She said nothing for a few seconds. Just studied him with an intensity Victor didn't understand and even found a little disturbing.
Then she said: "I forget sometimes, the way you're still a babe in the woods when it comes to certain things."
"What does that mean?"
"Victor Cachat, your days of being on the bottom rungs of the ladder—or of the totem pole, if that means anything to you—are coming to an end. In about as spectacular a manner as you could imagine. A few weeks from now—sure as hell, a few months from now—a 'word put in' by Victor Cachat will be putting fleets into motion. Or whatever the flamboyantly notorious galactic super secret agent equivalent of that is, anyway. So I figure you're good for the stipend—to which I will point out that you just agreed."
After a while, the frown on Victor's face faded. But by then, his complexion was beginning to get pale.
Ganny chuckled. "Didn't think of that, did you? I found out yesterday from one of the BSC people that Anton Zilwicki appeared in a widely broadcast vid documentary a while back. So you've got some catching up to do. And since he's already nailed down the monicker of 'Cap'n Zilwicki, Scourge of the Spaceways,' you'll need to come up with something different. For the documentaries they'll be doing about you, I mean. My own recommendation would be either 'Black Victor' or 'Cachat, Slaver's Bane.' "
"I'm a spy."
Ganny shook her head sympathetically. "No, Victor Cachat. You were a spy."
Cast of Characters
Allfrey, Philip
Brigadier General, Oravil Barregos' senior Gendarmerie officer.
Alsobrook, Michael
Member of the Butry clan on Parmley Station.
Arai, Hugh
Beowulf's Biological Survey Corps, CO BSCS Ouroboros; also commander of the ship's commando force; later chief of security for Queen Berry of Torch.
Armstrong, Sarah
Member of the Butry clan on Parmley Station.
Artlett, Andrew
Great-nephew of Ganny Butry; uncle of Brice Miller.
Bardasano, Isabel
Senior operative and second in command Mesan Alignment Security.
Barregos, Oravil
Maya Sector Governor.
Beausoleil, Noémie
Citizen Captain, People's Navy in Exile (People's Navy in Exile); CO, PNES Napoleon Bonaparte.
Blomqvist, Gansükh
Officer, Mesan System Guard; junior inspector, customs operations.
Bostwick, Hervé P.
Citizen Captain, People's Navy in Exile; CO, PNES Charlemagne.
Brosnan, Gail
Maya Sector Lieutenant Governor.
Butry, Elfriede Margarete
Also known as "Ganny" or "Ganny El;" matriarch of the extended family (essentially a small clan) that officially owns and partially controls Parmley Station, the largely defunct amusement park in orbit around the giant ringed planet Ameta.
Carte, David
Commander, Solarian League Navy (Solarian League Navy); CO, CL(L) SLNS Sharpshooter. Also CO CL Division 7036.3.
Chapman, Alexander
Erewhonese admiral.
Christiansen, Philippine
Citizen Lieutenant Commander, People's Navy in Exile; astrogation officer, PNES Leon Trotsky.
Clarke, Donald
Oravil Barregos' senior economic adviser.
Cullingford, J.T.
Commander, Solarian League Navy; CO, arsenal ship SLNS Masquerade.
Detweiler, Albrecht
Head of the Detweiler family and Chief Executive Officer of the Mesan Alignment.
Detweiler, Benjamin
Son/clone of Albrecht; effectively Secretary of War of the Mesan Alignment.
Detweiler, Collin
Son/clone of Albrecht; Director, Mesan Alignment Security.
Dobbs, Michael
Lieutenant Commander, Solarian League Navy; Laura Raycraft's chief of staff.
Du Havel, W.E.B. ("Web")
Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Torch.
Egert, Irénée
Citizen Captain, People's Navy in Exile; CO, PNES Chao Kung Ming.
Evans, Karen
Lieutenant, Royal Manticoran Navy (Royal Manticoran Navy); astrogator of the HMS Harvest Joy.
Foley, Jennifer
Cousin of Brice Miller.
Frank, Jeremy
Mayan official; senior aide for Governor Barregos.
Garner, Marlene ("Marti")
Executive officer, BSCS Ouroboros; also a member of Arai's commando team and later a member of the Biological Survey Corps team detached to serve as security detail for Queen Berry.
Georgos, Karen
Lieutenant, Solarian League Navy; Rear Admiral Luiz Rozsak's staff communications officer.
Granger, Adelaide
Captain, Mannerheim System-Defense Force; the commanding officer of Admiral Osiris Trajan's flagship.
Grimault, Ludivine
Citizen Lieutenant; Konidis' staff communications officer.
