Monk sat on the bridge of the Shepherd Moon and watched the approaching spacecraft on the screen. He had at first questioned the orders from Zeus that informed him a Sape was coming to join the ship. Then he'd discovered the Sape was Stefan Rix himself. Why was that necessary? Didn't Rix trust him? But after a moment he'd reconciled himself to the situation. No, of course Rix didn't trust him, just like he didn't trust Rix.

In any event, there was nothing to be done about it.

Beside him in the co-pilot's chair, Bashful was less tolerant. He had just finished a diatribe in which he injected all the venom he could, and many curse words, about what he thought of Sapes.

'Be quiet,' Monk said. 'Nothing's gained by your comments.'

'But we don't need him!' Bashful persisted, slamming his fist on the arm of the chair.

Monk blanked him out as he plotted the trajectory of Rix's ship and determined it would rendezvous in ten minutes. Not much time to make things ready. He'd ordered the ship cleaned last night: none of the other Helots, nor the two Serfs who were part of the crew, had bothered to keep the place tidy. It felt bizarre giving orders to fellow Helots—obscene, even—but the place had to be presentable. Rix would want to know that things were proceeding as he would wish them.

The kitchen was still a mess, and now largely empty of fresh food. He hoped Rix brought his own supplies with him, otherwise everyone would be living on pre-packaged goods from now on. The main living area, which encompassed a lounge and mess room and an entertainment section, had been straightened up by Sissy and another female, Pansy. The slave deck was reasonable. It was on the other side of the ship from the three Sapes' cabins. Those cabins alone were a similar-sized area to the space ten Helots had shared. The Helots avoided the slave deck now except for Creeper, who lorded over his own small empire, enjoying the space all to himself. Sissy and Monk had moved into the cabin that had belonged to Van Yang. Pansy had also paired up with a thick-headed, long-armed brute known as Gibbon. The amount of noise they made while having sex meant they were given Shana's old cabin, which was a little removed from the rest of the ship, down near the engineering bay.

It wasn't fair, of course, to still address the others by their nicknames. Gibbon's real name was Terin Parl, according to the ship's manifest. Monk had looked all their names up soon after they'd taken over the ship. Sissy was really Marla Musto, but everyone still called her Sissy. In fact they all still called each other by the nicknames the Sapes had bestowed on them. Their slave bonds were not just physical, and would take time to all drop away.

He eased himself out of the pilot's chair and walked to the door. He carried no weapon, not even one of the harpoons the Sapes had been killed with. He would show Rix he wasn't scared.

'Everyone come out here!' he announced over the ship's internal PA. 'The Sape is arriving!'

They trickled out from various parts of the ship: seven Helots, two Serfs. As soon as Sissy appeared he looked at her, and wondered secretly if she hadn't gained a little weight in the last few days. Gibbon and Pansy appeared from the kitchen where they'd been trying to clear up some of the more serious food stains. Creeper had been watching a movie in the entertainment area. He moved slowly out of the sofa he'd sprawled in and after a sharp glance from Monk turned the movie off. Four others, Lola, Sniper and the two Serfs Frank and Drummer, also arrived after a minute or two. Bashful had been ordered to stay on the bridge and co-ordinate the docking procedures.

'The gravity's too light!' said Creeper. 'I feel like I'm floating.'

It was pointless to repeat the need for the gravity to be adjusted to that of the Moon. Rix would be unable to move in anything stronger, and lighter gravity would discommode them all.

'You must all be on your best behaviour!' he ordered as they lined up. 'The visitor is a Sape, it's true, but he is working with us and must be treated as a comrade, not an enemy. It is only by his efforts we are free at all.'

Drummer summoned up a gob of spit but after Monk glared at him he was forced to swallow it again. Pansy giggled.

'That's exactly the sort of thing I mean,' said Monk. He gulped at the need to be firm with his own kind—would this infighting continue, or would the presence of another Sape cower them all into servitude once more? 'That sort of thing can be misinterpreted by Sapes. We must be on our guard.'

From the direction of the airlock came the sound of contact. Metal clamps secured the two ships together. Bashful's voice came over the PA. 'We have hard dock.'

A moment for the two ships to connect AI's, another moment for the airlock to be established, and then the inner door opened. Monk straightened up to his full one-and-a-half metres and pushed his shoulders back. It felt really uncomfortable and just as the Sape entered he hunched down again.

