They were now within 0001 unication dey with Fallerian III. He switched to video. "This is Silen from Samur, requesting fulfilment of the special dog permit as previously agreed. What dog port has been assigned?" pared to Standard, Fallerian was wordy but precise.

  "Wele back. Please state the reason for omitting your ID." Apparently, his Fallerian was not too rusty after two years away.

  "ID is not with me, alternative identification be provided. Marik Lndradro?, graduated at Fallerian III, date 17245.753, student 347137435255233." That should be enough to find him in their database. He did not remember his ID, but he would never fet his schistration, which he had to write on every homework and exam.

  The dey was a little longer. "You are verified, Human Marik Lndradro?. Wele back." His face could not ge its expression, but his antenna clearly showed the fusion of having said this to a human.

  "I will begin with full disclosure. This ship has delivered 33 sves to Hrrst 20456892. I have one sve named Lalleli with me who testify to this. She is currently under a jump patch. I was forcibly recruited as a pilot, my ID and lice are both with the responsible pany on Fallerian VII. I have not beed financially or in any other way from this and have no tractual obligations to the pany."

  He had anticipated the rea after the st sentehat's inexcusable. Do you have a paration?"

  "No, I woke up on this ship just before the AI was to jump. Is this ship registered to any pany here?"

  The dey was very short. "Its flight pn is pre-registered to Fallerian VII, but this ship is a charter. We found a trace of the deep space transmission you received earlier. It is being worked on."

  "I appreciate that. May I suggest that the witness disembarks here and I fly the ship to Fallerian VII. Then they must reveal their faces. Before that, I suggest an overcharge for refuelling."

  If a Fallerian could smile, it would be the widest possible. "It leasure doing business with you."

  "May your tract be eveer."

  Now that he was close enough to the station, he could make a regur call.

  "Lnaplo?."

  The old beetle had no soft skin to show emotion. But he could read the joy in its movements. "Marik, so suddenly."

  "Yes, sorry, it took me two years to find my way back from the other side of the gaxy."

  "You have ged again. Not as much as growing up, but still ging. When will you ever stop?"

  "I don't think I will ge much more." He was not happy about this detour in his human development, especially since he was as clueless in this as Lnaplo?. "Sorry, I don't have much time. I was forced to pilot the st journey. It was a sve shipment, human sves, heavily modified for fs and the hostile enviro. I was able to get one of them out and I will help find the cartel to put ao this. But I was not paid and they took my ID and wallet. And the ex-sve has no idea of tracts, and I am not sure if the Human embassy still siders her a human being and"

  "I will take her under a temporary tract."

  He exhaled in relief. "Thank you. You are so kind."

  "I hope your tract will be better."

  He chuckled. "That's a given."

  Lnaplo? agreed to help with the pre-tract! Even two years after the end of the hatg tract, the old beetle was too nice for a Fallerian. How lucky that he had been his hatchparent.

  * * *

  He stood over Lalleli and peeled off the patch. She awoke in reverse order, first her tail twitched, then her hind legs moved slowly, followed by her fs, and finally she opened her eyes and groaned. She straightened her human torso and finally saw him.

  "Hello Lalleli. Headache?"

  She shook her head. "Still dreaming of myself as a human."

  "Dreaming?" Apart from that oime with Jerka, he had never dreamed when he was knocked out by a pator had he heard of anyone else who had. Her patch had probably been almost up.

  "Sain. Maybe they do more at the station. We will dock at Fallerian III station in 0971 using a cargo port."

  He poio the cargo hatch.

  "And they help me?"

  "Help you, certainly. ge you back, I have no idea."

  "I'm hungry and thirsty ao go to the toilet," she trailed off silently.

  "We still have some food from them. But first," he sighed, "Bckbeard, 0g please."

  "firmed, 0 g."

  Lalleli had already unbuckled her harness and floated into position while he prepared the hose. Hopefully, for the st time, it felt so weird to vacuum her privates.

  And done. "Bckbeard, decelerate again."

  "Deceleration at 0.2 g for 0017."

  They avoided eye tact for a moment. But he wao use the higher gravity to cut the bread normally. Lalleli was really hungry, watg his knife work closely, ready to take the slices as fast as he cut them.

  He saved the st slice for himself, a grey hard end that gave him something to chew on. No longer chy, but still an exercise for his chewing muscles. It made unipossible.

  Finally, he had finished his piece, while Lalleli was almost doh the third slice.

  "Lalleli, we haven't talked much about Fallerian."

  She nodded as she chewed.

  "You see, I grew up here." He hesitated. "On Fallerian, everything is done by tract. And everyories to get their cuses in." He paused again. "They're not evil, it's just, they do it sihey were born. Even families are tracts, my foster parents took a hatg tract to raise me. Even the w is a tract."

  Her look told him everything. "You have no idea. I mean, they will try to make you sign something. And you will need some tracts."

  She was still chewing with a fused look on her face.

  " you read?"

  She shook her head, "Not well enough," she said with her mouth full. "And my st tract." She paused and looked down at her body.

  "You ended up like this, yes," he finished, "so please, don't sign anything without me."

  She nodded eagerly.

  "You know, the air will be much hotter, more humid and denser, with a higher partial pressure of oxygen than here on the ship. You may need a breather."

  She shook her head. "No, I'll try without," she mao say with her mouth full.

