The room they entered was not the large, imposing boardroom they were expecting. Ten simple black leather chairs surrounded an oval table of dark grained wood. Malachi noticed projectors built into the corner of the room.

There were no windows.

Artwork on the two longest walls depicted scenes of nature, verdant forests, lagoons and starscapes, and the wall opposite the doorway had been entirely given over to a Mercator projection image of a blue-green planet. Any clouds had been digitally removed.

Two giant landmasses filled the northern hemisphere, while islands and smaller continents dominated the lower right quadrant of the map. A thin strip of white and green filled the lower edge of the picture.

'What planet is that?' Ellie asked.

'It's earth! Old earth. I've seen pictures,' said Tila.

'That's earth? Do you remember much about it? What are those continents, for example?' said Malachi.

'I think so. This big one on the top left is the um, something states of America and Canadia. Feudal states? No, Federal states? I don't remember. Below that was the South American Coalition. Over the sea here was the West African Union, and above that the uh...uh—'

'The European Alliance of Independent Nations which formed 217 years ago. It replaced the former European Union which had unravelled as its member once again placed a greater value on their individual freedoms than they did on their opportunity to present a united front to counter the economic threat they perceived was being made by a united Africa.'

As one they turned to see who this new speaker was, and found before them a slender Japanese man, as tall as Tila, walking with a thin black cane and dressed in an impeccable suit.

'They realised they were wrong, of course, when the nations of south-east Asia developed stronger ties with the South American Coalition, and they upended four hundred years of global dominance of the northern hemisphere. Forgive me,' he continued, flashing a disarming smile, 'But earth history fascinates me, at least the part after the dark ages of the nineteenth century.' He clasped his hands behind his back as he entered the room proper to stand beside them, still studying the wall. 'Ten billion people called earth home before the great divide. Who knows what they might have learned in the last two centuries or what new secrets they discovered while we fought amongst ourselves for survival?'

'Mr Conway-' Tila began, but the man held up a hand.

'My apologies, but I am not Alastair Conway. He will be here momentarily. My name is Toma Yoshihiro. I am Mr Conway's personal aide, and am here to ensure that if you must wait, you may wait in comfort. May I offer you some tea?'

'Mr Conway is coming to see us?' said Tila.

'Please, sit down. Be comfortable. Yes, Mr Conway is on his way.'

'But he is really to see us,' Tila repeated.

Again, the disarming smile.

'Mr Conway will be here soon and looks forward to speaking with you personally.'

They took their seats in silence, exchanging glances, each wondering why this reception was so different to the others they had received that day. It was welcome, but unexpected. Malachi broke the uncomfortable silence.

'Ten billion? On one planet? The whole Commonwealth is less than that.'

Mr Yoshihiro opened a small cabinet of polished wood and retrieved a tray, already set with small cups, an iron teapot and a round object wrapped in an embroidered cloth of black silk. Next to them lay small silver spoons and a short metal pick with an ivory grip. A small green jewel, the same colour as the embroidery, set into the grip winked at them. The teapot he filled with water from a crystal jug and set it upon a portable heater. Tila could feel the glow of the heater on her bare arms.

'How did they feed so many people?' said Ellie.

'They could not.'

'I'm not surprised, no planet can support that many people,' said Malachi.

'Untrue, but a common belief,' said Mr Yoshihiro. The real problem was distribution, not production. With the right technology and efficient use of resources, Earth could have sustained more than twelve billion.'

'Earth never had twelve billion people,' said Tila. Then unsure she added, 'did it?'

'It did not. They had the right technology, but misused it. The neo-capitalist ideology that drove their society was unsustainable. We have the same problems now that we used to have back then, except of course that now our problems are spread across a dozen worlds. History repeats, it seems. If I may take the liberty of adapting an old saying, there is nothing new under the suns.'

Their host unwrapped the cloth to reveal a brick of tea. He held the pick and stabbed the tightly packed leaves with quick and highly precise movements. Mr Yoshihiro lifted the lid of the iron pot and glanced inside. Tiny bubbles of air the size of a crab's eye were forming on the metal bottom. Satisfied with what he saw, he gathered the broken leaves, dropped them into the water and carefully folded the cloth around the remainder of the brick.

'What happened to everyone on earth?' Ellie asked.

Mr Yoshihiro arranged the cups before him and dropped the leaves into the now steaming pot. 'Nothing happened. We lost contact with them and so I imagine they went about their lives without us.' He inclined his head toward Tila. 'With respect, in much the same way as life here carried on after the tragic loss of the mission led by your mother.'

Tila leaned forward, elbows on the desk. 'Does Mr Conway know we have new information about what happened to the mission?'

'He does. He would not be here otherwise. Mr Conway is an extremely busy man.'

'So, don't waste my time,' croaked a voice from the doorway.

The trio turned to face the new speaker while Mr Yoshihiro poured the tea. Where his aide exuded confidence and power, Conway hobbled into the room, leaning on a gnarly walking stick of his own. The hand that clutched the top of the stick was all clawed knuckles and liver spots and pale, almost white, skin. White wisps of hair poked out from under a hat like smoke from a chimney.

'Tea, Mr Conway?' asked his aide.

'If it doesn't taste like crap I'll drink it.' Conway raised a handkerchief to his mouth just in time to prevent a wet, phlegmy cough from exploding across the room. He reached a chair at the head of the table and lowered himself into it, slowly at first, the effort visible on his face. Then he gave up and fell heavily into the seat. He rested his cane against the table edge, downed the tea in one mouthful and coughed again.

He looked only at Tila and ignored Ellie and Malachi.

