The Dragon Never Sleeps

— 144 —

Lupo hugged everybody, including Turtle, then hugged everybody again. For hours everybody told everyone what had happened for a year and a half. "You pulled it off!" Provik enthused. "I don't believe it. But why did you come back, Kez Maefele? I thought you'd do another long disappearance."

"I hope I have." The Ku looked around. "And there was nowhere else where I had more friends."

Lupo was startled. He heard truth there, if not the whole truth. "There's more."

"Yes. When I gave WarAvocat the data, all I gave him was what he needed to silence the methane breathers. I reserved information about several tag ends with no military significance. If I could find a partner willing to share the wealth of that waste space with the Ku people..."

Lupo burst out laughing. "You never stop scheming, do you?"

"Do you? I have to be what I was made to be."

"You have a deal. Down the middle. I'll put up equipment and capital. You come up with the manpower and keep the Guardships out of our hair. They haven't given up on us."

"No. But VII Gemina will be occupied with internal problems perhaps long enough for us to become a matter of no consequence."

"I hope so. Come on, we have to have an all-Canon blowout to celebrate the most bizarre passage in modern history."