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the　sheets。　Clad　in　brief　underwear；　she　slithered　on　top　of　me。
'Wass　you　doin'？　Stoppin'　a　girl　makin'　her　way？　Shame　on　you！'
The　sergeant　ran　his　flashlight　beam　up　and　down　the　length　of　her　body　as　it　clung　to　me。　I　smiled　the　inane　smile　of　the　lucky　or
well…oiled。
He　snapped　the　light　off。　'Sorry　to　interrupt　you；　miss。'　The　door　closed　and　the　arbites　thumped　away。
I　looked　down　at　Bequin　with　a　wink。　'Good　improvisation；'　I　said。
She　leapt　off　me　and　grabbed　her　clothes。　'Don't　get　any　funny　ideas；　Gregor！'
I'D　HAD　FUNNY　ideas　about　her　for　years；　truth　be　told。　She　was　beautiful　and　sublimely　sexy。　But　she　was　also　an　untouchable。　It　hurt
me　to　be　close　to　her；　physically　hurt。
I　hate　that　fact。　I　feel　a　lot　for　Bequin　and　I　long　to　be　with　her；　but　it　was　never　going　to　happen。　Never；　ever。
That's　one　of　the　truly　great　sadnesses　of　my　life。
And　hers　too；　I　hope；　in　my　more　self…aggrandising　moments。
I　lay　in　bed　and　watched　her　drag　on　her　dress　again；　and　I　felt　the　pang　of　desire。
But　there　was　no　way。　No　way　in　the　galaxy。
She　was　untouchable。　I　was　a　psyker。
That　way　pain　and　madness　lay。

TEN
RUMINATIONS　ON　LYKO。
THE　CHEW〢FTER。
THE　HIGHEST　BIDDER。
TUMULTUOUS　SAP…STORMS　hammered　the　twist…town　in　the　pre…dawn；　blanketing　the　sky　with　swirling　vapours　and　shaking　the　tiles
and　shutters　with　the　gross　weight　of　their　heavy　pelting　goop。　Thunder　rolled。　In　the　aftermath；　veils　of　mist　swathed　the　countryside；
and　the　stillness　was　alive　with　gurgling　and　dripping　and　the　swarming　scurry　of　sap…lice　and　storm…bugs。
Nayl　went　out　early　with　Aemos　and　bought　paper　pails　of　warm　food　from　the　twist…town　commissary　just　down　the　street；　which
was　already　serving　the　work　lines　forming　for　the　shift　change　in　the　mills。　By　the　time　they　returned；　we　had　been　joined　by　Inshabel
and　Husmaan；　who　had　slept　through　the　night's　altercation　with　the　arbites　in　a　shared　room　down　the　hall。
I'd　yet　to　formally　notify　the　ordo　that　Inshabel　had　joined　my　band；　but　he　was　now　very　much　part　of　it。　I　felt　he　had　the　right　to　be
here　on　this　mission；　for　Roban's　sake；　and　for　his　own。　He　had　brought　the　news　of　Esarhaddon　to　me；　directly　and　selflessly。　Few　of
my　team　yet　referred　to　him　by　his　rank　…　it　would　be　a　long　while　until　anyone　eclipsed　the　memory　of　Interrogator　Ravenor　…　but　he
had　meshed　well；　with　his　bright　mind　and　healthy；　caustic　wit。　He　was　already　providing　me　with　more　solid　service　than　Alain　von
Baigg　had　ever　managed。
Duj　Husmaan　had　been　a　skin…hunter　on　his　homeworld　of　Windhover　when　Harlon　Nayl　had　first　met　him。　That　was　back　in　Nayl's
bounty…chasing　days；　before　he'd　joined　my　cause。　I'd　recruited　Husmaan　eight　years　before　on　Nayl's　recommendation；　and　he'd
proved　to　be　a　resourceful；　if　superstitious；　warrior　with　a　great　sense　for　pathfinding。　Nayl　had　personally　selected　him　from　the
individuals　in　my　retinue　as　muscle　for　this　venture；　and　I　had　no　quibble　with　the　choice。
Husmaan　was　a　slender　man　of　medium　height　with　coppery　skin　and　white；　sun…scorched　hair　and　goatee。　Here　on　Eechan；　like　all　of
us；　he'd　drabbed　down　his　clothing　to　ragged　black　twist　robes。　He　ignored　the　bundle　of　disposable　wooden　forks　that　Aemos　had
brought　back　from　the　commissary　and　started　to　eat　the　hot　food　from　his　paper　pail　with　his　fingers。
I　picked　at　my　own　food　idly；　wondering　how　close　we　were　to　Lyko。
LYKO　HAD　BEEN　a　fool　and　had　damned　himself。　The　damaging　revelation　that　it　hadn't　been　Esarhaddon　who　had　been　torched　on　the
lawns　of　the　Lange　palace　could　have　been　circumvented　if　Lyko　had　kept　his　head。　He　could　have　claimed　it　a　mistake；　another
example　of　the　heretic　psyker's　treachery。
But　Lyko　had　run。　Out　of　fear；　or　chasing　some　timetable；　I　didn't　know。　But　he'd　run　and；　in　so　doing；　incriminated　himself。
I'd　gone　to　his　residence；　a　rented　hab　high　in　the　spires　of　Hive　Ten；　the　moment　Inshabel　had　alerted　me　to　the　deceit。　But　Lyko　had
cleared　out；　taking　his　people　with　him。　His　hab　was　empty　and　abandoned；　with　just　a　few　scatterings　of　trash　left　behind　in　the
