouth to indicate a necessity for stealth. Then Semirarne yanked at Thian's sleeve and slipped in front of him. Well, she was right, of course, to guard him. They cautiously moved forward, placing their feet noiselessly.

An old snatch of a song—with catlike tread, upon our way we steal— sprang to his mind.

No sound at all, we never speaf( a word, Alison Ann's voice continued.

Tracking me again? Thian said, amused that Gravy was in touch.

A fly'sfootfall would be distinctly heard, was Semirame's addition, surprising a gasp out of Thian. Just happened to remember it, she added with a touch of bashful humor in her voice. Thian grinned. The commander s mental tone was quite different from her vocal one, and far more revealing of her personality than her spoken words.

Another smell impinged on their senses.

Queen stinf(? Semiramc asked Thian.

Heavy sting-pzzt, that's for sure. Thian tried to ignore the concentration of that phenomenon, though the body armor did help. Tell Mocmurra to get more readings. He heard her give the order. My sister Zara's the only one of us who's been close to a queen. Sam didn't mention smell as a factor in his confrontation with her. And nothing recorded about the ambience in her . . . quarters . . . suggests a poisonous emanation. ()j course, we had space suits when we were on the Great Sphere, but the vacuum of space would have erased any residual odors.

Wasn't much reefy on the refugee sphere by the time it got to Phobos Base, but this smells a bit li^e it. Ooops!

Semirame had caught up to Grm and her halt was so abrupt that Thian walked into her. She pointed to her right and Thian saw the opening and what was beyond it, as plain in his visor as if they tl been in full light—a queen, standing, with her groomers, her upper limbs extended for the attentions of her minions.

She isn't that big, was Thian's first thought.

She isn't? Where are you? Clancy demanded brusquely. That's the Admiral's question, not mine.

We seem to be at the entrance to a queen's quarters. I don't thmf^she's as big as the one at Heinlein Station.

Estimate!

A meter thirty centimeters, give or take a centimeter, Thian said, looking at Semirame, who nodded though she kept her visor focused on the queen.

Grm tugged at Thian's arm and Thian leaned down to let Grm speak softly in his ear.

SUF. IS NOT Bit;. SHE IS OLD.

Thian passed on that information, though how Grm could tell the creature's age was beyond him.

I'll go in, he told Semirame, at the same time he announced that intention to Clancv.

Toi

/// came at him from two directions and he shook his head against the blast.

Semirame looked at him, her eyes hidden by the visor, but there was no mistaking the negative posture of her body or her raised hand, ready to clout him if he moved.

All right then. You go first, Rame, he said, trying to sound pleasant when he wanted to lift her up and shake her for being so damned cautious about his Talented self, when he could react faster in his own defense than anyone else could because he'd instantly sense injurious intent.

Semirame must have caught some of that, because she lowered her hand and shrugged. Carefully she entered the queen's quarters, Thian with equal stealth right behind her, so they were almost moving in tandem.

This is much bigger than I expected, Thian said, and Semirame gave a barely perceptible nod of agreement.

Palatial, considering where she stashes the guys that do all the wor\.

Describe! Clancy demanded. Admiral talking, he added a second later in an explanatory fashion.

Thian could just see the scene, with Ashiant stiff with apprehension.

The mam room is say thirty meters by thirty meters and half that to the ceiling. It's crammed with bodies, her attendants, and there's a ledge against one wall, and against the wall perpendicular to it, another sort of seat — it may be where she extrudes her eggs . . .

Yeah, it does loof^ like a birthing stool with the big hole in the bac^ and a son of tube opening in the wall, Semirame said, then added in a tone of disgust, / don't tynow why I'm 'pathing. We could be roaring and this lot wouldn't hear us. We're right in front of them — they've got to know there ore three individuals staring at them. And something just scurried over my Je& • . . didn't even notice it was canted to one side doing so. Hey, wait a minute, Grm.

It doesn't hear you, Rame, Thian said, quickly following the 'Dini as 't moved farther into the room. Grm did have the good sense to move

slowly, but the 'Dim was determined to see all it could of the habitat of its lifelong enemy. He caught up with Cirm and planted one hand firmly on its shoulder, tightening his grip when the 'Dim tried to evade. He squeezed bis fingers to make certain Grin knew it wasn't supposed to go on unattended.

Lool^atthe walls, Thmn, Semirame said urgently, and Thian glanced upward, having been tar more aware of the queen and her bustling attendants. He really hadn't noticed more than the size of the room. Now he saw that on three walls, just above the height of his head, there were glowing screens or monitors.

