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over us today and could not land at the main port." It had gone to the aux port instead, he reported, and its captain had cited priorities that brought refueling and other load- ing immediately, ahead of everybody else there. Of course, no other ship had clearance to Hit This one. it seemed, did.

"How soon?" Two days, three, perhaps-Vertao could not be sure. . -

"But it came here from Earth," he said, "in less than half the time required by your fleet, or even ap Fenn's.

And its captain appears to know things that have occurred on Earth since he left it"

"Is that right? Okay-thanks. Vertan. We'll be in touch." The screen went dead, and again Barton thought: Is that right?

Barton knew he needed a good night's sleep, but was surprised to wake and find that apparently he'd got it At first he felt pretty good; then he remembered what had happened to Limila. But that loss no longer hit him like a hammer; he knew sadness, was all. The problem was, how was she going to feel? She was asleep, in a separate bed now, so he didn't have to ask her right away.

He went through the house and found Cheng pouring from a fresh pot of kliew the man poured another cup, and .Barton sat. "Hennessy revoked the amnesty," Cheng said. "On you. anyway; he didn't mention Dupree.'**

"I guess he caught on," said Barton. Well, he hadn't really expected Renzel to keep her mouth shut, totally.

"Hennessy's acting on his own, is he? Not bothering with ap Penn for a figurehead?"

*The admiral sits to one side and smiles, or looks ner- vous. Hennessy does the talking. He doesn't sound espe- cially vindictive, though. Barton. More like a man who's plugging away, trying to follow the rules as he'knows them."

"Book soldier, yeh. That's what Myra quoted, too.

From the doc.'* He shrugged. "Doesn't matter; if he's af- ter my ass, I have to keep it out of his reach, is all." So what else was new? Barton decided that was a good question, really, so he asked it *

"Nothing more, officially," Cheng said. BartcOj^new that Tevann's screen terminal taped official announce- ments automatically; they carried coding to trigger the equipment. Now Cheng frowned. "Hennessy's trying to

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make a deal, Vertan told Tevann. He's found out that his ships are being tanked with inhibited fuel."

Probably, Barton thought, by trying to lift one off. He said, "What kind of deal?"

A fairly limited one, it turned out to be. Hennessy claimed to have no urge, as ap Fenn had had, to go after Tarleton in any punitive way. He did want some ships available to move, though-to Sisshain to gather infor- mation, to Earth with reports, for instance. And again unlike ap Fenn, Hennessy wanted contact with Earth's other allies, such as the Filjari and Larka-Te. "So he wants some ships ready to go."

"So, what's he offering?"

"To lift the embargo on Tilara. To discontinue the blockade."

And that idea. Barton thought, had some interesting possibilities.

Limila refused to speak or hear of their lost child. On the second day she insisted oh trying to get up. Barton wouldn't let her, and they were having quite a row about it when the TUaran doctor arrived. To Barton's surprise, the man sided with Limila. When Barton protested that nobody could take a gutshot and be in shape t6 walk, so soon, the doctor said, "You do not know the Tilaran metabolism. And this woman has taken the longevity treatments. Further, consider that it is her body; she may risk it as she chooses."

So, against Barton's wish, he watched ^Limila stand and then, pale Ups clamped to thinness, walk. She didn't walk good and she couldn't stand straight, yet, but she did move. When she had done several turns around the roqm, and sat again, she took a deep breath that came out in a ragged sigh. "I will live. Barton. Oh, yes; I will live. And perhaps someday I will even enJoy it, again."

Hennessy certainly seemed to waste a lot of time think- ing about Barton's crew from Ship One. The official after- noon screeneast-Barton caught it live-carried the an- nouncement that Abdul Muhammed and Myra Hake and Cheag Ai were restored to the fleet's good graces and should come collect their back pay. Arleta Fox's job was still open and she was urged to return to it. Armand Dupree couldn't be restored to prior status, considering he'd actually tried to pot the admiral. But even so, bygones

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were bygones and he, too, had some back pay coming. Or so without ever once mentioning Barton*s name, Hen-

nessy proclaimed.

