"It's not very interesting. I resigned from Special Service almost six-no, seven years ago now. I tried running my own private security company for a year or so, but my best clients were always police agencies who needed a little extra expertise." He smiled grimly. "We private cops tend to be a little less constrained by legality than regular police. Anyway, it wasn't turning out the way I wanted it to. I'd quit because I didn't like the compromises I had to make on behalf of official policy and now I found myself compromising everything else to pay the rent. I started looking for a staff position in the private sector. Rega hired me about five years ago. I met Nyom seventeen months later."
"You remember it that clearly?"
"A very memorable sequence of events."
Ariel raised her glass to her mouth and said with mild sarcasm, "I suppose it was love at first sight." She took a sip.
"Don't smirk. It happens." He shook his head. "The thing is, I didn't know that till later. I thought it was just lust. Both of us. I thought she was doing it to irritate Rega, but he never knew. Nyom was nonconformist to a fault, but she didn't flaunt it. She wasn't looking for attention. Whatever else Rega might have done, he instilled a sense of purpose in her. She wanted her life to mean something." He shook his head. "That sounds superficial, doesn't it? The ultimate clichй. "
"No. Not if it's real."
"Oh, it was real. That's how she ended up running baleys. "
"Now that sounds like something aimed at her father."
"It's easy to think that, too. They didn't really get along. The truth is, Nyom knew things were wrong, that the way everything is put together is all messed up, but she didn't know how or why. She didn't know what would make it right. If anything could. So she moved from one cause to another, trying to find the formula for fixing the world. Rega just chose something that felt right and stuck with it. Nyom wasn't confident enough with her judgment to think she knew which one. Mostly, she ended up trying to help people do what they wanted when official policy got in their way. "
"If it's a law, it's necessarily oppressive?"
"Something like that. Baley running was a natural for her."
"Is that what ended it between you?" Ariel asked.
Coren nodded. "Irreconcilable ideologies."
"You don't think anything is wrong?"
"No, no, not at all. I just can't see the use in tearing down everything you have until you can make it work."
"Very conservative. "
"That's me."
"What will you do if you find that Nyom's view was right?"
"I have no idea." He leaned back. "Rega Looms has never lied to me before. "
"You're referring to the possible existence of Nyom's brother?"
Coren nodded. "It doesn't make sense. Rega only had one child."
"That you know of. "
"That I know of. Nyom never said anything either. " He shook his head. "I hate being lied to. "
"Maybe Rega just neglected to mention it. Has he always told you everything?"
Coren looked uncomfortable. "That would be a very dangerous omission on his part."
"Granted. But it's those things that can hurt us most that we never reveal, even when we should."
"Is that experience talking or a Spacer proverb?"
Ariel considered responding to the barb, but decided against it. "Assuming he lied about that, why? Did the child die?"
"There would be no reason to hide that. Even assuming Rega to be a callous opportunist-which he isn't-having a child die in infancy could only be a subject for sympathy. Why would a dead child be something to hide?"
"It might depend on how it died. "
Coren shook his head. "No, if Rega has hidden it, then the child didn't die." His eyes narrowed. "Why are you interested in this?"
"My government-"
"Uh-uh. You. There's a difference between following orders and pursuing a goal. You 're interested for your own reasons. Why?"
Ariel considered telling him about the note on her comm-We're not finished with you-but balked, unwilling even now to admit how much it frightened her.
"Maybe later," she said. "It's not important right now."
"We never reveal the things that can hurt us most?"
"Drop it," she said curtly.
Coren raised his hands in mock surrender. "Later, then. But I think you're going to have to tell me sometime."
"Then sometime I'll tell you."
"Preferably before it's too late to do you any good."
"May I ask another personal question?"
Coren made a gesture to continue.
"Has there been anyone since Nyom?"
Coren frowned thoughtfully, then picked up his glass. He shook his head. "I haven't made the time."
"Not interested, or just not ready?"
He glanced at her speculatively. "Are you making a suggestion?"
Ariel laughed, surprised. Am I? Thinking about it now, with Coren watching her, waiting, she realized that the same question applied to her. It's been a year since Jonis. How long is long enough?
"Maybe," she said. "When we have more time."
"Ah."
"Nova Levis," she said with emphasis.
"Yes. Our phantom research company. Or the colony." The fragile mood broke and Ariel felt mildly self-conscious.
"They could be connected," she said.
Coren set down the glass and rubbed his eyes. "Maybe. Probably. Nova Levis, formerly Cassus Thole, is apparently involved in baleys in a big way. Warehouses, shipping, stolen cargo. Your complaining Spacers and their delayed shipments." He waved a hand. "Too much. I need sleep."
"I'm not tired."
"I can call you a cab if you want."
Ariel studied him, realizing that she did not want to go back to the embassy. Perhaps it was just being away from other Spacers and the confines of the mission precincts, but she was enjoying being here too much. That thought surprised her, too.
Coren looked at her. "Is something wrong?"
"No. If you don't mind, I'd like to stay here."
"Don't you have to report in?"
"Not if I don't want to."
"Senator Taprin-" Coren began.
"Old business."
"But is it over?"
"I thought it was. It would be nice to know for certain."
Coren coughed. "I am really, really tired."
"Do you have anything I can go over, then?" She smiled at him. "Or you can sleep. I'll watch."
He pushed himself up. "Let me finish up a couple of things." He walked woodenly into his office. Ariel could see him from where she sat. She wondered at herself: just what it was she intended with Coren Lanra; what she would do, and why. For the moment she was content to let her feelings run their course. It had been months since she had been interested in anything beyond her own self-denigration. Right now she felt in control, free to act instead of waiting for something to react against.
"Desk," Coren said, "have you completed compilation of the case files of Ree Wenithal?"
"I am sorry, " the Desk said, "I have no record of such a request. "
Coren's face went blank. "Desk, run review. I requested a survey of relevant material concerning the investigations of Ree Wenithal, reference downloaded material from disk yesterday."
A moment passed. "No such material is extant in memory."
"Run diagnostic."
Ariel felt her pulse quicken. "Your system is buffered, I assume?"
"Of course. The whole office is-"
"Diagnostic complete. Reference nine-one-oh. "
Coren snatched Ariel's disk from the reader and tossed it to her. He worked furiously over the surface, then stood. He came back into the private room and went to the shelves.
"Something's infiltrated your system," Ariel said.
"That's the code reference you heard." He tucked small objects into his pockets, then grabbed an overcoat and a soft travel bag. He piled things in quickly, slammed the drawers, and returned to his desk. He studied readouts, nodded once, and entered more commands.
"What-?"
He raised a hand and shook his head. Ariel fell silent. Finally, he shrugged on the overcoat, shut down the Desk, and indicated the exit. Ariel preceded him through the door, across the reception area, and waited.