Beyond the Market, beyond Carlot's pointing chin, six cubes were strung along a spire of wood with a rocket tank and nozzle at one end. "That's Captain-Guardian Wayne Mickl's household," Cariot said. "He's one of the richest officers."

"It isn't close."

"That one is."

A structure floated against the Dark, a cube festooned with platforms, extrusions for tethers, water pods, and other things for which he had no name.

"That's the Hillards, I think. And that puff jungle is

the Kerians."

The sky was full of puffballs. The one Cariot pointed out bore a big K with other letters within, too small to read. Cariot said, "Crew live in those if they're too poor to buy wood. Usually they clip a logo in the foliage."

Rather laughed. "Okay, I'm convinced." Another puff jungle was marked with a slender figure-eight. "If you're rich, you build with wood?"

"Yes."

"Your family has a house."

"We find our own wood! I'll show you if it comes around. It wasn't finished when we left, but I know the design."

"We're poor; aren't we? Citizens Tree is poor."

"You live poor. The CARM makes you rich, except that you can't use it ... and there's your share of the Wart, once Father sells it. Rather?"

"Speaking."

"I think I'm going to marry Raff."

Rather turned to look at her. The sudden black emptiness in his belly was entirely new to him, yet he couldn't feel any surprise. He got his lips working. "Would you be better off if I went somewhere else?"

She was having trouble meeting his eyes. "I haven't seen Raff in three years. Rather, I think he'd be happier if he didn't know we've been ..."

"Making babies. I won't announce it."

"All right. But I wouldn't push you into the Navy just to get rid of you! Don't ever think that! I don't know if it's a good idea or not. I don't think for Citizens Tree, and I don't do your thinking either. Don't give up the idea just to stay near me."

"I have no intention of joining the Navy." Rather turned back to the sky. He was still on watch.

Now that he knew what to look for, the sky danced with structures. Puff jungles were everywhere, more of them toward the Dark, and some were marked. There were wooden cubes and clusters of cubes, elaborately colored in bright primaries. He could pick out wind-curdled lines of steam crossing the Dark.

He said, "People change in three years."

Cariot said, "Sure. Maybe we won't like each other. We'll see. I'm telling you. Rather, if we get along I'll marry him. Belmy was the first of the logging concerns, and it's the most powerful."

The helmet had been in place in the termite nest for some twenty hours. Kendy ran the record through his mind, classifying, deducing, making notes. When he reached present time he went back to the beginning.

His mental model of the Admiralty was shaping up nicely.