- Prologue

'Agreed,' Asu said solemnly.

'I want you to promise to quit asking what's in this package— and I want you to quit making fun of Win Ton! You don't even know him!'

'That is true,' Asu said, still solemn. 'I don't know him.' She sighed. 'I apologize, Theo. To tease about a bestboy or bestgirl is considered . . . friendly . . . in my experience.'

'I know some other people who think so,' Theo admitted, remembering her team on Delgado. 'But I don't think so.'

'I'll remember that,' Asu promised, and moved to the back of the cart. 'Now, will you help me push? I think it's going to rain.'

They got the cart through the door with a clatter that would have earned a sharp word from Kamele and a sharper look from Father, but didn't even rate an open door and a curious look from their across-the-hall neighbors.

'Chelly,' Asu called as soon as they were inside, 'you have mail!'

'He's not here,' Theo said, jerking her head at the senior's door, with its yellow status light.

'Another round of workouts, I suppose,' Asu said in a long-suffering voice, like she was Chelly's mother or older sister. Not, Theo thought, slipping the slender white box into the in-basket next to Chelly's door, that it wasn't worrisome, the number of hours he'd been spending at the gym. Theo wondered if the work helped him feel . . . less sad about his bestboy's—about what had happened to Hap Harney. If it did, she guessed it was a good thing, and, really, Chelly didn't have that tight, bruised look in his face anymore. On the few occasions she'd seen him lately, he'd only looked . . . tired.

Behind her came a prolonged crackling. Theo turned in time to see Asu throw the wrapper from the smallest of her boxes to the floor. The others wobbled, and Theo jumped forward to grab Win Ton's package and slide it quickly into the thigh pocket of her pants.

'Look!' Asu cried, shaking out a long strip of hot pink gauze.

Theo squinted. 'What is it?'

'A banthawing,' Chelly said sourly from the front door. 'They're not going to let you use that until you can at least get through a board drill without a fumble.'

'Why not?' Asu demanded, whirling around so fast the gauze snapped audibly. 'It's a—a recreational device!'

'It teaches bad habits, is what it does,' Chelly said. He kicked the discarded wrapping as he came into the room and shook his head. 'You're gonna clean this up, right?'

'In a moment,' Asu said loftily. 'I have other packages.'

'Hope they're more use to you than that thing. Who sent—oh! The scavage-head. Give him a hint, why not?'

'I would never hint to Jondeer that I wanted a present!' Asu said hotly. 'He sends what is in his heart!'

Chelly turned and blinked at the banthawing and then at Asu.

'Funny kind of thing to find in somebody's heart,' he commented, then threw his hands up in front of his face, half-heartedly, Theo thought, as if to fend Asu off.

'Hey, it's your relationship. I'd just think you'd clue him in on your space situation, so he wouldn't waste shipping on big stuff like this that you don't have anyplace to keep.'

'This is not all from Jondeer!' Asu snapped. She threw the gauze over the cart's handle and snatched the second-biggest box from its place on the cart. 'This, for instance, is from my father's head of security!'

'Great,' Chelly said without enthusiasm. 'I hope she didn't send you another one of those whaddycallits— checksums.'

'Checksec,' Theo said hurriedly, seeing Asu's face tighten. 'Chelly, there was a package for you, too.' She jerked her chin at the inbox. 'I put it in your basket.'

'For me?' He frowned, then shook himself, his mouth straightening into a thin line. Theo thought maybe he was trying for a smile. 'Thanks.'

He moved toward his door, and Theo turned to go into the room she shared with Asu, meaning to retire to her bunk and open Win Ton's package while both of her roomies were involved in their own business.

'Oh, of all the thought-deprived, careless—'

Theo turned; Asu was holding up a hinged, transparent screen.

'What's that?'

'This'—Asu shook the item in question so hard its hinges squealed—'is the security shield for the Checksec that was confiscated. Had I had this at the beginning, it would not have drawn the attention—'

'Shit.'

It was amazing how cleanly that quiet cuss word cut through Asu's racket. They both turned toward the third member of their party.

'What's wrong?' Theo asked. Chelly was standing like he'd been dipped in plastic and left to dry, staring down into the open white box, the lid held loose in his off-hand.

'Chelly?' She moved forward, carefully. His face was almost as green as his gym shirt and she could see sweat on his upper lip. 'Hey, Chelly,' she said.

He looked up, eyes wide, face looking—soft. Unformed. He focused, first on Theo, then on Asu; his face firmed and he put the lid back on the box.