There was only one major place to sit, my couch. She headed there and pushed a few cushions and a thin blanket out of the way.

"You want a beer?" I asked. "Ah-hold on. Im out. How about a margarita in a can?"

"Sure."

I brought it to her, and she sipped it quietly.

"Im sorry I didnt call first, or text you," she said, speaking quickly. "I didnt even know I was coming. I was driving around, and I thought Id just drop by and see where you lived. Once I was here-well, I thought it would be silly not to knock on your door."

Unperturbed, I nodded. The fact that she lived up in Kentucky didnt impinge. It was quite a distance to be wandering late at night. If a man had done the same, theyd call him a stalker. I grinned at the thought, and although I still had a gut full of beer in me, I was smart enough not to say what was on my mind.

Eventually, we got around to the real reason shed come to my place. We had a great time on the couch, but I didnt remember it very well by morning, so we repeated the process after cleaning up. After that, we went out to breakfast.

There, at a local eatery, we ran into my parents. They were looking at us in embarra.s.sment, not sure if they should say anything or not.

I walked over to them, carrying my plate. Anne followed, mortified.

"James," she hissed. "Theyll know I spent the night. Theyll have to figure it out."

"They already know," I said. "They arent stupid. Just make the best of it."

We sat together, talked, and ate. It was nice, and it was something I rarely did. I usually kept my private life and my family apart.

Consequently, my mother was ready to maul poor Anne. I could see she had wedding cakes in her eyes and bells in her ears. It was all I could do not to laugh.

Anne brought up the squids-and I wished she hadnt. They kind of freaked my mother out.

"Ive heard about those huge, disgusting creatures," my mom said. "Did you actually see one?"

Anne gave me a wary glance. Obviously, my parents were in the dark concerning my activities while abroad among the stars. I generally edited my stories of warfare. They didnt need to know how bad it really was to be a legionnaire.

I think my dad suspected, of course. When I candied-up my tales of the campaigns, he always smiled with his mouth, but not his eyes. Hed always been able to tell when I was lying better than my mom, back as far as I could remember.

Giving Anne a tiny nod, I took a drink of coffee, and stared into the cup. Anne cleared her throat and started in.

"There was this one cephalopod that was different from the rest," she said. "It was huge, and it turns out it was a female."

This detail surprised even me. Anne and I hadnt talked about the campaign, wed been too busy enjoying one anothers company all night for that.

"Female?" I asked. "How could you tell?"

Anne laughed. "They have s.e.xes, you just have to look. Every squid weve found up until this trip to Gamma Pavonis has been a male. But Ive had contact with the team of bios who were tasked with investigating the one you found in that big tank. It was a confirmed female."

"You found it?" my mother gasped, staring at me across the table. I had a forkful of pancakes in my hand and I froze. "You never talked about that, James!" she said, raising her voice.

My dad put a hand on her arm. "Hon, you have to know that he doesnt tell us everything."

"Youd think he wouldnt leave out a giant s.p.a.ce-squid. Which he found himself, apparently."

"I didnt actually find it first," I said. "Carlos and Kivi did, but I did see it before it died."

My parents eyed me warily. I could tell they wanted to ask exactly how the giant s.p.a.ce-squid had died, but they didnt.

"Sorry," Anne said. "I shouldnt have brought it up."

"No, no," my mom chimed in, and immediately began trying to make Anne feel better.

They started chatting again about more pleasant things. My mom had switched gears. I could tell she was focused on getting me married off again. Oddly, that was a relief to everyone at the table.

The day went by pleasantly after that, and after staying on for the weekend, Anne headed back to Kentucky. I found myself missing her almost immediately.

About a month later, my door thumped again. It was the middle of the day, not the middle of the night, but for some reason I thought it was Anne, coming back around for another visit.

I pasted my hair down as best I could with the few seconds I dared let pa.s.s before opening it.

When I finally did, my grin faded to blank shock. It wasnt Anne at all.

Claver stood there with two centurions. They were in hog uniforms, and Claver was in civvies. My eyes ran from one of them to the next.

