Olmy entered the flaw monitor room, picting his Presidential access pass at the corporeal guard. The room was a high, oval chamber filled with out-of-focus information picts directed at two neomorphs on monitors duty. He floated to their position and was surrounded by detailed readouts on the destroyed and drifting tuberider and the airplane, now in control of a flaw maintenance vehicle. "This is a security operation, by extended order of the President," Olmy picted at the senior neomorph.

"I cannot accept that," the neomorph replied. "This is a serious breach and must be reported to the courts at once. They will be assigned an advocate—"

They already have an advocate. You must accept a direct order from a representative of the President," Olmy said. The neomorph—shaped like an egg, with traction field grappling arms extended to each side and a human face on the forward, large end of the egg—surrounded itself with a picted white circle, signaling compliance under duress. But that was not enough for Olmy.

"By order of the President of the Infinite Hexamon Nexus, authority of the Presiding Minister, you are removed from this duty," he said. The neomorph protested furiously in garbled sound and red-shifted picts as it exited the chamber.

Olmy took the position, exchanging glances with the remaining neomorph. "This will not reach the court," he stated.

"It has already been relayed," the second neomorph said. Olmy telepicted a message to Suli Ram Kikura's office in Central City. A stylized personal emblem appeared before him. "Ser Ram Kikura is not available at the present. This is one of her partials. May I help?"

"This is an emergency. We have more guests. They are in violation of Hexamon law, and their case needs to be suppressed in court immediately, authority of the Presiding Minister." He picted the code authority.

"Received," the partial said. Then, in a completely lifelike image, the partial shook his head. "Really, Olmy, you bring us so much trouble." The partial signed off, and Olmy opened another channel to Axis Nader, requesting that the Frant escort Patricia from her quarters to the inspection hangar. He ordered the clearing of all passageways between. That would arouse some suspicion and resentment, but he could see no way around it. "And we'll need more quarters space." The Frant also took his coded authority and signed off.

Olmy then turned his full attention to the flaw maintenance device and the aircraft. "They are uninjured?" he inquired, his picts demandingly purple-tinted.

"They have not been harmed by this station," the neomorph answered, appearing alarmed.

"You realize the secrecy of this operation?" he asked. It assented in the meekest shade of green. "Good. Then direct your vehicle and the violators to the inspection hangar."

Olmy pushed himself from the station and the chamber and found the quickest shaft to Axis Nader.

"How many individuals are there within your craft?" the voice asked.

"Four," Lanier said. "One injured."

"They are all corporeal humans?"