The chamber behind the airlock was a junction of seven corridors. Small, neat solidos flowed smoothly along the walls, indicating the zone where their a.s.signed medical capsules were located.

"Come on," Da.n.a.l said, gripping her hand.

Mareble narrowed her eyes, staring along the corridor down which the Lionwalker had vanished. "I know him," she said uncertainly. The memory was elusive. But then the squad of Dinlay girls was shrieking wildly and running down their corridor like a football team going onto the pitch, which made her chuckle. She let Da.n.a.l lead her into the labyrinthine interior of the starship. Instinctively she reached for the Dreamer Araminta"s gift, finding her standing on the observation deck of the Lady"s Light Lady"s Light, alone and resolute, staring out through a huge curving transparent section of the forward fuselage.

Rea.s.sured her idol was watching out for all of Living Dream, Mareble strode on with renewed confidence.

The SI"s icon appeared in Troblum"s exovision, requesting a connection. At least it was asking, he thought, rather than intruding.

Mellanie"s Redemption was still secreted away in transdimensional suspension above Viotia. Troblum couldn"t quite help that. He had been completely taken by surprise at Araminta"s defection to Living Dream. Given how long she had spent trying to elude them, suddenly turning up and claiming their leadership lacked any kind of logic, at least the kind he understood. He did a.s.sume it was some kind of ruse-again, not one he could fathom. was still secreted away in transdimensional suspension above Viotia. Troblum couldn"t quite help that. He had been completely taken by surprise at Araminta"s defection to Living Dream. Given how long she had spent trying to elude them, suddenly turning up and claiming their leadership lacked any kind of logic, at least the kind he understood. He did a.s.sume it was some kind of ruse-again, not one he could fathom.

So he waited for her endgame to become clear. After all, if he took flight to another galaxy and, however unlikely it was, she resolved the whole Pilgrimage problem, he"d never know.

"Even if they don"t Pilgrimage, there"s still the Accelerators and Ilanthe and the Cat," Catriona had pointed out.

"A solution to the Pilgrimage will by definition have to include and neutralize them," he explained patiently.

"I thought you were keen to find out what happened to the transgalactic expeditions."

"I am. But the time scale is so short now before we know if Araminta succeeds in getting the Pilgrimage fleet through the barrier, I can afford to wait and see if the expansion begins as predicted. If it does, we can outrun it now that we have ultradrive."

"What about Oscar? The SI said it knows where his ship is."

"Irrelevant now. All that"s left is Gore and Ilanthe, the two real players. This is their war."

"Are you scared to meet Oscar?"

"No. There"s simply no point."

"You might be able to open the Sol barrier."

"No!" That was the truth. He"d spent day after day a.n.a.lyzing the files in his storage lacuna, working through the theories and equipment they"d developed during his time on the Accelerator station building the Swarm. There was no way around it that he could see, no way to overwhelm the barrier. And he didn"t have enough data on the individual components of the Swarm to see if there was a backdoor. In any case, most of it had been constructed after he"d left; all he"d done was help set up the manufacturing systems. They would have made a lot of changes and improvements over the decades; he wasn"t current.

The Mellanie"s Redemption Mellanie"s Redemption stayed above Viotia because it was as good a place as any to wait. After his futile attempt to a.n.a.lyze the Sol barrier, he even managed to catch up on some sleep. Time was spent on reviewing the starship"s basic systems, getting up to date on maintenance procedures, fabricating some replacement components in the small high-level onboard replicator. There were also a great many files his u-shadow acquired for him from the unisphere, information and entertainment that would make a life of exile in another galaxy more bearable. stayed above Viotia because it was as good a place as any to wait. After his futile attempt to a.n.a.lyze the Sol barrier, he even managed to catch up on some sleep. Time was spent on reviewing the starship"s basic systems, getting up to date on maintenance procedures, fabricating some replacement components in the small high-level onboard replicator. There were also a great many files his u-shadow acquired for him from the unisphere, information and entertainment that would make a life of exile in another galaxy more bearable.

When the SI"s icon appeared, Troblum didn"t authorize the link at once. First of all, he was busy. And then ... the last couple of weeks had eased him into a state of acceptance. He knew he was leaving; it was simply a question of timing now, and he didn"t really even have to make that decision. The Void"s final expansion phase would begin, and he would leave. It was that simple.

The SI, though, would bring complications back into his life.

"I know you," Catriona Saleeb said. "Not knowing what it wanted to tell you will eat you up. And it"s being polite. It could have forced its way into the ship"s link with the unisphere."

