Immortal and immaterial in that his essence lived in a matrix of forces with even less to hold his self intact than she’d had. At least she and the others from the Diadem had the body of the wearer to remind them what they were and the limits of the field that preserved-them. Digby was, in a sense, scattered across half a hundred worlds-maybe more-with no limits, nothing but his will to avoid dissolution. What’s he up to? I see this manifestation of him, but how much of that is construct? How much is meant to reassure me and his clients?

She pulled her attention back and saw Digby waiting with exaggerated patience. “So,” she said. “Why am I here?”

“The Kliu Berej have hired Excavations Ltd. They’ve lost a Taalav Gestalt array from Pillory. The prison planet they run. Hm. Not a prisoner, a life-form native to the world. One of the weirdest I’ve ever come across. An assemblage. The various parts reproduce and grow to adulthood as separate forms, then in the last Change grow into each other to create the Gestalt. Which means to breed and grow a Taalav you need an assortment of smaller parts. Which is why they call it an array. I’ve put the information the Kliu provided in your packet, you can read the details later. Always remembering that clients have been known to lie their brains out, So don’t trust it too much.”

“They want the array returned? Sounds complicated.”

“No. They want to know where it is so they can destroy it. The Taalav extrude a crystalline substance and shape it into complex forms. The Kliu have a monopoly on those crystals and mean to keep it. They wanted the thief, too, but weren’t willing to pay double to include him in the deal, so all I, contracted to do was locate the array. And to keep the search quiet. You can see why. Once something like that happens, every jack and smuggler with delusions of grandeur will be out trying to find it himself.”