Earl left Baatz in a circus crate with the connivance of Chen Wei circus owner Shakira who convinced everyone Earl had been
killed. So when Cyber Avro arrived, he would think Earl dead. Nonetheless, Avro sensed Earl was still alive. Avro began to experience strange direct communications with Cyber Prime Marle during telepathic rapport with the disembodied brains of Central Inteligence. He realized that Earl’s transferring Avro’s mind into the body of the angel creature had stimulated the growth of his Homochon cerebral grafts and his time to live and capture Earl was short.
On the ship Thorn, Earl bunked with Angado Nossak of Lychen, a rich young scion out travelling among the stars. Angado suddenly developed symptoms of plague, and he and roommate Earl were abandoned in the middle of a large savannah on the all but uninhabited world, Velor. Earl realized that Angado had been poisoned and nursed him back to health, killing local predators for sustenance. Angado was very impressed with Earl and decided to emulate him. They travelled to the edge of the plain at the edge of which they descended a cliff filled with voracious centipede-like creatures and found a wrecked ship, the Guilla, with survivors. Angado repaired the damaged engine in return for passage to Yuanka on the Guilla for himself and Earl.
Meanwhile, Cyber Avro hurried to Anfisa to which the Thorn was bound. The Thorn was quarantined and Earl was gone. Earl and Angado left the Guilla at dead-end world Yuanka and became embroiled in a dispute between lowtown gangsters and the Universal Brotherhood church. Angado defended a monk from two gangsters and Earl killed them to save him. In return, gang-boss Gengiz attacked the church, Earl killed him and dispersed his men. He and Angado left
low-town and used the money from the Guilla’s captain for a sauna. Angado explained that his cousin, Perotto, paid him to avoid Lychen and abandon leadership of the Karroum family. Earl wanted to visit Lychen because Chen Wei had told him Chenault, who knew of Earth, lived there.
They found that Angado had been declared dead and his credit worthless. So to obtain passage from Yuanka, they contracted to provide blood for a special parasite cargo. Before they could embark, some low-town thieves tried to rob and kill them. They killed the thieves but were arrested. The police told them Gengiz’ brother Yuli was after them, but that they could not remain outside of low-town without gainful employment. Desperate, Earl contracted to an exhibition knife fight to pay their passage. In the ring, Earl’s opponent used a doped knife. Earl was drugged by this and the other fighter mortally stabbed him. Almost dead, Earl told Angado to access the credit in the electronic tattoo on his arm to pay for medical care. Before, he had not wanted to use this credit because then the Cyclan could pinpoint his position, but now he had no choice.
Earl recovered used more of his credit to buy passage to Lychen. There, Perotto greeted them feigning innocence. Angado and Earl stayed at Angado’s grandfather’s tower next to a spectacular waterfall. Angado left Earl to greet acquaintances. Earl rescued from falling a little girl making a drawing of a cross of the Original people and met her grateful grandfather Pryor who knew Chenault.
Earl was discovered in Angado’s tower by Wynne, a rather mannish bff of Angado. Earl and Wynne were expected at a reception for Angado, but first they went to see the Pearls of Toria, a local wonder, and there Wynne seduced Earl. At the party, Perotto had drugged Angado. Earl treated Angado, met Perotto and was offered considerable money to kill Angado after they left Lychen. Earl appeared to agree, and Perotto took him to Angado’s tower.
Avro was waiting. A battle ensued, Perotto killed Angado and Earl killed Perotto. Avro fell with a seizure. Earl, after hearing Angado’s dying profession of love for him, coerced the duplicitous Wynne to sneak him past Avro’s acolytes. He then fled to meet Pyros and learn where to find Chenault and his knowledge of Earth.
Most Dumarest books after Kalin follow a basic pattern involving a challenge, an inevitably tragic romantic complication and a conflict with a Cyber. Angado is unique in the series in that Earl’s romantic complication is male. Tubb does not state this directly but provides many inescapable hints, Angado’s behaviour in the sauna, the character of Angado’s male and female friends and his own dying statement of love for Earl. Earl was fond of if occasionally exasperated by Angado (much as with Angado’s female predecessors). Earl seems tolerant of if not particularly interested by Angado’s much stronger interest. This may well be just another tactical device in the description of gays in non-gay literature that gay readers have long since learned to dread. The depiction of gay characters in non-gay literature is a worthy theme in itself. There is no indication whether the ever utra-utilitarian Earth-focused Earl would additionally have entered or enjoyed an erotic relationship with Angado. Perhaps he would if it helped him find Earth. Gay and
homoerotic themes were not then new to SF and his non-gay readership were doubtless not that surprised. However, considering that the protagonist is Earl Dumarest, the treatment of this story concept was surprisingly sensitive and a bit off the beaten track.