"Yes." Troblum sighed. He canceled the blueprints in his exovision display and looked down at the micromanipulator he was using. Underneath its transparent dome, the clean-environment unit contained a scattering of newly replicated components that he was slowly a.s.sembling into a solido projector. He"d obtained enough base programs to construct a reasonable I-sentient personality. It would be himself, he"d decided, a younger, physically fitter version that would be able to share Catriona"s bed. He"d redesigned the sensory correlations with his own biononics so that they were a lot higher than a standard version, allowing him to enjoy the experience to the full. Incorporating those customizations took time. By itself, it was an intriguing problem to solve, one that had absorbed his intellect for several days. It was almost like becoming multiple. Catriona had said she was looking forward to it as well.

His u-shadow opened the link.

"I have an interesting development to report," the SI said.

"What?"

"Oscar Monroe has just received a secure call from someone at Bovey"s Bathing and Culinaryware. That"s a macrostore in the Groby touchdown mall in Colwyn City."

"So?"

"The originator claims to be Araminta. The link was established through a one time code which Oscar issued. n.o.body else knew about it except him and the person it was given to."

"And you. So any decent e-head could find it."

"I only know about it because I"m monitoring all the links going in and out of Oscar"s hidden starship. Once I"d intercepted it, cracking the code was tough even for me. It would be beyond most e-heads in the Commonwealth."

Troblum frowned at the tiny electronic components inside the micromanipulator case glittering like so many diamonds. "But it can"t be from Araminta." His u-shadow had put the Pilgrimage departure into a peripheral exovision image; he could see the Pilgrimage fleet on Ellezelin. They had finally finished their chaotic embarkation. Several live feeds were showing Araminta standing on the observation deck of the Lady"s Light Lady"s Light. "She"s in the flagship. They"re about to launch."

"Exactly. So why is a onetime code given to her personally by Oscar being activated from Colwyn City?"

"I don"t understand." It did make the puzzle of why she"d defected to Living Dream more absorbing. Troblum liked puzzles. Not that it changed anything. "What did they say?"

"Nothing much. She asked Oscar to meet her in a restaurant on Daryad Avenue in fifteen minutes."

"But ..." Troblum pulled the news feeds to center. The protective force fields over the construction yard were powering down, leaving the skies wide open for the colossal ships to launch. "She"s on board the Lady"s Light Lady"s Light. I"m accessing the feed right now."

"Yes. So either she"s bringing the entire Pilgrimage fleet to Viotia for a quick visit, or there"s something else going on."

"What?"

"Are you taking an interest, Troblum? Are you considering contacting Oscar now?"

"I"m not talking to him. For all I know, this is some trick of yours."

"If it is, it"s a little late in the day."

"What do you want from me?"

"I"m infiltrating nodes inside the restaurant. Oscar"s team is running checks to provide cover for their man. They"re good, but I can elude them. Would you like to observe the meeting?"

Troblum closed his eyes. Images from the starship"s sensors showed him Viotia as a vast intrusion within s.p.a.cetime"s gravity field. The planet was only a hundred thousand kilometers away, although the SI didn"t know that. Or perhaps it does Or perhaps it does.

The fear and worry that had ebbed away slowly over the last week suddenly resurged, elevating his heart rate. Tiny beads of sweat oozed out of his pores, chilling his skin. Biononics smoothly countered the physiological aspects, but they couldn"t quell his anxious thoughts. He couldn"t begin to guess what was going on. I don"t understand people, f.u.c.k it. Why is Araminta doing this? Why is she trying to kill the galaxy? Why is she calling Oscar? And he must know she won"t be meeting him I don"t understand people, f.u.c.k it. Why is Araminta doing this? Why is she trying to kill the galaxy? Why is she calling Oscar? And he must know she won"t be meeting him.

"You said Oscar"s people are checking out the restaurant?"

"Yes. Two of them are physically deploying to cover the building. He"s already on his way."

"But he knows where Araminta is; he knows she won"t be there. It must be a trap, yet he"s going into it."

"A trap set by who? And why? And why now? No weapon in the galaxy can stop the Pilgrimage ships; we know that. Your Commonwealth Navy can"t break through the force fields Ilanthe has provided, nor can the warrior Raiel."

"Are you saying it isn"t a trap?"

"I"m telling you what"s happening and offering to share."

"Why? Why do you want to involve me?"

"To finally achieve what I"ve so often wrongly been accused of doing: influencing the outcome of human affairs. We must have more options ranged against Living Dream and Ilanthe. And the Cat, of course. You may yet be able to play a true part, Troblum. Do you want that?"

