Mazian nodded, his handsome, actor’s face quite, quite affectionate. “Good.
Good. So it’s settled.” He rose, went to the sideboard, pulled a brandy flask
from its clamps and glasses from the cabinet and poured. He brought the glasses
back, set them before him, slid them in either hand to Edger and to her. “I hope
it will be settled once for all,” he said, sipping at his drink. “And I mean it
should be. Any further complaints?”
There might be some from Tom Edger. She saw him sulk while she drank the liquid
fire of the brandy. She smiled slightly. Edger did not respond.
“The other matter you brought up,” Mazian said, “the disposition of the
station—is the case. Yes. And I’ll trust that information doesn’t go beyond
present company.”
Hence this show, she thought. “Yes, sir,” she said.
“No formalities. In time all the captains will be given their instructions.
You’re a strategist, in many ways the best. You would have been brought in
early. You know that. Would have been already, but for the unfortunate incident
with Goforth and the market operation.”
Heat flushed her face. She set the glass down.
“Temper, old friend,” Mazian said softly. “I have one too. I know my faults. But
I can’t have you split from me. Can’t afford it. We’re getting ready to move.
Within the week. Loading’s nearly finished. And we move before Union expects it…
take the initiative, give them a problem.”
“Pell.”
“Just so.” He finished his brandy. “You have Konstantin. He can’t go back; we
have to take out Lukas too. All those techs working and in detention. Anyone who
could possibly manage comp and central and get Pell back into order. You rig it
to collapse and you don’t leave anyone alive who could correct it. And
particularly Konstantin; he’s dangerous in two regards, comp and publicity. Vent
him.”
She smiled tautly. “When?”
“He’s already a liability. Nothing public. No display. Porey will see to the
other one—to Emilio Konstantin. Clean wipe, Signy. Nothing left of help to
Union. No refugees from this place.”
“I understand you. I’ll do the disposal.”
“You and Tom, for all your bickering, have done a good job. I was very worried
about having Konstantin unaccounted for. You’ve done an excellent job. I mean
that.”
“I knew what you were up to,” she said levelly. “So the comp is already set up
that way; a key signal can scramble it completely. A couple more of the comp
operators are still missing. I’m fixing to shut down green tomorrow. They’ll
surrender or I vent the section and that fixes it anyway. I’ve got prints on the
missing operators. I’ll pull in the informer Ngo and his lot. Ask questions and
pinpoint what I can before we move. If agents can pull the comp people out so
we’re absolutely sure, so much the better.”
“My men will cooperate,” Edger said.
She nodded.
“That’s the way,” Mazian said cheerfully. “That’s the kind of thing I expect
from you, Signy; no more of this quarreling over prerogatives. Now will the two
of you get about it?”
Signy finished her glass, rose. Edger did. She smiled and nodded at Mazian, but
not at Edger, and walked out with a deliberate lightness.
Bastard, she thought. She did not hear Edger’s steps behind her. When she
entered the lift and started down to meet her escort, Edger was not with her. He
had stayed behind to talk to Mazian. Whore.
The lift whisked her down to exit level. Her troops were where she had left
them, ramrod stiff and carefully avoiding any altercation with Europe troops who
came and went in the suiting room. A trio of Europers were there with smiles
which wiped themselves at once when she walked out among them.
She gathered up her escort and stalked out the lock, down the access to the
dock, to the waiting lines of her own troops.
vi
Pell; Norway; blue dock; 1/8/53; 2300 hrs. md.; 1100 hrs. a.
It was better when she had had a chance to relax, to bathe, to get the dock mess
straightened out and the reports written.
She cherished no illusions that there would be anything done to the Australia