— 107 —

VII Gemina eased away from Starbase. Routine patrol inside Canon. Outsiders likely to be encountered only as commerce raiders. A vacation.

WarAvocat did not intend to let it become dead time. He ordered the Guardship to P. Benetonica.

"I'm not surprised," Aleas said. "What do you expect to find?"

"Who knows? People like this Provik who filed the report reserve anything they can exploit. Also, tenuous a thread as it is, M. Shrilica is a Tregesser system."

"Tenuous for sure. This war is a watershed, isn't it? Canon won't be the same."

"No. This will catalyze changes that have been taking shape for centuries. This may send the Houses into eclipse."

"I'd think massive new territories would mean a boom. People have to be transported. Stations have to be built. On-planet infrastructures have to be assembled."

"It also creates a more mobile, more politically interested population. Especially once the Edicts take effect. It'll be an interesting universe, Aleas."

"We won't change."

"Guardships are Guardships are Guardships. The dragon never sleeps."

— 108 —

Turtle watched Provik greet Blessed with the respect due a Chair, then Shike with a nod. His own military genius got a spoken greeting that placed him on the spectrum between the two.

Provik said, "I took your suggestion, Kez Maefele. I was unaware that so dramatic a shift in population character had taken place. Though I should have known. Simon opened the technical and supervisory ranks to nonhumans because we couldn't recruit competent humans. It's been a battle with the Directors. Some would rather have an illiterate from the Black Ring manage a division."

Turtle settled into the chair Provik had had built for him. "That's human nature. And not exclusive to your species."

"I suppose not. But we ought to restrain our prejudices in the face of necessity. Have you seen the forecast Blessed's financial wizards turned in?"

"No."

"It's on the machine. Give it a skim."

Turtle went and scrolled the report. It was not an easy read. Blessed and Provik chatted about Placidia, the heir Tina had produced. Blessed was taken with the child, who was toddling now. They moved on to Midnight, then to the whirlwind of socializing that had befallen Tregesser Horata, gossiping in immemorial fashion.

Turtle finished."Grim. If your future is tied to one of the Houses."

"I didn't see it black," Blessed said. "We won't lose wealth or property. We'll even keep growing. We just won't control as much of the whole. Cable, you take a look too. It shows us our place in a Canon expanded by a sudden one-point-five to one."

Turtle made way for Shike. Cable went after the report like he understood every word. Amazing. But Cable might have surprises for everyone. Especially Blessed.

Blessed asked, "What's up, Lupo?"

"We need to think about this future." He steepled his fingers. "Kez Maefele suggested I study census reports. I did. Our unskilled and semiskilled employees are mostly nonhuman or artifact. With no reason to stay loyal. Our skilled workers and supervisors run half and half."

"And?"

"Your report ignores the composition of the work force. It could desert us. Particularly given this." He passed out three-sheet handouts.

Blessed glanced at His. "When did this come in?"

Turtle missed the reply. He was engrossed. It was a fleet edict and, therefore, as immutable as natural law.

They wanted five million volunteers. Any Canon citizen who felt capable of surviving the screening.

That alone was enough to alter the shape of the future. But it was just the beginning.

The shocker was a paragraph that extended full citizenship to any resident of Canon space who, never having stood in arms against Canon, claimed it formally.

Nonhumans aboard the Guardships? Could it happen?

Provik asked him, "What do you think?"

"I think this is the most dangerous document you're ever likely to see. It stuns you with the call for volunteers. While you're numb, it codifies what are de facto practices already. It takes a few nibbles at House prerogatives but balances them with hammer blows to the power of Canon's bureaucrats. There isn't one thing there that will offend any significant portion of the population, yet it is a revolution, a legal recognition that Canon is a multi-species entity."

Perplexed, Blessed said, "I don't like this, but it doesn't look that dangerous."

"The next one will be just as gentle. And so will the one after that. Those people see things millennially."

Provik's woman stepped in. "Lupo, VII Gemina just broke off the Web." She looked numb.

Turtle reflected that the Prime certainly enjoyed the occasional ironic twist. VII Gemina!

Provik asked, "Blessed, Cable, is there anything in the system—any system—to give us away?"

"We're clean. Unless they use brainprobes."

"You're sure?"

"There are no oversights," Shike said. "We learned from M. Shrilica."

Two agreed. "I've tested it. They've rewritten reality completely."

"Not quite," Turtle interjected. "You better hope they're as focused on information systems as you. Suppose one of them tunes in a commercial news broadcast? I or my soldiers or our developing defense works get mentioned every day." He had complained before that they had allowed him to become a public figure. No one had taken him seriously.

"A point," Provik said. "I want a news blackout, Two. With sanctions that will make it stick."

Two raised a finger: wait. She had the fingers of her other hand pressed to her ear, listening. Then she said, "They're here about your reports on the Outsiders. They're sending their own experts down."

Provik shrugged. "Give them so much of what they want they can't see anything else."

Turtle told Blessed, "Don't let Midnight know VII Gemina is here. She has friends aboard. She might try to contact them. She does not understand security."

— 109 —

WarAvccat glanced at the screen to his left. P. Benetonica 3. A very old world orbiting an old star. He tried to recall when last he had set foot on a planet. Ages ago. He had been a combat soldier. How would he take it? Often soldiers on-planet experienced a sort of nostalgic melancholy.

He shifted attention to a tentative list of members of his landing party. About the experts there was no doubt. Gemina had picked them. But he was uncertain about the rest. Especially the Guardship soldiers from the chartered Horigawa. Would they be useful?

He had a hunch they might.

What could it hurt? They would expect him to bring an escort.

Aleas joined him. "Want to hear something?" She sounded amused.

"What now?" She had an irreverent sense of humor.

"Our people haven't had any luck getting into the local data pool. They just got an access-unauthorized response, whatever they tried. Till they pissed the system and it told them they'd be arrested and given five years to life at hard labor if they tried to get in again."

That was amusing. "Somebody screwed up?"

"Not really. The probe during our first visit to M. Shrilica warned them they needed better safeguards. You think they'll arrest the whole Guardship if we try again?"

He chuckled."It is useful to know when you've been found out. We'll keep digging. Though it's unlikely we'll find anything now."

"Gemina says it's not Guardship-specific. The Tregessers don't like anybody nosing into their business."

"WarAvocat grunted. "You coming down?"

"Try and stop me."

Lupo and the Ku watched the visitors debark deep in the roots of the Pylon. He had gotten a panic signal from Six, who had met them at the port.... "It's that damned Lieutenant! What the hell is she doing back?"