''From Mac?'' Kris knew she had caused General McMorrison one or two problems, but this!
''No, ma'am. Admiral Pennypacker, the new Chief of Staff.''
Kris thought she knew most of the senior serving officers by name; Pennypacker was a blank. She glanced at Grampa Trouble.
''Please finish clearing the Lieutenant,'' he ordered. ''Mr. Montoya and I do not have all day.''
''Yes, sir.''
Mr. Montoya! Not agent!
The Spec 4 went through Kris's wallet. ''You are ordered to surrender your diplomatic passport within twenty-four hours.''
''I'm not going anywhere. You have my ship,'' Kris snapped.
''Ma'am, I'm just following orders. There will be a pre-trial hearing a week from tomorrow. You will be notified of its exact time and location when we send you the charges against you. If you cannot afford counsel, the Navy will appoint counsel for you,'' the woman said, then looked at the file and added, ''Oh, right, you're one of those Longknifes.''
''Tell the Navy I want them to appoint me counsel.'' Kris would hire a lawyer, too, but the quality of counsel the Navy provided would tell her as much about the outcome of the court-martial as the verdict.
Five more minutes of this agony, before Jack stepped aside to open the door for Kris … and she found herself facing the last person in the world she wanted to see. Adorable Dora, host of The Real Talk of the Town—at Two, blocked Kris's way.
Surgeons had repaired that perfect nose from the last time an interviewee had broken it. Two men, both sporting several tiny cameras about their hunky frames, backed Dora up. Kris really didn't feel like decking the woman; she was way too tired for that. She just wanted to get home and find a quiet corner where she could dig a hole and crawl into it for an hour or two.
But if the woman stayed between Kris and that quiet hole, Kris might reassess her priorities.
''What do you think about your dad selling out the farmers?''
''I didn't know he had,'' Kris said, smiling like she'd been taught, while sidestepping to the left. Grampa Trouble imposed himself between Dora and Kris. Kris took two steps forward before she found herself stopped by one of the hunks and the realization that she didn't know where she was going. None of the cars in the lot were any of the limos or armored town cars normally assigned to Nuu House.
''That rental over there is ours,'' Jack said, rolling past Kris and blocking camera one while pointing at a five-year-old baby blue town car. Kris took the opening provided and quickly walked for the car. But Dora was coming up on the outside.
''How do you feel about being charged with misappropriation of government funds by your former commanding officer?''
That caused Kris to miss a step, giving Dora and her two cameramen a chance to gain position. Kris took a breath, glanced at Jack, who was rolling his eyes heavenward, and risked a question. ''Does this former commander of mine have a name?''
Kris had a number of former commanders. Some were actually still alive. A few were still serving honorably.
''Lieutenant Pearson, your commander on Olympia. She says you pocketed large sums of money from the emergency funds provided to feed the starving farmers and townspeople there.''
Kris missed two steps this time. That allowed Jack to catch up, muscle one cameraman aside and away from the car. Grampa opened the door for Kris. She positioned herself to finish the interview and vanish into the car. Taking a breath, Kris organized thoughts that were at once both exhausted and spinning.
''I served with Pearson, never under her. She was more concerned with writing policies that I don't believe she ever finished. I saw to it that people got food to eat… and they did.'' Kris started to duck into the car.
Dora would not call it quits. ''She says she has proof that money was missing from many accounts.''
Kris held herself erect by holding onto the door. ''No doubt money disappeared from her unit. She stayed holed up in her office for days on end and never went out to see what was actually happening. She did love her policy. Me, I donated money out of my own pocket to get people off their backs, out of the mud, on their feet, and back to work. Check my tax returns. They're part of the official record. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm tired, and this interview is done.''
''Do you think your dad will win the election?''
That required no thought. ''Of course. His party best represents the hopes and aspirations of the people of Wardhaven,'' Kris said and pulled the door closed.
''Sorry about that,'' Jack said as he settled into the driver's seat. He waved at the car. ''And this. It was the only one we could get on short notice that had the armor and security we needed. Your dad and brother took the new ones.''
''If someone doesn't start talking to me,'' Kris said between clenched teeth, ''I'm going to break my promise to my big brother not to kill anyone this month.''
''Hold your horses a moment,'' Jack said—and produced a bug locator and burner.
''I am tracking three bugs,'' Nelly said. ''Two are standard newsies, but the other is more expensive. Kris, I have a full news download from the net. Would you like me to brief you?''
Two sparklings in midair showed where Jack had nailed all but one of the problems. Kris gritted her teeth and waited. Nelly was good for news, but Jack knew what interested Kris. He'd tell her what she wanted to know before she had to ask.
A third nano finally went down in flames, trailing wispy smoke toward the carpeted floor.
''Jack, Grampa, what happened?'' Kris said in what she considered an amazingly restrained voice.
''At ten thirty yesterday morning,'' Jack said quickly. ''Your father's government lost a Vote of Confidence over the farm subsidy program cutbacks that he was pushing through to reduce the level of deficit brought on by the increased defense spending.''
''That's impossible. Father had a solid understanding with the farm wing of his party to support the cutbacks.'' Kris might spend most of her time Navy, but she couldn't hold down a princess's social calendar and not have her ear bent by things as politically hot as the budget and farm wing.
''Apparently, the family farmers weren't as solidly in my grandson's pocket as they told him,'' Grampa said. ''For what it's worth, it came as a really big surprise to your dad.''
''So the opposition forms a caretaker government until elections,'' Kris said, leaning back in her seat. She knew how these things went. Politics 101. She'd learned it along with how to eat her porridge back before she was out of diapers, though for all her life, her father or grandfather had been the Prime Minister, and the opposition had been little more than a voice crying in the wilderness of the back benches.
Kris reviewed what she knew. ''But a Pro Tem government isn't supposed to change policy … or appoint a new Chief of the General Staff like Pennypacker…''
Jack came in right on the downbeat. ''But this caretaker government got a solid majority to vote it full powers, things being what they are in human space at the moment, and with that vote behind them, they got King Ray to sanction them.''
''How'd Father take this?''
''Rather poorly,'' Jack said.
''I'll say,'' Grampa chuckled. ''My, but the old boy was spewing venom. Quite a sight. It will be the classic text for how not to lose a vote of confidence in the future.''
''Well, we Longknifes aren't all that practiced at losing,'' Kris observed dryly.
Jack ignored her quip and went on. ''And the opposition had a good point. With all the wars and rumor of wars, this is not a good time to have the government of Wardhaven treading water. A lot of your father's allies sided with them. They promised to vote with your old man again if and when he's got the warrant to form a new government, but just now, they felt they had to vote to juice up the Pro Tem government. I think that's why King Raymond supported their claim and need to appoint a cabinet and take the full reins of government. Anyway, what's done is done.''