Ap Fenn let it slip that he was having a problem getting the fleet refueled." For seconds, he laughed. "I wouldn't be surprised but what the slowdown began when Arleia Fox jumped ship. I didn't ask, though."

She nodded. "It wasn't that I thought you miss many bets. Barton. But the idea came, and I had to check it." -

"Sure. And always do that. Because like anybody else, I do miss some bets." The more he knew this tall woman, the better he liked her.

Nearing the port's edge, they passed the last of ap Fenn's ships. Barton looked; a little to the left of where he expected to, he saw two empty grpundcars. One wasn't empty, though; when they reached it, they found Doctor Arleta Pox slumped inside.

"Oh, hellf Barton said. "Well, let's get out of here, quick. Who drives? I suppose I could figure out the con- trols if I had to, but let's go with the experts. livajj?

Gerain?" Both Tilarans signed assent, and each took driver's position in the respective cars. "Next question.

Where to? Vertan's place?"

362.

"For a first stop, yes," Limila said. "I know where it is, and so do Gerain and livajj. But it is not a place we can stay."

They piled into the two cars and moved off in caravan.

Barton sat with Arleta Fox's head in his lap and watched for signs of awakening. He said, "Sure, I know, Limila.

Not that I'd expect Vertan to be inhospitable, but that's where ap Fenn might look first"

Tilaran architecture fascinated Barton, and Vertan's- diggings were a prime example: no straight lines, but a smooth van-colored blend of parabolic cross-sections like a statue of a tall skinny armadillo, ranging from pale blue around the lower sides to a deep copper shade along the dorsal ridge. And at the larger end, an abrupt edge framing a concave face that rippled in iridescent silver.

From the outside, no windows showed, but Barton knew that various areas would be transparent when viewed from inside. The entrance was in the concave face, of course, and there the two Tilarans brought the ground- cars to rest.

Arleta Fox was moving a little, making small breathy noises, but nowhere near awake yet. Abdul helped Bar- ton get her out of the car, and moved to pick her up and carry her. It would have made sense for the huge man to do the carrying, but Barton smiled and said, "Thanks, but it's my job. The doc and I go back quite a way." By the time they all got indoors, Barton could feel the woman's weight growing by the step. But they were led to a spacious room, where Barton could lay his burden onto a curving couch of sorts, before he ran short enough of breath that anybody could have heard him. Still seeing no sign of returning consciousness. Barton stood up.

Vertan wasn't there; whether the welcoming Tilarans, chattering six ways from Sunday with Limila and Gerain and livaij, were family or servants. Barton had no idea.

He touched Limila's elbow, and she turned to him.

"These folks know what-the scoop is?"

"Yes, Barton. Vertan has informed them. He was to be here soon, but now that is not likely."

"Why not?"

"Because he went to the Big Hundred, to confer with ap Fenn."

Well, when you play your cards too close to the vest, 363.

somebody's going to bet into the wrong hand. Barton sighed, then relaxed. If he owed Vertan an apology, he'd give it when the time came. For now, the drill was that everybody could go to guest rooms and clean up, and all, and for after that. Barton had heard food mentioned.

One of the Tilaran women, thinner than average and with boldly strong features, was some kind of medic.

"Reshane," Limila said. "She will watch over the' awak- ening of Doctor Fox." So Barton thanked Reshane, then followed Limila to their temporary quarters. He was glad to shuck the pack he'd been carrying, and was even more pleased to share a hot spray bath with Limila, and then part of a flagon of the pale green Tilarau wine he'd come to like, during the time Tarleton's fleet had been on this

planet.

With ap Fenn's first mousetrap sprung harmlessly,

Barton felt relaxed enough to be a little homy, but there wasn't time before the call for lunch, so be and Limila

settled on a rain check.

