diff --git a/src/creport.c b/src/creport.c
index d6cc403cd..881edc870 100644
--- a/src/creport.c
+++ b/src/creport.c
@@ -1047,7 +1047,7 @@ static void show_allies_cr(FILE * F, const faction * f, const group *g)
     data.F = F;
     data.f = f;
     struct ally *sf = g ? g->allies : f->allies;
-    allies_walk(sf, print_ally_cb, &data);
+    ally_walk(sf, print_ally_cb, &data);
 }
 
 /* prints allies */
diff --git a/src/kernel/ally.c b/src/kernel/ally.c
index 1d83c331f..636985410 100644
--- a/src/kernel/ally.c
+++ b/src/kernel/ally.c
@@ -19,6 +19,105 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 
+#define BLOCKSIZE 15
+typedef struct allies {
+    struct allies *next;
+    int num;
+    const struct faction *factions[BLOCKSIZE];
+    int status[BLOCKSIZE];
+} allies;
+
+static void block_insert(allies *al, const struct faction *f, int status) {
+    int i = al->num++;
+    al->status[i] = status;
+    al->factions[i] = f;
+    /* TODO: heapify */
+}
+
+static int block_search(allies *al, const struct faction *f) {
+    int i;
+    /* TODO: binary search */
+    for (i = 0; i != al->num; ++i) {
+        if (al->factions[i] == f) {
+            return i;
+        }
+    }
+    return BLOCKSIZE;
+}
+
+int allies_get(allies *al, const struct faction *f)
+{
+    for (; al; al =  al->next) {
+        int i = block_search(al, f);
+        if (i != BLOCKSIZE) {
+            return al->status[i];
+        }
+    }
+    return 0;
+}
+
+void allies_set(allies **p_al, const struct faction *f, int status)
+{
+    while (*p_al) {
+        allies *al = *p_al;
+        int i = block_search(al, f);
+        if (i != BLOCKSIZE) {
+            if (status == 0) {
+                if (--al->num != i) {
+                    al->factions[i] = al->factions[al->num];
+                    al->status[i] = al->status[al->num];
+                    /* TODO: repair heap up or down */
+                }
+                else if (al->num == 0) {
+                    *p_al = al->next;
+                    free(al);
+                    return;
+                }
+            }
+            else {
+                al->status[i] = status;
+            }
+            return;
+        }
+        if (al->num < BLOCKSIZE) {
+            block_insert(al, f, status);
+            return;
+        }
+        p_al = &al->next;
+    }
+    *p_al = calloc(1, sizeof(allies));
+    block_insert(*p_al, f, status);
+}
+
+void allies_write(gamedata * data, const allies *alist)
+{
+    const allies *al;
+    for (al = alist; al; al = al->next) {
+        int i;
+        for (i = 0; i != al->num; ++i) {
+            const faction * f = al->factions[i];
+            if (f && f->_alive) {
+                write_faction_reference(f, data->store);
+                WRITE_INT(data->store, al->status[i]);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    write_faction_reference(NULL, data->store);
+}
+
+void allies_read(gamedata * data, allies **sfp)
+{
+    for (;;) {
+        int aid, state;
+        READ_INT(data->store, &aid);
+        /* TODO: deal with unresolved factions, somehow */
+        if (aid >=0) {
+            break;
+        }
+        READ_INT(data->store, &state);
+    }
+}
+
 typedef struct ally {
     struct ally *next;
     struct faction *faction;
@@ -47,7 +146,7 @@ void allies_free(ally *al)
     }
 }
 
-ally *allies_clone(const ally *al) {
+ally *ally_clone(const ally *al) {
     ally *al_clone = NULL, **al_end = &al_clone;
 
     for (; al; al = al->next) {
@@ -60,7 +159,7 @@ ally *allies_clone(const ally *al) {
     return al_clone;
 }
 
-int allies_walk(ally *allies, cb_allies_walk callback, void *udata)
+int ally_walk(ally *allies, cb_ally_walk callback, void *udata)
 {
     ally *al;
     for (al = allies; al; al = al->next) {
diff --git a/src/kernel/ally.h b/src/kernel/ally.h
index 19fc0915c..25b488dac 100644
--- a/src/kernel/ally.h
+++ b/src/kernel/ally.h
@@ -29,14 +29,20 @@ extern "C" {
     struct gamedata;
     struct unit;
     struct ally;
+    struct allies;
 
     extern struct attrib_type at_npcfaction;
 
