The warmth of the fire created a sense of comfort within the spacious living room of Doppler's manor house. A cast of shadows danced along the rug and the walls with each flicker of the flames, but he wasn't paying much attention to any of it. He relaxed on the burgundy fabric of the couch, with its over-stuffed cushions, his purple dressing gown snug about his body. A steaming cup of tea placed on the small wooden table besides the armrest, half empty, and an open book propped on his left leg. Amelia was curled on the couch next to him on the right side. Her back rested against his torso, long legs slightly bent at the knees, with her own dressing gown wrapped about her. Auburn hair slightly skewed from its usual perfect control, Amelia held her own cup of tea in her hands. Fingers locked about the handle. Held just before her lips, sweet smelling steam twisting about her nose as she waited for it to cool.

"Are you positive about not heading to bed yet, darling?" Doppler spoke up, breaking the comfortable silence that had formed around them.

"I'm sure." Amelia smiled. "It's been five weeks...and then all the delays this afternoon...I don't want to miss a minute with you."

"Nor I with you." Doppler smiled back. "Especially after everything that happened…that must have come as a shock."

"In a sense." Amelia nodded. "Coleridge was right to say that it isn't unusual. You hear stories about it all the time. I've just never had it happen on my ship before."

"Well, no, I wouldn't expect you to." Doppler closed his book. "And...your investigation…"

"What about it?" Amelia looked up at him.

"Well...is there anything I can do to help? I know it's not really my field of expertise. Or my jurisdiction. But you know I'm here if you need anything."

Amelia smiled. "Of course I do. But I can't ask you for that. It's a Navy matter. Well, an unofficial Navy matter. Involving a civilian would probably just complicate things even more than they are."

"Perhaps you're right." Doppler smiled back. "But still...if you need to ask anything...or talk about anything...you know where I live."

"I certainly do." Amelia put her cup aside and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you."

Doppler touched her cheek and kissed her lips. "Well, I...I do love you, Amelia."

Amelia blushed, feeling her heart leap despite herself. "I love you too, dear doctor."

"And…" Doppler blushed in return. "I've been wanting to show you how much."

"I thought you already did," Amelia smiled coyly. "Almost as soon as we got home, in fact."

"Um, well, yes, but…" Doppler coughed. "I mean...just by way of spending time with you. The little things."

"Life is all about the little things." Amelia stroked his hand. "Thank you."

"I wish you didn't have to go back to Crescentia," said Doppler. "Selfish as it may be...I've missed you."

Amelia smiled. "I've missed you too, Delbert. So very much. And I'm sorry I have to go back to the spaceport tomorrow. Between one thing and another, I didn't get everything done today that I need to."

"I understand. I would never keep you from your duty."

"Thank you." Amelia smiled again.

Doppler smiled back, marvelling at how complete his life seemed when she was back in it. She was a part of his world he hadn't known he'd missed, until now. And despite the trials of their separations and the ever-present hazards of her occupation, he wouldn't change a detail of it.

"Amelia, I-"

There was a chiming noise and he stopped in surprise, looking around. "Oh, my. That's the front doorbell. Who could that be at this time of night?"

"Probably Dr Gray with her autopsy findings." Amelia stood up, tightening her gown. "I'm sorry, Delbert."

"No, no. Duty calls. Officially or unofficially." Doppler stood too. "I'll show her in, shall I?"

He padded down the hallway in his slippers and opened the front door. The lamp outside was on, and to his surprise he saw two figures standing in its golden glow - the expected lanky Macropodian surgeon and, beside her, a smaller felinid a few years older than Amelia, in the red uniform of the Royal Marines, walking with a cane, the gray and white fur of her face disfigured by a scar running almost the full length of its left side. He blinked, but recovered himself.

"Oh, um, Dr Gray. Do come in. Amelia was expecting you, of course. And...your associate?" He glanced at the three white chevrons on the marine's sleeve. "Er...sergeant, is that right? Sergeant...?"

"Ko," said Ko. "Sergeant-Major Ko, if you insist on it. Good to meet you, doc."

