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bitter babe she'll hear what she wants to hear. Yes, I'm certain she'll join the dots, and she will manipulate the information with the Emperor." He showed no doubts.
    "I agree Regan," Ham said, "I've just fast forwarded through the rest of the report and fortunately Jared's name or age isn't mentioned anywhere. I guess if she was a normal person she might consider you conceived after returning to Earth however . . ."
    "However, we all know she's not a normal person." She sighed.
    "Correct, she's mad as a meat axe . . . and she won't go away quietly."
    "Ok, this might bring forward our thinking." Regan stood and began to pace. "I'd like a meeting, sometime in the next few days on the STEIN Traveler, in the war room, with the whole team. Leah and Hilary of course and we should have Hayden and Aaron there. Whatever we decide to do we'll need a strategy for Hillary Station too."
    "I'll organize that Regan." Hilary offered, "I'll coordinate with everyone and let you know. Do you want to eat on the STEIN?"
    It was so easy to forget Hilary and Regan smiled despite her tension. Like Ham she was always there in the background, and such a great organizer .
    "Good point Hilary, yes let's meet at six, we'll eat at eight."
     
    She turned to face Marin "Now guys, Commander Cora . . . your thoughts?"
    "I think he could be all right," Marin said, "he's been helpful to us on the warship so far."
    "And he hasn't been stirring up trouble." Ham added.
    Regan sat quietly for a moment. "I have my doubts . . ." she said cautiously.
    "I do too." Marin said quickly.
    "Dispatch him?" Ham suggested.
    "Seriously?" Regan cocked her head and looked around, as if searching for Ham.
    "Well, of course I'm only joking," he replied with an unconvincing laugh. "What were your thoughts?"
    She stood and began to pace the room. "Why would he choose to tell us now, after all these months? By telling us about the drone now he ingratiates himself, but really, what use is the knowledge? The damage, if there is any, is already done. If he'd only told us earlier we could at least have mocked up regular drones and sent them off giving them false information."
    "So why tell us at all then?" Marin asked.
    "Well, he could be genuine; I don't want to dismiss that possibility, but let's assume for a moment he's a rat. He would know that on Cora they're expecting regular message drones back. It's a simple calculation, the Emperor's people would wait for say, two more months, expecting the next drone but then it doesn't arrive. They allow for the fact that something may have happened in transit so they wait another two months, still nothing. Now they're getting antsy, so they make preparations to dispatch another warship. That would take two months journey time. Think about it; he would know we should expect to see them soon. By speaking to us now he perhaps thinks he can get into our camp and sit there as a spy on the inside."
    "I love your ability to see the dark side so clearly," Ham commented, "although it does leave me rather exposed."
    Marin sprawled over the couch. "You said that he could be genuine . . . what do your instincts tell you?"
    She hesitated before answering, massaging her chin with one hand and deep in thought. Then she turned back quickly. "He's a rat, an emperor's nephew rat."
    "So . . . I can dispatch him?" Ham asked.
    " No Ham, blimey, and for the record it worries me that you seem to take pleasure in this."
    "Only with the bad guys Regan, you know that."
    "Ham there's bad guys and really bad guys. This one is probably just guilty of being a loyal and ambitious nephew of the Emperor. I'm not gonna hang him for that. But neither is he going to hang around on my ship - where is he now?"
    "He's sitting nervously in the Interceptor." Hilary advised.
    As she blinked she allowed herself a quick cyber snapshot of the Interceptor and she could see Brian sitting with a coffee in hand, eyeballing Cora who seemed reluctant to settle in his chair. Cora's height