Their communications boards?

Why not? The queen's reading the one in front of her. Loo/( at her head. She's tracking something, Semirame said. But I don't see as much change in the panels on the side walls.

Thian watched long enough to be aware of changes, rippling top to bottom of the panel, as if scrolling.

CAN YOU SI*:ND SAMPLE?

Only if you and the Admiral stop roaring at me suddenly. I damned near jumped onto something, Thian said testily. Rume, tape a recording of the side panels. I can focus on the one she's watching from where I am now. F le lifted his wrist com, activating the record touch button, and grabbing (inn's arm before it took advantage of his need of both hands and got loose. Cirm did pull its feet out of the way of several rapidly moving attendants who passed where it had been standing and went out through a hole in the wall. Get Mocmurra in here too, to record the smells.

I thinfy Sam would call them pheromones, Olancy said.

Then something rammed into Thian's heel and he lifted his foot as another variety of attendant charged out, only momentarily thwarted by his being in its way.

Place is crait'lmg with bugs and beetles, Thian said, dipping his hand so the watchers could see the rammer skittering into the heap that surrounded the queen. With two of her nether limbs, she was tilted slightly backward, her egg-bulb ]tist clearing the floor. Thian could see thai ir

was being coated—or cleaned, he wasn't sure which—by those surrounding that section of her.

Admiral and Lieutenant Commander ttntt, the science officer, say that she is not, I repeat not, as large as the Heinlein queen. Commander, please focus for one minute on the left-hand panel. Then for a minute on the right-hand one. We seem to get some sort of variation, but very erratic. Thian, go bacf^ to the wall she's watching. This ma\ be a significant breakthrough.

Being sure he wasn't going to walk on anything scuttling about, Thian backed up so that bis recorder would catch the full screen of the front wall the queen was watching. She opened her mouth. Thian and Rame both fro/.e. A creature, slightly larger than most of her attendants, held up a lump. She lowered her head slightly, opening a maw, and the lump was inserted. She seemed to inhale the material because it certainly didn't go down her throat as a lump.

Did you see that? A male? Feeding her?

Before Semirame could answer, Thian was distracted when something connected hard against his shin. He danced off that foot, then replaced it to lift the other and avoid what was scurrying about.

Keep the camera still, Claney said.

I will if they'II stop fycfyng me in the shins. There! That better?

Frankly, I couldn't tell, Claney ^\\<.\, but the experts sure are excited.

Why? Semirame asked in her droll fashion. We'd need a Hwer to decipher it. . . maybe even read it, and none of 'em are talking to us.

If it keeps the experts happy, Claney said, his mental tone amused, let 'em try it,

Wonder what would happen if we could replicate this for the Heinlein queen? Thian said mischievously. He heard Clancy's mental chortle and Semirame's snort.

An, that would be sheer mental cruelty, Thian, Semirame said, after porting her into a functional sphere so she could start it up for us and then whistyng her bacl{ to prison.

Thian grinned in the green darkness around him at the memory of tnat incident. Well, the ploy had worked and the queen had shown them the sequence of start-up controls that the I luman engineers had been

unable to fathom. They'd 'ported the queen without the knowledge of the Phobos Base commander, but the t;ictic had worked.

That wouldn't wor^this time, Rame. She won't tal(( to us, and how what they might be saying to each other would help us, I don't fyiow.

You're right, Semirame said wistfully.

Admiral asks could you set up a surveillance unit in her quarters? Clancy asked.

Sure. But I'll need a night-vision unit and some heavy-duty stic^um, Semirame said. She added quickly, And it has to be an odor-free adhesive!

Carl do, Clancy said. Just hang in there a few minutes, if you can.

We can, Semirame blithely assured him.

On their way, Clancy said.

To get it really stucf{ proper in position, I'm going to have to stand on your shoulders, I thinly, Thian. You're good far something now and then, you ((now. Semirame gave him a picture of her, patting his head. Only she was on stilts and he was much, much shorter.

Suddenly Thian heard a mechanical whirring and air was blowing against him.

That's odd, Semirame said.

Thian felt Cirm tug at his sleeve and he leaned down.

THEY SMELL US, the 'Dim murmured in his ear.

Grm seems to think, we smell, Thian said.

I don't doubt that in the least, Semirame said. They gotta have clean air.

If they smell us, why don't they see us? Thian asked.

