"You have a tribe? This boy and who else?" "Not Neq. My tribe is training in the badlands." "The badlands!" Mok's surprise matched Neq's own. "No one goes there!" "Nevertheless," Sol said. "The kill-spirits�" "Do you question my word?" Sol demanded. Mok bridled at the tone. "Everyone knows�" "I have to agree," Neq said�and was immediately aware that he had spoken out of turn. This was not his quarrel. "In the circle you challenge my word!" Sol said. He glanced at the rotating transparent door, noting that it was dark outside. "Tomorrow." Mok and Neq exchanged glances. Both were stuck. "Tomorrow," Mok agreed. "For mastery." Then as an afterthought: "But you will see my weapon is not for games." The girl smiled at Mok. He smiled back, stroking his bracelet. And that night Sol and Neq pulled down bunks from the wall on the east side, while Mok took the woman to the west side, putting his bracelet on her wrist. Neq lay in the dark, listening, feeling guilty for it. But he couldn't really tell anything from the sounds. Sol had a barrow filled with weapons. "What would you face in the circle?" he asked Mok. "You really use them all? Let's have the star, then." Sol brought out his ball and chain. Neq was fascinated. He had never seen a star in action, and had never heard of a star-star encounter in the circle. The weapon was unreliable but terrifying, as it could not be used defensively. Either the heavy spiked ball connected or it didn't, and the outcome of the battle depended on that. Serious injury was a probability, in this match, The two men entered the circle on opposite sides, each whirling his deadly steel ball over his head so rapidly that the short chains were blurs. Now the stars were beautiful, flashing the sunlight in rings of fire as the men's torsos flexed rhythmically. The fight had to be short, for the outward pulling weight of the ball would rapidly tire the arm. It was short. The two bright arcs intersected, the chains crossed, the balls spun about each other fiercely, striking sparks.