They both jumped, then rolled to their feet, staring.

“Do I interrupt? I desire to show you certain pictures.”

For a moment they simply watched the dance. The Hindmost could guess how silly he must look. Grins were spreading across both faces; though Louis’s meant laughter and Chmeee’s meant anger. “You’ve been spying,” Chmeee said. “How?”

“Look up. Don’t destroy it, Chmeee, but look above your head at the mast that supports the radio antenna. Just at the reach of your claws—”

The alien faces expanded hugely. Louis said, “Like a bronze spiderweb with a black spider at the center. Fractal pattern. Hard to see… hard to see where it stops, too. I thought some Ringworld insect was spinning these.”

The Hindmost told them, “It’s a camera, microphone, telescope, projector, and some other tools, too. It sprays on. I’ve left them in various places, not just this ship. Louis, can you summon your guests?” Whittle: {command [] locate City Builders}. “I have something to show you. They should see this, too.”

“What you’re doing, it looks a little like Tai Kwon Do,” Louis said.

{Command [] Seek: Tai Kwon Do}.

The information surfaced. A fighting style. Ridiculous: his species never fought. The Hindmost said, “I don’t want to lose my muscle tone. The unexpected always comes at the most awkward times.” A second window opened among the dancers: the City Builders were preparing a meal in the huge kitchen. “You must see—”

Chmeee’s claws swiped at the puppeteer’s eyes. Window Six blinked white and closed.

Kick. Weave past the Moment’s Leader. Stand. Shift a millimeter; stand. Patience.

Avoid him they might. They had avoided him for ten hours now, and for half an archaic year before that; but they had to eat.

The wooden table was tremendous, the size of a kzinti banquet. A year ago the Hindmost had had to turn down the olfactory gain in the webeye, for the stench of old blood rising from the table. The smell was fainter now. Kzinti tapestries and crudely carved frescoes had been removed, too bloody for the hominids’ taste. Some had been moved to Chmeee’s cabin.