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shall retrieve the data as the investigation
progresses.”
    “What possible motive could Frederick Casey have for
preserving data after his death?” Randol asked.
    Maxwell shrugged. “Obviously it wouldn’t help him, but
perhaps it was a mutual agreement he had established with his accomplices. There
are almost certainly more conspirators involved in this plot. A quick removal
of the evidence would facilitate their escape from justice.”
    “And what of Thorne?” Randol asked.
    “Thorne is not some sneak thief or pickpocket. He has
excellent resources and, apparently, the ability to vanish without a trace. Even
our reward money hasn’t enticed anyone to provide information concerning his
whereabouts.”
    “And why is that? How is it that a vicious pirate could win
the hearts of the common people? You’d think they’d jump at a reward,” Randol
said.
    “Either through loyalty or fear, no one seems willing to
provide credible leads.”
    “Could it be that our security personnel are bullying the
people too much and Thorne seems to offer an end to that harassment?”
    “Lord Randol, in one breath you accuse me of being too lax
in my duties and in the next you claim that I am too forceful. Could it be that
I am neither?”
    The other lords laughed. Oke stood and spoke, his voice
feminine and detached. “Well, I for one am in favor of the methods used by our
new security director. He has produced commendable results. If nothing else,
his exposure of Casey is laudable.”
    Randol scowled. “I still have concerns.”
    Hemming adjusted her pith helmet and rolled her eyes. She
was conferencing from a jungle on the planet Zaan, where she was on some sort
of hunt. “Gentlemen, let us also remember that it was Maxwell who originally
brought this Thorne to our attention and practically begged us to provide him
with more resources to fight the problem at its onset. Now Thorne has grown
from a minor annoyance to a major threat.”
    “Milords, the situation also appears to be unique to our
corporation. Since we are being specifically targeted, perhaps this is an
indication that our competitors may be financing Thorne,” Maxwell said. “Galaxia
Inc., Asta Enterprises, Three Star … none of our corporate rivals are
suffering as we are.”
    Oke spread his hands. “Let’s face it: Thorne has brought us
to our knees. We are as diversified as possible. We manufacture everything from
spaceships to lingerie, but unless we can get our product to market, this
corporation does not make money. My financial advisers report to me that some
divisions of the corporation will become insolvent soon if the situation doesn’t
change. In order to stay in business we need to maintain safe shipping lanes.”
    “The Confed is supposed to provide that protection. We
certainly pay enough into the system,” Hemming said.
    Maxwell shook his head. “The Confed has regular patrols, and
they have expanded their escorts, but there are simply too many shipments to
protect.”
    “Strange that the ships under escort are never the ones
attacked,” Randol said.
    Maxwell turned to look directly at Randol’s avatar. “Milord,
you wouldn’t think it strange if you factor in a corrupt security director who
was obviously providing the details of which shipments would be guarded.”
    Randol shook his head. “I still don’t believe it. And I won’t
believe it until I see this so-called proof that you can’t seem to locate.”
    Maxwell smiled. “I’m confident it will be obtained soon. With
the traitor gone, we can continue to utilize the Confed, and we can also hire
private mercenary ships as guards without fear that our plans will be exposed. However,
the larger issue remains, as Lord Oke pointed out, that we need an influx of
capital. Heavily armed convoys are expensive.”
    Oke stood to
take the floor. “We really only have one option. In order to raise the
necessary capital we must simply sell off some of our stock holdings. While it’s
true