Kelly's warning about him was all too timely.

"This is a very serious matter,' the Councillor said as they followed her to the cabin of the Albatross while the ventilation system sucked away the fumigation mist. "We have incontrovertible information, gleaned from the orbiting buoy around Hrrilnorr system, that a ship, now identified as the Albatross, passed through the perimeter of that system. Both of you should know,' and she paused to make plain her point that they should know, "that Hrrilnorr is a proscribed system and may not be entered. Do you have any explanation that will justify such a violation?"

"Yes, we did enter that system, ma'am,' Todd said without the slightest apology in his tone.

Rogitel raised an eyebrow very slightly and sucked in his pale cheeks at such an open admission of guilt. "In response to a Mayday message broadcasting over the emergency frequency. Our log tape shows a bolo of the object broadcasting that Mayday and we both felt justified, in that circumstance, to enter a proscribed system and render such aid as was needed. In view of the proscription, Hrriss, as a Hrruban citizen, answered the appeal If you will view the log tapes, Councillor, I'm certain you will agree that our action was justified." Todd gestured for her to precede him to the cargo bay.

The Councillor pursed her thin lips, but there was an element of surprise in her manner as she moved down the short corridor, with Todd, Hrriss, Rogitel, and the marines following. "Then of course I will inspect your log tapes. If you were answering a Mayday, this puts an entirely different complexion on the matter. But it would have been wiser,' and she pinned them with a harsh stare, "to have reported the mafler sooner, rather than later."

"The Hunt, ma'am, is of great importance to Doona, and Hrriss and I were responsible for its success,' Todd said, not so much in apology as in explanation.

Dupuis raised her eyebrows in an expression of disagreement of his priorities.

"What a clever explanation for breaking interdict at Hrrilnorr,' Rogitel said, his eyes cold. "Have you an equally glib explanation for these?" At the commander's gesture, a marine lifted off the panel on the front of the drives cabinet, revealing a number of small packages.

Rogitel tore the wrappings off one and held it up. "Would you mind telling me what this is?" Astonished, Todd stared at the hand-sized lump.

It looked like a free-form rock swirled with multiple colors, like sunshine on oil. He'd seen something like it on educational tapes in school, when they studied the biology of other alien species. "It looks . . . like a cotopoid egg case." Todd felt sick.

Cotopoid egg cases were priceless and rarely available on any legitimate market, since they were artifacts of another interdicted system.

"Now, tell me how it got there, behind your engine control panel.

"I don't know,' Todd said, staring disbelievingly at the equipment cabinet. "It wasn't there when I last inspected the engines."

"When you last inspected the engines. And when was that?" Rogitel asked.

"Remember, you are speaking before the Treaty Councillkor."

"Before we took off from Doona,' Todd replied, his mind racing. When had these incriminating packages been inserted in the control panels?

On Doona where a mechanic in Spacedep's pay would have had access to the Albatross? Or on Hrretha during that second, totally redundant "servicing'?

"And these?" the Spacedep official demanded.

"What about these?" There seemed to be dozens of small artifacts shoved between the elements of the machinery. When the marines removed other panels, still more bags and bottles were revealed.

Some were opened to expose objects of great value and rarity, also from interdicted systems.

Part of Todd's bewilderment reflected a droll amusement at the sheer volume of purloined valuables that Hrriss and he were supposed to have assembled. But any amusement was soon drowned by the obvious fact that a lot of trouble had gone into framing them with such a widespread cache of illegal treasures.

"I have no idea where any of this came from Todd said in staunch repudiation as he suppresse( the rising anger he felt at such long-planne treachery.

"Such a display would have taken weeks to gather We did not,' Hrriss said with stiff dignity, his tai tip twitching with indignation.

He turned to thi Councillor. "We answered a Mayday call. The tape: will verify this."

"Then how did those get there?" Rogitel demanded as yet another cache was discovered.

"We are not responsible for their presence on th( Albatross,' Todd said, his tone as expressionless al Hrriss's. "There were no such illegal items on boarc this ship when we left Doona. I oversaw the chec myself." Rogitel's heavy lids lowered over cold blue eyes "Then where did they come aboard?" Rogitel asked in a poisonously reasonable tone.

"The Hrrethans insisted on a complimenta service of the Albatross while we were attending the ceremonies there,' Todd said, making no accusations. "When we landed, we reported the incideni to my father.

The portmaster's deputy, Linc Newry, had properly affixed the seal." "That is the lamest explanation you've yet advanced, Reeve,' Rogitel said. "The seals on the hatch were intact. They were placed there not half an hour after the ship had landed, according to the portmaster's log. It would have taken far longer than half an hour for anyone to secrete all these items. Therefore, you two are the only ones capable of concealing the artifacts on this shipsometime between your departure from Doona and your return, via the Hrrilnorr system!' Rogitel was winding himself up to a good display of outraged anger.

"Councillor Dupuis, these young men, so trusted by their parents, have been using their privileged position as trusted messengers of AIreldep to pillage treasures from interdicted planets.

Alreldep will be shocked at the abuse of their trust."

"I am not Alreldep,' Hrriss said coldly. "I am a Hrruban, a citizen of Rrala, on whose behalf I made the journey with Todd Reeve to Hrretha. I answer to the Hrruban High Council of Speakers and to the Treaty Councillors.

Not to Spacedep."

"I stand reproved,' Rogitel said with noticeable sarcasm. "You shall indeed answer to the Treaty Councillors and your own High Council of Speakers.

Just then, one of the marines pulled the panel "from the last cabinet, the ship's log recorder.

Behind the metal sheet, some of the equipment had been moved to one side to make room for an ovoid white stone, at least a meter high.

It resembled Terran alabaster, except that it had an inner illumination of its own. The Spacedep official regarded it from a safe distance.

"The very presence of such a gem,' and Hrriss extended his forefinger, claw fully sheathed, at the luminous Byzanian Glow Stone, "supports our innocence. They are only found deep inside the caverns of the planet. The log will show how little time we spent in that system: far too short a span to have landed, searched, and found a Glow Stone of that quality. Further,' he went on, holding up his hand, "they are why the system is proscribed. The effects of the mineral's emissions are not yet fully investigated."

"But their possible danger makes them all the more collectible,' Rogitel said, an air of triumph in his stance. "Arrest them!" he ordered the marines who bracketed Hrriss and Todd, weapons drawn.

"We are innocent,' Todd said, standing erect and ignoring his escort.

Hu Shih stepped forward to block the exit. "I protest, Madam Councillor. I have known these young men far too long to entertain for one moment that they are guilty of transgressing a Treaty whose terms they have scrupulously obeyed and upheld for twenty-four years. Or,' and Hu Shih straightened his shoulders in denial, "jeopardize themselves and the world they hold dear by pilfering baubles."

"You call that,- and Rogitel pointed at the Byzanian Glow Stone, "a bauble?"

"It is in my eyes,' Hu Shih said in measured contempt.

"Perhaps,' said Councillor Dupuis, "but this matter has gone from a minor infraction to systematic robbery and the arrest is to proceed." "To that I must concur,' Hu Shih said, bowing to her, "but an armed escort is unnecessary and insulting. I can speak with full confidence that neither Todd nor Hrriss will resist the due process of law.

Councillor Dupuis accepted his statement and gestured for the squad leader to have his men reholster their weapons.

"These . . ." and Dupuis waved at the array of incriminating evidence, "are to be impounded, identified, and placed in the highest security." "Remove that Stone with care,' Hrrestan said to the two marines who were about to lift the Byzanian Stone out of its hiding place.

"Yes,' Rogitel said, stepping in front of Hrrestan and ostentatiously taking charge of the removal.

"Don't touch it with your bare hands or let it touch unprotected skin. Treat it as carefully as you would radioactive substances. And it's heavy."

"What, sir?" asked one of the marines, a glazed expression on his face. He had been standing right beside the Stone since the panel had been opened.

Now the light seemed to pulse, drawing every eye to it.

Shading eyes with one hand and stepping quickly around Rogitel, Hrrestan pulled the man away from the white light. The marine shook his head, looking puzzled.

"He has been affected by it already. We must all leave before the Stone's effect spreads,' Hrrestan said. "The most noticeable effect it has is an interference with short-term memory." As Hrriss and Todd dutifully proceeded with their escort, Todd caught a glimpse of Rogitel, disconnecting the flight log recorder. He carried it out of the ship cradled in his arms like a bubble made of glass.

Once the group was outside, technicians sealed the ship once more with fiberglass wafers, and Councillor Dupuis affixed her own seal.

Hrriss and Todd were hustled to a shuttle which had landed while they were inside the Albatross.

"That Glow Stone,' Hrriss murmured as they were led to seats, "affects more than men."

"Quiet there! No conversation between criminals,' Rogitel said, no more the suave diplomat but the acknowledged jailor.

"Criminality has yet to be proved,' Hrriss said as he was pushed into a seat while Todd was taken farther down the aisle before settled.

They were advised to fasten their safety harnesses and were then studiously ignored by the marine guard.

During the entire journey to Treaty Island, no one even offered them anything to eat or drink, although Rogitel and the marines ate a light meal.

Perhaps, Todd thought, sunk in a negative mood, it was as well he and Hrriss could not speak. Rogitel would construe it as collusion to be sure their "explanations' tallied before interrogation. But Todd did not need to speak to Hrriss to know that his friend would be as puzzled as he that dozens of illegal items had been secreted on the Albatross, a ship used almost exclusively by themselves on official tours of duty.

And the positioning of the Byzanian Glow Stone indicated a good try at jamming the recorder. His kick must have tipped the Stone sufficiently to restore the function, but had the Stone's radiation erased the tape? Would the all-important Mayday still be recorded?

Surely machinery was a little less receptive to the Glow Stone's effects than a Human? And the Mayday was the only proof of their innocence right now.

Once the shuttle landed on Treaty Island, the two prisoners were hurried inside the huge Federation Center. Hrriss had only a glimpse of the high, white stone laade before they were rushed up the stairs and through a maze of identical hallways.

There was no sound but the clatter of boot heels on the smooth surface of the floors. The sergeant stopped before a door, its nameplate blank and status sign registering "empty."

"You'll wait here until the Council is ready for you,' the sergeant said. "Food and drink will be brought in a bit."

"That is most considerate,' Hrriss said in Terran Standard. The numbness of shock had receded sufficiently to make him aware of an intense thirst and, less insistent, some hunger.

"You're a Treaty prisoner and the courtesies are observed,' the sergeant said, but Hrriss could see that the man approved of his use of Terran.

Hrriss knew that the military arm of both parent governments was made up of fierce patriots who preferred their own culture in all ways.

It was one of the reasons there was no standing force of any kind of Doona, the symbol of compromise. As the Treaty Organization was trying to maintain a separate but equal method of expansion in trading and colonization, each culture needed to remain independent from the other. That would make a Doonan "army' an unacceptable third force.

"Hear tell you all had some party last night,' the guard said, sounding almost friendly. "What's keeping you?" he added, looking down the hall just as Todd, between his guards, reached the room. "In you go." The escort stood aside to let Todd enter.

"Food and drink coming."

"Thanks, Sergeant,' Todd said, and his stomach rumbled. Whether the sergeant heard that or not was irrelevant, for he closed the door firmly. Both Hrriss and Todd heard the lock mechanism whirr, and the bulb over the door lit up redly.

They also heard the stamp of boots as someone stood to attention outside the room.

The two prisoners turned to view the room. No more than three meters on a side, with a long window running along the wall opposite the door.

A broad table was set underneath the window, a tape reader on its surface but no tapes in it or blanks ready to be used. There were three padded chairs against the wall: a cheerless functional cubicle.

"Are they likely to listen in?" Hrriss asked.

"I doubt it,' Todd said, glancing at the door.

"Looks like a research room, not an interrogation facility, in spite of that tape reader." He had been listening to the sound of his voice. "It's soundproofed. Scholars insist on that as an aid to deep thought and concentration. Fardles, despite what they hauled out of cabinets and crannies on the Albatross, we're still only alleged Treaty breakers, not actual criminals."

"We might as well be, Zodd, with all the treasures Rogitel pulled out of hiding,' Hrriss said gloomily.

"Hu Shih didn't believe we took them. Neither did your father!' Todd began to pace with some agitation. "All the way here I kept trying to remember every time we've left the Albie unguarded and open. Suffering snakes, Hrriss, that stuff could have been planted anytime the last few years.

"Not if proper service checks were carried out, zOdd, and you supervised the last one yourself,' Hrriss reminded him.

"Yeah, so I did. Then the junk has to have been planted during that phony servicing on Hrretha.

There'd've been time to platinum the hull. Furthermore,' and now Todd whirled on Hrriss, pointing his index finger at his friend, "Rogitel was on Hrretha, and lurking close to us all the time. To prevent us from going back to our ship to see just what sort of servicing was being done?" When Hrriss nodded agreement with that thought, Todd continued, "Furthermore, we filed our flight plan, same as always, and, despite that short detour to Hrrilnorr system, we weren't much behind schedule landing back on Doona, were we?" Though Hrriss recognized the validity of that logic, he knew that Todd was talking himself out of despair even as he offered the same hope to Hrriss.

"We always register flight plans,' Hrriss said. "We leave and arrive on time at all destinations."

"So,' and Todd stopped pacing long enough to whirl back to Hrriss, "where do they think we had time to pick up all those juicy little rarities?

Cotopoids are found on only three planets in two systems, if I remember rightly, and none of them on any route we've taken recently.

I can't identify half of the other stuff but,' and now he sighed, "that damned Byzanian Glow Stone is genuine and there's only one place you can come by them and we were orbiting above it."

"All our flight plans are on record,' Hrriss said, finding reassurance in that fact, "and they will prove our innocence. Come, stop pacing. It suggests a guilty mind." Todd plopped down next to Hrriss and shoved the third chair a short distance away so the two of them could share it to prop their feet. Hrriss disposed his tail comfortably through the opening in the rear of his chair and composed himself.

"There's something nagging at me,' Todd said after a few moments.

He circled his hand in the air, trying to catch hold of an elusive thought. "Something Councillor Dupuis said, that they had received information that the Albie had been identified by the Hrrilnorr beacon.

Isn't it a little soon for such to reach Hrruban Security? That beacon didn't dispatch a robot probe when we passed it, which is the only way that the data would get here short of a month. It shouldn't have been picked up for another few weeks even by digital rapid-transfer. That's why my father thought that the matter could be deferred until after Snake Hunt." Hrriss yawned broadly, showing fangs, incisors, and grinders that Todd always found an impressive array. "We both know how interdict beacons operate. But there were other people using Hrrilnorr as a warp-jump coordinate. Perhaps they collected the message and reported the infraction."

"Whose side are you on?" Todd demanded, half joking. Hrriss often played devil's advocate when they had to reason through a problem. "A little too coincidental to please me, especially with the Treaty Renewal imminent." Hrriss yawned again.

"Who else was using the Hrrilnorr connection, Hrriss?"

"I do not remember, only that some were.

"But I thought most of the top brass came by transport grid. And Rogitel is not the type to plan practical jokes. Nor is Landreau, and this thing was planned." Hrriss was working his bottom into the padded seat, trying to make himself comfortable enough to sleep. Todd often wished he had the Hrruban propensity for sleep. Despite their generally high level of activity when awake, they could, and did, take naps anytime opportunity offered.

"I agree,' Hrriss mumbled. He caught himself in the act of falling asleep. "We were promisssed food and drink. I could sleep better with a full belly. But I need sleep to make sense out of this situation. I had only an hour in my bed whenever this morning was. He sat up, suddenly anxious. "I hope my mother will feed the ocelots when evening comes.

If they're not fed, they will go in search of food and raid my neighbor's ssliss coop again.

"You'll be home to feed them yourself,' Todd said.

"I hope so but the ocelots do enjoy ssliss eggs.

"Don't talk about eggs. I'm starved." When Hrriss yawned even more broadly than before, Todd regarded him in disgruntlement. "And, damn your lousy furred pelt, you can sleep. I can't when I'm starving.

"Then wake me when the meal comes,' Hrriss advised, and settling himself, his chin dropped to his chest, his hands, so oddly more human than the rest of him, relaxing in his lap while his tail hung slack behind him, the tip only occasionally twitching.

Todd sighed, settling back, legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles on the supporting chair, and began running over the day's happenings. Who had placed those incriminating items on the Albie? He turned to ask what Hrriss thought. Hrriss's breathing had slowed, become steady and shallow. The gentle oscillation of the tip of Hrriss's tail attracted Todd's attention. Its movement was hypnotic and soothing. As Tod watched it, his own eyes grew heavy. After a while, despite his hunger, he dozed off.

"As you can see, Madam Councillor,' Rogitel continued, running the recorded flight log back to the beginning, "the so-called rescue mission to Hrrilnorr was only the last stop in a series of piracies these twO young reprobates committed." Landreau's aide was able to act as prosecutor before the Treaty Council only because noncolonizable Human-claimed planets were kept under the aegis of his department.

Entries in the log of the Albatross suggested that the ship had visited at least three in that category.

The log went through a further playback, projecting its holographic images onto a platform while sound was broadcast through wall speakers. Hu Shih, Hrrestan, Rogitel, and Ken Reeve glowered at the images while Councillor Dupuis's expression was impassive.

That morning, as soon as the marines had left with Todd in custody, Ken had persuaded Martinson, the portmaster, to let him go to Treaty Island via transport grid, for Martinson had also been called to give a deposition. Now Martinson sat nervously hunched over his folded hands. Allowing the Albatross to go uninspected for so long was a black mark on his record. He, too, was risking censure, even dismissal, if a crime resulted from negligence even by his subordinate, Newry.