He ate with good appetite; in fact, everybody seemed to. Tilaran cuisine tended to be spicy in a very delicate sort of way, and that was something else Barton had learned to like. During the meal he tried to figure out who was who among the hosting Tilarans, but all he found out was that Vertan's most needful person was away visiting another family member, and did not share Vertan's resi- dence full-time in any case. Well, he knew that the Tilaran equivalent of marriage seldom included total cohabita- tion. Sometimes, but not often. After a time of listening he was fairly sure that two of those present were adult children of Vertan or of Vertan's absent "spouse" or pos-'

sibly of both; beyond that understanding, he didn't push it. And when Barton had had about as much of the lunch situation as he really needed, the woman Reshane came

in and beckoned to him.

"The small Earthani is of waking, and would see you."

She led him to, and let him into, a small concave- surfaced room that was mostly shades of pink with spar- kling blue highlights, and left him. He found Arleta Fox- sitting up, holding a beaker of the tart, bubbling Tilaran beverage, klieta. As he went to sit facing her, on a puff- stool that wasn't as wobbly as it looked, she gazed up at him. "It's good to see you. Barton. But what happened?

364.

I went to the port with Vertan, and waited for you in the car. And woke up here. I-"

"Easy, Doc-Ariie, I mean." He sipped from his large goblet of the green wine, then set it down beside him. "It went this way." He told it as short as he could make it, then said, "Until we got downstairs I wasn't sure, myself, just how to play it. So no chance to warn you or anybody, even if I trusted channel security. Vertan caught it worse, I'm afraid. He was having a chat with the admiral, on the Big Hundred." He frowned. "And I hope he's not in trouble."

Serious of face, Fox pushed fingers through her frizz of hair. Seen up close, it was really cut a lot shorter than Bar- ton was used to, on her. Fingers couldn't quite hide in it.

The woman said, "Vertan's safe enough. He has pressure on ap Penn, not the other way around." The bulldog smile. "When Vertan began ,to distrust the admiral, he clamped down on refueling the second fleet. He'll give the go-ahead when he feels reassured, and not before."

"Then Vertan should be back pretty soon, here?"

"I'd think so." She changed the subject, asking Barton for details of how he'd sidetracked the Demu "war" so it didn't happen. He told her, omitting the parts that had to be kept secret, and when she spotted a hole in the explana- tion and asked directly for answers, he shrugged and said, "Sorry, but that's really Top Clam. I mean, Tarleton could authorize telling you, but I can't."

After a moment, she nodded. "All right; I'll respect that. Now. then-" She leaned toward him. "Let's talk about Tilara."

It took Barton a moment to get the drift, but of all things she was looking fiirty. He got his wineglass up in front of him and said, "You mean the party you went to, and got surprised how Tilarans talk body-Braille?"

Sitting back again. Fox laughed. "Barton, relax. It's views I want to exchange with you-the ways this totally different culture struck us at first-not belly rubbing."

His embarrassment must have shown, for she laughed. "I adjusted to Tilaran ways rapidly. Barton, and that party was only the first of several." She paused. "How old do you think I am?"

He shook his head. "That's a game I never play; you can't win."

She blinked. "Not bad thinking; not bad at all. Well, I'm closing on thirty-five." Nearly seven years younger than Barton; he'd have guessed the difference less, so

365 .

good thing he hadn't. She said, "I gave up on virginity at sixteen, and on any idea of celibacy at twenty-two. But in my line of work, security and all, I had to be quite cautious about my liaisons and never allowed them to develop into affairs." He must have been staring; she shook her head.

"I've never seriously considered marriage."

Puzzled, he felt himself frowning. "I must be missing something. What makes this my business? I mean, not

that you're-"

For an instant she looked mad as hell; then she re- laxed. "Barton, will you quit taking everything person- ally? The point is, here on Tilara I could drop atf that sflly jockeying ana enjoy myself. Security, meaning the admiral, doesn't care beans what happens offship. Ex- cept the refueling operation, of course. So-" Her. stretch, then, made her small body look more voluptuous than Barton would have believed. "Well, I bad my little flings, would you imagine it, and now I'm settled down for a

time."

"Sounds great." He didn't have to ask; she'd tell him.

She did. "Vertan's oldest son, Tchorda."

"Settled down, you say. In most needful person status?"