"Your report, sir." The secretary slid a folder across the desk and left the room.
Lowell picked it up, curious which problem was small enough to give him so few sheets. He opened it, leafing through the pages.
The top one was marked simply, Dace. He glanced over it. He’d processed the request to sponsor Ginni to the Academy at Verrus. A few words and she was admitted, with a fund to keep her well supplied with whatever she needed. They were expecting her within a month. The sheet was a note from Dace. Short, to the point, he wasn’t surprised.
Thank you. I don’t actually work for you, do I?
He laughed and put the paper aside.
The second sheet was from an agent buried deep in one of the crime syndicates. Targon was completely obliterated. Blackthorne had fractured into several dozen small groups that were squabbling over territory. The raid on Xqtl had effectively removed any leadership Blackthorne might have had. The last paragraph caught his eye.
Dace was the topic of an urgent meeting between the leaders of the five syndicates that bordered Blackthorne and Targon territory. They were warned. She was not to be touched. Reprisals would be immediate and very thorough. None of them wanted to end up like Blackthorne, and especially not like Targon. She was safe. That had been the whole point of the mission. Even if it had gone wrong, it had accomplished his goal so completely that Dace was essentially untouchable by the syndicates. He’d have to make sure her reputation with them grew. A few well placed rumors should do it.
The last page gave him pause. It was a copy of a book purchase. Why would Tayvis be buying a training manual for cargo handling?
The answer left him smiling.