"No fewer than eight landings are recorded between the date the scout ship left Doona and the date on which it returned here,' Rogitel said.

"Eight! And only the one on Hrretha legitimate.

Here." He stopped the tape and rewound it. "Here is their so-called rescue, after they had passed through the perimeter of Hrrilnorr." The hologram showed the nose of the ship as it approached a distant sun. An audio signal for help crowded by static came out of the speakers. The audio monitors then erupted with the siren call of the interdict alarm, but the ship passed without stopping.

Hrriss's voice could be heard responding to the Mayday message.

The print update on the screen showed Hrrilnorr's identification number and location. Then the ship's nose penetrated the cloud layer of the planet's atmosphere.

"Naturally,' Rogitel's insidious voice went on, "the system's buoy did not record the Mayday, since it did not exist. That could so easily be patched into the log by either conspirator. Both have the necessary qualifications.

Then the camera eye upturned for landing, to show the stern of the ship as it touched down on grassoids flattened by the exhaust from the engines.

Councillor Dupuis looked down at her notes for a long moment. Her face showed inner conflict.

"This is far more serious than a simple violation.

There is no choice but to mae an exhaustive formal inquiry into this matter."

"I heartily concur,' Ken Reeve said so emphatically that Rogitel regarded him in stunned amazement. "A formal inquiry that will clear my son and Hrriss of every one of these ridiculous accusations." The Treaty Controller slammed his gavel down on the bench. He was the ranking Hrruban on Doona, and had been nominated to his post by the Third Speaker of the Hrruban High Council. It was a bad time for one of Third's minions to be the senior Councillor on Doona; Third had been against the joint colony from the day Humans were discovered. Ken tried to take comfort in the fact that the Controller was reputed to be a just personage who tried each case on its individual merit.

"Please be silent, Mr. Reeve. We take the log tape in evidence." He addressed the holographic recorder. "This hearing is to decide whether Todd Reeve andlor Hrriss, son of Hrrestan, have violated the Treaty of Doona, and to what degree." Testimony was then taken from Martinson, who explained that the Albatross had gone unsearched two weeks ago due to extenuating circumstances.

"They were Snake Hunt Masters and I know how much time and planning that takes to prevent trouble. They told the duty officer that they urgently needed to take advice on a protocol matter. Since the ship was scaled and its papers in order, Newry granted their request."

"And is this laxness typical of your administration of your post as portmaster?" Rogitel inquired acidly.

"No, Commander, it is not,' the portmaster said, eyes flashing.

"I've been in this job fifteen years, and I've known Todd and Hrriss all that time. I had no reason to suspect that there was anything out of the ordinary about this landing."

"Whose advice were they in such a hurry to obtain?"

"Mine,' Ken spoke up, and was relieved as he succeeded in making eye contact with the Spacedep official. Ken held that contact, trying to look the disgust he felt. He had never ceased to dislike and distrust bureaucrats. and Rogitel was nearly as bad an example of the type as Landreau.

"And when were the seals on the hatch cut?" the Treaty Controller wanted to know.

"Not in my presence,' Martinson said in an aggrieved tone. "My assistant, Lincoln Newry was deputized in my absence, but in something as serious as this I should have been there! I have no idea who else was there. When I did arrive, the ship was already open, with troops pouring all over it." Next Ken Reeve gave his evidence. Under irritated prompting from Rogitel, Ken repeated the story that Todd and Hrriss had told him two weeks before.

"I believe them,' he insisted at the end. "They were genuinely distressed when they realized they'd been tricked into violating an interdicted system."

"We have asked you to draw no conclusions,' the Treaty Controller said ponderously. Ken nodded, angrily swallowing the rest of his opinions, and sat down.

The Council proceeded thereafter to take evidence from the sergeant of the Spacedep marines who had searched the Albatross.

Rogitel testified that he had received information from a confidential source, whom he declined to identify, that there might be contraband aboard the ship.

"Furthermore, I wish to put on record my disgust that two such untrustworthy men were allowed the unsupervised use of a scout ship!' he finished in a voice trembling with outrage.

"I have studied the records of the defendants, "43

Commander Rogitel,' Madam Dupuis said, sternly raising her voice above Ken's as he erupted from his chair to protest the slander, "and find absolutely no proof to support a claim of dishonesty or irresponsibility. You will kindly retract such an unsupported remark." If Rogitel did so with an ill grace, at least he did so and it would be in the record.

"We will see'-Madam Dupuis hesitated-'the two young men now.

Ken Reeve took that as a good sign: the Councillor was by no means convinced of Rogitel's damning evidence.

Todd and Hrriss were brought in then, and sworn in as witnesses.

As one, they turned to face the table. As accustomed as they were to diplomatic events, facing the full Treaty Council with little sleep and only a dry sandwich to eat was not auspicious. The holographic tape was run once more in their presence.

The first landing was shown, and the two young men were stunned.

"This can't be our log,' Todd protested. "We made no landing.

This must be a mistake."

"Silence!" the Treaty Controller demanded, rapping his gavel. "Continue." Todd and Hrriss watched, incredulous, as the holographic replay continued. At each entry and departure, the ID signal repeated on-screen. There was no question that it matched the Albatross's code. When the tape finished, the Treaty Controller turned to them.

"As the log shows, you visited several off-limits worlds, and took therefrom prohibited materials, and in some cases, precious and valuable items of historical worth. I must say, your thefts were nonpartisan. My notes show that some of them came from Hrruban-marked planets, and some from the Amalgamated Worlds. What can you offer as your defense?"

"Sir, something's skewed,' Todd said agitatedly.

"We passed into only one prohibited system, Hrrilnorr, and only to respond to a Mayday message.

That much of this tape is accurate. The rest has been added. We made no entries into other interdicted zones."

"But why is there no Mayday message recorded in the alarm beacon orbiting the system?" Rogitel asked. "Such beacons are designed for that purpose, to record transmissions that originate within its range of sensitivity."

"I have no ready explanation . . sir,' Todd added after a pause. "A flaw in the mechanism? The in-system sensor malfunctioning? Plenty of buoys are damaged by space debris. But Hrriss and I heard the call for help.

We diverted from our planned route to respond. All we found was that buoy, orbiting the fourth planet.

"A marker buoy, as you say,' Rogitel intoned coldly. "You broke Treaty Law for an unmanned probe?"

"We did not know it was a marker buoy at the time we heard its message,' Todd replied, trying to keep his voice level.

"45

"It is what we found,' Hrriss said coolly, "broadcasting the distress message." The Hrruban extended a pointed claw and replayed the section of the log.

"Mayday, Mayday,' said the tape. "Anyone who is within the sound of my voice, Mayday! We require assistance. Our ship is down and damaged.

Mayday!" The message began to repeat, and Hrriss shut it off.

"Every pilot of whatever species must respond to such a message.

As Zodd said, we could not ignore a Mayday. It would be uncivilized." Rogitel stood up. "Please tell the Council directly: where did you find the buoy?"

"We found it orbiting Hrrilnorr IV."

"The Buoy Authority lists no such installation in orbit around Hrrilnorr IV.

There are no extrafleous beacons orbiting in that system. There are only two assigned to it, each one All perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic above and below."

"There was a third one,' Todd said in weary rebuttal. "The buoy was broadcasting the message for help that's recorded on our log. It still sounds genuine. We couldn't and didn't ignore it." Dismissively Rogitel switched off the audio.

"Anyone could have recorded that message in your ship's memory.

The voice is broadcasting in Middle Hrruban, the language of Doona.

The static could have been made by crumpling packing material near the microphone. You put it in yourself.

Without correlation, the message must be accounted as false."

"I respectfully suggest that an analysis of the voice patterns of Hrriss and Zodd be made,' Hrrestan said. "Analysis will prove if one of them recorded the Mayday message." Councillor Dupuis made a note, nodding acknowledgment of Hrrestan's suggestion.

"We didn't make that spurious recording,' Todd said, turning his head to meet the eyes of the seven Council members, "and we most certainly did not collect or secrete those artifacts in the equipment cabinets." "Simple lies to assuage your guilt, Rogitel retorted.

Todd's eyes flashed hotly. "I do not lie." He half sprang from his seat, but Hrriss pulled him down.

"Councillors, may I speak?" Hu Shih rose somewhat stiffly to his feet. "We have before us two reliable young men, considered rather more than unusually truthful by their elders and their peers.

Let a full inquiry establish what is fact or fiction."

"So ordered,' the Treaty Controller said, banging his gavel.

The Spacedep subdirector shrugged dismissively.

"That can take months. We have before us right now recorded proof that differs greatly from their verbal accounts. Surely this is sufficient to deprive them of positions of high responsibility and trust. The flight recorder has been placed in evidence. It shows landings preceding and following their landing on Hrrilnorr. Their posted flight plan showed that they skimmed the space between the Human and Hrruban arms of the galaxy, so it is possible to have visited all these worlds in the time they were gone. In every case, they broke interdiction. In only one did they attempt to justify the falsehood with a tale of rescue. Look at the evidence'Rogitel swept an arm to indicate the table where most of the contraband lay-'taken only this morning from the ship they alone seem to use."

"The commander forgets one detail,' Hrriss said.

"The flight plan we filed with portmaster Martinson is the shortest possible journey we could make between Hrretha and Rrala.

There was not time for us to have landed on all these worlds and collected these things in the weeks we were gone. Especially since our log-in and lof-off times were verifi~d." As if they had placed themselves in further jeopardy, Rogitel called up the bolo again and pointed out the timeldate designations. "The flight recorder says that the time was available to you.

We have run it through compcheck. Though the timing is tight, you would have had the time."

"Only if we knew exactly where all these artifacts were, Hrriss protested, "with no allowance for any time to search. How could we know where they were? It would have taken months to research archaeological and geological data from the Treaty Island banks. Or are you suggesting that some of the researchers on Treaty Island are guilty of collusion and deception, too?" Hrriss asked softly.

"The matter will be investigated,' was all the commander would say. He addressed the Council.

"Clearly the defendants are guilty of deviating from their registered flight path. Spacedep, as the body in charge of security and defense for the Amalgamated Worlds, demands that this matter be examined as well."

"Tell me, Commander,' Todd demanded, leanin across the table toward Rogitel, "just why would Hrriss and I wish to steal rarities like that? Mucli less something as dangerous as that Glow Stone Where could we possibly fence our loot withoul being detected?

Especially as we are not scheduled to take any off-planet trips in the next year?"

"We are innocent,' Hrriss added, his tone more growl than speech.

Rogitel did not quite flinch, but his body inclined ever so slightly away from the Hrruban. "Machines cannot lie,' Rogitel said flatly. "Only people can, and it would appear in this case, very poorly. And you'-he pointed his finger at Todd-'you admit entering the Hrrilnorr system. You have just said that you recognize the danger of a Glow Stone and that you know it is found only on Hrrilnorr IV There are many other unscrupulous persons in this galaxy who could use the Glow Stone's peculiar properties to excellent advantage. And those' now his finger swung to point at Hrriss- "are particularly well known to Hrrubans.

"We adjourn for due consideration, said the senior Treaty Councillor, rising to his feet' to end this session. His colleagues were equally solemn.

"This is a matter of unprecedented gravity." Every face was solemn and, in some cases, sad.

This was the first time in twenty-five years that there had been any infraction of the provisions of the Treaty. The ramifications were profound, and could result in punishments ranging from exile for the two defendants, up through war and/or disbandment of the colony. The negotiations among them for renewal of the Treaty had been under way for several years. All knew that the twenty-fifth anniversary would be a crucial time-a time when the Treaty could be easily swept aside. A violation of this magnitude might obliterate two and a half decades of hope and dedication.

Two of the Council, Madam Dupuis and Mrrorra, were representatives of DoonaiRrala, and were both second-wave settlers from the First Villages.

They were upset and puzzled, because they knew Todd and Hrriss well. Neither could find credence in the facts that suggested these two, whose friendship had created the Decision at Doona, could willfully destroy the colony. Their interspecies friendship had been held up as a symbol for Human/Hrruban cooperation all over the galaxy.

"Therefore,' the Treaty Controller said heavily, "until the inquiry has been conducted and a decision reached, the two defendants are under house arrest. They are to be kept separated at their places of residence, and interim communication denied.

This matter is adjourned pending investigation." The gavel banged once more. It might have been the report of a gun. Todd and Hrriss both reacted as if it had been, startled, shocked, deeply hurt by even the mere thought of such a separation.

But they were honorable young men, and although they held each other's eyes for a long, long moment, they did not speak. Then, distressed and saddened, they turned away from each other.

No solitary confinement could have been harder to bear.

Especially when they needed each other's support to prove their innocence.

Ken Reeve was out of his seat a split second after the Council had filed out of the chamber. He rushed around the table to his son.

Hrrestan was as quick to go to Hrriss.

"Rogitel seems to have pretty damning evidence against you, Todd,' Ken said, wearily shaking his head. "But I know you've told the truth, so we'll beat this.

"What motive would we have for stealing such dumb stuff?" Todd asked his father, his hands spread in a helpless gesture of disbelief.

He felt numbed by despair.

"Did either of you enter any or all of these interdicted systems?" Hrrestan asked.

"Why would we? We always come straight back to Doona, where we belong,' Hrriss answered his father in the familial form of Hrruban.

"You know how we hate those damned missions, Dad,' Todd added.

"And one thing more, that damned beacon with its phony message had a destructive band. We were tractoring it up to the Albie when we saw that. Contact stuff from the look of it. Blow us and it up.

"Why didn't you mention that earlier?" Ken demanded.

"Hell, Dad, I only just remembered it,' Todd said, scrubbing at his tired face with hands that 11

nearly trembled.

Ken looked at Hrrestan. "A detail that might be useful. A convenient shot would explode the beacon.

"So it could,' Hrrestan said, his tone thoughtful.

"We will begin our own covert investigati6ns. Little could we have imagined that a minor infraction of the Treaty would be subsumed by a larger and horrendous charge of piracy and smuggling. I will initiate inquiries for your defense on Hrruba."

"I've still some contacts on Earth through Sumitral,' Ken said, noticeably brightening as actions became obvious. "His daughter is here on Treaty Island doing some research. I'll talk to her after I see you on your way home. I don't have all that many friends or allies on Earth, but I know we can count on that family."

"Let's just hope none of our former Corridor or Aisle neighbors get wind of this,' Todd said, trying for some levity. It wrung a sad grin from Ken.

"You were never born for Earth, Todd, but you've always been a natural here on Doona,' Ken said, "but I promise you, I'll holler down the doors if it'd help.

"Someone must know where that beacon came from and who put it there." When they left the chamber, Todd and Hrriss were hustled through the bare corridors to the transport grid, which was located in another part of the building. Both were sent separately back via grid to the main continent with an escort of armed guards. The last glimpse Todd had of his best friend was Hrriss, standing too quietly between a guard lieutenant and Hrrestan. His fur seemed to have lost all its luster and his tail dragged in the dusi behind him. Their eyes met, and Hrriss nodded once to him. Todd often felt that he could almosi read the Hrruban's mind but there was no such feeling between them now.

The image seemed to disintegrate into mist, and then Todd was in the midst of the Hrruban village, facing the Friendship Bridge. Once he crossed it, he wouldn't be allowed back over until his innocence was proved. The thought made his feet feel heavy.

The guard accompanied him to his family ranch house, where Pat Reeve was waiting. In the living room, Kelly stood up when they came in. Todd was a little surprised to see her, until he realized that it had been many hours since he'd been taken away.

She had probably come over this morning to continue the talk the three of them had been having the night before, and found he was gone.

The marine sergeant gave both women a sharp salute and then withdrew, taking his squad with him. Pat hovered for a minute, looking from Kelly to Todd, then went out toward the kitchen.

"You must be hungry. I know we are. I'll fix us all a snack.

"An armed escort? What happened?" Kelly asked, worried by the beaten expression on Todd's face.

"It's worse than I could have dreamed,' Todd said. "This isn't a simple case of an interdiction infraction. Oh, no, nothing simple or easily explained like answering a Mayday call. Hrriss and I seem to have been to many planets in many interdicted systems, doing a fine job of smuggling rarities and classified items, all of which we have been secretly stashing around the Albie." He grinned sourly at the gasps that elicited. "We're bigtime looters and purveyors of illegal artifacts, and up on charges of smuggling and contraband, using our prestigious position on DoonaiRrala to perpetrate crimes against Hrruba and Terra, and half the planets in between. That log entry we felt would clear us has had some very interesting additions." He rubbed his eyes with one hand. "I don't know how they got there. One thing is certain: neither Hrriss nor I put them there. Then Rogitel kept insisting that we falsified the Mayday signal to get into the Hrrilnorr system, to steal a Byzanian Glow Stone."

"A Glow Stone? A real one?" Kelly asked, her voice breaking with incredulity. "They've got one of those in the remote-handling research lab on Hrruba. They're considered ultra-dangerous. And,' she added with a facial grimace, "they are only found on Hrrilnorr IV."

"Well, one was found in the communications cabinet,' Todd said. "And whatever else it does, it deleted the short-term memory of the marine standing nearby. So Hrriss and I are not only smugglers and looters, we're stupidly dangerous pirates." His mother opened her mouth to protest and closed it' her eyes sparking with suppressed anger and resentment. "At that we got off lightly.

