Draycos felt the tip of his tail making slow circles. Lasers and flame jets, firing straight up out of the top of the wall. The Chookoock family was serious about keeping people out.

Or, perhaps, serious about keeping people in. "How many slaves do they keep inside the estate itself?" he asked.

"Hundreds," Uncle Virge said grimly. "Humans and several other species. A lot of them are working the cropland and quarry, plus there's a big group in the forest."

"Logging?" Jack asked.

"I don't know," Uncle Virge said. "Most of that batch are gathered around a particular line of bushes. Don't know what that's all about."

"What about buildings?" Jack asked.

"There are several." On the display, a red rectangle appeared, outlining a group of brown-and-green-speckled buildings that blended smoothly into their surroundings. "The long buildings here and here are probably slave quarters,"

Uncle Virge said, marking them with red blips. "We've also got service buildings—kitchens, laundry facilities, washrooms."

"A complete community within the wall," Draycos commented.

"Two communities, actually," Uncle Virge said, sounding disgusted. "The slaves'

area; and this." The image shifted again, centering on a huge brown-roofed building. "The Chookoock family mansion."

Draycos leaned a little closer to the display. The mansion was set about half a

mile back from the western edge of the estate, with an extensive parking area in front and a long, winding drive connecting it to a wide gate in the white wall.

On both sides of the drive were formal gardens, complete with flower beds, shrubs, and occasional clumps of small trees.

To the north of the mansion was a large open area where the grass had been marked with a series of lines and circles. Some sort of sports ground, probably.

A tall grandstand sat facing the field at the south end, with tall flagpoles at its corners. Further to the north, between the open ground and the slave areas, was a thick line of brown and green that was probably another wall.