"Thanks," Creek said. "But I don't really—"

Leff held up a hand. "I get the feeling you're a modest man, and I can understand that," he said. "But I think it would be especially inspiring for the other vets to see a member of the 6th up there, laying a wreath."

"I don't even have my dress uniform," Creek said. "My luggage got shipped to Bermuda."

"You let me worry about that," Leff said. "Just tell me you'll do it."

"When is the ceremony?" Creek said.

"We stop at Caledonia Colony tomorrow, and after that Brjnn, and then we do our stop at Chagfun," Leff said. "So a week from now. More than enough time for you to prepare, if that's what you're thinking about."

"A week would be perfect," Creek said. A week would be after the time the Nidu coronation ceremony was supposed to go off; Creek had no doubt that by that time Ben Javna would have resumed contact or otherwise tracked him down- Either he and Robin would already be off the Neverland, or he could risk standing at a podium with a wreath.

"Great," Leff said, and shook Creek's hand. "When I see you at dinner tomorrow I'll have more details for you. Until then, have a great night." He looked down at his watch. "And look at that—we're done just in time for you to watch the jump. I won't intrude any further. Enjoy it." He left.

"He seems pretty excited about the jump," Robin said, after Leff walked off.

"You've never seen one?" Creek said.

"I've never been off Earth before," Robin said. "This is all new to me. Why?"

"Well, just watch and see," Creek said.

Robin looked out at the stars. "What am I looking for?"

Every star in the sky suddenly twitched and smeared, as if each had been a sphere of iridescent and incandescent paint suddenly pressed into two dimensions by a universally large pane of glass. The light from each flattened sphere swirled with the light of the others, dancing prismatically and producing unexpected streaks of color until the whole sky settled into flat gray that nevertheless seemed to seethe and threaten to erupt with another show of pigment and flash.

"Oh. Wow," Robin said.

"That's what everybody says," Creek said.

"There's a reason for that," Robin said.

"Well, not everybody," Creek said. "Some species don't have color perception like we do. Some races of the CC don't even see."

"That's a shame," Robin said. "They're missing out. Sometimes it's good to be human."

Judge Bufan Nigun Sn yanked at one of his antennae as if in irritation, spidered his legs around his stool, set his cup of coffee on his desk, and pulled out his communicator module from a drawer. "Being we're on Earth, we'll have this conversation in English," the module said, lowering the high-pitched scrapings coming from Sn's mouthparts into the human and Nidu sonic range. "Does the Nidu representative have a problem with this?"

"Not at all," said Quua-win-Getag, General Counsel for Nidu's embassy to the United Nations of Earth.

"And I assume you're fine with it, Mr. Javna," Judge Sn said.

"Yes, your honor," Ben Javna said.

"Good," Sn said. "Given the extraordinary time constraints involved in this case, I have agreed to this in camera session and will render a decision by the end of this session. While the decision can of course be appealed to a high court, the ruling will not be suspended pending appeal. So this means if you're not happy with the ruling, you're shit out of luck. Are we clear?" Both Quua-win-Getag and Javna consented.

"Fine," Sn said. "And now, Counselor win-Getag, you can explain your government's damn fool line of reasoning that says a human citizen of the UNE is somehow equivalent to livestock."

Quua-win-Getag launched into a recap of his government's legal argument while Judge Sn took the lid off his coffee, descended his sucking mouthpiece into the cup, and sipped gingerly. Javna wasn't a knowledgeable student of the Wryg, the species to which Judge Sn belonged; nevertheless he suspected Sn was probably more than a little hung over, which explained why he was snippier today than the average Wryg.

"Fine, fine, fine," Judge Sn eventually said, as Quua-win-Getag began to rehash the particulars of Agnach-u v. Ar-Thaneg for the second time. "I get where you're going with this. Very innovative, counselor. Amoral and repugnant, but innovative."

"Thank you, your honor," Quua-win-Getag said.

Judge Sn glanced over to Javna. "Tell me you've got something to counter this crap," he said.

"Actually," Javna said, "the UNE would like to stipulate the Nidu assertion that Miss Baker is not human, nor a citizen of the UNE."

"What?" said Judge Sn.

"What?" said Quua-win-Getag.

"The UNE stipulates that Miss Baker is not human, nor a citizen of the UNE," Javna said.

"You've got to be kidding," said Judge Sn. "I've never been a big fan of the human race, if you want the truth about it. You people have your heads up your asses most of the time. Even so, your one saving grace is that you fight like mad for the rights of your own people. If this represents the true thought of your government, this planet is more of a toilet than I thought it was. You'd be insane to give up a citizen to these lizards."

"On behalf of my government, I protest those comments," Quua-win-Getag said.

"Quiet, you," Judge Sn said to Quua-win-Getag, then turned his attention back to Javna. "Well?"

"I appreciate your candor in your opinion of the human race," Javna said. "Nevertheless, the UNE stipulates."

"Well, that's just great," said Judge Sn. "Remind me to get working on that request for a new posting as soon as you two clear out of my office."

"If the UNE stipulates our points, then the entity is indeed our property, and the UNE must present it to us at the earliest opportunity," Quua-win-Getag said, to Judge Sn. "Nidu asks you to rule such."

"And I assume you're perfectly fine with that, too," Judge Sn said to Javna.

"We are not," Javna said. "And in fact we request that you dismiss the case on the grounds that the Nidu have no standing to bring the suit in the first place."

"That's ridiculous," Quua-win-Getag said. "The UNE already stipulated that the entity is Nidu property."

"We stipulated that she is not human and not a UNE citizen," Javna said. "Which is not the same as saying she's your property."

"I'm getting a headache," Judge Sn said. "Explain yourself, counselor. Be quick and clear."

"There's no point arguing that Miss Baker is human. She's not—she's a hybrid entity and an entirely new species," Javna said. "But she's more than a new species, she's a new sentient species. The Common Confederation automatically confers special rights on the individuals of newly discovered sentient species to protect them from exploitation by other races. It's one of the fundamental tenets of the Common Confederation, and in the Confederation's charter, which every nation must agree to upon entering the CC. Furthermore, the Common Confederation holds each sentient species en masse to be sovereign—again, to prevent their exploitation by other races. It's up to the chosen governments of those species to enter into treaties and agreements on behalf of its people. This is all well established."

"Go on," Judge Sn said.

"Given these facts, Miss Baker's rights as a new sentient species tramp Nidu's claim to her as property," Javna said. "Likewise, any treaties that the Earth may have entered into with Nidu are irrelevant regarding the disposition of Miss Baker. She is de facto the governing body of her species, sovereign into her own self, and therefore only she is able to enter into treaties and agreements concerning herself. The UNE recognizes this and relinquishes any claim it has regarding citizenship pending Miss Baker's own decision to ally her nation to ours. As Miss Baker is sovereign, Nidu has no standing to demand the UNE present her. As Miss Baker is a new sentient species, Nidu has no standing to claim her as property. Basically, Nidu has no standing to bring these suits."