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Ten

It seemed like a long time before Teeb came. McCade spent it smoking cigar after cigar until his room was thick with dark blue smoke. Finally coughing and hacking, Neem left McCade alone with his own dark thoughts.

Had he passed their stupid test or not? The least the pointy-eared bastards could do was tell him. The whole thing was silly. Yes, he understood how much the sacred vial meant to the Il Ronnian people; yes, he understood that according to tradition only a full Ilwik could undertake a holy quest; yes, he knew what was at stake.

But it wasn't fair. The tests had no clear rules, the odds were stacked against him, and the penalty for failure was way too high.

If he failed, would the Il Ronnian ships really blast out of hyperspace and lay waste to the rim worlds? Was a vial full of liquid really worth an interstellar war? Unfortunately the answer came back "yes," and the knowledge plunged him even deeper into despair.

In typical Il Ronnian fashion Teeb didn't knock when he entered McCade's room. Instead he barged right in waving some sort of printout over his head.

"You know what this is, human?"

McCade did his best to look bored. "I haven't got the slightest idea."

"It is an audience consensus . . . that is what it is!"

"A consensus?"

"Yes, our society operates on consensus, as you know, and the only way to test consensus is to sample the population on a regular basis. And according to the people you passed the second test by an even larger margin than the first one!"

McCade was suddenly on his feet. "What? You mean the audience decides whether I pass or fail?"

Teeb looked momentarily mystified. "Yes, of course. Who else would decide?"

McCade's jaw dropped. "I don't know. I assumed there was a committee or something."

Teeb dismissed the idea with a wave of his tail. "Only humans would let others make such an important decision for them. On Imantha everyone has a say."

A feeling of tremendous relief swept over McCade as he fell back into his chair. He'd passed! Never mind that the whole thing was completely insane, he'd passed!

Teeb paced back and forth, his tail twitching, his eyes glowing with enthusiasm. "What a match! You are without a doubt the worst player in this sector of space! Eena out positioned you from the start, and cheat, my goodness that youngster could cheat!"

"Cheat?" Even though Neem had warned him of the possibility, and even though he'd done it himself, it hadn't occurred to McCade that Eena had cheated too.

Teeb laughed. "Of course. Eena moved your warriors around more than you did!"

McCade felt suddenly defensive. "Well, if I performed so poorly, how come I passed the test?"

Teeb was suddenly serious. "Because you did the best you could in a situation where all the odds were stacked against you, because you managed to adapt to changing circumstances, because you chose to risk all to help the weak."

McCade was silent for a moment and then he spoke. "The audience said all that?"

Teeb's tail signaled agreement. "That is correct, human. The audience said all that."

McCade nodded soberly. "I see. So what's next?"

"That," Teeb replied with a toothy grin, "is for me to know, and for you to find out."

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Framed