Chapter Eight
'Indeed.' Greyhaven conceded. 'Which reminds me.' He bent down and unzipped his bag.
'Are you concealing a weapon?'
'Yes,' Greyhaven said simply.
The Martian lurched at him with surprising speed, batting him out of the way. It probed the inside of the bag with a claw, lifting out what it found. Xznaal held it between powerful pincers, examining it. 'A mace?' it asked.
'The mace!' Staines exclaimed.
Xznaal swiped the air with it experimentally. 'It iss consstructed from a ssoft metal. It would disstort when ussed in combat.'
'That is not the point ... my Lord,' Staines explained. 'That is the symbol of parliamentary power in this country.'
'A ssacred object?'
'Near enough, yes,' Greyhaven said smugly.
Staines walked over to his colleague. 'Where the hell did you get it?'
'The House of Commons, Staines, naturally. You should have asked me how I got it. 'Greyhaven turned to Xznaal. 'Possession of this gives you at least some claim to political power. We will have to examine the full constitutional position.'
Staines grabbed Greyhaven's shoulder. 'What is happening here?'
Greyhaven shook him off. 'A coup d'etat,' he explained. 'With the support and assistance of a foreign power.'
Xznaal bent over Staines. 'Thiss human iss unaware of the plan?'
Greyhaven shrugged. 'The Home Secretary here knows that my followers have been plotting a coup, using Martian technology. He did not expect the creators of that technology to turn up in person. In fact, he thinks that your race is extinct.'