stripped　rooms。
I　had　set　my　staff　to　work　tracing　him；　a　tall　order　given　the　planet…wide　data…access　problems　in　the　wake　of　the　rioting。　I　had　decided
almost　at　once　to　pursue　him　alone；　without　informing　the　Inquisition。　You　may　see　this　as　odd；　almost　reckless。　In　a　way；　it　was。　But
Lyko　was　an　inquisitor　of　good　repute；　held　in　high　regard；　and　with　many　friends。　There　was　scant　chance　I　could　tell　the　ordos　I　was
undertaking　a　hunt　for　him　on　the　basis　he　was　harbouring　a　notorious　rogue　psyker　without　the　fact　reaching　him；　or　without　his
friends　making　trouble　for　me。
Those　friends　of　his；　of　course；　included　Heldane　and　Commodus　Voke：　the　stalwart　trio　that　had　captured　the　thirty…three　rogues　on
Dolsene　in　the　first　place。　How　empty　that　''heroic''　action　now　seemed　to　me。　I　had　been　so　impressed　when　Lord　Rorken　had　shown
me　the　report。　Perhaps　the　''capture''　had　been　easy；　or　even　staged；　if　Lyko　was　secretly　in　league　with　Esarhaddon。　Perhaps　it　had　all
been　part　of　an　elaborate　conspiracy　to　perpetrate　the　atrocity　of　Hive　Primaris。
I　was　dogged　by　grim；　unanswerable　speculations。　I　had　no　way　to　prove　Lyko　was　corrupt；　not　even　now；　though　I　certainly
suspected　it。　He　might　have　been　an　unwitting　pawn　on　Dolsene；　or　at　the　Lange　palace；　or　he　might　have　been　in　it　all　along。　It　was
possible　too　that　his　departure　from　Thracian　was　a　coincidence　that　I　had　misinterpreted。　It　wouldn't　have　been　the　first　time　an
inquisitor　had　moved　undercover　without　announcement。
It　was　even　possible　that　he　too　had　discovered　the　deceit　after　the　event；　and　was　moving　fast　following　some　lead　to　make　amends
for　his　mistake。　Or　that　he　was　fleeing　the　shame…　or…
So　many　possibilities。　I　had　to　play　the　odds　the　safest　way。　I　was　sure　Lyko　was　guilty　to　a　greater　or　lesser　extent；　so　I　would　follow
him。　Even　if　he　was　simply　chasing　Esarhaddon　too；　it　would　lead　me　in　the　right　direction。
And　I　couldn't　inform　the　Inquisition；　or　talk　to　Voke　or　Heldane。　My　uncertainty　was　such　that　I　couldn't　even　trust　them　not　to　be
part　of　it。
A　COMPLEX　TRAIL　of　almost　subliminal　clues　had　put　me　on　his　tail。　I'll　spare　you　the　bulk　of　the　details；　for　they　would　merely
document　the　painstaking　tedium　that　is　often　the　better　part　of　an　inquisitor's　work。　Suffice　to　say；　we　searched　and　processed　vox
logs；　and　the　broadcast　archives　of　the　local　and　planetary　astropathic　guilds。　We　watched　ship　transfers；　orbital　traffic；　departure　lists；

cargo　movements。　I　had　personnel　in　the　streets；　watching　key　locations；　asking　off…the…record　questions　in　trader　bars；　calling　in
favours　from　friends　of　friends；　acquaintances　of　acquaintances；　even　one　or　too　old　adversaries。　I　hired　trackers　and　bloodhounders；
and　took　every　scent　trace　I　could　from　Lyko's　apartment。　I　had　pheromone　codes　programmed　into　servitor　skulls　that　I　released　into
up…ports　and　orbital　stations。
I　had　well　over　a　hundred　personnel　on　my　staff；　many　of　them　trained　hunters；　researchers　or　surveillancers；　but　I　swear　the　sheer
load　of　data　would　have　burned　out　our　brains。
We　would　have　failed　without　Aemos。　My　old　savant　simply　rose　to　the　challenge；　never　put　off；　never　fatigued；　his　mind　soaking　in
more　and　more　information　and　making　a　thousand　mental　cross　checks　and　comparisons　every　hour；　tasks　I　couldn't　have　managed　in
a　day　with　a　codifier　engine　and　a　datascope。
He　seemed；　damn　his　old　bones；　to　enjoy　it。
The　clues　came　in；　one　by　one。　A　shipment　of　cargo　put　into　long…term　storage　in　a　holding　house　in　Hive　Eight　and　paid　for　by　a
debit　transfer　from　one　of　Lyko's　known　associates。　A　two…second　pheromone　trace　in　the　departure　halls　of　a　commercial　port　down
on　the　coast　at　Far　Hive　Beta。　A　fuzzy　image　captured　from　a　Munitorium　pict…watcher　on　the　streets　of　Hive　Primaris。
A　passenger　on　a　manifest　listing　making　an　unnecessary　number　of　interconnecting　flights　between　up…ports　before　moving　off
planet；　as　if　trying　to　lose　pursuit。
Then　the　key　ones：　a　cursory　excise　exam　of　freight　that　registered　the　presence　of　psi…baffling　equipment　in　an　off…wo　rid　shipment。
A　series　of　clumsily　disg