The First Elder of Tern pondered the relative alignments he could impose on the information he had acquired from Cornucopia, and indirectly from the son on board the Enterprise. He contemplated possibilities. scenarios, reflected and weighed. Could Trid have overthrown the vessel? No, for he would have heard. Could the awesome powers of the mysterious Mandolan maid unleashed an irresistible chlorophyllic revolution on board, claiming the entire Federation cruiser as due compensation for the Mandolan tragedy? He thought the plan was not her kind, although she had been exposed to some pretty corrupt education systems in her earlier years. Nothing seemed to add up, nothing seemed to align. And he knew the First Law of Gnosis well -- "In the absence of understanding, seek the omitted Datum." It was, he mused, as though some remote but irresistible message was distracting their attention, like a cheap Galacnet Cosbeam program full of cheap Disnified pablum-tales. As if they were tuned in to some distant reality altogether, and could not get free! The elder reflected on the notion, and decided it was too farfetched -- although it would align all the discrepancies he had noticed in the situation, it was far too unrealistic to serve as an explanation.

But the consideration had somehow excited and refreshed him, and he drew a vellum note pad to him at the dark silkwood desk at which he sat, and began to write a series of hasty notes. The jug of moonwater at his side, purest stoneblooded waters from the highlands, grew lighter and lighter as the evening passed to the rhythm of furious scratching as the Elder wrote and wrote. At intervals he would call through a partly opened door and a young damsel or youth in leather jerkins and running moccasins would promptly step up to his desk, accept a small shiny vellum envelope, and run off into the night, leaping streams and rocks on the curving paths to some far place of the planet, toes flashing in the moonlight like those of a startled gazelle.

"It could work...." he thought, "it truly could.... ."