by Simon Kewin
“Is that Ro?” Zeb asked, as he and Magdi studied the video together. “It has to be, right?”
The images clearly showed a figure of about Ro's height, back to the camera, striding up the scrubby slope of the biome floor in the direction of the forest. Unfortunately, a reliable identification was impossible: the figure wore a heavy coat that concealed their features. Visibility was further reduced by a fall of snow slanting across the scene. The figure vanished into the gloom. Half an hour later, they retraced their steps to the doorway. Still their features were invisible beneath the overhanging hood of their multithermal coat, but it certainly looked like Ro from the military gait.
“She's got something under her arm, now,” said Zeb. He froze the pictures, zoomed in. The figure carried a small package tucked underneath their left arm, an object wrapped in cloth. “It has to be the energy-weapon. She hid it there so we wouldn't find it if we searched her quarters. She picked it up, went home, reactivated her mesh links, then set off for her meeting with Palianche.”
It was certainly possible, although it still left the mystery of where the energy-weapon had gone afterwards. There was still no sign of it, and there appeared to be nowhere that Ro could have concealed it. Still, the evidence was beginning to add up.
“The killer has to be Ro, then,” said Zeb.
Magdi sighed. He was probably right – which threw her dilemma over the best course of action to take into sharp focus. She'd come to visit Zeb partly to tell him her realisation on the loopship flight back to Suri. It might be better for everyone to simply leave the case open. But his sheer enthusiasm for solving the case, for getting to the truth and bringing the killer to justice, stopped her from saying the words. That, and the fact that she knew how scathing his reaction would be. So, she would let him continue.
“It does look likely,” she said. “Perhaps Arianas had access to the same warbugs. Arms-dealers will happily sell to both sides in a conflict. No doubt they prefer to do so. We should trace the needle, confirm its origin.”
“I'll get onto it now,” said Zeb.
Leaving Zeb's laboratory, she addressed Coronade via her bead. The conversation with the planetary Mind couldn't be put off any longer. “I need to talk to you. I need to know how much I can trust you.”
“Haven't we already had this conversation?” the Mind asked.
“I'm not talking about keeping secrets from the other Minds. I mean something much bigger. How do I know that anything you say is true?”
“How do you know anything that anyone says is true?”
“I learn who is trustworthy. My empathic sense helps.”
“Most people do not have such abilities, but they still learn who they can depend on.”
That was true – although sometimes she wondered how that process took place. People could be slippery; they didn't always know when they were lying. “Learning who we can and can't trust can be painful. Let's say I need to be absolutely sure of the facts here.”
“I assume your conversation with Ambassador Vol Velle has put doubts into your mind about my motives. People from the more spiritual worlds often have a hard time accepting and trusting the stewardship of the Minds. There's even a name for it: the Ennobi Effect.”
“I'm not familiar with the term.”
“In the early days of the Nexus, the planet Ennobi was struck by an unplotted asteroid and suffered significant social collapse. Around a tenth of the population survived, as did the planetary Mind. Much to Ennobi's discomfort, the remaining population started to worship it as some sort of god, even to the extent of making sacrifices to it. In order to allow the planet to recover, the Ennobi Mind chose to leave their views uncorrected for a time, for fear of losing all social cohesion. Since then, many religious worlds have treated the Minds with suspicion, seeing us as, potentially, false gods. A number of religious orders talk openly about dismantling the Nexus and deactivating the Minds.”
“How does that make you feel?”
“I think it would be misguided.”
“But you would act to defend yourselves?”
“The possibility of any real threat is so remote that we've barely considered it.”
“I suspect the people of Sejerne are suspicious of their own planetary AI.”
“I know you are correct; that Mind is in a difficult situation. You, though: you do not believe the facts I've given you?”
“I'm questioning all possibilities. For example, the records show that no one else was present in the Congress Hall that morning: how do I know that's true?”
“A simple reassurance to the contrary would clearly be inadequate. You could interview everyone to reassure yourself, except, even then, how would you know I'd given you the full list of names? Ultimately, and I'm alive to the irony of this, I suppose you must have faith that I'm being honest. I could point to the fact that I wanted you to carry out this investigation, something I wouldn't have done if I didn't want you to uncover the truth.”
“So, all the data you've provided so far is complete and accurate?”
“It is, but if I'd been lying all along, I would hardly contradict myself now.”
“You should know that Sejerne knows about the probe sent to the disputed world.”
“That is unfortunate. Do they know about the atmospheric incursion?”
“I assume not, otherwise Vol Velle would be heading home, instructing his people to prepare for a crusade against the infidel. Isn't it strange that they knew about your probe even though you assured me we were safe?”
“I said the chances of being discovered were remote, not non-existent.”
She pressed on. “The stories about the Magellanic Cloud. How can we be sure they are true? We've seen no hard evidence, and the Nexus has so far failed to track down the missing ship.”
“Ambassador Vol Velle believes the story has been concocted to spread alarm and make people put their trust in the Nexus,” said Coronade. “I suppose I shouldn't blame him too much; after all, we were plotting to use the story to strengthen your hand in the talks.”
“Have you invented these rumours? These wild ideas of some unspecified threat?”
