'You have the strangest logic I've ever known, Oscar said.

Jesaral smiled broadly. 'Come on! I can't wait. He tugged at Oscar's arm, his outpouring of enthusiasm shining like sunrise.

They hurried to the base of the pillar and climbed the wide spiral stair. It brought them out into a small vestibule, planted with colourful bushes from several worlds, their flowers reaching for the open sky above. Ten doors opened off it. Jesaral led the way into their main lounge. In contrast to the exterior, the lounge was clad in caranwood, a local variety that was a rich gold-brown.

The grain of the planks had been blended so skilfully it looked as if they were inside a giant hollowed-out trunk. Its furniture was scarlet and gold, contributing to the sumptuous feel.

Dushiku was waiting in the middle of the big room, holding out a tumbler of malt whisky, three ice cubes. He had a mischievous smile on his broad face. 'Welcome home.

'Thanks. Oscar took the drink wearily.

'I see Jesaral's restraint is as strong as ever.

'I didn't tell him, Jesaral protested.

'So? Oscar enquired.

Dushiku raised an eyebrow, and half turned, indicating the balcony beyond the glass wall at the far end of the lounge. Anja was standing out there, leaning on the rail as she spoke about some aspect of the gardens below. Her laughter-filled voice was just audible through the open door. Oscar knew the tone well, she was playing perfect hostess: marking her territory. Anja was astonishingly beautiful, a beauty which took a full third of her salary to maintain. Two visits to a clinic each year were considered an essential minimum, for beauty was fluid and fashions were treacherous ephemera even on Orakum. She'd returned three weeks ago from her last treatments, showing off her reduced height and dark satin-texture skin. Her face was all gentle curves veiled by a mane of thick chestnut hair swishing down past her shoulders. Huge fawn-coloured eyes peered innocently out of the shadows, projecting a girlish innocence complemented by a perpetual ingenue effervescence into the gaiafield. Her clothes were deceptively simple, a scarlet T-shirt and dark-blue swirling skirt demonstrating her compact figure's expensive femininity.

Yet for once, Anja wasn't impressing the person she was talking to. Oscar watched the other woman leaning on the rail. Easily half-a-head shorter than Anja, wearing a modern white dress with a slight surface shimmer, and a rust-red short-sleeved jacket. Stylish without Anja's feminine overload. She wasn't responding with the kind of attention Anja was used to extracting from everyone she came across. He could tell. After ten years, Anja's body language, the tone of her voice were an open book.

And the more she failed to impress, the more huffy she got. He even allowed some of his amusement to trickle out into the gaiafield.

Anja must have sensed it. Her full lips hardened into a rebuke as Oscar walked towards the balcony. 'Oscar, darling, I've been talking to an old friend of yours.

The other person on the balcony turned round. Smiled shrewdly.

Oscar dropped the tumbler as his hands along with every other part of his body were shocked into loss of sensation. The crystal smashed, sending the ice cubes bouncing across the polished wood.

'Hello, Oscar, Paula Myo said.

'Holy shit!

'Long time no see.

Oscar couldn't even grunt.

Alarm was starting to seep into the gaiafield as his life partners took in the tableau.

'You two… Jesaral said, his finger rising to point accusingly at Paula. 'I thought—

'It's all right, Oscar managed to croak.

'What is this? Jesaral said accusingly to Paula. 'You said you were friends.

'We used to be. A long time ago.

'That old excuse. Again! Everything happened before I was born.

'Everything did, Oscar said. His u-shadow summoned a maidbot to clean up the broken tumbler. Only then did he finally manage a weak smile. 'How are you doing, Paula?

'Same as usual.

'Yeah. She hadn't changed. Not physically. Nothing was different, except maybe her straight dark hair was a couple of centimetres longer. Unlike him, who'd been given a great new Advancer body, based on his own DNA then enriched with all the macrocellular clusters, and stronger bones, more efficient organs, and greater longevity. After eighty-six years, he still wasn't anywhere near needing rejuvenation, although his face was now starting to show signs of his newly lived years — as Anja never tired of pointing out. But her… He guessed she must be Higher now. Somehow he couldn't see her visiting clinics for vanity's sake.

'You do know each other, then? Dushiku asked uncertainly.

'Yes. Oscar cleared his throat. 'Could you give us a moment, please?

His life partners exchanged troubled glances, flooding the gaiafield with concern and considerable irritation. 'We'll be outside, Anja said, patting his arm as she went past. 'Just yell.

The maidbot waddled into the lounge and started sucking up the malt. Oscar backed up to a settee and sat down hard. The numbness was dissipating, replaced by a growing anger. He glared at Paula. 'One thousand one hundred years. Thanks for that.

'I recovered your memorycell.

'You put it on trial!

'You're as alive now as the day you flew the hyperglider. That's more than can be said for your victims at Abadan.

'Jesus fucking wept! Will you stop persecuting me.

'I can't make you feel guilty. You do that to yourself.

'Yeah yeah. He sank deeper into the cushioning. 'What the hell are you doing here?

'You live well' She turned her head, studying the lounge. 'Anja was quite proud of the house. I can see why.

'My CST R&R pension fund was paid over into a trust the day the trial ended, courtesy of Wilson. You want to know what one thousand one hundred years' interest looks like? You're standing in it. Bloody inflation! I should have been able to buy a planet'

'And your life partners; they're good people. Jesaral is rather young, isn't he?

'Yeah, Oscar growled at her. 'He's also got a very big cock.

Paula smiled. 'Did you ever get in touch with Wilson when you were re-lifed?

'He left a message. So did Anna. They both downloaded into ANA long ago. Which frankly I don't admire. Look, this is bullshit; what the fuck do you want?

'I need you do a job for me.

Oscar wouldn't have believed it possible. He was in the same room as Paula Myo, and laughing at her. 'Oh boy, did you ever lose it over the centuries. You want me to do a job for you?. You've got to be fucking joking.

Paula's answering smile veered towards immoral. 'Exactly.

Oscar's humour vanished abruptly, leaving him with a very queasy sensation heating his stomach. 'Oh shit: you're not joking.

'Of course not. It's a perfect arrangement. Who would ever suspect such a thing?

'No. No chance. Go and blackmail someone else. I'd rather go back into suspension.

'Come on, Oscar, you're not lesaral so stop acting like him. I'm not here to threaten, I'm here to ask because I know you and I know what you want.

'You do not know me, lady!

Paula leaned in towards him, her eyes shining. 'Oh yes I do, Oscar. We spent the last few days of your life together. I nearly died, and you did. Don't tell me we don't understand each other. You martyred yourself so that the human race could survive. You are an honourable man, Oscar. Screwed up by guilt, but honourable.

Oscar was doing his best not to be intimidated by her. 'That was a mad situation. It won't ever happen again.

'Oh really? Who do you think I work for these days?

'I'll take a wild guess and say ANA. You never change.

'You're right about ANA, but wrong about change. I am different.

'Yeah, it looks it. The same job for thirteen hundred years. I barely recognized you. Paula, you can't change, that is you.