“Bodies are my primary interest,” he confessed, as if ashamed not by the topic but by the depth of his enthusiasm. “I’ve been accused of religiosity, actually. Worship of the human mechanism. Of course, as a navy officer you must understand the critical role of experimental physiology in our great Republic?”

“Oh yes,” Aminata agreed, “at bathing times I’m surrounded by experimental physiologies.”

He laughed. “Is that so? Experimental? You know, to be a proper experiment, they’d need to be divided into home and traveler groups.”

“I could sort them that way, certainly.”

“You could?”

“The ones I’d send traveling and the ones I’d keep at home.”

“Lieutenant Commander!” he said, with rich shock.

She drank her water. Swallowed. Wet her lips. He looked deliciously aware of her every motion. Aminata veered, sharply, into the questioning. “Tell me what you know about the battle. How did a navy warship come to burn three Oriati dromon?”

He didn’t know. He’d arrived just afterward, in time to meet a small group of very confused foreigners trying to book passage to Aurdwynn using Oriati papers. The dockside authorities were very curious to know where this gang of misfits had gotten Oriati diplomatic protection. Calcanish took pity on them, saved them from interrogation, and brought them to a property he owned on Jamascine islet.

“Who were they?”

Aurdwynni commoners, as far as he could tell, refugees from the Coyote rebellion. A midwife, an herbalist, a man and his son, and a frighteningly pale and thin Stakhi woman.

Aminata clenched her fist in triumph under the table. Those were the prisoners who’d been dispatched to the Ministry station here! He had them. Perhaps they’d seen Baru. Even spoken to her!

“You’re excited,” Calcanish observed. “Why?”

“Do you know the Imperial agent who masterminded the Coyote uprising?”

“Baru Cormorant, yes. I heard she’d been spirited off to Falcrest to receive a new name.”

“I’m trying to track her down.” She shouldn’t have said that. She just wanted to be connected to Baru’s infamy, in his eyes.

“Oh?” He kissed his napkin. “Why? She’s the Emperor’s creature, isn’t she? Very elusive. A mask without a face.”

She couldn’t help boasting a little. “Because she’s put the whole Imperial Republic in danger of open war. First she drew the Oriati into attacking Treatymont. Now this second encounter between our navy and Oriati covert forces.”

“You think an Imperial agent provoked the violence here?”

“Perhaps.”

He frowned fetchingly. “I suppose that makes sense,” he said, “if the Emperor wants to do to the Oriati what he did to Aurdwynn.”

“Bait them into a premature attack?”

“No!” He flinched in shock. “No, goodness, an actual war between Falcrest and the Mbo would be appalling. Can you imagine the trade disruptions? The pandemics?”

“What, then?”