Guglik, Anne
Lieutenant Commander, Solarian League Navy; CO, DD SLNS Hernando Cortés. Also CO DD Division 3029.3.
Habib, Edie
Commander, Solarian League Navy; Rozsak's chief of staff, essentially Rozsak's permanent executive officer and more often referred to as "XO" than as chief of staff.
Haldane, Iain
Commander, Solarian League Navy; CO CL(L) Ranger. Also CO CL Division 7036.1.
Hall, Michael William
Manticoran hyper-physicist assigned to Congo Wormhole survey expedition.
Hammarberg, Jonas
Lieutenant Commander, Royal Manticoran Navy; officer on HMS Harvest Joy.
Hargraves, Christy
Citizen Commander, People's Navy in Exile; senior engineer, PNES Charlemagne.
Hartman, Ed
Cousin of Brice Miller.
Hartman, Millicent
Citizen Commander, People's Navy in Exile; Luff's chief of staff.
Hartneady, James
Senior Chief Coxswain, HMS Harvest Joy.
Hasselberg, Niklas
Commander, Mannerheim System-Defense Force; Admiral Osiris Trajan's chief of staff.
Henson, Stephanie
Officer, BSCS Ouroboros; also a member of Arai's commando team and later a member of the Biological Survey Corps team detached to serve as security detail for Queen Berry.
Horton, Glenn
Erewhonese admiral.
Hronek, Linda
Manticoran hyper-physicist assigned to Congo Wormhole expedition.
Hübner, César
Citizen Lieutenant Commander, People's Navy in Exile; TO, PNES Chao Kung Ming.
Imbesi, Walter
Head of the Imbesi family; unofficially, one of the four people in the quadrumvirate that effectively rules Erewhon.
Irvine, Lajos
Undercover agent for Jack McBryde.
Jeremy X
Secretary of War of the Kingdom of Torch; formerly head of the Audubon Ballroom, the ex-slave guerrilla force considered by some people to be a terrorist organization.
Kamerling, Yvonne
Citizen Lieutenant, People's Navy in Exile; Luff's staff communications officer.
Kamstra, Dirk-Steven
Commodore, Solarian League Navy; CO, Light Cruiser Squadron 7036 and CL(L) SLNS Marksman. Kamstra is wearing two official "hats" (CO LCS 7036 and CO Marksman), and his "acting rank" is closer to that of commodore or even rear admiral; he's Rozsak's senior officer "afloat," effectively his task force commander.
Kao Huang
Lieutenant Colonel, Solarian Marines; Rozsak's senior ground combat advisor/deputy.
Kare, Jordin
Manticoran hyper-physicist assigned to Congo Wormhole expedition.
Keller, Gordon
Lieutenant, Royal Manticoran Navy; HMS Harvest Joy's tactical officer.
Konidis, Santander
Citizen Commodore, People's Navy in Exile; later commanding officer, Operation Fer
ret.
Lara
Former Scrag, now one of Palane's "Amazons;" informally part of Berry's security team.
Lathorous, Steven
Jack McBryde's second-in-command, assistant chief of security, Gamma Center.
Laukkonen, Santeri
A fence and arms merchant for criminals (including pirates) in the Ajax System. He is also one of Luis Rozsak's (or, rather, Jiri Watanapongse's) informants.
Laurent, Jarko
Citizen Commander, People's Navy in Exile; succeeds as CO of PNES Leon Trotsky.
Laursen, Jimmi
Commander, Solarian League Navy; CO, arsenal ship SLNS Kabuki.
Le Fossi, Maria
Commander, Solarian League Navy; CO, CL SLNS Freya. Also CO DD Flotilla 2960.
Lewis, James
Cousin of Brice Miller.
Lim, Samuel
Commander, Royal Manticoran Navy; HMS Harvest Joy's executive officer.
Luff, Adrian
Citizen Commodore, People's Navy in Exile; commanding officer, Operation Ferret.
Lund, Steve
Officer, Mesan System Guard; senior inspector, customs operations.
Maddock, Gowan
Captain, Mesan Alignment Navy; ostensibly Manpower's liaison with the People's Navy in Exile, covered as an officer in the Mesa System Navy.
Magilen, Julie
Barregos' personal secretary/office manager.
Malenkov, Rachel
Citizen Lieutenant Commander, People's Navy in Exile; succeeds as TO of PNES Leon Trotsky.
Manson, Jerry
Lieutenant, Solarian League Navy; an intelligence officer on Rozsak's staff.
McBryde, Jack
Chief of Security, Mesan Alignment's Gamma Center.
McBryde, Zachariah
Brother of Jack McBryde.
McKenzie, Richard
Lieutenant, Solarian League Navy; SLNS Artillerist's chief engineer.
