“Which is why they don’t have to rely on rear shields,” Faulkner said. “With something as sophisticated as this in place, they don’t need to. How many lasers are we talking about?”

  The image disappeared and all their faces came back into view.

  “Three hundred and fourteen,” Whaites said. “That we’re aware of. There may be more.”

  “All firing independently?”

  “That would seem to be the case.”

  There was a long pause while the significance of this sank in.

  “How big are these circles?” Faulkner asked.

  “The big one is two kilometres across the smaller circle is a little less than one.”

  “Not going to be easy taking those out.”

  “I think that’s an under-statement, sir. Plus, their level of accuracy is quite impressive. Even with Renheim’s twelve laser batteries you’re looking at a hit rate of about fifty six percent. As you’ve seen here, they’re capable of a much higher level of accuracy. Only two of our birds got through.”

  “Okay, gentlemen, thank you,” Faulkner said with finality. “Katherine, I’d like a word.”

  The images of Whaites and Khan blinked off one after the other.

  “So, what do you think?”

  “I think we’ve got a problem.”

  “I think you’re right. Whaites wasn’t holding back with that first salvo. He was hoping to do some real damage back there.”

  “But it just didn’t work,” Schwartz gave him a quizzical look. “It doesn’t matter how fast we are, if we can’t strike at the enemy, we’re just spinning our wheels.”

  “Trust me – I get it. But what’s this with these concentric circles? I don’t recall seeing anything like this on that first Da’al ship we encountered.”

  “I’ve gone over those schematics countless times myself and you’re right. This design seems to be unique to Loki.”

  “Which is just our luck. We’ve got less than forty-eight hours to stop this thing and, so far, we haven’t even managed to scratch her paintwork.”

  *

  Morton had been at home in the apartment all day cleaning. She was starting to feel more and more isolated and had even begun taking Coptic lessons. A young, austere looking woman came to her house twice a week to put her through her paces. Morton wasn’t a natural linguist but felt that she had a responsibility to Bayas to at least have a working knowledge of the language.

  Bayas had acted oddly the day after her run-in with Hermendal saying that he was going to arrange for their food to be delivered to the house but she refused. Although she didn’t relish the prospect of shopping, she knew that it was crucial if she wanted to develop her language skills. She couldn’t help wondering whether word of her altercation at the checkpoint hadn’t somehow managed to get back to Bayas. He hadn’t said anything directly to her about it but then he didn’t need to.

  For the rest of the evening, they both maintained a slightly embarrassed silence.

  A couple of days earlier, Tanziat had turned up with an armful of dresses for her to try on, along with several pairs of shoes. Tanziat seemed excited about something and was thrilled when Morton asked if she’d like to take tea with her. Hermendal’s tea set had arrived the day before and she’d been looking for an excuse to try it out.

  After the tea, Morton had grudgingly consented to try on some of the dresses while Tanziat critiqued her appearance while making suggestions about make-up. Morton, as a rule, didn’t wear dresses - she felt she didn’t have the legs for them – but she enjoyed taking a break from the housework. She also managed to ascertain the reason behind Tanziat’s visit. It seemed that there was a big, week-long religious festival coming up and that Bayas was probably going to want to take his new wife out to dinner at some point.

  Bayas hadn’t mentioned any of this, though that wasn’t really a surprise. Morton had little time for religion and became impatient whenever her husband casually enquired if she’d like to visit their local temple. He’d obviously decided just to avoid the topic.

  Still, knowing this helped to put Morton’s mind at rest about one thing. He’d become quite secretive of late and she’d started to grow concerned so it was a relief to find out that he’d merely been trying to surprise her.

  While she tried on the dresses, Morton quizzed Tanziat about her husband’s job. She was surprised to learn that as commander his role was taken up mainly with the management of the domestic infrastructure and had nothing to do with the military side at all. He was currently having to deal with the power-cuts which routinely affected this part of the city. They often occurred mid-afternoon but could last up to three hours. Morton got the impression that Tanziat saw very little of her husband as a result and her opinion of the woman changed.

  She was obviously lonely and reaching out to Morton was her way of dealing with that.

  Morton didn’t have the inclination to try on all the dresses. Besides, there was only one dress there that she would seriously consider wearing. A long-sleeved number in orange and brown silk. Tanziat reluctantly accepted her decision although, after she’d left, Morton found another dress hanging on the back of one of the doors. Tanziat must have left it there deliberately. It was a sleeveless dress patterned in pale gold and lime. Although it was a very pretty dress, Morton had decided not to try it on. She thought that the neckline was far too revealing.

  She wondered whether this might have been one of Tanziat’s favorites and she cursed herself for being such a fool. The very least she could have done was to try it on. It would have been the polite thing to do. She didn’t have to wear it.

  Morton carried it over to the only full-length mirror in their tiny apartment and spent a few moments posing with it, though she never removed it from the hanger. She didn’t want to risk it.

