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they're doing," Hunt urged. "Hell, the Jevlenese eavesdropped on our whole
planet for fifty thousand years! What right do they have to get upset over a
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few tapped wires around one city?"
"We need better sources," Cullen agreed. "A break like this isn't quite an
intelligence man's dream, but you play with what you've got."
Garuth had just heard from Calazar that JPC's reaction to Eubeleus's offer to
remove to Uttan was favorable. Eubeleus had made the point that if the object
was to defuse the tensions on Jevlen, one small demonstration of good faith
now would have more effect than a torrent of good intentions and promises of
doing things later. To emphasize his own sincerity, he was prepared to move
himself away from the scene immediately, with a token advance guard of
followers. The Thuriens thought his offer magnanimous and were arranging for a
ship to be sent to Jevlen to take them. Privately, Calazar had confessed to
Garuth that he wasn't completely comfortable about it, but it seemed that the
farther away from Jevlen Eubeleus was in the immediate future, the less
mischief he would be able to do.
Garuth didn't trust Eubeleus any more than Hunt did, but at least the
relocation would remove the man from being Garuth's responsibility for the
foreseeable future, and so Garuth had no reason to object. Meanwhile, he would
be able to concentrate on his own problems. All the other lines they had tried
had drawn blanks. A clue could only come from out there in the city.
Distasteful as he found the suggestion, it was a human problem to do with a
human world, and it probably required human methods.
"Very well. Do it," he instructed ZORAC.
Hunt grinned faintly. But it really wasn't a lot to go pinning hopes on.
All it meant was that Baumer, and maybe another Terran or two out in the city,
might say something to a Jevlenese that was useful. The situation was purely
passive. Hunt could tell that Cullen found it as unsatisfying as he did. He
looked across and pulled a face.
"What else can you do?" Cullen said.
"Oh, I don't intend just sitting here, waiting for something to come in," Hunt
told him. "We've already agreed where the answers are. I think it's about time
that we went out and looked for them. Tomorrow morning, I'm going out to talk
to some people I know in the city. We'll see what I can find out there."
Late that evening, Eubeleus and Iduane met again. "Yes, she was there,"
Iduane said. "The day before she went to see Baumer, she was at PAC. And she
returned to PAC afterward. There is a UNSA scientific group there that she met
on the Vishnu."
"Ah. So what kind of a book is she writing, and who for?" Eubeleus asked.
"Maybe what she says. They'd be able to get her some help. She's a stranger
here. Wouldn't it be natural for her to go to people she knew?"
"Well, I've been doing a little checking of my own." Eubeleus said. "And do
you know who this UNSA group are?" The look on Iduane's face said that he
didn't. Eubeleus nodded. "Then I'll tell you. Have you ever heard of Dr.
Victor Hunt? Or Professor Christian Danchekker? Just scientists, you think?
They were the ones who uncovered the Earth surveillance and brought down the
Federation. The man they both reported to was a UNSA chief by the name of
Caldwell. He was also one of the architects of their strategy in what they
call the 'Pseudowar.' And do you know who sent them to Jevlen now? The same
Caldwell. Now do you think I'm being over cautious? They are dangerous, and so
is anyone connected with them."
Iduane emitted an uneasy breath. "What do you want to do?" he asked.
"Let's get the woman here and find out for ourselves what she's up to,"
Eubeleus replied.
"Shall I get Scirio to arrange something?"
Eubeleus thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No. We'll leave him to
just run Baumer. If she's that well in, I'd rather we took care of her
ourselves. Perhaps you could handle it personally. Use the German, since she
knows him already, but through a different contact. I don't want Scirio's
people involved."
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"I'll get working on it right away," Iduane promised.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The next day, while Hunt was away in the city, Gina and Sandy had lunch
together in a drab cafeteria on the level below PAC's residential sector. The
food was plain and monotonous. When anyone complained to the Jevlenese
catering staff about it, they were told that the supply system was messed up.
It had become usual to attribute every failure and discomfort to JEVEX's being
shut down.
"Squid shit and processed shoebox again," Sandy said, looking down at what was
supposed to be a sandwich. "It's not really what you'd expect when you come
all this way, is it? Our guys did better down the ice hole on
Ganymede."
"How did you ever end up at a place like Ganymede?" Gina asked curiously.
"When you work with people like Chris and Vic, anything's possible."
"Yes...I think I can believe it." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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