Inigo wound up sitting on the back of the driver's chair, cradling her. She stared up at the bulkhead above with its small storage locker doors swinging open.

'My arm, she cried. The dull pain was rising to hot agony. Her exovision medical displays were flashing up tissue damage summaries.

Inigo looked round the cabin. 'These crawlers always have medic packs; there'll be one around somewhere. Get your nerves to shut down the pain.

She nodded, which nearly made her squeal. Concentrating on the physiological icons was difficult, but eventually her secondary routines were closing off nerves to her arm. Her ankle was damaged, too, though that was minor compared to the arm. She let out a huge sigh as the pain faded. Nothing she could do about the queasiness, however.

Inigo left her to rummage through all the junk that was cluttered round them. He found a first aid pack. The case started to analyse the data her macrocellular clusters gave it, and opened up various plyplastic appendages which wiggled across her shoulder. Inigo cut away her sleeve to give it access to her skin.

'Now what? she asked.

He glanced at the portal display, which remained resolutely blank. 'We're wedged into a fissure, with our arse sticking up into the air. How's that for dignity.

'Can your field functions get us out?

'Not easily. 1 suppose I can give it a go, though.

'That's good. I was almost worried there.

He chuckled, and stroked her face. 'We'll just wait a minute. I want to be certain you're all right before I leave you.

'I don't want you to leave right away, she said shakily. 'Then I'll stay. We're not in any hurry. Not today.

The Alexis Denken was only ninety minutes out from Arevalo when Kazimir called.

'We just lost our communication link with the Lindau, he said.

Paula, who was sitting at her piano trying to master 'Fur Elise' yet again, let her shoulders slump. 'Oh crap. I thought you were going to warn them to be careful.

'I did. Evidently I wasn't clear enough.

'So now Aaron has a Navy ship?

'A scout ship. And it might be Inigo.

'Or the Waterwalker himself. Or Nigel's come back. Or maybe… But she didn't finish that one.

'There's no need to be cruel.

'We're getting stretched very thin, Kazimir.

'I know. But there is some good news. The Lindau might not be communicating, but I can still keep track of it.

'How?

'There's a secondary transdimensional channel generated by all navy ship drives. It's used for one thing only, to supply us with their location for precisely this reason.

'I never knew that. So where is it now?

'Still on Hanko.

'Interesting. If you're Aaron and you've got yourself a lifeboat, why wait around on a planet that's about to implode?

'To find what you originally came for.

'Exactly. Keep me updated.

'Of course.

'Are you going to send another ship?

'The Yangtze is already on its way; I doubt it will get there in time.

'A River-class no less? You are taking this seriously now. Let us hope it has better luck than the Yenisey. 'And the Lindau.

It was raining outside Colwyn City, turbid clouds drizzling the fields and hills with a slick of cold water. A morose day whose lack of wind condemned it to suffer under mist which stifled the land and obscured the upper skies with their pink cirro-stratus clouds. However, inside the force fields, it was dry and sunny as the gloom was diverted round the curving protective barriers.

The woman was making the most of the artificial climate, walking in a leisurely way up Daryad Avenue's pronounced slope to window shop. Almost half of the stores along the avenue were open, though most of the bars and restaurants were shut. Supply deliveries were non-existent in Colwyn now that the invaders had shut down all capsule flights.

Most people in the city centre that morning were heading down the slope towards the river. It was the day the Senate delegation was due to arrive. The residents wanted to give them a welcome they couldn't ignore as their starship touched down at the docks. Already, the crowds were swelling round the sealed up perimeter.

The woman either didn't care or didn't know. She was young, and attractive, wearing a fashionable grey-blue dress whose skirt showed off long legs. Men making their way down the slope cast admiring glances and pinged her. She smiled loftily, ignoring the attention. She also somehow managed to ignore the Ellezelin paramilitary capsules racing low overhead, their sirens screeching and dousing the pavement with strobing lasers.

Ignoring them to a degree that she was unaware of three larger capsules prowling the sky above the avenue's rooftops. Unaware as they suddenly stopped their circling to powerdive. She was still unaware right up to the moment when their seven-gee deceleration smacked them down beside her with such force their pressure waves burst the glass window she was looking through. She screamed as she was shoved painfully to her knees amid the glittering shards, her arms folded round her head to try and protect her. The big capsules halted, floating ten centimetres above the concrete. Their malmetal doors opened fast, and Major Honilar jumped out, leading his welcome team into a surround and secure formation, putting the woman at the centre of a circle produced by the nozzles of fifteen high calibre energy weapons. She was screaming incoherently as they encircled her, blood running from a hundred tiny glass nicks, her dress all but shredded.

'Shut the fuck up, Major Honilar bellowed at her.

Everyone on the outside of the three capsules who had flung themselves flat, lifted their heads to see what in Ozzie's name was going on. They saw an armour suited figure grab the woman's hair and lift her brutally to her feet. Saw the agony on her mutilated face. Saw the horrific amount of blood saturating her clothes, dripping liberally on to the pavement. Several of the more astute ones delivered what they were seeing directly to Unisphere news stations.

'Araminta, you are now in the protective custody of the Intermediate Ellezelin forces. The suited figure pushed her towards the nearest capsule.

'Hey! someone on the street protested.

One of the welcome team fired a small enhanced explosive projectile over their heads. The detonation forced everyone to cower on the floor again.

'If anyone attempts to interfere with our operation they will be shot, Major Honilar announced loudly. He pushed the bloody, sobbing woman into his capsule, which lifted immediately, its malmetal door still closing as it reached rooftop height. The remainder of the welcome team retreated back into their capsules, covering the prone bystanders in a classic hostile withdrawal protocol.

Sitting drinking their morning tea on the balcony of the cafe opposite the drama, Oscar and his team watched the last capsule lift hurriedly into the city's artificially clear sky.

'Good deployment, Beckia said with grudging admiration. She was wearing a silver-edged beret in the local style, helping to make her look even more beguiling.

'As subtle as a kick in the balls, Tomansio retorted dismissively. 'Look at them. He waved a hand towards the stunned citizens who were slowly picking themselves up. There was a lot of anger on their faces.

Oscar watched several of them shaking their fists at the sky, shouting obscenities. He was glad he was back wearing civilian clothes. It wasn't going to be pleasant for any of the Ellezelin troops caught alone after today.

'I think Major Honilar is getting somewhat aggrieved, Beckia said. 'What's that, the fifth Araminta the recognition programs have found for him this morning?

'Liatris is doing well, Tomansio said.