Kris shivered and was startled by her reaction. In her mind's eye she saw the green and blue flag of Earth and its Society of Humanity come down the flagpole, as it did every day at sunset. The thought that some morning was coming when it would not go back up brought a chill to her. How many times had she and her friends debated a new, more proper role for the Society? Now their bull sessions were becoming reality.
''What would be the reaction if not only had a little girl been kidnapped by cheap, Earthy scum, but that a Longknife had died trying to free her?'' The words came ice cold from the logical part of Kris's brain. They were out of her mouth before she remembered Mother was on the other side of Tommy. Mother turned a stony stare at Kris, who ignored it. ''Mr. Prime Minister,'' Kris said to show she had not been cowered.
The hand that had been over his heart now took a worried swipe at his forehead. ''There would be an uproar against Earth,'' he said slowly. ''It would make my job much harder.''
''And strengthen several different coalitions, would it not?'' Tru asked.
''Yes.''
''Including the Smythe-Peterwalds of Greenfeld?'' Tru said.
Now Father did rock back in his chair.
''Oh, the Peterwalds are such a nice family. Henry dated me in college, proposed to me on a beautiful moonlit night.''
''Yes, Mother, we remember,'' Kris snapped without taking her eyes off her father. ''Mr. Prime Minister,'' Kris repeated, wanting to hear what was going on in his political mind.
''No,'' he shook his head. ''No member of any government would dare do that. No policy is worth such a risk. And if it was traced back to a sitting government, it would crush it. They'd never get elected again,'' said the head of one government.
''He has a boy about your age, Kristine. You ought to meet him,'' Mother added.
''I know, Mother, you've only mentioned him a million times.''
''Have you told Kris about the Peterwalds and Longknifes?'' Tru put in softly.
''I have told her many times,'' Mother insisted.
''No.'' Father answered. Mother cocked a questioning eye his way, but his eyes were locked on Tru. ''It has never been proven that the Peterwalds had anything to do with either the war or the drug trade. Just because Greenfeld is usually on the opposite side of a major issue from Wardhaven is no reason to ascribe personal motives to them.''
Tru shook her head. ''Someone was bankrolling Unity before the war. You've read the histories. There was too much corruption at the lower levels. Hardly a dime of tax money reached Urm, yet he was doing more and more each year. When Wardhaven and the Longknifes broke the back of the drug trafficking, the Peterwalds' fortune vanished, and the family fled to Greenfeld. Ray forced them to give up Elysium after the Treaty of Wardhaven limited human expansion. You agree that the Longknifes have cost the Peterwalds a lot of money.''
''Yes.'' The prime minister was out of his chair and pacing around the room, his feet stomping into the plush blue carpet. ''But that proves nothing. There's not a damn piece of evidence that will stand up in a court of law.'' He whirled on Tru. ''And, woman, I am a man who must deal in the law.''
Tru looked at the table, read from it. ''We've gotten the right ship. That ship was the Typhoon, your daughter's ship. It was minus a marine lieutenant. Normally, I would think that would be a very good reason to pick another.''
''The skipper really wanted that mission,'' Tommy put in. ''The word around the station was that he was calling in all his markers with Commodore Sampson to get it.''
''Understandable for a warrior,'' Tru agreed. ''Still, I imagine it was also common knowledge that Kris was on that ship and that Thorpe was riding her pretty hard.''
''How'd you know?'' Kris said.
''Just because I was Info War Chief doesn't mean I spent all my time with computers. I've known some hands-on warriors who like the smell of powder … and who'd need to know if you're a warrior or just some politician's daughter run away from home. If he was a politician, he'd have treated you with kid gloves. If he was a warrior, he'd push you.''
''He pushed me,'' Kris grumbled.
Tru turned to Father. ''If I could put those pieces together, so could anyone else. The death of a little girl and a Longknife in a botched kidnapping would get the entire Rim up in arms. Internal passports limiting travel between Earth and the Seven Sisters would have passed by acclamation. The Society would be shattered in all but name.''
''Who said anything about the little girl dying?'' Kris tried to slow Tru down. What she was saying took Kris's breath away.
''Excuse me. I forgot. You haven't seen plan B.'' Tru muttered to herself, and the screen on the table changed. ''No surprise, I found no reference to a plan B in the computer. No plan A, either. However, the police inventory of the lodge has two interesting items. First, two kilos of high explosives hidden in the bottom of the pack the girl's clothes were stuffed in, along with a radio squawker and detonator. Second, a tight beam radio, set to the same frequency as the explosives squawker. As I recall, they were negotiating for a shuttle to take them to a starship and the ship to take them wherever they wanted to go.''
''If the leader could manage not to be on the shuttle, he'd be in the right position to blow up the shuttle as it was rising,'' Kris breathed slowly.
''That's certainly the right gear for it,'' Tommy agreed. ''Blow it up just before it makes orbit, and pieces of shuttle will be coming down over half of Sequim.''
''All that is supposition.'' the prime minister snapped.
''All this means nothing,'' Mother said, cold and distant.
It meant something to someone. Someone who wanted Kris and a little girl dead. Who would profit from such a losing proposition? Kris didn't know about the recent one on Sequim. She did want to know about the one ten years ago. ''Father, who offered to help you get the money to pay Eddy's ransom?'' Kris asked into the growing silence.
''Kristine Anne,'' Mother snapped.
''That's enough, young woman,'' Father shot to his feet.
''Mr. Prime Minister, your next appointment is waiting,'' the intercom informed them.
''Send him right in,'' the prime minister said. Mother rushed for the private exit in a shower of petticoats, searching through her pillbox. She pulled two, no three of the pink ones out and swallowed them down. Kris shook her head; Mother would probably not remember a thing from this meeting. Tru collected her computer parts as Kris and Tom stood. When the door closed behind Kris's mother, Father put his face inches from Tru's nose. ''Trudy, you have gone too far this time. I've got six hundred worlds flying apart. I do not need you setting my own family on me as well. I'll be doing good if I get a word out of that woman in the next month,'' he said glancing at the door his wife had just left by. He turned on Kris, his face cold rage. ''You, young woman, are staying here at the Residency tonight. I don't want you hanging around this wild woman.''
''Father,'' Kris cut in, ''there aren't any vacant bedrooms, remember. You just converted the last ones into offices for special assistants.''
The prime minister muttered to his computer, scowled at the response, then turned on Kris. ''How did you get here?''
''Harvey drove us.''
''Harvey will take you to Nuu House. You can do whatever a sailor wants to do on leave, but you will not talk to Tru. I can and will send you to HellFrozeOver if you bring this up again. Woman,'' he said at Tru, ''my chauffeur will take you home.''
''This doesn't solve anything, William,'' Tru said. ''You can't run away from reality.''