At midnight the shops closed with no more than the usual lip from their last customers. The sailors walked or swayed their way back to their ships. Kris eyed the changing monitors on four stations, when Penny came up beside her.
''I almost feel guilty,'' she said. ''They've got fire and riots on the ground, and it's as peaceful as a church up here.''
Kris shook her head. ''No telling why things happen the way they do. And it could change here at the drop of a hat. Chief, do we have any shuttles headed our way?''
''No, and the first ones should have lifted off by now.''
''Nelly, is Ron's phone busy?''
''Yes, Kris.''
''Monitor it. Tell him when he's off that I'd like to talk to him when it is convenient.'' Kris kept circling. Monitoring. Waiting for Hank to make a move.
A long two minutes later, Nelly said, ''Ron is off his line. I've given him your message. He's got another call.''
Kris waited a tense five minutes before she heard. ''How are things up there?'' from Ron.
''Boring. Totally dead. I mean quiet. I notice there are no shuttles inbound. What do I tell Hank if he calls?''
''You can tell that son of a bitch that he can have his sailors back—some of them—as soon as I can sort out the ones that will be seeing a Commissioner in the morning from those that were merely obnoxious and disgusting.''
Kris said nothing for a long moment. ''Feel better now?''
''No Kris. This is not something I'm ever going to feel better about. Maybe you Longknifes consider this all in a night's work, but this is not the way we do things on Chance.''
''We've seen the fire from up here,'' Kris said.
''You didn't see the drunken sailors throwing beer bottles at the fire fighters.''
''No. Anyone hurt?''
''None of them,'' Ron bit back.
''Who was hurt?''
''Kris, two of our coeds were raped tonight.''
''Did you catch who did it?''
''No. Not in the act and not on a security camera. The women aren't sure who their attackers were, but they were sailors. Seven hundred and fifty sailors to pick from and they didn't get a good look at them.''
''Anyone killed?''
''None, so far. Fifty, sixty of our people are in the hospital, some for the night. A couple of dozen sailors are also in the emergency room. Some may stay awhile.''
Kris let that hang there for a while. ''When Hank calls, what do I tell him?''
Ron started to snap out an answer, then closed his mouth and looked off screen. His own face was soot-blackened and there was a cut over his eye. Ron had not been monitoring the situation from a comfortable distance tonight. Kris suspected she knew what he'd been through; had been there herself. It was something she would have saved him from if she could.
Finally, Ron looked back at Kris. ''You tell the commander of those cruisers docked at your station that he will not be getting his liberty party back on time. You tell him he won't be getting all of it back tonight, ah, this morning. You tell him to send down some lawyers because his sailors are going to need them.''
Kris found herself staring into a black screen; Ron had been cut off. Before Kris could blink, the screen filled with Hank's aquiline nose and perfect mouth. Unusual for him, his cheeks were reddened by a rising temper. ''Lieutenant, what's going on here? Where are my liberty launches? We sent fifteen down and the first ones are overdue to return.''
''And likely to be more overdue before you see them, Hank.''
''Commodore, Lieutenant.''
Kris weighed several comebacks and decided the situation was way to hot for silly games. ''Have you been watching the news?''
''And if I had, what would I have seen, Lieutenant?''
''Your sailors started a riot tonight. Buildings are burning. Women were raped.''
''Not by my men, Lieutenant. My sailors were told to be gentlemen during their liberty. They are ambassadors of Greenfeld,'' Hank said, quoting the usual admonishment to sailors going ashore. ''Whatever may be happening on Chance, it is clearly the work of your Longknife instigators.''
''They're welcome to use that defense in court tomorrow, but if I were you, I'd get some lawyers down there to help your sailors get their stories straight.''
''Peterwalds do not need lawyers, Lieutenant. We make our fine legal points at the tip of a bayonet.''
Kris and Hank locked eyes at that. A long minute passed. ''If that's your attitude, may I suggest that you keep your sailors confined to your ships and off my station.''
''That is not something that you can demand, Lieutenant.''
''It is, however, something that I am within my rights to request, considering the trouble on the planet below.''
''Chance has not declared martial law?''
''I don't think they have the option in their Articles.''
''No martial law, your station stays open to my ship personnel, Lieutenant Longknife.''
''Now who is arguing a fine point of the law. You have heard my request. Now I'll offer you some advice, free of charge. You are taking on more than you realize. Back off. Chance does not take well to strangers trying to bully them.'' Kris didn't add that Chance did not take well to strangers, period. ''I may have only been here a bit longer than you, but I've learned they are very definite about where they owe their allegiances. And they can be very stubborn when pushed—just my advice.''
''And when does a commodore listen to anything a lieutenant says. When have Peterwalds ever listened to the lies handed out by Longknifes. Don't try to scare me, Little Princess, you're out here alone. Nobody's going to come riding to your rescue this time. I've got this situation under my control and I'll do with it what I want You can't stop me.''
Again, the screen was blank in front of Kris.
''That kid has a serious problem with authority,'' Jack said.
''I'd hate to be a captain with my twenty in and have to tell him anything,'' Penny said.
''Kind of makes you feel sorry for Captain Slovo,'' Kris said. Then the screen lit up in front of her.
''Kris, did we finish?'' Ron asked. ''We got cut off and then I couldn't get back to you.''
''Hank managed to override your call. I've been talking to him for the last couple of minutes.''
''You give him a piece of my mind?''
''Kind of,'' Kris said, and paused to walk around the room, check the monitors. ''I'm looking to see if he has his Marines storming my station. So far, nothing but an unbelievably quiet night. Anyone, did we make a recording of my call with Hank?''
''Got it right here,'' Chief Ramirez said, and began playing it. Ron's image filled a quarter of the screen before Kris. He listened to Hank and Kris's call with a deepening scowl.
''Nice to see that you got us right the first time,'' Ron said as the call finished. ''Chief, squirt me that file if you can.''
''Doing it,'' she said.
Kris raised her hands as if to show that she wasn't touching anything… or maybe in surrender. ''You folks don't like being pushed. I'm not pushing.''
''But that guy thinks he has this situation under control.'' Ron snorted. ''I'm glad you took the call. If I'd been talked to like that, I might have forgotten myself and…'' He shivered. ''Forget that thought.''
''How are things on the ground?''
''We've got sailors headed for the port. We've got three busloads of sailors cuffed to their seats and headed for our jail.'' Ron scratched his ear. ''This will overfill it. I'll have to release everyone but our worst—wife beaters, check kiters.''
''I'd offer my brig, but I may be filling it real soon,'' Kris said. ''Jack, turn off the escalators to the docks.''
''Already done it.''
''Ron, I'm going to have to go. There's a walker I know leaving one of the ships and I think I better talk to this one.''
''Take care. Will I see you down here tomorrow?''
''Don't know. And wouldn't say on a line I suspect is open.''
''Kris, one thing, we haven't found evidence of Longknife provocateurs in this. Am I missing anything? Are they here?''