“Damn straight!” Abibi grinned. “I love that term. Learned it here, you know? Anyhow, getting back to the story, that anthill Turalon’s arrival kicked? Compared to that, Ashanti’s popping back into Neptune’s orbit was like a stick of high explosive that blew everything open. Your old pal, Miko Taglioni, backed by Fabio, and with the support of the Grunnels, Suhartos, and the sudden interest of the Radceks, got us fast-tracked for a turnaround for Donovan.” Abibi’s eyebrow lifted suggestively. “After being locked down in virtual house arrest, we jumped at the chance to get the hell away from Solar System.”

“And the thirty marines?” Kalico asked. “What’s their mission?”

“To protect and support the colony,” Abibi said dryly. “To ensure the peace, orderly conduct, prosperity, and the common good. All the usual claptrap. I’ll send you the file for your records, but I think they’re supposed to be more for show. A reminder that The Corporation is still a serious player on Donovan. The problem is, this was thrown together so fast, not to mention that no one knew what to expect when they arrived, so they didn’t get a specific set of orders.”

“Whose command are they under?”

“Colonel Stanley Creamer. He’s cozied up with Chad Grunnel. Figures that when the music stops, the Grunnels are going to be his ticket to a happy and prosperous retirement. Personally, I think the guy is a marionette.”

“Stanley Creamer?” Kalico asked. “As in the major who blew Cap Taggart’s cover during that raid on rogue miners out in the Belt? They made him a colonel?”

“That’s him.”

“Doesn’t make sense,” Kalico mulled to herself. “Thirty marines, a mixture of high-ranking family members, but no Board mandate. I was afraid that you were bringing a new Supervisor to replace me and orders for my arrest.”

Abibi’s smile was wistful, her gaze going distant. “For the time being, The Corporation—and especially the Board—is scrambling to figure out what it all means. They’ve got a problem. One typified by Freelander, Vixen, and the other missing ships. They’ve seen the recordings of Freelander’s temple of bones and Jem Orten’s shattered skull where he blew a hole in it with his own pistol.”

“Yeah, well, Freelander has gotten even spookier in the years since you were here. No wonder they’re scared.” She chuckled. “Hell, I was, if you’ll recall.”