"And your name?"
"Ivan DeLayne, Lieutenant Commander, Imperial Terran Navy, ident code
HERIE-1935-8586. Your Excellency."
Cortin chuckled, amused at the man's insolent tone.
"Excellency--" Odeon said behind her, sounding angry.
"Take it easy, Captain," Cortin said, smiling. "He doesn't know any
better." She studied the Imperials for a moment, then said, "But I
should caution you that my team is more protective of my position than
I am myself, Captain DeLayne. It would be wise not to agitate them
unnecessarily."
DeLayne stood silent, and Cortin nodded. He wasn't going to carry on a
conversation, lest he inadvertently give her some information he didn't
want to--but he wasn't reckoning with her truthsense. She didn't want
to go to extreme measures with him unless she had no other choice--he
wasn't a criminal, after all--but she did need some basic information,
and yes-or-no questions would give her that whether he cooperated or
not. "Were you looking for our worlds in particular?"
No answer, of course, but his reactions were clearly negative.
"No. All right." She turned to the troopers guarding the Imperials.
"How far into our space did they get?"
"We caught them a parsec from St. Michael, Excellency. They sent off a
message shortly after we came into sensor range, before we could
destroy their transmitting antennas."
"Damn. So the Empire knows we exist." Cortin sighed, not bothering to
hide it.
"What's so bad about that?" a young Imperial asked. "There's no reason
to be afraid of the Empire!"
"Shut up, Conley!" DeLayne ordered.
"I don't think she ought to," Cortin said quietly. The other members
of her team were entering by then, replacing the regular troopers.
"Miss Conley--I can't read your rank insigne, to use your proper
title--although my second in command disagrees, I believe we have every
reason to fear an Empire we fled from some four centuries ago because
our religious views were condemned. A number of conditions we've
encountered since, causing changes in our way of life, can only make
that condemnation worse, possibly--even probably--causing persecution
that would wipe out the Kingdom Systems. Three ships held us then;
now, we don't have enough to carry a tenth of our population to safety."
"Should you be telling them that, Excellency?" Odeon asked.
Cortin shrugged. "What can it hurt, Captain? They weren't looking for
us in particular--but they did send off a message, so more Imperial
ships will be coming. Which could doom most of our people, whether I
talk to these honestly or not."
"NO!" Conley burst out. "The Empire's not like that, truly it's not!"
"Whether that statement's true or not, you believe it," Cortin said
dryly. "Would you mind talking to me in more relaxed surroundings?"
The young Imperial didn't notice DeLayne's beginning objection or Tiny
Pritchett's silencing of him. "Yes, sir, if you think it would help."
"At worst, it can't hurt." Cortin stood, addressing her team. "Take
the rest to . . . hmm. The small guest suite, I think. Captain Odeon,
Lieutenant Chang--let's talk to Miss Conley in the common-room of our
floor."
As soon as the team and other prisoners left, Cortin signalled Odeon to
remove Conley's handcuffs. When that was done, she smiled at the
younger woman. "Since you're willing to cooperate, I see no reason to
treat you as other than a guest. Would you care for anything to eat or
drink?"
"Uh . . . do you have coffee?"
"Certainly. Sis, would you ask Matthew to serve us coffee in the
common-room?"
"Of course. I'll meet you there."
"Thanks. Mike, Miss Conley--shall we go?"
As they left the office and went upstairs, the young Imperial said,
"Excuse me, Excellency . . . may I ask you something?"
Cortin was amused at the not-quite-apprehension in her voice. "Go
ahead."
"The ones who captured us called you the High King's Inquisitor. What
does that mean?"
Cortin chuckled. "Exactly what it says. St. Thomas--this world--is
the foremost planet of the Kingdom Systems, ruled by High King Mark.
I'm the best Inquisitor in the Systems, so when the Sovereign's
Inquisitor positions were established, I was persuaded--" bribed, she
thought, would have been more accurate, "to take the position. So I'm
the Systems' chief Inquisitor, though we all hold the same rank of
Colonel. That's why the first captured Imperials were brought to me
for questioning."
"Do you . . . hurt people?"
"If necessary, but you don't have to worry; I don't even make faces at
people who cooperate with me."
Odeon chuckled at that; after a second, Conley joined in, and by that
time they were at the head of the stairs, entering the common-room.
The young Imperial caught her breath, looking around. "It's beautiful!"
"Yes, it is," Cortin agreed. "I don't really need this kind of
luxury--at times I still feel guilty wearing boots on the carpet--but
His Majesty says my position is such that I have to make a proper
showing. Not that the High King's Inquisitor gets many casual guests;
usually the only ones here are family and Enforcement Service friends."
"Uh-oh." Odeon made a quick grab, intercepting an orange streak
heading for the guest. "Forgot to warn you about Tangerine," he
apologized, stroking his prey's soft fur. To his combined relief and
disappointment, Tanj was no longer fixated on him, though he told
himself she did still like him best. "She's not called the attack
kitten for nothing--she'll go after whoever's closest, just to get
attention, though I'm her favorite target. And she likes to land about
rump-high, with all claws out."
"Thanks for the rescue, then--I like cats, but that sounds painful."
"It is," Cortin assured her. "Worse now than when we first got her,
since she's bigger, but even at six weeks old, she made herself felt."
She gestured to the couch in front of the fireplace. "Have a seat.
Matthew should be here soon with the coffee."
"Thank you." Conley sat down, Odeon joining her, while Cortin pulled
up a nearby chair. "Will the others be okay?"
"Unless they do something stupid," Odeon said. "Like attack someone
who's armed when they aren't."
Conley chuckled. "None of our crew is Sandeman--for one of them, it
might work."
"The genetic warriors." Cortin frowned. "The ones you forced into the
Empire--what, about thirty years ago?"
"That's when, yes, but we didn't force them," Conley objected. "We had
to stop their invasion of Sector Five, of course--we couldn't let them
just take over! I've talked to some, though. They weren't happy to be
stopped, but when Ranger Medart showed them our weaponry and told them
that if they joined the Empire they'd be able to use it, well, they
jumped at the opportunity."
"I was impressed by how quickly and completely that war ended," Cortin
admitted. "I'd like to meet one of your Rangers, especially Medart, if
it weren't for the consequences--" Forget that caveat, she told
herself. The Columbus had gotten a message out; the consequences would
happen whether she met a Ranger or not. Though--she felt a sudden lift
of hope--maybe a Ranger could mitigate the damage to the Systems. "Is
there any way you could get him to intervene on our behalf?"
"Huh?" Conley gaped for a moment. "Sure, but you can do it yourself,
and it'd mean a lot more coming from a Colonel than from a Spacer
Third. Since you're obviously of Terran origin, you're legally
Imperial citizens; you have the right of direct appeal to the Sovereign
if you don't think there's any other solution."