THE SKY TO sunward was gaudy with splashes of pink and yellow when I arrivedat the spaceport at five the next morning. A crowd of spacers, humans and aliensboth, was already milling around the gates, most of them impatient to get totheir ships and head out on the next leg of their journeys. A few of the moreimpatient were making the standard disparaging comments about Ihmis customs; the Ihmis door wardens standing watch by the gates as usual ignored them.

There were no Patth in the waiting group, of course. Over the past few yearsthere had been enough of what the diplomats call "unpleasant incidents" aroundspaceports for most port authorities to assign Patth ships their own gates, service facilities, and waiting areas. Port authorities hate dealing with thepaperwork associated with assault and murder, and planetary governments areeven less interested in earning the sort of sanctions the Patth routinely dish outfor any affront to their people, real or imagined.

Which, come to think about it, made the three Patth I'd seen mixing with thecommon folk at the taverno last night something of an anomaly. Either they'dbeen young and brash, old and confident of local protection, or simply verythirsty. Distantly, I wondered if they'd run into any accidents on their wayhome.

At 5:31 the edge of the sun appeared over the horizon; and at that moment thegates unlocked and swung open.