Guy started, and then smiled. "You're slightly earlier than I expected." He went to the cupboard indicated in Charalas' mind and returned with the toran set. He was about to ask: _white or black?_ when he perceived that Charalas expected the black men since he had been victorious on their last game. Reading the positions from Charalas' mind, Guy set up the various men upon their proper squares, and offered Charalas the first move, which was proper. Guy's knowledge of chess was fair, and toran was an Ertinian version of the ancient Terran game. He had no idea as to the moves, but--Charalas thought: _Elanane always counters my first move by counter-attacking with his vassal._ Guy moved the minor piece up to confront the other. Charalas covered his pawn with a major piece and Guy countered with exactly the one thought that Charalas hoped against. Charalas set up a complicated trap, and sat back thinking: _Let's see you outguess that one, Elanane._ Guy wondered about the move of the castle piece, and touched it briefly. _Four moves in any direction_, came Charalas' thought. Guy moved the castle, and Charalas thought: _Now why did he do that?_ Guy worried. Elanane might not have made that move. _If I move my protector, he should fall into the trap by capturing it. He always does._ Guy decided that this game was no fun at all, and took the piece. Charalas smiled brightly and removed three of Guy's major pieces with a single move, Guy countered by making the one move that Charalas did not want, and the Ertinian lost the piece that he was hoping to save. The rest was quick, Charalas moved and Guy countered, but Charalas triumphed because Guy didn't know enough to set up his own traps. He could avoid Charalas' traps, but in simple exchanges he lost ground, and finally Charalas removed the last white piece from the board. The neuro-surgeon smiled tolerantly, "You may be lanee, Elanane, but I am still your master at toran." "I'll learn some day," promised Guy. "You seemed preoccupied," said Charalas. "You've been worrying." "That's possible." "About Sol, I'd guess." "Right." "Why worry about them?" asked Charalas. "They threaten our integrity." "You mean since Thomakein informed us that the Terran, Gomanar, was forced to violate his oath?" Guy blinked. To treat this properly, he would have to absolutely divorce himself from his personality and treat the Terran as another entity. "Yes," he said. "The Terrans, according to Thomakein, are more than capable of setting up a detector that will detect the presence of the light-shield." "We'll cross that bridge when it comes." "We should look forward to it--and plan." "Elanane," said Charalas, "my loyalty has never been questioned. For a moment, I'd like to discuss this as an impartial observer." "Of course." "Ertene is stale." "Stale?" asked Guy in astonishment. "Ertene has lost the pathway that leads to the apex," said Charalas. "We have become soft and stale." "I don't understand."