Part 29 (1/2)

base is a case in point. The only way it'll be found and destroyed, other than by sheer accident, is by infiltration. If it could be done openly, it's big enough it'd be a Ranger's job; since it can't, field agents go in. To succeed, an agent will have to convince the pirates @'s a criminal--probably have to take part in some crimes for that purpose--to be allowed onto the base at all. Then @'ll have to convince them @'s trustworthy enough to be allowed access to the base's defenses to determine their strength, and to communication facilities to call in a strong enough Navy force to take the base out . . .

preferably coming out alive @self.”

Medart paused. He wished he could read the Sandeman's mind, but Nevan's s.h.i.+eld was definitely up. Still, revulsion seemed to have subsided to dislike, so he continued. ”That's lying, probably theft, maybe murder. But it's the only way we know to eliminate what's become a major threat to inter-sector commerce, and is rapidly becoming worse.

Let me see if I can put it another way. Field agents are people we can trust to act against the Empire's short-term interests when, and only when, that's necessary to protect its long-term ones. It's always a dangerous job, usually a nasty one, and the agents know very well that most people share your opinion of them. The only reason they put up with all that is because they know how necessary it is.”

”I . . . never thought of it that way,” Nevan said slowly. Sandeman custom said that any sort of deliberate falsehood or deception was wrong, a grave dishonor, and he believed that implicitly--but it sounded like Ranger Medart was telling him that in some cases it was not only honorable, it was praiseworthy! That was a difficult concept to absorb--yet a Ranger was as scrupulously honest as a warrior, unless the Empire's very existence depended on one being otherwise, and Nevan couldn't imagine a warrior's becoming a field agent was anywhere near that important.

Another strong consideration was just which Ranger was giving him that information and advice. James Medart played a prominent role in Sandeman history, one of the few standard humans they accepted as being on a par with their warrior caste, and the one person they credited with making their entry into the Empire on an honorable basis possible; his words were to be given more than ordinary value.

After several moments' silence, Nevan nodded. ”Since you name it both honorable and the best way to prepare for the service I hope to give Ranger Losinj, I will do my best to become such an agent.” He paused, went on less formally. ”If what you just told me--about field agents having a position of special trust--was known in Subsector Sandeman, any whose ident.i.ty we knew would be honored, not scorned.”

”And that's something I hadn't thought of,” Medart said. ”If you're willing to waive warrior privacy on that part of our discussion, I'll be happy to pa.s.s it along to your clan-chief, the Vader, and the Miklos.”

”It is waived, but only on that part.”

”Understood, warrior.” Medart strongly hoped Nevan would make it through agent's training; outside of the unfortunate but inevitable warrior's tendency to consider combat a preferred option rather than a last resort, he had all the qualifications of a Ranger. Whether Rina accepted his offer of fealty or not, the Empire would have something it'd never managed before: a Ranger-cla.s.s field agent. That would frighten some people if they ever found out about it, Medart thought, but he found it rea.s.suring--especially since the prospective agent was a Sandeman warrior. ”Would you like me to brief you on the training?”

Nevan thought for a moment, then shook his head. ”I'd rather go in without preconceptions, since you say I'm likely to find parts . . .

not intolerable, since I intend to tolerate them, but extremely difficult. The fewer details I know, the fewer contingency plans I'll automatically put together.”

”That sounds reasonable,” Medart agreed. Especially since a warrior's contingency plans tended to be violent . . . ”Do you have any idea when you plan to offer fealty?”

”I was thinking of about five years,” Nevan said. ”I do want as much experience as I can get, and that's not a lot--but her people are allergic to the anti-agathics, so I don't dare wait too long.”

”True. I'd say that was a reasonable compromise.” Rina was a year younger than Nevan, but he was on anti-agathics and she couldn't tolerate them; if he didn't get himself killed on the way, he'd probably outlive her by close to two centuries. ”Is there anything else?”

”No, sir.” Nevan stood, bowed. ”I thank you for your counsel, Ranger Medart. G.o.ds permitting, I intend to follow it.”

Medart rose and returned the bow. ”May they grant you success in both your training and your offer.”

Until next time . . .

[Preparer's note: This is the end of the main story. The material following this note is the supplementary material linked to from elsewhere in this file.]

SELECT

It was the end of Test Week at the Academy, almost time for the results to be posted outside the cadet-candidates' dining hall, and all of them were there waiting. The results determined the incoming cadets'

initial standings, so James Medart was as eager--and as apprehensive--about them as any of the others.

Promptly at 1300, the display board lit, and Medart skimmed the list for the M's. He was confident he'd made it through the grueling tests--though even at this point, about a quarter didn't--and he was hoping for a good ranking. In the planet-wide testing, he'd rated #1.

That was good enough to get him to the main Academy at the Palace Complex but everyone here had scored high on their home worlds; he wouldn't be too disappointed, he told himself, as long as he made the top quarter.

When he found his name, though, it was all he could to to hold back a whoop of delight. He'd made #1 again, even in this picked group! It was Cadet Medart now, no longer Cadet-Candidate, #1 of the Cla.s.s of 2516! At least, he cautioned himself, until regular academic rankings started coming out. Then he'd be working hard to keep his rating, with the rest working equally hard to take it over--but for today, coming through Test Week on top was plenty of grounds for satisfaction.