'Go away!'
Was this command seriously intended? Or was it an invitation for Hatch to further explore the strategies of comfort?
'I'll stay with her,' said Shona, laying a hand on Hatch's shoulder. 'You go to your room.'
Hatch took this advice, and went striding away through the corridors of the Combat College.
– I have denied my god.
– I have denied my god.
Over and over, those words spoke themselves his mind. He had declared himself in public. He could not undeclared his testimony.
– But at least.
– At least I won myself a chance.
– A fighting chance.
A fighting chance. That was what he had won. No more, no less. He had killed Lupus Lon Oliver in an illusion tank battle.
But Lupus remained unkilled in the real world – and Lupus would doubtless kill Hatch for real if given half a chance. Hatch's throat still hurt where Lupus had tried to strangle him.
– So what have I got?
– What resources?
– To hurt him, to kill him?
– I'm the instructor. So.
– Information!
The realization struck Hatch with the force of a physical blow. As instructor, he now had access to all Combat College files previously denied to him. Or almost all. Certainly he would look at his own file. And that held on the Silver Emperor – just in case it might give him a clue as to where that worthy had vanished to. Then he would look at all data held on Lupus Lon Oliver.
Through the corridors of cream went Asodo Hatch, to the room which had been his for so many years. There in that room, unchanged, were his father's ashes and the ebony effigy of the Great God Mokaragash. Same room, same man, same ashes and selfsame idol.
Yet all had changed.
'Fates,' said Hatch, feeling the full force of his difficulties falling upon him, falling like blanketweights of black and smothering snow.
Still, he had done what he had done, and now he had to face up to the consequences. Could he hope for help from Paraban Senk?
Could he hope for counsel and advice? Probably not. If anything, Senk would probably tell Hatch to go on holiday. Seven days, wasn't it? Yes, that was it. The triumphant instructor was automatically given a seven day promotion furlough. Ha! A joke, that. A bad joke. There were no time for holidays now. Hatch had won his competitive examination, but his true trials were only beginning.
Hatch slumped into the seat in front of his room's display screen. He knuckled his fists to his skull. Grief, but he was tired. Well now: what first? What was he looking for? Data.
Secrets. Information. Leverage.
'Access,' said Hatch, addressing himself to the screen.
In answer to his command, the face of Paraban Senk came to life on his display screen.
'Congratulations on your appointment,' said Senk. 'You did well. You surprised me.'
'I surprised myself,' said Hatch, in frank confession.
'Then perhaps you will surprise both of us further in the future,' said Senk. 'In earlier negotiations you said you could seize Dalar ken Halvar for the Nu-chala-nuth. Can you tell me how you plan to do this?'
'I'm working on it,' said Hatch. 'Tell me how things now stand in Dalar ken Halvar.'
So Senk gave Hatch a rundown of all the data which Senk had gleaned from watching the kinema by means of the Eye of Delusions, and by listening to (or explictly interrogating) the various Combat Cadets, Startroopers and invited guests who had come and gone as Hatch and Lupus were dueling. Senk believed that, though the lower orders had looted freely under cover of night, the Imperial Guard and the Free Corps now had the city under temporary control.
'So,' said Hatch, 'I cannot venture out into the city to preach the doctrines of the Nu-chala-nuth, because the Free Corps would kill me if I did. So, first…'
'What will you do first?' said Senk.
'I will tell you in due course,' said Hatch, who had absolutely no idea what he would do first. 'But before I do any telling, I need the answers to some questions.'
'Ask your questions,' said Senk.
'Where did your face, name and personality come from?'
'Way back in the days of the Nexus,' said Paraban Senk, 'a master programmer designed the asma which runs the Combat College.
His name was Paraban Senk. It was Nexus policy that this particular asma should be equipped with a fully functional human personality which would take charge of the Combat College should that tutorial facility be separated from the Nexus. So – '
'So the master programmer designed this, this reserve personality in his own image,' said Hatch.
'Precisely,' said Senk. 'When you talk to me, you talk, in effect, to that programmer. You talk to a citizen of the Nexus.
Next question.'
Hatch took a deep breath then said:
'What was the true relationship between the Nexus and the Golden Gulag?'
'You were taught this as part of your political studies program when you were a child,' said Senk.
'Regardless of what I may or may not have been taught,' said Hatch, 'I am still asking the question. What was the truth of that relationship?'
'The truth was stated to you in your political studies program,' said Senk stiffly. 'I have nothing more to add to that.'
'So,' said Hatch.
The Golden Gulag was the free enterprise prison empire which had run the planet of Olo Malan in the days of the Chasm Gates.
Hatch had studied the official accounts of the relationship between the Golden Gulag and the Nexus, and did not believe what he had read there. But it seemed that Paraban Senk believed the official line, or was not authorized to reveal the real truth, which meant that Hatch was surely condemned to live in ignorance of the facts.
'Next question,' said Senk.
'How many planets have dorgis?' said Hatch.
'Very few,' said Senk. 'Dorgis were… dorgis were experimental.'
'I thought as much,' said Hatch.
'Next question.'
Hatch tried to think of one, but drew a blank. He closed his eyes briefly and saw green jungle, metallic seas, the flaming smoke of aerial wreckage, a handful of confetti and the white stars of the Nexus.
Then he opened his eyes and said:
'Who killed Hiji Hanojo?'
'Why,' said Senk, 'you know the answer to that as well as I do.'
'You mean you don't know,' said Hatch.
'Let's not play games with each other,' said Senk. 'You killed him.'
Asodo Hatch was quite taken aback by this.
'That's a nonsense!' said Hatch.
'You had motive and opportunity,' said Senk. 'You – '
'Go play this game in your own time,' said Hatch. 'Because I'm not interested.'
'Very well,' said Senk. 'If you want to pretend yourself innocent, then pretend. In the meantime, if you've no
