Reaching inside his jacket, Luc withdrew one of the two books, holding it up before the Ambassador.
‘Ah,’ the Ambassador replied. ‘We should have guessed. But why bother coming all this way, just to tell us things we already know?’
‘Because there’s still something I don’t understand. Whether or not Cheng was exploring the Founder Network, that in itself still isn’t sufficient reason for the Coalition to threaten war against the Tian Di. So what is the reason?’
A dull boom directly overhead made them both look up at the same time. Luc could just make out something with multiple arms pressed up against the dome’s exterior, twisting around as it engaged at close quarters with a second mechant. The two machines suddenly pulled apart, and for a moment Luc almost imagined they were caught in some complicated dance.
A moment later one of the mechants darted away, disappearing from view in a flash. The second mechant launched itself away from the dome in the next moment, presumably giving chase.
The Ambassador brought his gaze back down to Luc. ‘We see no reason why we should discuss confidential affairs of state with a member of what is, as you yourself pointed out on your last visit, an enemy civilization.’
‘I can give you something in return,’ said Luc. ‘Something you don’t know.’
‘A moment,’ said the Ambassador, who then gazed blankly over Luc’s shoulder. He sat like this, unblinking, for several seconds, then returned his gaze to Luc. ‘We agree to your proposal, but request that you share your information first.’
‘And then you’ll answer my question?’
‘That depends on the usefulness of your information.’
‘All right,’ said Luc. ‘Cheng sent agents to the Coalition, to retrieve some kind of artefact your people recovered from your part of the Founder Network, and they’re going to try and bring that artefact back through the Darwin–Temur gate, assuming they haven’t done so already. I can’t tell you anyone’s name, or anything like that, but whatever it is Cheng sent them to look for is a planet-killer, the same kind of thing that brought about the Abandonment.’
‘And you learned this from where?’
‘Your turn,’ said Luc.
He waited, and the Ambassador’s shoulders rose and fell with a sigh.
‘Well?’ Luc demanded. ‘Or did you already know everything we just told you?’
‘No, we didn’t, Mr Gabion. Although it makes sense of certain recent events back on Darwin.’
‘Then you must know that your top priority is to stop whoever Cheng sent to Darwin from completing their mission, because literally billions of lives are at stake, as well as the future of the Tian Di. Is there any way you can get in touch with your people back home to warn them?’
‘They have already been warned,’ the Ambassador replied, ‘since you just told them.’
Luc frowned. ‘We’re being listened to? Right now?’
‘Every word you say is being transmitted via a secure link running through the Hall of Gates back to Temur, and then through the Darwin–Temur gate. We wish to know, for what purpose would Cheng want to acquire such an artefact?’
Luc imagined shadowy figures listening in to their conversation from untold light-years away. ‘My understanding is that Cheng is going to use the artefact to wipe out Benares, then blame the whole catastrophe on Black Lotus.’
‘Destroy one of the Tian Di’s own worlds?’ The Ambassador shook his head. ‘What could he possibly gain from that?’
‘He intends to use it as a pretext for staying in power indefinitely. He’ll also claim that the Coalition supplied the weapon to Black Lotus. Ambassador, you must take immediate action.’
‘While we agree that your intent is genuine, it may already be too late for the particular solution you seek.’
Luc shook his head, confused. ‘Too late? How?’
‘There are still certain details that you are not aware of. As you already know, I visited Maxwell with regard to preventing a war between our civilizations. I am sorry to tell you that war has already begun.’
Luc struggled to formulate a coherent answer. ‘It has?’
‘And has been under way, for some hours – not that this will be evident for some time yet.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘As you are now clearly aware, Tian Di exploration teams did indeed discover another gate leading into the Founder Network, following which Cheng authorized his own, secret assessment of any artefacts that might be found there, despite his stated reasons for bringing about the Schism.
‘However,’ the Ambassador continued, ‘as our ancestors once discovered for themselves, the Founder Network is an enormously dangerous place. The human race was lucky to avoid total extinction following the Abandonment, and so when we became aware that Tian Di expeditions had entered the Network, we were concerned not only for their safety, but that of our entire species, whether here or in the Coalition.’
‘So how exactly did you know Cheng had entered the Network?’
The Ambassador studied his gloved hands. ‘The point about a network is that it is interconnected. Given that, it was inevitable we would eventually become aware of Cheng’s presence within it. But what they were doing was placing us all in terrible danger.’
‘What kind of danger?’
At that point, the assault on the Sequoia grew more vicious. Luc heard a loud crash from the far side of the arboretum, and within moments a ferocious gale began to tear at the trees and bushes around them, filling the air with a terrible, deafening howl.
<This way, Mr Gabion,> the Ambassador scripted.
Luc grabbed at the branches of the surrounding trees as the sudden expulsion of air dragged him backwards along the path. He yelled, then threw his hands over his face as a mechant came hurtling towards him. It gripped him in its manipulators, and fought to make headway against the outrushing air.
A moment later Luc felt his ears pop, and the arboretum grew eerily quiet. The air had already been sucked out of the dome. He felt like he was drowning, and caught sight of the Ambassador held in the grip of a second mechant. Perhaps the Sandoz had decided it wasn’t necessary to take them alive after all.
The two mechants hurtled back through the passageway by which Luc had entered the arboretum. The heavy doors that had isolated the dome from the rest of the station had already swung half-open again by the time they passed between them.
Luc struggled to stay conscious. The mechants carrying both him and the Ambassador took a sharp turn sideways into another tunnel, and through another pressure-field.
For the second time that day, Luc gasped and floundered like a fish as the mechant released him. He collapsed onto hard steel decking, coughing and gasping as his lungs again found purchase in breathable air.
‘We need to get off this station,’ Luc gasped, seeing the Ambassador climbing to his feet a few paces away, his robe now rumpled and stained. ‘You must have some way off of here, right?’
‘We have a flier,’ the Ambassador agreed, ‘but it only has room for one. You may use it if you wish.’
Luc gaped at him. ‘But . . . what about you? Why would you give a damn about saving my life?’
‘You think I’m sacrificing myself, but you’ll soon understand that that’s far from being the case. Besides, we have come to the conclusion that you may have it within your means to bring current events to a more peaceful conclusion than they might otherwise. If we may?’
The Ambassador peeled off a glove, revealing an entirely ordinary-looking hand, with long and tapering fingers, and carefully trimmed nails.
He stepped towards Luc, reaching out to him with his ungloved hand. Luc jerked back in alarm.
‘What the hell are you trying to do?’