'No. I have no further information on mother, which as far as I'm concerned is good news… But I am in contact with the Lindau.
'I don't know the ship.
'It's the Navy scout I dispatched to Hanko to monitor the whole Aaron situation for you.
'And?
'They don't have the best sensors in the fleet, but there's something wrong with the planet.
'Wrong in what way?
'Its gravity. We believe someone has fired a Hawking m-sink into it.
'Oh Christ. No! Why would they do that? It's a dead planet anyway.
'The Restoration project base at Jajaani has stopped broadcasting. Lindau is still picking up some of the project's surface beacons, so it looks as if the base itself was targeted.
'But an m-sink? That's a monstrous overkill. We know those ships were ultradrive, they'll be equipped with weapons powerful enough to take out an undefended civilian base.
'I don't know the reason, I'm just reporting the results. Naturally, there's no sign of either ultradrive ship.
'Naturally.
'However—
'Ah! Yes?
'The Lindau has also picked up a very powerful distress signal from the surface. It's a standard biononic emission. Nobody listed as a member of the Restoration team was Higher.
'So it's either Aaron, or Inigo himself.
'Yes. Which leaves me with a rather painful decision. With an m-sink eating away at its core, that planet isn't going to last much longer. The Lindau estimates a few hours more at best before the mantle starts to readjust prior to implosion, at which point nothing is going to survive. So, do they land at Jajaani and see if there are any survivors?
'No, she said immediately. 'They have to recover whoever is sending that signal with biononics.
'One person.
'If the m-sink hit at Jajaani, there will be nothing to recover from there, not even bodies, and certainly not any secure memory stores. Everyone working in Restoration projects knows there are risks, they all have back up memories and DNA samples on their homeworld. They will be re-lifed. If there is the slightest chance that survivor is Inigo, or can tell us where Inigo is, then you have to rescue them.
'I was thinking along those lines myself, but it's always satisfying to receive your endorsement. I'll speak with the captain, and keep you updated.
'Kazimir.
'Yes?
'Warn them to take extreme precautions. If it is Aaron down on the surface, there's no telling what he'll do.
'I know. I'll emphasise the need for caution.
Paula drew a deep breath, and gazed down through the transparent hull section of Sky Pier's reception centre. Bordeaux was spread out below the station, lush and beautiful in the lazy sunlight. She'd visited a few times when the vineyards were still producing their renown wine, and the remaining citizens stubbornly resisted the advances which the Commonwealth provided. Something about the area and its culture had made her feel comfortable and welcome, satisfying that deep human yearning for a simple life, a fundamental which had never been sequenced out of her psyche by her creators. She wondered what its long-departed people would make of today's life with all its associated bizarre problems. Somehow she suspected they'd be less than impressed.
Looking down on the region again, a small part of her wanted to just teleport down there and settle in one of the remaining homes. Cut off communication, deactivate her biononics; leaving her far away from Kazimir and Aaron and Marius and the Cat, and all the rest of it. Supposedly, there were several primitive groups on Earth, living as their ancestors had two thousand years ago. ANA always denied it, but rumours persisted. Not this time, though, she decided. So she walked into the terminus with its glowing Cherenkov light from the wormhole which led back to Orleans. From there another wormhole connected directly to Arevalo. By the time she got back to Daroca spaceport, the Alexis Denken would have been resupplied, and the medical chamber replaced. The starship would be ready to fly her onwards. Again.
It had been over a year since Araminta had visited the house. At the time, she'd looked on the compact drycoral building as a development project, seeing costs and returns in everything, ignoring the family which had welcomed her in and given her a lovely Sunday dinner. Now, when the door opened, and Tandra's face peered out, Araminta couldn't help herself, she burst into tears. Life hadn't been so bad back when she was waiting tables in Nik's. It really hadn't, she'd been part of a larger collective family, Tandra and the other waitresses had included her in their gossip and lives, they'd hung out together between shifts, and some evenings they'd gone out in a big group having a good time even though she'd been flat broke. The very same people she'd ignored and left behind once Laril's money had come through. Tandra's immediate unqualified concern and graciousness at the stray appearing unannounced on her doorstep simply made Araminta feel even more wretched.
'There there, Tandra crooned and gave her a motherly hug. 'It's all right. Martyn, her husband was also attentive, clearing the kids' toys from the settee in the living room. Mixal and Freddy, their five-year-old twins, were given fruit smoothies to hush them up while Araminta blew into tissues and tried to get her sobbing under control. 'I'm sorry, she wailed. 'I shouldn't have come. I've nowhere else to go. And at the back of her mind was the worry that just by being here she was putting Tandra's family in danger.
'You're more than welcome, and you know that, her old friend told her. 'Did you have a fight? Have you left him? She was giving Araminta's roughed up clothes a highly suspicious examination.
'No. Nothing like that. There's a whole bunch of people in the park outside my apartment. They're very angry. The invader soldiers are there as well. I was frightened.
'Those bastards, Martyn grunted.
Tandra shot him a warning look, her gaze darting pointedly to the twins who were watching intently over the back of a chair they were sharing. 'Yes they are unpleasant people, who have behaved wrongly, she said with parental formality. 'However, the law will prevail, and they will be expelled from our world.
Martyn rolled his eyes. 'Yes. They will.
'And until they do, you can sleep on the couch, Tandra assured her.
'Just for one night, Araminta promised. 'That's all. I need to get myself back together.
'No boyfriend? Martyn asked.
'Not right now, Araminta lied.
He didn't say anything, but his tight little smile triggered a fresh wave of Araminta's guilt. She didn't dare delve into the gaiafield to learn his emotional state.
'We're staying here at home for the rest of the afternoon, Tandra said. 'The twins are having the day off school as a treat, aren't you?
'Yes! they yelled gleefully.
Martyn was looking out of the window. 'How did you get here?
'Walked.
'From where?
'Hodant.
'Th;it's miles!
'They won't allow capsules to fly, and my trike pod is being fixed.
Tandra and Martyn exchanged a look. 'You sit there and rest, Tandra said. I'll give those clothes a wash. Martyn, some tea.
'Coming right up.
'Thank you, Araminta said meekly.
Tandra waited until he'd vanished into the galley kitchen. 'Anything else you need to tell me?
Araminta shook her head. 'I really will go in the morning. I've already got an idea what to do. There's someone I need to talk to. I'll call him tomorrow. When I've worked out how to.
'Okay. I'd better go get a robe for you. Martyn will have a heart attack if he sees you walking round the place in your underwear. She patted her own legs. 'He's only used to women a size or ten bigger than a youngster like you.