Voice began a countdown. Lawn waited while small jets fired. The cluster of jungle giants sagged against the aft wall without falling apart. lisa giggled. She must be still floating from the spitgun drug.

The burn ended. Lawri said, "Maybe. Have we got something to hold water?"

The Grad called, "We need squeezegourds!"

They found three. Merril collected them and brought them back. Jayan and Jinny were blowing on the side windows, which seemed all right. Gavving and Minya moved along the rim of the bow window, blowing and watching. Mist formed outside and vanished immediately, along a curve of window as long as the Grad's arm, shoulder to fingers.

Lawn turned a valve. Brown water oozed from the aft wall, formed a growing globule.

"It's mud!" Merril said in disgust.

Lawri said, "We put pond water in. The cann breaks the pure water into hydrogen and oxygen, but it leaves the goo behind. Every so often we have to clean it out. That's why there's an eject system, and you can be damn glad of it."

"We can't drink that stuff. We should have picked up Minya's water supply."

"Say that if we live long enough to get thirsty." Lawn took the

gourds and filled them from the brown globule. Merril winced, watching each of their water gourds become fouled.

Lawn went forward with the gourds. Would she plug the leak with mud? He could do it himself, now, if Lawn balked; but he wanted her on his side, as far as that was possible.

Lawn squeezed muddy water along the rim of the bow window.

Mist showed outside. The glass began to frost. The water stayed where she put it, in a long brown bubble. Over the next several minutes

-while Lawn alone watched the controls-the water dwindled and thickened to a darker brown. Presently it began to turn hara~

Clave said, "Grad? Is it working?"

The Grad had read of ice. It was no more real to him than the liquefied gases in the tanks. He looked to Lawri.

Lawn met his eyes and said, "I will not accept the position of Scientist's Apprentice."

After such a performance, was she quitting on them? Clave spoke first, and in haste. "I'm certain there's room in Quinn Tribe for two Scientists. Especially under the circumstances."

"I've saved you. Now I want to go home to London Tree. That's all I want."

She's earned it, the Grad thought, but- Clave said, "Point to it."

The carm was nose-down to the Smoke Ring. Closest was the storm pattern that surrounded and cloaked Gold, a turbulent spiral of cloud, humped in the middle. The whole pattern drifted west at a speed that looked sluggish, but must be quick beyond imagination. The arms of the Smoke Ring reached away in both directions. They could see the flow of cloud currents, faster toward Voy, drifting backward near the carm. Minor details-like integral trees-were invisibly small.