Free Into Everywhere by Paul McAuley Page A

uncle, rail-thin and straight-backed, was dressed in severe black, saying, ‘We accept that the stromatolite code is ancient. And we accept that it may have some small commercial value. But there is no evidence that it has anything to do with finding a cure for sleepy sickness, and the idea that it does was advanced by a man who turned out to be a traitor.’
    ‘It wasn’t entirely his idea,’ Tony said. ‘It’s widely held that the various kinds of Elder Culture code have a common root.’
    ‘Quite,’ Opeyemi said. ‘The idea he sold you was not even his. And then he sold you out.’
    ‘We can’t be certain of that,’ Tony said, ‘because you had him killed before I could put him to the question.’
    ‘Mr Askia determined that it was necessary to eliminate the traitor before he could do more damage,’ Opeyemi said. ‘I agree with that decision, as does the rest of the council. And we have also agreed that his death has put an end to the matter.’
    ‘You decided all that before consulting me,’ Tony said, with chilly dismay.
    ‘There has been much discussion about the mission and its unfortunate termination,’ Ayo said. ‘The council has concluded that it represents a considerable risk, and has come to a decision as to how that risk should be managed. The point of this meeting is not to assign blame to you or to anyone else, but to explain that decision to you.’
    ‘A hundred days,’ Avon said.
    ‘A hundred days?’ Tony said.
    ‘It has been decided that if examination of the stromatolites yields nothing useful in a hundred days, our support for it will be terminated,’ Avon said.
    ‘Then you may as well terminate it now,’ Tony said. ‘Because unravelling the code will not be easy. We knew that from the beginning. That is why our contract promised to give the wizards open-ended support. A hundred days will not be anywhere near long enough.’
    ‘There was a strong argument that we should have nothing more to do with it,’ Ayo said, ‘but we reached a compromise.’
    ‘If your wizards fail to discover anything useful after a hundred days, they will be returned to Dry Salvages, where they can continue their work in any way they see fit,’ Avon said. ‘I have drawn up an addendum to the contract. It is actually quite generous. We still expect to share in the profits from any commercial application, but that share will be reduced pro rata, reflecting the reduction in our support.’
    ‘We are certain that Raqle Thornhilde will agree,’ Felicia said. ‘After all, it is an opportunity for her to increase her share of any profits by increasing her support.’
    ‘This is the person who may have betrayed us,’ Tony said.
    ‘We know who betrayed us,’ Opeyemi said. ‘And it was not the broker.’
    ‘It’s a question of balancing the investment we have already made with the increased risk of exposure,’ Socrates said.
    ‘This meddling in things unknown and potentially dangerous is exactly the kind of behaviour that could attract the attention of the police,’ Felicia said. ‘Especially as your so-called claim jumpers know about it.’
    ‘A hundred days is recklessly generous,’ Opeyemi said. ‘It’s my opinion that we should destroy those stromatolites now. You’re lucky that some on the council hope to salvage a little profit from this farrago.’
    Avon said, ‘We have a contract with the wizards and the broker. This is the best compromise.’
    ‘Yes, yes,’ Opeyemi said, irritated by the reminder of an argument he had lost, giving Tony a stern look across the polished tabletop. ‘You can make amends for your foolishness, nephew, by making sure that those wizards of yours do not cause any more trouble. If they let loose something that overturns everything we have done to rebuild our standing in the Commons I can assure you that you will learn the true meaning of trouble.’
    ‘I see,’ Tony said.
    He knew now that Opeyemi had taken advantage of the adventure on the slime