“Two Purples, a few Takkians, a Pertharian, and a Saturnian tried that a few years ago and none of them made it. The Siliconoids did remarkably well...and managed to survive for almost 20 minutes. It was all over GalNet when it happened.”The Shiss raised his neck spines to express his disbelieve. “Takkians should be immune to anything a carbon based jungle can throw at them.”Harlex gazed into the distance. “Not on Green Hell, Lizard. It took our dragon ants less than five minutes to dissolve one. ‘And Nantucket is known for its tourist attractions. Sauraquid isn’t. We’re much more of a working-class community, everybody there to do his or her part. It’s beautiful in its own way, but it wasn’t an easy place to grow up, I can tell you. Perhaps that is why your uncle never told you about it.’ ‘That, plus most of the stories I have heard would not be suitable for mixed company,’ I added, cringing a bit as I realised I had surely piqued Lillie’s prurient interest more than ever. ‘I’m afraid. I shook my head violently from side to side, looking down at the floor."No. Just ... throw them away. Or something. They're torn and ... and ..."A fresh wave of tears started streaming down my cheeks. Carlotta put herarm around my shoulders and guided me toward the door. At the bottom ofthe steps, I tried to turn in the direction of my car, but the strong mannext to me pulled instead toward a dark red F-150."Roberta and I will take you home," she said softly. "It is not good foryou to try. "Are you David?" Yes sir, I am," and we shook hands.His grip was exactly what I'd expect from a man of his size. He must have been about six feet four, he certainly towered above me."Your friend Peter speaks very highly of you," he said as we took our seats in the bar."He's always been prone to telling lies, sir," I grinned.He laughed too and said, "That's exactly what he told me you'd say and stop calling me bloody sir. It's Steve."Over the next hour or so, he outlined his problem to me. He.