Tila looked back, uncertain if he was waiting for her to speak. After the first awkward seconds of silence had passed she decided she must. 'Mr Conway—'

Conway interrupted at once. 'You are here about the expedition.'

'Yes. We—'

'Because you have some information?'

'That's right. I—'

'Who put you up to this?' Conway stared at Tila, then the others, for just a fraction longer than was comfortable.

She noticed now that he had a look of permanent irritation as if he was the one being interrupted. Malachi held his gaze for a moment then gave a nervous cough and looked away. Ellie blushed and Tila could hear her feet tapping together in the way she did when she was nervous. Tila's gaze almost wavered too when her turn came, but she refused to be cowed.

I've travelled between stars to see this man. I'm not going to crumble because he looked at me for a few seconds.

'No one. We—'

'Was it Suleman?'

'It—'

'Harrington, then?'

Tila could feel her impatience growing. Why ask a question if you don't want to hear the answer?

'Why did Harrington ask you to come here?'

'He didn't! I—'

'So, it was Suleman...'

'I've had enough of this. Why did you agree to meet with us if you won't listen to what we have to say?' Tila said quickly.

Conway's face became somehow even more sour. He's playing a game, Tila realised. He's trying to keep us off balance, to force us to make a mistake. This man is a fighter, and this is his battlefield.

'How dare—'

'You? Is that what you were going to say? How dare you interrupt me?' If this conversation was going to be a fight, then she was going to step up. 'No one sent us.'

The old man sneered. He looked up at his aide who was standing at the back of the room, behind Tila. Some unspoken message passed between them, Tila noticed, and then Conway's attention was back on her.

'Then tell me, young lady. Where are you from, why are you here, and why should I listen to you?'

Tila led the way while the others assisted. She detailed the events of their story from the discovery of the cabin and the retrieval of the data chip. Malachi took over from there, explaining how they had discovered the data-logs which led them to the conclusion that Far Horizon had survived the colony mission jump, and was possibly still out there.

Conway held her gaze with only the occasional glance behind her to Mr Yoshihiro. Tila wished she knew what those glances meant. She turned around twice, hoping to see some clue in Yoshihiro's face, but each time he merely inclined his head to her as if he was ready only to serve her needs.

'Miss Vasquez, is it?' Conway said when they had finished. 'That's quite a coincidence.'

'It's no coincidence. My mother was the captain of the Rising Star.'

'Your mother, the captain, had final responsibility for the entire operation. The failure of the colony mission was her failure. It was her fault.'

'But it didn't fail! That's what I've been telling you. I can prove it. Malachi?'

Malachi placed the precious data chip on the table and slid it over to Conway.

'Just look at it. Everything we know is on there,' said Tila.

At the appearance of the chip Conway quickly glanced once more at the man behind her. And this time, Mr Yoshihiro, who had been otherwise silent during their tale, audibly moved. Tila spun in her seat. This time she caught the vestiges of surprise on his face, and then it was gone.

'Check it out,' said Conway. Mr Yoshihiro reached between Tila and Ellie to pick up the chip and left the room. Conway locked his gaze on Tila once more. His stare felt like another challenge, another attack.

'It wasn't my mother's fault the mission failed.'

Conway coughed into his handkerchief. 'History tells a different story, young lady,' he sneered. 'One with no happy ending, and few survivors.'

'Do you even care about the survivors? The volunteers on that mission gave up everything they had to be on those ships. The few who survived had no homes to go to.'

'And yet you, of all people, seem to have thrived in the gutter of civilised space. You have come here in a ship, you have a home, and even a paleotech artefact I'm told. What is that worth, I wonder.'

Who told him about that? 'The Juggernaut is not my home,' she said, causing Ellie to blink in surprise. Tila pointed at Malachi. 'And the ship is his. But I was lucky. Luckier than most. People had to give up citizen rights to go on that mission. They were supposed to be the first citizens of a new star. When it failed, they had nothing.'

'As you say, they were volunteers, but they knew the risks. All of them. They knew what it might cost. Your parents knew them best of all.'

'The lives don't matter? Are the credits the only cost you are concerned with?' She said, then added 'Or did your insurance pay you back for that?

Conway locked his eyes onto hers. 'You have no idea what the real cost of that mission was. You don't know what it cost me. Or you.'

Mr Yoshihiro returned at that moment with the data chip. Tila shot a triumphant glance at Conway.

Finally.

'My apologies, Miss Vasquez, but there is nothing on here that can help you.' Conway raised a quizzical eyebrow at Yoshihiro who shook his head almost imperceptibly I reply. He placed the chip on the table in front of Tila.

'What?'

'My apologies,' repeated Yoshihiro, 'But this chip cannot help you.'

'Did you even look at it?' asked Ellie.

'What do you mean, it can't help us?' added Malachi. 'The data is all there! Timestamps of fleet comms, stellar coordinates. It must mean something.'

Tila stared in turn at Conway and Yoshihiro, open-mouthed. How could this be their reaction?

'Perhaps, if there is something else you can tell us?' Yoshihiro asked, almost apologetically.

Tila picked up the chip.

'Everything is on here. Everything!' She slammed it back on the table. 'How can you ignore it? Don't you want to know what happened?'

'We do know what happened, young lady,' said Conway. 'The mission failure is a matter of public record, as is your parent's involvement in it.'

'But it wasn't their fault! This proves it wasn't their fault!'

'If you have no real information you can give me then we should draw this meeting to a close. I don't appreciate having my time wasted.'

Mr Yoshihiro stepped back and opened the door.

'We came to you for answers,' Tila pleaded. 'We came to you for help.'

'Please have a safe journey,' said Mr Yoshihiro.