Alastair Reynolds - Poseidon's Wake

‘I don’t know. I was entrusted with this information under conditions of great secrecy. There are no names I can offer, no hidden cabals. Maslin — were you made aware of any similar concerns?’

‘If I had, I’d have spoken up already.’

Grave looked down, his expression impassive. He had been abandoned by his one possible ally, but the development did not appear to surprise him.

‘I’ll speak to our government,’ Vasin said. ‘Maybe they can confirm Mposi’s side of things, at least — this hotline, the threat of which he was made aware. But it’ll take at least fifteen days to hear from them. Until then, we’re on our own. I’m afraid I must look closely at Second Chancer involvement — but that doesn’t mean I’m making an automatic assumption of guilt on anyone’s part. Maslin — you were asleep, with your wife and family. Your children have their own sleeping areas, but you’d all have known if anyone was coming or going?’

‘Yes. I was in my room all night.’

‘And, Peter — you were up and about, weren’t you?’

He nodded; it would have been pointless to deny it. ‘That’s correct.’

‘You appeared to be on your way back from the connecting spine. You’re allowed access to some areas of it — we all are — but I’m not sure why you needed to be there.’

‘Mposi asked to meet me there. When he didn’t show up, I started making my way back.’

‘How well did you know Mposi?’

‘Well enough.’

‘To murder him?’ Goma asked.

‘To believe him,’ Grave answered levelly. He held her eyes with his, the intensity of his gaze unnerving. ‘And I didn’t kill him. Which means someone else did.’

‘Secure for departure,’ Kanu said. ‘Close all locks, disconnect all bridges and umbilicals.’

‘If I might trouble you,’ the Margrave said, ‘I feel you should know that the Consolidation intruders are closing rapidly on Underthrace.’

‘Aren’t they running into the other Regals?’

‘It’s nothing they aren’t prepared for, I am afraid. Of course, if they were encountering anything more intimidating than barely organised ruffians… well, my people will give them a welcome they won’t forget, but I cannot promise miracles. I know you would rather wait until your ship is totally ready, but if you wish to avoid local difficulties—’

‘I understand. Margrave — this may be a silly question, but might you be safer aboard the ship rather than remaining in Underthrace?’

‘Could your ship keep me alive? Would you have a means of returning me to Europa once you are under way?’

‘I don’t know,’ Kanu said. ‘I suppose there are escape capsules, maybe a shuttle or lander…’

‘But you will most likely have need of such things when you reach your destination. No, I cannot put you to that much trouble, not when you have problems of your own. It is very kind of you, Kanu, but my home is here.’

‘And Nissa?’

‘She is safely out of harm’s way.’

‘Thank you, Margrave. When my family has a chance to show its gratitude… well, we will. You can count on that.’

The console changed its displays. ‘Emergency launch readiness now achieved,’ the ship informed him. ‘Estimated risk factor below ten per cent.’

‘Ceiling charges primed and ready, Margrave?’

‘As they will ever be.’

‘Then we’re launching. Good luck with Underthrace. I can’t promise I’ll be in touch for a little while, but…’

‘Our thoughts go with each other. Farewell, Kanu.’

‘Goodbye, Margrave.’

Kanu readied himself for the jolt of acceleration, but when the clamps relinquished their hold, he felt only the mildest of shoves, no more violent than the movement of an elevator. So far, so good — at least the docking clamps were functional — but the true tests lay ahead. He had yet to start the engine.

Next came a barely felt crash as the rising ship crunched through the glass cupola at the top of the enclosing building. Since the water pressure had been the same on either side of the cupola, nothing slowed the ship’s progress. Kanu felt the occasional scrape or grind of resistance, but nothing that should trouble the hull. And then they were through, clear of Underthrace and in the black void of the sea. The ship was still accelerating as smoothly as if it were being pushed up from below by a giant piston. Of course, it was one thing to punch through Underthrace, and quite another to reach space itself.

‘Kanu,’ said a voice off to his right. ‘Might now be an opportune moment to speak?’

He jerked around in the seat, convinced until that moment that he had the ship to himself.

The frock-coated Swift was standing by the wall next to one of the alcoved figures. His hands were laced demurely before him, like a butler waiting for instructions. Kanu drew breath and started to speak, but before he could utter a word Swift raised a hand. ‘I’m not physically here, just a figment.’

‘I knew that.’

‘There was never a satisfactory time to present myself aboard Nissa’s ship — and besides, you had enough to be getting on with.’

‘And this is your idea of a “satisfactory time”?’

‘This is an excellent time.’ Swift gestured at the surroundings of the control deck. ‘This is a fine piece of engineering, by human standards. But you have only limited experience with the operation of spacecraft and — I think it fair to say — none at all in a ship of this nature. Very shortly, though, its capabilities will be put to the test. You will need maximum knowledge of the ship — what it can do and, just as crucially, what it cannot. I suggest that you allow me — the machine part of you — to take precedence, at least until we are in free space.’

‘You don’t know this ship any better than I do.’

‘That is true, but I can learn faster. I also have a great deal of technical knowledge to draw upon and the not inconsiderable advantage of being utterly infallible in my decision-making. We will hit the ice in about eight minutes, if those depth readings are to be trusted. I think that should be sufficient time for me to master the controls.’

Kanu knew that a moment like this was coming — the moment when he had no option but to surrender himself to the machines.

‘You didn’t need to ask, did you? You’re so much a part of me now that you could have taken me over at any point — hijacked complete control of my nervous system.’

‘If the integration were not as thorough as it is,’ Swift said, ‘it would have been easily detected. To answer your question, though: yes, I could have assumed control at any time and I will do so in an instant if your life is imperilled. But as this situation is not quite that critical, I thought it polite to ask first. We have, I believe, just under seven minutes and thirty seconds left now. Will you allow me, Kanu?’

At least one life — possibly much more than one life — hinged on this moment. For an instant, it was more than he could bear. But if he did not give himself completely to Swift, there was no point in carrying on. He had come this far, from the limbo of death on Mars, to serve one truth: the machines were not his enemy, and he was not theirs.

‘Do it.’

Swift walked over to Kanu, slipped his form through the horseshoe console as if it were made of gas and lowered himself into the chair Kanu already occupied. The figment’s body folded neatly into the same space and submerged beneath Kanu’s skin.

For a breath or two, Kanu felt no change.

Then Swift had him.

Since the thing inside his head was entirely biological — a separate personality utilising the same meat substrate on which his own consciousness now ran — Swift could only communicate with the outside world via the channels of Kanu’s own senses. He could not address the ship directly or read its mysteries via some direct neural connection. But he could see, and speak, and listen, and make Kanu’s hands move with card-sharp speed across the console.