Drefnig finished off some administration required to push through the new promotions, and then took the White Spear's Air Route down to the officer accommodation level. He wanted to freshen up and gather his thoughts before he worked out what he was going to do next. When he stepped out of the Air Route, he found Alice waiting for him in the corridor ahead.
'Can we talk?' she said.
'How did you know I was coming to my quarters?'
Alice smiled. 'I asked Parker where you were. He tracked you down using the tag in your wrist console. He guessed you were heading this way.'
Drefnig frowned. 'I'm not sure I like the idea of my movements being so visible within the towers. It sounds like yet another security hole.'
'It's only me.'
'This time it is. Next time it could be a Kamari traitor or an assassin like Riser Trent. We need to be careful from now on. We need to consider all possible angles.'
Alice nodded, her bright green eyes gazing at him with a softness that he hadn't seen since Jake Harris' death. When he felt heat rising in his face, he turned away to cover his embarrassment.
'Come on,' he said, leading her towards his quarters. He used his wrist console to open the door and ushered Alice inside. Once the door had closed behind them, he walked through to the bunk room and sagged down onto his bunk.
'Do you mind if I...' Alice said, waving a finger in the direction of a small cooler unit next to the wall.
'Sure, go ahead.'
Alice opened the lid and reached inside before pulling out a glass and a long thin bottle that had light green lettering along one side of it. She poured herself a cold, sparkling drink, infused with ginger and lime, and then held it up in front of her face, watching the bubbles rising as the light played across the glass's surface.
'Shall I make one for you?' she said.
'No thanks. Oh - maybe a glass of water.'
Alice grabbed another glass from the cooler unit and filled it with water from a tall blue bottle. She thrust it towards him and Drefnig accepted the glass with a nod of his head. For a moment their fingers entwined and Alice was slow to pull her hand away.
Drefnig hid his half smile, and leant back on his bunk, feeling the cool glass between his fingers. The water smelt fresh and devoid of any of the fashionable fruit overtones that he detested so much. He drank half of it in one long gulp, saving the rest for later. The cool liquid quenched his thirst, bringing what he hoped was a new clarity to his thoughts.
'What are you going to do about Riser Trent?' Alice said.
Drefnig sat forwards, adopting a less relaxed pose. This wasn't a social call then.
'Right now, I don't know,' he said. 'We're still holding him in Tower Four. I've left orders that his detention cell is off limits to anyone but me. I've also posted a couple or troopers on the door just to emphasise the point.'
Alice nodded. 'You'll need to deal with him soon.'
'Yes, I know. I'll get someone on it. I just can't do it right now. With Markov out of action, it's down to me to prepare for whatever the Kamari might do next.'
Alice folded her arms beneath her breasts with her jacket hanging open. She wore light body armour underneath, and it clung to her body, accentuating her fine physique. 'Do you really think they'll attack?' she said
'I wish I knew. We have to assume they will until we know otherwise.'
Alice stepped closer, sitting down on the bunk beside him. She placed the palm of her hand gently against his face, and when she smiled her green eyes looked deeper than ever.
'Markov scared me today,' she said, taking a sip from her drink.
'Markov?'
'I thought he was going to die.'
Drefnig drank a little more of his water. It was already getting warm from the heat of his hands. 'He could still die. He was in a terrible state when I left him.'
'Have you heard any more about his condition?'
'Not yet. He's under Cassendra's care now.'
'Hmmmm. I hope I never need to be under her care. She has too many sharp pointy arms for my liking.'
Drefnig stared at the wall, lost in thought. He wished things could be simpler sometimes.
'What are you thinking?' Alice said.
'Nothing.'
'You must be thinking something.'
'I've been trying to work out what I'm missing. The Kamari wouldn't attack unless they were confident of success. I don't see where they get their confidence from.'
'Isn't it obvious? They think Markov is dead.'
'What do you mean?'
'They released Trent into the Old Quarter because they wanted you to find him and bring him here.'
'Why?'
'Because they wanted the chance to kill General Markov.'
'That doesn't make any sense. How could they know that Trent would get a chance to meet Markov? What if the General had never been in the same room as him?'
'Maybe they didn't know for sure. Maybe they were just hoping he would.'
'Who bases a war on a few random hopes?'
'Think of it from their point of view. If you had a chance to hurt your enemy, wouldn't you try, even if you knew there was only a small chance of success?'
'Maybe.'
'What if their plan had succeeded?' Alice said.
'It wouldn't matter. Even if they had killed Markov, they must have known that somebody else would take over command. Maybe it would have been me, or maybe somebody else, but how would that benefit the Kamari? It seems like a lot of effort for very little gain. The chain of command can always be adjusted to make up for the loss of one man.'
'You spent some time questioning Trent before Markov saw him, didn't you?'
'Yes.'
'Why didn't Trent attack you.'
Drefnig shook his head. 'I don't know. Maybe I'm not important to them. Maybe they don't know who I am.'
'So Markov was their target. They weren't just trying to kill any senior officer that they could find.'
'Maybe. Your guess is as good as mine.'
'I have an idea,' Alice said, leaning closer.
'Tell me.'
'What if Markov knows something?'
'Like what?'
'I don't know. What if the Kamari don't so much care about killing the head of Central Command, but they want to wipe out information that could be a risk to their plans. If Markov knew something that could prevent their plan from working, that might make him a strong target for assassination. Wouldn't that be worth all their efforts to get rid of him?'
Drefnig stared at Alice with his glass paused half way to his mouth. 'You're a genius!'
'If only we knew what Markov knew.'
'You're half a genius.'
'Thanks.'
Drefnig stood up and drank the rest of his water. 'Alice, you just assigned yourself a new task.'
Alice sagged her shoulders in mock dismay. 'Me and my big mouth.'
'I want you to find out what Markov knows that we don't.'
'How can I do that? He's unconscious.'
'It's a perfect task for you.'
Alice put her glass down on the floor and frowned. 'I hope Markov wakes up in the morning. He's the only lead I've got.'
Drefnig laughed. 'Me too. But we need to do better than hope. Maybe it's time to pray.'