Ah, of course. “Margo, you made the right call. No regrets. I’ll fill you in on all the gory details over a chamois steak and a beer at Inga’s once you’re dirtside. It’s the stuff of novels. But, in the meantime, I’d appreciate it if you could drop a privacy field. I’d like to talk candidly and off the record.”

Abibi nodded, leaned forward, and said, “Already done, Supervisor.”

Kalico got the nod from Vacquillas, could see the slight shimmer that formed in the air around her. “So, Margo,” she began, “what’s the full story? A Board Appointed Inspector General is aboard. Is there something I should know? Like to prepare to be arrested, relieved of duty, or replaced?”

Abibi’s slight surprise was reassuring. “No, ma’am. Not yet. At least not to my knowledge. Though—den of vipers that the Board is—I’ll not rule it out sometime in the future.” She hesitated, expression straining. “But given that I’m carrying Suto Soukup? I don’t know what his actual authority is. Mostly he sticks to his cabin with his Four.”

“Given that he’s a Board Appointed IG, he can do just about anything. OTR, Margo. Just between you and me. Any gossip?”

“Supervisor, his mission is officially listed as a fact-finding expedition. That the Board sent him is a measure of how seriously they take the situation on Donovan. But, to my knowledge, he has no Board directive. As to the rest of my bigwigs? The families are worried.”

“Yeah. I got your list.” Kalico frowned. “I know who they are, especially Falise. I’ve had dealings with her before. The others I had limited exposure to while I was Supervisor at Transluna. Are they traveling with a Board mandate? What’s their official capacity?”

Abibi chuckled at some private amusement. “Supervisor, you’ve got to understand the situation back home. Turalon’s arrival was like kicking an anthill. Not just the wealth, but the revelations concerning the missing ships? The unsettling data from Freelander? That you had sold Port Authority? I was called into one board of inquiry after another to give testimony. Every data bank on the ship was downloaded and scrutinized. Talk about security? My entire crew was bundled off to top secret locations, their every communication to friends and family monitored and censored. We were grilled up and down and back and forth. The Corporation tried to control the narrative, and they did a pretty good job at first. Lost colony found, and all that. But questions were being asked. The names of the returning transportees who had fulfilled contract had been released in the beginning, but family members hadn’t seen or heard from them. Rumors started to circulate. Then the leaks started: ‘Disaster at Capella III’ and ‘Rebellion at the lost colony.’ Stuff like that.”