[Black Fleet Crisis(69)

“Then the Empire shows up. “

“And puts the Yevetha to work for a few years in Imperial shipyards, building and repairing vessels which represent a big leap beyond what the Yevetha had been doing on their own. Whether or not the Yevetha acquired any ships or shipyards from the Empire, they almost certainly acquired the knowledge of how to build them. “

“They could have created their own Black Fleet. “

“Indeed, ” Drayson said. “How’s your memory, General? “

“Why? “

“I’m going to teach you a code, ” Drayson said. “If you begin a message with it, that message will come to me without ever being seen at Fleet Headquarters. And if I send you a message, that same code will decrypt it. “

“I don’t like this, ” said A’baht, frowning deeply.

“And I don’t believe I like you, Admiral. If Admiral Ackbar hadn’t spoken up for you, I would wonder at your loyalty. Now I find myself wondering at his judgment. **** Are you asking me to conspire with you to conceal information from the president or from Fleet Command? “

“Let me answer your question with a question-do you trust Leia’s judgment where the viceroy and the Yevetha are concerned? “

A’baht looked away and remained mute.

“That’s why, ” said Drayson. “The purpose of the code isn’t to conceal anything. Just the reverse-it’s meant to ensure that you can get the information you need, and that you can provide us with the same in turn. Information that might otherwise be filtered out by the prejudices of those who control the comm channels. “

A’baht drew a deep breath and sighed. “This is the real reason for this meeting. “

“Only one of several, ” said Drayson. “I want you to have everything you need to do your job out there, General. I want you and your people maintaining a high level of alertness through the whole deployment. I want you to see the punch coming, if there is one. I want you to come back without ever having had to open your gun ports. But if you do have to open them, I want you to know who you’re trying to kill, and why. “

“Is that all? I have people waiting for me. “

“No, ” said Drayson. “There’s one more thing. I understand you know Kiles L’toth, the associate director of the Astrographic Survey Institute. “

“We served together in the Dornean Navy. “

“More than that, you were friends. Perhaps he even owes you a favor. “

“Now I’m sure I don’t like you. You know too much. “

“You’re not the first to think so, or say so, ” said Drayson.

“I want a better answer than that, Admiral. What does Kiles have to do with this? “

“Nothing, yet, ” Drayson said. “I just think it’s been much too long since you and Kiles talked. A pity there’s so little contact between the Fleet and the civil service. Sometimes I think they’re two completely disconnected worlds. “

The bark in A’baht’s voice betrayed his growing anger. “Speak plainly! What are you getting at? “

“The Institute is a long way from the Fleet Office, or the Palace, ” said Drayson. “About as far away from the Senate and the president and the inner circle as could be. It must be nice not to have everyone breathing down your neck. It must be nice to be able to just do your job, without anyone questioning your every move. And they’ve been given everything they need-a whole fleet of astrographic and survey vessels. “

A’baht stared, struck silent.

“Maybe you should call him before you leave, ” Drayson suggested softly.

A frown hardened A’baht’s gaze still further as he weighed the implications. “I don’t like you, no, sir, ” he growled at last.

“You don’t have to. “

“No, I suppose I don’t, ” said A’baht, and hesitated. “But I suppose you’d better teach me that bloody code after all. “

“Kiles. “

“Etahn? What are you doing calling at this hour? “

“Calling in a debt, ” A’baht said.

“I’ll be glad to have it paid, ” said Kiles, touching the stump of his right leg unconsciously. “Long overdue. What do you need? “

“How many of your ships can you put together quietly, without attracting a lot of attention? “

“How quickly? “

“Very. “

“Well-six, maybe. Possibly seven or eight, depending on where you need them. “

“Farlax Sector. “

“Ah. Not much out there right now. Six is the best I could do without rolling some people out of bed, and that can’t be done quietly. “