"You'll want to keep the CARM safe, but near enough for rescue if something goes wrong. Now, the Clump is more crowded than the Smoke Ring in general, but one may still think of it as mostly empty space. Two thousand people won't crowd a region the volume of the Earth's Moon! You'll find plenty of hiding space."

"Kendy, we can't steer the CARM into the Clump and just look around! We'd be seen!"

"I have a better view of the Clump than you do, even if it's not a good view. If you approached from north or south of the Clump-"

"What we'll do is take the log in, then look around while we're selling the wood. If we find a safe way in, we'll take it."

"Another thing you might consider," Kendy said. "The CARM is power. There may come a time when we'll want to use that power ..." Kendy's voice and picture faded.

"Well, thafs that." Jeffer left his seat. He stretched elaborately. "Let's go out. Take some spears. We'll get us some waterbirds before we turn back."

They moved out. Clave said, "Well?"

'Wow do you see what I mean? He wants the CARM inside the Clump. He wants it bad. If he can get some Admiralty citizens into the CARM, he could look them over and question them."

"He didn't say anything unreasonable," Clave said.

"Persuasive, isn't he? All right, think about this. There occurred an accident that allowed Chairman Clave to see the Checker talking to the Scientist. That happened after Kendy was sure he couldn't talk me into this."

Clave smiled. "An interesting coincidence. The CARM has outside cameras, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. And Booce would like to be rich so that he can give up logging. Do you think Kendy could persuade Booce to trade the CARM to the Navy for metal?"

The smile slipped. "We'll do it your way. Rather, this stops with us. All of it. Now shall we get us some waterbirds?"

"I said that to get us outside," Jeffer said.

"Let's do it anyway."

Chapter Eleven

Happyfeet

from the Admiralty Library, year 131 SM, day 160:

VOICE HAS SET US THE TASK OF INTEGRATING THE DESERTERS-EXCUSE ME, WANDERERS-INTO THE ADMIRALTY. IT WILL CERTAINLY TAKE GENERATIONS. EXEC WILLOUGHBY ADMITS THAT IT MAY BE IMPOSSIBLE, AND I'VE COME TO AGREE.

HALF A DOZEN COTTON-CANDY JUNGLES NOW TRADE REGULARLY IN THE CLUMP, MEETING AT THE CROSSYEAR. THEY OBEY ADMIRALTY LAW, WHERE ADMIRALTY NAVY IS PRESENT TO ENFORCE IT. OUTSIDE THE CLUMP THERE IS PIRACY AND SLAVE-TAKING. WE BELIEVE THAT THE SEEKERS AND THE LUPOPF FAMILY WERE INVOLVED IN SUCH INCIDENTS, THOUGH THEY WERE THE FIRST TO TRADE IN THE MARKET.

WE CANNOT BRING LAW TO THIRTY EARTH-VOLUMES OF INHABITABLE TERRITORY. THE SMOKE RING IS TOO HUGE, AND WE ARE TOO FEW AND TOO SLOW.

-LIEUTENANT RAND CARSTER