“They have to have occupied all the whole continent by now,” Laria said, trying to keep desperation out of her voice. It was the end of another long day of ’porting loaded vehicles and drones and importing message tubes that resulted in additional drones or tubes sent back to Talavera. Attuned as he now was to her moods, Kincaid heard her aggravation and sent soothings at her. She glared at him. “I’m not that badly off.”

“You’re not?” he asked mildly.

“It seems to me,” Lionasha said, “that we haven’t sent anything to anywhere but Talavera for the past three weeks. What are they doing with all that raw material?”

“Where are they storing it, for that matter?” Vanteer put in.

“According to my brother,” Laria replied in a somewhat caustic tone, “the heavy freight we’ve been struggling to ‘port is loads of prefabricated partitions which the ’Dinis seem to be able to make up into whatever shelter is needed. He says that they’ve a first-class Tower with every amenity possible.”

“Well, at least the ’Dinis got that priority right,” Lionasha remarked. “Not that we can complain. They do right by us here on Clarf.”

Laria grimaced and finished the last of her lemonade. Lio was right: Plrgtgl was forever inquiring if there was anything the Clarf Talents required to ensure their comfort. And their quarters were luxurious. What was wrong with Clarf was the heat. Talavera would enjoy a winter season of some six months: it had a longer rotation around its primary and three degrees more of axial tilt than Clarf had. Clarf was just constantly hot! Nights did get cool—well, relatively cooler—but the daytime heat was enervating in full Clarfian “summer.” Once again she thought longingly of home, the darker sun of Iota Aurigae and the cool breezes that came down from the mountains ...

As soon as this migration is over, you’re taking a holiday, Kincaid said sternly.

How? Laria demanded, and this time there was a wail of desperation in the tight tone she ’pathed at him. Every T-1 Grandfather can find is working full-time somewhere. She got to her feet, somehow managing to keep her expression from revealing her inner despair. “I’m for bed. See you all in the morning, fellow mules.”

“It’s a light day tomorrow, Laria, if that’s any consolation,” Lionasha said encouragingly.

“Oh, they’re sure to find a half-dozen emergency drones to be sent,” Vanteer said.

Lionasha rolled her eyes. “You would!” She pushed herself up out of her chair and, with a disgusted look in Van’s direction, left the lounge.

“What’d I say wrong?” Vanteer demanded of Kincaid.

“If you can’t figure it out, Van, I can’t help you,” the T-2 said, and left the Tower engineer alone.

Van shrugged, finished his drink and left the Tower. He had a date. It suddenly occurred to him that Kincaid had stopped visiting whatever friend he had in the Human Compound. But then, they were all tired these days. Not that he was ever too tired for his favorite off-duty occupation. He grinned as he left, bracing himself for the sultry air outside the cooled Tower.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Kincaid,” she said, raising her head briefly to acknowledge his presence. “It’s all I can do not to snap at folks, and no one deserves that. Not with the loads we’re ’porting. All I want to do is sleep.” She let out a long sigh.

He stretched out on one side, propping his head up on one hand and looking down at her, letting his mind reach hers with gentling thoughts.

“I think we’re both missing our ’Dinis. I know mine have kept me balanced in times of stress,” he said softly. “Only three more weeks.”

“Well, let’s hope they don’t try any more tricks on us,” she said glumly, then immediately turned remorseful and reached out to touch his free hand. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded, Kincaid.” She could feel her face flushing with embarrassment. “Whyever they did it, I really, truly enjoyed ... I mean ... I’m just sorry it wasn’t ...” She rolled her eyes as her attempt to explain about the pleasure she had had came out all wrong. We were together, Kincaid, and it was wonderful. I just would rather it had not been forced on you ...

Nothing could have forced me, Laria. He gave her hand an affectionate squeeze and then began to smooth her hair back from her face. Oh, our ’Dinis heightened the atmosphere a great deal, that’s for sure. And he chuckled softly, wrapping a strand of her hair about his index finger. Then, turning his body and propping himself on both elbows, he dropped a light kiss on her cheek. However, we aren’t being manipulated by sex-driven ’Dinis right now and plain ol’ sex between consenting adults usually relaxes the sort of tension we’re both under. If you’re not too tired ...

Kincaid cocked his head at her, a one-sided grin curving his lips, as if he was amused to be making such a suggestion.

“I think I’d like that very much, Kincaid,” she said softly, reaching up with both hands to run her fingers through his hair and then bring his face down to hers.

