That was fine with Ryo. He strolled around the peculiar vessel unchallenged, touching nothing because nothing was familiar. The corridors were generally identical; high, narrow rectangles instead of the comforting low triangles or arches. It was most disconcerting, as if his whole world of perceptions had suddenly been squeezed from both sides.

Some of the chambers he inspected were evidently living quarters. Their contents remained a mystery to him. All except a single item of furniture that, save for being higher and longer, closely resembled a proper lounge. He wondered if they were intended for sleeping or some as yet unknown function.

Since no one was around to stop him he tested one—overly soft with a slightly irritating mushy movement to its insides, but otherwise quite suitable for resting. He had to haul himself onto it. Once there and as soon as he got used to the rolling sensation, he succeeded in making himself comfortable for the first time since they’d boarded.

“What do you think, Captain?” The cocontroller was studying the activated screens that showed the green-white mass of Hivehom and the space surrounding it. Several moons appeared as graphic representations, as did moving points of light too large to be dust and too near to be satellites.

“Ships,” Sanchez noted tersely. “Have to be. Orbital. No, there’s one moving.” She checked a readout, announced with satisfaction, “Moving away from us. Standard commercial traffic. It squares with what the bug told us. This is a busy world.”

“His name is Ryo,” Bonnie announced from the other side of the cabin.

“All right—it squares with what Ryo told us. This is their capital world. Traffic’s to be expected. I don’t think we could mask ourselves with it, though. Ship signature is too different.”

I’m sure they’re marking us right now,” said Taourit, the cocontroller. “They’ve kept us well away from the other ships. Probably a restricted area.”

Sanchez nodded, spoke toward her pickup. “Engineering? Status?”

The speaker replied. “Engineering checks okay.”

“Thanks, Alexis. We’re set, then.”

Bonnie leaned a little closer to one screen. “Lights coming up,” she declared. “Small mass, moving fast. Too small for a ship. Military shuttle maybe.”

“That was fast,” Taourit murmured. “Somebody down there’s good at deduction.”

“And so we bid farewell to the vacation world of Hivehom,” Sanchez muttered. “Our stay was pleasant but over- long, I think. Let’s get out of here.”

A slight vibration ran through the room and the Seeker began to move. It was still too close to the world below for the Supralight drive to be engaged. In normal space the tiny shuttle coming up behind would be just as fast. For a while it seemed to be gaining.

Eventually the captain issued additional commands. Far out in front of the ship a deep-purple glow appeared, the visual manifestation of the immensely concentrated artificial gravity field generated by the ship’s projectors.