When Xen finally did call, I''d hoped perhaps enough time had passed for me to play innocent.


    Korr had given me the news a few days ago. I''d done more research since then, on Xen, on Beatrice Korr, and on the Gerondian in the picture. Nothing I found out about Xen and Beatrice confirmed what he''d alleged, but none of it contradicted it either. My new friend, Yellegiad, the four-armed librarian, was only able to furnish me with a few details of Xen''s life, as well as confirming for me that the Gerondian woman in the picture was M. A. Excelsa.


    I did not enlighten them for now on the fact that M. A. Excelsa was none other than my world''s greatest war criminal, L. A. Helianthe.


    In the interim, I''d made up my mind on how to talk to Xen. Perhaps Xen was not guilty, but perhaps Xen was. And if that was the case, what did that mean, both for Xen, and for myself?


    One, Xen had come to me playing the damsel, but in fact had used me to effect an escape. That in itself was not a crime, but leaving the details as to why I shouldn''t help Xen out implicated me in Xen''s past crimes, if true.


    Two, Xen knew all about my hunt for Lisia, and that my latest clues had led me to M. A. Excelsa. So if Xen knew they were one and the same, Xen was choosing to keep that information from me. Why? I didn''t know yet, but the answer could not be good.


    Three, I had left Xen with my poor defenceless grandmother. Well, not completely defenceless, really. Gran could take care of herself. But I was still not happy at all about that, bringing Xen into my family, being taken for a fool - if indeed I had been.


    And four, we''d slept together. My feelings were a mess. No matter whether Xen was innocent or not of all the above points, I was in no position to be objective, but that was exactly what I needed to be.


    So I decided I would play my cards close to my chest for now. Pretend everything was all right between us, and that I was still the concerned friend. More than friend, possibly.


    "Marys?" It was not Xen who greeted me on the data screen, but Lumii. "It''s so good to see you." Her bright beaming smile was so genuine-looking. I wanted to believe it.


    "You too... Lumii. How have you been?"


    "Fine, fine. Bored, really. There''s not a lot to do here. I''ve been helping your Gran to clean the ceilings though."


    "Oh, good. That''s really sweet of you. She''s always banging on about how dirty they get, and what a pain they are to clean."


    "And how have you been?"


    "Oh, you know. Trucking along."


    "Found out anymore about the Wilt?"


    "Ah, the WIlt. In all honesty, no. I''ve been too busy looking up things about Lisia Astrantia Helianthe." I watched Lumii''s face as I said, "A.K.A. Monarda Aracea Excelsa."


    Nothing. No change, not even a blink of a projected eye. "Hmm," Lumii mused, "I''ve been wondering why Frod was so keen on you investigating them in the first place. Sure, Teg seems connected to them through the lawyer, but what''s that got to do with you? Or me? Does he think Teg murdered me to help the Wilt in some way? I don''t get it."


    "Me neither. I think he''s just trying to use me as extra muscle. Unpaid muscle, at that. Which is why I''ve been sticking to my own investigation and not giving the WIlt the time of day. Speaking of investigating, have you managed to get anything useful out of Gran?"


    Lumii shook her head, electric blue hair bobbing from side to side. "Sorry, no. She''s tight-lipped, your Gran. A hard woman to get to know. Kind though."


    I nodded and sighed. It was impossible to tell if Lumii had even been really trying, or if this was just my wheels getting spun.


    "I miss you." The voice and face were Xen''s again, under the pink skin and blue hair. I nodded, and tried to find the strength to say it back. It was true, despite the suspicions running through my head. I did miss Xen. Before I could speak, Xen averted Xen''s eyes and mumbled, "I miss me too. I can''t wait to get to be myself one day. Hopefully soon."


    "Yeah, hopefully."


    "Well, I had better go. I hear Gran calling. Take care of yourself, Marys. Don''t get hurt while I''m gone, okay?"


    "You too."


    Xen hung up before I could. I didn''t think beforehand about how terrible it would feel, lying to Xen.


    Without Xen right here, everything felt so different. Like the shine had come off the world, revealing something rotten underneath.


    ---


    It was another slow day in the historical archives, a few days after that call. Yellegiad had done all they could to help me. They had to help other people too. So I sat in the stacks, finally resorting to looking into the Wilt. I supposed I ought to do it, if not for Frod, then for Black Rose''s sake. After all, she seemed to look out for me. If I could dig up some dirt on her enemies, maybe I could help her out in return.


    Three espressos deep, a realisation came to me. Embarrassing that I hadn''t noticed it before, really.


    All the members of the Wilt would have been here on the Thorn at the same time as M. A. Excelsa. They were all old guard. Not only that, but Black Rose had to have been here at the same time too.