"Oh. Right. Yes." Doppler coughed and stood aside. "Come on through to the living room at the end of the hall. Don't worry about your shoes."

Ko gave him the quizzical look of someone who hadn't been, and stepped inside. Although Doppler's manor was by far the largest and most splendid building she had ever been in, she kept her face impassive as she followed him and Gray down the hall. Amelia was already standing to greet them.

"Ah, Dr Gray. Welcome. And sergeant-major?"

"Hello, ma'am." Ko touched her forelock respectfully. "It's good to see you again."

"So you're...an old friend?" Doppler looked between the two felinids, trying to catch up.

"Yes. Ko and I served together in the Nebula War." Amelia nodded. "What brings you here tonight, though?"

Gray held up a note. SHE INSISTED.

"Ah." Amelia smiled. "So I take it that she knows what's happening?"

Gray nodded.

"Well, then. No point in evading the matter any further." Amelia sat down and gestured for Gray and Ko to do likewise. "What did you find?"

I HAVE PRELIMINARY RESULTS ON THE BODIES, said Gray.

"Go on," Amelia nodded.

TWO MALES, APPROXIMATELY IN THEIR TWENTIES. ONE YOUNGER FEMALE, Gray wrote. ALL IN POOR HEALTH. EVEN BEFORE THEY WERE STUFFED INTO A SHIPPING CRATE. THEY WERE PROBABLY FROM IMPOVERISHED BACKGROUNDS.

"I see. That somewhat fits with the theory of them being stowaways," said Amelia.

I DO NOT THINK THEY WERE STOWAWAYS. Gray's ear twitched.

Amelia smiled. "No? Do tell. How did they die?"

SUFFOCATION WAS THE CAUSE OF DEATH FOR ONLY ONE OF THE VICTIMS. Gray raised an eyebrow pointedly. THE OTHER TWO DIED FROM POISONING.

"Poisoning?" Doppler stared in horror. "They were murdered?"

IN A MANNER OF SPEAKING. Gray went on. ALL THREE WERE CARRYING QUANTITIES OF WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE AN ILLICIT SUBSTANCE.

She reached into a pocket and produced a sealed glass tube. Inside it, a handful of small, multicoloured crystals rattled slightly.

THEY HAD SWALLOWED PACKAGES CONTAINING A NUMBER OF THESE CRYSTALS. TWO OF THE PACKAGES RUPTURED.

"Drugs, then?" said Amelia. "I've heard of them being smuggled like that. Seems awfully risky, though."

Gray nodded. IT IS. ANY FAILURE OF THE PACKAGE WILL EXPOSE THE CARRIER TO A SIGNIFICANT OVERDOSE. AS OCCURRED HERE.

"But only to two of them." Amelia blanched. "Do you know the time of death?"

NOT DEFINITIVELY. BUT IT WAS ALMOST CERTAINLY BEFORE THE CRATE WAS LOADED ON BOARD THE LEGACY.

Amelia sighed. "Is it dreadful of me to feel relieved at that? At least Mr Lockwright will be glad to know that we didn't suffocate them in our hold. But if it's drugs...does that mean there's something bigger here?"

I HAVE NOT YET IDENTIFIED THE SUBSTANCE, Gray cautioned. THAT WILL REQUIRE TOXICOLOGICAL ANALYSIS WHICH WILL BE DIFFICULT TO DO WITHOUT GENERATING SUSPICION.

"Can you do it anyway?"

Gray nodded. OF COURSE.

"Then I'm even further in your debt." Amelia smiled.

AND THERE WAS THIS. Gray produced a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket and handed it over. Doppler noticed Ko's eyes lock onto and follow it. ONE OF THEM HAD THIS IN THEIR POCKET.

"Sorry, ma'am." Ko raised a hand, interrupting the conversation. "Can I ask for a cup of tea? Or coffee?"

"Oh, of course. Where are my manners." Doppler stood hurriedly. "Which do you prefer, sergeant? I'm afraid if it's coffee I'll have to grind the beans."