They were gentle with each other, as much from weariness as from a genuine and leisurely interest in making sure each would be satisfied. While not as passionate as their encounters had been when the ’Dinis were involved, release was unexpectedly and delightfully prolonged so that they drifted into sleep in each other’s arms.

They woke together, one mind’s consciousness awakening the other, and they were still entwined. Kincaid lifted himself on one elbow and gently outlined her mouth with one finger, smiling a little.

“I might even get accustomed to this, my dear. You’re very restful.”

He had no barrier set, and she perceived how much his mind and emotions had healed from the desperately weary, disillusioned and battered man he had been when he arrived at Clarf Tower.

“That’s as you wish, Kincaid,” she said lightly but oh so very pleased to know the healing was now complete. “And thank you.” She raised her head high enough to reach his lips and gave him a soft kiss, then immediately rolled to the side of the wide bed to rise. “Let’s hope that Van wasn’t right and today’s load doesn’t include sudden emergencies. And we are all going to take a holiday when we finally get Talavera completely supplied.”

“Good idea,” was his amiable reply. “I’d best shower ... in my own room.” And he ’ported himself away.

It would be more fun to shower together, she thought very quietly and to herself alone. But she did feel much better today. In fact, she was aware of some very important change in herself as she bathed and dressed.

“All I needed was a good night’s sleep,” she told Lionasha as they met for breakfast.

“Does wonders ... that is, if you spend your night sleeping,” Lio said, and for one startled moment, Laria wondered if Lionasha could possibly know how she really had spent the first part of the night. But Lio was looking significantly in the direction of the engineering section and obviously meant Vanteer. Laria felt his weary but satisfied presence doing the usual dawn check on the generators.

Kincaid was whistling when he emerged into the lounge and started building himself a breakfast.

“Let us devoutly hope, Lionasha my dear, that you were not enjoying any prescience for today’s workload,” he said as he filled his tray.

“There’s not an ounce of clairvoyance in my Talent, Kincaid,” Lio said. “Besides which, I can’t imagine what can have been left out of what we’ve sent streaming out to that planet.”

“Officials to make sure the work’s being done well and on time,” Laria had occasion to remark drolly later that morning when a small passenger craft begged ’portation to Talavera. “And Plrgtgl’s on it, so let’s set it down as lightly as possible by headquarters.”

“At least that’s the only one,” Kincaid said, stretching until his joints audibly popped when they had dispatched it. “Was that Zara aiding Rojer this morning?”

“No, actually, it was Flavia. But they’re both T-1 ’s and strong.”

“I thought Zara was more of a healer than a Tower Prime,” he said, slewing sidewise and resting his elbows on his knees, his big hands clasped lightly.

“That’s her personal preference, but Rojer’s been rotating the T-1 ’s. We’re not the only ones sending him ’portages.”

You know, I’d like to see what they’ve done with all the stuff we’ve sent to Talavera, Lionasha said, busy sorting the day’s files into their respective piles.

Want to rotate with someone there? Laria asked.

Well, not exactly rotate, but just have a good look round, Lionasha said in a careful tone.

Kincaid and Laria chuckled at her qualification.

I think I would too, Kincaid said, winking at Laria. Sort of busman’s holiday.

Busman? Lionasha repeated, confused.

Laria grinned at Kincaid, since she did understand the archaic reference.

Like a spaceman taking a cruise on a liner for the fun of it, she explained.

Oh! Wouldn’t he have had enough space travel? Lionasha asked.

That’s the point, Kincaid said.

Not much of a point, or a holiday, Lionasha said with a little snort of contempt.

Laria and Kincaid exchanged glances, his eyes twinkling with an amusement he kept well hidden from Lionasha. She had a pedantic tendency and misunderstood the subtler whimsy of Laria and Kincaid.

Laria, a special cargo—quite animate—and just for you, said Jeff Raven, with such a smug tone to his voice that Laria was very much surprised, and curious. I know both ’Dini Towers have been hard pressed with outgoing. Gollee suggested this T-2, so kindly don’t bang him up.

As if I would, Laria replied tartly.

She heard her grandfather’s chuckle and then felt the incoming personnel carrier, which she deftly caught and landed gently in an appropriate cradle. ’Dinis swarmed to greet the newcomer.

Messages, Laria, said Rojer at the same instant. Priority.

