The flitter was a luxury model. The seats were soft, plush, and molded themselves around the passengers. The controls were basic, though, emergency systems designed only to be used to land the flitter. Anyone who could read, even a child, could land it safely. Everything else was computerized, linked into the planetary datanet.
I rode with my nose glued to the window which was polarized. No one outside could see in, but I had a clear view of everything below and to the sides. Linas-Drias was incredible. The entire surface of the planet, including under the oceans along the shorelines, was a vast city network. The occasional park broke the stretch of buildings. Most buildings had internal botanical gardens where fresh food was grown. The whole thing was integrated in an intricate web of life. The population of Linas-Drias was somewhere upwards of forty billion. Staring at the swarm of flitters surrounding us I could believe it. Buildings soared to enormous heights, seeming to defy gravity to reach almost to the clouds.
We were on our way to Patrol headquarters. Not just a base or a sector building, but the headquarters of the entire Patrol. It was a huge complex, a block of dark buildings separated from the rest of the city by a narrow strip of greenery. Our flitter deposited us on the plascrete in front of the entrance.
Hester hesitated, one hand on the door handle. "Do you want company?"
I shook my head. "I'd better go in alone." I didn't want a witness if Lowell was inside.
"I'll wait here," she said, despite the signs warning that the area was not a parking zone. I figured we were in the personal flitter of the Speaker, no traffic enforcer would dare ticket it.
"I may be a while."
Hester just smiled. She had a tiny hand comp. She tapped the screen, gently dismissing me. I took the hint.
The lobby of the building was enormous. The Patrol shield glowed in the air above the exact center, rotating slowly. I counted four guards standing like statues against the walls. The place was quiet, almost solemn. The Empire was at war, but you would never have guessed it from the lack of activity in the room.
The receptionist at the main desk was talking on a com, her privacy shield raised. I heard nothing even when I was only a few feet away. She finished her call and turned her attention on me.
Her eyes were like blue ice. Her hair was cropped short, a pale blond that looked like frost on her head. She sat behind the massive desk, impregnable in her fortress. Her silver uniform was pressed and creased to razor sharpness.
"Yes?" It was coldly polite, a clear message that I was a civilian, or so she thought, and as such I had no business in the heart of Patrol territory.
"I want to talk to Commander Grant Lowell," I said, leaning on the desk. I figured he had to have an office here. He was one of the High Command, one of fewer than ten who commanded the vast resources of the Patrol.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No, but I'm sure he'll see me."
"I'm sorry, Commander Lowell is not available." She turned her back.
"Then I want to talk to his aide."
"Gentle One," she said, addressing me as if I were one of the higher social classes though her voice was acid, "this is not a social venue. We are not in the business of entertaining."
There was an id scanner on the desktop. I flattened my hand on it. "Admiral Dace, id confirmation." Lights blinked. The receptionist watched her screen, hidden underneath the edge of the desk. I watched her face go from icy rudeness to almost civility.
"Admiral Dace," she addressed me, her tone one of almost respect, "you are not listed on active duty." It was an accusation. How dare I fool her by impersonating a civilian. I wondered what she'd do if she knew the truth.
"Medical leave," I said.
"Your records show medical discharge," she pointed out.
"I work for Lowell. My records don't usually show the truth, at least not the unclassified files."
She twitched, as if I'd verbally slapped her. I was losing patience. My side was stiff, even if it didn't hurt anymore it was still uncomfortable. I was tired of standing, being grilled by a secretary who could give frozen methane lessons about being cold.
"Where's Lowell?" I asked.
Her face tightened in disapproval. "Commander Lowell is not presently on planet," she said, stressing his rank.
"Then I want to talk to his aide, whoever that may be," I snapped at her.
"One moment," she said and flipped her privacy shield on. She turned her back to me so I couldn't try to read her lips.
I drummed my fingers on the desk. It annoyed her. Her shoulders twitched every few seconds. She finally turned back around to face me.
"Commander Leighton will see you." She flicked a finger at one of the guards. "You will be escorted to his office."
"Thank you." I didn't mind the escort, I had no idea where to even begin to look for Lowell's office in the huge edifice. I turned my back on her and followed the guard.
