Piero considered Damon's question, and the cincerns that lay beneath it.  "I think," he said slowly, "that it isn't a .atter of who would be more efficient.  I don't think any of us have enough practical experience for that.  It's a matter of confidence, and of knowing what it is you want."  He shrugged.  "I'm studying to be a Calculator Magus because, although I was skeptical at first, it's what I<i>want</i>to do.  But you..."<br/><br/>Turning a little, he watched Lydalia settle against a stone as shebegan her watch.  "I'd say that you need to decide why you fight, before you decide if you'll be any good at it."<br/><br/><hr class="bbc-hr bbc-hr--3"/><br/><i>"Remember, the Ordalians look up at the same stars as us."</i><br/><br/>"And there you have summarized the probkem with foretelling the future through the stars," Piero chuckled.  "Good omens, bad omens, but for whom?  Why should the stars care about human affairs at all?"  He stated up at them.  "Changes.  For somebody.  And after the fact, someone will draw a connection and claim it was obvious all along."<br/><br/>After Lydalia crawled into her own blanket, Piero continued to watch the sky.  "Changes," he murmured once, watching Mercury slowly drift past the fixed stars.  "But... for whom?"