“You certainly took your time, Captain.” He grabbed her by the elbow and forcefully led her down a side corridor, looking about as he did to see if he was being noticed. He was wearing a Marine uniform that Celesta assumed was meant to allow him to blend in since the Terran Marine Corp was providing security on New Sierra for the time being.

“You promoted yourself to major?” Celesta asked.

“Actually I’m a full colonel, so call it a demotion,” Uba said without a trace of humor. “Majors are not only ubiquitous but are largely ignored or actively avoided. A colonel, on the other hand, is too memorable.”

“What’s this about?” Celesta asked, yanking her arm out of the agent’s hand as they marched down the service corridor.

“Someone needs to speak with you off the record,” Uba said. “Through there.” He was pointing at an unmarked door identical to the other half-dozen or so that dotted the corridor. Celesta, not for a moment thinking she was in any danger, walked up and opened the door, stepping into what looked like a recently vacated equipment closet given the amount of wiring dangling from the overhead tracks.

“You have some aversion to answering your messages?”

“Pike,” Celesta said flatly as way of greeting the impeccably dressed man standing in front of her. “Or is it Lynch?”

“Pike wearing Lynch’s clothes right now,” Pike said. “I understand you’ve just been given command of the New York. I suppose congratulations are in order.”

“I haven’t accepted yet,” Celesta said. “I get the feeling the appointment may be more about politics than my ability to command.”

“Of course it’s about politics,” Pike said. “Any decision about who is commanding a battleship is always political. Marcum wants her current CO gone. Actually, he’d like the moron prosecuted, but he’ll settle for drummed out of the chair in disgrace. The details why aren’t important. He also thinks he can push you through as the replacement, a war hero whom he has a personal working relationship with … the newly formed Parliament wouldn’t even pause to sign off on the posting.”

“Parliament?”

“I think they’ve changed the names of the old institutions just for the sake of change,” Pike shrugged. “If you walk around down there it’s the same old people playing the same old games. There’s actually a strange sort of comfort from it.”

“So why all the skulking about?” Celesta asked, wanting to get to the point despite the fact she was happy to have any chance to see Pike at all. The pair weren’t exactly romantically involved, but there was a mutual interest that had blossomed during their time together when it seemed the agent was always popping up where the ship she served aboard happened to be. But, both were far too driven with their work to make any sort of time for a relationship.