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surface a lithosphere, which would have to be artificially stabilized. The
lithosphere may float on a fluid core, but the surface temperature is
remarkably warm, twelve degrees centigrade, which would point to internal
heating."
"All right," Hans said. "Why do they have lots of different environments?"
Silken Parts rustled his cords before speaking. "In we our records, we we see
and smell of many species developing intelligence in a local area, and
creating great communities. They are not common. They exist, but."
"It's all deception," Hans murmured. "Why worry about it?"
"If it is not deception& " Hakim said, lifting his hands.
Hans laughed. "We've faced nothing but deception from the Killers from the
very beginning.
This is perfect something to make us hesitate, lose confidence. It's just
goddamned perfect."
Stonemaker rustled now, then coiled and uncoiled. A single cord disengaged
from his tail and crawled out the door. Eye on Sky retrieved and bagged it; it
squeaked plaintively. "I we beg pardon," Stonemaker said. An odor of something
akin to embarrassment fresh salt air with seaweed. Minor spontaneous
disengagement was not uncommon for the Brothers, but discomfiting if noticed.
"Think nothing of it," Hans said. "I detect a conspiracy here. Not just Hakim&
does somebody else think this isn't a blind?"
Stonemaker rustled again. Clearly, something irritated the Brother. "The ship
must be cautious, or I we is a Killer attitude."
Hans knit his brows.
"We must not rush into blind judgment," Hakim said.
Hans looked around the schoolroom, flabbergasted. "We're seriously thinking
the Killers aren't here after all? This is what's really here a zoo of
cultures, cooperating and prosperous, waiting for us to just drop in and
visit?"
"The deception is incredibly dense," Hakim said.
"We know of no such deception succeeding over vast periods of time," Silken
Parts said.
Hans' face reddened. Rex started to say something, but Hans cut him off with a
raised hand.
"So we should vote again& pass judgment again."
"Yes," Stonemaker said. "All our crews."
"I'm for that," Hans said, stretching cat-like. "Anything to build consensus.
When?"
"After much more seeing," Silken Parts suggested. "Much more research."
"We have time," Hans said. "Meanwhile, we should begin drills and exercises.
I'd like Martin, Paola Birdsong, Ariel, Giacomo, and& Martin, you choose three
others. I'd like all of you to go through the libraries and find whatever
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precedent there is. Make a case. You'll be defense.
Hakim, you take Jennifer, Harpal, Cham, and three others, and prepare a case
for prosecution.
Stonemaker, I'm not yet familiar with the way your legal system works, but I
think something similar should be done by the Brothers. Then we'll bring the
entire crew together, humans and
Brothers, and judge."
Silken Parts gave off an odor of wet clay. Stonemaker said, "We we will
regroup, assemble
Makers of Agreement, make a decision."
"Grand," Hans said. He looked at Martin. "We need to talk," he said. "Alone."
They went to Hans' quarters, passing four Brothers and five humans as they
exercised in a corridor. The humans tossed balls to the Brothers, who passed
them along their backs from cord to cord and flipped them with their tails.
The contest a kind of football was desperately uneven; the Brothers were
winning handily, and the humans cheerfully shouted their complaints.
"Competitive, aren't they?" Hans said. He opened the hatch to his quarters.
Within, Martin
saw a room as spare as his except for vases of flowers.
Rosa's touch
. Hans lay on a pad and motioned for Martin to get comfortable.
"You've been quiet lately," Hans said. "I should be grateful& "
"Why grateful?" Martin asked.
"That you're not screaming your head off. The ex-Pans don't approve of my
style, do they?"
Martin didn't answer.
"Ah," Hans said, nodding. "There it is."
"Not really," Martin said softly. "Every leader finds fault with the next in
line. I argued with
Stephanie."
"Never mind," Hans said, dismissing the subject with a wave. He stared up at
the blank ceiling, as if talking to someone far away. "Harpal has resigned. I
need a second let's not use the name Christopher Robin any more, all right?"
"Fine," Martin said.
"Rex is loyal as hell, but I need somebody critical right now. A balance. Cham
grates on me as much as Harpal. I keep coming back to you."
"Why?" Martin asked.
"Because when you keep quiet, I wish you'd talk. If you're my second, it'll be
your duty to talk to me, and I won't wonder what you're thinking. Besides,
Stonemaker already acts as if you're next in command. Might as well make it
official."
Martin sat on the bare floor, crossing his legs. "That doesn't seem reason
enough."
"I said it before, I'll say it now; you weren't responsible for the Skirmish
going wrong.
Nobody could have seen it coming. We got away. We did what we came to do. I
think you got blamed for all the wrong reasons."
"I don't worry about it," Martin said.
"You lost someone you loved."
"More than one," Martin said.
"I think you were perhaps the best Pan we had, or at least a close match with
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