Chapters 11 and 12 Summary

This begins the section call "The Mule." Newlyweds Bayta and Toran are arriving at Toran's home planet, Haven II. Haven is a red dwarf and is rather desolate on the surface. Toran says that she's not beautiful on a grand scale but that many people stop to take a second look at her. Bayta and Toran are typically young and in love, occasionally teasing each other. Bayta worries that Toran's father might not like her but Toran assures her that he likes all women. They enter a cave city, and Bayta is amazed at how beautiful it is, thick with vegetation and awash with artificial sunlight. The cave is the largest city on the planet, housing some twenty thousand people. They meet Toran's father, Fran, and Fran's half-brother, Randu. Toran gets some scolding from his father for marrying Bayta. Fran says...