"Coffee'd be great, thanks, doc." Ko smiled.

"Um. Right. Of course." Doppler smiled nervously. "I'll be right back."

Amelia waited until he left the room, sensing that Ko's request had been a polite way to get rid of him rather than a desire for caffeinated refreshment. When the door closed behind him, she smoothed out the paper and looked at it. It bore an address.

8342/23 Street/K-District/L1 Sth/Crescentia NS

In the corner of the paper there was a scribbled sign of unrecognisable design.

"What does this mean?" she asked "What's at this address?"

"Don't know, ma'am," said Ko. "But if you're thinking of finding out, I'd be careful."

"Why is that?"

Ko raised an eyebrow. "How well do you know Crescentia, ma'am?"

"Not terribly well," Amelia admitted. "Just the port areas and shuttle docks. And the naval base, of course."

"Right. Well, this address...is on the Nightside." Ko shook her head. "You know, the convex side of the spaceport? The orbit always keeps it in Montressor's shadow so it's always dark there."

"What's there?"

"Oh, residential districts, warehouses. The same kind of stuff as on the concave, daylight side," said Ko, waving a hand. "It's just that the Nightside has always had...a bit of a reputation. You don't tend to find the best people there. It's where you go if you can't afford the daylight...or if you'd rather do your business in the dark."

"So why would the stowaways - or drug mules, as they seem to be - have an address there?"

"I don't think they lived there, ma'am. I think that's where they'd been told to go."

"Told by whom?"

Ko cleared her throat. "How much do you know about gangs, ma'am? Crime gangs, I mean."

"Nothing specific, other than they exist."

"I think this might be the doing of one of them. This sign here? You see it in graffiti sometimes around Crescentia. I think it's a kind of...branding, ma'am. A gang sign. Lets you know they're in the area, that they're the ones in charge."

"If there's an organised crime gang behind it, that's all the more reason to investigate, surely," said Amelia. "Why hasn't the CPA taken against them?"

"Who knows? It's often hard to directly pin anything on them. Or at least, on anyone specific." Ko shrugged. "And it wouldn't surprise me if the gang had...friends in the CPA. At least at the lower levels. A little extra cash here and there can turn someone blind really easy, if you get what I mean. Make them not see things that are happening."

"You seem to know a great deal about them already, sergeant-major," said Amelia.

Ko laughed, but there was no humour in it. "I don't know anything about them, ma'am. Not this particular outfit. It's just that...gangs used to run the backstreets I grew up on back in Colport. I had my share of troubles with them. And they work pretty much the same everywhere, I reckon."

"I understand." Amelia nodded. "So tell me...what do you think has been happening here?"

Ko cleared her throat. "The people you found...they're drug mules. Carriers. The gang is using them to bring drugs into Crescentia."

"Why them? Why not just stash the drugs in some shipment of cargo?"

Ko shrugged. "Maybe this was cheaper. The people were probably in debt to the gang. Maybe some ally of theirs works on Briga. The people would have been told that this was how to clear that debt. Bring the drugs...and themselves...to Crescentia."

"What would they be used for? The people, I mean."

Ko looked uncomfortable. "Anything. Labour, if they were lucky, working to pay off whatever they owed. Otherwise...well, one of them was a young female, and Crescentia is a spaceport…"

Amelia grimaced. "I see. This is going to be unpleasant, isn't it?"

Ko nodded.

"But you're going after them, aren't you, ma'am." It was a statement, not a question. But Amelia answered it anyway.

"Yes. Someone has to. Someone out there used my ship, used me...to do this. I won't stand for that."

Ko nodded again. "Thought so. But, ma'am, if I may speak freely?"

"You always can, sergeant-major."

Ko cleared her throat. "I'm not sure you know what you're getting into. With all due respect."

Amelia smiled at her old comrade's bluntness. "I'm not expecting tea and scones if they catch me."

