‘The arbitration unit was bait for Hsiu-Chuan, but it was highly lucrative bait. There’s plenty of motivation, right there, for Hsingyun to string Jacob along until I turned up with the goods. That way he doesn’t just get hold of the arbitration unit, he gets himself closer to Hsiu-Chuan and the financiers behind the pharms. Maybe he thought he could get his own pharming operation out of it.’

‘Nice theory,’ said Sanders, ‘but you still haven’t answered the question. Did you kill Jacob?’

Saul let out a groan. ‘I was convinced the gun wasn’t loaded. I took a gamble they were trying to test us, that there weren’t any bullets in the damn thing. But they already knew exactly who we both were.’

Donohue shook his head. ‘The fact remains, all the evidence says you pulled the trigger, and that’s all any internal investigation would care about. In fact,’ he added, barely repressing a smirk, ‘it might actually have been a lot better for your career if you’d refused, and let them shoot you. No dishonourable discharge, and no possibility of a long jail sentence – and a funeral paid for by the ASI.’

Saul fought back tears of frustration. ‘Fuck you. If you’re going to hang me out to dry, then damn well get on with it.’

‘That isn’t why we’re here,’ said Donohue. ‘And that’ – he waved at the charged sheet still sitting on Sau’s lap – ‘is the only copy of your field report still in existence. All other copies have been deleted.’

Saul stared at him. ‘What exactly is going on?’

Donohue brushed invisible lint off his jacket. ‘Normally, as I say, there’d be an internal tribunal. A proper hearing. There might still be – but not if you don’t want it to.’

Saul thought hard. ‘Are you telling me you want to cover this up?’

Donohue’s smug expression once again made Saul want to drive a fist into his face. Public Standards seemed to attract individuals of such a reptilian nature that it was easier to imagine them lying on sun-baked stones, catching flies with their tongues, than engaging in any kind of normal human interaction.

‘If we open this up to a tribunal, the whole case goes on official records,’ said Donohue. ‘But if we make it look like none of it ever happened, we’ll want you to do something in return.’

Saul imagined Donohue’s mouth opening wide to reveal long rows of glistening fangs. ‘Go on.’

‘Your fuck-up gave us an excuse to send in that task force, and naturally we took an interest in any records we happened to come across.’

‘You found something?’