Stefan Rix looked different to when Monk had seen him months ago on the Moon. The man was taller, somehow, filling the small room with his thin presence. In one hand he held a small hold-all. It was the strangest thing in the world to step forward and extend a hand. Never in his life had Monk shaken a Sape's hand in welcome.

Rix looked at his offered hand for a second, then reached out and grasped it. After a moment he let go and placed his hold-all on the floor.

'Welcome aboard,' said Monk. There were a few noises from the other Helots. Pansy giggled again. 'It is an honour for you to visit us in our freedom.' He cast an eye over the gun Rix wore openly on his hip.

From somewhere behind them came several metallic thuds. Bashful's voice came over: 'The ship has undocked and is heading away. I tried to contact the crew, but there's no reply.'

'You were the only one on board?' Monk asked Rix.

'No. But it's all right.' Rix's first words filled the space, too: loud, confident. He glanced at his fone. 'Wait for it.'

Nothing seemed to happen, but then Bashful made another announcement. 'The Syndicate ship just detonated.'

All eyes turned to Rix. 'I ordered the AI to self-destruct the ship. There'll be no news of my arrival.'

Monk nodded. Sapes killed their own kind all too frequently. Helots were more reticent in that regard. Another reason to hate them.

Drummer sniffed. Monk wanted to rebuke him, but as soon as he took his next breath he noticed it too. The Sape smell that had been absent for a week had returned. Most of the former crew's possessions had been dropped into space by now, and the aroma of civilization and good living had gone with them. But now this man had arrived and brought the Sape smell back with him. It reminded Monk of too many bad things.

'What do we call you?' spoke up Sissy. 'I mean, I've never...now we are free, I mean.' The woman's bad skin flushed pink.

'I am Rix. I'm one of you—that is, I was raised by Helots on the Moon. I don't identify with Sapes, even though I am one. I've never owned a slave, never given a Helot orders, only requests. But please remember that I'm in charge.'

'Monk's in charge,' said Creeper.

Monk glared at the old man, who cast his eyes down to the floor. But a couple of the others muttered.

He turned to introduce the line of crew members and it was interesting to see Rix's attention first went to the two Serfs. They must be new to him—Monk couldn't recall if any of the new species was engaged on the Moon. He cast a slow eye over their forms but didn't reveal any thoughts.

He must have a talk with Rix alone, find out why he was here. Had there been some change to the plan? It had all been worked out long before.

'Perhaps we should have a talk,' he said when the Helots had all mumbled greetings, more or less friendly, to Rix. 'Or would you like a tour of the ship?'

'I think I'd like to have a chat first,' said Rix. 'In private.'

Monk glanced at the line of Helots. A couple appeared resentful or suspicious about Monk going off with the Sape. Sissy's face looked almost scared.

'Come to my cabin,' he said to Rix.

My cabin! What a strange thing to say.

He indicated the direction and Rix led the way with a long, slow gait. Monk found the Lunar-level gravity caused him to step almost in small jumps. It would be a long time before he became used to it. How long did Rix intend staying? Then Monk remembered the ship he'd arrived on had been destroyed. So Rix was here for good.

The cabin was small and self-contained. Sissy's clothing was strewn around—another annoying thing for Monk—and he made an effort to shunt some of the more private items into a wardrobe. Rix stood at the door with a smile on his face.

'Old habits die hard,' he said.

Monk flushed red but continued to tidy up. 'I wasn't expecting...'

Rix nodded and indicated the only chair in the room, near what had once been Van Yang's desk. All traces of the Sape had been removed, but it was still a strange feeling to sink into his chair. Monk's feet didn't reach the floor.

Rix sat on the bed. 'You can adjust it, you know.'

'What?'

'The chair. Just ask the AI.'

'I took the AI offline. It was encoded with a security lock by Van Yang. I couldn't get it to do anything.'

Why couldn't he seem to look the man in the face?

Rix stretched out his long legs, which almost reached the opposite wall. 'I'm very pleased, Monk, with how you've handled things so far.'

The voice sounded genuine. Monk decided to take it as a good sign.

'Then may I ask why you're here?'

