"Let's talk, then," she said, walking past him. He took two running strides to catch up with her.

"We're not your enemies, Patricia," Toller admonished. "Whatever Olmy may have told you—"

"Olmy's said nothing against anybody," Patricia said. "This is just my way," she said. "We're—I'm not very happy these days, for obvious reasons."

"Most understandable," the advocate said, keeping pace with her. None of the other bathers or floating neomorphs seemed to find it unusual for the President's advocate and a woman from centuries in their past to be walking together. They were casually ignored. "I find the resort here wonderful—I come often. Reminds me of what it is to be human. . . do you understand?"

"To see things that are real," Patricia said.

"Yes. And to get away from the problems for a while. Well, this is obviously a working vacation, and brief at that—we can't stay more than two local days. But we thought it worthwhile to show you how our system works. We are trying to enlist your support—Patricia? May I call you that?"

She nodded.

"Because of the way things have worked out, you people can be very influential. We won't force you into our ways or opinions—that's not how our government works. Modeled on your own, after all."

They stopped at a natural basalt breakwater pointing out to sea. Patricia turned and saw a small, bright meteor pass across a few degrees of the horizon. No beams reached out to destroy it—it was small enough to disintegrate harmlessly on its own.

"We helped the Frants install their Sky Lance," Toller said. "When we opened the gate, they were still in the early atomic age. We arranged for some exchanges of information, set up a client–patron relationship and gave them what they needed to protect their world against the millennial comet sweeps."

"What did you get in return?"

"Oh, they received much more than Sky Lance for what they gave. We opened the Way to them. They're full partners in three gates now, commerce with three worlds and the normal-space trading systems around them. In return, they leased raw material and information rights to us. But the most valuable commodity they contribute is themselves. You met Olmy's partner. We find them ideal to work with—resourceful, reliable, unfailingly pleasant. And as far as anyone can tell, they genuinely enjoy working with us."

"Makes them sound like good pets," Patricia said.

"Yes, there is that aspect," Toller admitted. "But they're at least as intelligent as we are—unsupplemented, of course—and nobody treats them as if they were second-class citizens, or pets. You may have to drop some of your past prejudices to see our situation clearly, Patricia."

"My prejudices are dropped," she said. "I'm just being. . .” She raised her hands and shook her head. Not once since their meeting had she looked directly at Toller's face.