  "And the Fallerians are, I mean, they look like is. About half my size."

  "Good thing I'm not afraid of spiders."

  "No, there are tipede-like ale-like but not spider-like. I mean, I have been told, since I have never seen human is, sorry."

  "Don't worry, I will be extra careful where I step."

  That had not been his . "You probably won't know if a Fallerian is angry, frightened or any other emotion. And their speaking of Standard tends to follow the Fallerian verbose style, if they speak Standard at all. Anyway, my foster father will be there. His name is Lnaplo?. You trust him. And only him. He also speaks Standard."

  "Marik, thank you. I am really gd to have met you. I have no idea how it would have ended with another pilot. I will do whatever you say."

  "I'm going to Fallerian VII soon to get my ID and put ao the sve trade. It was their fault for setting up shop in Fallerian." She seemed impressed. One of them, at least.

  * * *

  Despite increasing the pressure siering the station's flight trime, it still took a long time to equalise. Finally, Lalleli was able to open the cargo hatch. The flexible tanks were again four thin, wrinkled pstic tubes, two uhe ceiling and two along the edges of the floor. And after two years away, the Fallerian atmosphere felt hot and thick, even though he had grown up here. But the smell was familiar.

  Lalleli was standing beside him. They were waiting for the sed airlo the Fallerian side to open.

  There was quite a reception: two enforcers, a doctor and two clerks, and only in the sed roort trol officer and Lnaplo?. He was very unsure who to address first.

  "Dear scribes, port trol and enforcers. I am Marik Lndradro? without tract. With me is the human free citizen Lalleli, who had signed up for human bour. But she was ged into her current fainst her will. They probably took advantage of her illiteraake her sign an inprehensible tract." He had improvised the tract at the st minute, but it had impressed them. "I was forced to fly 33 sves without a tract or advance payment, as there was only enough fuel to nd at the sve's destination. The y was unaware that their new workers had not volunteered for modding, instead it had been illegally forced ohey agreed that Lalleli should e with me, both as a victim and as a witness. I was to fly on the inal flight pn to Fallerian VII, where my wallet and ID would be returo me. I suggest you give me just enough fuel to tio Fallerian VII, perhaps even with enforcers on board. Whatever tract stop this operation."

  Lalleli looked at him with wide eyes. "Sorry, please be patient," he whispered.

  "We discuss this in Standard," the left scribe said.

  "Dear Scribes," Lnaplo? called from behind him, "I io take her as my family tract for 50 days."

  The scribe looked delighted. He immediately began to engrave his pnk.

  "Please let me pass."

  The enforcers nodded and the scribes parted.

  Lnaplo? stood before Lalleli. "Hello Lalleli, I am Lnaplo?. I like the flow of your name, doesn't it sound a bit like mine?"

  Lalleli sat down, but her head was still well above Lnaplo?.

  "Hello Lnaplo?," she paused briefly, "you are Marik's foster father. You raised him well."

  "That tract has long since been fulfilled. But it left me with a soft spot for humans. Since you ot read Fallerian, I would like to make a verbal tract. Is that all right?"

  "Yes," replied both the scribe and Lalleli.

  "Lalleli, it is very important that you uand the tract. So, I agree to take you into my family for 50 days and take care of you to the best of my ability."

  She nodded, "Thank you."

  "You will, however, ply with all official requests. You will leave the power to make reaties to me for the 50 days."

  She nodded.

  "Please say yes if you agree, or no if you disagree or do not uand."

  "Yes."

  "Any profit from the illegal trag operation, after payment to the station, should go to Lalleli."

  "No," the sed scribe interjected, "no b cuse until we are sure there are no more victims."

  Lnaplo? nodded, "How about all profits from the termination of the illegal tract operation be divided equally among the individuals involved in Fallerian space?"

  Now Marik interjected. "After a full medical examination down to their genes on Lalleli as part of the iigation and any additional treatment costs have beeed. The said medical examination and treatment should be carried out immediately and the costs are to be paid by the station."

  The clerks discussed this with the enforcers, who also called their supervisor. "We agree to that."

  The first scribe held out the tract he had engraved. "I read it again in Standard. Lnaplo? offers a 50-day temporary family tract for the human individual Lalleli, with the usual obligations for her as a subordinate family member."

  "Yes," Lnaplo? firmed.

  "First special cuse: Lalleli will receive a full medical examination to verify her story of being involved in an illegal tra Fallerian space. Any necessary medical treatment will also be provided, both covered by the enforcers. Any profit from the termination of said illegal tract will first be used to cover these costs".

  "Yes," said the enforcer.

  "Sed special cuse: All profits from the termination of the unwful tract shall be equally distributed among all parties ively affected by said tact within Fallerian space but after payment of the operating costs of the station and the medical costs for the individual Lalleli."

  "Yes," Lalleli said after his nodding.

  And he added, "May I request that the ship be refuelled to reach Fallerian VII safely, with a normal forward cuse on the receiving party? If there is no payment on Fallerian VII, please add it to the above station costs."

  "A very reasonable request. Yes, we will fill you in on a normal forward cuse," the port official spoke for the first time. "We have the specifications, it will be ready in 0472."

  "Lalleli, you go with Lnaplo?."

  "Thank you and take care."

  "Chebezerts," Lnaplo? said too. And then he walked off, while Lalleli tiptoed behind him, looking carefully to all sides.