A moment's pause, as if Rix was making his mind one last time. 'There's been a change of plan. Well, not a change, actually, the plan always was what it was meant to be. But perhaps you weren't privy to all of it.'

The cabin felt suddenly cold. 'Has Zeus...?'

'Zeus—or at least the particular sub-routine we're dealing with—is solid as ever. And its rogue pattern remains secret, too. The Nuncio Xu Chan, who was the only other person aware of its possibilities, has been eliminated.'

He'd heard about the death of the Nuncio, of course. That news had reached even out here among the asteroids. It hadn't meant much to him then.

'A year ago,' said Rix, 'the Nuncio uncovered a sub-routine in Zeus. He was the main cybertician on Lizard at the time. Don't worry where Lizard is. It exists. There was a terrorist raid on the planet. A group called the Shamah tried to destroy the mainframe. They failed, but it meant Xu Chan had to clean up the mess. While digging around in Zeus's brains he uncovered an isolated program, something buried so deep not even the rest of Zeus itself was aware of it. It meant that a person with access to the program could manipulate the immense resources of Zeus, throughout the whole galaxy, without anyone knowing. Zeus's own security protocols would protect information about what that part of it was doing. It was a logic override: Zeus would believe it had done things it really hadn't, and forget things it had. Xu Chan had no idea how the sub-routine was formed; the best he could do was say that in the trauma of the raid Zeus had written the sub-routine itself and then erased the memory of having done so. A freak of cybernetic multiple personality disorder.'

Monk glanced at the isolation switch on the room's communication panel to ensure they weren't being overheard. It wouldn't be good for any of the others to hear this.

'Xu Chan told me about it. And I decided on something that I could do with Zeus at my disposal.'

'You killed Xu Chan?'

There wasn't even a flicker of regret on Rix's face. 'It was necessary. I had to ensure that the only other person in the galaxy who knew about the sub-routine didn't tell anyone else. Xu Chan was appointed Nuncio once he finished on Lizard. I saw the opportunity. Blaming his death on Sirians was the sensible thing to do, of course.'

'Of course.'

There was a knock on the door. Rix glanced at Monk and raised one eyebrow.

'Who is it?' called Monk.

From the other side of the door came Bashful's voice. 'There's been an alert about our position. Could you check it?'

Monk went to stand up, but Rix placed a hand on his arm and shook his head.

'Something's wrong,' he said, 'but it's not with the ship.'

Of course, Rix knew their position in space, since he had just arrived on his own ship. But perhaps Bashful just wanted to talk with him about Rix. Perhaps the other Helots had been having their own chat while he and Rix were isolated. It might be best to see what was going on. He pushed Rix's hand away and stood up. As he turned to the door there came the sound of Rix drawing his gun. He looked back, and the Sape nodded, but held a finger to his lips.

Monk pressed the contact to open the door.

There was a dull thud and something struck the sleeve of Rix's jacket. At the same moment a lock of his dark hair moved by itself, as if wafted by the passage of something closed by.

Monk caught a glimpse of Bashful in the doorway. Before Monk could do anything, Rix was on his feet, diving across the room to grab Bashful. There was a moment of struggle. Monk was shoved aside back into the room as the two men fought in the doorway. Rix smashed the slave in the head with the butt of his gun. Bashful was heavier than Rix, and a lifetime of hard labour had hardened his muscles, but his opponent could move more easily in the low gravity and possessed a belligerent attitude. The brawl actually lasted only a few seconds, at the end of which Bashful had gone limp, with Rix holding him by the neck. He kept pressure on the slave's throat for a minute longer, then let go. Bashful fell like a rag doll.

Rix trained his gun on Monk, who instinctively put his hands up.

'You're idea?'

Monk shook his head. When Rix lowered the gun Monk stepped forward and knelt down beside Bashful. A harpoon gun lay on the floor beside his body; a sharpened steel bolt was embedded in the wall behind where Rix had been sitting.

He wrenched the bolt from the wall and held it out to Rix. 'This...I didn't know. It was not my idea.' He looked at Bashful's body. 'He hated Sapes. He has...dishonoured...us all.'

Rix's voice was harsh, grating: 'Listen to me! Any further attempts on my life will be met the same way. Do you understand? If anyone gets out of line, they will be dealt with!'