  Tanziat had been right about the dinner invitation. Bayas waited until the day of the festival to tell her that he was taking her out that night to somewhere ‘important’ and that she should go to the market to pick up a dress. He seemed nervous when he was telling her all this and only relaxed when she agreed to do as he asked, even suggesting that she might get her hair done.

  After he’d left, she realised why he’d been so nervous. He was surely worried that Morton would refuse and she had to admit that, if she hadn’t been fore warned by Tanziat, she might well have done.

  When Bayas returned home that evening, Morton was ready for him wearing the long-sleeved dress. She’d put her hair up and had even applied some make-up.

  The streets were crowded with large groups of men and Bayas seemed to take a particular pleasure in parading Morton in front of them. Normally, in Yakutian society women stayed very much in the background but tonight the women that they did see wore elegant dresses verging on the theatrical, complete with over-stuffed shoulder pads and eye-catching head pieces. And Morton couldn’t help thinking that she should have taken Tanziat’s advice and gone with the more eye-catching of the two dresses. In comparison to the others, she couldn’t help but feel that she’d let everyone down.

  There was lots of brightly colored bunting hanging overhead and various street hawkers selling all manner of different trinkets, all of them seemingly animal themed. Bayas paused to buy her a rabbit hairpin which he was keen for her to wear immediately, so she did.

  They went to a restaurant which she’d walked past previously, though at night it was completely transformed. It was a long low wooden structure with a bell tower at one end a sort of cross between a 19 th century schoolhouse and a Shinto temple. Inside though, it couldn’t have been more different. The tables were arranged in separate booths all set out on different levels and every one of them was occupied. Their table was on one of the highest levels which she took from the waiter’s response meant that it had be one of their premium tables. It was a bit of a struggle getting up there in her dress but well worth the effort as they were able to look down on all the other diners. Kind of childish, but fun.

  When they came to order, Morton plumped for the duck while Bayas chose rabbit but then surprised her by ordering a bottle of rice wine.

  Once he’d had a chance to settle down, Bayas seemed extremely excited just to be there. Clearly, he’d gone to great lengths to secure them such a table on such a popular occasion. But he wasn’t done yet. Throughout the meal he kept alluding to the fact that he had a surprise for her which kind of made her feel uneasy.

  At one point she panicked and thought ‘I hope he’s not going to propose,’ only to remember that they were already married.

  In the end, they managed to get through two bottle of rice wine so they were both a little tipsy when they left the restaurant. But, instead of heading straight home, Bayas surprised her by leading her off into a part of the ship she’d never visited before. It wasn’t long before they could hear the sound of a crowded funfair. As they turned a corner they could see the big wheel in the distance but found their route blocked by soldiers. They weren’t the only ones standing there either. There must have been thirty people, all smartly dressed, who appeared to be heading for the funfair. One of the men kept asking the soldiers what they were waiting for but the soldiers, who were all armed, ignored him. The longer they stood there, the more people joined them and Bayas started to grow impatient.

  But then, almost out of nowhere, an enormous transporter appeared, the sort that was normally used to transport battle tanks. Only they weren’t carrying tanks. The loads were broken up into different sized containers. In all, there were three such transports and it took a good ten minutes for them all to pass and for the soldiers to wave them across the road.

  “What was all that about?” Morton asked.

  Bayas kept his eyes fixed straight ahead. “Nothing. Just easier to move those big loads at night, I suppose.”

  But when she went to question him further, he just glared at her and strode away.

  She would have been upset with him then if she hadn’t seen the same rapt expression on the faces of the people around her. They walked on in studied silence projecting an air of quiet resolve.

  She ran ahead, desperate to catch up with Bayas and when she drew level with him, he simply nodded his approval before taking her by the hand and leading her towards the funfairs flashing lights. The place was packed with revellers and Morton was more than happy just to watch the people enjoying themselves. The Yakutians could be such a dour bunch at times it felt odd to see them delighting in such simple pleasures. She preferred the smaller rides overall and every time they came across one of the bigger ones she cringed, hoping that this wasn’t the surprises Bayas had been talking about, but he never showed any inclination towards the rides themselves. He seemed happy just to be walking hand in hand with her,

  It was with some relief that they left the funfair behind and came down a rambling set of steps to find themselves confronted by an enormous artificial lake. Apart from a few lights around the boating concession, the lake was largely in darkness which she might have found scary on any other occasion but came as a blessed relief after the rowdiness of the funfair.

  As Bayas led them over to the queue for rowing boats, she breathed a sigh of relief. If this was going to be the surprise, then she could handle that. On their way over, they spotted a large, animated rabbit display and she was reminded of her hairpin.

  Bayas explained that the Resilience festival celebrated the time one of the early colony families had found themselves faced with starvation after their main crop failed. Then, with the family on the point of starvation, the father had caught a rabbit which was enough to see them through until a food relief rocket arrived a few weeks later.

  While they were in the queue, Morton was relieved to be able to take off the shoes which Tanziat had loaned to her. They’d started to pinch her feet and she was glad to pass them over to an attendant who put them to one-side. When it came to their turn, she was ushered to the aft section while Bayas took his place between the oars. He couldn’t help but look pleased with himself.

