The CARM drifted out of range. Kendy scanned the far arc of the Smoke Ring out of habit; he had never seen signs of industrial activity there.

The Admiralty flowed below him. The Library had been turned off again.

Their ancestors hadn't listened to him either. They'd turned off the Voice subsystems; they'd cut the fibers that allowed Kendy to fly a CARM by remote. He'd been completely cut off for half a thousand years. As he was now.

Rather was scrubbing his teeth and thinking about breakfast when the Silver Man came into the bach hut. He spit and said, "Mark?"

"Who else?" Mark threw back his helmet. The silver suit was filthy and stank of smoke. "I tried that. I felt silly."

"Sure, silly. Mark, I saw their teeth. The older Admiralty citizens still have half their teeth! I bet Ryllin and Mishael have been scrubbing their teeth all along." Rather remembered that this man wasn't his father . . . and didn't know it, and had a legitimate grievance. All in a rush he said, "I stole it. We thought we needed it and we did. It was right to go. Treefodder, Mark, you're from a bigger tree! Don't you feel cramped here?"

"Fifteen years I've felt cramped. Relax. You brought back some wonderful things. You brought back the CARM and the suit and you didn't ruin the suit."

"You looked mad enough to kill when we came down."

"That was three good dinners ago. I never thought I'd taste potatoes again. I know a better way to cook them."

"You forgive me? Mark, I'm really glad."

"What are my choices? Sure I forgive you. We're firing the new laundry pot."

"Is it that late? I slept like a rock. Needed it too. These first few sleeps I just lay there wondering why one of the walls was pushing against me."

"I've spent some sleepless nights here myself," Mark said. "It's lonely in the bach hut. We built it too big. Big enough for the next crop of men."

"Maybe that's it."

"Have you talked to Jill?"

"Minya asked me that. We've talked. Why?"

"Yeah. Well." Mark sometimes had trouble finding words. "Citizens Tree is strange. None of us grew up the way you did. There are adults and children and a big gap in between, so you couldn't tell much from just watching older children grow up. Maybe there are things we should have said-"

"I know about sex, if that's what you mean. . .Maybe I need to know more. Two women have told me to feed the tree. It hurts. What could you have told me about that?"

Mark whistled. "You started young. Well, someone could have said, There's only one suitable mate for you and there's only one for Jill in this whole tuft, and she thinks she owns you, and maybe she's right.'"