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she said it made him realize what an idiot he’d been. He’d suspected that the unisphere might be compromised to a Faction, yet he still hadn’t taken adequate precautions. And as for the money, well any half-rate e-head could trace money.
    ‘Where’s your ship?’ the Cat said.
    Troblum shook his head. ‘No.’ The smartcore had some very specific instructions should his secure link be broken. A timer was counting down in his exovision. It was a small glimmer of hope, though he suspected the kind of ship which the Accelerators had supplied her with would be able to burn the Mellanie’s Redemption out of the sky with a single shot. More bad planning. That just left one chance.
    ‘Troblum,’ she said as if chiding a child, ‘I’d like to know where your ship is, and I want the command codes. And I believe that you of all people know you really shouldn’t annoy me.’
    ‘I know. Why do you want the ship?’
    ‘Oh, come on, you know that, darling. Marius might be slightly peeved you made him look like a complete dickhead in front of his masters, but that hardly motivates me, now does it, Mr Me-expert?’
    ‘Paula. You want to use it to catch Paula.’
    She clapped her hands delightedly. ‘She and I are going to be together for a very long time. I have plans, you see. Big plans for our shared future. And I need her intact. Which you’re going to help me achieve, by convincing her that everything here is just hunky dory.’
    ‘There’s no point. Nobody has a future any more. The galaxy is being eaten alive. We’re all going to die within a few years.’
    A flicker of annoyance passed over the Cat’s face. She gave Troblum a long stare. ‘I want her to walk in here expecting to see you. Moderately unsuspecting, though she is a paranoid little bitch. So . . . Ship. Now.’
    ‘No.’
    ‘What do I do to people I don’t like?’
    He shrugged, not wanting to think of the details he’d so laboriously extracted from various police reports over the decades.
    ‘You will help me,’ she said. ‘Don’t make me threaten you. I’m only being this patient because I know you don’t understand the consequences of your stupidity. So ask yourself this, how come Stubsy and his friends are being so cooperative?’
    Troblum turned to the dealer. It wasn’t something he’d considered. Another mistake, he thought.
    ‘Just help her,’ Stubsy said brokenly.
    ‘I cheated,’ the Cat said, and rested a finger on her lips. ‘Bad lady that I am. I used a small insert.’ She grinned at the companions, who glared back at her with clenched teeth. ‘And it was quite difficult to insert, wasn’t it, girls? You know, I actually had to hold them down to do it there was so much girly squealing and wiggling. And look at them now, happy to do as they’re told.’
    Troblum thought he might be sick. His biononics had to work hard at keeping his hormone glands suppressed. And finally he didn’t need any programs to interpret the expression both Somonie and Alcinda registered, their fear and loathing. Somonie had a tear squeezing out of her right eye.
    ‘The girls are going to hold you down for me now, Troblum,’ the Cat said. ‘Even their silly little weapons enrichments can overcome your pitiful force field. Higher culture,’ she said with a shake of her head. ‘Where do you people get off calling yourselves that? Talk about insecurities. And you think I’ve got psychological flaws.’
    The two companions started to walk towards Troblum. He ordered the shields on all the cases to switch off, as well as his own integral force field. The Cat’s response was instantaneous. She vanished inside a silver glow, as though she’d been encased in moon-washed silk.
    ‘Stop,’ Troblum told the companions.
    They hesitated, looking at the Cat’s glowing shape for instruction.
    ‘Troblum?’ the Cat’s smooth voice issued out of the protective aurora. ‘What are you doing? You haven’t got any defences now.’
    ‘Remember