province.”
“I know,” Santores acknowledged calmly. “He arrived at the Cobra station in Archway early this morning and reported for duty.”
“I see,” Barrington said stiffly. Other flag officers he’d worked with would have either dragged out the lie as long as they could or else tried to shift the blame elsewhere. At least Santores had opted for honesty. Eventually. “Do I assume you’re canceling my orders to take the Dorian to Hoibe’ryi’sarai?”
“Not at all,” Santores said. “You yourself pointed out that Broom’s sister is still unaccounted for.”
“We don’t need her,” Barrington said.
“Don’t we?” Santores countered. “Consider, Captain. Jody Broom heads for the Dome, allegedly hoping the governor-general can get her aboard a ship bound for Esquiline. When she’s intercepted, she tries to hide a device we’ve since identified as a recorder. After the Marines are ambushed, not only is Ms. Broom gone, but so is the recorder.” He cocked his head. “I for one am interested in knowing what’s on that recorder. Aren’t you?”
“I’m mildly curious, yes,” Barrington conceded. “But I was under the impression that our first priority was finding Qasama. Lorne Broom is still here. If you think the MindsEye can pull Qasama’s location out of him, why not just bring him back and put him under?”
“For how long?” Santores asked. “The six hours Captain Lij Tulu wanted?”
“I’d prefer the full week that’ll allow him to live through the procedure,” Barrington said stiffly. “Fortunately, as of now, that should be possible. With his sister’s disappearance you should be able to tag him as a material witness and announce you’ll be holding him aboard the Algonquin until Jody Broom surrenders herself.”
“I see your patron’s instructed you in the art of the convenient half-truth,” Santores said. “Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. As Colonel Reivaro said, there’s growing evidence of a conspiracy between the Aventinian government, the Cobras, and the Trofts. Lorne Broom’s open reappearance in DeVegas might be his attempt to draw our attention and make us forget about his sister. But it might equally well be his version of a challenge for us to come and get him.”
“So do it,” Barrington said, frowning. “What’s the problem?”
“The same problem we had earlier today,” Santores said, impatience creeping into his voice. “We still need Chintawa’s cooperation, and he’s made it clear that he won’t release any of the Broom family into our custody until the treason charges have been worked through. It could very well be that Lorne’s attempting to push us into trying to take over the Cobra Worlds before we have sufficient cause. If we react to his reappearance too hastily and without careful consideration, we could find ourselves having to choose between a planetary revolt or a public and embarrassing positional retreat.” He raised his eyebrows. “I have no interest in doing either.”
“Understood, sir,” Barrington said, trying without success to read what was going on behind Santores’s eyes. “I presume, then, that you’ve found another option?”
For a moment Santores’s eyes held Barrington’s. Then, to Barrington’s surprise, the commodore’s gaze drifted away. “You know, it’s really quite interesting,” he said meditatively. “I’ve been reading up on Cobra Worlds history, and it’s remarkable how often the Moreau family has ended up at or near the flashpoint of some critical moment.”
“It’s been the same with my branch of the family,” Barrington murmured, a shiver running up his back. “Am I to understand that they’re about to be the flashpoint again?”
“We’re three ships against an entire planet, Captain,” Santores reminded him. “Several planets, actually. We can’t bring Lorne Broom in for a week of interrogation against the wishes of a hostile government. We need for the government
“I know,” Santores acknowledged calmly. “He arrived at the Cobra station in Archway early this morning and reported for duty.”
“I see,” Barrington said stiffly. Other flag officers he’d worked with would have either dragged out the lie as long as they could or else tried to shift the blame elsewhere. At least Santores had opted for honesty. Eventually. “Do I assume you’re canceling my orders to take the Dorian to Hoibe’ryi’sarai?”
“Not at all,” Santores said. “You yourself pointed out that Broom’s sister is still unaccounted for.”
“We don’t need her,” Barrington said.
“Don’t we?” Santores countered. “Consider, Captain. Jody Broom heads for the Dome, allegedly hoping the governor-general can get her aboard a ship bound for Esquiline. When she’s intercepted, she tries to hide a device we’ve since identified as a recorder. After the Marines are ambushed, not only is Ms. Broom gone, but so is the recorder.” He cocked his head. “I for one am interested in knowing what’s on that recorder. Aren’t you?”
“I’m mildly curious, yes,” Barrington conceded. “But I was under the impression that our first priority was finding Qasama. Lorne Broom is still here. If you think the MindsEye can pull Qasama’s location out of him, why not just bring him back and put him under?”
“For how long?” Santores asked. “The six hours Captain Lij Tulu wanted?”
“I’d prefer the full week that’ll allow him to live through the procedure,” Barrington said stiffly. “Fortunately, as of now, that should be possible. With his sister’s disappearance you should be able to tag him as a material witness and announce you’ll be holding him aboard the Algonquin until Jody Broom surrenders herself.”
“I see your patron’s instructed you in the art of the convenient half-truth,” Santores said. “Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. As Colonel Reivaro said, there’s growing evidence of a conspiracy between the Aventinian government, the Cobras, and the Trofts. Lorne Broom’s open reappearance in DeVegas might be his attempt to draw our attention and make us forget about his sister. But it might equally well be his version of a challenge for us to come and get him.”
“So do it,” Barrington said, frowning. “What’s the problem?”
“The same problem we had earlier today,” Santores said, impatience creeping into his voice. “We still need Chintawa’s cooperation, and he’s made it clear that he won’t release any of the Broom family into our custody until the treason charges have been worked through. It could very well be that Lorne’s attempting to push us into trying to take over the Cobra Worlds before we have sufficient cause. If we react to his reappearance too hastily and without careful consideration, we could find ourselves having to choose between a planetary revolt or a public and embarrassing positional retreat.” He raised his eyebrows. “I have no interest in doing either.”
“Understood, sir,” Barrington said, trying without success to read what was going on behind Santores’s eyes. “I presume, then, that you’ve found another option?”
For a moment Santores’s eyes held Barrington’s. Then, to Barrington’s surprise, the commodore’s gaze drifted away. “You know, it’s really quite interesting,” he said meditatively. “I’ve been reading up on Cobra Worlds history, and it’s remarkable how often the Moreau family has ended up at or near the flashpoint of some critical moment.”
“It’s been the same with my branch of the family,” Barrington murmured, a shiver running up his back. “Am I to understand that they’re about to be the flashpoint again?”
“We’re three ships against an entire planet, Captain,” Santores reminded him. “Several planets, actually. We can’t bring Lorne Broom in for a week of interrogation against the wishes of a hostile government. We need for the government
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