Finally, the bird shook its head, stretched its wings, and hopped through the hologram and into the deserted cafe beyond, ready to begin the first leg of its journey back to its mistress.
A few moments later, the avatar Amorphia stepped out of another part of the hologram, turned once to glance back at where the bird had hopped through the projection, then went and squatted before the figure of the man at whose armpit Gravious had pecked.
IV
[tight beam, M32, tra. @n4.28.864. 0001]
xEccentric Shoot Them Later
oGSV Anticipation Of A New Lover’s Arrival, The
It was me.
oo
[tight beam, M32, tra. @n4.28.864.1971]
xGSV Anticipation Of A New Lover’s Arrival, The
oEccentric Shoot Them Later
What was you?
oo
I was the go-between for the information transmitted from the AhForgetlt Tendency to SC. One of our people on Tier saw the Affront light cruiser Furious Purpose as it arrived back there; it had a location in Elench code burned onto its scar-hull. The information was transmitted from the Tendency mission on Tier to me; I passed it on to the Different Tan and the Steely Glint, my usual contacts in the Group/Gang. I would guess the signal was then relayed to the GSV Ethics Gradient, home ship of the GCU Fate Amenable To Change, which subsequently discovered the Excession.
So in a sense, this is all my fault. I apologise.
I had hoped this confession would never be necessary, but having turned this over in my mind I have concluded that – as was the case concerning the passing-on of the original information regarding the scar-hull signal in the first place – I had no choice. Had you guessed? Had you started to? Do you still trust me?
oo
It had occurred to me, but I had no access to Tendency transmission records and was unwilling to ask the other Gang members directly. I trust you no less for what you say. Why are you telling me now?
oo
I would like to retain that trust. Have you discovered anything else?
oo
Yes. I think there is a link to a man called Genar-Hofoen, a Contact representative with the Affront on a habitat called God’shole, in the Fernblade. He left there the day after the Excession was discovered; SC has hired three Affronter battle cruisers to take him to Tier. They are due there in fourteen days. His biography: (files attached). You see the connection? That ship again.
oo
You think it involved beyond what we believe we have agreed to already?
oo
Yes. And the Grey Area.
oo
The times look a little unlikely; if it really pushed itself the GA can reach Tier in, what?… three days or so after this human gets there? But that still leaves our other concern two months or more out of touch.
oo
I know. Still, I think there is something going on. I am following up all the avenues of investigation I can. I’m making further inquiries through the more likely contacts mentioned in his file, but it’s all going terribly slowly. Thank you for your candour. I shall remain in touch.
oo
You’re welcome. Do keep me informed.
[stuttered tight point, M32, tra. @n4.28. 865.2203]
xEccentric Shoot Them Later
oLSV Serious Callers Only
Got fed up waiting; I called it (signal file attached).
oo
[stuttered tight point, M32, tra. @n4.28. 865.2690 ]
xLSV Serious Callers Only
oEccentric Shoot Them Later
And now it ‘trusts you no less’. ha!
oo
I remain convinced it was the right thing to do.
oo
Whatever; it is done. What of the ship you asked to head for Pittance?
oo
On its way.
oo
And why Pittance?
oo
Is it not obvious? Perhaps not. Mayhap the paranoia of The Anticipation Of A New Lover’s Arrival is contagious… However that may be, let me make my argument: Pittance houses a veritable cornucopia of weaponry; indeed, the weapons deployed there just to protect the main cache of munitions – that is, the ships – alone represents a vast stockpile of potential destruction. Certainly the store’s course takes it nowhere near the Excession, but it has taken it into the general volume within which the Affront have some interest. Now, while it has almost certainly gone unnoticed and even if it is spotted and tracked it can be of no interest’to the Affront (and, of course, it is anyway well able to defend itself), and it is not part of the subtle mobilisation being organised by the Steely Glint, it nevertheless represents the greatest concentration of matériel in the vicinity.
I start to wonder; when, roughly, did the Culture start to have doubts – serious doubts – about the Affront? And when was Pittance chosen as one of the ship stores? Around the same time. Indeed, Pittance was chosen, fitted out and stocked entirely within the time-scale of the debate which took place at the end of the Idiran War regarding military intervention against the Affront. There are billions of bodies like Pittance; the galaxy is littered with such pieces of wreckage wandering between the stars. Yet Pittance was chosen as one of only eleven such stores; a rock whose slow progress would take it into Affronter space within five or six centuries – depending on how fast the Affront expanded their sphere of influence – and which might well remain within that sphere for the foreseeable future, given that Affronter influence could easily push its borders out at a greater rate than that of a slowly tumbling rock moving at much less than a per cent of light speed. How fortuitous to have such a wealth of weaponry embedded in Affront space!
Might not this all, in fact, be a set-up?
Think about this; is this not just the sort of thing you would be proud to have thought up? Such foresight, such patience, such attention to the long game, such plausible protestations of innocence should the coincidence be remarked upon or revealed! I know I’d be pleased with myself had I been part of such a plan.
Lastly, on the committee of Minds which oversaw the choice of these stores, the names Woetra, Different Tan and Not Invented Here all sound rather familiar, think ye not?
Taken all together, and even recognising that this is almost certainly a blind alley, I thought it irresponsible not to have a sharp eye attached to a sympathetic mind in the vicinity of that precious little rock.
oo
All right. Point taken.
oo
And what of whatever you were working on?
oo
My original idea was to attempt to find someone acceptable on Tier who might be persuaded to our purpose; however, this proved impractical; there is considerable Contact and SC presence on the habitat but nobody I think we could risk sharing our apprehensions with. Instead, I have the tentative agreement of an old ally to support our cause should the occasion arise. It is a month or more from Tier, and the Excession lies beyond there on its orientation, but it has access to a number of warships. The tricky part is that some of them may be called up in the mobilisation, but a few may be put at our disposal. Not as warships, I hasten to add, certainly not against other Culture ships, but as counters, as it were, or delivery systems, if and when we find a vulnerable point in the conspiracy we believe might exist.
This Genar-Hofoen person; I may make my own inquiries in that direction, if I can avoid stepping on the metaphorical toes of our co-concernee.
The Affront angle is the one that worries me. So aggressive! Such drive! For all our oft-repeated horror at their effects on others, there exists, I think, a kind of grudging admiration in many Culture folk for the Affront’s energy, not to mention their apparent freedom from the effects of moral conscience. Such an easy threat to see, and yet so difficult a problem to deal with. I dread to think what awful plan might be hatched with a thoroughly clear conscience by perfectly estimable Minds to deal with such a perceived menace.
Equally, given the qualitative scale of the opportunity which may be presented by the Excession, the Affront are just the sort of species – and at precisely the most likely stage in their development – to attempt some sort of mad undertaking which, however likely to fail, if it did succeed might offer rewards justifying the risk. And who is to say they would be wrong in making such a judgement?
oo
Look, the damned Excession hasn’t done anything yet. All this nuisance has been caused by everybody’s reaction to it. Serve us all right if it turned out it is a projection of some sort, some God’s jest. I’m growing impatient, I don’t mind telling you. The Fate Amenable To Change stands off, watching the Excession doing nothing and reporting on it every now and again, various low-level Involveds are puffing themselves up and girding their scrawny loins with a view to taking a sight-seeing trip to the latest show in town and in the vague hope that if there is some sort of action they’ll be able to pick up some of it, and all that the rest of us are doing is sitting around waiting for the big guns to arrive. I wish something would happen!