When she realized from his mind that there was a drove arriving, she immediately linked with Kincaid to prevent any of the incoming tubes from getting lost. The mass of them took up every available rack, with several rolling onto the ground. The ’Dinis who had opened the personnel capsule were now chasing the fugitives.

Well, at least it’s all inan—ahhhhh. Lionasha’s exclamation of total surprise and her sudden surge of immense sexual attraction caused both Laria and Kincaid to exchange startled looks.

As one, they made for the stairs. Kincaid halted but Laria continued, curious to see who could have had such a startling effect on Lionasha. The tall man had been holding both Lionasha’s hands in his—surprising enough, a tactile contact from one T for another—but she was gawking like a teenager at the very handsome and somehow familiar man bending toward her. Vanteer was standing stock-still on the top step of the stairs down to engineering, his face expressionless.

The new arrival, still holding Lionasha’s fingers in his hands, turned slowly toward Laria, smiling with such charisma that Laria had no trouble at all understanding Lionasha’s reaction. What she didn’t understand was the immediate and intense antipathy that his smile generated in her.

“Vagrian Beliakin, T-2, reporting from Blundell Tower to assist Clarf Tower and Prime Laria Lyon,” he said, showing very white and even teeth in a smile that was meant, Laria knew instantly, to have the same effect on her that it had had on Lionasha. “Kincaid.” His smile altering subtly, he gave Dano a glancing look. “I look forward to merging with the man who developed the probe techniques on the Strongbow ...”

Laria caught the spurt of absolute rejection from Kincaid: a violent abhorrence at the thought of even the lightest merge with the mind of this man. Fast as it was, Kincaid’s reaction also had something to do with his long tour on the Strongbow.

“It’s required reading now, you know,” Vagrian went on, totally unaware of anything save his making a very strong impression on everyone in Clarf Tower. Laria shot a quick probe at Vanteer and caught envy, distrust and, unusually enough, a touch of fear from her engineer. Lionasha was still smitten, the undercurrent of her thought wondering if she had a single chance of getting him into bed, along with a sense of puzzlement because Vagrian looked familiar to her too.

Familiar to whom? Laria realized, although the impact of his forceful greetings on her staff had diverted her briefly from that thought. Now he advanced on Laria, hand extended sideways in the prescribed position for Talent touching.

Inadvertently she took a backward step, banging her heel into the first riser. She felt Kincaid descend to stand directly behind her, and never had she needed his support more.

“You’re Yoshuk’s younger brother,” Laria said, looking down at the extended hand and wondering how she could avoid touching him.

Do it and know, Kincaid said on a very tight tone.

She couldn’t smile but she did manage to make the touch—red/acerbic/pepper—as briefly as she could and being very careful not to let him see past a tightly shielded mind.

A wry smile pulled Vagrian’s sensuous mouth to one side. “Yes, my older brother by a scant year. I am late come to my Talent.” His smile became winsome but slightly embarrassed, and he smoothed back his wavy dark hair. “A freak accident stimulated it and I was lucky enough to save others from sure death.”

“Yes, such stimuli do activate miracles of self-preservation,” she replied, trying to fathom why she was having such a negative response to the man.

She had never felt the least bit threatened by Yoshuk, whom she had always considered the handsomest man she’d ever met. Vagrian was the taller by at least eight centimeters and, tall as she herself was, she felt dominated by his almost offensive nearness. But she couldn’t step back with heels already pressed against the riser.

’Dinis, rushing in with the addresses of the piles of message tubes, broke the tableau.

“Ah, I seem to have arrived at a propitious moment to start work,” Vagrian said, his smile promising eager cooperation as he glanced up to the Tower.

“In point of fact, Vagrian,” Laria began, “it’s not so much Clarf that needs bulwarking as Sef. A third T-2—and I know how easy it is to merge with a brother or sister—would ease the burden which Yoshuk and Nesrun have been struggling with. So, if you’ll just get back in your personnel carrier, Kincaid and I will ’port you over.”

Vagrian’s expression was stunned, his jaw dropped and all the good nature and camaraderie of his first minutes in Clarf Tower dissipated in a sudden blast of angry rejection of such a transfer. He recovered so adroitly that Laria wondered if she had accurately read that split second of fury. His disappointment she could well understand, but not that flash.

“Alternatively, I’m sure Earth Prime can find you another posting, where your charismatic personality will work in your favor.”