+    int allies_get(struct allies *al, const struct faction *f);
+    void allies_set(struct allies **p_al, const struct faction *f, int status);
+    void allies_write(struct gamedata * data, const struct allies *alist);
+    void allies_read(struct gamedata * data, struct allies **sfp);
+
     void read_allies(struct gamedata * data, struct ally **alist);
     void write_allies(struct gamedata * data, const struct ally *alist);
-    typedef int (*cb_allies_walk)(struct ally *, struct faction *, int, void *);
-    int allies_walk(struct ally *allies, cb_allies_walk callback, void *udata);
-    struct ally *allies_clone(const struct ally *al);
+    typedef int (*cb_ally_walk)(struct ally *, struct faction *, int, void *);
+    int ally_walk(struct ally *allies, cb_ally_walk callback, void *udata);
+    struct ally *ally_clone(const struct ally *al);
     void allies_free(struct ally *al);
 
     struct ally* ally_find(struct ally*al, const struct faction *f);
diff --git a/src/kernel/ally.test.c b/src/kernel/ally.test.c
index 7aaf50fa7..92011c566 100644
--- a/src/kernel/ally.test.c
+++ b/src/kernel/ally.test.c
@@ -30,10 +30,10 @@ static void test_allies_clone(CuTest * tc)
 
     test_setup();
     f = test_create_faction(NULL);
-    CuAssertPtrEquals(tc, NULL, allies_clone(NULL));
+    CuAssertPtrEquals(tc, NULL, ally_clone(NULL));
     
     ally_set(&al, f, HELP_GUARD);
-    ac = allies_clone(al);
+    ac = ally_clone(al);
     CuAssertPtrNotNull(tc, ac);
     CuAssertTrue(tc, al != ac);
     CuAssertIntEquals(tc, HELP_GUARD, ally_get(ac, f));
@@ -43,10 +43,27 @@ static void test_allies_clone(CuTest * tc)
     test_teardown();
 }
 
+static void test_allies(CuTest *tc) {
+    struct allies * al = NULL;
+    struct faction * f;
+
+    test_setup();
+    f = test_create_faction(NULL);
+
+    CuAssertIntEquals(tc, 0, allies_get(al, f));
+    allies_set(&al, f, 42);
+    CuAssertIntEquals(tc, 42, allies_get(al, f));
+    allies_set(&al, f, 0);
+    CuAssertIntEquals(tc, 0, allies_get(al, f));
+    CuAssertPtrEquals(tc, NULL, al);
+    test_teardown();
+}
+
 CuSuite *get_ally_suite(void)
 {
     CuSuite *suite = CuSuiteNew();
     SUITE_ADD_TEST(suite, test_ally);
+    SUITE_ADD_TEST(suite, test_allies);
     SUITE_ADD_TEST(suite, test_allies_clone);
     return suite;
 }
diff --git a/src/kernel/group.c b/src/kernel/group.c
index 210f6e0f2..9e91d17a1 100755
--- a/src/kernel/group.c
+++ b/src/kernel/group.c
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ group *new_group(faction * f, const char *name, int gid)
 
 static void init_group(faction * f, group * g)
 {
-    g->allies = allies_clone(f->allies);
+    g->allies = ally_clone(f->allies);
 }
 
 static group *find_groupbyname(group * g, const char *name)
diff --git a/src/report.c b/src/report.c
index ffe9d072d..1bba84307 100644
--- a/src/report.c
+++ b/src/report.c
@@ -1587,7 +1587,7 @@ static void
 show_allies(const faction * f, struct ally * allies, char *buf, size_t size)
 {
     int num_allies = 0;
-    allies_walk(allies, count_allies_cb, &num_allies);
+    ally_walk(allies, count_allies_cb, &num_allies);
 
     if (num_allies > 0) {
         struct show_s show;
@@ -1595,7 +1595,7 @@ show_allies(const faction * f, struct ally * allies, char *buf, size_t size)
         show.num_allies = num_allies;
         sbs_init(&show.sbs, buf, size);
 
-        allies_walk(allies, show_allies_cb, &show);
+        ally_walk(allies, show_allies_cb, &show);
         sbs_strcat(&show.sbs, ".");
     }
 }