Jonthan was back. A long bruise was forming on his jaw. His glance at Rather seemed disinterested. He and the dwarf officer conferred in low voices. They disappeared toward the storage room.

That left only Navy #3, Doheen. He and Clave were holding a staring contest. Clave smiling, the other pokerfaced.

Booce said carefully, "Rather, there's something you should know. You're trying to tell the Captain-Guardian that you're probably innocent. It's not enough."

Rather had thought things were going well. "Raym was with us. He'd have to believe Raym was lying too. Raym doesn't have the brains."

"No, of course not. Mickl believes you now." A quick glance at Doheen, who reacted with something like a shrug. "But just in case he's wrong, he'll stop Logbearer from ever leaving the Admiralty, because we might be smuggling that fourth suit. He'll ruin me financially, in case I might say something to save myself. He'll hound you. It'll never be over."

"Then . . ." What'll I do? There can't be a way to convince Mickl I'm innocent. I'm guilty!

Admiralty pressure suits don't have working jets. No fuel. There's a suit with jets, somewhere, and Mickl wants it. He'll never settle for less.

Give him the silver suit? He'd know we're guilty then.

If I could- Ah. He had something.

I can't ask Booce. Doheen's listening, and Booce doesn't know what happened anyway. The others-

Fate and air currents had put Rather near Sectry. He moved closer. She moved the crossbow aside for him. Her face was hard to read.

"I shouldn't have left," he said.

"Why didn't you wait?"

"They tell me the Navy takes forever to do anything. I couldn't just hang around twitching, and we needed the mud."

Their voices had dropped. She said, "I was here. I turned down a flight, but I can't do that twice running. You left me for mudT'

It was a miserable thing to have to admit, but it was better than the truth. He nodded.

"Rather, nobody makes decisions when he's on fringe. So tell me, am I too strange? Am I too old?"

"My mother's older than my father. I like strange. I'm in the Clump because I like strange. Sectry, I don't regret anything I said or did." Which was not quite the truth. Secrets- "Hilar Belmy is trying to grow a burl tree."

She said, "That never works."

"Well, he's trying something new. Booce bought a piece of the tree. And he owes us."

"So it's not just mud, it's money. All right. Rather. I can understand money."

"That's more than I do. It's power, but it doesn't make you an officer. Are there un-rich officers?"

Her lips twitched. "They marry rich citizens. Their children are officers. The number of officers goes up. One day we'll all be officers."

"Why does Wayne Mickl want that suit so much? I'd think it would be the other way around-"