The Councillors placed Hiriss and me under hous arrest while they're investigating. We're not su posed to communicate at all." At that point, Todd' broad shoulders sagged, and he looked as dejecte as a small boy, all the droll defensiveness an outrage gone. "We haven't been separated since started wearing rope tails. Pat Reeve could restrain herself no longer. "Thi whole thing is ridiculous. Why, neither you no Hrriss have stolen so much as a. . . brrna." Sh( spat that out after a good long hesitation as sh( tried to remember any other incident of pett crime. "How can they possibly accuse you anc Hiriss of piracy or smuggling? Anyone else coulc have done it. Anyone on the launch pad could havt access to your ship. Todd had sunk to a chair, elbows on his knees head in his hands, diminished more by the separation than the absurd charges. Sighing, he proppec his chin on his hands and told his mother and Kell about the additional landings and launches noted ir the log, and the even stranger omissions concernin the orbiting alarm beacon. Kelly stood by him, nol quite touching him, alert to any cues. When she moved toward him he caught her hand, squeezed ii once, and then dropped it as if he shouldn't hold it-or her.

She was perplexed by that gesture, sensing it to be a "keep off' signal. She backed off. This was so unlike the resilient Todd she'd always known, but if he felt himself ostracized, perhaps he didn't wish her contaminated by his disgrace. That, too, was unlike the Todd she'd always known. But then, Todd had never been under such vile suspicions before and shouldn't be now, Kelly thought in seething outrage.

"This whole affair is ridiculous,' she said, drop.

ping her hands helplessly. "It's absurd to think of you two as smugglers! The Council must all be strangers, to let Rogitel get away with an accusation like that."

"The Treaty Controller this term is one of Third Speaker's nominees,' Todd said in a dull voice. "I recognized him as soon as I came into the chamber.

You both know him; he'd let us get into a war if it would remove the Human threat to Hrruba." Irritably Kelly shook her head. "Surely we have some friends on the Council. I hoped Madam Dupuis would be on your side. She used to live around here.

"She's got to go by the evidence, the same as the other Councillors,' Todd pointed out. "Any way you present it, it's damning.

She had no option.

That log tape was tampered with! Very cleverly, by someone who knew exactly how to match bolo images perfectly." He sounded more like himself and then suddenly slumped again, scrubbing at his rumpled hair.

"I don't know how we can prove that.

Why didn't I open the recording unit when the log tape jammed!

I'd've found that wretched Glow Stone then and we'd've known we were being set up. That was a costly kick." A flash of Todd's usual spirit accompanied that remark. "And whaddya bet,' he went on in a bitter tone, "the Hrrilnorr warning beacon will show we spent far more time in that system than we say we did."

"What about the beacons at the other planets you're supposed to have visited?" Pat asked, grasping at the possibility. "Surely, if you're supposed to have been at so many other worlds, all of those beacons can't have been got at?" Todd regarded his mother almost pityingly and shook his head. "This was all too well planned, Mother, for them to neglect that sort of verification.

Remember, it's Spacedep involved and they have the resources to do just this sort of documentation."

"Look, Todd,' Kelly began in a firm tone, being as positive as she knew how, "you two have an enviable reputation on Earth. Much better than Rogitel's. There's going to be a lot of talk when he comes up with this sort of a crazy charge. And I don't care how much evidence there is against you.

He doesn't have as good a reputation as you and Hrriss, and Doona, have. I'll see what I can find out. I'll talk to everyone I know about this ridiculous accusation. Furthermore,' and her smile was malicious, "Hrringa can start the action. He'll do it for me.

And'-her voice rose in triumph now-'I'll enlist Jilamey Landreau!' Todd gave her a frankly contemptuous look.

"Don't be so skeptical, pal,' she said. "He's been following me around all afternoon n hopes of finding you. He only gave up an hour ago. He's got a superlative hangover, but he's still raving about you saving his life. I'll send the rumor about your entrapment home with him. Yes, entrapment!" For Todd had looked up with some glimmer of hope in his dull eyes. "What else would you call it? You and Hrriss were framed. To ruin the Treaty negotiations. We'll beat this, er, rap,' Kelly exclaimed, her eyes flashing.

"This what?" asked Pat.

Kelly grinned. "Well, I'm studying ancient colloquialisms." She leaned over, grabbing Todd by the shoulders, and kissed his cheek.

"It's okay for one of your other good friends to visit you again, isn't it?" Immediately, she regretted her choice of phrases because a shadow crossed Todd's face: the friend he most wanted to see was forbidden him.

"It's okay for you to visit, Kelly, anytime you want,' Todd answered, putting as much welcome into his voice as he could. He touched his cheek where she had kissed it. "Soon, please?"

"I'd better go now. I'll be back again tomorrow, and we'll have a council meeting of our own." She stared to go, but turned back a few steps from the door. "Think you should know, Todd, how many people have said how much they enjoyed Snake Hunt and the feast last night. I'm not the first to tell you that you did a good job." She gave him a wry smile and wrinkled her nose. "I won't be the last and you'll feel better when you know how many people are solidly on your side. Anyway, the Hunt was the greatest. Todd managed to smile back. "Thanks, Kelly.

That Hunt seems to have happened years ago, not just hours,' he said, then rallied, sitting up and straightening his shoulders. "But it was a good one Thanks again for all your help.

"I intend to repay that in kind,' she said, grinnin wickedly.

"You wait and see!" She waggled he finger at him, and that brought a slight grin 0 remembrance for all the times he had used that gesture and spoken that phrase to her. "I gotta g( now, Todd, Pat. We're expecting dozens of Horn Week visitors and Mother'll shoot me if I don't pu in an appearance soon. Todd closed his eyes against the thought of th( dozens of Home Week visitors his family generali entertained after the Hunt. Everything good aboui his life seemed to have been ripped away in a single morning: his best friend, his reputation, and hi% honor. He heard the front door close softly and Kelly clattering down the steps. Then he felt hi mother's gentle hand on his shoulder and he patted it.

"She's a staunch friend,' his mother said, then she added in a teasing tone, "and still as much the tomboy as ever."

"Not quite,' Todd said, forcing himself out of despair. He looked up at his mother with a lopsided grin. "Not at the Hunt party she wasn't."

"Oh?" Pat rolled her eyes facetiously. "You noticed?"

"Of course I noticed,' Todd said, hearing an edge of irritation in his tone.

Pat put up her hands to ward off an imaginary attack. "I'm not, I swear I'm not,' she said. "But she is a staunch friend and she'll do all she can to help.

She's smart. Anne says Kelly graduated second in her class, even with all the discrimination against "colonial types."

"I didn't know she'd got that high,' Todd said, impressed. "But why didn't she make first?"

"Oh, you,' and Pat play-batted at him.

"She'll call in every favor she's owed on Earth. You just wait and see."

"Oh, Mom, how did we ever get ourselves in such a mess!" He dropped his head and began digging with the heels of his hands at eyes that hadn't seen the danger. Pat dropped beside him, her arm supportively about his shoulders. "When did that stuff get hidden on the Albie?"

"We'll find out, son, we'll find out,' his mother said.

"You've always been motivated by conscience, by truth, and you've always respected the rights of others and your responsibilities to them. No one who knows you and Hrriss will believe this vile canard."

"What about those who want to? Who want to see this colony disbanded, discredited?" Todd said in a soft but caustic tone.

"We both know such people exist and they have caused this entrapment,' his mother said. "But there is a way out of it. The truth, and we'll shove the doubting faces into that truth. Just you believe we will!" Todd uncovered his eyes, reddened by his rubbing and the tears he was trying to repress. "I wonder if we haven't been a little naive here on paradisiacal Doona.

"That's a possibility, but we're not too long in the tooth to protect what we've earned by hard work and fair dealings. You'll see!' She gave him a firm clap on the back, wanting him, he knew, to buck up.

"Yes, Mother, we will!" he replied with as much feeling as he could instill in his tone.

"Now, I've always found that the best way to work out a problem is to work! Since you've obviously been struck off the diplomatic lists, you can just go help Len Adjei round up the horses for their annual injections. Since Mark Aden went offplanet, we've been a little shorthanded. Not that he was much help as a stablehand when he spent so much time mooning over Inessa. She and Robin are already out there.

I'd go but we've had New Home Week callers all day long." She gave him a second, playftil thump on the back. "Go on, bon. Have a shower to clear your head.

Todd gave her a grateful glance. "That's the best idea anyone's had all day." He went to shower and change. Wrangling horses would get him away from the house and give him something to occupy his mind.

But, even as he showered, his mind kept whirling around the morning's bizarre events.

"Machines can't lie,' Rogitel had said. The phrase Fkept running through Todd's mind. No, they couldn't lie, but they could be tampered with. But when? And how? And by whom? No face filled the void when he tried to figure out who had set a trap for them. If only he and Hrriss could sit down and think this mess through . . . The two of them could discover the answers in no time, he knew they could. They had solved countless puzzles together over the years. Not to be able to communicate with Hrriss, as he had done every day since he was six years old, made him feel empty and lost. He jerked the shower control over to cold and steeled himself to accept the chill.

After a hard day's work, Todd returned home.

As the evening stretched interminably out before him, again and again, Todd found himself starting out the door to go over the bridge to the Hrruban village, as he had done nearly every day for the last quarter of a century. Quelling that urge, he sat down at the computer unit and almost typed in Hrriss's comp number. But that would be a violation. Could he send his brother Robin over the bridge with a note? Just to let Hrriss know he was thinking about him? No, not even that solace was permissible until the accusations were dismissed.

No communication meant just that, and Todd had given his solemn word. He had never broken it. He and Hrriss were honor bound, and honor meant everything to them. Someone was playing on that to keep them apart. Divide and conquer. Well, Todd was determined that no one would conquer without facing a fight.

CHAPTER 4

"YOU'LL BE WELCOME AT HOME FOR A change, my cub,' Mrrva said kindly, bringing Hrriss inside as the guards withdrew from the door.

Hrriss still felt himself torn apart by the harshness of the restriction. He hadnever thought of himself as complacent, or smug about his reputation for honesty, but to have it so smirched and casually disregarded shocked him.

"There is considerable physical evidence against us, Mother,' he said wearily. From their front window, he could see the Friendship Bridge, built so long ago by Hrrubans and Hayumans in the spirit of cooperation. Across it, not very far, lay Zodd.

He forced himself to turn away. "It is false evidence, but they must believe what they see. I know only that if we were allowed to be together we could solve the mystery in half the time. We could discuss it until we understood it. It is so difficult to have a lifelong companion torn away from one's side, Mother." Mrrva's heart went out of him. "I am sorry to learn that you and Zodd must be separated but it will be only temporary. In no time they will see that Zodd and you are innocent of any crime, and you will be together again." She guided him through the house and out through the back door. "Wait here for me, little love." She settled him under the arbor in the garden behind the house, and hastened out to the dining area to bring cool drinks for both of them. It was a fine day, and the sun warmed the colors of her sprawling flower beds. She had nearly forgotten how solitary a cub Hrriss had been. Only the explosive arrival on the scene of the lively Hayuman boy zOdd had demonstrated how lonely he had been.

"Don't dwell on the apartness,' Mrrva said, urging him to take the cold drink. She had pitched her voice to intimate levels to give her words more weight. "You will only make yourself ill. Later, when you have relaxed, you shall explore the facts.

For now, let yourself relax. It is so seldom I have you all to myself." The herbal drink loosened some of the tightness in his throat.

"Have I neglected my duty to you?" Hrriss asked sadly. "I offer apologies to you and Father.

"No, no! Not at all,' Mrrva assured him in a purr.

"We are more than proud of the way you have grown up and the way you hold yourself in honor.

Since youfirst met, zOdd has been welcomed daily as your friend.

And ours. He is nearly my second cub. The tasks which I have set you over the years have been done twice as quickly by two sets of hands instead of one." Mrrva let her law drop ever so slightly. "The only way in which you have perhaps slipped in your duties is in the begetting of an heir to the Stripe. Have you forgotten that ~ou are Hrrestan's only cub? When will you choose a mate? I have waited for the matter to occur naturally to your mind." She paused, blinking solemnly.

Hrriss lowered his head, abashed. "I have not thought of a mate.

My life has been so full up until now that there has been no urgency.

Mrrva gave him an understanding sideways glance. "Please to consider it now, then. I wish for your happiness, but it would increase your father's if you do not allow the Stripe to pass to another's offspring." Hrriss flinched. He couldn't allow the line succession to die lust because he was too indolent to find a mate. It would be easy, he thought, merely to mate with a willing female and produce an heir, but, without affection, such a union would be sterile.

Matches based on duty .were no longer common in Hrruban society, though they did still exist. But the example set by his parents, who were bound by mutual respect and admiration, was one he hoped to emulate. Hayumans chose their mates based on mutual appeal and affection. When they'd been just approaching manhood, he and zOdd had often talked about mating, but in a clinical fashion, comparing the difference imposed by the physical variations of their separate species. Once they had been able for the duties of adult males, they had both been too busy for wives and children. The time had come to review the situation. In several aspects.

Since the sordid accusations this morning, the previous tenor of his life and ways had been drastically altered. He had never imagined a different style of life. Certainly not a life without Zodd in it every day, going out on missions, or taking care of their tasks at home, but now that he thought of it, there was an itch he hadn't bothered to scratch. Who knew how long he would be kept from acting as an emissary of Doona, and whether others would ever again consider him to fit that post. A Stripe without honor had no place in society. He must be cleared and pronounced innocent, or his life was over!

Since there was nothing more he could do that day to clear his name, Hrriss seriously considered his duty to his Stripe. Now was the time to find a suitable female. More than time. He was already much older than his father had been when he was born. It wasn't that he'd missed female companionship. He had joyfully given relief to many charming partners during their seasonal heats, vying with other young males to serve their need. No male Hrruban would touch a female without her permission, but many females had made their preference for his attentions quite blatant. Centuries of civilized behavior hadn't quite reduced that primal urge, though in these modern times, many females used contraception remedies when procreation wasn't an objective.

Hayumans were not as natural as Hrubbans about sexual matters. It seemed strange to Hrriss that a society which was so much like his own often ruthlessly repressed their natural urges and behaviors.

Even when Hrruba had been reduced to crowded quarters for each den and new litters were no onger blessings, the traditional openness about sex had remained.

--Mrreva left him alone in the garden with his thoughts. It was so quiet that the tiny breeze brought distant voices and the faint clatter of hooves and machinery from the property beside theirs. Turning over his mother's suggestion in his mind, Hrriss began to examine the possibilities of the females he knew. And came right up against a very important consideration: would she understand his friendship with the Hayuman? Would she like zOdd? More important, would Zodd like her?

"I suppose I shall have to trust to my own judgment alone for this,' Hrriss said out loud, and laughed.

Many of the females in this and other villages had sought him as their lifemate, and tempted him to commit while in their estrous cycles. There was never anything as crass as a demand for long-term relations, only a sighing and sensuous persuasion.

While the attractions were obvious, Hrriss felt there needed to be more to the perfect image than a sexual being. He wanted a woman who thought, and created, and laughed. The image which kept coming back to his mind was the lithe, cinnamonfurred snake dancer at the feast. Her delicately graceful movements repeated in his memory again and again.

He remembered her name was Nrrna, a soft and pliant sound. She worked with Mrrva in the Health Center. He wondered if she was willing.

The last time she had gone through her fertile cycle, she had let him know that she would welcome him, but he had had to go off-planet then. When he returned, she had said nothing to him about what had gone on in his absence.

There was also Mrratah, a weaver whose textiles were wearable art.

Last year, after Snake Hunt, they had spent a wild night together.

The heavy musk in the air and the excitement of the chase had stirred him. She had been out on Hunt, too, and was as aroused as he by primal bloodlust, the beat of the dance band's drums, and the scent in the air.

Hrriss's eyelids lowered as he remembered that night, let his body sway with the rhythm in his memory. There was a high-pitched snarl that was so like the voice of Mrratah in excitation that he opened his eyes. His female ocelot, Mehh, loped out of the house past him, with the male, Prem, in determined pursuit. Mehh was young, no more than two Doonan years old. She was coming into full heat for the first time. Her attitude toward Prem was playful but firm. She intended the order of things to proceed as she pleased, not the way the male chose.

That was right, according to the Hiruban way of life.

The spotted cats dodged back and forth through the bushes Mrrva had planted around the green for privacy. They were not concerned with hiding what they were doing. Simple urges moved them. Sometimes Hrriss wished that he was not a thinking being. These creatures were acting out his unspoken dream.

Mehh skidded and rolled to a halt in the grass before him. Prem followed, and tried to mount her before she was upright again. A quick blow across the nose from a paw full of razor-sharp talons let him know that Mehh was not ready yet. Prem withdrew a few paces and waited, making a soft, urgent rumbling sound low in his throat. Mehh flipped onto her belly and crept insouciantly, provocatively, into the mating position with her tail high and to the side, presenting her nether quarters to the male. She was blatant about what she wanted, and her urgent throaty growls made it certain that she wanted it now. Without hesitation, Prem was on her back, teeth gripping the female's scruff as he mounted her.

With an odd sense of detachment, Hrriss watched them. The female snarled and rolled over, driving Prem a paw's length away, and just as swiftly invited him back again with raised tail. Prem crooned, a mild sound when compared with the green fire in his eyes. Hrriss, shaking his head to break the fascination, felt a creature sympathy for Prem.

Right now a relationship, wild and abandoned and fun, would take his mind off the ache in his heart and the anger in his mind. Both Nrrna and Mrratah could be extremely exciting in estrus, but they were good companions away from the mating dance as well.

