"Remember that strip of bottomland, just this side of the river, where we camped that time? Kadi

"It's also a Gen Raider's corridor. You'd have to have an army to hold that land!"

"No we won't. We'll make friends with the Gens; somehow. Kadi and I—we can do it now, Del. We're going to start something new—no killing. We're going to live in peace and friendship with everyone."

Del's eyes misted over as he looked at the faraway dream. "Yeah, I remember the little grove we picked out for the main house…" Then he came to himself. "Kids' dreams. It's going to take more than two tentacled arms to make a go of it."

"I have Kadi."

Del blinked, looking back at her as she sat quietly on the wagon seat, holding the reins of the horses still not secured to the wagon tongue.

Del moved a little closer, one hand on the horse's withers as he studied her nager again. "Kadi—Kadi?"

"It's just me, Del, the same as always, only a bit more grown up."

He looked at Rimon, who said, "She's my wife, now– and a lot more than that. She gave me—a satisfaction I could never get from the kill. And she survived. And she's going to survive it again, next time." He turned to Del to look at him squarely. "She doesn't control me—and I don't control her. We're—married."

Rimon wound one tentacle around Lightning's reins and took Del's hands in his, gripping his friend's handling tentacles with his own in tight friendship. "Just feel what she's done for me. You could have it, too. We could teach you."

Del was tempted, but hesitant.

Rimon thrust the horse's reins back in Del's hands. "I •can't take Lightning—not with what he means to you. And you've worked too hard for that money; you're too close now to give it all up. But you could tie Lightning on behind the wagon and come with us—out into the blue to homestead. We could certainly use the help."

Del's eyes went to Rimon's hands and tentacles, twined with his own. Without looking up, he shook his head. "I'm in need."

"Only just past turnover, if I'm any judge. Kadi?" She edged down off the seat of the wagon, neatly managing the reins without spooking the horses. As her nearly palpable fields enfolded Erick, Rimon could feel the need-tension drain from his friend. It was like the ringing of a strident bell shut off suddenly. There was a peace in which mental clarity was possible above and beyond the normal.

"See?" said Rimon. "She doesn't control—she sets us free to be ourselves. If you don't kill your next Gen, he could do that for you—all month long, Del. All the time!"

"You could teach me not to kill?"

"There's not much trick to it," said Rimon. "It's mostly the Gen who has to be convinced not to be afraid."

"But—I like the fear..."

"It's good—sure—but this is better. Del, if I can do this —with all my problems—surely you could do it, too."

Del thought that over, then said, "I'd like to go with you —you can't make it by yourselves, no matter what you think. And the whole idea…" He looked at Kadi. "All right, Rimon. I'm in."

Rimon smiled broadly at Kadi, squeezing her shoulders so tightly she squealed and they all laughed. Rimon said, "Go on up to the house and tell Dad you're quitting. Do you have a Gen lined up?"

"No. It's never mattered to me the way it does—did—to you. I've always taken whatever's available."

"The only way this will work is if the Gen is not afraid, and we have only a few days to convince him not to be. So—it has to be a Gen we can talk with."

Del paled. "A Domestic? One who grew up in-Territory? Rimon, I've never—"

"You're not going to kill him, remember?"

Hope and fear conflicting within him, Del nodded. "I've never collected a choice kill here, so I guess your father owes me one after two years."

Farris allotted his employees their choice of available Gens once each six months. Most, like Del, never chose the Domestic Gens marked for the bazaars and choice auctions.

"Go choose someone you can talk to," said Rimon, "someone Kadi can talk to. She'll be more convincing than either of us!"

Del smiled bravely, although Rimon knew even Kadi could see his apprehension. "I haven't got much to pack," he said. "I'll be ready to go in no time."

As they watched Del walk determinedly toward the Pens, Rimon took Kadi's hand. "Del's the first," he said. "There will be others. We'll make it work, Kadi. Somehow… we're going to make it work!"

Whack!

Rimon drove the axe deep into the wood, pulled it out, drove it home again—angrily working out his frustrations and anxiety by cutting firewood. There was already enough piled to last a week; still he worked steadily, holding back from augmenting. That would have felt good and made the work go faster—but he didn't want to finish the mindless task and have to face reality… his growing need.

They'd come here three weeks ago with such high hopes —two Simes and two Gens ready to start a new way of life. Del had chosen carefully, a boy from town who knew Del, Rimon, and Kadi, who could understand the chance they offered him. At first it seemed they could conquer anything—even the panic that shattered the boy's nager when Del picked him out of the Pen.

"I'm not going to kill you!" Del was saying—angrily, because the boy's fear was such an irritation to him—when he led him up to the wagon where Rimon and Kadi waited.

Kadi slid off the wagon seat and placed herself between the boy and the two Simes. "Don't be frightened," she said. "Nobody's going to hurt you."

"They're gonna kill me!"

"No. Look at me… Billy, isn't it?"

The boy nodded.

Kadi held out her arms. "Look—I'm Gen, like you. I'm not frightened, Billy, because Rimon and I have found out that Simes don't have to kill to take selyn from Gens."

Wide-eyed, the boy shrank back, shaking his head with his gaze riveted on Kadi. "No—no, they kill—they'll kill you no matter what you say or do."

"Rimon took selyn from me," said Kadi, softly, convincingly. "I'm just fine, see?"

In one long, tense moment, the boy's fight against hope became almost unbearable, and all Rimon could think was, Kadi, do something—do the right thing—now!

Impulsively, Kadi put one sheltering arm around the child's shoulder. Her calm nager dissipated the stifling scream of the boy's nerves, and the two Simes drew a deep Breath. Rimon said, "We mean you no harm, Billy. Listen to what Kadi is saying—try to understand."

The boy didn't have much choice. Del owned him now. But as Rimon drove the wagon, talking softly to Del, the two Gens in the back also talked. By the time they made camp that night, Billy was not shrinking from the Simes, and his nager flared only if one of them made a sudden move.

It wasn't until the following day that Billy spoke to either Rimon or Del voluntarily, and he continued to stick close to Kadi. Finally, though, he began to relax and forget his fears for longer and longer periods.

As Billy relaxed, so did Del. By the time they arrived at the land Rimon planned to claim, he had come to accept Billy at his side, as Kadi stayed at Rimon's. When they unhitched the wagon, however, Del tended to Lightning and then left Kadi and Billy to tend to the draft horses.

As he came up beside Rimon, and began to help unload, he said, "Shuven! I'd forgotten all about my need!" He ran his fingers up and down his forearms to ease the sudden cramping there, the sick flutter in the pit of his stomach communicating forcefully to Rimon.

"Easy," muttered Rimon, breathing deeply, mustering his will as if to combat his own need.

After a moment, Del began heaving sacks with Rimon, saying, "What you said—it's true, Rimon. When Billy's around, I feel—pre-turnover. The first couple of days, when he was jumping at everything, it went through me like a shock, but now…"