As Laria stepped to one side before turning to mount the stairs, she heard Lionasha’s gasp, and was aware of Vanteer gawking in surprise. She caught Kincaid by the arm and urged him up to the Tower.

“Prime, I was posted here,” Vagrian said, the wave of his hand taking in all of Clarf Tower, his voice edged with a barely concealed and increasing anger. “By Earth Prime himself. Your grandfather.”

Laria turned on the top step, staring down at him, her body rigid with her rejection of him, and his effect on her Tower personnel. She started to tremble and felt Kincaid’s sudden support as she drew herself up.

“I am Prime. I was not informed of this posting and I do not need an additional T-2. Kincaid is more than adequate for any merging I need. You have a choice, Vagrian Beliakin: Sef Tower, which does need a third T-2, or back to Blundell Tower.”

“But I was chosen for you,” he said, allowing disappointment to show in his face as he lifted one hand in appeal. His emphasis informed her all too succinctly of why he had been posted here. Her fury at such tactics now included her grandfather.

“For me?” Laria said softly. Never! She turned back, sliding into her couch and leaning into the generators. If you do not walk straight out of this Tower and into the personnel carrier, I will ’port you there myself, Vagrian Beliakin. You have exactly five seconds. And I have decided that you will cause just as much trouble with the excellent team at Sef as you would here, so you are going back to Blundell. MOVE!

He is moving, Vanteer said, and there was deep satisfaction in the engineer’s voice. Wise decision, Laria.

I don’t understand you, Laria, Lionasha said, baffled.

He’s in the carrier, Van reported.

Earth Prime! This is Clarf Prime. I am returning that man undamaged, but only because I wouldn’t waste the time or soil my hands with him. She acted with such alacrity that the carrier was back in the cradle on Earth before she finished speaking.

Laria! You can’t have given Beliakin time to present his credentials. Nor did Laria have any doubts that her grandfather was considerably annoyed by her rejection.

There was silence from her grandfather. A silence that meant he was digesting her polemic. You have stated your case, Prime. I was attempting to arrange for a relief team to allow your entire Tower some well-earned rest. Vagrian was the first candidate Gollee felt capable.

Laria gave a bark of laughter. Not him. Send him to a squadron where his ... peculiar personality will be controlled by naval discipline. We may be tired but we haven’t shirked a single responsibility yet.

No, you have not. Jeff Raven’s tone commended their efforts.

Do so, then. This time the silence was his absence.

Battered by the encounters with her grandfather and Beliakin, she covered her face and started to weep. Kincaid gathered her into his arms, stroking her hair and laving her troubled mind with reassurances.

“Try this,” said Lionasha. The expediter had a cup of steaming coffee in her hand, eyes and face anxious. Vanteer stood beside Lio, looking both concerned and amazed.

“We heard,” Vanteer said. “Couldn’t help it, Laria.” He blinked and gave her a little rueful grin. “Never heard you speak to anyone like that before. Especially not to your grandfather.” Vanteer was awed. Just beyond him, on the step below the Tower level, his Dig and Nim and Lionasha’s Fig and Sil were ranged, poll eyes startled and wide.

Laria took several quick sips of coffee, then the tissue Lionasha offered, and dried her eyes and cheeks.

“Kincaid, you knew that man, didn’t you?”

Kincaid nodded slowly, his eyes echoing the sadness that had carved lines in his face in the space of a few minutes. “Once.” Then, with a noticeable effort, Kincaid forced his taut body to relax. “Slightly longer than just now. And that was before his Talent asserted itself. But I was just as happy to see him leave without making the kind of trouble he’s often caused.”

“He was trouble, all right, and all too ready to do what he intended here,” Van said. “I’m only a T-6, but he was coming over loud and clear.” His hands were still clenched into fists.

“I’ve never met anyone like him before,” Lionasha said, shaking herself as if to dispel an unwanted burden. “He was ... overwhelming.” And she let out a self-conscious little laugh, then shook her head again more vigorously.

“Too fecking sure of himself,” Vanteer said.

GLAD YOU KNOW THAT, Dig said, and the other three ’Dinis nodded. BAD DREAMING WITH THAT HUMAN. BAD DREAMING.

Laria regarded the ’Dinis with surprise, and a certain gratification that they concurred with her own instinctive and almost unreasonable rejection of a person in such a short space of time. She gulped down most of the coffee and handed the cup back to Lionasha.

“We do have work to do, team. Let’s get to it. Day’s heating up.”

