He was not just a man who had been given a new life and a new body. He was now, he realised, an important factor in Minervan politics. Upon his behaviour the success or failure of the immortality project would depend. He already knew that the Triple-T party would like him to be declared insane. They would be looking for any aspect of his behaviour that, according to Minervan standards, could be held to be totally irrational. Having read Talbot’s Creed, he had a very good idea of what was expected of him by orthodox Minervans. He would have to be very careful for a time in what he said and did. On the other hand, it seemed reasonable to suppose that Zylonia, Manfrius de Skun and persons unknown were—temporarily, at least, on his side. They would probably go to great lengths to safeguard his interests and so preserve their immortality project. But would they be so friendly if they realised his true intentions? Idris doubted it. If they realised that he intended to do his best to break the psychological stranglehold of Minervan tradition they, too, would probably regret that he had been successfully resuscitated.
