“And …” the general prompted after several moments’ silence had passed.
“That was the total extent of my official exchange with the Zenobians, sir, which I believe is well within the guidelines set down for a Legion officer.”
“What about the agreement to trade swampland for weapons, Captain?”
Phule’s expression was guileless.
“I did serve as a combination middleman and agent in such an agreement, sir. But that was at a later time while I was off duty. What is more, that agreement was a business deal between two individuals … specifically, Flight Leftenant Qual of the Zenobian Exploratory Forces and my father. To the best of my knowledge, and I was involved in all exchanges surrounding that agreement, at no time was it stated or implied that the deal committed or involved either the Alliance as a whole or the Zenobian Empire. As I said, it was simply a trade arrangement between two individuals, and my own part in the matter was permissible under Article-“
“We know the article in question, Captain,” Battleax interrupted, fighting a smile. “It’s referenced frequently in your file. “
General Blitzkrieg was shaking his head in amazement and confusion.
“Is it legal? Doing business with an alien race outside the Alliance, I mean.”
“To the best of my knowledge,” the captain answered smoothly, “there is no law specifically forbidding such an arrangement. If we were at war with the Zenobians, it might be a different matter, but I don’t believe there are any provisos for dealings with intelligent aliens that are not either in the Alliance or actively at war with us.”