The tubes were duly ’ported to various locations on Clarf.

“Most of ’em are from that bunch we just sent out,” Lionasha said. “How could they report back so quickly?”

“Whaddya wanna bet they forgot half the stuff they now find they urgently need,” was Van’s suggestion.

He was proved correct, for small and large drones made up the rest of the morning’s imports to Clarf Tower and exports to Talavera. By lunchtime, Lionasha announced with some surprise that the Tower had cleared all cradles and nothing else had come in for the afternoon.

“May I respectfully suggest that we enjoy a siesta until something does turn up?” Kincaid said as he made his way to the kitchen. “What can I get you, Laria?”

“Salad, sandwich,” she answered from the Tower. Vanteer had left the generators idling, but she didn’t need assistance for the quick call she felt she should make.

Laria? There was pleased surprise in the man’s voice. Sometimes there was little resemblance between siblings of the same parents.

Oh no! Yoshuk didn’t sound pleased. Ah! You used the past tense? My congratulations on your perception and immediate dismissal of Trouble on Two Feet.

Ha! Earth Prime’s slipping, or his initial screening has developed serious flaws. Not that Grian couldn’t—without half trying, I might add—give the right answers. Unless someone thought to deep-probe him. Did you? So that you found out how poisonous he is? Accept my profound apology for being related to him. That might have had something to do with your grandfather’s momentary lapse of good sense. Or he was taken in by circumstances of Grian’s sudden emergence as a Talent. Chagrin colored Yoshuk’s tone.

Oh yes, it would be if Vagrian desired to ... Yoshuk paused. There was a smile in his tone as he continued. Kincaid deserves your loyalty, Laria, and I’m glad it’s in such deep measure for him. You will never regret it.

Are you peeking, Yoshuk? Laria was surprised and clamped her thoughts down.

On the contrary, thank you, Laria, for sending that bad package right back where it can be dealt with,

“Laria?” Kincaid called at the base of the Tower steps.

“Coming.” She ran down the flight, taking the plate of sandwiches from Kincaid’s hand, smiling as she did so. “Yoshuk is not enthralled with his younger brother either,” she said, joining the others at the table. “Good thing I didn’t send him there. We could probably have heard the roar of rejection all the way from Sef.”

“A bit of a shame, though,” Lionasha said, casting a sideways glance at Vanteer. “He’d’ve cut a fascinating swath through the compound here.”

“Not if he intended to make a handfast arrangement with Laria, he wouldn‘t,” Van said in a low growl of dislike. “I wouldn’t’ve liked that for you, Laria. Or for you, Kincaid,” he added. “What I’d like to know is how he passed Gollee’s screening?” He directed that query to Laria.

“Oh, that one could pass any screening he’d a mind to,” Lionasha replied. When the others regarded her with surprise, remembering her reaction to Vagrian’s charm, she grimaced. “I may have been susceptible to all that masculinity, and the smarmy way he came on to you, Laria, but I’d’ve come to my senses pretty quick. Especially after I caught that shaft he aimed at you, Kincaid.”

“I appreciate that, Lio,” Kincaid said with a wry grin as he regained his equilibrium. “I thank you too, Van.”

“We haven’t worked this Tower so long that I’d let you down when someone like that piece of ego threatened you,” Van said staunchly. “You’re a helluva lot more man than that one can ever be.”

Kincaid looked slightly bemused and surprised.

“Well, it takes all kinds to make this universe, you know,” Van went on, a little abashed.

“The devil you know?” Laria said teasingly.

“Better than that one, that’s for sure,” Van said, one hand unconsciously closing into a fist again. Then he rose. “Dig, Nim, would you clear this away for us so we can get that siesta while it’s quiet?”

SURE, SURE, SURE. The chorus came from all four ’Dinis.

“When are yours due back?” Lionasha asked. “I’ve missed them.”

“We all have.”

YES, YES, YES, was the unison reply as the four ’Dinis began to pile dishes and take them to the recycling unit.

The Humans were all smiling as they dispersed to their quarters. When Laria heard the last door close, she ’ported into Kincaid’s room. He had his back to her, pulling down the top sheet of his bed.

Kincaid, she began, not quite knowing exactly how to break her news to him.

He turned, eyebrows rising in surprise at her obvious hesitation.

She walked up to him, took his hand and laid it on her stomach. We started a child last night.

How can you be so sure? he demanded, astonished.

