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A Matter of Blood 193
 You are. Kai flashed her another smile.  And we ll
discuss that further in a moment, if you re so inclined. In the
meantime 
 Business. Torri grinned back at her.  And how was the
meeting with the Council representative? She injected extra
innocence into her question.
 Interesting. The Council is oh, so shocked that Sorreth
had gone rogue. How he managed to construct the facility is a
matter under investigation. Heads, she intoned gravely,  will
roll. And then she snorted.  But only if the guilty parties don t
offer a cut of the profits Sorreth seemed to have made. Lots of
interested buyers, for a bioweapon like that. But the rep didn t
say that. Nor did he mention which of Sorreth s superiors were
skimming.
Torri scowled. The rep didn t have to. Kai wasn t an idiot.
Corruption in the Coalition was like sand in the desert. One
came to expect it.  It s only a matter of time before someone
else figures out how to get the parasite off Sentinel.
 Which is why the Ori are pursuing the matter. Hard.
 How hard?
 Enough that the High Council is calling a session in twenty
days. The Ori are pushing for a trafficking ban. Which they ll
probably get, since the Coalition really can t afford to add fuel
to like-mind networks.
Which means Kai has a job for the rest of her life, Torri
thought, if she wants it. She had quite a rep for tracking and
breaking smuggling rings.  What about the facility?
Kai shrugged, sardonic.  The unclaimed territory is
notoriously unstable. You know that. Explosions happen all
the time. Powerful explosions. Everything was destroyed in
this most unfortunate incident. The logs Bal filed as well as
reports from techs document almost weekly occurrences of
such things. But it seems Sorreth s wayward shot in the lab
triggered a chain reaction. She winked at Torri, who almost
didn t catch the gesture in the growing darkness.
 That s a relief. I d hate to think your sister was considered
194 Andi Marquette
part of a nefarious plot on the part of the Tinsdales to rid the
nearby landscape of a suspicious research facility. Though no
doubt the explosive drones Meli had sent had helped with the
 chain reaction. But Kai was right. The soils and chemicals in
the unclaimed territory were unpredictable. Good cover, that.
 Indeed. Kai was laughing, and the sound sank like
sunlight into Torri s veins.  Sadly, the facility is completely
contaminated. But the Tinsdales will ensure that it s not
disturbed. The Council rep was most relieved about that.
 Certainly. Much easier to shove it under the dirt and forget
about it than send a team in. What about the techs?
 All ten of them got out, thanks to Bal. They re on their
way to debriefing, since it seems they re all pleading ignorance
about Sorreth s activities. They figured it was a Coalition-
approved facility and they were glad for the work. The military
personnel, too. Sorreth only kept a squad of twenty here.
 So who on the Council implemented the security
clearances here?
 Wareni. Which I suspected. She s claiming that Sorreth s
facility was approved through the proper channels, and that
there was no reason to suspect otherwise. The Ori have called
for an investigation of her, and they re going public with
that.
Torri half-laughed.  They won t find much. Sorreth had
been covering this long, no doubt he had lots of Coalition
connections who worked very hard to hide their black market
activities. And now, their links to him.
 Wareni may be reassigned, depending on how much
money she brought in to the proper channels. Kai threaded a
layer of disgust into the statement.
 So why did Sorreth risk bringing you on board?
Kai shook her head slowly, staring into the dusk.  I think he
wanted some legitimacy. If he could get a Tinsdale to approve
the facility, then he could conceivably end up with the proper
licenses for military contracting, and he could operate in the
open.
A Matter of Blood 195
 He didn t do his research, then. Torri slid her hands into
her pockets.  Had he done so, he would have known there was
no way you d buy into something like this.
 Mmm. I think Sorreth figured just about anybody could
be bought. He d been able to buy everybody he wanted, up to
this point. And then he ran into my father who is, as you know,
incapable of taking a bribe.
 True. I m sure Sorreth was so confused by it that he
assumed your father was merely taking bigger bribes from
someone else.
 And the more he offered, the more my father refused. Kai
grinned again.  I rather like the idea that my father frustrated
Sorreth.
 Same here. So why didn t he target Meli?
 She has no military background, and neither does Tarkin
or Vano.
 Enter the other Tinsdale, Torri said, wry.  Academy
graduate, with honors. Excellent service record. She shook
her head.  Sorreth was a fool, to presume anything about
you.
 I m flattered, Kai said, teasing.  But I m sure Sorreth was
able to buy many others with similar records. Perhaps even
better than mine.
No doubt.  So what now? Torri kept her eyes off Kai,
trying to sound nonchalant, trying not to hang hope on dreams.
Where did she stand in Kai s world?  Has anyone checked
Oiros?
 For you and the priestess, there s no interest in delving
into temple records. As far as the rep is concerned, it was most
unfortunate that the Radij guardian of a priestess on a good
will mission to Vegas Sector was detained in such a manner,
and he offered apologies to Othne. Which I have delivered, and
she was, of course, most appreciative of the gesture. Kai was
fighting another laugh.
 I m certain she was. The priestess is most observant of
such protocol.
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