~ It’s possible.

~ Perhaps they’re not coming here, suggested the Appeal To Reason. ~ Aren’t they attacking the whole Culture? There are reports of scores of ships and Orbitals being taken . . .

~ I don’t know, the Fate admitted. It looks like madness to me; they can’t defeat the whole Culture.

~ But they’re saying a ship-store at this rock Pittance has fallen, the Sober Counsel sent.

~ Well, yes. Officially there’s still a blackout on that, but (off record, of course), if they are coming in this direction I wouldn’t want to be here in about a week’s time.

~ So if we’re going to get through to the entity, we’d better do it soon, the Appeal To Reason sent.

~ Oh, don’t start on about that again; you said yourself they might not be coming . . . the Fate began, then broke off. ~ Hold on. Are you getting this?

...(SEMIWIDE BEAM, AFFRONTBASE ALLTRANS, LOOP.)

ATTENTION ALL CRAFT IN ESPERI NEAR SPACE: THE ENTITY LOCATED AT (location sequence enclosed) WAS FIRST DISCOVERED BY THE AFFRONT CRUISER FURIOUS PURPOSE ON (trans; n4.28.803.8+) AND IS HEREBY FULLY AND RIGHTFULLY CLAIMED ON THE BEHALF OF THE AFFRONT REPUBLIC AS AN INTEGRAL AND FULLY SOVEREIGN AFFRONT PROPERTY SUBJECT TO AFFRONT LAWS, EDICTS, RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES.

IN THE LIGHT OF THE CULTURE-PROVOKED HOSTILITIES NOW EXISTING BETWEEN THE AFFRONT AND THE CULTURE, THE FULL CUSTODIAL PROTECTION OF AFFRONT ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO THE FOREMENTIONED VOLUME AND TO THAT END AN ORDINANCE ABSOLUTELY PROHIBITING ALL NON-AFFRONT TRAFFIC WITHIN TEN STANDARD LIGHT YEARS AROUND THE ENTITY HAS BEEN ISSUED WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT AND HENCE ALL CRAFT INSIDE THIS VOLUME ARE ORDERED TO VACATE SAID VOLUME FORTHWITH.

ALL CRAFT AND MATERIAL FOUND TO BE WITHIN THIS VOLUME WILL BE DEEMED TO BE IN CONTRAVENTION OF AFFRONT LAW AND IN CONTEMPT OF THE AFFRONT SUPREME COMMITTEE THUS SUBJECTING THEMSELVES TO THE FULL PUNITIVE MIGHT OF THE AFFRONT MILITARY.

TO ENFORCE SAID ORDINANCE A HUNDREDS-STRONG WAR FLEET OF EX-CULTURE CRAFT WHICH HAVE CHOSEN TO RENOUNCE THEIR PREVIOUS ALLEGIANCE TO THE ENEMY HAVE BEEN DISPATCHED TO THE ABOVE-MENTIONED LOCATION WITH INSTRUCTIONS RUTHLESSLY TO ENFORCE THIS ORDER.

GLORY TO THE AFFRONT!

~ So there, the Sober Counsel communicated. ~ That’s us told.

~ And they can be here in a week, added the Appeal To Reason.

~ Hmm. That location they gave, the Fate sent. ~ Look where it’s centred.

~ Ah-hah, replied the Sober Counsel.

~ Ah-hah what? asked the Appeal To Reason.

~ It’s not centred on the entity itself, the other Elench ship pointed out. ~ It’s just off-centre where whatever happened to that little-drone took place.

~ The Furious Purpose is one of a couple of Affronter craft that left Tier at the same time the fleet did; it could have been following the Peace Makes Plenty, the Sober Counsel told the Culture ship. ~ It is certainly the ship that returned to Tier . . . thirty-six days after whatever happened here.