/ dunno, and I'm as happy they can't. Hurry up with that spy-eye, will ya? If they're cleansing the air, they might loo^for . . . Thanks. A package landed against Rame's chest and she clutched it firmly to her.

Good catch, Clancy said.

Now Semirame pushed Thian to the back wall, gestured for him to make his hands into a footrest. He shook his head, grinning, spread his legs slightly and 'ported her to his shoulders. Wincing, he also lightened her not insubstantial weight before her heavy boots could dig welts into his shoulders. Instinctively, he put his hands up on her muscular calves to steady her. He could feel her smear on the adhesive with

quick movements, then the pressure as she stuck the surveillance unit into the goo.

Can you see, Clancy? She asked.

Ah . . . yes, coming through . . . as clear as it'll get, I guess.

Now's the time to %nou>, Clancy, she said, in her best have-you-done-as-I-told-you commander manner.

We'll fiddle with resolution up here. Admiral says get out of there before you do stin\ up the place enough for them to start looking for you.

Right.

Thian 'ported her back to the floor, and she gave a curt flick of her fingers to indicate they should leave. Grm tried to resist Thian pulling it along, but with the air circulation blowing across his face, Thian really did think it was high time to leave.

We got lots of pictures, Thian. Landing party's recording all over the facility. Clancy sent each of the teams night-vision remotes, Semirame said, and the group at the entrance now stepped back to allow them to leave the queen's quarters. As soon as she was a ways down the passageway, Semirame gave low-voiced orders to reassemble in the main chamber.

There was a substantial breeze flowing across the chamber when they got there.

"All units here1" she asked, scanning the figures in front her.

"All present and accounted for," said the squad sergeant.

"Let's get outa here before they try to find who's making their house smell," Semirame said, and raising her arm in forward sweep, trotted up out of the collection point. Pushing up her visor, she ran backward as she checked again that all who had entered were coming out. Then she turned forward again and kept up the trot the short distance to the shuttle. She stood by the door, with the sergeant, checking once more. In minutes, everyone was seated, ready for the 'port back to the Washington.

We're ready, Thian told Clancy.

Steady as you go, Clancy answered.

Sir." Having got the commander's attention, Wixell pointed the window.

They just had time to see low-slung creatures flowing up out of the collection facility, waving antennae about.

"Trying to find out where the smell comes from," Semirame said, chuckling. "Have to remember to neutralize us stinking types the next time we do a reconnaissance."

Thian chuckled. "I wasn't sweating. Were you?"

"Naw," Semirame replied. "Might be our boots." She looked down at her dirt-stained footwear. "Or our uniforms. Always did say tbe dye's got a vicious pong to it."

All set?

All set.

A moment later Thian nodded approval as the shuttle landed so smoothly only he and Semirame were aware that they had been transported the thirty-six thousand kilometers to the geosynchronous orbit above the surface of the planet—though there was a startled look on Wixell's face, as she'd been facing one of the two portholes.

Should we run a GC on us to see if we do stin/( enough to register with those ultrasensitive queens? Semirame asked, cocking her head at Thian. And what we smell lifye?

Wouldn't that upset our ultrasensitive and efficient troops?

Whatever she might have replied was lost in the next second. Someone pounded on the door, to indicate that they should undo the hatch. Instantly the entire squad had weapons at the ready, aimed at the hatch.

Nothing wrong with their reflexes. "Re-lax, troops. We're back."

A gusty sigh of relief came from all sides, and with it a whiff of garlic.

"Garlic!" Thian said to Semirame.

"Yeah. "Just noticed. Wonder if that's relevant, butwe'lluseastmf( 'graph just to be on the safe side.

Garlic used to be a specific against witches, ghost/es, ghoulies and things that go bump in the night, Clancy said.

Whose side are you on? Thian asked while Semirame muttered orders

through her wrist com. Then she smiled up at him, giving her head fine sharp nod to show that the pong test would be accomplished.

"Sir," said the boat deck watch officer, "Admiral's compliments, and can you report to him immediately."

I'll just hold 'em up a moment and then they can file past Exit Five and getodorized, Semirame told Thian.

Should maf^e an interesting appendix to the mission report.

He waved his hand at her as he exited the ship and strode to the nearest lift, busy formulating his report to the Admiral.//,? 's going to love the garlic.

Laria and Kincaid got the announcement of the release of Talavera to the Mrdini from Earth Prime, who was nearly as jubilant as all of Clarf would shortly be.

That's maruelous, Granddad. You don't know how happy that'll maf(e everyone here.

