Ysbel wasn’t entirely reassured. She knew that this high-grade helper’s remit would include reporting on her every move, knew that because of the brittle relationship between natives and humans, and the curbs and checks of the treaty, she was going to have to tread very carefully. She had already won one small victory, insisting that sending an ordinary tapcode message to the address Goodwill had given in his letter, a commercial lodging house in Concord, would be less likely to arouse his suspicions than sending a secure message to the bureau’s local station and arranging for it to be hand-delivered. If she was allowed to do things her way, she thought, there was a chance that this might come good.

When the hopper reached the freefall stage of its sub-orbital lob, the pilot – the person who oversaw its autonomous functions – swam into the cabin, manoeuvring with expert grace, asking Ysbel if there was anything she needed. She was the only passenger in the craft, and he seemed to believe that she was a person of power and importance. After she assured him that she was fine, he told her to enjoy the rest of the flight, said that they would be passing over the Sierra Madre mountains in a few minutes and it would be worth taking a look, and executed a perfect roll in mid-air and kicked away.

Ysbel used her link to open a virtual window, was watching rumpled mountains crawl past a hundred and thirty kilometres below when Zaquil’s baritone voice said, ‘There appears to be a slight problem.’

‘What kind of problem?’

‘I have just learned that the local station of the Bureau of Indigenous Affairs has taken Goodwill Saltmire into protective custody.’

‘They arrested him? How can they have the authority to do that?’

‘Apparently, he voluntarily surrendered.’

‘Tell them to release him.’

‘Unfortunately, I am unable to give direct orders to human people.’

‘Then connect me to the station chief.’

‘Of course.’

A long half minute of dead air; then Ysbel’s link pinged and a woman said briskly, ‘It’s a pleasure to talk to you, Ysbel Moonsdaughter. I assume you have concerns about your native contact. I can assure you that he came willingly after we explained the situation to him. He is safe and well, and waiting with us for your arrival.’

‘There was no situation until you took him in,’ Ysbel said.

‘I’m afraid that there was,’ the station chief said. ‘We had information that the embassy was going to approach him. We thought it better to keep it inhouse.’

‘It would be better if you didn’t interfere with my investigation. How did you and the embassy find out about him?’

‘Have you ever kept fish?’

‘I’ve fished.’