His mother had made a valid point. It was more than time to seek a lifemate. While he was in this enforced separation from Todd, it might ease his loneliness to choose a mate. He would not be abandoning other aspects of his life, but filling in the parts that had too long remained empty.

Through the house, he heard a knock at the front door. Hrriss started to get up, but he heard his mother's soft footfalls emerge from the other wing and go toward the door. A short time passed, and she came out to him.

"Hrriss, I will be going out later. Pat Rrev has said that she wants the four of us, Hrrestan and me, and Pat and Rrev, to speak together this evening.

She is as convinced of your innocence as your father and I." Hrriss nodded eagerly. "Tell Zodd. . he began, and then swallowed the rest of his words, hanging his head and letting his hands fall limp to his sides. "I may give no message for him. It is a matter of honor. "Poor Hrriss. He knows, my little one,' Mrrva said sympathetically. "He knows.

Hrriss cleared his throat tentatively. "Mother, you know Nrrna, don't you?"

"Yes,' the Hrruban woman said, clearly surprised. "She works at the Health Center in the laboratory where I conduct my research."

"Has she ever come to this house to join our evening meal?" Hrriss inquired.

He thought the pupils in his mother's eyes widened just slightly.

"She has, from time to time.

Her company is excellent. I shall inquire if she is free to join us." Then she turned and left the garden in a rather abrupt fashion that made Hrriss wonder if she was displeased in any way with his suggestion.

The afternoon was fair, and the air had a fresh crispness that was far more relaxing to Todd's jangled nerves than the tropical warmth of Treaty Island. He rode Gypsy down the narrow trail that circled around the fruit orchard at the edge of the Reeve Ranch. The fruit trees were fenced in for protection, though many a clever horse stretched his neck far enough to nip ripening apples off the nearer trees. Apart from the orchard, Lon Adjei, as manager of the ranch, gave the horse herds plenty of room to graze in, but the open land made it harder to find them.

Todd was after a foursome of colts who had hightailed it this way, avoiding capture as if it was a new game invented for them to show off.

He lost sight of them among the clumps of shrub and mature trees.

He and Hrriss had always worked together on this sort of a detail: the Hrruban had keener eyesight and sense of smell. He could find yearlings no matter where they hid themselves.

A scented breeze shifted, and blew directly into Todd's hot face.

Gratefully he took a deep breath and was nearly unseated as Gypsy slammed to a halt under him.

"What's the matter, boy?" The gelding propped his front legs, refusing to move forward. Gypsy was a sensible animal, so if he was scared to move, he had reason. Possibly there was a small ssorasos in the woods, which Gypsy had smelled when the wind changed. When surprised, the knee-high mammal attacked like a juggernaut. Todd dismounted and sidled cautiously a few feet up the path. In front of him was a clump of red-veined plants. Todd recognized them instantly.

Ssersa. It was toxic enough to Humans, but absolute poison for horses.

Gypsy had smelled the poisonous weed.

"Smart horse!" Todd said over his shoulder to reassure the gelding. Ssersa was nearly as bad a contact-toxin as rroamal. Most animals were wary of it while it was unripe. When it matured and dried, it lost its bitter aroma and smelled sweet and appealing. It was death for livestock, especially those of Earth origin. Ranchers assiduously cleared it from their pastures or they lost stock. The trick was to get it before it dried and left its seeds for the unwary animal. Ben Adjei, Lon's father, called ssersa "silent death." Ranch hands automatically pulled it up wherever they saw it.

The radio at his waist crackled. "Todd, where are you? I've lost sight of you and I've got two more for you to hold for their shots.

"I'm on the trail behind the apple orchard, Lon, Todd replied into the radio. The horse snuffled his ear and he pushed him gently away.

"I was chasing a pair of yearlings and Lady Megan's twins. Gypsy got wind of a patch of ssersa back here. I'm uprooting it and bringing it in.

"Ssersa!" Lon's voice exclaimed. "Damn, I was sure I cleared the whole place of it. And before it could seed."

"Never mind. Probably some bird seeded it, Todd said. "Be with you as soon as I pull it up and catch those yearlings." Pulling on the hide gloves from his belt, he yanked the plant up and beat its roots on the ground to dislodge the dirt. Then he squashed it into a ball, which he shoved into his saddle bag.

The stink of ssersa sap made Gypsy restless and quite willing to move away from it.

Todd lifted the gelding into a canter. The trail was wide here and the surface firm enough to safely maintain a stiff pace. The colts were well ahead of him but, as he recalled it, there was a grassy meadow up ahead that would certainly cause them to stop and graze.

An eerie scream-like a horse in agony-made him dig his heels into Gypsy's ribs and they galloped over the breast of the hill. Two of the colts were skittering around the pasture nervously. The third was standing over the fourth, which lay still in a patch of bracken. He whinnied shrilly.

Todd brought Gypsy to a dirt-kicking halt and was out of the saddle at a run to the young horse on the ground. The remaining twin nudged its fallen brother with its nose, puzzled by its unresponsiveness.

"No more games for this lad,' Todd said sadly.

He still had his gloves on, so he turned back the upper lip to see the livid magenta of the membrane.

"Poisoned. Damn it. There can't be more ssersa.

Fearing for the other youngsters in this meadow, he looked all around him, and then at Gypsy, who was standing calmly. Turning back to th dead animal, he opened its lips again and saw what was stuck in the colt's teeth-the twigs of dried ssersa. Sitting back on his heels, he radioed Lon.

"More ssersa?" Lon demanded disbelievingly.

"Where? I cleared that meadow. I know I did." There was silence and a sigh from the speaker.

"Leave it. I'll get the flyer and bring the corpse in for burning. We can't even use the hide. The toxins will poison whatever it touches. Todd, there was no mature ssersa in that field, I promise you!"

"Then where did it come from?" Todd said, aggravated. Lon was a good farm manager. If he said he'd cleared ssersa weed, he had!

He remounted Gypsy and rounded up the other two. He had to lasso the mourning colt to get him away from his dead twin but gave him a few feed pellets to make up for the insult. Whooshing the others in front of him, he kept his eyes peeled for any further sign of ssersa. It was an active seeder, like many Doonan plants: so where there was one, there'd be others.

Then, just as he herded the colts over the lip of the ridge, he spotted a burned patch in the grass on the one level place on the entire field: a patch ju5t about the size of a small transport shuttle.

Todd got his charges back to the barn without further incident.

Lon examined the three young animals and entered the control numbers in their freeze brands into a hand-held computer unit.

Todd saw Robin and Inessa in the paddock, dragging one unwilling horse after another into the chute for inoculations.

"That's a hundred and forty-three,' Lon said, slapping the last one on the rump as he sent it running into the coual, "counting that poor poisoned colt. I think that's all we're going to find.

We've combed the landscape."

"Shouldn't there be more like a hundred sixty?" Todd asked.

"Yeah, should be,' Lon said, scratching his ear with the edge of his comp. "I put in a call to Mike Solinari at the Veterinary Hospital, and the foreman on the Hu spread, just in case any of our animals have hopped the fence.

"Not bloody seventeen of "em,' Todd replied grimly.

"With that ssersa you found today, that might account for some, but we haven't even found any bodies. Not even mda will touch a sscrsa carcass." Lon gave a disgusted snort. "My dad told me that if I can't hand-pull fields, I deserve to have such losses but, honest, Todd "Didn't Hiriss and I spend'-Todd made himself continue despite the pang that the reminder of happier days gave him-'a whole week helping you?

But I'll tell you something else I found-a burn<,if mark on that one level spot in the big meadow."

"A shuttle burn-off?" Lon's tanned face paled.

"There's been no emergency landing in that section.

D'you think . . ." He stopped, not liking his own thoughts.

"Rustling does present itself as an explanation,' Todd said, not wanting to believe it either.

"especially if there've been no bodiesound." Since Doona's wealth was its stock, not minerals or mining, rustling was the sovereign crime and punishable by immediate transport to the nearest penal colony. To keep track of all stock, each animal was branded with freeze-dry chemicals as soon after birth as possible: a painless process that left a permanent ID, naming its ranch of origin, breeding information, and control numbers. The brand was unalterable so that it was easy to keep a rccord of inoculations and vaccinations throughout an animal's lifetime. It made illegitimate transfer of ownership impossible. It also made rustling-on Doona-an unprofitable occupation.

Despite rigid psychological tests devised by Lee Lawrence, the colony sociologist, sometimes unsuitable personalities slipped through. People eager enough to get off Earth were known to equivocate about their open-mindedness as regards living with aliens, or their willingness to learn and speak an alien language. Their bigotry was generally discovered soon enough to do no lasting harm and they were sent off Doona, either to Earth or to see if they would fit into a totally Human colony.

Other new settlers became overwhelmed by the responsibilities of caring for a whole, stocked ranch, let alone a house set in the midst of more uninterrupted land than anyone on Earth had ever seen. Some could not adapt to the lack of laborsaving devices which were felt to be superfluous or environmentally dangerous. Fossil fuels were avoided, and natural power, windmills, river barrages, or battery cells charged by solar panel supplied what power was required. Some settler learned to cope, others requested transport back t familiar constrictions.

Those unwilling, or unable, to take responsibilit for themselves in a pioneer society posed the wors problem. Sometimes, folk who had been told al their lives what to do couldn't adjust to makin their own decisions. Or, once they realized that behavior monitors had been left behind on Earth they began acting as if they could behave any wa: they wanted. And take anything they wanted Rustlers generally emerged from that group.

"We haven't had any rustlers for years,' Lon said "And how could there have been a shuttle landin when we've got satellite controllers?"

"Have we got any newcomers from Earth who'vt gone possession crazy? You know that syndrome.

"How could I forget?" Lon asked grimly, spittin into the dust.

"It was my father's new mares thai were stolen. A guy named Hammond did it. I've c' hard place in my mind for anyone named Ham mond.

Since then I've learned to judge people. I'V( a good record at picking those who won't make ii through their first season."

"You helping Lee with his testing these days?"

"He has only to ask. Now, let's double-check th( ones we do have so I can send in the brands of thost we're missing." Together they checked the withers of eact animal that came out of the chute, entering th( brand and updating the' inoculation record.

"Yeah, we're seventeen shy. I'll just send the IDs on to Vet.

They'll forward the list to Poldep. Once the word's out we've done that, we might just find those seventeen missing horses back in their home pastures." Squinting at the sky, Todd shook his head. "They might not be on Doona anymore."

"Oh, come on, Todd. The security satellites would have reported any unauthoriii:ed transport in orbit,' Lon said, scornful of that suggestion. "No, we'll find out where they got stashed on this planet.

Might take a while, but we'll find "em on Doona." Todd did not argue the point now, but he was annoyed that seventeen animals were missing.

Seventeen! At the current market price, that was almost half the value of a good farm. Doonan horses were a valuable commodity, not only as transportation and a constant source of fertilizer but for the end product of meat, hide, and bonemeal.

"I'll look into it, find out if the neighbors have any inexplicable losses, and I can make that report to Poldep." Even as he spoke, Todd realized he was no longer the person to make reports to Poldep.

"No, I'm farm manager. I'll make the report,' Lon said, almost too quickly. "I need your help more out here in the pens,' he went on, stumbling to get the words out. "You've a longer attention span than those two flibbertigibbets,' he said, nodding toward Todd's two siblings.

It was obvious that the ranch foreman knew the details of Todd's house arrest, even if he had the tact not to comment on it directly.

Most of the neighbors had radios, so Todd could ask his questions without leaving the ranch. But he could see that keeping his word was going to complicate life considerably.

"I'll radio them, Ion, he said quietly. "And thanks."

"The Reeves have been having a run of bad luck lately,' Ion said stoutly, turning his head to spit in the dust. "I figure you don't deserve it.

Count on me if you need help-off the ranch."

"Me, too!" said Robin. At eighteen Terran years of age, he was the youngest of the Reeves' five children. He and Inessa climbed out of the corral as the last of the foals galloped free. "I don't think I'm grounded. Am I?" He turned wide ingenuous eyes to his brother.

"No, it applies to me."

"And Hrriss,' Inessa said in a low angry tone, then she turned to Ion. "We've put the five that need to be observed in the stable. Don't think any of "em are contagious but they need a bit of hand feeding. So I'm through."

"Nobody is through until you put the rest of the medicines away and clean out the inoculators,' Ion ordered, shouting down their protests. "And last time I looked that pen hadn't been mucked out.

Hop to it!" With affected groans, the two young Reeves shouldered the vaccination equipment and staggered dramatically toward the medical outbuilding behind the foreman's house.

"What a pair of actors,' Todd observed.

"Eh,' Ion said, slapping him on the back. "You and Hrriss were the same at that age." Then he ducked his head at the ill-chosen reminder and spat again in the dust.

"Hrriss?" Kelly tapped on the partition of the Hrruban's room.

"Your mother said I'd find you here. Are you very busy?"

"Not too busy to see you,' Hrriss said, and Kelly chuckled at his gallantry. He rose from his computer console and they brushed cheeks affectionately.

"You okay?" Kelly asked, looking him over with sisterly concern.

"Do you need anything I could bring in for you?" She knew she'd be stirrazy if she had to stay in one room too long. How she'd gotten through school on Earth without dropping out had required every ounce of self-discipline she possessed.

"I'm okay,' Hrriss said, but ruined it with a sigh.

"I may move about the village, you know. But it is friTustrating to be restricted. I want for nothing but I will think of something to give you the pleasure of visiting me again." Then he clamped his lips so tightly that his eyeteeth were visible under the tightly drawn flesh.

"He misses you, too,' Kelly said softly. "And that's not a message,' she added angrily, "that's my personal opinion. I'm entitled to speak for myself." Hrriss nodded understanding and his muzzle relaxed across his teeth.

"So, what've you been doing with yourself?" Kelly asked, hoping that she could carry on some sort of a lighthearted conversation that wouldn't constantly remind both of them of the third person who should be here and must be nameless and messageless-all for honor!

"A little research into matters of concern to my mother,' Hrriss said, his eyes twinkling. "I have also been monitoring the official zranscripts of the Zreaty negotiations, and sending out correspondence to friends on other colony worlds. I hope to locate someone with contacts among the purveyors of illicit artifacts. If we could find out where the articles found on the Albatross were purchased, and by whom, we could prove our innocence." Hrriss felt a wash of shame every time he thought of the harsh-voiced prosecutors who dismissed his sworn word of honor as meaningless.

Kelly sensed his disquiet. "That's a damned good idea, Irrriss.

In fact, I'm doing a bit of research along those lines myself." Then she made fists of her hands and frowned angrily. "How anyone could be daft enough to think you and. . . to think you could be a pirate and a smuggler is beyond my comprehension. I want you to know that!"

"Thank you,' Hrriss said.

"And I'll bet no one in this village believes it, either,' Kelly went on, wound up by indignation.

"A Hrruban does not bring disgrace to his Stripe..." Kelly rolled her eyes skyward. "You are not in disgrace, Hrriss, any more than Todd is. You're just just pending investigation. You're sure I can't get you something?" she asked in a milder tone, rather surprised at her own vehemence. But the idea of an honorable person like Hrriss even thinking the word "disgrace' infuriated her.

"Nothing I can think of,' Hrriss said, dropping his jaw at her energetic defense. He was as much touched as amused by it. "You have already brought me something I appreciate greatly: yourself. Will you please visit again when you may?"

"Of course,' Kelly said, giving him a big hug as she turned to go. "Hang on, Hrriss. This won't last long." Ken found Emma Sumitral in a research room in the Treaty Center. She was a tall, slim woman of thirty, with large, smoky gray eyes and dark brown hair. She had the same formal carriage as her father the Admiral, which somehow made even the casual smock she was wearing look elegant.

"I am very troubled by what you've told me,' she said after Ken had detailed the seizure at the Albatross and the findings of the hearing. "You may count on our support. My father will certainly want to help you, but I'm not sure what he can do. I'm not sure if there's anything I can do."

"You can help me find out who informed Rogitel that the Albatross was stuffed with contraband.

Naturally he refused to reveal his source. The Treaty Controller doesn't know, or won't tell. The rest of the Council refuses to talk to anyone other than Hu Shih or Hrrestan. And they're probably only speaking to Hrrestan because he's head of the Hrruban contingent. I hate like poison being ignored, Emma." And Ken managed a weak smile at that defect in himself. "I've got to find out who planted that junk, especially that blasted Byzanian Glow Stone, because they admitted being near Hrrilnorr IV. But no one there believed that they'd heard a Mayday. 1 believe!"

"I personally find it very hard to believe that either Todd or Hrriss could be smugglers or pirates.

But it is most unfortunate that they did not have the Albatross inspected as soon as they landed.

Especially in view of that Mayday."

"I reported that to Hu and Hrrestan myself. You know the boys were Masters of the Hunt, that that trip to Hrretha meant they'd have to work day and night to get the Hunt organized. Newry saw no harm in sealing the ship and letting the boys get on with crucial Hunt details." He hissed out a sigh, sounding more Hrruban than Hayuman, letting his hands go limp in his lap.

"But Treaty Law had been violated,' Emma reminded him in a gentle voice. She was a noted expert on the topic.

"A Mayday should be considered extenuating circumstances, Emma, not a crime. And there was no one else capable of 5rganizing the Hunt.

That could not be cancelled, and that's why I thought it was permissible for the formal inspection to be deferred. Just for two weeks." Ken raised his hands again in a pleading gesture. "You know yourself that we have to have the Snake Hunt, whether we dress it up as a tourist attraction or New Home Week or whatever. Those snakes would swarm whether or not there were any Hunters to restrict them. Hu and Hrrestan agreed with my analysis of the situation-Doona has to be profitable and the Snake Hunt provides a large hunk of our income.

