Station Day 49
Administrative Tower
“Yes,” Ren Zel said. “Disian provided very disturbing information, which would seem to indicate that Eltoro had been a Free Logic, and who was possibly subverted by—someone. Perhaps the present crew. And, in truth, Beloved, I was curious enough when they came to dock that I looked for what information there might be.”
“Which was, I suppose, not very much,” Anthora said, going to the tea maker. “Shall you have tea?”
“I had just brewed a cup before you arrived.”
She nodded, and bent to the dial.
“The fact is,” Ren Zel said, “that we have no facts. We cannot prove Eltoro was taken against his will. He may have died, naturally, from systems failure, and taken under salvage right by the current crew.”
Anthora looked over her shoulder at him.
“Is there a record of that?”
“Not that I found, but we both know it may not have been filed, or has been filed but not populated the records as yet.”
“Yes.”
The tea maker pinged and she brought her cup over to the desk.
“One hesitates to speculate on Seignur Veeoni’s methods,” she said, wryly. “I thought myself so clever to have talked her into a long Balance.”
“And so you were,” Ren Zel said, with a smile. “Her brother is coming, you know.”
“Yes, you had said. Then we will have two of the same to cope with, rather than one.”
“Do you think so? I rather hoped he would take her in hand.”
Anthora laughed.
“Well, and perhaps he will, at that.”