It’s one thing a Prime knows almost instantly: that a new life has started. I wasn’t positive ... because this hasn’t happened to me before. She reached up to stroke his hair with an affectionate hand. I knew when Vagrian threatened you ... because he threatened me as well. If you do not object, I shall nurture the embryo. If you do object, I can remove—

He pulled her into his arms, embracing her as tightly as he could, as if warding off any possible harm to her or his seed in her womb. No, no, no. Please. To father your child? More luck than I ever dreamed would happen. As much as I can, and in spite of my orientation, I love you, Laria, as much as it is possible for me to love a woman. As tightly as he already held her, the pressure of his arms increased. Did you know how terrified I was when Vagrian appeared? Terrified to lose the gift of friendship you gave me when I arrived here sick and desperate and wanting far more to die than live?

I knew you were in very bad shape ... And she let him see that she had not known how close to suicide he had been.

He held her away from him and she saw the tears in his eyes. You healed me then with such a simple acceptance of what I was. What I am now is all your doing.

She put her fingers on his mouth. “No more regrets, my friend. No more looking back. I don’t require any promises from you, Kincaid Dano. I do, however, require a father for the child.”

He folded her tightly against him again and, with a shaky laugh that was almost a sob, said, “That would give me the greatest possible joy.”

“Even if I should require more children from you?” she said, her lips against his ear. “We Lyons tend to be prolific, you know.”

“Let’s see how we do with this one first, shall we?” he asked, but his voice rippled with amusement. Then he picked her up in his arms and, carrying her to the bed, laid her down, settling beside her and ‘porting the cover over them both. “It’s more important than ever that you take a siesta,” he said in a stern voice, turning his head to frown at her. “And if your grandfather will talk to you again in the next few weeks, d’you think we can get a more congenial T- 2? Or even a couple of 3’s?”

She put her fingers on his lips. “Shhhh. Morag’s just about old enough for some Tower training. I’ll ask Mother first.”

“Good idea. Now close your eyes and sleep.”

I’ll help ... Gently he put his hand over her heart.

“I’ve a few tricks you don’t know about, dear heart,” he said softly, as her face relaxed and her breathing slowed to the rhythm of a natural sleep.

“Because he’s an exceedingly clever young man.” Gollee said, and tossed over a folder of hard copy. “With good shields that only you, the Rowan and perhaps Damia could have penetrated. I certainly caught nothing more than an intense pleasure at activating a Talent he was sure he had, since his only brother is a T-2, and the hope that he would get a ‘good assignment.’ No harm in such thoughts and aspirations. However, if you run down the names of those who passed him through the testing process, there’s only one male. To be quite candid ...” Gollee sighed briefly. “With the workload in my department, I was delighted to find a T-2 proving out. I reviewed the assessments and had no reason to doubt them, since he most certainly possessed a strong kinetic T-2 when I put him through his paces. With a sibling as capable as Yoshuk already working as Talent, I made the mistake of assuming more familial integrity and rectitude than he appears to have.” Gollee thrust the file into the reader, scrolling down to nearly the end. “I just looked over these comments from acquaintances again. I should have paid more attention to them. While he doesn’t appear to have made close personal friends, that is not uncommon for the Talented. I originally dismissed the references as malice or understandable envy. On a closer perusal, all of them were men and women of sound judgment and personal integrity. They were attempting to warn us.”

“And I, like a damned fool, was so delighted to find a splendid young fellow for Laria, I didn’t question those careful comments either.” Jeff flipped the folder shut. He sighed. “Well, no one’s perfect.”

Gollee chuckled. “So you figured he’d suit Laria?”

“If he hadn’t had this serious personality flaw, as a T-2 he’d’ve been ideal. I think we’ll give him to the Navy as Laria suggested. God knows we’re hard pressed to provide kinetic T’s to keep the distant elements of Hive Search supplied.”

“Good idea. He can hardly take over a ship as he evidently planned to take over Clarf Tower. Send him out on the Strongbow.” Gollee’s grin was definitely malicious. “That should pay them back for the gauntlet they ran Kincaid through.”

“You’re not the vindictive sort, Gollee,” Jeff remarked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

“Only in particular cases,” Gollee said with a droll grimace. “I just don’t like manipulative Talents when they’re as strong as Beliakin and can so easily inhibit lesser Talents. We can at least employ his unquestionable abilities where they will do the least damage.”