If anyone is guilty of not insisting on that inspection, it's me.

I should be taking the blame." Emma looked very grave.

"Ultimately you may have to." Then, having startled him, she went on.

"From what you have told me, Ken, it is not just that delay, it is also all those valuable items that were found on the Albatross and the tape record of landings and launches within the framework of that Hrrethan journey."

"Neither Todd nor Hrriss is untrustworthy or a pirate or smuggler."

"No, they are not the type. However, the fact that blame is being attached to those two young men may yet work in their favor. They are much admired on Earth. Their friendship is legendary. I think you could say that it epitomizes Doona in many people's minds.

"Will it? After all this has been broadcast about the galaxy?" Ken asked bitterly.

Emma looked at him sternly. "If there is any rumor, gossip, slander, or libel about this investigation before it has been completed and its report made, there will be far more trouble for the loosemouthed than they can swallow! The boys are under house arrest, not incarcerated in a Poldep facility. Unless they break their bond, they are safe from slander. Now, let's see what we can find." She turned to her desktop console.

She initiated a search based on the boys' names and the name of their ship, the word "Hrrilnorr,' and the names of the artifacts that Ken could recall.

"Now we wait.

When the computer eventually spat out a list of file names, Emma briefly scanned each one, and instead of data, found she was looking at a moir graphic with a blinking square in the center requesting a confirmed password.

"Classified! In the last two weeks, every one of these has acquired a special clearance password.

They're locked!" Ken swore softly. "Damn it, I'd hoped you'd be able to get through. I got the same graphics. Not a single code I knew got me any results. Do I need to start standing on desks to get cooperation?" "Not yet. . . I hope,' Emma admitted with a wicked light in her eyes. She bent over the board.

"I've got Father's code-key number. They wouldn't dare classify these files too high for the head of Alreldep to access." To Todd's surprise, his father arrived home for dinner with a very attractive woman whom he introduced as Emma Sumitral.

"How do you do, Miss Sumitral?" Todd asked stiffly, and then the name registered. "You wouldn't be related to Admiral Sumitral, would you?" "Indeed I am, Todd Reeve,' she responded, squeezing his hand warmly. "I've heard a great deal about you from my father." She had a brilliant smile that lit up her gray eyes. Then she crooked her neck to look behind him.

Suddenly his formality deserted him and he burst out laughing. "I gave up wearing that rope tail a long time ago, Miss Sumitral."

"Emma," please,' she said, and he gestured for her to take a seat. "My father used to regale me with stories about Doona. I was only five when the first wave of settlers left Earth for Doona, so this world has always been special to me. I always wished my father didn't work for the government so we could have come, too,' she admitted. "I'm glad now that he does. His position has opened otherwise locked doors for me as a researcher, and now I believe it may help you, too."

"What?" Todd said, grasping at whatever hope was offered him.

"Todd, we'll wait until Hrrestan and Mrrva arrive. This concerns them, too, you know." Ken's expression was so concerned that Todd wondered what they could have found out that would upset his father-more than he was already.

Hrrestan and Mrrva arrived at the Reeves' house shortly before sunset. Todd greeted them courteously. He had to bite his tongue on "How's Hrriss?" Even with the parents of his friends, he would not break his given word.

Hrrestan and Mrrva nodded gravely to their son's dearest friend, their liquid eyes saying what they, too, would not say aloud. Both Hrrubans already knew Emma Sumitral.

"I've chased out the other children for the evening,' Pat said, trying to set all her guests at ease. An adult evening. Kelly ought to arrive any minute now.

Todd looked up, somewhat surprised, but Kelly hadn't smothered him with sympathy earlier and she'd scarcely do it in front of guests.

"She is?" Pat glanced at him, worried. "I thought you'd want her input. Isn't that all right?"

"Sure,' Todd said hastily.

As deftly as her father would, Emma led the discussion away to other matters, and held forth on the subject of trade among the colony worlds. Todd found her not only charming but intelligent. He rather thought she and Kelly would like each other.

Kelly arrived only minutes behind the Hrrubans.

They greeted each other warmly. "It's nice to see so much of you these days,' she said ingenuously.

Todd couldn't help but gawk at her, for she couldn't have more plainly told him she'd visited Hrriss, too.

"Well,' said Pat, surprised, "you did learn some diplomacy, after all." Then Ken introduced her to Emma and offered drinks all round.

For the first time, Todd found that the simple courtesies be usually enjoyed extending struck him as unnecessary time-wasters. Once Hrrestan and Mrrva were settled, Emma began to detail the files she had unlocked.

"It's turned out to be more than juSt trusting my father's opinions of you and Hrriss,' she said, "I think we may have stumbled onto a very complex and highly organized smuggling operation." She waited patiently until everyone stopped demanding details. "I found some, all right. And more data from the beacons orbiting the other prohibited worlds is still coming in. So far, all of them show the identification number of the Albatross as having entered those systems shortly before or shortly after the ship visited Hrretha. The information is not yet complete. There are still four buoys circling interdicted systems left to be heard from, and that data will come in within the next few days."

"I can't believe that they all have the code number from the boys' ship,' Pat said.

"Now, the beacons identify the Albatross as being the ship that crossed their barriers in each instance.

The #des as you know are complex, not easy to duplicate."

"As I told you, Emma, Ken began, his anger building, "someone's gone to a lot of trouble to make it convincing "For a researcher like myself, there's just too much corroborative detail available to be coincidence or accident,' Emma went on, and although Ken started to protest, Pat touched his arm, her eyes watching Emma's face. For Pat was beginning to see what Emma was driving at. "So far we have thefts committed by two young males who lack for nothing. They're psychologically normal, without any history of kleptomania or harmful pranks.

Healthy in every way." Todd blushed at her frankness and she smiled gently at him. "It was necessary to take a glance at your medical profile,' she said. "There's nothing in it to be ashamed of.

To continue, they're respected by their community, and their future is bright if only they continue to behave as they have. This series of crimes requires a motivation."

"I know the motivation,' Todd said in a flat voice that showed he was controlling his anger. "This issue would make a terrific fulcrum for the lever to pry Doona apart."

"I'm inclined to agree,' Hrrestan said, nodding his head in agreement with Todd's opinion, "but if we have the motivation, can we also discover the perpetrator?"

"Landreau has to be involved in this somewhere, Todd said angrily, his eyes flashing blue fire.

"Rogitel's presence at the Hrrethan affair was unnecessary. Both.

. ." Todd halted then plunged, "I felt he was nearly splitting with anticipation and it couldn't have been for the inauguration of another grid facility! He was there, keeping track of... of us... on Landreau's orders. The Admiral would do anything to discredif Doona this year and to disrupt the crucial talks that are going on. A scandal like two notable citizens of Doona turning out to be pirates and smugglers could tear everything apart. Only how did it get done?"

"The opinion of the Ssspeakrrrs, Hrrestan added, "favors the idea of a conspiracy, aimed at you and our son, to discredit the Rralan Experiment. They have informed me that they are conducting their own investigations into these charges as they know that never have you or my son behaved in a dishonorable fashion. As Emma Sumitral has ssaid, there is far to6 much evidence against them. There are elements on Rrala who also wish this Experiment to end in disarray. These are being scrutinized. True guilt lies elsewhere but it will be discovered.

"And I,' Kelly said, looking inordinately pleased with her contribution, "am handling the unofficial Terran Investigative Group.

You didn't know you had one, did you, Todd?" She grinned at him.

While she had admired Emma's clear-minded statements, she hadn't quite liked her tone, nor the way she had smiled at Todd. Sort of, well, proprietary and perhaps a little patronizing. Whoa!

Kelly thought, yanking hard on her own mental reins. Who was acting proprietary now?

"May I remind all of you,' Emma put in, "that it is essential that all investigations be done as circumspectly as possible so as not to prejudice the official one?" Ken leaned forward toward Emma. "We must all be wary of how we proceed. But, in spite of the need for caution, I've started some inquiries through the Alreldep office, and I discover, to my relief,' and he grinned at his son, "that the memory of Todd as he was has been replaced by the record of a hardworking young man."

"Which reminds me, Dad, this hardworking young man did some rounding up today with Lon.

And we found out something I like even less than I like my present anomalous position. We're minus seventeen horses, mostly yearlings and two-year-olds."

"Seventeen horses gone since the last count?" Ken repeated, staring at his son in disbelief. As if he didn't need this, too, on his plate.

"One was dead of ssersa poisoning and I hlped Ion clear that field myself. There were other ssersa plants where there shouldn't be a one." "Ssersa does not have legs to walk,' Hrrestan said, shaking his head as he knew how careful the Reeves were about hand-pulling the toxic weed from all grazing areas.

"There was also this burned-out patch on the one flat space in the field,' Todd went on. "Shuttlesized, I'd say."

"Rustlers!" Ken nearly bounced from his chair with indignation.

Hrrestan hissed. "That is a most serious crime.

There have been no instances of animal theft in years.

"Lon reported to Poldep. We sent a list of the brands to Michael,' and Todd turned to Kelly, who was as surprised and angry as any stock rancher would be. "One or two of "em may have jumped the fence."

"But not seventeen,' Ken said, still absorbing the shock.

"We'll have to hang on to some of the breeding stock, then, Todd."

"Dad, I'd ask around to see if there's anyone new here who's had a sudden embarrassment of credit.

I'll just put it about that there'll be no charges pressed at Poldep if that little herd wanders home, wagging tails behind em."

"Could snakes have caught them?" Pat asked.

"You had that breakout at the Boncyks'. What if a Mommy or two got past you?"

"None did,' Todd replied flatly, frankly upset that his mother even asked such a question.

"Well, it was a possibility,' she said apologetically.

"What else could go wrong?" Kelly asked, more rhetorically than expecting any answer.

"What else?" Emma asked, her expression clearly reflecting her dislike of adding to the current problems. "I think I'd better be the one to tell you.

Admiral Landreau has arrived. He gridded in just before I left Treaty Island."

CHAPTER 5

ADMIRAL AL LANDREAU HAThD DOONA.

Initially, when the bright blue pebble with its light cloud coverage had swum into his viewscreen, he thought it looked peaceful and pleasant. When he had been assigned to explore it for a preliminary search, it had seemed the perfect Earthlike world, class M in the old parlance, atmosphere, nearnormal gravity and all, the very epitome of what Spacedep was searching for. It was full of possibilities, and the key to fame and better departmental financing for him.

Ever since the first colonists landed there, though, it had been one long headache for Spacedep and Landreau. He lay the source of all his troubles squarely upon the backs of the Reeves. A family of malcontents, by all accounts from Aisle and Corridor monitors, always disturbing civilized people with their noise and antisocial behavior.

They had made a public fool of him. They, or specifically, Ken Reeve, had blamed him for not noticing their mythical cat people or the nightmarish giant snakes in time to prevent the colonization.

As if there was any way he could have known about them, in spite of that ape Sumitral's-insistence that the clues were all there. Reeve had made a fool of him, claimed he jeopardized the colony.

Well, the colonists had been in the wrong. They had violated the Siwannese protocol, had resisted being removed from the planet in spite of their feigned horror over that violation, and had been compounding that transgression anathema for a quarter of a century. Now was the moment to eradicate that mistake, put it behind him. He fully intended to do so. His opportunity had been handed to him, calligraphed, signed, sealed, and set under a glass bell. To make it the sweetest possible revenge, Todd Reeve, the hysterical, bilingual boy child of Ken Reeve, was to be the key to ending this quarter century of humiliation. The Treaty Council was buzzing: rumors of resignation threats already abounded. Landreau was looking forward to hearing Rogitel's full report.

There were cat people all over the building where he gridded in.

Their hairy, fang-toothed faces made him shudder. The Hrrubans were an abomination against nature's plan. Cats shouldn't walk like Humans.

They should go on all four legs like the basically feral animals they imitated.

When the mist of transfer cleared, he was facing one of the very creatures he abhorred. The animal operating the grid center opened its mouth at him and showed its teeth, casually displaying its bestiality.

The horror was that it thought it was smiling.

He nodded curtly and stepped down.

It was outrageous that these Hrrubans should have stumbled on any technology as powerful as the transportation grid. While the grid was convenient, having to use it frightened him: he preferred to be in control of the mechanisms used in travel. What if the operator hadn't been well enough trained, and Landreau was trapped in the grid, neither one place nor another? Supposing someone with a grievance against him took a bribe and sent him to the wrong destination, even a fatal one?

He would have preferred to have the one facility on Earth destroyed, and its operator returned to its homeworld. Wherever that was. If Landreau could only find it - - That damned Treaty neatly blocked that aspiration. However, the cats were not fooling Admiral Al Landreau.

He had long since deduced their real objective. This transport grid of theirs: a single grid, like the one on Terra, could be quickly built into a giant one, capable of moving armies.

Yet the blockheads and simpering idiots in positions of power on the Amalgamated Worlds refused to see the threat inherent in the cats' technology.

But he had made allies, supported causes in return for the support of his. This year would see the end to the Hrruban threat before it became a nightmare reality.

The grid operator said something in the ridiculous collection of grunts and growls that served the beast race for a language. Sounded like bad plumbing. And that was yet another insult: that Human beings were to imitate such filthy noise instead of good, clean Terran.

"Commander? I'm Nesfa Dupuis,' a low voice at "94

"95

his elbow said in the Terran language.

Startled but relieved, Landreau turned. The speaker was a small Human woman with dark skin and glowing brown eyes. She stood next to the grid station, her hands folded quietly into her voluminous sleeves.

"Treaty Councillor,' Landreau said smoothly, with a gracious nod and a quick handshake. "I want to see everything that you have on this vexing matter. When may I meet with the Council? It is important that I see them immediately." The small woman held up a hand. "Not today, I'm sorry to inform you. We're in the midst of deep negotiation on space rights, Commander."

"Hmmph!" Landreau snorted. "Isn't such a negotiation irrelevant in the face of the crimes reported to you?

You're wasting time. Might as well address yourself to immediate and germane issues. Save yourself the bother." Landreau realized immediately that he had misjudged this one. She was a Doona colony sympathizer. Another fardling New Ager. He sighed and turned on a charm that never failed to work.

"I'd like you to consider me a friend in this case, Councillor.

My lifelong ambition has been to promote the improvement of the quality of life for Humanity. I'll do everything in my power to help expedite a successful conclusion to this disgraceful incident. Then the Council can continue its more important responsibilities."

"You are so cooperative, Admiral,' Dupuis said aloud, her schooled expression not revealing her true feelings, but she had long since taken the Admiral's measure and was aware of some of hi' machinations. "The Council is, of course, gratefu for any assistance in bringing this unfortunat situation to a swift conclusion. You will doubties' wish to confer with your assistant. An office ha' been set at your disposal near the one Commandei Rogitel is using. This way, please.

The deep male voice crackled over the speakei in the airfield control tower. "Tower, this is Codep ship Apocalypse, on final insertion through orbit.

I'll be down there in a minute."

"Can't you be more specific, Fred?" Martinson asked, clapping one hand to his headset and checking the screens which displayed telemetry from the-orbiting navigation probes around Doona.

"Good to hear from you. Pad eight is open for your use. Got two mechanics on duty this morning if you need any refitting. Happy landing. The transport ship appeared as a ball of fire in the sky as the retros ignited in atmosphere and slowed the descent velocity.

Below, the roof of number 8 bay was rolling open. Apocalypse set down expertly in the ring encircling the number on the fireproof surface of the launchpad. There was one final burst of fire and a belch of black smoke as the engines shut down. Martinson arrived alongside the Apocalypse in a flitter, with a fumigation team and a customs official in tow.

"Hello, Martinson. Sorry to have missed New Home Week,' the burly trader said, descending from the ship as the team crowded him on its way up into the passenger compartment. "Probably cost me a lot of business, but you can only go so fast in space, eh? I've got bushels of test seed designated for the farms here. Say, what's all this?" He glanced at Newry, the customs agent, who took his manifests out of his hand and marched around to the ship's cargo hatch.

"Sorry, Fred,' Martinson said. "Every ship has to be gone over with a fine-tooth comb. Orders."

"I've got my orders, too!" Horstmann boomed.

He was a big man with a big voice, and pale hair buzzed short in a spaceman's clip. "Got customers waiting! You'll get your duty fees.

I've never shorted you. So what's the scramble for?"

"Only takes a few minutes,' said Martinson, refusing to discuss the matter. He was determined not to be caught bending the rules again.

Horstmann stood, impatiently tapping his hand on his thigh until the customs agent returned with the clipboard. "Is everything all right? I've got business to do! You can't stop the Horstmann of the Apocalypse from his ride forever! Ha, ha, ha!"

"All clear,' Martinson said, ignoring Fred's traditional joke. Newry handed his chief the clipboard full of manifests. He nodded over his shoulder toward the flitter. From the passenger seat, the thin form of Rogitel arose and approached the trader.

"Ah! Commander,' Horstmann said, extending his hand. "Nice to see you. I've got your little package for you, tapes from the governor of Zapata Three. Kept it next to my heart. Got a real fine collection of seals from a lot of places I didn't know existed .?" He cocked his head, hoping to be enlightened.

"Just pass it over,' Rogitel said, ignoring the query and Horstmann's extended hand.

With a shrug, Horstmann drew the package out of one of his sealed shipsuit pockets. Rogitel took the parcel, examined it briefly, and handed a credit chit to the captain.

