“Roamer captain, identify yourself. You have no authorized approach vector.” He did not answer, and Tasia signaled again, more urgently this time. “You are not allowed to land. All supplies must be delivered to the Moon base. Mars is off-limits to unauthorized personnel.” Especially Roamers.

“I do not intend to land,” the captain finally answered, and she thought she recognized his voice. Jess? That was impossible.

“Transmitting my authorization now.” He sent a garbled burst signal that lasted barely two seconds. Then, activating his enhanced engines, the unidentified Roamer captain accelerated away from Mars faster than the Remora interceptors could hope to catch him. The speed with which the cargo ship moved astonished the EDF personnel, who expected only clunky, barely functional spacecraft from the gypsy traders. Tasia knew better.

“What the hell was that?” said the watch commander, bleary-eyed, rushing into the control room. “Tamblyn?”

“I don’t know, sir.” She looked helplessly at her fellow soldiers.

“It was a Roacher ship,” said Patrick Fitzpatrick. Somehow, she always drew shared duty with him. “Ask Tamblyn.”

“That signal was similar to one the pilot transmitted at the moonbase,” Tasia said, knowing that if she hid that fact it would only make them wonder more. “Can’t figure out why, sir.”

“Probably some kind of spy signal,” Fitzpatrick said.

The watch commander said, “A coded message? Get it decrypted, pronto!” He looked at Tasia, then at the other Eddies in the communications center. “Put our best cryptographers on it. I want to know if that Roamer contacted a spy or a mole in our midst.”

Tasia’s skin crawled, realizing what everyone must be thinking, but she sat stony-faced, bearing it. If she protested her innocence, it would only make her look worse. “He went to the moonbase first, sir,” Tasia pointed out, “then came here. Maybe he’s looking for someone.”

“Well, for the sake of the human race, let’s hope that Roacher turncoat didn’t find whoever he was looking for.”

Tasia bit her lip to stop herself from defending the captain. They had no proof that the Roamer intended anything that might harm the Terran war effort. She sighed. She had worked so hard to demonstrate her loyalty, preparing to avenge Ross as soon as an opportunity presented itself, but even as she made progress, something cost her all the ground she had gained. She might have to punch a few more noses next mealtime if the kleebs got too obnoxious or rowdy.

Whatever the Roamer captain had wanted here, it was the last thing in the universe Tasia needed.

EA waited two full days, according to the command instructions in the coded transmission. Then the dutiful compy approached Tasia as discreetly as possible.