Intrepid

Captain Drago appeared … in the full-dress blues of a Wardhaven Navy captain. Kris glanced at his fruit salad. It showed the usual ribbons a good man would collect during the long peace. A couple of his tourist ribbons had V's for valor. Likely in combat. How had he managed that?

Then Kris remembered how she'd earned V's for her supposed tourist medals. Maybe the long peace hadn't been as peaceful as the history books claimed.

Leaving Kris to wonder if only blind people wrote histories.

''Reserve commission,'' Captain Drago said. ''Inactive.''

''Consider it activated for the next hour. We need to talk.''

Striding in right behind Captain Drago came Colonel Cortez, in the dress red and black of Lorna Do.

''Reserve commission?'' Kris asked.

''They didn't cancel it,'' he said evenly.

Which begged the question why the man had been beached in times like these. And why he hadn't been recalled.

Kris coughed. ''We all need to talk. Really talk.''

Penny was next in, now sporting dress whites and struggling with the choker collar. Jack lent her a helping hand. Even Abby was back. Where had she gotten Wardhaven dress blues?

They arrayed themselves on either side of Kris. Drago, Cortez, and Abby to her right. Jack and Penny to her left. At the door, Cara watched them, giggling softly.

''Child,'' Kris said severely, ''go back to your room. Nelly, arrange a feed to her monitor.''

''Yes, Kris,'' Nelly said.

''Yes, Auntie Kris,'' Cara said.

The kid exited to universal smiles from Kris's staff, so she didn't risk mutiny by chiding her. Kris did find herself relishing a strange addition to the mixture of feelings in her gut. She'd never been anyone's auntie before.

The measured tread of boots drew Kris's gaze to the far door of the room. The lights dimmed a bit more. The bulkheads and overhead now showed deep space and cold unwinking stars; it would be easy to succumb to vertigo.

Well done, Chief.

Six Marines in dress red and blues entered, M-6s at port arms, bayonets fixed. The black-uniformed colonel trailed them, his face a mask. So did his junior officer and four gun toters. One of them took one look around and swayed. Only a hand out to the shoulder of a statue-solid Marine kept him on his feet.

Captain Krätz followed up the rear, a bemused look on his face as he took in Kris's side of the room. Ensign Peterwald edged over to put her back against the wall and assumed a stiff parade rest. From where she stood, she could see everything, including the look on her captain's face and his body language.

Quick learner. Kris could only hope she stayed friendly.

From outside, Gunny's voice came clearly as he posted his six armored Marines at the door.

The colonel eyed Kris through narrow slits. Kris gave the colonel a wide-eyed look, as innocent as any she had ever managed … but said nothing.

The colonel finally broke eye contact with Kris to take in those around her. Kris couldn't tell who caused it, but his eyes widened and his nostrils flared.

Suddenly, Kris had a strong suspicion the colonel knew more about the people around her than she did. Kris caught the frown that caused before it made it to her face. Yes, she needed to talk to her crew. And she was getting tired of this colonel using her time to figure out things she wasn't in on.

''You wanted to see me, Colonel,'' Kris said, superior to junior.

The State Security man pulled his gaze away from someone and focused on Kris. ''I am told that you have information about a plot against the life of First Citizen Smythe-Peterwald. If so, the state demands and requires that you provide it.''

''I have already given all that I know to your Captain Krätz. If you have talked to him, you know as much as I do.''

''I am required to hear it from the source's lips.''

Kris considered making an issue of it but found she was running out of patience with a man who couldn't say a word without making it a demand. She quickly told him what she knew.

''That hardly constitutes quality intelligence,'' the colonel snapped. ''It is no more than an allegation of rumors heard.''

''You may take it as you please,'' Kris said. ''But I assure you, if your First Citizen ends up suddenly dead in the next few days, your superiors may not take it that way.''

The colonel swallowed. Hard. ''Do you have a picture of this Lucifer fellow? The devil's own, he sounds like.''

''The Abdicators do not believe in making representations of themselves,'' Kris said.

The colonel paused for only a moment before saying, ''That was not their way when last they were heard from.''

''Suicidal terrorism was not their way when last we heard from them, either,'' Kris said. And got a chip of a grin from Captain Krätz for quoting him.

Now it was the colonel's turn to frown. Kris suspected the prospect of going back to his bosses with nothing helpful to add to their pot of boiling paranoia did not excite him.

''There is one thing I can give you, Colonel.''

''What might that be?''