"And thank you,' Horstmann said, with overblown mock courtesy as the Spacedep official turned and walked off without another word.

"Huh!

What's the matter here? Doona's usually a hospitable place.

Couldn't he waste an extra syllable to be polite? Some people!' The Codep captain shook his head ruefully. "Well, credits are credits." Horstmann tucked away the chit in his pouch. "Bobby!

Come on! Customers are waiting!" He walked into the Launch Center's warehouse, where stalls were set up for traveling traders across from the permanent trading booths for the Doona Cooperative of Farmers and Skillcrafters. These facilities, originally the odd table or two set up for the display and sale of merchandise, had evolved into tidy shops, complete with display cases and specialized lighting. The exchange of goods and money became comfortable and convenient for traders who didn't need to establish an on-planet trading route at every stop, and for their customers, who could browse about the wares displayed. All Kiachif had suggested the improvements. His ships carried trade goods from one world to another.

Now the port attracted persons of both species from all over Doona, to sell their own goods and buy what traders might have on offer.

"Give me a moment to unload the merchandise, good folk!" Horstmann pleaded. "Ah, today's a good day to do business." A couple of Hrruban ranchers from their Third Village had a string of pack ponies with them for sale. As the Apocalypse had suitable facilities for animal transport, Horstmann prowled around the little animals, lifting a hoof, examining teeth, before he made an opening offer.

Ken Reeve arrived at the warehouse in time to see Rogitel stalk away in the company of the portmaster.

"Hello, Horstmann,' he called over the heads of the crowd.

"Well! Reeve, good to see you,' Horstmann boomed, coming over to greet him. His huge hand engulfed Ken's in a companionable grasp.

"What was the commander afrer here? He usually doesn't grace a launchpad with his presence."

"I'd a special delivery for Ol' Skinny Shanks. Bird from Zapata Three passed it on to me for him.

Since I'm not due on Terra for another couple of weeks, I could make the detour here. I got paid for it. Feels like tapes or something. Sealed up from one end to the next from places I've never visited." Then Horstmann lowered his voice. "You looking for information, eh?"

"Just curious,' Ken replied, equally circumspect.

"Rogitel and Landreau have been on Doona for a week, and they've stayed on Treaty Island. Not like Landreau to waste time before jumping down out throats on some damned fool petty issue."

"Hmm,' Horstmann rumbled sympathetically.

"Heard some spacescud I didn't like. I don't believe for a millisec that Todd'd be dealing in irreplaceables. If he was, why didn't he notify me? Everyone knows I offer the best prices on curios.

What else can I tell you?"

"When is Kiachif due here next?" Ken asked.

The big trader laughed. "Soon, I hope! I'm supposed to meet him here in a few days, and I want to be on my way ASAP. Codep's got some new rulings about trading, and he wants everyone to hear them from his immortal lips. But I've got a schedule to keep "Having a profitable season?" Vic Solinari asked, coming over to greet Fred.

"Oh, I've made a few credits in commissions.

Went through Zapata Three like wind through the trees. Almost thought they'd never seen an honest trader before." Horstmann patted his credit pouch with an air of satisfaction.

"And have they seen one now?" Vic Solinari asked, winking broadly at Ken.

"Vic! That cuts me to the quick,' Fred said, his huge hands crossed dramatically over his heart.

"How many times have I given you fellows the shirt off my back?" Then he made another abrupt change of mood. "In fact, I did once, when no other size I was carrying would fit one of the miners on Zlotnik.

Poor devil. Gave him a pretty good deal, I might add. Say, perhaps you'll be interested in these.

Zapata's doing a good line in metal chain, all grades and gauges.

Bobby!" he shouted to his young son who served as his supercargo.

The boy, who was driving a loader full of merchandise, stopped when he heard his father shout. "Roll out some of that chain! I brought them a galvanizer last trip, and the results are fine. Won't ever rust.

You got my personal guarantee. They're starting a line of ergonomic hand tools that I'll bring along next time. Fit the hand.

Save the blisters. You'll be interested in those." The two Hrrubans came over to discuss the ponies and ended up taking part of their price in narrow-gauge metal chain. They shook hands and Horstmann arranged with one of the Humans from First Village to have the beasts boarded until he was ready to load up and leave. Ken looked over the metalwork and other goods which Horstmann's son placed on the long tables. The trader himself passed among them, shaking hands and arranging deals quickly. Some Doonans paid in credit vouchers; others with goods, such as rough or cut gemstones or finished craftwork.

Pottery, textiles, ready-to-wear tunics and overalls were placed out by Horstmann's crew for inspection. A large, floppy bundle came out on the next skidload, and Fred pounced on it.

"Well, these have come a long way. Hey, Reeve, he called.

"Here's horsehides with your ranch markings on them. Sell them, they get ridden and eaten, and the hides end up back here for craftwork.

Now, that's recycling."

"My brand?" Ken asked curiously, making his way over to look. "That's my brand, all right.

Where did you say these came from? Zapata? i didn't sell this many to anyone on that world. At least I don't think so."

"Well, you must have,' Horstmann pointed out.

"I'd know the Reeve Ranch markings anywhere, and Zapatan provenance is with "em.

Ken flipped over one hide after another. Twenty still showed his freeze mark but he couldn't remember having sold a full score of horses tc Zapata Three. He'd easily recall a sale that would have fed his family for a year or more. Then he clicked his tongue on his teeth.

Could he be lookin at hides of animals that had gone missing?

Over period of years, there'd been a fair number ol inexplicable disappearances. Some he could chal up against hunting mdas, disease, or ssersa: a fe', would be a normal enough loss for any rancher. Bu twenty? Maybe Todd was right. Rustlers hac returned to Doona and taken the animals off-worlc in spite of satellite surveillance.

Hides kept a long time. They could be accumu lated and then sold when enough time had passec to dim memory of their loss. Someone had blun dered, letting the rustled hides make their way back to Doona.

The general method of making profi from rustling was to take the animals to a pastora world that wasn't yet cleared for animal residence where colonists were desperate for breeding stoci and fresh meat.

Thriftily then the colonists trade cured hides to other planets for goods. Probably swapped hides for some of Zapata's new chains.

Now if he could just trace the hides back, to Zapata to the colonists and then to the men who'd sold them the animals, he could pass that information on to Poldep. Having them come back in a lump proved it was one person who'd been responsible all along, not several different gangs. That'd be a good fact to pass on to Poldep.

"Fred, who sold you these?"

"Why?" The trader squinted at him suspiciously.

"Something wrong with "em? You know damned well, Reeve, I don't deal in stolen goods and I've the Zapatan provenance.

"So you do,' Ken said reasonably, "but I'd be grateful if you could give me a name."

"Truth to tell, I can't. I was shaking hands and changing credits so fast that I have no face to attach to the goods." Horstmann looked genuinely regretful. "I'd've checked if I'd thought it odd, but I know you sell off-world.

Ken suppressed his frustration and asked with a friendly smile, "How long will you be on Doona?"

"I've got to wait for Kiachif, "come frost, fire, or flood," as he says,' Fred replied, grinning. "I'm supposed to take a shipment for him into the Hrruban arm, and he hasn't caught up with me yet.

I got a message on the beacon that this time I'd better stay where I am. Not that I wouldn't. Don't tell him, but I'm fond of the old pirate.

"Good,' Ken said. "Fred, I know you got the provenance so don't take this wrong, but I've got a feeling that these animals were stolen from me.

Would you let me take the hides to check against the sales records?" "I'd like to, Ken, I really would,' Horstmann said, bobbing his head from side to side in his reluctance, "but I might be able to sell "em. Can't sell "em if the buyer can't see "em, now can I? Why, my wife hear about me doing something like that, even to a good honest man like yourself, and she'd skin me and put my hide in with the rest."

"I understand, Fred, I really do,' Ken said, hiding his exasperation.

"But look, there's a computer outlet right here in the Hall. Just let me have a chance to check the brand numbers. Won't take long and these could be evidence." At the word "evidence,' Horstmann froze.

Poldep investigations were the bane of any licensed trader. They meant unavoidable and unlimited delays. He narrowed an eye at Ken. "Well, so long's it's only just across the Hall. But I didn't get "em illegal. You know we don't deal in bad merchandise."

"I know that, Fred. Thanks." Under Horstmann's baleful gaze, Ken switched on the terminal and keyed in his user code. Ken watched the trader out of the corner of his eye until he got involved in a de'al and temporarily forgot about Ken and evidence.

If these were horses that had gone missing over the past few years, then he-and other ranchers who said they'd had periodic losses-might be able to break up this new spate of rustling. That is, if they could also solve how the rustlers were getting past the security satellites. Having solid evidence to show Poldep would ensure their cooperation. And prove ranchers hadn't just been careless in pulling up ssersa or keeping proper track of their stock.

Ken had to think hard to remember when he first lost track of a horse for which a carcass had never been found. Even mdas left the skull and hooves and occasionally scraps of hide and bone fragments.

It had to have been five or more years ago. He called up his records for a date ten years back when the horses were rounded up for their annual checkup. Now he remembered. In late summer1

one of his stallions hadn't come home, a big powerful bay who'd sired a fine few foals before he disappeared. Buster he'd been called.

Ken initiated a search for that name.

The screen blanked and was replaced with the "One Moment Please' graphic. Ken twitched impatiently while the search went on. In a few minutes, the screen cleared, then filled with name, description, and freeze mark. Ken jotted the number down and started flipping through the hides, trying to find a match. He didn't.

"I'm doing this backward, he told himself. He blanked the screen and began to type in the numbers on the Zapatan hides and asked for matching data.

The program, in the way of all computer inventory programs, was painfully slow. Each query consumed several minutes, having to access data from the master mainframe on the other side of the planet.

Fretfully Ken drummed his fingertips on the console and glared at the cheery graphic.

When the screen changed, he pounced on the keyboard.

"There! Cuddy, two-year-old, sired by Maglev out of Corona, black and white pinto, gelded." Ken slapped the hide, pleased. "Six years ago, eh?" He hit the key to copy and print the document, then flipped Cuddy's hide over to the next one. His hand was arrested in midair as he glanced from the hide to the screen and back again. This was an Appaloosa hide, leopard Appaloosa at that, small black flecks on white.

"Wait a minute! This didn't come off Cuddy." Undeniably the file said pinto, but the skin was white flecked with black.

Ken sat back in the chair with a thump. Not that a pinto could change its spots to leopard Appaloosa. He checked the brand numbers again but the figures tallied. Could Ion or Todd have entered the freeze brand to Cuddy's file? He felt a spurt of righteous anger over such sloppiness. But neither Ion nor Todd was prone to be slipshod.

Not about recording the correct markings. He frowned. He didn't have many Apples. Kelly's father liked the breed. But the freeze mark was his, not Vic's.

Perplexed, he turned to the next one, a bright bay with a white saddle mark shaped like a parallelogram just below the freeze brand.

The brand designated a two-year-old chestnut with no saddle mark.

Could there be a glitch in the system? Could the computer be scrambling his files? He'd have remembered a leopard Appaloosa and a bright bay with such a distinctive saddle mark. These were totally unfamiliar animals. He needed a control.

He entered the markings from a horse he knew better than any other animal on Doona, his mare Socks. She was Reeve Ranch entry #1. Socks was elderly now, but still willing to go out for a ride in fine weather. Data scrolled up, and Ken went straight to the description of the animal. This one was all right. It was the mare, all the way down to her four white socks. So what was wrong with the other files?

He brought up again the first two he had tried, wondering if solar flares had interfered with the satellite transmission of data from Treaty Island Archives the first time. To his -chagrin, they remained unaltered and the hides still bore marks of horses he didn't recognize.

One by one, Ken compared his records with the freeze-dry markings for each hide in the bundle.

When he was through, not one of the hides matched the color description of the horse that should have worn it. It was as if someone had lifted the brands from his horses and transferred them onto someone else's, a removal that he knew was, if not impossible, then certainly achieved by a heretofore unknown process.

"You get what you want, Reeve?" Horstmann asked cheerfully, coming over in between a spate of deals to slap the other man on the back.

Ken shrugged. "Yes and no, Fred." A very clever operator was making a profit on selling rustled animals on Zapata Three and, probably, elsewhere.

And with Zapatan provenances, surely there was a way of finding out who that clever person was.

"When All Kiachif arrives, I'd like to talk with him.

Had any bids on these hides?" Ken didn't want them scattered, but he also couldn't block a sale for Fred just to keep the evidence in one place.

"Well, the Hrruban in the Doona Cooperative of Farmers and Skilicrafters booth sounded interested in them."

"Iook, I'll give you a deposit .

"Against the price? Or just to hold "em?"

"To hold "em, Fred.

That provenance might be forged."

"Didn't look forged to me!' Fred's eyes widened at the mere suggestion that he'd been conned.

"Nevertheless, you don't want to sell and then find out the provenance was counterfeit, if you know what I mean." Ken deliberately used All Kaichifs favorite phrase.

"I know what you mean: fines! Okay. Under the circumstances, Ken, I'll waive the deposit and put these damned things to one side where no one "11 see "em. That help you?"

"It surely does, Fred, and I appreciate it more than I can say." Ken smiled gratefully but he rather suspected that Horstmann might be cutting some sly deals on the side that he didn't want the senior Codep captain to know about. Normally such a favor cost a lot more than just the breath it took to ask it.

"Don't forget to tell Kiachif that I need to see him." Armed with his curious findings, Ken arranged an interview with the Poldep chief in charge of Doona's quadrant of the Amalgamated Worlds.

Poldep, the enforcement arm of the Amalgamated Worlds Administration, had jurisdiction on every planet which had signed the charter. Sampson DeVeer listened politely to Ken's theory about rustlers somehow evading the security satellites, but clearly he was finding it hard to believe.

"It's a very interesting theory, Mr. Reeve, he said blandly. He was a tall man who had been called good-looking by many women behind his back, because his diffident manner kept them from approaching the man himself. He had broad shoulders and an intelligent face. His wavy hair and moustache were nearly black. "I'd need proof to proceed, you understand. Not just speculation."

"I have proof,' Ken said, producing the film copies. DeVeer's casual attitude was beginning to get on his nerves. DeVeer was rumored to be antiDoona, though he wasn't an active antagonist to the colony. He claimed he was just trying to do his job, and the presence of unknowns like the Hrrubans made it more difficult for him. "These hides have been altered in some way.

DeVeer tented his fingers, peering through them at the hard copy that Ken had spread out on his desk. "That's very unlikely, Mr. Reeve. It's more probable the records were changed. In my twenty years serving Poldep, I have never come across anyone, or anything, that can produce an undetectable alteration to the freeze-dry-process brands." His tone was unequivocal.

"Well, someone has,' Ken insisted, indicating the leopard Appaloosa hide which ought to have been black and white. "I don't run Apples. But that's my freeze brand. And you know a horse has never been known to alter its hide."

"Perhaps the skin was dyed?"

"If the leopard Apple had turned black and white, I'd say that was possible, but not probable.

There is also no trace of dye according to this chemical analysis of the hide." And Ken tossed that flimsy across the desk to DeVeer.

"Mr. Reeve,' DeVeer said again patiently. "These are negative proofs. You have the hide of a horse that you say you never owned with a brand to an animal you did." He held up a hand to forestall an outburst. "I know that rustling has been an ongoing problem on Doona.

I've investigated several cases myself. The freeze-brand system was developed to prevent rustling. I'd say it has. Now you come along, wanting to contest the validity of that excellent system.

Frankly I don't think this is a case of rustling. Maybe you should look a little closer to home, where some people might have a chance to duplicate your brand on strays that they can legally sell off-world.

Doesn't your son have regular access to spacegoing transport?" Ken barely kept himself from reaching across the desk and planting his fist firmly in DeVeer's face.

"Are you suggesting that Todd has rustled horses from the ranch he will one day inherit?"

"Inherit might be presumptuous, Mr. Reeve, but the opportunity is there . . . Now, now, look at this objectively, Mr. Reeve. I'm trying to clarify a perplexing set of facts. I'm not speaking with any intent to offend. Let me put it to you this way.

If, for example, you had a horse, a living one, with a brand matching one of these stolen hides, I would have a lead to investigate - a duplication of numbers, which is a possibility. An honest error at branding time when you got to handle a lot of foals.

Or if you know who had bred this leopard Appaloosa, I'd have another lead. And if you knew how these brands could be altered, which is something I've never heard of, then we really would have a cause for an immediate and intensive inquiry. As it is, we have nothing to go on but unlikely speculation and possible data base errors." He stood up, indicating the interview was over. "I assure you that, if you come to me with something concreteeven one piece of evidence - I'll be glad to listen." Ken got most of his anger blown out of his system on his way back to the ranch. Any Poldep inspector worthy of his rank would have seen the anomalies in hides with inappropriate markings. Data base errors! Duplication of freeze-brand numbers! That had never happened, not in the twenty-four years he'd been breeding horses. Nor had it happened to any other rancher, Hayuman or Hrruban.

That sly dig about Todd inheriting being presumptuous. Presuming what? That Todd would be found guilty and sent to a penal colony and denied the right to inherit colonial land anywhere?

Ken made himself calm down and warned himself not to even consider such an outcome. it was dark when he reached the ranch and the lights blazed out a welcome on the flower beds Pat had labored so long to surround the house. He was glad to see Kelly had been invited over for dinner again, but he hoped Pat wouldn't be silly enough to push Todd.

That lad didn't push! He stood his ground and he was doing it now with courage and fortitude.

