Shadith ran her finger round the rim of her glass. “I don’t work cheap, Lan.” That’s a laugh, if she knew… ah gods, just the thought of getting away from here has set my feet to itching.

“Don’t have to. The funding’s sweet.” Aslan smiled, tilted the bottle over her glass, refilling it and then Shadith’s. “Sweet as evenbriar wine. A thousand Helvetian fielders and a Voting Share of University Stock.”

“It’ll do.” Shadith sipped at the wine, set her glass down. “So tell me about it.”

“Duncan Shears will be: managing the project.”

“Wasn’t he the manager when…?”

“Yes. No fault of his what happened. With the local Powers running the frame, wasn’t much he could do but get the rest of the team off planet and the word back here about what was happening.” The green wine shivered as her hand shook. She set the glass clown with finicking care. “I don’t think I’ve ever been closer to dead.”

“I’ve been dead. I don’t recommend it.”

Aslan’s mouth twitched, but it wasn’t much of a smile and soon gone as the memory of the fake trial on Styernna and her year as a slave deepened the lines in her face.

Finally, with an impatient tssah!, she lifted the glass, drained it, set it down. “Seriously, Shadow, no pressure. It’s up to you if you want to go or not, but University wouldn’t make a bad base for you. And there’s that Voting Share. That’s one of the concessions I got from the Governors. Yaraka must be making a very nice contribution to the Fund.”

“That’s the sweet. What’s the bitter?”

“Lecture time. I’ll try to keep it short. Any questions, break in. Don’t worry about detail, though; I’ve got the set of flakes that the Yaraka Rep left with Tamarralda. Ah! She’s Xenoeth’s Chair this cycle. Since you’re Music, you wouldn’t know that. I’ll send them round in the morning. Hm. Nik does a mocha that’s wonderful,” she sighed, “if you don’t need to sleep much. Like me. I’ve a double dozen reports I have to finish before I can even think of leaving. Want some?”