Does this mean there's no school today?"

Ashel made a sound like crumpling tin wrap. "It may, young one," he said, eyeing Tories. "What do you teach, Master Jafer?

"A little of everything," Tories told him. "Ethics, wisdom, the ways of life."

"Ah-a philosopher," Ashel said, giving a dismissive wave of his hand and turning back to Binalie. "Now, to business." He gestured to Gehad.

"As you have surmised, we wish to use Spaarti Creations to work for us," the Master Creator said, his voice neat and precise. "But thus far we have been unable to restructure the assembly lines. You will tell me now how to do that."

Binalie shook his head. "I can't."

"Do not speak foolishness," Gehad warned. "You are director of this facility. You know everything there is to know about it."

"Of course I do," Binalie agreed. "Including what can and cannot be done.

Only the Cranscoc twillers can manipulate the fluid tooling system." He lifted his eyebrows at Gehad. "I take it they haven't been willing to do so?"

"It was the ruins of our vehicles on the south lawn," Ashel said. "We now know about that taboo and have moved to correct it."

"But we do not intend to be stymied in that way again," Gehad added. "So I repeat: you will tell me how we may change the tooling ourselves."

"And I repeat, I can't," Binalie said. "But there are things I can do to help. I'd like to suggest a deal that-"

"You will not block us further!" Ashel snapped, flicking his fingers in an odd and probably obscene gesture. "Not you, and not the Republic forces hiding in the tunnel beneath the southern lawn. Oh, yes, we know they are there-we have tried twice to dislodge them and have now sealed the plant's exit against them. We also know the other end of the tunnel is somewhere on these grounds. Do not deny it!"

"I can't do anything about the Republic forces," Binalie said, starting to sound angry himself. "What I can do, however, is help you..."