“I’m afraid I’ll have to go along with that.” Matsuko sighed. “But the fact that we can’t see any logical reason for them to be doing this means that I’ve got to have absolute proof that they are before I start leveling any sort of official complaints or charges.”

“Agreed.” Honor leaned back and crossed her arms under her breasts. “We need more information.” She looked at Isvarian. “Do we know where this dying nomad came from, Barney?”

“Not specifically. Judging by the style of his personal gear and his dialect, he was a long way from home for someone traveling on foot or jehrnback. I’d guess he’s probably from somewhere in the Mossyback Plateau area, maybe a little south of there. Call it seven or eight hundred klicks north of the Delta.”

“Could he have made it that far in his condition?”

Isvarian glanced at Montoya, and the lieutenant shook his head. “I don’t believe so, Ma’am. I’m no expert on Medusans, but I spoke with the clinic doctor, and given the patient’s condition and how quickly he faded after we got here, I’d be surprised if he stayed on his feet more than twenty to thirty hours after his last pipe.”

“How far could he have come in thirty hours, Barney?”

“Not seven hundred kilometers, Captain, that’s for sure. Medusans move faster on foot than we do, but even with a jehrn, he couldn’t have made more than two, three hundred klicks, max, in his condition.”

“All right. That gives us a rough idea of where to start looking for anyone he might have been with.”

“Right.” Matsuko nodded firmly. “Barney, I want a patrol sent up that way soonest.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Better send them in some force,” Honor warned. “Just to be on the safe side.”

“And with somebody who keeps his head in command,” Matsuko agreed, and Isvarian nodded again.

“I can have an armed ten-man skimmer on its way just after local first light,” he said. “Call it eight hours from now.”

“Good. In the meantime,” Honor said with a wry, taut grin, “since you two have ruined my night’s sleep, I might as well ruin a few people’s nights up here. I don’t know if we’ll come up with any bright new insights, but it can’t hurt to ask. And I’ll pass the word to Papadapolous, too. He’ll probably want to talk directly with you, Barney.”

“No problem. Dame Estelle has my personal com code. Government House can relay to me over a secure channel wherever I am.”

“Fine. In that case, Dame Estelle, if you and Barney will excuse me, I think I’d better get dressed. I’ll screen you back in a couple of hours to let you know what we come up with—or let you know if we don’t come up with anything at all.”

“Thank you, Honor.” The relief in Dame Estelle’s voice was unmistakable, and Honor smiled at her as she cut the connection.

It was a smile that died instantly into a worried frown when the screen went blank. She stood abruptly and started looking for her uniform.