“I don’t have one,” she replied, opening her well-worn satchel and pulling out a small, metallic, many windowed device, which she placed on a table between them. “This has a pair of wide-angle three-dimensional lenses that can follow you anywhere in the room, and there’s a built-in speaker that will pick up everything you say.” She pressed a small activator button. “It’s not studio quality, but one doesn’t always know what conditions will be like in the field, and it’s a pretty handy little gadget.”

“Amazing!” he said, staring at it in fascination. “It covers a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree area without moving?”

She nodded. “That’s right—which means I’ll be in all the pictures, too. When I get it to the lab, they’ll edit it to follow a standard question-and-answer format, cutting to each of us as we speak. No one except you and me and the lab technicians will know that there wasn’t an entire crew on hand.”

“And this will be aired on Deluros Eight?” he asked, his expression mirroring his interest.

“As well as half a dozen other systems.”

“Can I get a copy of the final cut for myself?”

“I don’t see why not,” said Virtue. “Of course, you’ll need professional equipment to play it back.”

“I own some, and have access to still more.”

“Fine. Shall we begin?”

“Whenever you’re ready,” said Sokol.

She proceeded to conduct a thorough and professional interview for the next thirty minutes, on the off chance that she might someday be able to sell it, if not to Leander Smythe’s network, then to some other Pegasus news agency, or perhaps to Lodin XI if Sokol actually got himself assigned there.

“Well,” she announced at last, shutting off the recording device, “I think that’s it.”

“It was my pleasure,” replied Sokol. “You will let me know when it’s ready, won’t you?”

“Certainly,” replied Virtue. “Of course, it all depends on how you answer the next question.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I have another question.”

“Don’t you want to turn the machine back on?” he asked.

She shook her head. “This one is off the record.”

“Okay,” he said, leaning back comfortably. “Ask away.”

“I want you to consider it very carefully before answering.”

“I think I’m pretty used to loaded questions.” he replied confidently.

“I’m glad to hear that,” said Virtue, staring at him. “Where can I find Santiago?”

For just a moment he looked surprised. Then his professional politician’s smile spread across his handsome face. “It’s my opinion that this Santiago is just a Frontier myth. If he ever did exist, he must be dead by now.”

“He’s alive.”

“I very much doubt it.”

“If you want someone who doesn’t exist, Mr. Sokol,” she said, “try Sidney Peru.”

Suddenly the smile vanished. “Who’s Sidney Peru?”

“He’s a smuggler who was murdered six years ago.”