Shiva loomed large in the window, a dark pear-shaped chunk of rock and iron much longer than a Slowboat, with a small moon of its own, a barely visible boulder perhaps a hundred metres across. The asteroid tumbled over and over on its long axis once every thirty minutes, the little nameless moon orbiting against Shiva's spin. Geranium watched the two rocks drift along, well beyond Jupiter's path and away from the main Trojan belt. It was a beautiful thing, lord of its own lonely orbit.

'Why Shiva?' Beside her, Reed also gazed at the asteroid, but kept an eye over the data the AI was collecting about it as well. It seemed to have some difficulty deciding where to land the ship.

Geranium had been thinking about that too. If the plan was to slam this rock into the Moon, there were surely other asteroids in more suitable orbits. She knew little about physics, but it seemed this was a long way to go to find something to throw at the Moon on the other side of the solar system.

'Aesthetics,' said Maddy from the table back in the main cabin. She'd been searching through the ghost data since they'd set off from the Oort Cloud, dropping out of Void just a few minutes before. All eyes turned to her and she looked up. 'Shiva was selected for aesthetic reasons. In Earth mythology, Shiva was the god of destruction.'

'You think terrorists are interested in aesthetics?'

'Not the terrorists, no. Whoever's behind them.'

Geranium knew what she meant. Mere Helots couldn't come up with a plan this complicated by themselves. They didn't have the education, or the resources. Besides, the ghost data revealed that the Syndicate was somehow involved in this.

It seemed ridiculous to her, that the Syndicate should be involved in such a scheme. After all, her own father was on the Board of Directors—it was outrageous that he would be party to anything like this. But then again, the last few days had torn her safe, comfortable world to shreds. The incidents on Mars, the death of Sarti...She wiped a tear that had immediately formed in her eye. Her father was only one representative on the Board out of over five hundred. Perhaps he didn't know what others were doing. Perhaps...

No use thinking about it, or daring to presume anything. She was here now, carried along with events like a piece of luggage. On the other side of the room, Maddy looked up, caught her eye, and threw her what might have been a reassuring half-smile. Geranium looked away without returning any expression at all.

The AI announced it had selected a landing site on the asteroid. It also suggested the crew strap in, as it had never landed on anything so small before.

Great, thought Geranium.

She felt Maddy's hands make sure her harness was sufficiently tight. The woman smiled at her again, but Geranium could see no warmth there at all this time.

She's as scared as I am.

Reed handed control over to the AI, which started the ship on a gentle curve down towards the far side of the asteroid. The rock grew in the screen until the rest of the universe was crowded out. Shiva was no longer a small lump of matter tumbling through infinite space; it was a place unto itself; cratered, dusty, but a complete world over which they skimmed in a frail man-made chunk of metal.

Despite the AI's misgivings, the landing itself was fairly smooth. At the last minute there seemed to irregularities in the terrain that hadn't looked so bad from far away. Geranium could see the terrain below slip and slide across the viewing screen as the AI made last second adjustments to its trajectory.

She felt more like a piece of luggage than ever as the ship hovered and searched for a safe place to put down. The safety straps dug into her shoulders and waist as the ship threw itself around above the surface. Then it was like something struck the bottom of her seat hard as contact came. The engine vibrations ceased and the craft at last settled into stillness.

Around her the rest of the crew was unbuckling. Reed was up first, and Geranium noted how he sprang from his seat and had to grab for a hold on one of the bulkheads. They weighed virtually nothing here.

She undid her harness and stood up carefully. Her toes cleared the floor and then settled back down. It would be necessary to learn how to walk again, so she decided to keep her seat until she knew what exactly they were doing here.

'There's no sign of other ships,' said Marshall. There was no sign of anything. Shiva swung wide in its Earth-crossing orbit, a rogue asteroid with a highly elliptical path. Millennia ago it must have had a close encounter with another body, and been flung into a wide orbit that took it far out of the main asteroid field. A lone wolf, now plunging towards the inner solar system from a dark sky.

Maddy rose from her seat and stood beside Reed. From behind the two looked so different—a skinny, pale Sape woman and a short, dark Helot—but to Geranium's mind they had grown more alike. There was a fixity of purpose, a commonality of experience, which she could not share in. Both were killers, both had cheated death, and now she was being drawn into their world. She drew her legs up and balanced precariously on the edge of her seat in the minute gravity.

Marshall clattered around the equipment locker as if looking for something. He glanced at Geranium and sneered. 'What are you staring at?'

'Nothing,' she replied.