He looked across the cabin at Catriona, who was bestowing him with that worshipful look again. He put his head in his hands. She"s not real. Nothing I have is real She"s not real. Nothing I have is real. With biononics amplifying his strength, he suddenly thumped his fist down on top of the micromanipulator unit. It made a dull thudding sound, and some of the tiny components jittered around inside. His fist rose again. This time his biononics added a weapons pattern to the impact. The dome shattered, and the delicate little mechanisms inside were crushed beyond salvation. Electronic components scattered across the decking, ruined by both the violence and the air that contaminated their flimsy molecular structure.

"Show me," he told the SI. "And who is Bovey?"

"Come alone." Araminta had been insistent about that.

Oscar appreciated the sentiment, but ... Some things were just too big to leave to goodwill and pleasantries. He took a table in the middle of Andrew Rice"s restaurant at the bottom of Daryad Avenue, an ancient (by Viotia standards) wood-and-carbon-paneled building barely a mile from the docks where Elvin"s Payback Elvin"s Payback still sat in the warehouse, overlooked and unnoticed by the managers trying to restore order to the docks. There weren"t many people; the windows had just been replaced after having been smashed. Oscar was sure it should have had more tables, too; the remaining ones were certainly s.p.a.ced unusually far apart. Perhaps some had been looted. still sat in the warehouse, overlooked and unnoticed by the managers trying to restore order to the docks. There weren"t many people; the windows had just been replaced after having been smashed. Oscar was sure it should have had more tables, too; the remaining ones were certainly s.p.a.ced unusually far apart. Perhaps some had been looted. Who loots a table? Who loots a table?

A human waiter came over to take his order, and he asked for a salad. He rather liked the look of the enormous steak and kidney pies a couple of blokes were eating at a corner table, but he"d only just finished his tea and twister. It had taken less than ten minutes to walk to Rice"s from the Elvin"s Payback Elvin"s Payback, which was cause for mild suspicion. Did Araminta know their location? It was hard to see how.

Beckia was out in Daryad Avenue, keeping watch as she browsed through a recently reopened store opposite the restaurant. Cheriton had taken up position in a lane at the back, also scanning around for any sign of other agents or some kind of trap or just something out of the ordinary. Oscar still couldn"t figure out what was going on. The gaiafield quite clearly revealed Araminta standing in the observation deck of the Lady"s Light Lady"s Light, where she had remained for the last couple of days. Ethan and Taranse walked across the empty chamber to her and bowed in unison.

"Embarkation is complete, Dreamer," Taranse said. He looked exhausted but supremely content, a man who"d achieved his goal in life.

"Thank you," she said. "You have done a remarkable job." She turned to Ethan. "Are we ready to launch?"

"Yes," he said with open delight. "The ultradrives appear to be functional."

"Very well. Please ask the captains to lift and set a course for the Void."

"It will be done."

"Is there any sign of Ilanthe?"

"No, Dreamer."

"No matter. I"m sure she will make herself known before we reach the boundary." She turned back to the tall strip of transparent fuselage in time to see the construction yard"s last layer of force fields deactivate. It was dawn outside. A bright yellow-gold radiance illuminated the colossal Pilgrimage ships, and she smiled at the sight of it. Then the decking trembled and the Lady"s Light Lady"s Light slowly lifted out of its regrav suspension, rising into Ellezelin"s clear sky. slowly lifted out of its regrav suspension, rising into Ellezelin"s clear sky.

"Holy c.r.a.p," Oscar grunted. He truly had no idea what he was doing here now. In fact, he started to worry that Tomansio was right and Living Dream had broken into her mind so they could clear up any possible remaining problems. That was b.o.l.l.o.c.ks, he knew. Why wait until now? Why wait until now?

His salad arrived. He gave it a dispirited look.

"Ah, life just got interesting again," Beckia said. "Here we go." Her link showed him a Mr. Bovey climbing out of a cab on Daryad Avenue just outside the restaurant. It was the middle-aged black-skinned one Oscar had talked to before.

"Yes! Your money is mine," Cheriton declared. "Pay up."

The team had been running a pool on who would actually show up at the restaurant. Oscar had put his money on the elusive cousin, Cressida.

"Anything suspicious?" Oscar asked the rest of the team. Liatris, who was flying coverage over Colwyn City in a modified capsule, said no, the area was clear of any covert activity. Back in Elvin"s Payback Elvin"s Payback, Tomansio also reported a clean sweep.

