Makris stared at her, looking as if someone had just punched her. But then the paralyzing moment of shock passed and a dark red tide of outrage suffused her face.

“I’m not in the habit of being dictated to by uniformed flunkies, Captain!” she spat. “Not even by ones who seem to think they—”

Zachary’s open palm cracked like a pistol shot when it landed on the tabletop. The sharp, explosive sound made more than one person jump, and Makris recoiled as if the blow had landed on her cheek instead. A stab of pure, physical fear chopped her off in mid-sentence, and she swallowed as the cold fury burning behind Zachary’s eyes seemed to truly register at last.

“That will be enough,” the captain said, very softly, into the ringing silence. “Since you obviously cannot comport yourself with anything like adult self-control, Dame Melina, I believe we can dispense with your presence. Leave.”

“I– You can’t—” Makris spluttered, only to chop off again under the searing contempt of Zachary’s gaze.

“Yes, I can,” the other woman assured her. “And I have. Your presence is no longer required here… nor will it be required at any other staff meeting for the duration of this cruise.” Her impaling gaze nailed the Prime Minister’s personal representative into her chair, daring her to open her mouth once more as she was exiled from any further direction of the survey mission.

“And now,” Zachary went on after a two-heartbeat pause, “you will leave this compartment and go directly to your berthing compartment. You will remain there until I send word you may leave it.”

“I—” Makris shook herself. “The Prime Minister will be informed of this, Captain!” she declared, but her voice was much weaker than before.

“No doubt he will,” Zachary agreed. “For now, however, you’ll obey my orders or I will have you escorted to your quarters. The choice, Dame Melina, is yours.”

Her eyes were unflinching, and Makris’ attempt to glare defiantly back shattered on their flint. The civilian’s gaze fell, and, after one more awkward second, she stood and walked wordlessly through the compartment hatch. Zachary watched her go, then turned back to those still seated around the table as the hatch closed behind her.

“Please excuse the interruption, Dr. Kare,” she said pleasantly. “Now, you were about to say– ?”

“Ah, you do realize she really will complain to the Prime Minister, don’t you, Captain?” Kare asked after a moment, rather than answering her question, and she sighed.

“If she does, she does.” The captain shrugged. “In either case, I meant every word I said to her.”

“I can’t disagree with any of them myself,” the astrophysicist admitted with a wry grin. Then he sobered. “But she does have influence at the cabinet level. And a vindictive streak a kilometer wide.”

“Somehow, I find that very easy to believe,” Zachary observed with a wintery chuckle. “But while I also realize that she undoubtedly has a certain amount of influence even with the Admiralty—” that was as close as she was prepared to come to mentioning Sir Edward Janacek by name, not that anyone failed to recognize her meaning “—I still meant it. And while there may be repercussions, they may also be less severe than you expect. After all, we’re all heroes, Dr. Kare!” She grinned suddenly. “I expect our towering contribution to the expansion of humanity’s frontiers to provide at least a little protection against any winds of official disfavor Dame Melina can stir up. If it doesn’t—”