  Bayas rowed earnestly for about twenty minutes with Morton making the effort to compliment his technique. The ceiling was cleverly lit to show the stars in a night sky, though it wasn’t a constellation Morton was familiar with. Probably linked to the Yakutian home worlds, she decided. Initially, she thought the idea was a little tacky but as they drew out into the quiet at the centre of the lake, and she was able to trail her fingers through the water, she found that she was genuinely enjoying the whole experience. It wasn’t what she’d have chosen for herself but that wasn’t perhaps the point. She appreciated the fact that Bayas had actually gone to the trouble of planning the whole thing.

  It was really quite sweet.

  “Have you enjoyed yourself?” Bayas asked, the oars tucked under his elbows.

  “Very much,” she said, looking back to the little jetty. “Very much indeed. Thank you for bringing me.”

  “Nonsense, it was just nice to have the opportunity of showing you off.”

  “Yes,” she indicated her attire. “I sort of misjudged things with the dress. Should have gone for something a little brighter.”

  “Yes, well, you’ll know for next year.”

  That stopped her dead. “Next year? You really think we’ll be here then?”

  Bayas tipped his head to one side and rolled his eyes. “Who knows where we’ll be then. There’ve been so many changes since Sunderam took over.”

  “Really? What sort of changes?”

  “They’ve been shutting down whole departments, merging others. The engineering department has effectively doubled in size and they’re still trying to recruit more workers. From what I can make out, they’re working round the clock with no let up. The interest in bio-sciences has definitely cooled since he took over.”

  He stopped talking then and looked at Morton with fresh resolve. “Anyway, enough of all that. I didn’t bring you all the way out here just to go on about my problems. No, I’ve got a surprise for you.”

  Morton sat up in her seat, had he perhaps applied for a parental licence? Tanziat spoke of little else.

  “Should I close my eyes?” she said when no surprise was forthcoming.

  “Oh yes, if you like.”

  She closed her eyes and allowed him to take her hand and place something in it before closing her fingers. It felt cold and metallic and smelled of machine oil.

  She opened her hand.

  “Oh, that’s nice. What is it exactly?”

  It was a circular piece of metal with an intricate pattern machine tooled into it. Something suggested that the pattern wasn’t purely decorative.

  “Very expensive, that’s what it is. I had to have it made specially.”

  Morton shook her head in confusion. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

  “It’s the final part I needed. No one had even seen one before, but I managed to track it down on the dark web. Getting it made was the really difficult bit. It’s a very precise piece of engineering. Very precise.”

  Understanding slowly started to assert itself. “Is this anything to do with the cryo-pods?”

  “That’s precisely what it is. There were a few other parts I had to fabricate but they were fairly easy to do with a 3-D printer. This, however, this very nearly drove me crazy. But we’ve got it now.”

  Morton held it up so that she could admire it by the light from the jetty. It fairly sparkled in her hand as she turned it.

  She was suddenly anxious. “Does anyone else know about this?”

  “Only two others. The guy I work with helped me track down a machine shop that did this kind of thing. And then there’s the guy who did the work. Though he’s got no idea what I intend to use it for.”

  She leaned forward in her seat, feeling the boat bob slightly. “Can you be certain of that?”

  “Absolutely. He’s fabricating stuff like this all day long. It would mean nothing to him even if I told him.”

  “So what did you tell him?”

  Bayas giggled, taking the piece back. “I didn’t tell him anything. Just said I needed it for work.” For a moment, his confidence seemed to desert him. “Anyway! What does he care?”

  “And the other guy? The one at work. What about him?”

  Bayas tucked the piece safely inside his jacket before taking up the oars again.

  “Jenis is fine. He’s as excited about getting the pods up and running as I am.”

  “But can we trust him?”

  “We’re going to have to. I’m not going to be able to handle the bodies on my own.”

  “Bodies?”

  “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I mean, your friends.”

  “We don’t need Jenis’s help,” her voice came out much higher than she’d intended. “I can do it.”

  Bayas shook his head, his face unreadable in the dark. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. What if someone were to see you? It’d only make them suspicious.”

  Morton grabbed hold of the oars, forcing him to stop rowing.

  “Look. I’ve done everything that’s been asked of me so far. I’ve cooked, I’ve cleaned, I’ve worn pretty dresses but this can’t go on. I’ll go out of my mind if I have to be cooped up at home for much longer. Trust me, I’ll find some way to make this work but I have to be a part of this.”

  Bayas pulled his hands free and continued rowing. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

  “Tell you what,” she said grabbing his wrist. “When we get back tonight. How’s about I try and persuade you?”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  One of the major down sides of being constrained within the crash frames was that all your nutrition came through a tube. Faulkner wasn’t hungry as such, but he was bored and he’d have done anything to get his hands on some solid food.

  Not long after he’d been released from Dhaza, the prison were the Yakutians had kept him, one of the nurses had given him an apple. He’d been overwhelmed just at the sight of it. The difference between knowing that something so perfect actually existed and actually biting into one was so great that the experience had brought him to tears.