‘She had a couple of technicians seconded from Survey and Surveillance. They pulled bear DNA from dirt where their huts had been sited, and native and human DNA from the soakaway of a latrine inside the secondary fence. The human DNA came from at least three individuals. We haven’t identified any of them yet, but it confirms Seven’s story. Bears and natives had been living there, and some of our people were involved, too.’

‘So,’ Mitkos said, ‘what does the next stage of this investigation involve?’

‘Right now, Iryn and her people are searching for Raia and Seven, and for the people who built the camp and developed the treatment that cured Seven and the other articulate bears. Trying to find out if those bears are still alive, and where they were taken. If there are other camps like the one we found. Iryn also wants to find out who was organising supplies for the camp. And that’s where I come in,’ Ysbel said, choosing her words carefully. She was coming to the part where she would have to tell her boss some outright untruths.

‘I can’t say I’m pleased,’ Mitkos said. ‘Work is piling up. Dalsy needs help with the summer festival, and the city council has revised the specs for Freedom Park again, so we need to rework the costings. The bureau wants to start trading local produce with pineapples and breadfruit and apple bananas from the Gathering Place. It’s totally uneconomic, of course. We’ll have to eat the costs as the price of good will, and someone has to work out what those costs will be – transport, warehousing and so forth. And Bekt may have mentioned the little trouble he’s been having at the desalination plant?’

‘He did.’

‘It’s part of a growth in unrest that needs to be curbed.’

‘If the bureau doesn’t want to sign off on further work with Special Operations, I can take some personal days,’ Ysbel said.

‘It’s that important to you?’

‘It’s important to everyone.’

‘I’m not going to try to stop you,’ Mitkos said. ‘I’m outranked by Iryn Moonsdaughter. You don’t need my permission.’

‘I’m grateful anyway. And I’ll be done in three or four days, I swear.’

‘Three would be good. Two even better.’

‘There is something else.’

‘Of course there is.’

‘It’s the kind of work I was doing with Data Analysis, before I transferred to the bureau. How we uncovered the Originists who were planning to fly to the Moon. Tracing requisitions and transport of rations and other supplies. Looking for unusual movements of personnel and materials in the area. Tracking usage of flitters and hoppers, and so on.’

‘And why do you need my help?’ Mitkos said.

‘All it is, is I need you to give me access to the bureau’s central archives,’ Ysbel said, as casually as possible.

‘Your new boss can’t do that?’