“Ah! She’s en route to Colles, ETA two weeks, and there’s a ... Oh snarks!”

“A what?” asked Sassinak, looking up at his tone.

“Well. I can get to her by her next planetfall, but it means hitching a ride on a tanker-transport.”

Sassinak grinned at him. Tankers had a reputation as bare-bones tranportation, and they played out that game on visitors.

“It’ll make the contrast all the greater.” She looked at the route he’d found. “I’ll cut your orders, get you on that patrol-class. Don’t forget to arrange that family message somehow.”

“I won’t.”

His routing didn’t give them much time, but, with Lunzie and Dupaynil both out of the way, they enjoyed a last festive evening in Sassinak’s cabin. Then he was gone, and Sassinak had the final planning to do as they approached the crowded inner sector of the Federation.

She wondered how Aygar would react to the publicity and culture shock of FedCentral. He had been using the data banks on the Zaid-Dayan several hours a day. Ford kept a record of his access. He’d talked to both Marines and Fleet enlisted personnel and word of that trickled back to Sassinak by channels she doubted Aygar knew about. He had asked to take some of the basic achievement tests, to gauge for himself where he stood educationally. Sassinak had given permission, even though Dr. Mayerd thought “the boy,” as she called him, should have professional advice.

The test results lay in the computer files. Sassinak had not accessed them, out of respect for the little