“So you don’t think his gift of the card to you was simply because he knew he was watched. Do you think he would have turned it in under other circumstances?”
“ JordanWarrick knew they were watched, ser. He’s always watched.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“In response to your question, ser, if he hadn’t handed it to us last night, he would have likely handed it over sometime today, because he isn’t in agreement with his father’s gesture. He doesn’t favor involvement with clandestine matters. And while he regards his father highly he will equally well wish to avoid any involvement in his father’s actions, where they may cross ReseuneSec. He has had extensive experience with your office, ser, and has no wish to cross your path again.”
“What do you think is going on with the elder Warrick?”
“Resentment of past confinement and present limitations. A desire to agitate, possibly to inject new energy into a quiet status quo with Admin. Possibly a third motive. My information is insufficient.”
“But your information is current in the case of the younger Warrick. You’re quite satisfied that he poses no risk to your principal.”
“I am very confident of my estimate of Justin Warrick. We wouldn’t allow him in the same room with sera if we were in the least doubtful about his intentions.”
“What is your estimate of the Patil situation?”
“I can’t possibly estimate, ser, except to ask if it’s possible Director Schwartz himself provoked Jordan Warrick to do this. The coincidence is extreme, if there is no causality. Both know Patil, ser Warrick secondhand, as best I know, and Dr. Schwartz has met with her–intended to meet with her at the time he last spoke with Warrick Senior. We know there was an intense argument between ser Warrick and Dr. Schwartz on that occasion, before Dr. Schwartz left for Novgorod. We don’t know the content.”
“It was an unrecorded conversation,” Hicks said. “In that, Florian AF, you and I are in the same situation.”
Interesting. And there was one, perhaps one, window to ask into that matter. “Ser. This touches sera’s security, considering Justin Warrick was involved, and Justin Warrick and his companion are under her protection. Eversnow was the topic of dinner conversation between Director Schwartz and sera that same evening. An hour later, with no direct contact with anyone we’ve monitored, Jordan Warrick chose to produce a card with a name on it involving Eversnow, in a way he knew would come to the attention of ReseuneSec and sera’s security. Sera went to Director Schwartz regarding the card. Director Schwartz revealed a connection between Eversnow and Patil, and between Warrick and Patil, via a third party. We find this card assumes a threatening character, regarding supposedly secure conversations involving Director Schwartz’s activities, and sera’s security officially calls your attention to that fact.”
A moment of silence. “Meaning, ser?”
“Meaning we will act, ser, if we see a problem to sera’s wing or sera’s interests, including the safety of present Reseune Administration.”
“You’re bright. Tell me, Florian AF, what would youadvise we do about Dr. Patil?”
“Investigate. There’s no information yet. The action doesn’t seem friendly to her interests. But we don’t know with any surety what her interests are.”
“Facts: the Director met with Dr. Patil in Novgorod. They discussed her promotion to a division leadership in ReseuneLabs at Fargone, involving a covert Reseune development at Eversnow. Jordan Warrick signals us that he knows Patil. Which he does…possibly more than secondhand, for all we can discover. You know what she works on.”
“Nanistics. Bionanistics of a secret and restricted nature.”
“Then you understand the difficulty of turning up information. The military has classified much of her work, classified much of what goes on at Planys. Wecan’t get over that wall. And the nature of what she works on–makes a physical search of her premises problematic and dangerous. If she’s doing something she oughtn’t, or communicating with people she oughtn’t, yes, there is a danger.”
“I would put forward a suggestion, ser.”
“What would that be?”
“Let her leave for the assignment. Then detain her and her baggage once she reaches orbit. That narrows the problem. She’ll either attempt to destroy things before she leaves, or take certain things with her.”
Hicks’ face was habitually unexpressive, lined with years of grim business. An actual smile flickered in the corners of the mouth. “Good. Not, actually, surprising. What other suggestions, Florian AF?”
“Sera’s personal security doesn’t have the scope or the equipment to take certain steps. You do. We would also be extremely interested to know about any leak of information out of Planys, or into it.”
“We’ve consistently taken steps to find out.”
Over a period of time, then, a long‑term watch. “From before Jordan Warrick came here?”
A grudging dip of the head.
“Planys staff?” Florian asked. “Operatives inside the University?”
“Not all the specialist agents are as far removed as the stations in orbit. We can deal with a nanistics situation. Clearly we have mutual concerns. And we’ve come to a point of mutual interest. You’re very much what I expected. Alpha. No question.”
“Ser?”
“Is your partner outside?”
“She remained with sera. Internal policy.”
Hicks nodded slowly. “You insisted on monitoring that dinner at the restaurant. You consider young Warrick yours and you protect his privacy. Understandable. We agreed to that. But we’d like to have allthe records from that encounter, including anything you know from young Warrick, anything he or his companion may have said in handing you the item.”
Hicks had protested their handling it solo. Clearly he’d had his own observers.
“The younger Warrick is in our wing, ser. His safety is at issue as well as sera’s. We remain extremely concerned about Warrick senior being here. We remain concerned about any leak of the younger Warrick’s activities to Warrick Senior. And might I point out–I doubt Justin Warrick would have been as ready to offer the card to one of your agents.” An interesting thought, a troubling scenario. “You’d have had to search him if you’d wanted it. And I’m very sure he wouldn’t have liked that. Maybe that was part of Jordan’s intention, that Justin get arrested. Jordan didn’t know it wasn’t ReseuneSec doing the monitoring that night. He expected you. And that would have bounced it to Yanni’s office, and then to sera.”
“Interesting notion. But he didn’t give that card to you when you met. He sent his companion back with it.”
“Clearly you don’t need my answers.”
“Actually we don’t, on that one.” He tapped the envelope with the card. “This, however, is not in the form of a petty annoyance from Ser Warrick. It’s very troublesome.”
“You’re certain Director Schwartz didn’t set it up.”
A flat, impenetrable stare. “Not to my knowledge,” Hicks said, which Florian took for a warning. It could mean, Don’t ask. It could mean, No, Yanni Schwartz didn’t inform me of any trap he was setting, and I don’t at all like not being informed. And it could simply mean, There’s a leak somewhere, and I don’t like not having clues.
“Are you sure of your own staff, in Sera Emory’s apartment?”
“We’re all azi, ser. We’re Contracted. A leak there isn’t highly likely. Certain of the staff came from general security.” That was Wes and Marco. “A few elsewhere, from sources that passed clearances. Infiltration is possible, but not likely.”
“My point is, we can’t work at cross‑purposes. You’re eighteen. And there are the two other security agents besides your partner on your staff, am I right?”
“Yes, ser. I am. And there are.”
Hicks made a vee of his hands. Looked at him a moment. “Your predecessor was very good. I knew him… I knew him tolerably well, when I was an assistant to Giraud Nye. We cooperated.”
“Yes, ser.” Time before he had existed was not emotionally attractive to him. There was no resonance for him with his predecessor, such as born‑men expected to exist. And this was a Supervisor, who should know that trait. Florian remained engaged, wary of verbal traps.