    Perhaps through investigating them, I might come across more information on the fate of Lisia. Or, if I did well in helping her, Black Rose would grant me the boon of a conversation, and she could point me in the right direction.


    I set about my homework from Frod with greater fervour after that.


    Deep into the afternoon, on the artificial time of this timeless station, I was disturbed from my piles of research by the heavy clomp of boots. I looked up to find Frod himself staring at me.


    "Ah. Good to see you''re following up those leads I gave you, Sophora."


    "Yeah... I don''t know where it''s all leading exactly, but I''m building profiles of all those guys you asked for. And it''s revealing stuff about the past of this station. Tell me... you were around, weren''t you? Around twenty-five years ago."


    He puffed up, putting his thumbs through the loops of the belt of his blue-grey stat sec suit. "Yes, I''ve served the people of the Thorn for the last forty years almost. Why do you ask?"


    "Do you remember someone called M. A. Excelsa? Used to run an Gerondian goods store on -"


    "Yes, I remember her. Why?"


    He''d gone stiff and answered in a much slower way than his previous manner. How odd. I looked him up and down and tried to puzzle it out. Was there something special to him about this M. A. Excelsa? If I said she was Lisia, would he a) care or b) get defensive and clam up?


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    "Do you know where she is these days?"


    "Why?"


    I narrowed my eyes, and so did he. "So... you do know where she is..."


    He smirked, then leaned forward and lowered his voice. "And you don''t know what you don''t know, Sophora. So best leave it be, if I were you."


    Right. That was it. He was acting all superior. Acting like he had something to protect. Or someone. Maybe he''d kept in touch with her after her business went under, wherever she was now in the galaxy. If anything, I''d guess he was somewhat sweet on her.


    "Frod, do me a favour, when you get back to your desk. Look up this person in Gerondian history: Lisia Astrantia Helianthe. Oh, and make sure you find a picture of her too. I''m sure you''ll find it all very revealing."


    From the confusion on his face, I took it to mean he had no idea of his friend M. A. Excelsa''s dark past. So be it. Time for his illusions to be shattered.


    He snapped back to his more officious manner. "Ah, speaking of my desk, that''s where I just came from, to find you specifically."


    "To what do I owe the pleasure?"


    "I thought you ought to know, Teg Korr is about to move on."


    "Oh good. Excellent, actually. Thank you for letting me know in person."


    "Funny, actually, that you should bring up Gerodia."


    The back of my neck prickled with a sudden chill. "Why funny?"


    "Because that''s where he''s gone. He just flew out a couple of hours ago."


    Frod walked away, leaving me as still as a statue, not breathing.


    Korr. On Gerondia.


    To let him catch Xen? To see how the chips may fall? If Xen was guilty...


    No. No way was I going to let that happen, even if Xen was what he said Xen was. That wasn''t justice.


    I ran all the way to the elevator shaft, ignoring all the librarians who yelled at me to stop running, banging the elevator walls in my impatience, pelting the length of the Atrium balcony to my corridor, to my office. My fingers fumbled the data screen controls in my haste. I inhaled, exhaled, controlled myself, dialled more accurately.


    Lumii picked up.


    "Xen, you need to get out of there. Teg is coming. Tell Gran, she''s got a to-go kit in a closet." Good old Gran, always prepared for everything since the civil war turned our lives upside down.


    Xen was frozen on the other end of the screen. I wasn''t sure if the signal had cut, or what. Then Xen nodded. "Understood."


    The signal was cut that time, and I stared at a blank screen. I stood there, all action and fury, lost in the silence.


    Should I go to Gerondia?


    No, that wouldn''t be helpful.


    In this case, all I could do was sit and wait.


    ---


    It was nine hours later when the banging I''d expected rang from my office door through to my bedroom.


    Well, usually I''d expect the doorbell, but this time I was hearing doorbell and banging of fists all at once. It felt appropriate, given the circumstances.


    I hadn’t been sleeping. How could I sleep with this hanging over my head? I shrugged on my coat and answered the door. Xen fell into my arms, and pushed me back into the room, away from the corridor.


    "Is it safe?" Xen whispered, the sound a low and sweet blade cutting through the monotony of the station air systems.


    "I don''t know. But Teg Korr couldn''t be back by now, even if he turned straight around again after Gerondia. You made it, I''m so glad -"


    "Your Gran came with me." The words made no sense, because Xen wasn''t smiling, and Gran wasn''t with her.


    "Why did she come? She didn''t have to come."


    "She wanted to make sure I''d be all right."


    "So where is she?"


    "In stat sec."


    "What? Why?"


    "She was arrested by customs."


    "But why?" I exploded, running out of breath.