Monk nodded. It was all he could do. 'Bashful had a grudge against Sapes. I should have remembered that.' His eyes kept flicking back to the crumpled form at Rix's feet. He had been his friend, his fellow liberator of the slaves. Now Bashful was just like any other rebellious slave, dead and soon forgotten. 'It was not part of any plan. You're welcome here.'

Other Helots arrived on the scene, attracted by the nose of the struggle. They hovered outside the cabin, but could see Bashful plainly enough.

'This man is welcome here, isn't he?' Monk glared at them.

The others nodded or muttered agreement. Pansy was crying.

***

Several hours later, Rix was on the bridge with Monk. The door to the rest of the ship was closed and locked.

'They wish to keep Bashful's body on board,' Monk said. 'Until we reach a place to bury him. They don't want him just pushed out into space.'

Rix didn't seem to hear; he just stared at the control board of the ship.

'I hope,' continued Monk after a moment of silence, 'that the attempt on your life hasn't made you think we are all like that.'

'You're starting to sound pathetic,' said Rix.

Monk glared at him. 'Apologetic is what's intended. And hope that our mutually co-operative partnership has not been compromised.'

'You don't even speak like a normal Helot.'

'You know I'm not.'

With a sour grunt, Rix stood and pointed at the door. 'Should I check if anyone else is planning to murder me?'

'That won't be necessary. But perhaps...well, you were about to tell me of your plans. Your real plans. Perhaps...'

Rix shook his head. 'Too late for that now, Monk. Just obey orders, you and your crew.' He turned his attention back to the control panel. 'How does the asteroid towing system work?'

'Well, I...' He stopped speaking when Rix looked at him directly for the first time since Bashful's attempt on his life. The man was a bizarre thing: all tall, black hair, bright eyes, bony, angular. Monk might have protested further, but the image of Rix killing Bashful in front of him returned as an ugly reminder of the man's power.

What had he just asked? How the towing system worked?

'Well—' he began again.

'Don't go into details, just the broad idea.'

He did so. Although it was called an asteroid tug, the Shepherd Moon didn't have any physical connection to the asteroids. Three thrust engines were manually placed on the asteroid or comet by Helot work teams. The precise locations to put the engines depended on the shape and size of the target, which could then by moved in three dimensions by the engines. In order to keep the asteroid from colliding with the ship it was usually kept several hundred kilometres to the stern. A fourth engine, a Void unit, permitted the huge bulk to be sent faster than light to wherever it was needed.

'That's what makes the Shepherd Moon different to other tugs,' he said. 'The Void unit. Other ships have to accompany their asteroids slowly through real space. The Shepherd Moon can actually guide something the size of Shiva in a few minutes across the solar system. To place it into orbit anywhere, around the Sun or another planet, we use the AI to calculate the exact release place and time and the asteroid is let go to settle into orbit. Fine adjustments to the trajectory of the asteroid can then be made using the surface engines.'

'I'm no engineer,' said Rix, 'but it seems about the most complicated system imaginable.'

The Helot shrugged. 'That's why we rely on Zeus to make the calculations.' He hesitated, it was impossible to avoid bringing up the subject. 'The matter of Zeus...'

'Yes?'

'Can it...can it be trusted?'

Rix's fone beeped. He glanced at it and a vacant look passed over his face. Monk realised the man must have a hedfone. After a moment the man leaned forward and touched a contact on the panel in front of him. Text displayed on a screen. Monk read it and blinked.

'It's from Zeus? Someone knows our plans?'

'They know nothing,' said Rix, but he seemed to be thinking. Monk let him do so and read the text on the screen again.

Nothing could happen in the galaxy without Zeus knowing. If someone was to buy a cup of coffee in the smallest café on the furthest planet from Earth, Zeus would be told.

'What exactly are your plans?' he persisted. There was no reply. 'Perhaps if you let me know—'

'Shut up.'

Rix rose from his seat and went to the door that led to the rest of the ship. He seemed to satisfy himself it was locked.

'You have the final co-ordinates for Shiva?' he said.

'Yes. Zeus sent them a few minutes ago.'

Old fears about dependence on a Sape, and a Sape-designed AI, rose in his mind, but he tried to thrust them down. Nothing would be achieved by constant doubt. But the doubts remained. Perhaps Bashful had had the right idea, just carried it out too soon.