"You are also free to stay.  Camping here overnight would make a better hiding place than any commercial venue, to be sure.  We could all use a little time to digest all this, I suspect.  Although I'd also suggest you rethink any attempt to make your orbital shuttle tomorrow afternoon.  You'd certainly not make it past the shuttleport."

"No," Leiber agreed unhappily.  "Not now."

"And what are you going to do next, my Lord Auditor?" asked Vorlynkin.

Miles rubbed his jaw and scowled in thought.  "What any commander does when he's outnumbered, I suppose.  Look for allies."

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Roic's interrogations of their inadvertent prisoners ran as smoothly as Miles expected, though Hans and Oki's anxious self-justifications leaked through even their slap-happy fast-penta hazes.  As Leiber had guessed, the two deaths had been more the result of clumsiness than malice, although the verbal picture of the pair of goons chasing the frightened old lady Tennoji around her apartment and over her balcony was sickening enough.  Their attempt to force down George Suwabi's lightflyer might actually have worked, if he'd crash landed on dry ground instead of deep water.  They could have pulled him out of the safety cage and whisked him off to the freezer openly feigning a quick-thinking rescue of an otherwise fatally injured man.  As it was, his drowned corpse had been fished from the waters far too late for even Kibou-daini's medics to help.

Whether the strict legal definition of their acts was murder or just manslaughter, Miles was still left with the dilemma of how, now, to be rid of his unwanted guests.  Catch and release was off the table.  They, and their confessions, needed to be turned over to a local police authority, but not one that could be bought by their NewEgypt bosses.  Not that it would play out that way, Miles guessed.  Roped together by their shared guilt, Hans and Oki would be instant sacrifices, and their bosses would purchase their own freedom through a screen of expensive lawyers.  Yet Miles wanted to bring down the whole NewEgypt crew, if he could.

The meticulous Roic did get to escort his captives, individually, to the loo, and give them water.  For the moment, Miles had Raven put them back into a light medicated doze, although that wasn't going to be a long-term answer either.  Freezing was looking better all the time.  Miles damn well wasn't packing that pair home with him.  Barrayar isn't suffering a goon shortage, and anyway, ours are more competent.  On the bright side, the Gang of Four must be thoroughly alarmed by now at the disappearance of their minions and Leiber, hours after they should have reported in.  Yeah, it might be time to start rattling a few chains.