“I understand, Major.” Papadapolous smiled back, then looked at Honor. “Ma’am, I’m sorry I seemed overconfident. With your permission, I’d like to take Major Isvarian down to Marine Country and get my platoon commanders and Sergeant Major Jenkins involved in this. Then I’ll try to give you a response plan that has some thought behind it for a change.”

“I think that sounds like a reasonable idea, Major,” Honor said mildly, then glanced at Isvarian. “On the other hand, it might be an even better idea to get some food into Major Isvarian and lock him in a cabin for a few hours’ sleep before you confer.”

“Now that’s a real good idea, Captain.” Isvarian’s voice was slurred, and he listed noticeably as he heaved himself to his feet. “But if Major Papadapolous doesn’t mind, I think I’d like a shower first.”

“Can do, Major,” Papadapolous said promptly, and Honor smiled as she watched him escort a staggering Isvarian from her briefing room.

Chapter Nineteen

ENSIGN Tremaine’s pinnace drifted in orbit, two hundred meters from the mammoth power collector, while Tremaine, Harkness, and Yammata crossed the vacuum between them. None of them could quite believe where their trace of the power relays had led them.

“You sure you want to do this, Skipper?” Harkness muttered over his suit com. “I mean, this is NPA business, Sir.”

“The Captain told me to run it down, PO,” Tremaine said, much more harshly than usual. “Besides, if we’re right, maybe an NPA maintenance crew are the last people we should have checking it out.”

“Mr. Tremaine, you don’t really think—” Yammata began, and the ensign waved a gauntleted hand.

“I don’t know what to think. All I know is what we’ve found so far. Until I do know more—know it for certain—we tell no one. Clear?”

“Yes, Sir,” Yammata murmured. Tremaine nodded in satisfaction and freed a powered wrench from his equipment belt. His suit thrusters nudged him a bit closer, and he caught the grab bar above the access panel. He pulled himself down, locking the toes of his boots under the clips provided for that purpose, and attached his suit tether to the bar, then fitted the wrench head over the first bolt.

He squeezed the wrench power stud and listened to its whine, transmitted up his arm to his ears, and tried not to look at the royal Manticoran seal above the panel.

· · • · ·

“You’re not serious?” Dame Estelle stared at Lieutenant Stromboli’s face in her com screen, and the beefy lieutenant nodded. “Our backup power collector?”

“Yes, Ma’am, Dame Estelle. No question about it. Ensign Tremaine and his crew tracked the fix from the primary receiver station and found the feed. It wasn’t easy, even after he got to the collector. As a matter of fact, it’s built right into the main power ring, not even an add-on. I’ve got a copy of the altered schematics in my secure data base right now.”

“Oh, my God,” Matsuko sighed. She settled back in her chair, staring at the com screen, and her brain raced. Was it possible this whole operation was being run by someone inside her own staff? The thought was enough to turn her stomach, but she made herself face it.