“We can guess.”

“It may be a very simple and open thing—communication with the ’lectro. . . .”

“Nothing the ship does is open and simple! And do not use that high-sounding term with me. It’s kelp, nothing but kelp. And it’s a damned nuisance.”

She cleared her throat, the first sign of nervousness that Oakes had detected in her. He found this pleasing. Yes . . . she would be ready for the Scream Room soon.

“There’s still Thomas,” she said, “perhaps he can. . . .”

“You are not to question him about Panille.”

She was startled. “You’re satisfied with the answers he gave you?”

“I am satisfied that he’s too much for you to handle.”

“I think you’re overly suspicious,” she said.

“With this ship you cannot be too suspicious. You suspect everything and know you’ll miss something.”

“But they’re just two. . . .”

“The ship ordered this.” There was a long pause while Oakes continued to stare up at her. “Your term: order. Is that not so?”

“As far as we can determine.”

“Do you have any indication, even a faint hint, that Thomas and not the ship initiated this?”

“There’s only one order from Ship adding this . . . this Panille to the Colony roster.”

“You hesitated over his name.”

“It slipped my mind!”

Now she was nervous and angry. Oakes found himself enjoying that very much. This Legata Hamill had potential. She would have to be broken of that habit, however, saying Ship rather than the ship.

“You don’t find the poet attractive?”

“Not particularly.”

The fingers of her left hand twisted a comer of her toga.

“And there’s no record of communication between Thomas and the ship?”

“Nothing.”

“You don’t find that odd?”

“What do you mean?”

“Thomas had to come from hyb. Who ordered it? Who briefed him?”

“There’s no record of any such communication.”

“How could there be no record of something we know took place?”

Now fear edged her anger. “I don’t know!”

“Haven’t I warned you to suspect everything?”

“Yes! You tell me to suspect everyone!”

“Good . . . very good.”

He turned back to face the light of the empty holofocus.

“Now, go and look some more. Perhaps there’s something you’ve missed.”

“Do you know of something I’ve missed?”

“That’s for you to find out, my dear!”

He listened to the whisk-whisk of her clothing as she hurried from the room. There was a brief flare of light from the outer passage as she opened the hatch, then shadows once more and she was gone.