She glanced from face to face as she took her coffee from Chad. “I think Derek expected that the moment Dan Wirth stepped off Ashanti, the Board would panic. That no matter what, Turalon or Ashanti would be immediately turned around, re-provisioned, and spaced for Donovan. Very perceptive on his part, because to our dismay, here we sit. It’s all according to Derek’s plan.”

Bart said, “Then maybe you’d better tell us what your brother is up to. What are we walking into down there?”

“I haven’t a clue. He still won’t answer my requests.” She thumped a fist onto the tabletop. “This damnable radio! Who communicates at speed of light anymore? There’s a pus-dripping photonic com on Vixen. Why don’t they use it?”

Cinque had been chewing his lip; now he said, “Maybe because they don’t want to. Especially with Soukup aboard. Maybe they want us thinking that they can’t communicate. That they’re buying time.”

Chad pointed a hard finger. “It’s your brother I’m worried about. Derek was always an arrogant snot. Too damned full of himself for his own good. What was his competency score? Low eighties?”

“Something like that.” Falise sipped her coffee. “But Kalico Aguila is an entirely different matter. I knew her well. Admired her.” She glanced around the table. “That woman was on a fast track for the Board. Miko speculated that she’d be Chairman in ten years. Do you know what kind of talent that takes?”

Bart tapped at the implant behind his right ear. “I’ve read the reports. The woman is running a mine. She signed over ownership of the entire Port Authority colony, for God’s sake. She’s surrendered herself to a bunch of halfwit contractees and rogues. On Transluna, these people would be little more than gutter trash. The kind we send to the Belt. Living on subsistence at best, eliminated as non-essential or criminal at worst.”

“Which is why the Board appointed Soukup,” Chad reminded. “He’s the random element here. One we might be able to direct and channel once we get a feel for what’s on the ground. We all know that the Board sent him to discover the truth behind all the stories about Capella III, and especially about Kalico Aguila. Once he ferrets out what’s really going on down there, he could change the entire game for better or worse. Expect him to remove Aguila just out of prudence.”

And that means he will appoint one of us as interim Supervisor on Donovan.