We passed through a set of double doors into a hushed hallway. Thick carpet underfoot muffled all sound. The walls were lined with pictures, memorials to heroes long forgotten. The guard pushed open another set of doors. Sound punctured the silence. Here, in the back hallways of the complex, was frantic activity. People in uniform moved purposefully in every direction. It was easier to believe the Empire was at war.
I dogged my guide's heels through a maze of halls and lifts. He didn't use the stairs, a small favor I was grateful for. We worked our way through the bustle to a back building and a corner office high on one side. He knocked on the door, saluted me, then left.
I waited a long, uncertain moment. I was considering chasing after my guide when the door finally opened. I found myself staring at a harried man. His thinning hair was ginger colored. His eyes were a sharp grayish blue. He looked me over, frowning.
"You're Admiral Dace? You stick out like a sore thumb," he continued without waiting for me to answer. "Come in before you attract more attention." He took my arm and pulled me into the office.
I hadn't noticed anyone paying attention to me. Most glanced at the clothes I wore and dismissed me as nothing important. If I'd been wearing my uniform I'm sure I would have gotten a lot more scrutiny. I didn't point it out to the man.
A woman sat on his desk, swinging one leg. She wore a black uniform, open at the collar so I couldn't see her rank. Her dark hair was twisted up in a bun and had pens stabbed into it. Wisps dangled free, curling around her head. She looked me over, her dark eyes sharply appraising.
"Commander Leighton," the man said, shoving his hand at me. "But you can call me Lee, everyone else does."
The woman slid lithely off the desk. "Commander Maharta," she introduced herself. "Seya, to those who dare." Her smile was all teeth. "I hear you claim to be the legendary Dace."
That floored me for a moment. "Legendary?"
"Commander Lowell talks about you," Lee said, "that's all Seya means." He shot her a glare full of unspoken communication. Seya shrugged and prowled to the windows at the far end of the room.
"What can I do for you, Admiral?" Lee asked. He waited politely, hands clasped loosely on the desk in front of him.
I wasn't sure what to ask. I had been counting on Lowell himself being here. I'd never met these people. I didn't know if I could trust them or not. I hesitated, watching Seya Maharta prowl around the back of the office, like a predatory cat hunting a mouse. Like my cat, Ghost.
She stopped, studying me, lounging against the wall, seemingly at ease. She smiled again, all teeth, but with a flash of good humor. "She doesn't trust us, Lee."
"No surprise there," Lee answered. "I wouldn't trust us, either. Or anyone else."
"I'm not paranoid." I'd been accused of it often enough, by people who knew me very well.
"I never said you were." Lee smiled, looking harmless and slightly stupid. It was an act.
"Why did you come here?" Seya moved, slinking closer to me.
"Because I need to talk to Lowell."
Seya reached me, standing too close. She lashed out with her foot, catching a chair and pulling it closer. "Sit down, Admiral. We won't bite. Yet."
I sat, easing myself into the chair.
"Commander Lowell isn't available," Lee told me. "Last we heard he was out near Besht. Reports indicate actual fighting. He's commanding the Fleet there."
"You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" Seya asked, leaning over my chair as she sat on one arm.
"Why would I know about fighting there?" I shifted in the chair, away from her.
"Because you were on Besht less than two weeks ago."
"I was in the hospital, unable to walk by myself."
"After losing Tivor." She was baiting me deliberately.
"It was a lost cause before I got there," I said tiredly. I didn't have the energy to fight with her. I didn't want to. I wanted answers to my own personal questions.
"She knows that," Lee said. "We both read the report about it. Seya is just trying to needle you. She's that way."
"I know some people she could take lessons from," I said. "They did it much better."
I expected her to attack me for that comment. She didn't. She laughed.
"I think I like you," she told me, "despite the stories."
Someday I was going to have to hear those stories, just to see what rumors Lowell spread about me. But not today.
"What business brings you here?" Lee asked. "Since the Commander won't be back for some time, perhaps we can help."
"Lowell owes me a favor," I said. "I need someone found."
"Then go to the missing persons department," Seya said impatiently. "We really don't have time for it."