    "I don''t know. Frod only let me come to tell you because I begged and... and I think he might have figured out who I am."


    I gripped Xen''s arms to steady us both. "Well, we can deal with that later. For now, I need to go and find out why Frod''s imprisoned my grandmother."


    "I''m coming too."


    I eyed Xen up and down. Xen was still in the Lumii disguise, and Korr was off-station. It couldn''t hurt. And maybe I ought to be taking Xen everywhere with me, to gauge Xen''s reactions, Xen''s guilt. "Okay. Yes, I think that should be fine."


    I went for the door, but Xen pulled me back. "You need your documentation."


    "Pardon?"


    "Frod told me to say to you, he wants you to show up with your identification documents."


    I could only stare at Xen, bewildered. My Gran was in jail, and that bastard Frod wanted to torture me with more bureaucracy? I swore my head off as I stormed back into my back rooms, fished out the ID I''d had since birth, and then with Xen, I went marching to stat sec.


    Frod was waiting in the reception for us, and he looked worried. It didn''t occur to me that such behaviour from him was strange; I just thrust my ID in his direction. "Here, you wanted this? So can I see my grandmother now, you scum-sucking fascist?"


    He completely ignored my outrage and calmly - sadly, even - perused my ID. "It''s as I thought," he muttered, then beckoned for us to follow.


    I stomped after him, through the cubicles, past his office, and into the cells.


    Gran was in the nearest one, sitting regally on the basic bed with a thin mattress and no sheets, behind a glowing purple forcefield. Her red hair was out of its bun, hanging lank and thin over her knobbly grainy shoulders.


    "Gran!" I cried out, my voice sounding childlike in my ears. "Gran, are you all right?"


    She wouldn''t even look at me.


    I rounded on Frod. "Just who do you think you are, caging up innocent old women, you -"


    "Now, now, Sophora." He batted his hands between us to signal me to calm down. I''d never calm, but I would at least hear him out. He paused, and his face paled, the deep brown going a little grey. "... Marys." He seemed deeply uncomfortable for some reason at saying my name. I didn''t know why he''d bother saying it, in that case. Instead, he landed on, "... Detective," and seemed much happier for it. "There is a reason. Your grandmother''s documentation was flagged as forged coming into the station."


    "Forged... that''s ridiculous. She''s my grandmother, she''s not some galactic criminal."


    "Nevertheless, the documents are forged. I examined them myself."


    My lungs struggled to keep up with my rage. "Well... well, maybe she lost her original documents in the war! You know my planet went through a brutal civil war. Can''t you have a pittance of mercy, you officious, boring old -"


    "Marys, shut up, or I''ll lock you in a cell if that''s what it takes." I gritted my teeth, and he continued, "I got in touch with the Gerondian Embassy. They have no record of a Sophora Monarda Excelsa from Ligustrum."


    "She''s right here! That''s her name -"


    "No, it isn''t, Detective. Your grandmother is not who she says she is."


    I turned back to Gran. She still wasn''t looking at me. I went as close as I could, until the forcefield was humming with energy just in front of my nose. "Gran? Gran. ... Gran, look at me. Gran?" Nothing. She turned away and faced the wall. "Gran, if your name is Sophora Monarda Excelsa, please just acknowledge me. Anything, Gran. I''ll believe you if you say so."


    She stayed where she was.


    The station air wasn''t enough anymore. I reeled back a step, and waited for my lungs to work again.


    When they finally let me breathe again, I stormed off. I had to get out of there. I didn''t want to start yelling in front of my grandmother, not with the choice words I had to say.


    Frod caught up with me and put a hand on my shoulder. "I swear, Frod, let me go or I''ll -"


    "There''s more you need to know," he growled, and removed his hand from me. "I''m sorry, Detective. Either you already know this, or it will be something of a blow to you, I imagine."


    "What?" I snarled.


    "You don''t exist either."


    My mouth froze in an open position. Xen moved in to touch my arm. In that moment, I couldn''t decide whether to snatch my arm away or to lean into Xen. "What do you mean?"


    "This ID is faked too. It''s a very good fake, which is why it''s gotten past customs a number of times already. But the Embassy does not recognize anyone called Amaryllis Aracea Sophora."


    "But I... I''m me. That is me."


    "I''m sorry, Detective. Whenever your grandmother faked her identity, it would seem she faked yours at the same time. Unless you''re a very good liar, I''m assuming this happened without your knowledge, when you were a small child."


    I sagged into Xen. Xen caught me.


    Frod pocketed my ID. "I''m sorry, Detective."


    ---


    Which, the seed?


    Where, the bed?


    Who, the root?


    Who, the stem?


    Amaryllis, petal one of how many?