'I have to work later tonight, she said. 'Can't afford lack of judgement from alcohol.

'Good self-control. I like that.

'Thank you, she said levelly.

'I got the impression you weren't impressed tonight.

People nearby were discreetly looking their way. Likan's voice was as forceful as it had been on the podium. That at least gave the impression of a strong personality.

Araminta sipped her pear water, wondering how to play this. 'I was hoping for more detail, she told him.

'What kind of detail? Come on, you paid for your ticket, you're entitled.

'Okay: small company, doing well. Needs to step up a level. Do you re-invest profits and ride a gradual expansion with each project slightly larger than the last, or do you take the bank loan and jump ten levels.

'How small a company?

'One woman band, supported by some bots.

'Company product?

'Property development.

'Good choice for a start up. High profitability relative to scale. There is a ceiling, though, especially with one person. After the first three properties there should be enough profit to take on more staff. With that you move on from one property at a time, and start multiple developments. Timing for that has never been better, property is the hot item here today thanks to Living Dream.

'Everything is relative. With that demand, a developer has to buy high.

'Then this developer should buy a whole street that's in decline. It's a profit multiplier, the individual unit prices rise because you've taken the entire street upmarket and made it desirable.

'That's a big step.

'The level of risk you are prepared to undertake is proportional to your growth potential. If you don't take it you are declaring this far and no further. That will define your life. I don't think you want that.

'Question: would you advise the staff expansion be accomplished by becoming multiple?

'No.

'Why not?

'Going multiple only seems like a solution to a solo act. Ultimately it's a lifestyle choice rather than a business one. Ask yourself what you can accomplish by being multiple that you can't by good aggressive management. As you came to listen to me tonight I know you're already thinking ahead, thinking big. Property is a foundation stone for a corporate empire. A good one, I still have a vast property portfolio, but to achieve real market dominance you must diversify and interlock your interests. That's what Sheldon did. He used his interstellar transport monopoly as a cash source to fund industrial, commercial, and financial enterprises on a hundred worlds. At the time of the Starflyer War he was effectively Emperor of the Commonwealth.

'Do you want to be our emperor?

'Yes.

Araminta was slightly shaken by his bluntness. She thought he was somehow calling her bluff. 'Why?

'Because it's a position where you can do whatever you want. The ultimate freedom. Isn't that what we all strive for?

'With power comes responsibility.

'That's what politicians tell you when they want your vote. There's a difference between political power and financial power, especially out here in the External Worlds. I'd like to demonstrate that to you.

'How would you do that?

'Come and stay with me at my home for a weekend. See first hand what I've achieved. Decide if that's what you want for yourself.

'What about your wives? It was common knowledge just how staunchly committed he was to replicating his idol's ideology and life, including (or perhaps especially) the harem.

'What about them?

'Won't they mind my visit?

'No. They'll be joining us in bed.

That'll teach me; you can't be more direct to my face than that. She was pleased with the way she kept her reaction in check, no startled expression, no give-away body language — squaring the shoulders, straightening the back. In effect telling him she could hold her own against him any day. 'I accept, she said as if it was some kind of request to review finance statements.

'I knew I was right about you, he said.

'In what way?

'You know yourself, you know what you want. That's always dangerous.

'To whom?

'To everyone else. That's what makes you so desirable.

'Win-win, then, she mocked.

The Alexis Denken slid comfortably into the big airlock at the base of the Raiel dome stalk. Behind it, the stars vanished as the wall materialized again. Paula stood up, pulled wrinkles out of her suit jacket self-consciously, and straightened her spine. The High Angel teleported her into Qatux's private chamber. Raiel homes were traditionally split into three sections: public, residence, and private. You had to be a very good friend indeed to be invited beyond the public. The circular chamber had a pale-blue floor while, in keeping with tradition, the ceiling was invisible somewhere overhead. Around her, silver and grey walls rippled as if water was flowing down them, yet there was no sound, no dampness in the air. Beyond the cavorting surface, images of planetscapes and strange galaxies writhed insubstan-tially. However, one image remained firm and clear, a human face that Paula knew only too well.

She inclined her head to the big alien who occupied the centre of the chamber.

'Paula, I rejoice you are here.

'It's been a long time, Qatux. How are you?

'I am well. If I were a human, I would be fit.

'I am glad.

'I have risen to the High Angel's fifth echelon.

'How many are there?

'Five.

Paula laughed, she'd forgotten Qatux's sly humour. 'So you're the captain, then.

'I have that honour.

'Congratulations.

'And you, Paula, do you continue to prosper?

'I continue to be very busy. For me that's about the same thing.

'That is to be expected. There are few of your species who remain in their bodies for as long as you have.

'It's also why I'm here. I need information.

'Just like the good old days. How intriguing.

Paula cocked her head to one side as she regarded the big alien. That phrase was slightly out of kilter. Qatux's eye clusters remained steady on her. Long ago it would never have been so bold as to tease her. But then long ago it had been something of a wreck, until the Far Away mission came along. Of course, she'd been very different then, too. 'The starship Alini has just visited the Raiel dome. Can you tell me if these people were on board. Her u-shadow retrieved image files for Aaron and Corrie-Lyn.

'They were, Qatux whispered.

'What did they want?

'I believe their mission was confidential.

She gave her old friend a shrewd glance, not liking the conclusions she was drawing. 'It was you who saw them, wasn't it?

'Yes. The bottom set of tentacle limbs shivered slightly, the Raiel equivalent of a blush.

'Qatux, did you review Inigo's memories?

'I did.

'Why? she asked, genuinely concerned. 'I thought that had stopped centuries ago. Tiger… She couldn't finish. Her gaze was drawn to the face suspended behind the wall. Tiger Pansy's silly carefree grin looked hauntingly back at her, obviously captured at a moment when the woman was blissfully happy.

'I know, the Raiel whispered. 'It is not a return to my addiction, I assure you. There would be few Raiel indeed who could refuse the opportunity of experiencing Inigo's mind. He dreams the Void, Paula. The Void! That evil enigma bedevils us to a degree which humans will never appreciate.

'All right, Paula ran her hand back through her hair, making an effort to ignore the uncomfortable personal side effects which the case was kicking up. 'Inigo's memorycell was stolen from a clinic on Anagaska. Why did you help Aaron?

'I did not know the memories were stolen. He arrived in an ultradrive starship. It was intimated that he was a representative of ANA: Governance. In truth, he never confirmed that. I am sorry. I believe I was had. How stupid, me of all Raiel. The deception was quite simple.