I've a very good idea, Laria, but doubtless you'll fill us in. Please inform Plrgtgl immediately as a courtesy and—here's the written notification — in Basic as well as Mrdmi.

Both Tower Talents heard the message tube rattle into the basket.

Good shot, Earth Prime.

The hand hath not missed in decades.

How soon can they set off? Laria asked, grinning in triumph at Kincaid, who was smiling too.

How soon can colony ships be loaded? Jeff Raven responded.

Who's catching?

Rojei; Flavia and the Columbia team. No problem on the receiving end.

No, there won't be. May I leave the Tower to tak? the menage to Plrgtgl?

you are Tower Prime, Lana Raven-Lyon, you can leave the Tower anytime you wish. I'm sure there's nothing coming in that Kincaid can't handle by himself. Right?

Right, was Kincaid's instant reassurance. He jerked his head at Laria to urge her to leave.

The note of the generators slid deeper without Lana's using them. She remembered to use the glove to pick up a message tube still freezing from its 'portation through the vacuum of space, and ran down the steps.

"We got it, we got it!"

"Got what?" Lionasha asked.

"HEY, what's wrong with the Tower? Generators are off../ Vanteer called from his level.

"IT'S OFFICIAL," Laria yelled back. "The 'Dinis get Talavcra!"

Vanteer was up the short flight in one leap. "They do?"

She waved the cylinder. "I'm off to make a personal delivery of the go-ahead," she said, leaving the cool of the station and, stopping dead in her tracks, gasping at the hot air outside. But she persevered on to her ground vehicle. YOU'VF. GOT TI IF. PLANET! she shouted in 'Dini to Fig, Sil, Dig and Nim, who were on yard duty.

'Dims did exultant cartwheels all across the plascrete. She laughed at such antics as she got into the ground car. Someone had already turned on the air-conditioning full blast—Kincaid, no doubt—getting nd of the trapped heat inside. She took off fast enough to raise a dirt cloud and pebbles that pattered against the undercarriage. She turned out of the Tower compound, heading for the Clarf Administration Building. She drove at daring speed through the afternoon traffic and into the compound where Plrgtgl had its office. Braking in front of the mam entrance, she didn't wait for the air cushion to settle before she flung herself out of the car, through the roasting air, and was in the relatively cool building in four long strides.

HE Tint and

"What's the rush. Prime?" one of Plrgtgl's Human assistants asked, surprised at her appearance.

"You'll hear, you'll hear," Laria said, brandishing the message tube. "Is Plus here? Oh, do tell me it is."

"Par's I know," was the reply. "Naciana's at her desk."

As Plrgtgl was responsible for managing all the Humans currently employed on Clarf, it employed Human staff assistants too. So Laria courteously knocked on the door before sliding it back.

Naciana looked up. "Laria?"

"Is Plus in ?"

"Yes," Naciana said, waving her to the inner door, but half rising from her seat as she sensed Laria's excitement, and also saw a tube that must carry important documents if Clarf Prime was hand-carrying it.

Plrgtgl looked up at her entry, rose to its full height.

EARTH PRIME HAS REQUIRED ME TO GIVE THIS DIRECTLY TO YOU, HONORABLE PLRGTGL, she said in 'Dini, and with a flourish, handed him the tube.

Plus lowered its poll to eye her for a long moment.

IT IS THE NEWS WE WISII FOR, IS IT NOT? Plus said, holding the tube tightly to its chest lor a moment. Then, with a flick of its flippers, it opened the container and disks fell onto the desk along with a sheaf of hard copy. NACIANA?

YES SIR? Naciana had followed Laria to the threshold.

PUT TI US ()N MY SCREEN, Plus said, tossing Naciana one of the disks, which her eager fingers fumbled into the appropriate slot on its desk while Plus was unrolling the hard copy. AHHHHHHHHHH. Plus's ecstatic warble echoed out of the office and through the door Laria had left open, to startle Humans and 'Dinis alike in the halls. WE HAVE IT! WE HAVE IT! WE HAVE IT!

Laria, knowing what the 'Dini meant, leaned back against the desk to avoid a collision as it charged past her, waving what looked like a Mercator projection of Talavera. Plus danced up the hall, knocking bodies aside in its exultation. Then, almost ricocheting off across the hall at lne end of the mam corridor, it returned, giving everyone in its path a

glimpse at the map, babbling in a combination of Basic and 'Dini that made no sense to anyone—except Laria, who knew enough to understand its garbled comments.