"Disappointed?" Claver asked, chuckling. "I have that effect on a lot of people. Come on, McGill. Youve been summoned to a meeting."

"What meeting?"

One of the centurions stepped forward with written orders. They were signed by none other than Equestrian Nagata, the man who Id met with months back. My heart sank. This had to be about Turov and the Galactic wed killed. That hadnt seemed like an action Id get away with forever.

"Summoned? To Central?"

"Thats right, Vet. You coming peacefully?"

The man was eyeing me, sizing me up. I felt that was a little insulting. Sure, Id resisted arrest before, but this was different. I was being called by a high level officer to Central. They had written orders and everything.

"The orders seem legit," I said. "Im not under arrest, am I?"

"Are you refusing the orders?" the centurion asked.

"No sir."

"Then youre not under arrest."

I followed them out to a military air car. It wasnt as nice as the one Winslade had swept me away in months ago, but it was just as fast. We glided over the treetops and soon slipped up into the regulated air-traffic corridors. Applying full thrust, the two centurions whisked me away toward the northeast.

Sitting in the back seat beside Claver, I couldnt help but talk to him.

"Congratulations on breathing again, by the way," I said.

"Thank you," he replied. "Im equally impressed by the fact you havent gotten yourself permed yet. I might have misjudged your intellect, McGill. A man cant get lucky so many times by sheer accident."

"Why doesnt anyone like to warn me about these pick-ups?" I complained. "People just come to my house whenever. They could at least send me a note first."

Claver shook his head. "Notes? On tappers? Maybe you are a dummy. That would leave an undeniable trace in the computers. If people keep coming to your door unannounced, McGill, its because they dont want anyone to know theyve done it. I, for one, am unsurprised to hear people dont want to make their a.s.sociations with you public."

I thought about Anne then, and Natasha. Had they come knocking, unannounced, because they feared leaving a trace of their visits? The thought was disturbing. Could I be that toxic to a womans career?

Claver didnt want to talk business in the back of a military air car with two witnesses, so we discussed pleasantries all the rest of the way up to Central.

At last, after we landed and were walking across the roof, Claver slapped my hand with his.

I looked down at his offending hand and frowned.

"What?"

"Give it to me," he whispered. "And dont tell me you didnt bring it. No one would leave it in a shack unguarded, not even you."

"Give you what?"

He looked at me like I was the dumbest animal on the farm. "The key, you idiot. Are you backing out? Because I dont like welshers, McGill."

"I dont have it," I growled back at him. "Not yet. I told you to give me a year."

"s.h.i.t," he said. He shoved his hands back into his pockets.

When we were led into Equestrian Nagatas office, the two centurions retreated. The first time Id met this man hed been in the Mustering Hall in Newark. But the headquarters building in Central was his home office. As a hog officer, he belonged here.

Claver and I stood there like kids in the princ.i.p.als office while Nagata fooled around with some computer scrolls on his big, bra.s.s-studded desk.

At last, he looked up. "Adjunct Claver," he said, nodding, then turned to me, "and Veteran McGill. Two of the most infamous rogues in Frontier 921."

He riffled through his computer scrolls and selected two of them. He slid one across his desk toward each of us.

I glanced down. Whatever it was, it looked like an official doc.u.ment. Equestrian Nagatas scrawled signature was at the bottom of both.

"Whats this, sir?" I asked.

"What do you think it is?" he asked me in return. "An agreement to avoid prosecution-provided you give us the testimony were asking for."

Frowning, we both picked up our doc.u.ments and looked them over. Claver read a few words. "Immunity...immediate release....record stricken...good enough. Im signing."

He touched his thumb to the bottom and an image of his print appeared on the scroll.

I looked mine over with far less enthusiasm. I had no idea what I was facing, and as I paged through the scroll, it wasnt getting any clearer.

"Sir?" I asked. "I dont understand what this is about."

"Youre trading your testimony for immunity. Youre the small fish, McGill. Its standard practice to allow a few lesser criminals to escape the net in order to capture the big one."

"And who is the big one in this case, sir?"

"Imperator Turov, of course."

"And the charge?"