"That's not what I meant, ma'am. Gangs don't exactly fight according to the Articles of War. They're worse than that. Worse even than the Procs." Ko leaned forward. "If they find out what you're doing, it's not just you they'll come after. They rule by fear. By the power of their reputations. If you cross them, they'll try to punish you because that's how they command respect. They'll go after anyone connected to you, too."

"You're worried about yourself and Dr Gray?"

"We can take care of each other. And ourselves," Ko brushed it off while Gray nodded firmly. "No. I mean they could go after the Legacy. Or your canid friend here. And I'm not sure he'd know what to do."

"Dr Doppler has..." Amelia smiled as she remembered his unexpected talent for sharpshooting, "hidden talents. Very well-hidden, I must admit."

"I'll take your word on it, ma'am," said Ko. "But if that's so, you need to tell him what you're doing so he can be ready if the worst comes to pass. He has to be part of this too."

Amelia looked away. "It happened on my ship. It's my investigation. He has even less right to be involved than I do. I can't ask him to involve himself."

"He might find himself involved whether you like it or not, though," said Ko. "I'm not saying you need to have him tagging along with you on Crescentia, but he needs to know that this fight could end up being brought to his doorstep."

"I fear if I tell him, he'll ask me to stop. And I don't want to break a promise to him." Amelia sighed. "That being so...I need someone here I can trust. Just in case."

Ko realised that Amelia was looking pointedly at her. She started and stared in surprise. "Me, ma'am?"

"Are you up to it, sergeant-major?" Amelia raised an eyebrow. Ko sat back and glanced at Gray, who hesitated barely a second before nodding.

"Of course. I know my back's not up to much but I reckon I can handle a security job." Ko frowned. "But that's not the point. How can I explain being here, in his house? I only just met him!"

"Could you arrange for a medical leave of absence, Eleanor?" Amelia looked to Gray, who nodded.

YES. A STAY IN PLANETARY GRAVITY WOULD BE JUSTIFIABLE.

"There you go. And I'll tell Delbert that he's the only person you know on Montressor and that it would be best if you stayed here with him." Amelia nodded. "I trust that they can cover for you back at the base?"

"Well, yes, my team can handle training the new recruits without me," said Ko. "But-"

"I'm sure Delbert will accept it. And you'll get along with him just fine."

Ko sat back. "I'm not winning this one, am I, ma'am?"

"No, sergeant-major, you're not." Amelia smiled. "Because I take your advice about the danger to heart. And so I want someone here I can count on in a pinch."

"Aye, ma'am." Ko smiled wryly. "Whatever you and the doc say."

"Thank you." Amelia smiled. "I really am grateful. If anything were to happen…"

"I'm sorry for the delay!" Doppler returned, carrying a tray with cups and saucers on it. "I had to find the coffee first. And then the grinder. And then boil the water. And then I'm afraid there was a little accident, but here it is. Do you take milk or sugar?"

"Actually, I think the sergeant-major and the surgeon were just leaving." Amelia stood up. "Thank you for coming, both of you."

"No problem, ma'am." Ko stood and picked up her cane. Gray nodded to Amelia and produced another note.

I WILL HAVE A COMPLETE REPORT TO YOU SHORTLY.

"Thank you."

"Oh. Um. Well, good evening, then." Doppler put down the tray hurriedly. "I'll, er, see you out, shall I?"

Amelia stayed on the couch, deep in thought, listening to their footsteps recede down the hallway. The front door opened and then closed again. A few moments later, Doppler returned, padding in with his slippers and sitting next to her again. He scanned her face intently, knowing that there was something on her mind.

"I hope that was...useful to you," he said.

Amelia nodded. "Yes. Very. Dr Gray is an excellent physician. I'll be interested to see what she finds when she studies the drugs."

"Yes...drugs. How awful." Doppler shook his head. He couldn't help remembering that only two of the three victims had died of poisoning. The thought of the third, crammed into the darkness and slowly suffocating alongside the corpses of the others was too hideous to contemplate.

