“What, like reading minds? You’re shitting me.”
“Excuse me? What does excrem — nevermind. In a very nontechnical and imprecise sense, that is probably a workable functional estimate. Although it would be a mistake to overlook the capacity for control.”
“It’s a mind-raper.”
“The process is reported to be quite unpleasant for the subject, yes.”
“You’re telling me this monstrosity really exists? Yuck!” Cally shuddered. “That’s vile. That’s really, really vile.” She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, hugging herself. She almost thought she could feel the goosebumps.
“That is an adequate nontechnical description of the device’s function. One reason I chose to hire your team for this mission is convenience of location. The research facility where the device is located is outside the Great Lakes Fleet Base. Obviously, they will have some sort of human security arrangements in addition to the automated systems. Your people are going to have to determine what those are and be prepared to deal with them. You must avoid any direct confrontation with the other mentat, Erick Winchon. You will need to use a time when Erick Winchon is absent. He has periodic absences from the facility, you’ll need to determine his schedule and use one of them.” Michelle paused, taking a deep breath. “The deadline for this job is January 15 of 2055, Earth time. By that date, I must have in my possession either the device itself or conclusive proof that it has been destroyed. The proof must be sufficient to pass a rigorous inspection by a Galactic Contract Court.”
“What can you tell me about how the device is protected and guarded? I’ll need the blueprints of the facility.”
“Much of that you will have to determine yourselves. It is what your team does, is it not? I will, of course, get you any information I can without exposing my actions.”
Cally rubbed her chin, thinking. “One of the classic ways of working this kind of mission involves a switch of a replica for the target item to postpone discovery of the theft. I need not only the external specifications of the device but everything you can tell me about the device itself and how it’s used and when and by whom so that I can get a convincing replica made, if that’s even possible. We’ll do our research thoroughly, but the more you can tell us about the device, the better chance we have at constructing a convincing replica. The other solutions I can think of are all more complicated. That would mean more expensive, with more chances for something to go wrong.”
“I do not think your organization could build a cosmetic replica that would fool the security systems or the lower level employees. I will build a facsimile of the device that should deceive anyone but another mentat. I will deliver the facsimile to you before the first opportunity to acquire the device arises.” Michelle pressed a datacube into her sister’s hand. “Hug your girls for me.” She folded her arms closer in, a gesture that had immediately preceded her disappearance from Pardal’s suite before.
“Wait!” Cally said.
“Yes?” The tightness in the mentat’s arms loosened fractionally.
“You said you’d get us information if you could. If you have anyone inside, that could be vitally important. That’s the biggest risk of the entire mission — it can take months to get a man inside a secure facility, or more. As I understand it, we don’t have that kind of time, but we need that kind of subtlety to pull this off. We can work without it, but it sure would be a big help.”
“I have a worker there who owes me a significant favor. He cannot help directly. It would place his actions too close to both violence and breaching his word. The favor owed is large, but not that large. I do not see how he could help you. He works off the main site, in their personnel department.” There was a long silence as she thought, the wind off the sea at last ruffling a few stray tendrils of hair from her severe bun.
“Could he get you a list of any job openings? They’ve got to have vacancies, coming open feet first. Operations like these always do. If he could influence hiring decisions by losing some resumes or bumping ours to the top of the list, that would really help.”
“Possibly. Do you have any idea how difficult it would be to ‘lose’ an electronic resume? Not to mention several. I will do what I can.”
Cally placed a hand on Michelle’s arm, only to take it back for no reason she could name, just that the mentat seemed somehow more withdrawn than before.
“There was something else?” her sister asked.
“Granpa was pretty hurt that you wouldn’t see him, you know. Telling him was hard. I’d at least like to know why.” She shoved her hands into her jeans pockets and stared out to sea.
“The split in the Bane Sidhe has created political difficulties between myself and the Indowy.” Michelle didn’t even twitch. Cally found it irritating.
“Oh, don’t tell me you’re shutting out Granpa because of your job. Do not tell me that.” She fixed her sister with an icy, gimlet stare.
“You do not understand. I remind myself that you do not understand,” Michelle said.
“Damn right I don’t!”
“You need resources. I am, for now, able to help you. I can only keep the access to help you by avoiding the O’Neal. No, allow me to finish. Of course I want to see Grandfather. At present, I am what you might call ‘in limbo,’ but I am balanced upon the edge of a knife. It is for me as if the split had not yet taken place. I have not yet been officially informed of the change in clan policy and alliance by my head of clan, or an immediate ancestor, or his designate. I can pretend official ignorance. Among Indowy, this would be impossible. They would never go so long without a meeting. But humanity’s asocial nature has the Himmit, Darhel, and Tchpth precedent. It is viewed as different but not insane. Clan O’Neal may desperately need my resources at some point. Once I meet with Grandfather, I must then confine my future dealings to Clan Aelool or Clan Beilil, and my resources will be greatly reduced. For myself, I would be well enough. But at the cost of greatly increased risk to the survivability of Clan O’Neal. The Indowy know that I must know, yet they know that the resources serve my clan. And so they cannot decide whether I am being supremely honorable, or supremely dishonorable. The thought is distressing to them, so they ignore it, waiting for the dilemma to resolve itself. Which may happen either by reconciliation of the O’Neal with one or more major clans, which is highly unlikely, or by my meeting with my clan head. I must maintain this delicate balance until our clan is secure. I admit that my understanding of the value of what it is that you do is limited, but I believe we both understand that loyalty requires personal sacrifices. As our estrangement through the years has been. Please believe me that this is a most regrettable sacrifice and convey my apologies to Grandfather for the necessity.”
“Wait!” Cally said again, sensing that Michelle might be about to pull her vanishing act. “Michelle, I’ve gotta ask. Yes, this mind-raper thing is obviously a problem, but you’ve made contact after an awfully long time and you haven’t done a lot of blatant things in the past to save the world. There’s something different about this, and I have to know what it is.”
“That does not concern you.” Michelle’s face could have been carved of stone.
“I can’t do my job without the whole story. I won’t take my team into this without all the background. We can keep it between us, but I’m responsible for my people. Now give.” She made a come-on gesture with one hand, fixing her eyes on the mentat’s face. Everything about her posture, ratty jeans and blowing hair or not, suddenly screamed “professional.” It was a nonnegotiable demand.