"The joker in the deck? The strange cat who walks by himself?"

"Yes, all of that. And I've insisted that you meet him with me."

"Thanks-I think. Anything special we're supposed to know?"

"Only that the Ormthu are worthy of respect."

"Yeh. You run into anybody around here, so far, who isn't?"

"No-but I get the distinct impression that this one is something special,"

"Okay." Barton grinned. "I'll wipe my feet on the mat and try to remember not to spit on the floor."

"If I didn't know you better, I'd worry. I mean, worry more." ^

"Why worry? The critters are neutral, aren't they?" w

"That's what I'm afraid of." Gulping the last of his cof- fee, the big man rose. "See you tomorrow."

"Sure thing-if they don't call it off." Tired, Barton sat awhile, brooding, before he too called it quits for the day.

203.

He was lonesome in Compartment Two, but eventually he managed to get to sleep.

Next morning, as he and Tarleton were finishing breakfast, Vertan entered. Liese Anajek, escorting him, said, "Another customer. Or did the cook quit?"

Vertan smiled. "I am of thanks, but have eaien." i

"Have some coffee, then," said Tarleton, and poured f it. "An unexpected pleasure, Vertan. A little last-minute briefing?"

"Of pertinence to the Ormthan, yes. To say again the limits of our knowledge." Tarleton signed for the Tilaran j to proceed. 3

"Half a year ago, as has been said, we first knew such a race to exist. The Ormthan ship appeared-our warn- r ing devices did not tell its coming-its landing was of complete surprise. Immediately the one creature, and no other, left the ship. It brought with it several cased be- longings, but had no clothing or arms. So we knew not to fear, for it showed trust and thus asked our own."

"It knew your language, right?" said Barton. "So it knew something about you already."

"Yes, It said it had come to make our peoples of ac- ?

quaintance. Our person of command at that time, a woman of the name Jilaar, gave it welcome. Groundcars were brought to carry it and its cases. When the cars were ^ of a distance from the ship, it lifted and was gone. Again our instruments gave no sign-but by eye its path was seen to be of care to avoid harm to our own craft, in air - and above."

"Dumped the baby on your doorstep and vamoosed," ^ said Barton. "And what have you learned from the ^ Ormthan, to now?"

"For the most, that it is of friendship-and, when it , knows us of sufficiency, would commerce with us. That it ^ is long agreed that Ormthans and Demu do not meet, for help or harm. That its name-or perhaps title-is Orm- thol. That it seeks always to know, and thus asks many questions. But the larger part is what we do not know."

"What kind of things?" Barton said. "Remember-I have heard very little of what you say now."

"Of Ormthan numbers or power, we know nothing.

Of the place of its home worlds, Ormthol says only that we will know when the knowing is of need. It speaks not of

204.

its customs or interests, only of our own. Yet we cannot be of doubt that it is of good intent."

Barton could. He was, he knew, no longer the para- noid who had first escaped the Demu, but doubting the unproven was still one of his strong points. He said noth- ing, but made a few mental notes.

Finally, realizing that Vertan had no more to say un- asked, he said, "Is there anything special, in meeting with the Ormthan, that we should say or do?-or not say or do?"

"No more than among ourselves. It acts and speaks in courtesy. One matter of difference, perhaps-be not of offense if you ask and are not given answer."

"And what if we choose not to answer some of its ques- tions?"

Vertan looked startled, as if he hadn't thought of that possibility. Barton wondered if Tilara had any pastime that resembled the game of poker.

"We had not considered of doing so," the Tilaran said.

He smiled. "The result might be of interest." Tarleton raised an eyebrow; Barton shrugged.

Before leaving the ship, they showed Vertan the prog- ress of weapons installations. He showed keen interest, and said, "Tilara has thanks that such ships as this are of our friends, not of our enemies."

"The friendship of Tilara honors us," said Barton in Tilaran, "as does that of the Larka-Te and Filjar."

"What we do," said Tarleton, "we do together-all of us." Barton noticed that his accent had improved-but still had a long way to go. And as for going, it was now time . . .

The Tilaran woman drove them to a building that sur- prised Barton-it was the first he had seen on Tilara that utilized straight hues and plane surfaces. A five-sided pyramid, perhaps twenty meters in diameter and ten in height, truncated at a shallow angle, it was all of one color -an iridescent golden brown.

"The structure," said Vertan, "was made by us to the Ormthan's asking. We find it of a strange seeming."

Barton nodded. It wasn't that the building was ugly, he thought-but surrounded by the subtle curves and shadings of Tilaran architecture, it had a decided impact on the neighborhood.

The three left the car, and Vertan led the way through

205.

rows of feathery bushes. At the door, a trapezoidal inset, the Tilaran placed his palm flatly against it. After a mo- ment it slid to one side, and they entered.

The ceiling was low and gray-for seconds, Barton fought his instincts back from the edge of violence as the Demu cage, nearly eight years of it, screamed in his skull.

He caught himself-he grabbed his mind by the back of the neck, shook it hard, and made it function.

Afl right: one, it could be coincidence. And two, may- be this Ormthan was one tricky son-of-a-bitch-so watch out Barton took his head out of combat gear-but kept one mental foot on the clutch ...

He estimated the room-oddly shaped, with area out of proportion to its height-to cover more than half the ground floor of the building. The lighting came from web- like configurations of luminous spots, dotting all sur- faces. Except for a few large cushions grouped loosely at its center, the room was bare. Barton walked to the near- est cushion and sat. The others followed him but re- mained standing.

A little to his right, a rounded pink object formed from its upper surface a head-shaped protrusion-and opened two blue eyes, then a mouth. "Earthani, and Vertan, be welcome."

The hell of it was the thing spoke in English. Accord- ingly, Barton raised his mental sights.

He waited, but neither Tarleton nor Vertan made an- swer. All right, then-Barton felt the excitement of chal- lenge-he would play it by ear, his own way.

"Our thanks," he said. "I am Barton, of Earth. You are Onnthol?" The head resembled an impressionistic sculpture-aside from eyes and mouth, only hints, vague contours of other features existed. The effect, Bar- ton decided, was not unpleasant