"Sergeant Ko needs somewhere to stay planetside," said Amelia, apropos of nothing. "She has a back injury - you'll have noticed her walking cane. Planetary gravity helps her manage it, you see. She has no family here and no friends other than on base at Crescentia, so...I know it's asking a lot of you...but could you put her up here? Just for a few days?"

"Here?" Doppler blinked in surprise. "Um, well, y-yes...I suppose so."

"She won't be any trouble, I'm sure." Amelia smiled.

Doppler smiled back. "Any friend of yours is a friend of mine. Or so I hope, anyway. I'm still not sure that Dr Gray likes me. But Ko...yes, I'll have the housekeeper make up the guestroom for her."

"Thank you. I'm in your debt." Amelia nodded. Bless your trusting heart, Delbert.

"It's no problem." Doppler shrugged. "Is that why she was here? I didn't realise that she was part of your investigation."

Amelia hesisted. It was hard to lie to him. Harder than she'd expected. She took refuge in something like the truth. "She's an old friend of Dr Gray's."

"Ah, I see." Doppler seemed to accept that. "I look forward to getting to know her. I do hope we'll get along."

"I'm sure you'll be fine, my dear, charming doctor." Amelia kissed his cheek, making him blush.

"I, um, well...I'm just glad you approve." Doppler smiled shyly.

"I do." Amelia kissed his other cheek. "And thank you again."

Doppler sighed happily. "Shall we go to bed? You mentioned you'd have to be back on Crescentia tomorrow morning."

"That sounds like a splendid idea." Amelia grinned. "Go on ahead. I'll be with you shortly."

Doppler kissed her, softly, lingeringly, then got up and padded out of the room. Amelia watched him go, part of her hating herself for what she was doing - or rather, what she was not doing.

But it's for the best, she told herself. Maybe nothing will happen to him. Then all that telling him would achieve is making him worry. I know he frets every time I go into space. I don't need to add to that.

Because if he thinks he has to worry about me...he might decide it's not worth it...might decide that he's better off without me...and if I lost him…

She shook herself, and reminded herself that there had been nothing but love and trust in Doppler's eyes as he'd gazed at her.

Somehow...that just makes it worse.

The blocky shuttle disembarked its passengers in a motley crowd that soon dispersed amongst the teeming multitudes of the Crescentia port districts. The mighty spaceport never really slept, and it wasn't now despite the lateness of the hour. Gray and Ko walked together through the throngs, heading back towards the naval base and the small house they shared nearby. Companionable, comfortable silence was usually their default mode with each other, but it was clear to Gray that something was on Ko's mind as they neared the base hospital entrance. Here, by contrast to the streets they had walked though, it was quiet and deserted.

I'm going to finish the autopsy reports, she signed.

Ko nodded. All right.

Gray watched her closely. Ko looked back at her, hoping that her poker face was holding. Then Gray just raised an eyebrow and Ko knew it had failed. She sighed.

Why do I even try keeping things from you?

You're a slow learner, Gray replied, a glitter of humour in her dark green eyes. What is it?

I'm worried. About this. Ko looked awkward, such a confession not coming easily to her. Amelia's getting into something she doesn't understand. And that could mean things for other people. Including you.

I noticed you mentioned that, said Gray. I'll be fine. That canid is more of a liability than me.

I know. But while I'm bodyguarding him...what happens to you? Ko grimaced. You're safe enough on base, but...at home?

Gray shrugged. I'll be fine. It's unlikely that they'd know I'm even involved.

Still, though… Ko sighed. You'll have to be careful.

The surgeon hesitated. Ko's concern was genuine, and she wouldn't dismiss it. I will.

It's not Badlanding, said Ko. Not if I'm not here to watch your back.

Gray nodded again, wanting to find some way of easing her companion's mind. She went to reach out, but hesitantly, aware that they were still in a public place.

I just wish there was someone else up here I could trust, Ko said.

Gray settled on patting her shoulder, which seemed innocent enough. Ko smiled, as ever picking up on the novel of unsaid words that Gray was passing her.

"Dr Gray?"