Ken was prouder than ever of his son.

The moment Ken started recounting his discovery, Pat put dinner on hold and, instead of the meal, the big round table was spread with the hard copy. Ken had talked Fred into letting him take two of the hides home and he'd stopped by the vet lab to borrow a microscope for a good look at the hide marks.

"This is a real stumper,' Todd said, looking up from his turn at the microscope. He gestured for Kelly to take a turn at the eyepiece.

"There's no shadow of an original freeze mark. I'd swear this one was the first one, and genuine. Only it can't be.

"Cause Cuddy was a pinto, not a leopard Apple."

"Could they have used a chemical to neutralize the original brand mark?" Pat asked, studying the printout of the descriptions of the horses whose numbers had appeared on the wrong hides.

Ken shook his head. "There's no chemical that can do that. "A laser?" Robin asked brightly, sure he'd come up with the logical solution. "That looks like chemical burns sometimes.

"Black magic is the more likely answer,' Kelly said in a gloomy tone, leaning back from the microscope. "I'd swear that was genuine and the only mark that hide had ever worn."

"You raise Apples, Kelly,' Ken began.

"Yeah, but we don't sell our leopards. You know that. And if one of ours had gone missing, you know that Dad and Michael would have combed the planet to find it. Ken knew that was true enough.

"Todd, I got a job for you,' he said, placing an arm about his son's shoulder. "We've got to get all the other ranches to let us do a read-only search of missing stock and the brands they wore. If we find a missing horse wearing one of those brands,' and he pointed to the lists, "we'll have some solid evidence to give DeVeer.

With a wry grin, Todd said, "The old fogey didn't suggest that your son might be using his ol' dad's legitimate brand marks to sell stock off-world, did he?" Ken wasn't quite quick enough to mask his annoyance-and dismay at Todd's droll query.

"What'll they think of next to hang on Todd's neck?" Kelly demanded indignantly. "As if you could fit one horse in the Albatross, let alone seventeen or twenty!" Ken snapped his fingers. "Damn, now why didn't I think of that factor?"

"You were probably far too mad to do so,' Pat said, raising her eyebrows in amusement.

"You're right about that. Now, let's get back to work. Robin, have you had a chance to find out who's missing stock?" Robin produced a flimsy from his pocket. "And Mr. Hu said a rancher named Tobin's been complaining that some of his stock has run off."

"Let's get details on those animals, then, and not just freeze brands, but full descriptions and markings.

"Maybe Hrriss could . . ." Inessa began, and then clapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes big with regret at mentioning that name in Todd's hearing.

"You can ask him, Inessa,' Todd said evenly.

"You're not under any restraint. Find out if Hrruban ranches are missing horses, too. Maybe the rustling's only aimed at Hayumans.

"You can't possibly mean to imply that Hrrubans would stoop to rustling?" Kelly asked, regretting the statement the instant the words were out of her mouth.

"They'd be the last to rustle hrrsses,' Todd said, whimsically using Hrriss's pronunciation. "But someone might like to make it look that way."

"Good point, Todd,' Ken said. "Now let's "Let's have dinner,' Pat interjected, "before it's spoiled. The hides will keep.

After dinner, in which theory and speculation were rife, everyone went off on their designated searches. Robin took the family flitter and zoomed away to visit the Dautrish farm. Kelly went off in hers, promising to do a thorough search of the Solinari records and see if perhaps the leopard Apple had been bred by another rancher. Ken used the office system to double-check his records at source and Todd settled in at the computer terminal in his room.

He put up a mail message to the hundreds of ranches on Doona, asking permission to do a readonly on their stock files, and leaving his user number and name as the signature. Then he put a control list of the numbers and hides that his father had gone through. Before he finished that, three ranchers had flashed back permission. First he listed missing stock, by number and description. He set up a separate file to isolate description matches.

When he thought of going to Main Records to obtain numbers of hides returned to Doona for leather processing, he used the ranch number, in case his was unacceptable to Treaty Island. He berated himself for the growing paranoia he sensed as a result of his house arrest, but he needed this information too badly to wish to be denied access.

He didn't dismiss the possibility that someone had made illicit use of the Reeve Ranch freezemark files. And although rustling had been an ongoing problem for ranchers, that sort of illegal entry smacked of a very long-term effort. Rustlers were in and out, making a quick profit from their hauls. They certainly wouldn't plan so precisely how to confuse records and an entire, viable industry. Or would they?

It was that leopard Apple hide with a blatantly Reeve brand that really baffled him. He knew he couldn't rest until he'd found where that horse had been bred and who had owned it.

As he was to discover in the next few days, lots of people had missed horses that they never traced, never found the carcass of, and had never bothered reporting. Every rancher expected to lose a few to natural calamities. But the more he looked, the more he came to realize that no ranch had lost as many over the past ten years as the Reeves.

Branding an animal with some other ranch's ID simply wasn't the sort of practical joke ranchers played on each other. Not by the dozens, certainly.

While one bay hide could look like another bay hide, swirl marks were taken when an animal was registered. Broken-color horses were far easier to identify from their birth diagrams, which plainly indicated the shapes of the darker hair.

Then a thought struck him. Maybe these weren't Doonan horses at all. At least the ones whose hides Ken had found. Maybe that was the deception: horses stolen from another planet marked with Doona brands to satisfy innocent purchasers. No wonder there was a Zapata provenance. When he discovered how many colonial worlds bred horses, with vast herds far too large to be individually marked, Todd decided he'd leave that option till last.

He'd look first for those animals which had been discovered dead.

The cause of their demise would be in the records . . . and there were quite a few.

All with the initials MA for Mark Aden, Len Adjei's former assistant. SS meant ssersa poisoning, MS for snake, M for mda, A for accient-broken leg or some other injury which resulted in euthanasia.

The unexplained disappearances, however, began to increase over the last few years.

The fact that the Reeve Ranch suffered the most losses and that the spurious hide marks were all Reeve brands as well worried Todd.

Admiral Landreau was back on Doona. Any example of incompetence, any whiff of dishonesty that could be charged against the Reeves, could be seized on and used by Landreau and others to try and get them deported, could work against the welfare of the entire colony. This was too precarious a time for him to be trapped by a home arrest, out of circulation, out of action when he was most needed.

Anger suffused Todd. Ever since he set foot on Doona, he had defended the ideal it exemplifiedharmonious cohabitation. He knew to the marrow of his bones, the cells of his blood, the lungs that breathed clear Doonan air, that Huiss felt an equal dedication.

Why had he decided that they had to answer that Mayday? He answered himself. Because, being who he was, reared as he was, he could have done nothing else. And someone very clever had counted on that! He couldn't quite see Admiral Landreau being so psychologically astute. Rogitel, now, he might. But Todd had had little intercourse with the commander-only that one meeting on Hrretha.

Not really time enough in desultory formal responses for even a trained psychologist to have taken that kind of measure of anyone.

Another file for a missing horse recalled him to the task at hand and he punched the print button.

The stack of films beside him was growing.

He'd had to make a joke out of DeVeer suspecting him of doing the smuggling for profit.

And yet, with all those valuables found on the Albatross, it wouldn't be so hard for someone else to accept that possibility. But for anyone to think that he, Todd Reeve, or Hrriss, son of Hrrestan, Hiruban leader of Rrala, would sully all they had lived for, worked for. that was very hard to swallow. The beautiful dream that was Doona was inexorably slipping away from his grasp, deny it though he might. lisa had never understood his passion for Doona. And really, neither did Robin or Inessa, but they had never lived under the restraints of Earth society, so they'd no idea what they'd lose. He wished for the millionth time that he could talk to Hrriss. If it wasn't for the support of his family, the often stumbling reassurances of old friends, the wisdom of Hrruvula, his counsel, and Kelly's daily visits, he would find that unendurable.

The cheery "One Moment Please' graphic appeared on the screen again. Todd felt another rush of hot rage, which he fought to dispel.

It didn't do any good to tear himself up, but he was frustrated and angry. Instead of being out there, offering support for the ongoing Treaty talks which would cement permanent relations between Earth and Hrruba, ensuring Doona's continuance, Todd was being used as a pawn to break the colony and the alliance. Every time he answered one charge or began to solve one problem, another cropped up to claim his attention. It was curious, because everything seemed centered on him or his father. And that incontrovertibly led to Admiral Al Landreau as the most likely origin of this complex conspiracy. He had no proof nor the freedom of movement to secure any.

Why did animosity consume Landreau to the point where his revenge on the Reeves, father and son, embraced Doona, and all the good that had been achieved over a quarter of a century?

Todd searched his memory of those early days on Doona. Of course, he had arrived after Ken and the other ten colonists had struggled through an unbelievably long and cold winter to build homes for their families when the ship arrived in the springtime. Eleven men, placed alone on a supposedly uninhabited planet, had to make all the decisions of socialization and civilization that would frame a new world. They courageously faced physical hazards and the incredible moral obligation. When Ken had discovered the Hrruban village, they had been ready to leave in obedience to the prohibitions which had been hammered into their heads almost from birth: cohabitation with another species could only result in the destruction of the other species. But the Hrrubans were no gentle, vulnerable, sensitive ephemerals.

Circumstances had swept the Terrans along at a furious pace, and they had found themselves cohabiting, with no way to adhere to their decision to leave Doona. Todd grinned, wishing he had been more aware when his father had lost his temper at the various bureaucrats who had blamed the colonists for the untenable situation. Once the mutual benefits of this trial cohabitation had been understood, Alreldep, with Admiral Sumitral, and Codep had accepted with fair grace. But Landreau, the Spacedep representative, never forgot and showed no hint of forgiveness.

Todd took a break from the computer and got up to stretch. He raised his arms over his head and heard the crack as muscles protested being forced to remain too long in the same position. At some point, his mother had quietly left a pitcher of juice, some buttered bread, and the final wedge of the dinner pie on a tray on the worktop.

Gratefully he poured a glass of juice and, with the pie in one hand, walked to the window. He was thankful every day for the abundance of real and tasty food.

He still remembered the metallic taste of childhood meals, the sameness of each supposedly nutritous meal. He had always felt hungry.

He pushed open the window and leaned his elbows on the frame. The sun was starting to drop behind the trees over the river at the bottom of the pasture. He wished he could be out and doing, back at his job, able to visit his friends. Even when he was a small boy, he had hated confinement. Never mind that his prison was the many acres of his father's ranch: his freedom of movement had been severely curtailed and he was unused to that. It was, however, better than a genuine incarceration in a four-by-four-meter cell. The only times he had been allowed to leave the ranch over the last two weeks had been to appear on Treaty Island, for more questioning. Each time, he had hoped for a glimpse of Hrriss, but their visits didn't coincide.

The prosecutors were being careful to keep them strictly apart.

The incriminating evidence of illegal artifacts found on the Albatross was quite enough to convict them of criminal activities inconsonant with the positions of trust both he and Hrriss had held.

With Landreau and Rogitel briefingtheir attorneys, this could call into question the success of the Doona Experiment of Cohabitation.

That would be a rather farfetched allegation, since one Hayuman and one Finliban were involved, not two members of the same species working against the interests of the other.

Their defense attorney was Hrruvula, a brilliant Hrruban advocate of the same Stripe as First Speaker but young enough to be light-furred, a shade that the horseman in Todd named buckskin.

His stripe, while still narrow, was a dark accent to his fine hide. His Standard was as fluent as a nativeborn Terran and indeed he had assiduously studied both the language and the legal systems of Earth as well as those of his home planet. He had one assistant, the physical opposite of his tall muscular self, a diminutive dark-haired, dark-complected Terran named Sue Bailey, a name Todd thought inordinately appropriate for a legal clerk. During all the sessions Todd had attended, she said little, rarely glancing up from the square portable over which her fingers flew in taking down their conversations.

Hrruvula made no bones about the fact that the evidence-tape and objects, and most especially the Byzanian Glow Stone-damned Todd and Hrriss. Todd suggested that Poldep had not investigated any of the anomalies or made any attempt to question other suspects.

"When they have you and Hrriss, with your fingers in the till as it were,' Hrruvula said, revealing a fine understanding of old Terran metaphors that would delight Kelly, "they have no motivation to look for anyone else. But you two have no motive that I have been able to discover.

You both have the reputation of indisputable honor and dedicated responsibility. You both have a splendid future on Doona, and only fools, which neither of you are, would jeopardize such a future so near to its real inauguration: the renegotiation of the Treaty of Doona." "Have you discovered anyone else with such motive?" Hrruvula lifted his shoulders. "As you suggested, Admiral Landreau's public animosity toward Doona as well as his frequent assertions that he would "get the Reeves" have been verified. Documentation has been providcd by many eminent personages. But there is no proof.

"There has to be . . ." Todd had interrupted.

Hrruvula held up his first digit, claw tip showing.

His jaw had dropped slightly and his eyes sparkled.

"Yet." Then Hrruvula had asked if they had any more information about the hides.

The Treaty Council members sat looking austere and troubled, facing Commander Landreau over the Council table. The head of Spacedep was flanked by Rogitel, his assistant, and by Varnorian of Codep, who looked bored by the whole proceeding. Landreau sat hunched slightly over his clasped hands, like a moody predator bird, as he reiterated the charges against Todd Reeve and Hrriss.

Todd and Hrriss were not present for this introductory session.

They were, naturally, represented by Hrruvula, with Sue Bailey tapping quiet fingers on her keys. With a Poldep officer on guard, the illicit artifacts were displayed, the Glow Stone in a heavy plastic case.

Sampson DeVeer was also present, seated next to the recording secretary at the foot of the table.

"The accused, Todd Reeve and Hrriss, both colonists of this planet, have been granted numerous unusual privileges,' Landreau began.

"Among them, exclusive use of a scout-class spaceship and almost unlimited access to the Archives and other records.

"These "privileges" were warranted by their extra-planetary duties which they have faultlessly executed to the benefit of their native planets and their adopted world,' Hrruvula replied. "They were elected unanimously to fulfill the position of travelling emissaries for DoonaiRrala."

"Yes, and see how they reward the trust put in them,' Landreau spat out. "Illegal invasion of space, piracy, smuggling!"

"We are by no means convinced, Admiral Landreau,' Madam Dupuis said in a stern tone, "that the defendants are guilty of piracy and smuggling.

They have both separately maintained that neither of them placed the artifacts on the Albatross, nor could the one have done so without the other's knowledge."

"But their own log claims otherwise." Landreau made his voice sound reasonable, even saddened by the clandestine activities of Todd and Hrriss. "I am not at all satisfied by the so-called confessions that your interview extracted from the, er, defendants."

"My clients would be happy, in fact delighted, to answer these allegations under oath,' Hrruvula replied.

"How good is the word of such deceitful parties?"

"Objection!" Hrruvula said, shooting to his feet.

"Sustained,' Madam Dupuis said, shooting a repressive look at Landreau.

The Admiral took a deep breath and, with a fixed smile, continued.

"Oaths in a case such as this are not good enough,' Landreau said, and began enumerating his reasons. They claim there was a robot beacon orbiting Hrrilnorr IV. Admiralty Records emphatically proves that no such beacon ever existed. On the off chance that a rogue beacon from some other system or passing vessel had entered the system and been drawn to Hrrilnorr IV, a scout was dispatched to search. No trace of any mechanical devices was found except the ones assigned to that system. But,' and now he waggled his finger, "an astonishing assortment of illegal objects and that Byzanian Glow Stone were unquestionably found secreted aboard the Albatross, and those two young men'-his tone made that designation an insult-'deny any knowledge of them." He paused dramatically. "1

insist on guaranteed veracity. They must submit to interrogation-by qualified technicians, of courseunder querastrin.

An agitated murmur rumbled through the Council chamber, although Hrruvula, whom Landreau was watching, appeared unmoved by such a drastic course. Querastrin was by no means a new truth drug, but it was a harsh one. It stripped the person under its influence of both privacy and dignity.

Suicides following querastrin interrogation were frequent: more often in the cases of those proved innocent under such a drug than those convicted of crimes they had denied.

Hrruvula fixed his deceptively mild green gaze on Landreau and allowed the pupils to slowly contract.

Landreau shuddered inwardly.

"But why should it be needed in this instance, Admiral?" the counsel asked. "Querastrin seems rather an extreme measure. Both Terran and Hrruban courts permit suspects of all but the most bizarre crimes to retain their dignity and give evidence under oath. My clients, on the occasion of the inspection in Councillor Dupuis's presence and separately during every interrogatory session, have explained the circumstances of their entry into the Hrrilnorr system.

Their account has not varied in any particular during any repetition." "But their "account" does not tally with the physical evidence supporting their arrest. The future of an entire colony is at stake here, don't you understand that?" Landreau asked plaintively, meeting every Councillor's eyes in turn. "Does that not count against the well-being of two single citizens? As a Human, I am appalled that one of my kind invaded a sector which you Hrrubans claimed as your own territory. A deliberate and premeditated abrogation of a specific Treaty clause, and that is the least of their acts against the Treaty.

Surely you must wish such unscrupulous persons removed from this society to prevent them tainting the minds of your young folk who have, I am told, become accustomed to following the lead of.

these two young men. Doona does not need such role models." Landreau allowed his dismay to be clearly seen.

The Treaty Controller nodded slowly as if agreeing with that assertion of opprobrium. Landreau's eyes narrowed slightly and the hint of a smile pulled at his thin lips. The common good was a sensible tack to take in ramming home his points.

A nice wedge, neatly driven in to make these idiots reexamine their values.

Hrruvula dismissed that with a wave of his hand.

