It had been a difficult day, but the AAnn officer was too tired to be more than moderately upset. First, an unchecked circuit had accidentally tripped, setting off the alarm at one of the new, hastily installed subsurface warning points scattered about the island. This automatically activated two remote underwater defense stations and a whole subsection of personnel directly attached to his command. The result being that a large school of corvat, a medium-sized skate-like fish, had been incinerated before he could bring things under control.

But Tivven hadn’t been punished. He hadn’t even received a dressing down. His superior, with unusual restraint, recognized that the result was entirely due to the haste with which the alarm unit had been installed. And he’d shared Tivven’s disgust at the hysteria which attended the absurdly complex system’s installation, secret project or no.

Besides, his superior had problems of his own, equally upsetting to the liver.

And now this.

He stared again at the assemblage before him, debating again whether or not to trouble the base commander with it. According to Colonel Korpt’s dictates, it shouldn’t be necessary. Tivven saw no real reason to argue with an easy way out.

True, two violations of the Concession boundary in as many days was unusual. Still, there was nothing to distinguish the antics of this particular group from any other, nor to ascribe hidden purposes to their arrival. They were nothing as extraordinary as the single crazy human who’d sauntered in deliberately the other day, as though he owned the place. What Tivven and the others couldn’t understand was why the Commander hadn’t ordered the arrogant primate dressed and potted immediately.

So here he was, stuck with an obnoxious Terran female, an impatient, gaudily dressed Tolian, and a stolid Terran male of dull aspect and rather formidable size and strength.

The Terran female had been rambling non-stop for a good twenty time-parts now.

“ . . . and rest assured that once the governor hears my complaint, this is going to be brought to the attention of the highest authorities . . .!”

“Madame, silence!” Tivven tried to substitute belligerence for boredom, partially succeeded. “I shall explain one more time. You are guilty of territorial incursion into a restricted area. As such, by law you are now in Imperial Territory. This places you under my jurisdiction: not that of this planet, not that of the Commonwealth. Whatsoever I decide should be done with you, will be done.”

The female threw him a sharp expression. Tivven was good at primate expressions. He could recognize a sneer. It suggested several things, among them that his threats had been somewhat less than intimidating.

“Confine them to their vessel and secure them for the usual day-period.” Those were the suggestions of Colonel Korpt. “And issue the standard protest to the governor via our representative in the capitol. Yolk, it’s damp in here! Now get out.”