It had been over a year since Araminta had visited the house. At the time, she'd looked on the compact drycoral building as a development project, seeing costs and returns in everything, ignoring the family which had welcomed her in and given her a lovely Sunday dinner. Now, when the door opened, and Tandra's face peered out, Araminta couldn't help herself, she burst into tears. Life hadn't been so bad back when she was waiting tables in Nik's. It really hadn't, she'd been part of a larger collective family, Tandra and the other waitresses had included her in their gossip and lives, they'd hung out together between shifts, and some evenings they'd gone out in a big group having a good time even though she'd been flat broke. The very same people she'd ignored and left behind once Laril's money had come through. Tandra's immediate unqualified concern and graciousness at the stray appearing unannounced on her doorstep simply made Araminta feel even more wretched.

'There there, Tandra crooned and gave her a motherly hug. 'It's all right. Martyn, her husband was also attentive, clearing the kids' toys from the settee in the living room. Mixal and Freddy, their five-year-old twins, were given fruit smoothies to hush them up while Araminta blew into tissues and tried to get her sobbing under control. 'I'm sorry, she wailed. 'I shouldn't have come. I've nowhere else to go. And at the back of her mind was the worry that just by being here she was putting Tandra's family in danger.

'You're more than welcome, and you know that, her old friend told her. 'Did you have a fight? Have you left him? She was giving Araminta's roughed up clothes a highly suspicious examination.

'No. Nothing like that. There's a whole bunch of people in the park outside my apartment. They're very angry. The invader soldiers are there as well. I was frightened.

'Those bastards, Martyn grunted.

Tandra shot him a warning look, her gaze darting pointedly to the twins who were watching intently over the back of a chair they were sharing. 'Yes they are unpleasant people, who have behaved wrongly, she said with parental formality. 'However, the law will prevail, and they will be expelled from our world.

Martyn rolled his eyes. 'Yes. They will.

'And until they do, you can sleep on the couch, Tandra assured her.

'Just for one night, Araminta promised. 'That's all. I need to get myself back together.

'No boyfriend? Martyn asked.

'Not right now, Araminta lied.

He didn't say anything, but his tight little smile triggered a fresh wave of Araminta's guilt. She didn't dare delve into the gaiafield to learn his emotional state.

'We're staying here at home for the rest of the afternoon, Tandra said. 'The twins are having the day off school as a treat, aren't you?

'Yes! they yelled gleefully.

Martyn was looking out of the window. 'How did you get here?

'Walked.

'From where?

'Hodant.

'Th;it's miles!

'They won't allow capsules to fly, and my trike pod is being fixed.

Tandra and Martyn exchanged a look. 'You sit there and rest, Tandra said. I'll give those clothes a wash. Martyn, some tea.

'Coming right up.

'Thank you, Araminta said meekly.

Tandra waited until he'd vanished into the galley kitchen. 'Anything else you need to tell me?

Araminta shook her head. 'I really will go in the morning. I've already got an idea what to do. There's someone I need to talk to. I'll call him tomorrow. When I've worked out how to.

'Okay. I'd better go get a robe for you. Martyn will have a heart attack if he sees you walking round the place in your underwear. She patted her own legs. 'He's only used to women a size or ten bigger than a youngster like you.

Araminta grinned. 'I missed you.

'Sure you did. Out there enjoying yourself every night, I bet you thought of me the whole time. She gave the twins a critical look. 'I swore I'd never have any kids again this life around, this one would be for me, but what the hell… A girl doesn't stand a chance with a Love God like Marty.

Araminta started laughing. Then stopped, casting a guilty look at the kitchen archway.

'That's better, Tandra said. 'You have the world's greatest smile, honey, that's why the rest of us always insisted on pooling the tips on your shifts. She ruffled both of the children as she went past. They gave her an adoring look. 'I just love the sleepless nights, the worry, losing my figure, no money, and lack of sex. It's character building.

'I'm going to find out myself one day.

'Sure you will. And your introduction starts today. Her voice rose a couple of levels. 'Guess what, Aunty Araminta is on dinner duty tonight. Then she's going to give you both a bath and wash your hair.

'Yes! the twins yelled jubilantly.

'Still want to stay?

'Oh yes, Araminta said. This house, Tandra, the twins: it felt like an oasis of decency amid the madness raging outside. After the last two days, she badly needed to remind herself what normal was. Then I might be able to work out how to get back there myself.

Seven hundred years ago, Wilson Kime had officially handed over control of the Commonwealth Navy to Kazimir. It was the fifth time Wilson had held the role of Supreme Commander, on that occasion it was essentially a ceremonial appointment, lasting a single year before he downloaded into ANA. His final farewell to the physical.

After the formal hand over for the benefit of the President, senior Senators, and Unisphere reporters, the two of them had gone up to the Admiral's office on the top floor of the thirty-storey Pentagon II tower. Wilson had given Kazimir two pieces of advice as they stood looking across the agreeable parkland of the Babuyan Atoll dome.

'Don't ever give in to political pressure, Wilson had said. 'I've been President myself, so I know the convenience of a military who'll snap to and say yes to every dark instruction you issue. Resist them. Stick to the fundamentals. We have two roles as ordained by the Senate in more honourable times: protecting the human race in all its forms against alien aggressors, and peaceful scientific exploration of the galaxy. That's all. Don't let the Executive wear that down. The general population must have faith in us.

'I can hold the line, Kazimir assured him.

'And second, feel free to change this goddamn office. I always hated it; never got round to redecorating, so now every crappy white molecule qualifies as tradition because this is the way it was when we gained our victory over MorningLightMountain. Every other admiral from Rafael onwards just rolled over and accepted that. I want you to give the conservation fascists a good kicking and bring in your own furniture.

Kazimir smiled at the man's strange passion. They shook hands. 'I will, he promised.

To date, he'd proudly held that line through some extraordinary difficult political events. The second promise hadn't been broken, exactly. Like Wilson, he just hadn't got round to changing things yet.

Today he looked out of the office to see a circular habitat that also hadn't changed that much in the last seven centuries. Pentagon II was still the same (which was more than could be said of the original back on Earth that ANA had decided wasn't significant enough to maintain); several buildings had been reshaped, High Angel adapting their growing-stone material in accordance to each new set of human requirements. It was the living parkland itself which had seen the most alteration, the average level of the tree canopy had risen by over fifty metres since the day Kazimir had assumed command. Under the protective dome of the Raiel arkship, the organic environment was perfect. Every species of tree prospered in a way they could never do on a planet with variable seasons and winds and fires and earthquakes and diseases and parasites and bark-eating creatures. Here there was no real reason for them to die, so they just kept on growing, nurtured by their flawless climate. There were some monster arboreals out there, twenty or so had even reached the same height as Pentagon II, their osmosis now assisted by High Angel which had reduced the gravity field around them, allowing nutrients to flow unhindered all the way to the topmost branches. It was a forest which could never exist on a planet, and all the more alluring because of it.