Kachika was unconvinced. ‘Professor, all of this is still very far-fetched. Even if that sort of energy does exist, there’s no proof that the dinosaurs brought it to Earth. In fact, the probability that they did so is close to zero. One astronomical unit is a very great distance indeed, and given that most of the dinosaurs’ spacecraft operate in near-Earth orbit, it would not be easy for them to travel that far into space.’

‘I used to think that too, but…’ Professor Joya paused. ‘Please continue listening to the recording.’

DADAEUS: We are playing a very dangerous game here. Insupportably dangerous. Laurasia should immediately stop Luna’s command-loss timer or at the very least change over to a regular timer. If you do that, Gondwana will do likewise.

DODOMI: Gondwana should stop the timer on Leviathan first! If you do that, Laurasia will follow suit.

DADAEUS: It was Laurasia that activated Luna’s timer first.

DODOMI: But, Your Majesty, that’s not where this all started, is it? If a Gondwanan spaceship hadn’t pulled that little stunt in space three years ago, on that fateful fourth of December, Luna and Leviathan would never even have existed. That devil would have followed its original path out of the solar system and left Earth well alone.

DADAEUS: It was for scientific research—

DODOMI: Enough! Let’s cut the crap, shall we? It was the Gondwanan Empire that pushed civilisation on Earth to the brink of the abyss. You’re nothing but a bunch of irresponsible criminals and you must certainly have no right to make any demands of Laurasia.

DADAEUS: Then it seems the Laurasian Republic has no intention of making the first concession.

DODOMI: And what of the Gondwanan Empire?

DADAEUS: Well, well… It appears that neither of us is particularly bothered about the imminent destruction of Earth.

DODOMI: If you’re not bothered, then neither are we.

DADAEUS: Ha ha ha! Well, so be it, then. Dinosaurkind has never been that bothered about anything anyway.

Joya stopped the playback and turned to Kachika and Jolie. ‘I presume both of you took note of the date mentioned in that conversation.’

‘December the fourth, three years ago?’ Field Marshal Jolie’s antennae twitched. ‘That was the day the new sun appeared.’

‘Precisely. It is the common thread running through all of this.’ Professor Joya swivelled her gaze from the supreme consul to the field marshal then back to the supreme consul. ‘I don’t know about you, but this makes my feelers stand on end.’

‘We have no objections to your making every effort to try and clarify this matter,’ said Kachika coolly.