It was strange work for the Quinn Tuft Scientist, or for the London Tree Scientist's Apprentice, for that matter. Hadn't Kiance suggested that he would be better off than the standard run of copsiks? He wondered what Gavving was doing now. Probably worrying about his new andalienwife. . . andwithreason.

Water spurted from the hose as Lawn carried it into the carm. The Grad couldn't see what she was doing in there. He pedaled.

in Klance's presence the Grad was Lawn's equal. Otherwise Lawn treated him as a copsik, a spy, or both. He was clean, fed, and clothed.

Of the rest of Quinn Tribe he had not even rumors. He and Lawn and the Scientist explored the cassettes together for old knowledge, and that was fascinating enough. But he was learning nothing that would rescue Quinn Tribe.

It was night. Both Voy and the sun were hidden behind the in tuft. In the peculiar light that remained, two faint streamers of blue light fanned out from the tuft. If he stared at them they went away. He could catch them by looking near them. He could almost imagine human shapes pouring as smoke from a squeezegourd. To starboard, the Blue Ghost. To port, even fainter, the Ghost Child.

The Scientist (the Scientist) had told him that they were discharges of peculiar energies from the poles of Voy itself. The Scientist had seen them when he was younger, but the Grad had never been able to see them, not even from the midpoint of Dalton-Quinn Tree.

He was sweating. He watched the elevator climb the tree to its housing. A Navy man and two copsiks emerged. None were jungle giants; he had never seen a first-generation copsik at the Citadel, barring himself. They entered the Scientist's laboratory complex and presently left carrying the dishes from brunch.

Lawn called from the carm. "The tank's full."

The Grad moved with a briskness he didn't feel, unfastening the belt,

jerking the hose free of the pond. There were lineholds, wooden hoops, set in the bark to crisscross the citadel region. The Grad used them to make his way toward the carm, calling ahead of him, "Can I help?"

"Just coil the hose," Lawri answered.

She hadn't yet let him into the carm during this operation. The hose must lead, somehow, into a water tank in the carm. They filled it repeatedly, and a couple of days later they would fill it again.

The Grad coiled the hose as he moved toward the carm. He heard cursing from within. Then Lawn called, "I can't move this damn fitting."

The Grad joined her at the doors. "Show me." That easy?

She showed him. The hose attached to a thing on the back wall, with a collar. "It has to be turned. That way." She rotated her hands.