"In Clavers case, the charge is sedition and racketeering. In your case, its murder. Namely, the murder of Chief Inspector Xlur. Imperator Turov is guilty of both these crimes."

Id known the answer to my question before asking it, naturally. Id just wanted it confirmed. I glowered at the doc.u.ment. It seemed so dirty. Was I going to let Turov hang out to dry? Shed never been a stellar officer, and she was often up to no good, but I felt uncomfortable saddling her with things Id done at her side.

"Sir...the Galactics arent behind this prosecution, are they?"

"Fortunately, no. If they ever do bring charges, well all be permed. These charges are relatively minor-murder, disobeying orders, endangering the state-the sort of thing you two excel at."

I could tell Nagata didnt like me or Claver. Hed apparently lumped us into the same pot, calling us both troublemakers and criminals. That didnt sit well with me.

"Sir," I said. "Are you aware of the circ.u.mstances that led to the unfortunate death of a foreign dignitary on our soil?"

Nagata stared at me. "The Chief Inspector is not a foreign dignitary. He is a Galactic, part of the Empire we all serve."

"You should think that over, sir-"

"McGill," Claver said at my side. Hed been quiet up until now, but hed been growing increasingly alarmed. "Shut that big cracker mouth of yours, for the love of G.o.d, and sign!"

I ignored him and stayed focused on Nagata. I pointed at Claver. "This man will tell you whatever you want to hear. h.e.l.l sell Turov-or you, for that matter-down the river of your choice without a qualm. But sir, Im made of different stuff. Honestly, killing Xlur has probably been one of the best things Ive ever done. Turov should be commended for her action as well, whatever other faults she might have. Xlur meant to perm everyone on Earth. We did what we did because we had to. And now, as a big thank you for saving your collective b.u.t.ts, youve decided to perm us as a reward? I dont get it, sir. Not at all."

"They arent going to perm you, McGill. Just Turov," said Claver.

I turned on him. "And is that what you want? You want Turov arrested, tried and executed? What do you think will happen during that sequence of events?"

Clavers face froze. He got it. If the hogs caught and tried Turov on the basis of our testimony, hed never get his key. Turov would either use it to escape her fate, or it would be confiscated.

"Ive had a change of heart, sir," he said suddenly. He rubbed his finger side to side over his mark on the computer scroll until it vanished, then tossed the scroll back on the Equestrians desk, where it rattled with the rest of the doc.u.ments. "Im sorry."

Nagatas mouth hung open. He swept his eyes back and forth between the two of us. He was surprised but thinking hard.

"Shes got something on you two," he said. "Something so bad, youre willing to risk trial to avoid it. Thats got to be quite a lever. Im impressed by this womans scheming. Your case isnt unique, you know. Ive had my eye on her for years, trying to stop her. Always, my evidence falls apart at the last minute. She has friends in very high places-but she has just as many enemies."

We both gazed at him evenly. I knew now what I was caught up in. A vendetta. A squabble between high-ranking officers. For a mere enlisted man, that wasnt a pleasant place to be, let me tell you.

Nagata stood up suddenly. His body was stiff and angry. "I wont bother to tempt you with bribes. If the threat of prosecution wont sway you from serving your mistress, rank and bank accounts would have even less of an effect. However, my offer stands, and I will seek to come up with a further offer you cant refuse. Know, gentlemen, that Im a patient man, and that Ill win this contest in the end. You cannot prevail in this political battle in the long run."

"Ah..." Claver said uncertainly. "You said something about an incentive program, sir? Are you sure you dont want to provide more details on that?"

"Get out!"

That was it. We were thrown out of Nagatas office and out of the gigantic headquarters building as well. Claver and I went our separate ways almost immediately. I had to wonder why Nagata didnt have us arrested-but the answer to that puzzle was easy to figure out.

When a fisherman seeks to catch a really big fish, he baits the hook with a small one. Then he lets the line pay out, far, far from the boat...

I went home to Waycross, Georgia, knowing in my heart I was being watched. I was the bait, and that meant I was already on the hook.

I didnt like the sensation. Not at all.