Barton had hit the tape button, and later, showing the spiel to the group, he watched the reactions. At the end:

"What do you think?"

"If it's not a shuck," said Myra Hake, "we can't afford to take the chance, anyway. Cbeng and I have been talk- ing." She made a throwing-away gesture. "I mean, what do we need Earth for? As you said once. Barton-we don't live there now."

"So what is it you figure to do?"

Get on one of the Tilaran ships, was the answer. Go visit the Filjari or the Larka-Te, or maybe one of the peo- ples they'd never met but only heard about, like the Tiengin or Eroci. "And there's an Ormthan at Fil)ar now, the rumor goes."

Ormthan? How long now, since Barton had thought of that protean amoeboid oracle, who had given him the hint to the Demu weakness that avoided war with those proud adversaries? Now he said, "Ormthan! The one here-is it still here? Maybe-"

Tevann shook his head, "Still of presence, yes. But shut away, of its own doing. Ap Fenn went there, and-"

Tevann told it and Barton listened. Vertan had es- corted the admiral into 'the Ormthan's presence. The ceiling, that time, had not been low and gray, but arched and shining. But after ap Fenn had opened the discussion with a couple of arbitrary, conversation-stopping de- mands, the admiral had gone silent, and red in the face.

And then the Ormthan had dismissed the two of them, and as soon as they were outside again, a shimmering dome-almost transparent, but not quite-had ap- peared. From what Tevann said now, it sounded to Bar- ton as if the Ormthan's dome made the Demu Shield took like a plastic bag. And the dome was still there; nothing entered or came out, either one.

Barton considered the matter, and said, "I expect there's a patrol of Marines there?" Tevann nodded.

'Then let's forget it." Barton cleared his throat. "So what does everybody want to try?" ..

Myra and Cheng had said their joint piecg

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on a Tilaran ship, too, I think. I like the people, and I'n coming to know the language, and I'm a good pilot in any body's league. So I would think to manage, once awa;

from here."

Arieta Fox hadn't said anything. Barton turned to hei now. She certainly didn't look her best-head bald ia front and clipped to stubble for the rest of it, ears jutting to each side of the bulldog jaw-but Barton liked her "What you have in mind, Arlie?"

Her level gaze came right back at him. "I seem to have joined your team, Barton. Unless and until you make a choice I can't abide, is it all right if I tag along?"

Like a stone image, Limila had sat But now she reached and took Arleta's hand, and squeezed it. "Be ol welcome, Arlie."

It was too late to run over to the aux port, but not too late to call and set up the visit, for tomorrow. Iivajj said that if the blockade lifted, she was sure the ship she and Gerain were on could use an extra hand or two, and the ship next toward the control building wasn't full, either Beyond that, she would ask.

Barton cut the screen and turned back to the group "Well, looks as if we can find otfworld berths, given wf need 'em." He felt like needing a drink, but before he weni to get it, he said, 'Tomorrow we go over there, and maybf split up forever. So right now I think we deserve a littif party. Just in case."

They had it, and everybody seemed to have fun, mor< than not. But Barton couldn't keep from wondering What was he going to do?

Barton thought, next day, that Limila should sta;

home and rest. But she said she would go to see her ship mates off-livajj and Gerain, as well as Cheng and Myr *-even though the ships themselves might not be leavin immediately. Barton hadn't decided to go or not, bu When she did, he did. Arieta said the same.

"I will give my farewells here," said Abdul Muharo med. And he Tcissed Myra and bear-hugged Cheng an shook the hand of Armand Dupree. "May you all fin shelter under the great tree." He smiled. "That is a reL gious concept of my ancestors. While I do not believe literally, the thought still has comfort."

Barton, from the driver's seat, waved a hand and the

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