The moment Plus reentered its office, it altered completely, becoming dignified and organized. After her first surprise at Plus's reaction, Naciana, well accustomed to her superior's volatility, had put the hill report up on the screen.

COPIES, MAKE COPIES, LOTS OF COPIES, Plus said, flipping its free arm at her to show great urgency. Once behind the desk, it smoothed the Mercator projection out, holding the map down with objects on its desk, and then unrolled the rest of the hard copy. CALL THKM ALL. WE MEET AS SOON AS THEY GET HERE. OH, THIS IS MARVELOUS. OUR WORLDS WILL ALL REJOICE, Plus said to Laria. Then it scrutinized the documentation with a poll eye that was shining with its inner joy.

Communications units buzzed from Naciana's desk. Plus waved her to answer while it picked up its own unit and began what Laria was certain would be a string of calls to Clarfs administrative personages.

"Good luck," she said to Naciana, who was listening to a caller whose audible tone was as excited as Plus's.

Naciana waved her free hand and gave Laria a thumbs-up sign, her eyes wide with excitement as she tried to get a word in edgewise to the caller. In the hallway, Laria was stopped time and again by Humans and 'Dinis for an explanation.

"The High Council has awarded 'Dinis the planet Talavera," she said again and again and again as she plowed her way to the entrance.

There she was almost knocked down by excited 'Dinis, large and small, who were trying to get into the building she was trying to exit. She 'ported herself out of the way antl got into the car, sweat running in rivulets down her face and body. When she started the vehicle, she realized that there were so many other cars parked every which way that she had no clear exit left, even on air cushion.

I'll help, Kmcaid said, laughter in his tone.

You'll have to. There's no other way I'll get out of here. She linked her

mtnd with his and together they 'ported her car all the way back to the Clarf Tower compound, just as well, she added, because the traffic's backed up on all the roads and the air's thicfy with incoming 'Dinis on belts. How come?

We do have 'Dims here, you know, and I think^ they broadcast the news even before you got to Plus.

You should have seen the old gray dear! Laria said, grinning, and gave Kincaid a replay of the 'Dinis' ecstatic hall dance. Then she 'ported herself out of the car and into the cool Tower. "Phew! Only something as important as this news could get me out in that heat."

"I take it there is great rejoicing on all Clarfs streets?" Lionasha asked in a wry tone.

Laria gave the T-7 a repeat of what she'd 'pathed to Kincaid.

Is there any hard copy for us here on Sef? Laria was astonished to hear Yoshuk's voice.

How did you hear?

Earth Prime was kjnd enough to repeat the good news to us. He figured it would take you a little time to get it to Plrgtgl and we'd need to before-warned. Care to wager on how long it tafcs the 'Dims to start the immigration?

No, Laria said firmly. But I suspect both Towers'11 be overworked.

In fact, Lionasha said, holding her com unit slightly away from her ear, Clarf Tower is being asked to facilitate the dispatch of the KLTL . . .

They czn\ have organized a ship and crew in . . . what is it, half an hour? Laria objected.

You were wise not to bet, Laria, Yoshuk said, laughing. Nesrun has just received a request from the KLLM to be lifted as soon as possible.

Have they had ships just standing by? In case? Laria demanded of no one in particular as she 'ported herself onto her couch in the Tower. Never let it be said that we dallied in transporting them to their desired location.

Here's where the KLTL is right now, Laria, Lionasha said. The coordinates came up on the Tower screen. Good thing you know that ship so well.

Is it all ready? Laria demanded. I'm not about to send a ship that far with its hatches still open.

I checked, said Kincaid. It's ready. Let's shift it to Talavera.

Rojer, are you ready to receive?

Ready? Rojer was as astonished as she was, but caught the excitement in her 'pathed words. Let no moss grow on 'Dim flippers. Yes, now I'm ready.

Laria felt his mind firmly contacting hers: she felt Kincaid's strong support, and reaching out for the KLTL, she 'ported it off its field and toward the distant system.

Got it! Nice throw! Rojer said.

The first of many, I'm sure, Laria said.

I'll get the rest of'em up then.

You did that alone, brother? Laria turned from sister into Clarf Tower Prime in an instant.

Me and the Columbia!? generators! We're able.

Don't try it again, Prime Rojer.

Yes, Prime Laria. Rojer's tone was anything but penitent.

He'll burn himself out if he doesn't ta^e care, Laria said privately to Kincaid, scowling.

A Lyon burning out? Kincaid made a scoffing noise deep in his throat. Highly unlikely.

Not even Lyons are infallible.