“Think there’s an army on Turalon? Some overwhelming force that will descend from on high, arrest us all, and take over?” Shig’s eyebrows lifted. “Tell me they wouldn’t, would they?”

Talina ran fingers down the side of her glass as thunder boomed in the night and lightning flickered on the dome overhead. “No, my call is that this will be a sort of reconnaissance. I mean, why send in the marines? That didn’t work the first time. And as long as we’re sending ships back brimming with every valuable metal, mineral, and gemstone in existence, it’s not in their interest to screw it up.” A beat. “Yet.”

“Ah.” Shig cast a look over his shoulder. “I suspect that at least a few of our questions will be answered. Here comes Yvette.”

Talina watched as Yvette Dushane stalked her way across the room, passing the same gauntlet of questions. She did so with grace, waving them down, telling them with a smile that they’d have to wait for further news.

Yvette—in her mid-fifties—wore a fine lace dress, one she’d crocheted and overlaid on a claw-shrub fabric one-piece shift. A water-speckled quetzal-hide cape dripped onto the flagstone floor as Yvette removed her rainhat to expose the high-piled silver-blond hair beneath. Talina wondered what it said about Yvette, that being one of the tallest women on Donovan, she always wore her hair in an elaborate pile that made her appear even taller?

She climbed up on the stool next to Shig and removed a folded piece of paper from one of her cape’s internal pockets. This she placed on the bar, and with long fingers, smoothed it out flat. She shared a conspiratorial glance, her green eyes thoughtful. “Okay, here it is. Tallia O’Hanley, who runs the radio down at Corporate Mine, got this from Margo Abibi, who’d sent it along as a sort of heads-up to Kalico. It’s a list of the Corporate assets aboard Turalon.”

Talina took the paper, scanned it. “Screw me with a skewer. Abibi’s bringing us a Board Appointed Inspector General?”

“What does that mean?” Shig asked.

“For us?” Talina shrugged. “Nothing. We’re not Corporate, but it could mean everything for Kalico.”

Yvette cautioned, “I wouldn’t get too cocky, Tal. The next thing to notice is that thirty marines are aboard under the command of Colonel Stanley Creamer. Thirty marines could take PA in an afternoon and arrest us all.”

“Son of a bitch,” Talina almost spit the words. “Creamer’s the guy responsible for getting Cap busted. A real piece of work.”

“No big gig. We’ll feed him to a quetzal,” Yvette said dismissively. “But check these names. Bartolome Radcek, investment management director, whatever that is. Next comes Cinque Suharto, cargo and logistics security operations.”