Chapter 42

An office at HARIT animal-holding facility.

In the hours that followed the raid on the Special Branch, Mike Capra learned just what command competency meant. It meant someone like Van Klomp. Van Klomp arranged to send a detachment of soldiers and police to Shaw House. The result of that was the capture of Dr. Thom and a large amount of incriminating evidence—not to mention jackhammer damage to some of the tiles of Shaw House. Van Klomp also got his factotum-and-woman-of-all-trades Meilin in to comfort Virginia.

And, by the looks of it, to plot with her. A snatch of conversation which Mike overheard and rather wished he hadn't mentioned the Vat Liberation Organization. The VLO was a banned group. It had been described some months back on television by Talbot Cartup, wearing his Security portfolio hat on behalf of the Shareholders Council, as a dangerous and subversive organization.

Van Klomp had also gotten Ginny Shaw to lean on her father's family connection with General Blutin, getting him to authorize a paratrooper guard for Virginia.

Then Van Klomp had organized a meeting of all those involved . . . or as he'd said, all those that he could get to admit to it.

Mike cleared his throat and began to address what he was privately calling the convocation of conspirators.

"Right. To bring you all up to speed: As far as we have been able to work out, the fat was never really in the fire until Virginia got loose. We've checked on his call record, and Tesco did phone Talbot Cartup to tell him that Virginia Shaw had showed up at the court and blown the case out of the water. He also told Cartup that she had repudiated the engagement and announced her intent to marry Connolly. Up to that point, we think, sending Connolly to the Korozhet was something Cartup had intended to do when convenient. By using Ginny's proxies the matter had been voted on some two days ago, but Cartup wanted to do it quietly, with minimum publicity. But at the point that Ginny acquired bodyguards he didn't control and was talking loudly to all and sundry as well as the media . . . well, the only coin around was Connolly."

Capra cleared his throat. "Connolly was supposed to have escaped from custody, murdering people in the process."

There was a little uproar in the room. "Yes, that's right," said Mike harshly. "The killing of the guards was planned and premeditated, not just something that happened because Special Branch screwed up the operation."

Van Klomp murmured something to one of his paratrooper sub-officers. Capra decided to ignore the part of it he overheard. If he wasn't mistaken, the colonel in command of HAR's elite paratrooper unit had just planned and premeditated the destruction of Special Branch. If true, that was in shocking violation of a multitude of laws, but . . . 

Good riddance, thought Mike to himself, and plowed on.

"It all makes sense, if you look at it from Cartup's point of view. Virginia had just painted Connolly as a hero. Having him 'escape' and commit murder in the process would make a lot of the rest of her story less believable. They'd also have a valuable hostage to ensure your good behavior, Ms. Shaw. According to Asmal, who has been singing like a bird, Tesco was supposed to take you aside and tell you to shut up or get Connolly back in pieces. Unfortunately for them, the snatch didn't go according to plan. When Tesco saw that one of the MPs was still alive and that the document that the Special Branch police had used to talk their way in had been found, he did a runner."

"There is a warrant out for his arrest," said the Judge Advocate General, grimly. "And for the arrest of Lieutenant Depardue. I take exception to this kind of corruption in our ranks. I'm going to stamp it out. I'm fairly sure that Major Tana Gainor was at the bottom of all this, but until they are arrested I can't proceed against her. But we'll find them."

"Only, like Talbot Cartup, they haven't yet been found," said Van Klomp.

"I don't really care much about these things," said Ginny curtly. "I just want to know what's being done to get Chip back."

Mike pulled a face. "We're pursuing all the channels, Ms. Shaw. The extradition to the K . . . Crotchets was definitely extra-legal. But the Crotchets are not being cooperative. They're sitting behind their force shield and not talking to us. As you know, there have been massive protests about this on the streets. Survey data shows that some fifty-seven percent of all Shareholders and ninety-three percent of all Vats disapprove of the Korozhet conduct. They're losing public trust."

"Which was something we weren't sure how to turn around," said Lynne Stark. "And Corporal Connolly wanted that side of his story told. I held it back."

"It is still worrying me to see opposition to them so 'in their face' just yet," said Liepsich, with a scowl. "Yes, we're a long way into the soft-cyber programming code. We've got the hang of their electronic self-destruct booby traps. And we've devised an effective way of switching the slowshields on and off at will. We think we've understood, finally, just how the force field is made. But we are no wiser when it comes to cracking it. So: we have a problem. Armed enemies sitting in the middle of our city. There are two potential enemy armies out there—the rats and the bats."

"Nay. Never!" said Fal righteously

"Well, hardly ever," amended Doll, scratching where no lady should in public.

Ginny had been listening to everything with increasing agitation. Now, she got up and started pacing around. "I've been talking to a lot of people. I've made some arrangements. I have pushed very hard for a Shareholder's meeting. I want to put it to the vote: Either the Crotchets give Chip back, or we declare war on them. Destroy their ship if need be, and take him by force. If I can't get the backing from the Council of Shareholders, I'll go it alone."

