High above, an m-sink punched clean through one of the sentries, its colossal tidal forces imploding the internal structure in microseconds. The wreckage spun uncontrollably. More m-sinks tracked their prey skilfully. Energy weapons lashed across the base, partially deflected by the Alexis Denken. It was actually looking as though Paula might manage to preserve some of the base.

A phenomenal blast of raw multi-spectrum energy from behind the ice-moon deluged the Alexis Denken's sensors. A flare of blue-white light irradiated the fuselage, as if a sun had suddenly blossomed into existence. Its corona erupted around the ice moon at relativistic speed.

'Shit! Paula yelled. Quantumbusters

The ice moon detonated. Alexis Denken fled into hyperspace, racing away from the colossal mass energy explosion at fifty lightyears an hour.

'Shit shit shit, Paula growled at the readings flashing across her exovision. The four attacking sentry vessels had just been a diversion. One of the others had deployed behind the ice moon to ensure there was no evidence left. 'Crap, I'm old and slow. I should have known. She opened a link to ANA: Governance. 'I'm sorry, my stupidity just lost us our one tangible lead.

'You are being too hard on yourself.

'No. What a professional would have done is examined whatever was in those main chambers first. Given its energy demand it had to be some kind of manufacturing operation. But oh no I went and acted on my obsession.

'You have verified the Accelerators are using the Cat.

'Stop trying to cushion me. Somebody is using the Cat, we have no proof it is the Accelerators. And even if we did, that isn't enough for you to enact their suspension. I need to nail them with conspiracy and treason.

'Paula, you are letting self-anger dominate. This aspect of your investigation has one link remaining: Chatfield.

'Damnit, she wanted to kick herself. Her u-shadow opened a link to Digby.

Cleric Conservator Ethan sat alone behind his polished muroak desk in the oval sanctum, his eyes closed against the bright starfield visible through the high diocletian windows. One day soon, he knew, he would sit in the real oval sanctum, and that very same window would reveal the Void's splendid nebulas glowing across the night sky. When that happened, days like today would simply be banished from existence, and he would live an easier, gentle life. In fact he wouldn't even be Conservator, nor even a Cleric. It often amused him to wonder who on the Council had considered that aspect of their cause. Once they were inside the Void, then they would have achieved their goal and there would be no more Dreaming Void movement. All of them would be ordinary Querencia citizens. Giving up their positions would be hard on some, he knew. Too hard. They would warp their world to make themselves District Masters or worse. But the Waterwalker had shown that even such self-indulgence would come to nothing. All would come right in the end. The Skylords would carry them all to the Heart. He couldn't imagine just how splendid that would be, especially in comparison to today.

Cleric Phelim had called five hours ago to tell him they'd located Araminta, that she was in Bodant Park right outside the apartments she owned. A mere five seconds later Ethan had felt her mind's angry dismissive cry resonate throughout the gaiafield. That worried him more than he would ever admit to anyone, even Phelim. Why would someone chosen by the Sky-lords reject Living Dream so comprehensively? He'd felt her naked emotions, experienced how deep her revulsion for their goal truly was.

Then biononically enriched agents had fought a small war in Bodant Park, a war given total coverage across the wretched Unisphere. Honilar's welcome team had been killed — and they were tough operatives. Ethan knew that, he'd authorized their enrichments and training himself. The aftermath had left him deeply shocked. So many dead. More injured. He had prayed to the Lady for guidance and forgiveness.

A prayer cut short by the Speaker of the Senate calling, demanding he end Viotia's occupation and turn over Living Dream's paramilitaries for an independent trial. Ethan's rather reasonable observation that the carnage was caused by representatives of ANA Factions was ignored. The Speaker said that the Security Commission was preparing a resolution that would allow the Navy to intervene if any further human rights violations occurred on such a level. And that ever since Ellezelin's Senator had walked out of the Senate following the condemnation of the Viotia invasion, repudiating its authority as he went, Ellezelin was technically no longer part of the Commonwealth and therefore the Navy's non-internal deployment restriction didn't apply.

There was only one person Ethan could ask for reassurance in such circumstances, and he hesitated to do that. The last thing he wanted right now was to be forced further into reliance on Marius.

Phelim's curt, apprehensive assurances that Bodant Park was just a temporary setback failed to impress. Ethan had now accessed every scrap of information that ever existed on Araminta. He was deeply suspicious that she'd spent a weekend at Likan's mansion. Likan of course claimed complete innocence, that she was just another recruit for his harem. After Bodant Park Ethan had given Phelim permission to bring Likan in for a full memory read. It would be just like that super-capitalist to try and manipulate things to his personal financial advantage. If Araminta's background was as simple as the records claimed, there was no conceivable way she could elude Honilar and the other agents the way she had. An entire planet had been invaded with one purpose: to find her. The resources he'd deployed were using up an appreciable percentage of Ellezelin's gross planetary product. There had never been a manhunt on such a scale in human history.

Somebody was helping her; Ethan was fairly sure it had to be ANA. That subtle interference was bringing about some serious complications to the goal of Pilgrimage. He wasn't sure how he should attempt to counter them.

The Ellezelin civil security alert was totally unexpected. Ethan's exovision was suddenly swamped with a flock of red icons. Five fully armoured guards from the Cabinet Security Service hurried into the oval sanctum as force fields shimmered on around the Orchard Palace. More exoimage graphics showed him sequential protective domes powering up to protect the core of Makkathran2, then the greater civic zone. The alert was originating in the civil spaceflight agency. Something was happening in orbit above Ellezelin.

'Sir, the Security Service detail leader said. 'Please accompany me to your safe refuge. A circle of the floor was expanding to reveal a gravity chute.

Hardly authentic, Ethan thought idly. Although technically the Waterwalker's rapport with the city did allow him to pass through solid floors to the tunnels below.

Two of the Security Service detail jumped into the chute where manipulated gravity sucked them away fast. Ethan followed them down. To increase the irony of the situation, the full was similar to the way Edeard flew along Makkathran's travel tunnels; except here Ethan was going feet first.

He dropped out of the chute into a deep shelter half a kilometre below the city. The refuge was a circular chamber with glass walls that partitioned off smaller cubicles and offices. His presidential office was already illuminated, but the others were all unoccupied and dark. A startled skeleton team of security agency staff were scrambling to build up a situation overview in conjunction with the refuge's smartcore.

'What have we got? he asked.

'Energy discharges in orbit, sir, the defence agency colonel reported. 'A thousand kilometres up, that's in the parking ring. And, sir, it's high-level weapons fire. The emissions are sophisticated. We think it was two ships, both in stealth mode; we didn't even know they were there until they started shooting at each other.