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‘Commander Farr rescued us from our lifeship in the Mintaka system. We are now, so we are told, on our way to Scolar.’

‘Scolar? Why there?’ asked old Sammy.

‘We went through imperfect shift, didn’t we?’ said Hob.

‘Yes. Imperfect shift. I believe that biozoons use it, but I’ve never heard of an OLOSS ship managing it.’

‘This ain’t no OLOSS ship,’ said Hob.

Balbao nodded. ‘Indeed. As for why we are going to Scolar …’ He shrugged. ‘Perhaps it’s the only place left with the shift sphere still functioning.’

‘What?’ they both cried.

‘The Extros invaded Mintaka, destroyed our research station and an entire planet.’

‘A planet?’ Hob and Sammy stared at each other, faces crinkled with incredulity.

‘Balbao speaks truthfully,’ whispered Jise. ‘We are only alive because Lasper Farr came looking for his son.’ He turned a bewildered stare on Labile Connit. ‘Labile?’

‘I’m not his son,’ Connit insisted from where he huddled on his bed.

The eyes upon him were unconvinced.

Balbao thought he had a lean likeness to Farr, though his colouring was darker, his eyes brown, not grey. It was possible the shape of his face resembled the Commander’s, but that could have been his imagination.

‘This is not a time for lies, Labile,’ said Ra.

The geneer straightened and glared back at them. ‘Then I shouldn’t be the only one to tell. We all have secrets. Especially you, Ra. How do you know Lasper? What have you done? What was the device you asked about? Have you been working with him?’

Ra stepped closer, his paper-thin skin pale and taut. Balbao noticed the slight peeling around his hairline. He had little enough hair to hide it.

‘Are you accusing me of something, Connit?’

‘All I know is that any collusion with Lasper Farr would be suspicious.’ Without warning, Connit leapt at Ra, his hands grasping the Lostolian’s throat. ‘What is it? What did you build for my father?’

Balbao and Hob both intervened. Hob knocked Connit back with a well-placed punch. The old fellow had been around, thought Balbao as he pulled Ra away.

‘Enough,’ he bellowed with full Balol ferocity. ‘If any violence is to occur, it will be from me.’ For the first time since any of them had known him, he bared his warrior’s teeth. For good measure he let loose a growl.

Neither Sammy nor Hob batted an eyelid, but Miranda shrieked and clung tighter to Jise.

‘What is happening to us?’ she wailed.

‘Miranda!’ Balbao growled again.

She curtailed her wail to a whimper.

‘Now,’ he said, ‘it is time we talked. All of us. And quickly. It may be the only – the last – chance we get. Labile?’

The geneer scowled at Ra as he spoke. ‘He is my biological father. But he didn’t raise me or have anything to do with me. I don’t acknowledge him.’

‘Have you met him before?’ asked Balbao.

Connit closed his eyes and nodded. ‘Once. He came to visit my mother when I was younger. To look me over, no doubt. He didn’t like what he found, and we never saw him again. Though he did help my mother to pay the studium costs.’

‘So it’s thanks to him you’re a geneer?’ said Ra. ‘That’s hardly uninvolved.’

‘The important thing from our perspective is that you aren’t one of his people,’ said Balbao.

Jise nodded agreement.

‘You mean, was I his spy on Belle-Monde? No. And I take offence at anyone who would suggest it,’ Connit said hotly.

Ra made a disparaging noise and turned away.

Sole’s favoured Godhead was beginning to annoy Balbao beyond comfortable tolerance. ‘Ra?’

‘What of you two?’ Ra asked the cell’s original occupants. ‘Who are you? Other than old.’

Sammy opened her mouth to retort but Hob put a calming hand on her arm. ‘You heard of Consilience?’

‘Are you members?’ asked Miranda.

Hob smiled, somewhat proudly, thought Balbao. ‘Sammy’s one of the leaders.’

Ra froze.

‘And I,’ continued Hob, ‘was Commander Farr’s pilot during the war. And more recently. Until I happened to let Tekkie sneak off with some real important device that belonged to the Commander.’

‘Tekkie?’ shrilled Miranda.

‘Device?’ chimed in Ra.

Hob grinned at