was a good try. I'll look him up tomorrow."

He gave Trigger gentle wink. "Let 'em pant," he said. "At a distance!"

She smiled uncertainly. If he had a mustache, she thought, he'd be
twirling it.

There were two more calls in the next few minutes, of similar nature.
Quillan rebuffed them cheerfully. It was rather flattering in a way. She
wondered how so many people in the cocktail lounge happened to know
Quillan by name.

When the ComWeb reported the fourth caller, it sounded awed.

"The name given is the Lady Lyad Ermetyne!" it said.

Quillan beamed. "Lyad? Bless her heart! A pleasure. Put her through."

A screen shaped itself on the wall mirror to the right. Lyad Ermetyne's
face appeared in it.

"Heslet Quillan!" She smiled. "So you aren't permanently lost to your
friends, after all!" It was a light, liquid voice. It suited her
appearance perfectly.

"Only to the frivolous ones," Quillan said. His thick black brows went
up. His face took on a dedicated look. "I'm headed for Manon on duty."

She nodded. "Still with the Subspace Engineers?"

"And with the rank of major by now," Quillan said.

"Congratulations! But I'd already observed that your fabulous good
fortune hasn't deserted you in the least." Lyad's glance switched to
Trigger; she smiled again. It was a pleasant, easy smile that showed
white teeth. "Would you shield your ComWeb, Quillan?"

"Shield it?" Quillan looked surprised. "Why, certainly!" He reached
under the edge of the table. The drifting viewer images vanished. "Go
ahead."

Lyad's eyes turned back to Trigger. They were off-color eyes, like amber
or a light wine, fringed with long black lashes. Very steady, very
knowing eyes. Trigger felt herself tensing.

"Forgive me the discourtesy of inquiring directly," the light voice
said. "But you are Trigger Argee, aren't you?"

Quillan's hand slapped the table. He looked at Trigger and laughed.
"Better give up, Trigger! I told you you were much more widely known
than you believed."

* * * * *

"Well, Brule," Trigger muttered moodily to the solidopic propped upright
against the pillow before her, "you'd bug those pretty blue eyes out if
you knew who's invited me to dinner!"

Brule smiled back winningly. She lay on her cabin's bed, chin on her
crossed arms, eyes a dozen inches from the pretty blue ones. She
studied Brule's features soberly.

"Major Heslet Quillan," she announced suddenly in cold, even tone