"Madam, I give you my word-"

"-which is worth nothing. Let it go, Zebbie. Join the class and keep an eye on our interests."

The big man looked me over. "I don't like to leave you alone with him, Commodore."

"Thank you, Zebbie. I'm safe. I was safe when he was armed but he was being insolent so I spanked him. Run along; he doesn't dare touch me." She added, "Or do you have a premonition?"

"No. But I get them just barely in time."

"I couldn't ask for more. But I feel a prophecy. Woodie is going to be a lamb about everything. Now go, dear."

He left, giving me a look that promised death if I harmed her. I wanted to tell him that I had never found it necessary to harm a woman in more centuries than his wife had years.

"Well, Lazarus, how do we work this out?"

"Work out what, Ma'am? You have the upper hand."

"Oh, piffle! You have the upper hand; you know it. As long as the ship's computer obeys you, rather than me, my 'authority' is a fraud. I escaped once by a fluke; you won't let it happen twice. But I stuck my head back into the trap because I think we have something to trade, to our mutual profit."

"I hope so, Ma'am. Please go on."

"You want your mother rescued. I plan to do it if it can be done. For which you will toe the mark. We need a holding company. I will own fifty-one percent of the voting stock. Not of the profits; there will be plenty for all. But 1 control."

"Madam, you're way ahead of me. I don't know what you have in mind."

"Money. Money and power. Whew! I just got downwind; you sweated into that heavy costume. Go in there, take a tub bath, hot and soapy. I'll sprawl on the chaise longue and we'll talk business. Are you really trying to rescue your mother, or are you simply looking to cut yourself in on Jacob's invention? We can make a deal, either way-but I must know. Don't hold out on me; I tend to get annoyed. Then someone else pays. You, in this case."

She took my hand and led me into the 'fresher while I answered her key question and thought about the rest. No more lies; she had caught me in one thrown together hastily and too complex; my grandfather would have been ashamed of it. So-nothing but the truth. But how much truth and what truth?

"Rescuing my mother is priority one, sine qua non. Business aspects are secondary."

"You were going to say that business aspects didn't matter to you-and I would have stuffed it down your throat."

I stalled while I adjusted the bath's controls. "Ma'am, I always think about business angles. But I would go broke and start over to make this rescue."

"Will you sign such a contract? We rescue your mother; you sign over all your wealth to me? No cheating, no holdout?"

"Is that what it takes?"

"No. It would not be equitable and that would compel you to cheat. Any contract must profit both of us. But rescuing your mother appeals to me-to all my family; I'm the least sentimental of us-and we would tackle it if there were not a fiat dollar in sight. Pour le sport. That nice warm feeling-whether it's a kitten, a baby bird, or an old woman. But there is money in this... and sport... and opportunities beyond imagination. That sound of water splashing:

does that interfere with Dora's hearing?"

"No, she filters it out."

"Is she listening?"

I instantly answered, "Yes." I've lived a long time in part by being a cat not caught in the same trap twice-as she had underlined. I placed in my permanent memory, nine times nine, never to lie to this woman again. Evade, avoid, keep silent, be elsewhere. But don't lie to her. A born Grand Inquisitor. Telepathic? Must ask Laz-Lor.

"I'm glad you said Yes, Lazarus. Had you said No, I would have broken off negotiations. I'm not telepathic-but you may find it inadvisable to lie to me. We must change the computer situation-part now, part later. You didn't give her the right code words."

"That's right. 'Chinchy' and 'mean' equal-"

"-Roger Wilco, but reversed meaning."

"Eh? That's a deep-down memory. Yes. Hmm- I must insert that phrase into Galacta. Useful." The water was just right, with deep, fragrant suds. I stepped down into it, picked a seat that let me lounge. "I should have said to Dora- Shall I tell Dora now?"

"With a modification. I want the equivalent of a simple telephone, so that I can call anyone, anyone can call me-and the same for you. But kill the snoop circuits throughout this suite."

"No trouble. We can call out at any time; that is a safety feature, permanent. As for calling in, I usually limit it to the twin commanding; she's entitled to disturb me, if needed. If not needed-well, neither Laz nor Lor enjoys being called 'stupid,' especially by me."

I changed the orders to Dora and did not cheat; Mrs. Burroughs and I were now truly in private, although anyone could reach us-voice only. "What next, Ma'am?"

"Some permanent changes for Dora, now that she can't hear us. Tentative plans for your mother's rescue. Then we talk business. Is there a seat in that pool where I won't drown?"

"Oh, certainly. When Laz-Lor were your size, they often bathed with me- I've had as high as six in this tub although that's a bit cozy; it's a four-adult design. Here, let me help; you can't see through these suds." Helping Hilda Burroughs reminded me of handling Laz-Lor at the same size, prepubescent... but I was acutely aware that this small, warm, slick body was postpubescent by many years and I got a twinge that I was pleased to have figleafed by suds. "Feel under you-find the seat,? Temner~l-uire suit. von?"

"Luxurious. On Tertius refreshers are social rooms, are they not?"

"Yes. Over the years I have found that nude cultures, or those with no taboos about nakedness, tend to make bathing a social event. Ancient Romans. Ancient Japanese. Many others."

She answered, "Whereas cultures with strong body taboos equate bathing rooms with outhouses back of barns. Disgusting." Mrs. Burroughs looked disgusted. I noted this as I had thought it would be necessary to get them used to skin before exposing them to the easy-going ways of Tertius... lest I jeopardize my mother's rescue. I had instructed Laz-Lor to hold us in irrelevancy until all of them, with no urging, accepted the comfort of complete bareness in perfectly tempered conditions, and simply forgot about bodies qua bodies. This does not mean to forget yin-yang... but it has long been known to all but legislators, judges, and other fools that a scrap of clothing fig-leafing whatever may be taboo (taboos vary endlessly and each is a "law of nature") is far more stimulating than is no clothing.

(Warning to time-travellers: To assume that the taboos of your native culture are "natural" and that you can't go too wrong behaving by the rules your loving parents taught you is to risk death. Or worse. If you think death has no "worse," read history.)

To return to pretty little Mrs. Burroughs: To be enjoying a bath with her a few minutes after she had had me subjected to personal indignity was the second most surprising thing about her. The most surprising thing I was still learning: This fragile little doll with the muscles of a kitten was the toughest bitch kitty I have ever encountered.

Understand me, I admire her. But I want to be on the side she is on. "What changes in Dora do you want, Ma'am?"

"Lazarus, I'm 'Ma'am' to strangers and on formal occasions. I don't consider bathing all that formal; my friends call me Hilda. Or by nicknames. Even pet names. But not 'Ma'am."

My answer got me splashed. She went on, "In attempting to hornswoggle me, you gave me, through your accomplices, a phony command and rank- while retaining control of the computer necessary to make it real. I require that you carry out your contract. Now. By reprogramming Dora to me as her sole boss, with the program locked so that you can't change it. Me and me alone,"