They looked around as a figure emerged from the hospital and approached them, with a greeting smile. She was a small woman, dressed like Gray in a naval uniform under a white coat, her blue hair pulled back into a ponytail and a silver tattoo of a flower marking the tanned skin of her face. Surgeon Lieutenant-Commander Dandelion Rocca was one of the few colleagues for whom Gray was willing to make time, being the other shift leader in the trauma surgery team. It must be the changeover time, Ko thought - but who knew with the hours that medical officers seemed to habitually work.

"You're here late. Or is it early?" Rocca smiled, then looked at Ko. "Sergeant-major. How's the back? Not here for your regular appointment, are you?"

"Fine, thank you, ma'am." Ko nodded.

"Good. I'm off home. You're clocking on?" Rocca flashed Gray a smile. Gray nodded in return.

"Right. Well, then. See you at the next interchange, doctor." Rocca nodded. "Keep well, sergeant-major."

"Yes, ma'am. I always try." Ko touched her forelock in unofficial salute as Rocca shouldered her bag and walked off towards the base gates.

I should be reporting in, signed Gray.

Ko sighed. I know. See you in the morning.

Gray patted her shoulder again and turned for the hospital. Ko watched her go. Then she turned her head to the direction Rocca had left in. Knowing when Gray's shift ended next day, she knew when Rocca would be back on duty. She also knew, to an even greater certainty, that Gray wouldn't approve of the idea that was forming in her mind...but sometimes things just had to be done...

Gray was at her desk, writing intently, translating her autopsy notes into a formal report. Even though it was all strictly unofficial - a fact that Amelia had emphasised multiple times, in Gray's opinion unnecessarily - the structure of the form template helped her to order her thoughts. The only significant problem she had was that the drugs the victims had been carrying remained unidentified. A toxicological examination would be able to answer that question with ease, but she could hardly risk that because it wasn't as if she could send a handful of illegal substances to the laboratory without someone asking why or how. She could, given time, run the tests herself, and was inclined to do so. It would take no more than a few hours, so all she had to do was make it to the hospital in the early hours of the morning when nobody would be using the laboratory. She already had the test protocols prepared, set in an envelope on the edge of her desk. A knock on her door made her look up and reach for her notepad as she saw Rocca standing in the doorway.

YES?

"Just a word about those two crush injuries from the Quinlan, doctor," Rocca said. "I forgot to mention this earlier when I met you and the sergeant outside. I've posted an orderly to watch them for signs of internal bleeding. Nothing yet, and it's not worth the risk of exploratory surgery, but they could go downhill quickly if there is, so I've asked that we be informed if their condition worsens.

Gray scrubbed out the question mark on her note. YES.

"That's all." Rocca tucked the clipboard under her arm and turned to go, but her quick golden eyes briefly fell on Gray's desk. "Toxicology protocols? Has there been a poisoning?"

Gray picked up the papers and tucked them under a manila envelope. JUST PAPERWORK.

"Right." Rocca raised a questioning eyebrow, but quickly realised that there wouldn't be anything more forthcoming. "Well, let me know if you need anything."

YES.

Gray watched Rocca go. Then she turned back to her writing.

Crescentia shone in the morning light. Or rather, the concave half of it did. As the first shuttle of the day carried her towards it, Amelia was more aware than usual of the shadow of perpetual twilight that lay on the convex half. The Nightside. Ko's warning still rang in her ears, but she told herself to keep calm. She'd fought through a war, through bloody skirmishes, faced a murderous mutiny on her own ship - how much worse could Nightside be than an actual battlefield? At least there wasn't an active firefight there…

She disembarked at the terminal on the daylit side and walked through the streets, towards the dock where the Legacy rested at anchor. She boarded it, the few longshoremen on duty not bothering to challenge someone who was so obviously in command. Some minutes later, she disembarked and headed back into the maze of streets.

