Ariel had wanted to reach through the link and slap her for hypocrisy. No, heaven forbid a Spacer become ill, what might that say about the culture? Perhaps Ariel expected too much to hope that Guviya would understand her point. Guviya did not know that turned backs and disposal had been precisely the treatment Ariel had received from her fellow Aurorans, many years ago and a lifetime away. Or did she?

Her com chimed and she moaned.

"I said no more calls."

Another chime. She took her drink and crossed the room to the panel.

"Accept, voice only."

"My apologies, Ariel," came Hofton's voice over the com. "I didn't wake you?"

"No, but I wish you had. That would mean I'd gotten some sleep tonight."

"I thought this couldn't wait. The surviving members of the Auroran legation are demanding immediate transport back up to Kopernik Station."

"Survivors… how many are there?"

"Four. I'll forward their bios."

"Wait, Hofton, I don't understand. What am I supposed to do? Shouldn't Lys handle-oh." Ariel felt foolish. Lys was dead. Who else had gone down from the embassy? They had been fortunate that Setaris had refrained from attending, but the rest of her key staff had gone. "Sony, that's a silly question. But this isn't really my job."

"It seems to be now-they were all forwarded to this office. I'm sure it's only temporary, Ariel. Besides, I thought perhaps you might regard their departure as something of a problem in light of all the damage control we did today. The legation itself leaving…?"

"Of course, but hasn't Setaris talked to them?"

"I would assume so, but…"

"I can't blame them for wanting out. No one we talked to today had been shot at." Ariel turned her glass, letting the ice rattle. "Maybe one of them could stay… All right, I'll make one more call. Who's in authority now?"

"I'm not exactly clear on that," Hofton replied. "Either Benen Yarick or Tro Aspil, but I gather there's an internal dispute of some kind."

"Fine, I'll talk to-" Ariel's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Tro Aspil?"

"Do you know him?"

"Slightly. I didn't realize he'd risen to this level. He was just an intern at the Institute last time we spoke. I'll call him first. Thank you, Hofton."

"I'll try not to disturb you for the rest of the evening."

"Thanks," Ariel said wryly. Her buffer indicated receipt of Hofton's profiles. The connection ended and she accessed the files, then placed her first call.

Tro Aspil did not answer. Benen Yarick accepted her call promptly.

"This is Ariel Burgess, commerce liaison, from the embassy. I hope this isn't an inconvenient time."

"No, not at all. No more inconvenient than anything else since we've been here," Yarick said, her voice uneven and strained.

"I understand that you've all requested immediate transport back to Kopernick-"

"Oh, yes. And from there directly back to Aurora on the first available ship, yes. We are all… overwhelmed. Well, most of us are. We can't function in our present condition. Perhaps another legation will come later, after…"

"I understand your state of mind, believe me," Ariel said. "But… please understand, normally I'm not the one you need to talk to about this-Ambassador Setaris should be the one-but I'm grateful for a chance to talk to you about it and I'll do what I can to help. I deal with those Aurorans who come here to live, do business, have interests on Earth. That ends up with me acting as a very complex kind of interpreter between Terran and Auroran-"

"You have my sympathy," Yarick said.

"It's not all bad. After today I expect the rest of the year will be easy. But right now I'm trying to keep a panic from destroying everything we've built here. Humadros's mission would have made my life-well, not easier, but at least more hopeful. 'As it is, everything could fall apart."

"As I said, you have my sympathy. How does that concern us?"

"It's a question of appearances. I'd like you to reconsider your departure. Delay it, at least until the local authorities can make arrests. It would mean a great deal to the resident Aurorans to see the surviving members of Humadros's legation-"

"I'm sure it would, and I'm sure you mean well, and maybe you even shared Galiel's vision of a stronger tie with this planet, but frankly I could care less right now," Yarick interjected. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I watched people I loved and admired die today from an act that made even less sense than the actions these people usually make."

