When he opened his eyes, Yuan glanced from Azevedo to Shanlun and back. Then he centered on Shanlun. "Rior is a daughter House to Zeor. I have returned that pledge and granted Mairis all our loyalty. He has accepted my pledge. Such a pledge transcends temporal alliances of political convenience. If Mairis yields now to Diet demands to repudiate my allegiance, the Diet's next move will be to demand he prove he means it by throwing all Tecton resources into a drive to wipe out Rior. He knows almost enough about us now to do that."

"Mairis wouldn't do that to a daughter House or a sworn ally," replied Shanlun. "But that allegiance is going to be strained when I report that you've got not only Laneff here, but a huge standing army as well. After the raid on Teeren, the Diet and its violent tactics are looking very bad. Mairis can't afford to be associated with similar tactics—and I'm wondering if we can afford to trust you at all."

He didn't look at Laneff, but she felt his attention dart in her direction, then return to the schooled professionalism of a working Donor.

"Shanlun, Yuan has saved my life. And he's provided me a fully equipped lab to work in. He pledged to give Mairis all my findings."

Shanlun did look around then. "And to defend you with an army that just begs to be attacked?" He turned back to Yuan. "You engineered the Diet's attack on Teeren. You're prepared here for real violence. The Sime~Gen wars were over centuries ago. This isn't going to further the cause of Unity." He gestured around him. "And someone as valuable as Laneff shouldn't be caught in the middle of it, I don't see how Mairis could still have the same confidence in you, knowing you've held Laneff here secretly,"

Yuan's eyes narrowed, though his nager was so bright Laneff couldn't discern anything by the Gen's anxiety. "I'm not sure that Mairis will ever know you got through to me. You know too much to be allowed to go back to an enemy camp. If Mairis is weak enough to fold at a little throat-clearing from the Diet, the next thing you know he'll betray us into their hands."

Shanlun did not seem cowed by the threat. "Mairis is not your enemy. Don't you realize that in order to create real Unity, Mairis has to treat with the Diet and their silent sympathizers just as he treats with you? You represent the extreme in-Territory attitude, and they represent the extreme out-Territory attitude. You're both the tiniest of minorities, but the strength of your organizations is keeping the rest of the world from progress!"

"We're keeping the world—" choked Yuan, rising to his feet, leaning over the desk as if to throttle Shanlun.

Azevedo stepped between them, the ambient nager flowing and shifting as he moved. Yuan's flaming anger was blocked off from

Laneff’s senses, and all she could zlin was a faint tinge of bewildered exasperation on the surface of Shanlun's nager as it emerged from the fusion with Azevedo.

"Enough!" commanded the channel as if rebuking small boys, "Yuan, you can't see a tentacle in front of your eyelashes, you're so woozy with underdraw. You're in no condition to decide affairs of state on which the future of all humanity may hinge."

"Well what the shidoni shenshay frayed deproda do you expect me to do? Go crawling back to the Tecton and beg for transfer?"

Laneff felt the hot sting of tears in the Gen's eyes, but his face betrayed none of the anguish he felt. Azevedo did not react to the anger. He simply said, "No, my friend," and held out his hands to the Gen, tentacles extended in invitation. Simultaneously, his field dropped its masking blur, and pure need blazed forth so powerful that it rammed Laneff’s breath solid in her throat. What kind of a channel could mask such a need!

"Azevedo!" exclaimed Shanlun, one hand checked in midair. Laneff, too, was on her feet now. Two heartbeats later, Yuan pulled back from the brink of surrender. His haunted eyes went to Shanlun, as if sensing a prior claim. "It would be against our ethic—if you two have an agreement?" And then, hastily, he added, "Forgive me, Shanlun, if I misread you. It makes no sense for a Tecton Donor to be involved with a gypsy channel, but—"

"You don't misread him," supplied Azevedo. He turned to the speechless Shanlun. "You can handle your condition by the training you've had which Yuan has not. And you do have Mairis. Yuan has nobody. If Desha can give me to you, can you not give me to Yuan?" Shanlun met the channel's gaze. "I've no claim on you, Azevedo. I am ambrov Zeor." Straight as a rod, he turned and left, walking as if he had something precious balanced on his head.

Azevedo gazed after him, and Laneff read a tearing regret in his nager, a sharing of Shanlun's disappointment. But then he turned to Yuan, melting into a compassion that could not be overshadowed even by the bottomless need he felt. Yuan came around the desk, his whole body quivering in anticipation as he reached to take Azevedo's proffered hand. The Gen's field was rising again, but when the nageric blending took place as it had with Shanlun, Yuan steadied, then blinked and turned to Laneff.

He frowned at the door as it closed behind Shanlun. "I've taken his channel from him. I don't want to take his woman, too. Laneff, he's the one you prefer, isn't he?"

"Yuan, I—" She couldn't deny it, but she wasn't all that sure in her heart, either. "Whatever else," said Yuan, "he and I are sworn to the Tecton's

First Order. Do you know what that means?" At her nod, he urged,. "Go to him. And if you never come back to me, Laneff, then do not fail him."

There was no tinge of jealousy in the Gen now, Azevedo let her discern that. Then the channel said, "This is the real Yuan ambrov Rior. And in the morning, he'll be able to reconsider this whole matter and create a novel solution."

Laneff didn't want the two Gens to fight over her work or herself. This was probably the best way to avoid that.

She followed the two men out of the office. In the corridor intersection, Shanlun was standing among the small knot of gypsies who had apparently come with Azevedo, two Simes and two Gens. They spoke quietly as Yuan gave orders.

"Find quarters for our guests. With careful regret, you will deny them exit. They may, however, access all the public areas. They are to be treated with respect. Any problems, refer up chain of command. Understood?"

"Understood!" snapped a Sime woman, but she was hard put not to smile at the new agreement between Yuan and Azevedo. Laneff understood that Yuan had been particularly difficult to live with lately.

"Desha," called Azevedo. A very young Gen woman separated from the gypsies and came to him.

"Shan told me, Azevedo," said the woman in a very thick accent. Her field was bright, and Laneff surmised that she had been Azevedo's scheduled Donor. If gypsies have schedules.

In a whirl of crisp orders, the group sorted itself out, Yuan and Azevedo disappearing down a side hallway, guards hustling the four gypsies away, and two more guards trying to spirit Shanlun off with them. But he turned to her. "Laneff, can we talk?"

Laneff stepped toward the guards, two renSimes she knew only by sight. "Where can you possibly quarter him? There's hardly a patch of floor to sleep on anywhere!"

"We'll put him with the gypsies, in Hyssop Corridor."

"Five people in one of those dinky rooms? And zlin his nager? Two of those gypsies are renSime! Do you think Yuan would ask that of anyone?"

The guard looked after the retreating figure of Yuan. Laneff added, "Jarmi and I have a much larger room—and I don't use my bed much. We'll take him in."

The two guards zlinned her replete nager and shrugged. One turned to Shanlun. "Is that agreeable with you?"

"Yes."

The second guard shrugged, and Laneff took Shanlun back along