“Wouldn’t it have been more effective to recruit a local informant?” she asked.
Giancarlo snorted. “There’s something screwy about all of them. They all stick together all the time, and every time I’ve had one of them in my office for any length of time, they start sweating and turn red. Why would that happen if they’re not scared, hiding something? Even Demintieff sweats like crazy every time he comes in while I’m here. This office is always freezing when I arrive, and even while I’m here, he keeps that outer office way too cold. These people also have gatherings that nobody from SpaceBase is invited to, and if you ask one of the new recruits from here about it, they just shrug.”
“You haven’t actively interrogated anyone yet, then?”
“No real excuse so far. What would I ask? Why do you people sweat so damned much, and how come I don’t get invited lo your parties?”
Yana nodded.
He leaned forward and stabbed at the desk with his finger, as if the gesture would somehow make his words plainer. “We need someone loyal to the company to gain their confidence, find out what’s going on.”
“What if they just sweat because they’re used to the cold, and they have orgies or something at their parties and don’t want to mingle with outsiders out of embarrassment?”
“Major, perhaps I didn’t make myself clear. You were injured at Bremport; you saw what happened there. I shouldn’t have to tell you what swamps of insurgency these colonial planets can be. Unauthorized life forms have been spotted on this planet. Research-and-development teams have disappeared into nowhere. You can’t tell me these circumstances aren’t related. What you have to tell me instead is how they are connected with each other. Do you read me?”
She nodded, cautiously, and evidently mistaking her caution for hesitation he pressed on.
“You said something about your quarters. They’re pretty standard for down here, but we certainly have the wherewithal to make them more comfortable. Also, you’re not full retirement age yet, nor eligible for full pension.”
“I have a medical discharge, sir.”
“Not exactly. Not yet. Actually your disability status as of now is”- He tapped a key. -“only twenty-five percent. That won’t generate much of a pension. If you were on covert active duty, however, you could do a lot better. We could even throw in hazardous-duty pay.”
“Sir, with all due respect, while I wouldn’t sniff at the money, the doctors back at the hospital …”
“You can’t contact them from here, Maddock. And in the event you need further, fairly expensive care, the transport from here back to there would be beyond your means, unless, of course, Intergal foots the bill. I’ll expect progress reports via Demintieff on a weekly basis unless, of course, something comes up that I should know about instanter. Demintieff will take you around, introduce you to people …”
Whatever this guy’s specialty was, Yana reflected, it wasn’t the gentle art of psychological persuasion. He was about as subtle as a photon torpedo. But she owed Intergal her life and had spent her life in its service. She wasn’t going to turn them down just because this hammerhead thought he was blackmailing her. Besides, she could use the pay.
“With respect, sir, I think maybe Demintieff should do the bare minimum of guiding me around. Seems to me I’d be better off on my own. I’d be less suspect to any possible terrorists within the area if an indigenous civilian helped me acclimate rather than a uniformed professional.”
“Good thinking, Maddock. This conversation never happened, of course.” He dug a sheaf of old-fashioned hard copy from a case at his feet. “However, this contains a full briefing on what we know and suspect thus far. Familiarize yourself with it and burn it.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Enjoy your retirement, Maddock.”
Bunny Rourke was sitting on the edge of Lieutenant Demintieff’s desk when Yana and Colonel Giancarlo emerged. Neither Bunny nor Demintieff was perspiring unduly as far as Yana could nee, although at the sight of the colonel, Bunny fled through the doorway with barely a nod to Yana. ..,
“Demintieff!” the colonel snapped.
“Sir!”