Excession

upon what was still, in a sense, a sister ship, even while another part of its selfhood relished and gloried in the dying craft's agonies.

The sentimental side won out; it blitzed the stricken vessel with a profusion of plasma fire from its two operational chambers, and kept station with the expanding shell of radiation for a few moments, paying what little respect the traitor ship might be due.

The Killing Time came to its decision. It signalled the Steely Glint, informing the GCV that it would accept suggestions from now on. It would harry the war fleet if that was required, or it would join in whatever stand was to be made near Esperi if that was thought the best use that could be made of it.

It would probably still die, but it would meet its fate as a loyal and obedient component of the Culture, not some sort of rogue ship pursuing a private feud.

Then it slowly ramped its engines back to normal full power, pulling itself forward to a vanishingly brief moment of rest before powering onwards, accelerating hard and setting a hyperbolic course skirting around the fleet's more direct route, heading for the location of the Excession.

It should still get there before the war fleet.

XII

'What?'

'I said I've made up my mind. I won't talk to him. I won't see him. I don't even want to be on the same ship with him. Take me away. I want to leave- Now.' Dajeil Gelian gathered her skirts about her and sat heavily on the seat in the circular room under translucent dome.

'Dajeil!' exclaimed Amorphia, going down on its knees in front of her, eyes wide and shining. It made to take her hands in its but she pulled them away. 'Please! See him! He has agreed to see you!'

'Oh, has he?' she said scornfully. 'How magnanimous of him!'

The avatar sat back on its haunches. It looked at the woman, then it sighed and said, 'Dajeil, I've never asked anything of you before. Please just see him. For me.'

'I never asked anything of you, the woman said. 'What you gave me you gave unasked. Some of it was unwanted,' she said coldly. 'All those animals, those other lives, those eternal births and childhoods; mocking me.'

'Mocking you!' the avatar exclaimed. 'But-!'

Dajeil sat forward, shaking her head. 'No, I'm sorry, that was wrong of me.' Now she reached out and took Amorphia's hands. 'I'm truly grateful for all you've done for me, ship. I am. But I don't want to see him. Please take me away.'

The avatar tried to argue on for a while longer, but to no avail.

The ship considered a lot of things. It considered asking the Grey Area — still in its forward Mainbay — to dip inside the woman's brain the way it had insinuated its way into Genar-Hofoen's to discover the truth of the events on Telaturier (and to implant the dream of the long-dead captain Zreyn Enhoff Tramow, not that that had proved either required or particularly well done). It considered requesting that the GCU used its effectors to make her want to have the child. It considered Displacing chemicals or biotechs which would force Dajeil's body to have the child. It considered using one of its own effectors to do the same thing. It considered just Displacing her into Genar-Hofoen's proximity, or he into hers.

Then it came up with a new plan.

'Very well,' the avatar said eventually. It stood. 'He will stay. You may go. Do you wish to take the bird Gravious with you?'

The woman looked perplexed, even confused. I — ' she began. 'Yes, yes, why not? It can't do any harm, can it?'

'No,' the avatar said. 'No, it cannot.' It bowed its head to her.

'Goodbye.'

Dajeil opened her mouth to speak, but the avatar was Displaced away at the same instant; the sound it left behind was like a pair of hands giving a single, gentle clap. Dajeil closed her mouth, then put both her hands over her eyes and lowered her head, doubling up as well as she was able to. Next moment there was another, distant noise and from down the winding stairs she heard a thin, hoarse voice cry out.

'Waa! Shit! Grief, where-?' Then there was a confused flutter of wings.

Dajeil closed her eyes. Then there was another, closer-sounding pop. Her eyes flicked open.

A young woman, slim and black haired, was sitting looking surprised in the middle of the floor, dressed in black pyjamas and reading a small, old-fashioned book. Between her bottom and the room's carpet there was a neat circle of pink material, still in the process of collapsing, air expelling flutteringly round the edges. Around her floated a small snow-storm of white particles, settling with a feather-like slowness. She jerked once, as though she had been leaning back on something which had just been removed.

'What… the… fuck…?' she said softly. She looked slowly around, from side to side.

Her gaze settled on Dajeil. She frowned for a moment, then some kind of understanding imposed itself. She quickly completed her review of her surroundings, then pointed at the other woman. 'Dajeil,' she said. 'Dajeil Gelian, right?'

Dajeil nodded.

XIII

[stuttered tight point, M32, tra. @4.28.885.3553]

xEccentric Shoot Them Later

oLSV Serious Callers Only

It was the Attitude Adjuster. It is dead now (signal + DiaGlyphs enclosed).

oo

[stuttered tight point, M32, tra. @n4.28. 885.3740] xLSV Serious Callers Only

oEccentric Shoot Them Later

Not a pleasant way to go. Your friend the Killing Time deserves congratulations, and probably merits therapy. However, as I'm sure it would point out, it is a warship. This implicates the Steely Glint; the Attitude Adjuster was its daughter and was demilitarised (supposedly) by it seventy years ago. I trust your friend will treat the SG's subsequent operational suggestions with a degree of caution.

oo

Indeed. But then as it seems quite enthusiastically intent upon achieving a glorious death at the earliest possible opportunity anyway, it is hard to see what more the Steely Glint can do to place it in further jeopardy. Whatever; we must leave that machine to its own fate. My concern now is that the evidence for the conspiracy is starting to look pretty damning, even if it is still circumstantial. I suggest we go public.

oo

Implicating the Steely Glint while it is in charge of the military developments around the Excession will only make us look like the guilty parties. We must ask ourselves what we have to gain. The war fleet from Pittance is under way and must arrive there in any event; exposing the conspiracy will do nothing to challenge it. The best we might hope for would be the worst for the chances of resisting the Affront's purpose; that is, the removal from influence and general disgrace of the Steely Glint and its co-conspirators. It pains me to say it, but I still think we must let this sub-sequence of events run its course before we can consider broadcasting our suspicions. Hold for now, and gather what more weight of evidence we might, the better to tip the scales with our accusations when the time does come.