"You'll need more than votes to get inside that ship," said Liepsich dryly.

"Which is what I want from you," she said, pointing at the scientist.

"And what will you give me in return?" asked Liepsich.

Ginny had a feeling she was being tested. "What do you need?"

"You. Or rather cooperation from you and your soft-cyber," said Liepsich. "What you may not know is that the mop-up team Van Klomp and Judge McCairn organized for your house turned up a lot of interesting materiel. And some interesting people, too. Most of them ran, but some couldn't. Some are still attached to marble slabs. Remind me not to insult you too badly, Shaw. The MPs also brought me this." He held up the mangled remains of the badge that once elicited her cooperation. It was cut and battered.

"You broke the speaker-circuit. But the rest is in good shape. And to my code-cracker's delight, it's got what he thinks are command strings. And it is definitely a Crotchet-made device."

Ginny nodded. "You'll have my cooperation, if I have yours, sir. Although I will bring my Super-Glue along."

"Done," said Liepsich, "and my first act is going to be to fit you with a slowshield. Because someone is bound to want to shoot you soon, at this rate."

"Then I won't be able to use my chainsaw. And I prefer going on the offensive."

"No. You won't be able to use it—not unless I fit you with one of my switchable ones. Which is what I plan to do.

"Now, what about the rest of you?" demanded Liepsich. "What are you going to do?"

"Interviews with Ginny and you, indicating that Crotchet and Magh' hardware are one and the same," said Lynne Stark.

"I'll do it, but not yet," said Liepsich.

"Further moves with the officer 'reconstruction.' I know it sounds trivial," said the Judge Advocate General. "But it cuts right into the heart of the military system. Of course, JAG investigators will continue to look into Connolly's case. I know it is not of immediate importance to you, Ms. Shaw, but dropping all the charges against him before you go to face the board of Shareholders will be ammunition. And I also want those who corrupted justice in my unit. I want them badly. We'll also have to look at the other cases involving these people, notably that of Major Fitzhugh. The level of public anger at the army about all this is threatening to knock the Council off its pedestal. It also gives us the possible opportunity of reorganizing control of the army, which we may just need, soon. If we are to fight the Magh' and the Korozhet simultaneously, that is."

Capra nodded. "In the meanwhile, Fitz's retrial will go forward, sir?"

The JAG nodded.

Capra pointed to the military animals. "We'll want some of you rats and bats to testify. And perhaps, if you could lend me your services to investigate something. There are two witnesses, particularly this man, Mervyn Paype. His testimony in that first mock trial was damning. We need to deal with him . . ."

"Indade!" said O'Niel, with a fiendish flash of long white teeth in his black crinkled face. "To be sure. You can leave it to us. The traitorous rogue will be dealt with afore ye can say 'abracadaver.' "

Mike cringed, knowing his boss was listening. "I must ask you to be circumspect."

Fal clutched himself. "Surely that's not necessary. That would be the unkindest cut of all."

"Not that! I meant . . . careful. Do things correctly."

Fal clutched even tighter. "I should think so!" he said. " 'Tis not a place to be taking short cuts." He turned on the relaxed-looking Nym. " 'Tis most at ease you are, about such a threat. Or," he sneered, "is it only the private parts of that poxy golf cart that you care about?"

Nym shook his head disparagingly. "Alack, if only your wits were as wide as your waist, Fal. It's merely the official term for short-arm inspection."

Fal looked even more puzzled "Why? 'Tis not as if we're going slip the cozening coxcomb the muddy conger."

Melene snickered. "No, something a little harder, sharper and longer. Soon he'll be a greenery-yallery . . . foot-in-the-grave young man."

"Besides," said Doc, thoughtfully, "if we're going to kill him, it wouldn't make any difference if Pistol or Fal gave him the clap first."

Mike Capra put his head in his hands. He could almost sympathize with that son of a bitch of a prosecuting attorney. "Listen. You can't go and kill the witness."

The assembled bats and rats looked at him in some puzzlement. "Why not?" asked Melene, finally.

"Because . . ." The young attorney realized that he'd have to bring this down to their level. Morality, and the fairness of law, meant little to these creatures. They had no experience of either. "Because if the witness turns up dead, it's as good as an admission of guilt by Fitz. I've got to establish that the man is lying. All I want you to do is to try and find out some background for me. But he has to be able to get into the witness stand for us to establish that he's a liar."

Eamon crinkled his forehead further with the effort of thinking about that. "Well. I suppose we cannot be kneecapping him either, then. If he has to stand, that is. We could break his elbows, mind."

"Methinks we could circumspect him!" said Pistol cheerfully, rubbing his paws in anticipation.

"You can't intimidate or maim the witness either!" begged Mike.

Fal shook his head in disgust. "Methinks we'll have to resort to slipping him the conger, after all. No wonder you were insisting on us having a short-arm inspection."

General Needford held his head in hands. His shoulders were shaking slightly. "I foresee that the law," he said unsteadily, "is going to get a lot more complicated. I think I will withdraw as much as possible from this case and leave things to Lieutenant Capra and my friend Ogata."