"Who are we to consider to have tainted whom, Commander?" he asked.

"Cui bono, Counsellor,' Landreau said. "Who profits from the crimes? In the testimony given to this august body, the suspects failed curiously to address several interesting items which I have uncovered. Then, too, I have recently come into possession of evidence, just brought to my attention, on another matter entirely.

The government of Zapata Three felt obliged to submit this directly to me. This includes not only these financial records,' and Landreau extended a sheaf of flimsies for the court steward to present to the Councillors, "but a description of a male, one point nine meters tall, with dark brown hair and blue eyes, calling himself Rikard Baliff, the named depositor. This so-called Rikard Baliff has had a most lucrative and active account for the last ten years. The date of the first deposit, by chance, happens to be only two months after that scout, Albatross, was assigned to Todd Reeve and Hrriss, son of Hrrestan. The most recent deposit was made only three weeks ago."

"I fail to see the relevance of these documents,' Hrruvula remarked with a slight, exasperated sigh of boredom.

"It's obvious enough to me, to any thoughtful person,' Landreau replied, piqued. "Young Mr. Reeve has been building a stake himself, should the Doona Experiment fail. A new life, with a new name-financed, in part, we may now surmise on this new evidence-by the sale of horses bearing Reeve Ranch freeze marks as well as the rare artifacts found on the Albatross. I have depositions,' and he fluttered more sheets for the steward to hand over to the Councillors, "that this Rikard Baliff was always accompanied by a Hrruban.

Plainly the two have been in collusion for a long time." Madam Dupuis disguised her anger only by a great effort of will. Despjte this new and most unsettling evidence, she could not imagine Todd Reeve as a conniving rustler and smuggler any more than she could see Hrriss being led around by the nose as an accomplice in such a nefarious undertaking. Why, Todd would have been barely twenty-one at the time he allegedly started this galaxy-wide enterprise. Furthermore, someone in those ten years would surely have recognized Todd and Hrriss at some point during their visits to Zapata and commented on it. Especially if Todd and Hrriss were at the same time representing the colony at an official function. She eased from one buttock to another, compelled by her oath as a Treaty Councillor to hear out this remarkable fabrication of Landreau's and fretting the way evidence upon evidence was being piled up.

When Landreau began to read from the documents, as if the Councillors were too infirm to do so for themselves, she interrupted him. "Have you any witnesses who can testify to the presence of Todd Reeve and Hrriss on Zapata to conduct these transactions?"

"Only scan the frequency of deposits, Madam Dupuis, and you will see'-Landreau's smile broadened-'that the dates match the times-on List B-2-when Reeve and his Hrruban partner were logged off Doona on official visits." Madam Dupuis turned to her colleagues. "I would like to see their flight plans and log records for the past ten years."

"That is List B-3, Madam Dupuis,' Rogitel said helpfully.

"It would seem that they have become deft at altering the Albatross log to delete unauthorized landings at Zapata, and on other worlds,' Landreau said.

"If I may interject a word here,' Rogitel said, "since the assistant sealed the Albatross immediately upon its landing four weeks ago, they did not have time to alter the log on that journey. The need to do so would account for why they were so insistent on postponing the obligatory inspection of their craft until such time when they could return and delete the incriminating portions." One of the Treaty Councillors rattled the deposit sheet. "A lot of credit's flowed through this account. Where did the withdrawals go?"

"Why, to purchase illegal and smuggled items, sir,' Landreau said as if any fool could have deduced that. "And undoubtedly to secure silence from any who might inform on their clandestine activities."

"Frankly, Admiral, I find that allegation harder to believe than any other evidence you have presented to this court,' Madam Dupuis said. "Both young men have worked ceaselessly to ensure that the Doona Experiment continues."

"Ah!" and Landreau raised his hand, his face alight. "That is why their duplicity is so monstrous.

Especially where the Reeve family is concerned, for it is well known that they would not be welcome back on Earth. Therefore, seizing an opportunity to be sure that he and his family would live in comfort somewhere else, Todd Reeve used his position and privilege to accumulate the necessary credits." Hrruvula managed a chuckle and in a very human gesture, covered his eyes as if unable to maintain the dignity such a hearing required.

"Your humor is ill timed, sir,' Landreau said, stiffly drawing his body to its full height in the chair, "for all of you must remember that ten years ago, demonstrationsoccurred on both Hrruba and Terra demanding that the Siwannese Noncohabitation Principle be upheld and the Doona colony abandoned as a violation." Then he gave Hiruvula a smug glance of satisfaction for that unequivocal fact.

"Those demonstrations subsided and an inquiry proved that the agitation had not been spontaneous as claimed but had indeed been subsidized by unidentified conservatives from both planets.

"That is on record,' Madam Dupuis said. "More to the point, at no time during the period were any colonists permitted off-planet."

"Exactly, Madam Dupuis!" Landreau shot to his feet in triumph. "And shortly thereafter Reeve and Hrriss began their "goodwill" appearances.

"To dispel any lasting doubt as to the validity of the DoonaiRrala Experiment,' Hrwvula said.

"And just look how that privilege has been abused by Reeve and Hrriss!" Landreau exclaimed.

"To smuggle and steal in order to provide an alternate life-style in case the Doonan Experiment should not prove successful at the end of the Treaty period. The Reeve family has a well-documented history of dissidence and anarchy."

"That is libel, Admiral,' Hrruvula said.

"They are self-motivated, hardworking, disciplined colonists with achievements any Stripe would be proud to acknowledge. And do!"

"I insist that the defendants submit to interrogation under querastrin,' Landreau said, his face flushed, his eyes flashing, and his manner uncompromising. "That is the only way in which the truth of the past ten years can be unraveled."

"I protest the need for any such extreme measure!" Hiruvula was on his feet.

The Treaty Controller gave a sharp rap of his gavel.

"That may not be necessary,' he said, though his phrasing caused other Councillors to regard him in surprise. "The defendants will be interrogated in court in the normal manner as to the violation of the interdiction of Hrrilnorr and their possession of illegal objects found secreted on the ship solely used by them. The defense attorney is to have time to review the new evidence presented to this court today and prepare a defense.

Madam Dupuis regarded the Controller in a fixed stare, for he intimated that he didn't believe there could be a defense adequate to clear the charges. She noticed that Hrruvula was quick to catch the innuendo.

"If those proceedings prove inconclusive,' the Controller went on, "time enough to administer querastnn.

Landreau covered his jubilation. He had become worried at the Controller's silence, for it had taken a long time for his colleagues to place that nominee of the bigoted Third Speaker in the senior position.

He had to deal with Hrrubans, to be sure, to effect that end, but at least they had been Hrrubans who felt as he did-that the Doonan Experiment should be disbanded. He tossed Hrruvula a challenging look.

Just let that cat try to discredit the evidence that had been so carefully obtained. Just let him try!

And after discrediting the Reeves, such sterling examples of Doonan colonials, he was quite willing to start an interspecies war to depopulate Doona.

Those plans needed only a few more little twitches to provide ample excuse for the protective preemptive strike he felt was necessary against the danger of a Hrruban invasion of Earth. Soon that twentyfive-year-old mistake would be exonerated.

The gavel startled him out of his reverie.

"Due notice of the trial date will be forthcoming,' declared the Controller. "This session is adjourned.

Admiral Landreau sprang to his feet as the Councillors filed out, well pleased with the events.

He failed to notice either their thoughtful expressions or the bland expression of Hrruvula.

"Well, that's a horse of a different color, if you get what I mean,' All Kiachif said, startling Ken, who had been disconsolately stroking the leopard Apple hide. "I thought so when I shipped it.

Alive, alert, and akicking, it was. Freddie lad told me you were looking for me. I've got another sled or two of your hides, myself, if you were interested in having them. Chance of a drink for a dry man?

Some of your pussycat punch around, if you know what I'm talking about, eh? That mlada's a powerful temptation.

Ken looked from the hide on the table to the merchantman's friendly face. "Sure thing, All,' and he swung out of his chair to get bottle and glass from the cupboard, "but are you saying that you remember this one horse in particular, out of all the hundreds you've carried?" The captain lifted his shoulders expressively.

"Thousands, Reeve, thousands!" He knocked back the generous tot Ken had poured. "Horses are what Doona ships the most of. But that leopardie Applousa was a real looker."

"Leopard Appaloosa,' Ken corrected automatically.

"Don't see many of them, if you know what I meanEr, I'm a bit dry." As automatically, Ken splashed an even more generous portion and set the bottle down in front of the wiry old spacefarer.

"Tell me all you remember, Captain, please! I'm going half crazy trying to find out where the horse which wore this hide came from. My records come up blank and we're having to cross-check it against every animal ever bred here.

All Kiachif had been lowering the level of mlada in the glass slowly but steadily as Ken spoke. Now, wiping his wild whiskers with the back of his hand, he sighed with relief. "Ah, that cuts the spacedust and sifts the sand, with a vengeance. I remember perfectly because one, the unusual hide on the beast, and two, it was the first time I'd seen an animal with your freeze mark being exported.

Looked like a nice animal so I couldn't understand why you'd sell it on. I take a fairly friendly interest in your family, from far away back. Got another reason to remember yon spotted laddie because I was taking your stablehand, young Mr. Aden, out into the great beyond with it! He was going to one of the new places to ply his trade." Kiachif scratched his beard. "Though I can't rightly remember what that trade was. He had a lot of tricky toys and equipment with him, but it was all his. He had a manifest, money, the works. A lot of money, I was thinking, for a young lad who never did anything but manage horses all his life. He was off to a grand start with all those gadgets wherever he was going." "Now, that's the best thing I've heard in weeks, All,' Ken said, but his smile was grim. "And itpartially-explains who knew so much about my ranch and freeze IDs."

"But that Apple laddie wasn't rustled. He was sold proper by that Aden feller."

"Who's part of a conspiracy to frame me and my son.

"What's that?" All Kiachif paused, hand on the bottle neck.

"I never bred a leopard Appaloosa, All. The Solinaris do. Those are, undeniably, my ranch markings but they should be on a twyearid pinto." "Well, I can swear that they're on the hide of the animal I loaded. That animal!" And All stabbed a stubby stained finger at the hide in front of him.

"You'd be willing to swear to that?"

"In front of anyone and as often as need be. But it's not one hide that's got your drive revving."

"No. So far I've found nineteen other hides, provenanced from Zapata, that don't tally with any horse I ever bred and marked.

Poldep is saying it's Todd who's been rustling from his own father, amassing a fat credit account off-world." Ken could feel the frustrated anger building inside him again just having to repeat the foul accusations. "And there're more rumors that Hrriss is either coming along for the ride or sharing the take." At the astonished and disbelieving expression on All Kiachif's face, he reined in.

All did not. He poured a quick tot to steady hiniseff, for his face had turned an apoplectic red.

"Not those boys!" he said, pounding his fist on the table, a separate bang for eacti word. "Charge anyone else from any planet anywhere in Terran space or even Hrruban space and I might agree, but not Todd and Hrriss."

"The Council and Poldep do not share your faith in their honesty. And damn it all'-the boost which Kiachif's instant defense had given Ken dissolved as quickly-'the facts, the evidence are against them."

"Facts! Facts? Evidence?" All narrowed his eyes, the shrewd trader, not the spirits-guzzling reprobate. "Facts can be altered, even evidence can be counterfeit to suit needs. But I'm a man who's dealt with all kinds, all over this arm of the Milky Way,' and he waved expansively, "and I've never been wrong judging a man in my life.

And I'm not wrong about that lad of yours who wore a rope tail to look like his best buddy. Anyone else, of any creed, color, conformation, or character, might do the dirty on his own dad so we'll have to find out who did!" All waggled his stained finger at Ken. "And by fire, frost, and every ounce of faith in this old hod, we'll prove it.

His wrath was so great he began to choke on the accumulated spittle in his mouth and Ken had to pound him on the back. Still strangling, All Kiachif held up his glass for a refill.

As she had promised, Kelly brought the ranch files to Hrriss's house. He came out to meet her.

"I thought I recognized the distinctive beat of Calypso's pace,' he said warmly, greeting her.

"Nothing's wrong, is it?"

"Not with Todd,' she assured him, dismounting and throwing the mare's reins over the rail at the door.

"But we got another small problem. Ken Reeve thought maybe you could help ori the Hrruban end of things. Give you something to do." "Constructive work is always welcome,' Hrriss said, gesturing for her to precede him. "What is the task?" Kelly outlined the story of the mismarked and unidentifiable hides. Hrriss scowled deeply, grasping the implications immediately.

"Zo, now we are alzo rustlers!" To her surprise, Kelly actually saw the hair of Hrriss's stripe rise in resentment.

"Ken Reeve saw a leopard Appaloosa hide in a bundle Fred Horstmann brought in. The puzzle is that the Reeves don't raise leopard Apples.

We do.

But the freeze mark was a Reeve Ranch that was put on a two-year-old pinto. "Neither pintos nor leopards change their spots,' Hrriss said thoughtfully. "Had the freeze mark been altered in any way?"

"No. Ken had the hide analyzed and we've all had a look at it through a microscope. Dad doesn't show a record of any missing leopard Apples. But we need to know if any Hrruban rancher might be missing one."

"What good would that do? A freeze mark cannot be altered."

"But a duplicate number could be put on another stolen animal, couldn't it?"

"Ah, that is a different matter. And no reliable trader would export animals which did not bear the brand of a reliable rancher."

"Todd's already working on a read-only scan of Hayuman ranches but it takes so long on this antiquated computer net that if you could handle the Hrruban end of things.

"Of course,' Hrriss said, patting her knee to reassure her. "I will begin at once."

"I would like to help in any way I can,' said a soft voice as a female Hrruban slipped into the room. "I have computer skills.

Kelly tried hard not to gawk at the unexpected presence of a female in Hrriss's company. "I'm so sorry. How very rude of me not to ask if you were already occupied, Hrriss." She started to rise but Hrriss gently pushed her back down on the divan.

"I am Nrrna,' she said, coming straight to Kelly and holding out her hand. She had a short, fluffy dark beige pelt, evidence of her youthfulness, but her stripe was broad and dark, suggesting she came from a very good family. She wore a braided cloth in aqua shade, looped in decorative swags from her shoulders, waist, and ankles that offset her delicate form and beauty.

"I remember you,' Kelly said, cordially gripping the slender hand, for Nrrna's face markings were familiar. She glanced at Hrriss and saw the glowing look in his eyes, not the least bit fraternal. Nrrna returned his glance in the manner of one who has developed considerable rapport. "We took a language class in High Hrruban, though I admit it's been years. Aren't you working for the Health Services these days?"

"Yes,' Nrrna replied with shy friendliness, sidling slightly closer to Hrriss. "I heard of your academic success from my parents.

Yours must be very proud.

Hrriss moved imperceptibly closer to the dainty female. "Nrrna and I will become lifemates this season,' he said, looking proud and self-conscious at the same time.

"You will? Lifemates? Oh! Oh, I'm so happy for you!" Kelly leaped up to seize Hrriss and rub cheeks with him again, then turned to offerboth hands to Nrrna, squeezing the delicate bones very gently.

Considering how Hrrubans mated, Hrriss was likely using the word "season' advisedly. Nrrna would know her cycle, and was planning carefully so they would have time for a joining ceremony before estrus began. Kelly felt that her face was cracking with her delighted smile.

"So this is the research into matters of interest to your mother, Hrriss! How wonderful! May you have every joy!" She snapped her jaws closed before she said what was in her mind, and didn't know where to look in her dismay.

Hrriss reached for her hand and pressed it between his. "When Zodd and I are able to resume our association, Nrrna and I will tell him together." Kelly sighed. "Your news would cheer him up, but I can quite imagine how his knowing such a private arrangement could be construed. I may pop out in spots of anticipation but I won't mention it.

That's one thing I've learned at Alreldep-how to know and not know. Just please let me be there when you do break the news. I want to see him really smile, from deep down,' and she touched her diaphragm, "instead of just his lips."

"You have my word . . -.

"Which is worth a lot, believe me,' Kelly said, her tone suddenly fierce.

Hrriss nodded solemnly and his eyes glowed at the strength of her conviction. Once again he took her hands but this time to seal their agreement.

"Well, I do feel better, Hrriss, I really do."

"And these records?

Have you arrived at any style to conduct the search?"

"I have,' Kelly said, and opened the packet. "It's such a boring job, takes forever, but if you can both help. .

"Nrrna, your parents may not wish you to involve yourself in an investigation of this nature."

"Locating missing hrrsses?" She raised her delicately marked brows at him, her emerald eyes wide with surprise. "It is to help the friend of your heart, Hrriss. And I am my own person. I may make my own decisions." Now she gave Hrriss a certain look that caught Kelly's breath. Undeniably the twinge of regret she felt at seeing such unselfconscious love was partly jealousy for what they already shared.

Hrriss turned back to Kelly, his jaw lightly parted and a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You see, she will have her way if she knows the rightness of the path."

"Are you and Zodd not on the same path?" Nrrna asked. "Hrriss has told me how much you are trying to help revoke those ignoble accusations."

"Ah, yes, well, Nrrna, that's another matter. Nrrna's delicate laugh came out a soft purr. "It is so easy to tell when bareskins are embarrassed. Oh, I do not mean to offend with that term "We are bareskins and I take no offense from such as you, Nrrna. Never,' Kelly said. "And I blush far too easily for my own good." "Especially when Zodd is the subject,' Hrriss said, cocking his head to join in the testing. Then he turned to Nrrna. "Hayuman females do not have your advantage.