Roger, the leader of the planet R.M.S., has agreed to a meeting with a representative of the Great Houses to discuss their offer to up and by the entire planet. The Plume Coteries, the posthuman group who originally colonised the planet and later donated it to Roger's kind as an apology for accidentally wrecking their homeworld, offered to act as mediators. Roger is disappointed when the Plume Coteries envoy, whom she'd been awaiting for years, finally arrives: he is much taller than Roger expected, and arrives in a spherical diplomatic craft instead of on the back of the legendary giant birds. The Houses' representative is equally unexpected, appearing as a small, silver creature rather than something more impressive. Moreover, Roger's ears, accustomed to underwater sounds, prove unable to understand the Lord's tinny synthetic speech, making it difficult for her to follow the ensuing conversation between the Bookkeeper and Lord, during which it becomes apparent that the Bookkeepers are happy to let the Houses have R.M.S. in exchange for the ability to pluck individuals from Time. Roger, a giant walrus with little concept of the advanced technology both other parties wield, remains broadly unconcerned because she's convinced that her much greater size and physical strength will prove enough to overrule the two "little men" if she doesn't like their conclusions.