He continued to rummage in the locker. At last he sighed and lifted a packet of bullets and a small, snub-nosed pistol. The sound of the gun being brought online made Reed and Maddy turn to face him.

'What are you doing?' Reed's hand clenched by his side.

'Mind your own business.' He shoved the small pistol into his belt next to the other gun he already wore. 'You hired me as a guard. I protected that stupid slave market back on Mars and now, I guess, I have to protect you. You realise who we're up against?'

Reed nodded. 'Of course. Terrorists who can attempt what this woman says have to be powerful and dangerous.'

'In that case you need me with this.' He touched the pistol butt. Geranium flinched as if he was about to fire. He saw her, drew the gun and aimed. Geranium shrank back in the seat and covered her face.

'Pow,' he said.

'Marshall!' Reed's voice filled the cabin. 'Don't be a fool!'

'And don't tell me what to do,' roared Marshall back at him. 'I tried to kill this bitch back on Mars, only that bitch knocked me out.' His glare at Maddy might have cowered anyone else, but Maddy just gazed back and said nothing. 'No one's ever going to do that again.'

'All right,' said Reed. 'But don't let your resentment cloud your judgment.'

Geranium didn't ease her position. Her eyes remained fixed on the gun that Marshall put into a holster and strapped to his side. It seemed huge in the tiny cabin.

'Marshall has a point,' said Maddy. 'Do you realise who you're up against? What exactly are your plans?'

Reed smiled; Geranium didn't like it. Helots had sharp teeth and smiling just made them look as if they were leering. It was impossible to detect any trace of humour in his malicious grin. 'I know how terrorists think,' he said. 'And I have heard of Stefan Rix.'

'Anyone who wants to blow his own world up is a madman. He won't listen to reason.'

'Then you understand as well as I do how determined he is. It's not my intention to engage in any sort of the physical violence with him or his agents. In fact that would only be self-destructive for us. But perhaps we can find out what they're doing, how they're doing it.'

'We should contact the police!' Geranium was started at the sound of her own voice. It was a second before any of the others even registered it.

'The police?' Marshall emitted a harsh bark of laughter.

'She's right,' said Maddy. 'I know it means we all go to jail, but what's the alternative? This is too big for us. It's a matter of—'

'No!' Reed's eyes glared at each of the others in turn. 'We aren't sure of anything yet. Perhaps you're wrong about what you read in the ghost data. You admit it was just a guess. We must find out more before we...call for help.'

I should have stayed at the water factory, thought Geranium. It's my own stupid fault I'm in this. I should never have followed Maddy.

As if on cue, the woman came over and stood beside her. 'What happens to us?' she said. 'We're still your prisoners, I assume. We could be waiting her a while. We're entitled to know what your plans are for us.'

'That's right,' said Marshall. 'Two extra people, taking up air and supplies. They aren't needed. Throw them out of the airlock.'

The others all looked at him. 'Be quiet, Marshall. If we're going to confront Rix's agents in any way, we'll need all the help we can find. Maddy and the girl remain under my protection. But I would appreciate any help you might give us, Maddy. You're intelligent, and I know you've fought for your life before.'

Maddy clenched a fist, but said nothing. Geranium could hear the woman's harsh intake of breath.

'We will rest now,' said Reed. 'All of us. The AI will alert us to any activity nearby, or if the Shepherd Moon arrives.'

'And if it does?' Marshall glanced out at the desolate asteroid. 'We'll be a sitting target.'

'We can be out of here in a minute. It's unlikely an asteroid tug has any external weapons. We take off and go Void. We'll be safe then.'

Geranium felt Maddy's hair against her cheek as the woman bent down. 'It's all right. Come on, we both need a rest.'

She allowed Maddy to guide her to a sleeping berth and even permitted the woman to arrange the sheet. The men watched the process silently.

'Are we going to be all right?' Geranium asked, looking into the bloodshot, weary eyes of the older woman.

Maddy swallowed, and leaned in closer so she could whisper, 'I don't know. I'm sorry, but I honestly don't know.'

Then she sealed the compartment closed so Geranium lay in tight, cool cocoon. She touched a contact to make the window in the compartment opaque and shut her eyes.

***

Geranium stirred, thrashing out one leg like she always did when waking up and snapped into full attention when her foot hit the side of the sleeping compartment. She fumbled for the window contact which became transparent again. In the cabin, the other three were walking around. From somewhere came the tones of the AI voice. A red light flashed in the corner of her eye.

Maddy bent down and opened the sleeping compartment and Geranium climbed out. 'Hello,' Maddy said, but didn't smile.