Lee held up his hand, stopping her. Seya backed away, pacing restlessly between the room's two windows. "Your medical discharge papers were cleared last week," he told me. "Officially we can't do anything for you. You are no longer Patrol."
The words were music. I never wanted to be part of the Patrol, official or not. But I had to find Tayvis, and I was going to use whatever means I had to.
"Officially?" I questioned.
"I have a proposal for you," Lee said. "We need someone not officially connected to the Patrol and especially to this office."
"My connections are well established, even if they aren't regulation."
"Your former connections," Lee corrected me. He leaned forward. "We need someone, and you are in the perfect position."
"What are you trying to say?" I asked suspiciously. I wanted him to spell it all out, leave nothing to insinuation or innuendo.
"He's offering you a trade," Seya said. "We find this person for you and in return you spy for us."
I shook my head and stood, levering myself out of the chair. "I don't spy. I never have." I could find Tayvis on my own, I had the money to buy all sorts of help.
"Sit down," Seya said, nudging me back into the chair. "And listen."
"Please," Lee added.
I subsided into the chair. Whatever they asked, I would turn them down. What would it hurt if I just listened to what they wanted?
"You were involved when Roderick, the Emperor's cousin was arrested for treason," Lee said.
"What does that have to do with anything? He was plotting to take the throne, or at least to cause major disruption in the Empire. We stopped him."
"Roderick, yes." Lee leaned back in his chair. "He was a diversion. The real plot to fracture the Empire is still very much alive. Our problem is that the people involved are so highly placed we can't touch them. None of our agents can possibly infiltrate their organization."
I felt very cold. I didn't want to think through the implications of his statement.
"You, however," Seya said, "are in a perfect position."
"You suspect the Speaker?"
"Possibly," Lee admitted. "As I said, this plot involves very highly placed, very influential people. Roderick was only a pawn, meant to draw suspicion away from the real danger."
"What do you want from me?" I asked, my voice a hoarse whisper. The Speaker to the Council of Worlds was the last person I'd suspect of treason, even before I'd met him personally. Was every belief I had ever had going to be questioned and proven wrong?
"You have the perfect cover," Seya said, leaning over the back of my chair. "Engaged to the son of the Speaker, friends with the Emperor's son, you have access we don't."
"You want me to spy on them?" I didn't know whether I should be shocked, outraged, or flattered. I shook my head. "I can't." I wasn't going to agree. I had to find Tayvis. I wanted my life back. I didn't want to get sucked deeper into Lowell's machinations.
"You are the only one who can," Lee said, leaning forward again, as if to convey sincerity and urgency. It worked.
"And Lowell trusts you," Seya said. "He'd be here himself, if he hadn't been maneuvered off Linas-Drias and out of touch with most of his network. As far as we can tell, it was all part of their plan. Lowell was the only one who could possibly uncover their treason and stop them."
I swallowed heavily. I didn't want this.
"You won't have to do anything," Lee said, "other than keep your eyes and ears open. We'll arrange a way for you to send us a message if you find anything."
"You're asking too much," I said.
"Our reports indicate you don't like Vance," Seya said. "But he announced, to the Empire, that you are engaged to be married. What better cover could we possibly give you?"
"You want me to lie and pretend."
"Only as much as necessary to allay suspicion," Lee said.
I shook my head again. Much as I wanted to kick Vance around, I still respected him. I couldn't possibly spy on him. It felt like betrayal. And I couldn't see Iniuri Shiropi involved in a plot to destroy the Empire. The thought of Max plotting his father's demise was laughable.
"You're the only one who can do it," Seya said in my ear.
"You'll have our full support," Lee said. "Whatever you need."
They gave me no choice. I had to do this, for the good of the Empire. Lowell believed in it, despite everything. And I believed in Lowell. I owed him for putting me back together more than once. I hated him at times, but I couldn't ignore the sense of obligation I had.
"I'll listen and I'll let you know if I hear anything suspicious," I said reluctantly. "And in return—"
Lee leaned forward. Seya paused, poised motionless above me.
"In return," I said quietly, "you'll find Malcolm Tayvis and you'll explain everything, and I mean everything, to him."
They exchanged glances over my head.
"Deal," Lee said.