diff --git a/include/vere/vere.h b/include/vere/vere.h
index 5a1f93fede..473cb6ad41 100644
--- a/include/vere/vere.h
+++ b/include/vere/vere.h
@@ -726,6 +726,8 @@
           c3_d             key_d[4];            //  secret (stretched)
           c3_d             who_d[2];            //  identity
           c3_c*            who_c;               //  identity as C string
+          c3_s             por_s;               //  UDP port
+          c3_o             fak_o;               //  yes iff fake security
           u3_disk*         log_u;               //  event log
           u3_lord*         god_u;               //  computer
           u3_ames*         sam_u;               //  packet interface
@@ -775,9 +777,7 @@
     **  Seconds before Unix epoch: 9.223.372.091.860.848.000
     **  The same, in C hex notation: 0x8000000cce9e0d80ULL
     **
-    **  New leap seconds after July 2012 (leap second 25) are ignored.  The
-    **  platform OS will not ignore them, of course, so they must be detected
-    **  and counteracted.  Perhaps this phenomenon will soon find an endpoint.
+    **  XX: needs to be adjusted to implement Google leap-smear time.
     */
       /* u3_time_sec_in(): urbit seconds from unix time.
       **
diff --git a/vere/ames.c b/vere/ames.c
index b93b76e8c6..8bf69c02df 100644
--- a/vere/ames.c
+++ b/vere/ames.c
@@ -318,20 +318,16 @@ u3_ames_io_init(u3_pier* pir_u)
   u3_ames* sam_u = pir_u->sam_u;
   c3_s     por_s;
 
-  por_s = u3_Host.ops_u.por_s;
-  if ( 0 != u3_Host.ops_u.imp_c ) {
-    u3_noun imp   = u3i_string(u3_Host.ops_u.imp_c);
-    u3_noun num   = u3dc("slaw", 'p', imp);
-    c3_y    num_y;
-
-    if ( c3n == u3du(num) ) {
-      uL(fprintf(uH, "malformed emperor: %s\n", u3_Host.ops_u.imp_c));
-      exit(1);
-    }
-    num_y = u3r_byte(0, u3t(num));
+  por_s = pir_u->por_s;
+  if ( (0 == pir_u->who_d[1]) && (256ULL > pir_u->who_d[0]) ) {
+    c3_y    num_y = pir_u->who_d[0];
+    u3_noun num   = u3dc("scot", 'p', num_y);
+    c3_c*   num_c = u3r_string(num);
 
     _ames_czar(pir_u, num_y, &por_s);
-    uL(fprintf(uH, "ames: czar: %s on %d\n", u3_Host.ops_u.imp_c, por_s));
+    uL(fprintf(uH, "ames: czar: %s on %d\n", num_c, por_s));
+
+    free(num_c);
     u3z(num);
   }
 
diff --git a/vere/pier.c b/vere/pier.c
index 95aa08e589..344ca66cb5 100644
--- a/vere/pier.c
+++ b/vere/pier.c
@@ -894,7 +894,7 @@ _pier_disk_consolidate(u3_pier*  pir_u,
     }
     {
       u3_noun lal = u3ke_cue(u3k(u3A->sys));
-#if 1
+#if 0
       u3_noun all = lal;
 
       pir_u->but_d = u3kb_lent(u3k(all));
@@ -1926,6 +1926,9 @@ _pier_boot_make(u3_noun who,
 
   u3r_chubs(0, 1, pir_u->sec_d, sec);
   u3r_chubs(0, 2, pir_u->who_d, who);
+
+  pir_u->por_s = 0;
+
   u3z(sec);
   u3z(who);