It struck her as she moved that it was taking her longer than usual, and she soon realised why - she had changed out of her uniform, having realised that it would be far too conspicuous, and was wearing most of the few civilian clothes she owned - comfortable trousers under her boots, a shirt and vest, and a scarf that Doppler had given her wrapped around her neck. While a captain's coat normally cleared a path for itself on the spaceport, particularly near the naval base, there was nothing about her now to suggest that she was anything but a resident or worker and so she adjusted the strap of the satchel over her shoulder and made her way through the crowds in a zig-zag path, stepping around or through clusters of people as they went about their own businesses.

The building she was approaching was a cylindrical tower block, around five storeys in height. Its base was ringed with open double doorways that were admitting and emitting large numbers of people - and, unusually for Crescentia, a number of robots that clanked through the crowds. The people leaving seemed different, more haggard than most of the crowds they disappeared into, skin tones paler than usual, clothes older and more battered. A sign on the side of the tower read:

CRESCENTIA SUB-LEVEL TRANSIT 115

Stepping inside, she found herself in a large atrium, with ticket windows around the sides. Most were closed, but a handful were staffed by bored-looking Port Authority officials listlessly dispensing forms to the queues of people lined up at them. In the middle of the room was a glass-walled space through which Amelia could see only machinery lining the sides of a deep shaft. As she watched, a circular elevator arrived, groaned to a halt, and then doors in the wall slid aside to allow the occupants to leave. A tannoy blared something barely-comprehensible, and a number of the waiting passengers and robots in the room took their places, the doors closed again, and the elevator began descending out of sight, making such a juddering at first that it seemed to shake the tower itself.

She presented herself at one of the windows, waiting patiently in the queue - an unthinkable inconvenience had she been dressed as a captain. When it was her turn, she stepped forward.

"I need to go to the other side of the spaceport," she said.

"Fine. Next elevator leaves in twenty minutes." The CPA man didn't even look up as he produced a coloured rectangle of cardboard and stamped it. "Return?"

"Yes."

He stamped it again. "Half a crown."

Amelia was surprised. She'd expected to have to explain the purpose of her travel, but perhaps there was a benefit to the anonymity of civilian dress. She handed over the money, took the ticket and waited until the building shook again as the elevator ground back into position. The tannoy blared again, and Amelia stood up on the basis that she might as well try her luck. Nobody even checked her ticket as she and a score or so of other people stepped onto the platform. A robot attendant in the middle clicked and whirred as its head span through 360 degrees to count the passengers.

"Elevator Now Departing," it said, enunciating as if each word was the start of a new sentence. "Stand Clear Of Doors. Keep All Arms, Legs And Other Protrusions Or Appendages Clear Of The Sides."

It pulled a lever, causing a clank of machinery. The floor jolted, and then Amelia felt it begin to descend. The soft daylight was soon replaced by harsh fluorescents as the elevator went deeper - for want of a better word - underground. Or possibly below decks. Amelia realised with a dull shock that she had no idea what was in the middle of Crescentia. Surely there had to be something? But she'd never had to know...until now.

"Ensure You Can Access Safety Straps For Passage Through The Null Gravity Zone," intoned the robot.

Amelia looked up and saw a battered leather loop hanging from the roof. She wouldn't have trusted it as a lifeline in even the weakest of squalls, but it seemed to be all there was available. Looking down, she saw a pair of small straps on the floor below it. She slipped her feet into them, reached up to take hold of the loop overhead, and with her free hand took the piece of paper out of her pocket again. She read it again, memorising it for the umpteenth time that day, before tucking it away. Then she touched the hand to the bottom of her satchel, feeling the comforting weight there of the laslock pistol she had taken from the Legacy and secreted away in it. For a moment, she thought of Doppler, his honest brown eyes and the absolute trust he seemed to place in her, and she had a brief flicker of doubt about what she was doing - and what she was hiding from him. But she shook herself and reminded herself of what she was doing. A crime had been committed. Her ship - herself - had become an unwitting accessory to a conspiracy that had caused three deaths. And that would not stand. Not while she had anything to say about it.

"Well," she said to herself. "Let's find out what's really going on here."