Miller, Brice
Nephew of Andrew Artlett.
Milliken, Jessica
Commander, Mesan Alignment Navy; Gowan Maddock's second-in-command; ostensibly one of Manpower's liaisons with the People's Navy in Exile, covered as an officer in the Mesa System Navy.
Montaigne, Catherine
Leading figure in the Liberal Party of Manticore; common-law wife of Anton Zilwicki; longtime and close friend of Web Du Havel and Jeremy X.
Nyborg, Ildikó
Commander, Mannerheim System-Defense Force; Trajan's operations officer.
Palane, Thandi
Commanding officer of the armed forces of the Kingdom of Torch.
Petit, Jason
Citizen Lieutenant Commander, People's Navy in Exile; Commodore Santander Konidis' staff operations officer.
Raycraft, Laura
Commander Solarian League Navy; CO, CL(L) SLNS Artillerist. Also CO CL Div 7036.2.
Rensi, Cornelia
Lieutenant, Solarian League Navy; Artillerist's communications officer.
Rozsak, Luiz
Rear Admiral, Solarian League Navy; Governor Barregos' top military officer.
Saburo X
Former member of Audubon Ballroom; later head of Queen Berry's security force.
Sakellaris, Kalyca
Citizen Captain, People's Navy in Exile; CO, PNES Maximilien Robespierre.
Sanchez, Gino
Citizen Commander, People's Navy in Exile; Konidis' chief of staff.
Siegel, Travis
Lieutenant, Solarian League Navy; Artillerist's tactical officer.
Simões, Francesca
Clone child of Harriet and Herlander Simões, placed with them by the Mesan Alignment Long-Range Planning Board.
Simões, Harriet
Mesan Alignment scientist assigned to Gamma Center, wife of Herlander, mother of Francesca.
Simões, Herlander
Mesan Alignment scientist assigned to Gamma Center, husband of Harriet, father of Francesca.
Snorrason, Hjálmar
Lieutenant Commander, Solarian League Navy; CO, DD SLNS Napoleon. Also CO DD Division 3029.1.
Spangen, Vegar
Barregos' personal bodyguard; commander of the governor's security detail.
Stahlin, Jim
Lieutenant Commander, Solarian League Navy; CO, DD SLNS Gustavus Adolphus. Also CO DD Division 3029.2.
Stensrud, Melanie
Commander, Solarian League Navy; CO, arsenal ship SLNS Charade.
Stravinsky, Pierre
Citizen Commander, People's Navy in Exile; operations officer, PNES Leon Trotsky.
Szklenski, Ted
Lieutenant Commander, Solarian League Navy; XO, SLNS Marksman.
Takano, Haruka
Intelligence officer, BSCS Ouroboros; also a member of Arai's commando team and later a member of the Biological Survey Corps team detached to serve as security detail for Queen Berry.
Taub, Andrew (Andy)
Cousin of Brice Miller.
Trajan, Osiris
Admiral, Mannerheim System-Defense Force (Mannerheim System-Defense Force); commanding officer, Task Force Four.
Trimm, E.D.
Officer, Mesan System Guard; senior inspector, customs operations.
Underwood, Charles-Henri
Citizen Commander, People's Navy in Exile; XO, PNES Chao Kung Ming.
Vergnier, Olivier
Citizen Captain, People's Navy in Exile; CO, PNES Leon Trotsky.
Watanapongse, Jiri
Lieutenant Commander, Solarian League Navy; Rozsak's staff intelligence officer.
Winton, Ruth
Manticoran princess; close friend of Berry Zilwicki; assistant director of Torch intelligence service.
Wise, Richard
Barregos' senior civilian spy.
Wix, Richard
Manticoran hyper-physicist assigned to Congo Wormhole survey expedition.
Womack, Robert
Lieutenant, Solarian League Navy; TO, SLNS Marksman.
Wu, Richard
Lieutenant, Solarian League Navy—astrogator, SLNS Marksman.
Yana
Former Scrag, now one of Palane's "Amazons;" detached to work with Victor Cachat in the mission to Mesa.
Zachary, Josepha
Captain, Royal Manticoran Navy; CO of the survey vessel HMS Harvest Joy.
Zilwicki, Anton
Head of Torch intelligence, although he is still a citizen of the Star Kingdom of Manticore; formerly an officer in the Manticoran armed forces; common-law husband of Catherine Montaigne; father of Helen Zilwicki and adoptive father of Berry and Lars Zilwicki.
Zilwicki, Berry
Queen of Torch; adopted daughter of Anton Zilwicki.
Zilwicki, Lars
Brother of Berry.
THE END
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