Geranium looked at her fone. She'd been asleep for about four hours, not long enough to feel refreshed. She longed to have a shower; her clothes smelled bad—she'd spent almost a week in them.

I really need a new pair of knickers.

The others were sorting out a collection of four space suits they had retrieved from storage. Marshall unzipped the largest and pulled it over his legs. The garments were close-fitting but fully functional.

'What's going on?' Geranium asked. There was a spare suit laid out—was it for her?

'A ship has arrived,' explained Maddy. 'We don't know if they know we're here.'

Geranium tuned into the AI voice that was reciting a list of changing co-ordinates. She stared at the arrangement of space suits for a moment then stumbled to the toilet, stomach tight, giddy. It was a while before she emerged, having splashed her face with water and swilled the foul taste in her mouth out. She didn't feel in the least bit hungry, despite not having eaten for hours.

'Tell her what she is to do,' said Reed.

Maddy took Geranium aside, as far as they could from the others. 'The ship that's just arrived is no doubt the Shepherd Moon. There's little reason for anybody else to be here. It's orbiting about a hundred kilometres off the asteroid, but some small ships have made a landing. We're going out to try and make contact. We could just comlink them but Reed feels face to face is a better alternative.' Maddy didn't look like she believed in that strategy.

'We?' said Geranium, the knot of fear re-establishing itself in her guts. 'You mean...?'

'No, not you. The three of us. You stay here.'

For a second Geranium felt huge relief. Then she tensed up again. 'I can't stay here alone!'

'You'll be safe.'

'No I won't! What if something happens to you?'

She would be all alone, forever trapped on a lump of iron spinning on a lonely orbit around a far distant sun. Another wave of nausea passed through her.

To Geranium's surprise, Maddy reached out and hugged her close. For a moment Geranium imagined she was a little girl again, back in her mother's arms, when her mother still had some tenderness to share, before the other children had been born and her mother became just the Marchioness, cold and distant. Geranium heard sobbing and realised it was herself.

'You'll be all right,' said Maddy. 'We're just going a few kilometres away, to see what's happening. We want you to stay here so someone can look after the ship. It's our only escape route.'

'Then stay with me. Please.'

The whisper in Geranium's ear was so faint she could barely hear it even though they were still in deep embrace.

'I want to. But I'm not allowed. When we're gone, contact your parents. Tell them where we are.'

She was pushed away and their eyes met. Geranium gave the smallest of nods and went to sit down at the table as the others climbed into their suits. Marshall had secured both of his sidearms on his hips. Reed wore Maddy's stun gun. Maddy appeared to be unarmed.

The fourth space suit still lay on the floor. Maddy, swathed now in her own bullet-grey suit, paused before placing her helmet on. 'Get into your suit, Geranium,' she said. 'We'll be opening the air lock soon and safety protocols require it.'

It seemed incongruous to Geranium that anyone should be obeying rules anymore, but she stepped to the suit and waited while Maddy explained how to put it on. Then she retired to the stateroom in order to remove her outer clothing and slip into the suit. The tight garment felt like a thick glove over her whole body, but comfortable enough, and cool once the suit's air conditioning turned on. But when the helmet slipped over her head it felt stifling. The visor was close to her face and the thick padded headpiece that protected her from the hard outer shell crushed her ears. She could feel a lock of her hair on her forehead and couldn't flick it to one side. What was worse, her nose immediately started to itch.

'It's only for a few minutes,' said Maddy, after Geranium returned to the main cabin. 'You can take the helmet off once we're outside.'

They were ready. Reed's voice came over their comlinks. 'All right. Obey my orders and follow my lead. I just want to see what is happening at the place where those small ships landed.'

'So fly over the spot and have a look.' Marshall's voice sounded strange on the comlink system: flat and harsh.

'No. That will only give our presence away. It's possible they don't know we're here. I want to keep it that way. And no drawing of weapons without my say so, even if we're fired upon. Do you understand?'

After a long moment, Marshall said, 'Yes.'

'Very well.' He stepped over to the AI console and entered a command. 'I've secured the AI with a password.' He turned to stare at Geranium. 'You can't operate the ship or make any communication except with us. Life support will operate as normal, and you can open and close the airlock, but that's all. I don't want you trying to escape while we're away.'

She might have said something, but knew it was useless. Maddy's face was hidden in the glare of lights reflected from her visor.

Reed touched a contact beside the airlock and the inner door slid open. The three stepped inside and as the door shut again Geranium felt like it was a knife descending to sever the last link with everyone she knew.