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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