"... and then we will be in a position to cause my brothers and sisters to come to the bargaining table. They need to hear what the oracle has said," ...he Ancient was saying.I shook my head. "I still find it disturbing that my wife is playing such a pivotal role here. Why is it that only she can go to this meeting, and deliver the message? You heard it, why can't you speak to this council of yours?" I asked reasonably."Because I would be suspect. You wife, however, still carries the... imprint,. Or Percy was trying to make points with them.As I was considering all this, I slipped out of my battle mode and back to normal. I could also feel the adrenaline draining off. Rather than fall into the same trap Percy did, I started setting up a quick camp.With a small fire started, I recovered Percy’s rifle. It was a pretty nice Winchester 30.06 bolt action. But hadn’t been cared for. When I emptied the magazine, I was surprised to find that the rounds were high-end competition-grade rounds. As. She had no idea what the characteristics were that made the difference between a culture imploding on contact with a more advanced society, or adapting and accommodating itself to the changes required.In her second year at the University a call had gone out for temporary researchers, to study the Kalvan Time Line.Tanda had been exposed to Paratemporal transits; she'd been in conveyors several times. It had never occurred to her that all was not well with the system. If two conveyors happened to. You don't need to be embarrassed and I'm not gonna say anything." She set the magazine back down in front of me again. I thought that would be it and was expecting her to get up and leave.There was a long moment's silence, then she said; "Show me what you do." "What?" I said, surprised and a bit confused.She said it again: "Show me what you do when you are looking at these pictures." "You want me to...show you...?" I said slowly and rather incredulously, wanting to be sure she meant what I.