The Mr. Bovey walked straight into the restaurant and sat down next to Oscar. He was wearing a conservative gray toga suit that barely shimmered, which made him look quite dignified.

Oscar"s biononics threw a small privacy cloak around the table. "Mr. Bovey," he began in censure, which he was about to follow up with something along the lines of what"s she up to? what"s she up to? when the man simply grinned and shook his head. "No," he said emphatically. "That"s Mr. Bovey over there keeping an eye on you." when the man simply grinned and shook his head. "No," he said emphatically. "That"s Mr. Bovey over there keeping an eye on you."

Oscar twisted around. The two men eating steak and kidney pies waved solemnly. "I don"t get ..."

"I"m Araminta. Araminta-two, I suppose. I borrowed one of my fiance"s bodies. This one, to be precise. I always liked this one."

"Ungh?" Oscar grunted.

"I"m starting to go multiple. It"s an interesting lifestyle, don"t you think?" He gave Oscar a lopsided smile.

"f.u.c.k me."

"Quite. You said you could help?"

"Oh, s.h.i.t, yes!" Oscar"s skin was actually tingling from astonishment. He couldn"t help it; he started laughing in delight. Maybe there is hope Maybe there is hope. "If you"d like to come with me ..." Biononics and secondary thought routines had to regulate his neural responses, filtering down his adrenaline rush so he could concentrate properly on the mission. He had to stay focused.

Araminta-two gave him a modest shrug and stood up.

"Cover us," Oscar told Beckia and Cheriton. "Liatris, get us out of here."

"Way ahead of you," Liatris said.

Oscar couldn"t remember being both elated and terrified to such an extent. If they were going to be intercepted, it would be now, after this version of Araminta was identified for what s/he was. As they walked to the door, he wanted to shove his integral force field up to full strength, activate all weapons enrichments. Keep cool. Keep calm. It"s a brilliant maneuver. No one could antic.i.p.ate she"d do this Keep cool. Keep calm. It"s a brilliant maneuver. No one could antic.i.p.ate she"d do this.

Liatris brought the ingrav capsule flashing down directly onto the pavement outside the restaurant, earning several angry glances from pedestrians who had to dodge out of the way. The door opened, and Oscar virtually shoved Araminta-two inside. Then they were rising fast, already curving toward the docks.

Araminta-two nodded cheerfully at a thunderstruck Liatris, then looked around briefly. "You know, some people think ingrav shouldn"t be allowed in this city."

"Right," Oscar said.

"There"s a chance it screws up the deep geology. There could be earthquakes."

"Uh huh." This was so the opposite of anything Oscar was prepared for, it had shifted over to vaguely surreal.

Their capsule dipped down to hover in front of the Bootle & Leicester warehouse. The doors curtained apart, and they nudged forward. Oscar just knew that was going to draw attention from the dock staff. It didn"t matter anymore. They had Araminta, so nothing else mattered. Actually, one Araminta, not the whole person. Maybe that"s why she-he-whatever-is a bit ... flaky Actually, one Araminta, not the whole person. Maybe that"s why she-he-whatever-is a bit ... flaky.

Tomansio was in the middle of the starship"s cabin as the three of them rose up through the airlock. The floor solidified underneath them. Oscar couldn"t help the vast grin on his face. He jabbed a finger at Tomansio. "I told you so!"

"Yes," Tomansio said softly.

That was when Oscar"s biononics told him Tomansio was executing an extremely thorough field scan of Araminta-two. He almost protested, then realized he should have done it back in the restaurant.

"Clear," Tomansio declared. "In fact, very clear. You don"t have biononics; even your macrocellular cl.u.s.ters are basic."

"Mr. Bovey is multiple," Araminta-two said. "He doesn"t depend on the technocentric systems other Commonwealth cultures revolve around."

Tomansio dipped his head. "Of course. But you do understand what you"re saying is difficult to accept without proof."

"I know. Watch through me."

The Dreamer"s gifting to the gaiafield revealed her view through the front of the Lady"s Light Lady"s Light. From her position she could see the curvature of the planet starting to fall away below as the starship rose ponderously out of the atmosphere. The dawn terminator line was etched by a gold corona that skittered off ocean and clouds alike. The Dreamer"s mouth opened. "Trust me, Tomansio, I am very real," she said.

Across the gaiafield, those billions of Living Dream members watching in envy as the Pilgrimage began reaffirmed their devotion to her. Tens of millions wondered who Tomansio was.