Yarick closed her eyes briefly and seemed to gather herself. "I'm quite honestly afraid, Ms. Burgess. The only reason we're talking-well, there is no reason we're talking, only blind chance. Humadros died right in front of me. Then Carset, then Shoal. They were the heart, mind, and spirit of this mission. Then all the others-Vorin, Janilen, Aspil, all dead right in front of me, and the wounded, Kitch, Moreg, Vanloonis, Graw… No, I want out. I'm just as glad Setaris forwarded me to you because I don't want to talk to Ambassador Setaris. When she has the time, she'll do her level best to talk us out of it, and she can be very persuasive."

Yarick shook her head emphatically. "I don't want to be persuaded, and I don't need any added guilt. I want these arrangements made quickly and with the least fuss. Everyone else on the embassy staff will be in sympathy with Setaris. I want a full escort to the shuttle. I won't begin to feel safe until I'm on a liner back to Aurora. I'm sorry I feel that way, Ms. Burgess, but I do and I can't stop shaking. I'm frightened of this place. If I stayed, what good could I do, hiding here in the embassy? Because I won't set foot on a Terran street! They even killed their own representative!"

"Please, Ms. Yarick, I understand-" Ariel began.

"No, you don't! Have you ever been shot at? Has your life ever been threatened so immediately that you believed your next thought would be your last? I don't think you do understand!"

"How old are you, Ms. Yarick?" Ariel asked quietly.

"What? I-what?" Yarick frowned, off-balance.

"How old are you?"

"Ninety-eight."

"Do you know that the average life expectancy on this planet is less than eighty?"

"I-yes, I knew that. I'm afraid I don't see your point."

"You've reached nearly a hundred and this is your first brush with mortality. These people live with it daily once they hit forty. Part of Humadros's mission might have given them some hope to change that."

After a long pause, Yarick said, "Are you implying that my reaction lacks perspective?"

"Perhaps. You're making a lot of assumptions about how little anyone else might understand."

"I see. Well, that may be true, and if so then I will apologize to you once I recover my perspective enough to appreciate it. But for now, I can't get away from my own reactions. I'm sorry if that's not what you wish to hear."

"I apologize if I seem insensitive," Ariel said. "But I do understand."

"Very well. Yes, perhaps I was presumptive."

"Would anyone else of your staff be willing to stay? It would help if the entire Auroran legation did not abandon the mission."

"The wounded are already scheduled to go up to Kopernik. I can talk to Trina and Gavit, but they're as badly shaken as I am. I do see your point, but-"

"Anything you might be able to do would help. We can move you into the Calvin Institute wing -there would be a full staff of robots. I'm asking for a gesture, an act of faith-"

Yarick laughed dryly. "The day has used up its allotment of gestures, don't you think? But I promise, I'll speak with the others. I'll let you know in the morning, Ms. Burgess."

"That's all I ask. Thank you."

The connection broke and Ariel let out a long, exasperated sigh. Sometimes her job made it difficult for her to see why she wanted it.

She tried Tro Aspil again, but the link remained closed.

Ariel paced the length of her living room and back, and by the time she reached her bar, the whiskey was gone, and she finally felt the first intimations of sleep coming on. She looked at the time-nearly one in the morning-and tried to ignore the knowledge of her early appointments.

"Time for bed," she announced to the room.

The doorbell sounded, bright and clear.

"What in-?" she groaned.

Impatience mounted steadily to anger as she strode toward the door. She could think of only a couple of people in the building who might be so impolitic as to disturb her this late, but could think of no possible reason other than to bother her about what had happened today. She thought they would know better, but after a day of dealing with the skewed reasoning of her fellow Aurorans it should not surprise her that they might not.

R. Jennie was already at the door by the time Ariel reached it.

"It is after the hours during which Ms. Burgess accepts company," R. Jennie explained through the intercom patiently. "Please return in the morning."

"I can't," came a small, tight voice. "I need to see Ariel now. Listen, I am ordering you-you are a robot?"

"I am-"

"Listen, I am ordering you-"

"Jennie," Ariel said. "Admit them."

"But, Ariel-"

"Admit them."

"Yes, Ariel."

Ariel's nerves danced as R. Jennie opened the door.

Standing in the hallway, supported by the oversized arm of an immense robot, Mia Daventri smiled weakly at her.

"Hi, Ariel. Sorry to bother you so late. Can I stay here for a few days?"