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can drive the Monsters out?"
Rondl reconsidered soberly. "No. Not alone. I have probably recruited the least stable of the Bands,
the ones who are most willing to take risks and be unsocial. Even those are basically nice people, who
would not partake of war as Monsters know it. We have to try for nonviolent ways to oppose the
invasion, and that is difficult. We only delayed the siege of Moon Glow; we didn't halt it. We'll do
better next time, but at best it's a holding action. And we have only one more moon to hold before
they lay siege to Planet Band itself. We need more."
"What we need," she flashed brightly, "is the use of that Ancient Site. There never was an Ancient
Site in a decent state of preservation that didn't transform the situation of the discovering culture."
"That's why Sol wants the Site," Rondl agreed glumly. But the notion appealed to him. What could his
group of trained Bands do if their powers were suddenly magnified by the technology of the
Ancients? Bands were not atechnological; it only seemed that way because they had so few tangible
artifacts. They could make complex electronic components merely by concentrating on the magnetic
structure of metal objects. Bombs would be possible, perhaps, if a triggered release of intense
magnetism were arranged; and super-powerful lasers. And devices no bigger than grains of sand
might disrupt the computer circuitry of major ships. The possibilities were endless-with a little more
technological information at their disposal.
"They might drive the Monsters right out of the System and preserve Sphere Band forever," Tangt
finished for him.
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"If only we had the Site to draw on," Rondl said. "But we don't."
"It's a vicious circle. You need the Site-to drive the Monsters away from the Site."
"And if we don't get the Site, the Monsters will send all Bands to the Viscous Circle," Rondl agreed.
"On the other hand, if we tell the Monsters where the Site is, we can probably save the Bands. The
Monsters just don't really care about the Bands, one way or the other."
"They just don't really care," Rondl echoed.
"What moon is it on?"
Now was the test of his faith in her. It was insufficient. "Dinge," he lied. "Moon Dinge, the smallest,
farthest, faintest one."
"Well, there's one moon remaining before they attack Planet Band itself," she concluded. "Let's try
your way first. Try to fight them off, hold them back, save that moon."
"Moon Fair, the closest, biggest, brightest, prettiest," he agreed. "If we could hold them off one moon,
maybe we could push them off another, and finally win back the System." Was this a foolish dream?
"And if we fail-if Moon Fair falls-then we shall report dutifully to our kind that the Ancient Site is on
Moon Dinge," she said.
"Yes," he agreed, feeling guilty. Why did he keep reminding himself that he was a Monster? No Band
could have lied like that-especially not to a friend. "We'll report that, if we fail."
"Then we are unified," she flashed enthusiastically. "Maybe we can break the vicious circle-and if we
can't, at least we'll save the Bands."
"One way or another," he agreed.
"I'm almost sorry we came here on business. I think the other would not have been so bad."
Now Rondl's guilt was two-edged: for the lie that helped make her amenable, and for his increasing
desire for that amenability. She was magnetically attractive; among Bands, attraction was literal,
though they also used the word figuratively. "Let's get out of here," he suggested, not wanting to be
near her much longer-for both reasons.
Chapter 16 Moon Fair
Rondl and Tangt separated, he going to locate Cirl, she to rejoin her Band husband. If Rondl's army
succeeded in driving the Monsters back, Tangt would help spread the news and rally more support for
the continuing effort among the Bands. If Rondl failed, possibly getting disbanded himself, she would
wait safely until recalled to her human host, then make her report. She would give the Ancient Site-or
so she would think-to the Solarians, in the hope that they would spare the Bands.
Rondl hoped his lie to Tangt would not create more mischief than the worst application of the truth
might have. He simply wasn't sure he had done the right thing, ethically or practically. Yet he was
unwilling to correct the lie; that might be a worse mistake. So-he had better succeed in driving back
the Monsters his way.
He made the rendezvous. Cirl was there. Suddenly he was doubly glad to see her. She was the one he
wanted, not a Monster in Band guise-not even one like Tangt.
"When I returned to Maze Mountain, you were gone," she flashed. "Others reported you had left with
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