Still no sign of a hunt in progress, or even of any herds of prey animals. Just a few filmy mats and hanging verticals of floating plant life. Doubtless some of the smaller animals which a few species of the prey-creatures themselves predated would be hanging munching away on the membranes and gas sacs of the flora, but they were invisible from this distance with the haze preventing closer inspection.

Genar-Hofoen sat back. There was no seat to sit back on because the monorail car wasn’t built for humans, but the gelfield suit was imitating the effects of a seat. He wore his usual gilet and holster. At his feet was his gelfield hold-all. He looked at it, then prodded it with a foot. It didn’t look much to be taking on a round trip of six thousand light years.

~ Bastards, the module said inside his head.

~ What? he asked it.

~ They seem to enjoy leaving everything to the last moment, the module said, sounding annoyed. ~ You know, we only just finished negotiating for the hire of the ships? I mean, you’re due to leave in about ten minutes; how late can these maniacs leave things?

~ Ships plural? he asked.

~ Ships plural, the module said. ~ They insist we hire three of their ridiculous tubs. Any one of which could easily accommodate me, I might add; that’s another point at issue. But three! Can you believe? That’s practically a fleet by their standards!

~ Must need the money.

~ Genar-Hofoen, I know you think it amusing to be the cause of the transfer of funds to the Affront, but might I point out to you that where it is not to all intents and purposes irrelevant, money is power, money is influence, money is effect.

~ ‘Money is effect’, Genar-Hofoen mused. ~ That one of your own, Scopell-Afranqui?

~ The point is that every time we donate the Affront extra means of exchange we effectively become part of their expansionist drive. It is not moral.

~ Shit, we gave them Orbital-building technology; how does that compare with a few gambling debts?

~ That was different; we only gave them that so they’d stop taking over so many planets and because they didn’t trust the Orbitals we made for them. And I’m not talking about your gambling debts, however outrageous, or your bizarre habit of bidding-up the price of bribes. I’m talking about the cost of hiring three Affronter Nova Class Battle-Cruisers and their crews for two months.

Genar-Hofoen almost laughed out loud. ~ SC isn’t putting that on your tab, is it?

~ Of course not. I was thinking of the wider picture.

~ What the fuck am I supposed to do? he protested. ~ This is the fastest way of getting me where SC wants me to be. Not my fault.

~ You could have said No.