"It has come to my attention that you wish to return to your home," Faure said.

Joanna cocked a brow at him. "I didn't come back to Earth to sit in a Corsican jail cell, no matter how nicely furnished it may be."

"I quite understand," said Faure, "and I agree. Your detention has been a sad error on the part of certain over-anxious members of my staff. I apologize most humbly."

Joanna looked totally unconvinced.

Faure went on, "I am giving orders this instant that you are to be released and provided transportation for whatever destination you wish."

Warily, Joanna replied, "We've been given to understand that we'll need some hefty security because of public resentment over the Peacekeeper's death."

Faure made himself nod reluctantly. "Alas, that may be true, Madame."

"If you don't mind," said Joanna, "I'd rather provide my own security. And my own transport, too."

"Of course! Whatever you wish."

The woman looked suspicious. Faure made himself smile at her as he thought, With a bit of luck, some fanatic will assassinate her.

Joanna mumbled her thanks to Faure and broke the phone link. Looking up from the screen, she saw that Lev was already on his feet.

"We're free to leave," she said, not quite believing it.

Lev scratched at his beard. "Something's changed Faure's mind. I wonder what it was?"

Joanna had no answer.

"Do you think Rashid got to him, at last?"

With an angry shake of her head, Joanna replied, "No. I think Rashid was very happy to keep us bottled up here. I think he's going to be badly shaken up when we arrive in Savannah. At least, I intend to shake the little rat as hard as I can."

DAY TEN

He hasn't been alone for more than five minutes, the mercenary grumbled to himself. I don't mind taking him out in front of witnesses if I have to, but it'd be better to get him alone, make it look like an accident or something natural, like a heart attack.

He almost laughed to himself. Heart attack. The kid's twenty-five years old and healthy as a horse. It's going to have to be an accident.

Plenty of places for an accident to happen, he reasoned. Might have to take out a whole lot of people, though. Knock out the air pumps or rig an explosion in one of the labs.

He hasn't gone out on the surface since this thing started. It'd be easy to get him when he's in a spacesuit. Or maybe in the airlock. Christ, I'm starting to grasp at straws! Why's it so fucking tough, knocking off one guy?

Because you don't want to do it, he answered himself. Because you really admire the kid. He's everything you could've been if you'd been born different.