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with
    Rejoicers. Well-spaced Rejoicers, she saw, for they were-each and every one-bristled to their fullest extent. She wished she dared go for a closer look, but Clarence would be livid if she took much more time than normal reaching the supply ship. And he’d be checking-she knew his habits well enough to know that.
    She floored the accelerator and made her way to the improvised landing field in record time.
    Nick waved to her from the port and stepped out. Just like Nick, she thought. She’d told him to wait in the ship until she arrived; he’d obeyed to the letter. It was all she could do to keep from hugging him as she hit the ground beside him. With a grateful sigh of relief, she said,
    “We’ve got to move fast on the transfer, Nick. I’ll fill you in as we load.”
    By the time the two of them had transferred all the supplies from the ship, she’d done just that.
    He climbed into the seat beside her, gave her a long thoughtful look, and said, “So Clarence has restricted all of the other ethnologists to the embassy grounds, has he?” He shook his head in mock sadness and clicked his tongue. “I see I haven’t trained my team in the proper response to embassy edicts.” He grinned at Marianne. “So the embassy advises that I stay off the streets, does it?”
    “Yes,” said Marianne. She hated being the one to tell him but he’d asked her. “The Super Plenipotentiary Etc. has issued a full and formal Advisory to all non-governmental personnel....”
    “Okay,” said Nick. “You’ve done your job: I’ve been Advised. Now I want to go have a look at this revolution-in-progress.” He folded his arms across his chest and waited.
    He was right. All Clarence could do was issue an Advisory; he had no power whatsoever to keep the ethnologists off the streets. And Marianne wanted to see the revolution as badly as Nick did.
    “All right,” she said. “I am responsible for your safety, though, so best we go in the transport. I don’t want you stuck.” She set the supply-transport into motion and headed back toward the Grande
    Allez.
    Nick pressed his nose to the window and watched the streets as they went. He was humming cheerfully under his breath.
    “Uh, Nick-if Clarence calls us....”
    “We’ll worry about that when it happens,” he said.
    Worry is right, thought Marianne, but she smiled. He’d been humming Christmas carols, like some excited child. Inappropriate as all hell, but she liked him all the more for it.
    She pulled the supply-transport to the stop at the entrance to the palace courtyard and turned to ask Nick if he had a good enough view. He was already out the door and making his way carefully into the crowd of Rejoicers. “Hey!” she shouted-and she hit the ground running to catch up with him.
    “Nick!”
    He paused long enough for her to catch his arm, then said, “I need to see this, Marianne. It’s my Page 16

    job.”
    “It’s my job to see you don’t get hurt-”
    He smiled. “Then you lead. I want to be over there where I can see and hear everything Halemtat and his advisors are up to.”
    Marianne harbored a brief fantasy about dragging him bodily back to the safety of the supply-transport, but he was twice her weight and, from his expression, not about to cooperate.
    Best she lead, then. Her only consolation was that, when Clarence tried to radio them, there’d be nobody to pick up and receive his orders.
    “Hey, Marianne!” said Chornian from the crowd. “Over here! Good view from here!”
    And safer too. Grateful for the invitation, Marianne gingerly headed in that direction. Several quilled Rejoicers eased aside to let the two of them safely through. Better to be surrounded by beaded
    Rejoicers.
    “Welcome back, Nick,” said Chornian. He and Chaylam stepped apart to create a space of safety for the two humans. “You’re just in time.”
    “So I see. What’s going on?”
    “Halemtat just had Pilli’s Chippet clipped for playing with a Halemtat cracker.