"attention all of you!" len daniels had climbed atop a sturdy metal table.

"on the bulletin board just behind me the commission has posted a list of your assignments and partners for the current year. some of you will remain here in low park to work off your indebtedness, and others will be sent out to middle park and devil's elbow."

something in the agent's tone, a touch of ironic amusement or arrogance, perhaps, angered brink. but he kept his lips shut. in the ancient records that he had studied in the long idle years back there in york dome, he had read of serfdom and slavery. he could afford to wait and learn if what he feared was true. after all, they were many light years from home and at daniels' mercy—for the moment at least.

"after you have paired up and found the locations assigned you go to warehouse seven and draw your rations and tools. your plastic tents will serve for shelter even in winter, but my advice to you is to build with logs."

the little man smiled a trifle grimly as he studied them.

"i would advise you to hunt game and raise crops as quickly as possible," he added. "supplies and tools are expensive to freight out here to sulle ii. they will cost you five hundred more credits."

the colonists' faces paled and their eyes were sick. brink smiled grimly as he watched. well they'd asked for it. most of them were regretting their decision to abandon the ease and plenty of the giant domes already, but they had no choice now. uncertainly they crowded about the bulletin board, and paired up as the directive indicated.

brink found himself with a partner named tzal evans. she proved to be a genial, oversized, blonde giantess at least five years his senior. he had been hoping for a younger, more attractive companion—possibly dark-haired rea smyt. yet he realized that the commission could not permit its colonists to choose their jobs and partners at random. there was work to be done.

he found the map and learned that both he and bryt carby were assigned to the untamed, forested section named middle park. and bryt carby had drawn rea smyt as his partner.

brink scrubbed at his chin. he foresaw difficulties ahead for carby. the few moments that he had spent with rea had acquainted him with her lightning changes of mood and her disdain for rules and regulations. those two had nothing in common. after the legal year of partnership was ended neither of them would be likely to renew the agreement for another year.

perhaps he, brink, would draw her in next year's pool of unattached citizens, and then....

tzal nudged at him. "let's get our supplies," she said, her voice deep as a man's.

"sure, tzal." the top of her fair-haired skull was level with his eyes, and across it he caught a glimpse of rea smyt leading carby from the reception center. "sure. we better."

rea danced along ahead of carby like a child—a lovely slender child.