“Again, I promise you I have not. The reports I've relayed of the Magellanic Cloud's journeys are factual, and there is a genuine mystery about what happened to the ship in the galactic core, and about where it is now. You could take a metaspace ship to Ormeray Ten to see for yourself, if that would help.”
“Still no response from it?”
“None. Our working hypothesis now is that it has suffered some cataclysmic systems failure and is no longer viable.”
This was getting her nowhere. She would set the idea of some Mind conspiracy aside. If that was happening, the galaxy had much bigger problems. The dispute between the three warring worlds was a small matter in the grand scheme of things; it was hard to see what motive the Minds would have for such a deception.
“Assuming you're telling me the truth,” said Magdi, “we're really only left with two obvious suspects.”
“Ambassador Vol Velle and Fleet General Pannax Ro.”
“Of the two, I suspect Ro more. She hated Palianche. She's remained on Coronade because she knows we can't touch her, and because she knows that if she doesn't get what she wants, she can reveal the truth about her planet's ancient visit to the disputed world. She calculates that we will give her what she needs even if agreement can't be reached.”
“But you cannot prove she is the killer.”
“The problem is that if I pin the blame on either of them, it will reduce the chances of the peace talks succeeding to zero. Take Ro: it's hard to see who else could represent Arianas; she is trusted implicitly by the populace because of her war-record. She's the archetypal strong leader. She's the only individual who could convince the Aranians to accept a negotiated peace-deal – as she must know. Something similar is true of Vol Velle, too. He unites the various Sejerne sects more than anyone else could.”
“What are yo
u suggesting we do?”
From a political position, the best angle to take was clear. Magdi was used to dirty compromises, but this made her feel especially bad. Losing sleep bad. She could only imagine what Zeb would say if he found out.
Still, she heard herself say, “We could leave the crime unsolved, say there's no evidence strong enough to implicate anyone. Maybe we have to suggest that your records have been tampered with and that some unknown hand killed Palianche. Maybe we even play on people's fears about the Minds. We assure everyone we're stepping up security, promise something like this never happens again, and we don't pin the blame on either Sejerne or Arianas.”
“It is an unsatisfactory conclusion, but it has its merits.”
“Gogon were always going to be the difficult ones to keep happy; they're the most expansionist culture. My efforts have been useful in one sense: we can claim that we have made every effort to find the killer.”
“And then we try to lure Gogon back to the table.”
“I see no other way,” said Magdi. “I don't like it, but I think it's what we have to do.”
Seven
“I have news from the disputed system,” said Coronade, two days after the discovery of the needle.
Magdi was ambling along one of the Turnways, not really thinking about where she was going, trying to convince herself that she'd done the right thing over the killing of Palianche. However much she told herself she'd acted for the greater good, a niggling thought wormed away in the back of her mind that she'd let a killer go free. It didn't help that Temen Zeb had said something similar to her when she hadn't accused Ro even though the evergreen needle was, indeed, from the subarctic biome.
She tried to clear her mind to speak to Coronade. “Go on.”
“Gogon has declared war upon Arianas. The Gogoni Senate has expressed its intention to take the fight to Arianas, destroy its fleet and render the planet uninhabitable.”
The news did little to help Magdi's mood. For one thing, it meant that both Pannax Ro and Vol Velle would immediately leave Coronade, taking with them any lingering hope that something might be salvaged from the talks.
She said, “We have to stop them. Send in a peace-keeping force; stop Gogon carrying out this act of genocide.”
“It will hardly be that; the Aranian forces have shown themselves to be highly capable combatants. It may be Gogon that faces the greater danger.”
“It will be a brutal war whichever side wins. We cannot let that happen; this is an utterly unjustified act of hostility. There will be no going back.”
“The problem is that Gogon sees it differently. They say they are acting in retaliation for the murder of Delegate Palianche. That this is not an act of aggression but self-defence.”
“That's madness; the two things are hardly symmetrical.”
“It is legally open to question, which gives them enough room in which to act.”
“You must have raised your objections with the Gogon planetary Mind.”
“It hears and accepts my objections, but it can't force its population to act in a certain way. We coordinate, we do not rule.”
“We don't even know Arianas were to blame. We've proven nothing.”
“Arianas or Sejerne, in a sense it doesn't really matter. My projection is that Gogon ultimately intends to invade both worlds, wipe out all opposition within the system. Evening Star Rising's approach has clearly predominated. If they can obliterate Arianas it's hard to see how anyone can stop them.”
“You can stop them. The Nexus can stop them.”
“If the Aranians or the Arianas Mind request our help, we can send a buffer force to intercede between the two fleets. So far, we have received no such request.”
“The damned Aranians are too proud to ask for help, you know that. Will you sit there and watch them all die as a result?”
“What right would we have to intervene? If we did that, where would it end? The Nexus is, fundamentally, an alliance of peaceful cooperation.”
“You have to defend one world if it is threatened by another.”
“If it comes to that point, if either fleet is destroyed and its home world endangered, then we will act. Before that, we cannot.”
