“You’d better climb on top of me if we’re still to converse, then. I take it you do still wish to converse. It would be too much to hope that you just happened to be passing by sheer coincidence and are now happy to be on your way.”

“Thank you, I will. And of course I’m here for a purpose.”

“I’d kind of guessed.” The drone made a slow swoop to about mid-thigh level on Tefwe. She climbed aboard, sitting cross-legged on its broad back. It rose into the hot, dry air, heading up about ten metres to a sort of little depot of machinery set on a levelled area where the rock had been melted and allowed to cool. Patches were like glass, reflecting the sharp glare of the sun.

The aphore, nestling in the shade of a house-sized boulder, raised its head when it caught sight of her on the drone. It looked confused. Then it put its head back down to the shadow-dark sand and closed its eyes again. The drone lifted a small tube and appeared to inspect it, turning it this way and that in front of the high-magnification band running along its blunt snout. It replaced it, moved to another rack of what looked like miniaturised mining equipment.

“So, come far?” it asked.

“Far enough.”

“Who sent you?”

“Bunch of ships.”

“Will I have heard of any of them?”

She reeled off the relevant names.

“Is this SC?”

“Not generated. Some EUAs are helping out. Think they’re bored. It’s a bit quiet right now.”

“Ah, Elements Usually Associated,” the drone said, and managed to sound almost wistful. “And is the Smile Tolerantly really involved, actively?”

“No. It’s more … wanted.”

“And what do you want, Tefwe?”

“From you? To know the location of our old chum Ngaroe QiRia.”

“Ah. I suppose I should have guessed. What makes you think I know that?”

“Oh, come on.”

“All right. What makes you think I would tell you?”

“It’s important.”

“Why?”

“Long story. He might remember something that backs up a claim somebody’s made. Claim that might make a big difference to a lot of people.”

“You are going to have to do better than that.”

“How long have we got?”

“All day.”