“I don’t take my orders from the civilians,” the commander said shortly—and, Tennal thought, inaccurately, since the legislator might not directly command the army, but he’d definitely done the legislator a personal favor by getting Tennal out of her way. “If you need to know the details of the mission, apply to high command.”

“I will!” the governor said. “I’m so glad we had this chance to talk. Do you also want to tell me what in the infinite annals of Guidance is going on with your fleet reader situation?”

Tennal straightened.

“I have sign-off,” Commander Vinys said.

“You received sign-off for two mid-ranking regulators,” Governor Oma said. “What you brought on the Fractal Note, according to my sources, is a previously unknown Rank One architect and a synced reader. While I am the greatest supporter of our neuromodified soldiers, I agreed to two normal regulators traveling along my borders. Not a reader and a weapon of war.”

Interesting. So they were last-minute substitutions. Tennal glanced sideways at Surit. The weapon of war gave a tiny, baffled shake of his head; he hadn’t known that either.

“Your ‘sources’?” the commander said, in a considering voice like the pressure of thunder on the horizon. “So this is why you were calling my reader.”

“No, your reader is not one of my sources,” Oma said impatiently. “This is the first time I’ve seen him. Let me lay out the problems. Your Rank One is a recent graduate. He’s barely out of the academy, and he’s at least three years away from the regulator’s minimum service period for synced architects.” She gave Surit the sort of look you got from disappointed relatives, which would have had zero effect on Tennal but made Surit wilt. Tennal would have taken a great deal of vindictive satisfaction in that, four days ago. Now he found he didn’t like it.

“And then there’s your reader,” Oma said, “who doesn’t seem to come from anywhere.” Tennal raised his eyebrow at her as she transferred her gaze to him, expecting the same treatment. But all he got was a clear, level gaze with a steel core behind it and a question that stopped Tennal in his tracks: “Are you here of your own free will?”

Tennal opened his mouth, then shut it. Wheels in his mind started to spin frantically.

“He’s authorized to be here,” the commander said.

“He’s not,” Surit said abruptly, and all the wheels in Tennal’s head jammed to a halt. “He’s not here of his own free will.”

Commander Vinys gave Surit an incredulous look that showed just how much Surit had damaged his reputation as a golden junior officer. “Agent Fifty-Six is on the conscription list. If you want to know why, you can ask the regulators.”