“And if it was Sejerne they'd blamed, you know as well as I do the space war would be brief and extremely one-sided. A few Blood Knights can't take on the Gogoni fleet. Sejerne would be in jeopardy within a day, unless Arianas came to their defence.”
“And then we would have to act more quickly. For now, it is Arianas facing the threat. Gogon has used the opportunity presented them by Palianche's murder and decided to act.”
“Arianas…”
She stopped as the bright light of an idea flooded into her mind. A moment of understanding and insight. Was that it? Was that what was really taking place here? Arianas or Sejerne, Coronade had said. In a sense it doesn't really matter. Either world could have carried out the murder, yes. And that, perhaps, was precisely the point. This had never been about Forge; the game was larger than that. This was about a justification for militarisation. This was about invasion. Palianche's death had looked staged to her, for reasons she couldn't quite put her finger on. Now she saw it. And then there was the emotional backwash she'd sensed from him when they met. Not anger, or excitement, or anticipation.
Fear.
She'd thought it was because of his cancer, the death he faced, the pain he was living through. But perhaps it was something much more immediate. He'd faced death often, after all, but never a profound threat to his honour like that. Then there was the pine needle, and the footage of Ro, and the warbug so conveniently traced to Sejerne, as well as the timing of the killing. It was all too convenient. Gogon didn't care who she pinned the blame on; Evening Star Rising were concerned with a very different audience: Gogoni public opinion.
She would make use of the evidence she'd gathered after all. It might not achieve anything, but if nothing else, it would make Temen Zeb happier.
“I see what we need to do,” she said to Coronade. “We have to act quickly.”
“To halt the war?”
“And to restart the peace talks. And to solve this inconvenient murder. Yes, all of that. I need to speak to Sorabai. Can you put me in touch with him without anyone else on Gogon knowing about it?”
“Yes, but I can't project a future in which doing so will help.”
“You may be correct, but even you don't know everything. Forgive me, but sometimes your analysis lacks emotional insight. Put me through to him as quickly as you can.”
It took thirty minutes to establish communication with Sorabai over the nanotube mesh. He looked clearly wary as she spoke to him, his gaze darting around as if he expected attack at any moment. She got no emotional read off him over the network, naturally, but he was clearly stressed, his flesh-tones pallid.
“Conciliator Magdi, we must keep this brief,” he said. “Our government is in emergency session discussing the plans for the war.”
“That is why I need to speak to you. I believe we can stop Gogon taking this step.”
He looked down, shook his head, a clear gesture of subservience. “White Peak is outnumbered in the Senate. Evening Star Rising have the numbers to direct our fleets against Arianas. There is nothing I can do.”
“No, you're wrong. I may be able to give you the means to persuade the Senators to change their votes. Not all of them, perhaps, but enough.”
“There is nothing you can do or say that would achieve that.”
“You Gogoni are intensely honourable, and your social hierarchies are profoundly important to you. Tell me, how would the Senate react if it learned that Advisor Emchek had murdered Delegate Palianche, a clear social superior? And that Palianche, the great war-hero, meekly acquiesced in the deception, allowing Emchek to slaughter him where he sat?”
It took Sorabai a few moments to run through his reactions to her words.
“A death like that is abhorrent, but you would need clear proof
to undermine Evening Star Rising's position. They have justified this war on the claim that Palianche was murdered by our enemies, not by one of our own.”
“The evidence I have is strong, but it is not absolute. The only way to be sure is to ream the relevant details from Emchek's brain.”
“What evidence do you have?”
“I believe Palianche and Emchek – and possibly others – plotted to trigger the war by staging the murder. They made the killing look like a Blood Knight execution to implicate Vol Velle. They also framed Pannax Ro by pretending to conceal a weapon in the subarctic biome, but I believe it was Emchek who went there that morning, mimicking Ro's way of walking for the benefit of the cameras. Back at the Congress Hall, Emchek deliberately let a single pine needle fall to the floor to put us on the trail. But, why would Ro hide a weapon in a location she knew I'd been to? And why would she need a multithermal coat in the subarctic biome? I think that demonstrates Emchek's lack of insight into what it is like to be an Aranian. He was too used to thinking of Ro as simply a monster, a brute, and didn't stop to think how she might feel and behave differently to him. In fact, it's likely Emchek had the murder weapon with him all along, in the very diplomatic bag he was carrying as he stormed out.
“Then there was the warbug, constructed from a design that implicated Sejerne. Temen Zeb said they'd been lucky to match the device used to kill Palianche with the three used on the Gogoni soldiers, but there was no luck involved at all. The Evening Star Rising conspiracy had deliberately left the trail, subtle so that it wasn't too obvious. I don't know if the three dead Gogoni knew they were being sacrificed, but either way – triple murder or suicide pact – it was an offence against Gogon's law and code of military honour.
“And then there was the trick over the timing. Emchek made sure he and you were away from the Congress Hall at the supposed moment of the murder, to implicate either Ro and Vol Velle. Or both. But at the actual time of death, I believe neither was there, and you and Emchek were. The killing had to be at sixmark, meaning the effect of the stasis drug was stronger than we thought. Palianche sent his request to Ro, and then allowed Emchek to slaughter him to complete the deception. I assume you were not in the room when the murder took place?”