“I believe I concur with that. Which brings us back to the original problem: who do we have to assist Laria’s team? They’re overloaded right now and the traffic is not likely to ease off for several more months.”

“Morag’s how old now?”

Jeff regarded Gollee with surprise and chuckled. “With all those complaints about nepotism coloring the political scene? Do we dare augment Clarf with yet another Lyon?”

“She won’t be in charge. And why shouldn’t she visit her sister and get some on-the-job training?”

“I’ll ask Damia. Morag is close to seventeen now and has been merging with her parents on a regular basis. She’d know the procedures—that would be a decided advantage. Afra says the four local Talents they discovered after that mine collapse are fitting in very well as support staff. Xexo’s snagged one as an engineering prospect... a T-5. Nothing like a brush with calamity to stimulate resources.”

“Which,” Gollee said, rising to his feet, “is exactly what brought Vagrian Beliakin to our notice.”

“We shall be more careful, shan’t we?”

“Indeed we shall. And make sure we have an even distribution of the sexes in the initial interviews.”

“And for anything above a T-3, a Prime does the final check probe,” Jeff said.

“When, that is, you can fit it in,” Gollee remarked, and ’ported himself out of the office.

Did you hear all of that, my love? Jeff asked, leaning back in his comformable chair and propping his feet on his desk.

Can I never eavesdrop but you know I’m doing it? the Rowan asked with some asperity.

Jeff heard his wife’s mental sigh of remorse.

Send Kaltia with Morag, Jeff, the Rowan said after a moment’s pause. They are accustomed to working together and will be company for each other in what is definitely an older grouping.

Send Beliakin to Iota Aurigae? Jeff snatched the notion from his wife’s mind with the ease of their long association and closeness. What a splendid solution! Damia and Afra will handle him, and he’s unlikely to realize he’s being tutored and having his thinking adjusted. When he ’s suitably reformed—Jeff chuckled—then we can responsibly send him to a Search ship.

All right, humiliation, the Rowan corrected herself. But I suspect he came on too strong, so cockily sure of his ability to enchant any female that he succeeded in alienating her. Isn’t that what the therapist said?

Reliable male! Jeff pretended to be affronted.

I could wish—the Rowan ignored that reaction—that more Denebians could bring themselves to explore their latent Talents. You are unique, dear heart, but there must be some male for my granddaughter. And you know your homeworld keeps ignoring their most exportable assets.

I have to, love, with Operation Search expanding in all directions. However—he forestalled the objection she didn’t even have to think at him—I’m formulating a valid reason for Asia to accompany Rojer, if that partnership is coming along as well as Flavia thinks it is.

If—the Rowan’s thought was tinged with criticism—he’ll stop acting like her protector and more like a lover.

I’m not so sure we can manage a communication level based on smell, m’dear. Jeff guffawed. Unless we find a stink that drives them out of their lairs or exterminates them. Then he turned serious. But I have been wondering how we could capitalize on the fact that only Zara, of all the specialists who have tried to establish communications with the Hiver species, has been able to sense something ... even if it was only that the Heinlein queen was suffering from hypothermia.

Jeff sent reassurances to her, sensing her distress over a large, very vocal faction which was growing stronger and stronger, especially since estimates of the number of planets occupied by Hivers were also increasing as the Fourth Fleet went farther on their segment of the Search, in the opposite direction of the First Fleet. Three species were vying for the same sort of new M-type worlds to ease population densities. Fortunately for Humans, their Mrdini allies preferred the hot-sun worlds that could scorch the hide off Human beings. The marginal, semitropical worlds might cause contention that could become a serious issue. And each new settlement insisted on having the benefit of FT&T, causing Jeff Raven, as Earth Prime, more and more headaches as he tried to accommodate the growing pressure of requests. There were only so many Talented minds available and he was sensible of the risks overburdening could cause. Overburdening and the same sort of problem which the emergence of a flawed T-2 like Vagrian Beliakin could cause. Federated Teleport and Telepath had enough to cope with, without internal dissension.

We’ll find a solution, the Rowan said, in her turn reassuring her beloved husband.

We usually do, was his equable response.

They both turned back to their separate responsibilities, each gaining strength and courage from their momentary rapport.

Jeff allowed his chuckle a lascivious edge.

The Rowan sent an image of a saccharine smile on her face. No better woman to pour salve on a wounded male. On the other hand, I hope Damia doesn’t know that Laria rejected Beliakin.