She coughed into her hand. She understood why Sand used uniformed personnel for liaison duties, but it was awkward. Most naval officers weren’t fools, not really, but they were narrow and they thought in narrow tracks. Even as a child Adele Mundy hadn’t run on a track that a man like Carnolets could recognize, though she was simple enough in all truth.
“As for Lorenz Base,” she continued, “the two battleships are probably reparable but not quickly. Perhaps as many as four destroyers survived, possibly undamaged. Though it’s equally likely that all were destroyed.”
She smiled at a memory. “The heavy cruiser was destroyed,” she said. “Of that I’m sure.”
“What’re the chances of Alliance reinforcements, then?” Carnolets asked.
Adele shrugged. “The base wasn’t expecting any,” she said. “I’ve made a sufficient study of the material I abstracted from their files to determine that, and we interviewed officers from the Bluecher before we set them on a habitable world.”
Carnolets brought up his display again and resumed typing. “Good,” he said. “Excellent. I’ll recommend Keith follow up his advantage even though things here in the Cluster aren’t completely settled yet. You did a fine job, Mundy, a fine job.”
“I’m fortunate to be part of the crew of the most efficient vessel in the RCN, Captain,” Adele said. Suddenly, shockingly, she felt tears start into her eyes. Trying to control her stammer she went on. “Even when she’s not technically in the RCN any more. God damn it!”
The last was to herself in a savage whisper, furious at her weakness. The tone if not the words penetrated Carnolets’ abstraction. He looked at Adele in puzzlement and said, “Is there anything else you need to mention, Mundy? If not . . . ?”
“There’s another matter, yes,” Adele said. The emotion remaining was a much harder thing than the love and pride that had briefly overwhelmed her. She grinned in her heart: love and pride had briefly unmanned her. “There’s the matter of the crew of the Aristoxenos. They were in great measure responsible for the success of the operation. It’s time that they’re restored to Cinnabar citizenship.”
“You have a cousin in that lot, I believe?” Carnolets said, glaring at her through his holographic display.
“My cousin Adrian Purvis was killed aboard the Aristoxenos when a missile exploded in its tube during the recent action, if that’s what you mean,” Adele said. Her voice was controlled, but her expression made the man across the desk shut down his display again. “If you mean anything else, say it.”
“I beg your pardon, Mistress Mundy,” Carnolets said. “I misspoke. No one viewing your record could imagine that you’d put family purposes ahead of the needs of the Republic.”
He stood and bowed to her, then sat down and continued, “As for the mutineers—the RCN doesn’t play politics. I won’t pretend to have sympathy for officers who forget that rule. On the other hand, it’s been a long time; and besides, Bernis asked me—”
He stopped and corrected himself with embarrassment that showed his contrition better than the prevous words had, “Mistress Sand ordered me, I should rather say, to show you every consideration should we meet. I suppose this request falls into that category.”
Carnolets raised a finger of apology and brought up his display again. He made a short series of keystrokes, then shut down.
“There,” he said, beaming at her. “I’ve enlisted the surviving officers and crew of the Aristoxenos as the Ground Detachment Naval Militia, with pay of one florin a year and full Cinnabar citizenship. That’ll protect them from the locals if they stay here, and it’ll let them go home if they prefer. Satisfactory?”
Adele rose. “That’s quite satisfactory, Captain,” she said. “Thank you. I’ll leave you to your important work, but of course I’ll be available if you have further need of me before the Princess Cecile lifts.”
She walked to the door over the thick, yielding rugs. And when will we lift, and where to? But one thing at a time, and this had been a very great thing.
This had been the end of the Three Circles Conspiracy.
* * *
The rating led Daniel and Hogg to a door just around the corner from the entrance hall. He tapped twice on the panel, then lowered the tilting-bar latch and called through the crack, “Mr. Leary’s here, Commander.”