Kei and Yuri were sitting at small table into half-empty restaurant room. The surroundings was a cheap plastics, you can meet into any place, be it UG, independent or even possibly aliens worlds. In fact it was near same, as into one small bar near their quarters at the academy... Memories, memories...
Only change was music. They by surprise discovered, that here it was live. And, although musicians preferred slow tempo, it was pleasant.
It wasn't their first visit here, and they had already made friends with officiants. Kei without trouble get her cocoa and cream-cake, Yuri flower tea and a 'tongue' - long, cracking cookie covered with sugar powder.
Slowly sipping drinks from cups, girls talked about their progress. Better said, lack of it.
"Well, care to tell me about the discoveries, cake-lady?" Yuri teased.
Kei with visible pleasure took another bit of cream-cake.
"Men prefer rounds, not bones, miss Slim" she said wisely. "There was nothing strange. Same men, same talks. Same problems with taxes, governments, concurrence. And same stories about pirates. Anything, you can get into any of UG spaceports. And only three barfights into last week..."
"Yeah. And i three times needed to hack their systems to cover you. Not counting that beaten driver."
"Don't say, you don't like to do it," Kei winked.
"Its something, i will not be proud about."
"While you was in, found something interesant?"
"Nothing real. A dozens of tax-slippers, a few weak hackers. I even caught one, and scared near to death. Punk thought, its police. But the databanks. Except being a bit old, they are same as into UG. Same with contents."
There was long period of silence. Kei finished her cake and cocoa and deeply sighted, looking at other cakes into display.
"I think, its time, we admit, there is nothing more we can do under cover..." Yuri suddenly said.
"Yes?"
"Key, are you listening to me?"
"Sorry, get carried away. What you asked"
"I said, we go out of cover."
"Why?" Kei at last turned away from display and faced partner.
"You himself said: 'I have no idea!' "
Kei looked at Yuri, obviously into serious doubts.
"Yes. But you said, they will get mad if they found our real identities..."
"Kei! Not from under our fake names. From this hiding from officials."
"A! But you also said, they may be involved..."
"Then we will flush them out."
Kei started to smile, imagining HOW EXACTLY she will flush out some pirate boss. Any criminal who would be seeing said smile, would start running toward closest police station to turn himself in...
"Yes! At least some action! Stop nibbing your cookie and lets start!"
Yuri too smiled.
Zacharia Sindh, governor of the fourth planet of Trofar system, was envied by many. His status into society, his influence, his wealth...
At the moment, he was ready throw all that away, looking at plain simple paper lying at his desk.
"Answering request of the mr. Mickainer, governor of the one of Trofar worlds, we are sending our Trouble Consultants team 272-K to investigate possible pirate activity into and near Trofar space. We are looking to full Your cooperation into establishing the order and peace into the region.
Signed - Ayoob."
Zacharia pulled out white handkerchief and with shaking hands wiped out sweat from his forehead. He was small man, with progressing baldness, despite all the newest genetic stuff.
He again looked at the letter. One sentence, that meant the end of his life... His current life, at least. He pressed intercom button.
"Anita. Send to me Silvie. Now." he said, trying to hide weakness into voice.
"And?" Silvia Mein asked, when she had let the single sheet of paper land back on her boss desk. She was middle aged woman, not stunning beauty, but pretty. She with weakly hidden disguise looked at Zacharia. Unlike most, she had to deal with him day from day, and get to know the worst sides of him. Now he was looking like rabbit caught into car lights - completely frozen.
"They are after my head..." Zacharia whined.
Silvia wanted to call him a fool, but decided not. After all, he still was her boss.
"I doubt, they are after you," she said slowly, choosing right words to encourage him like a child.
"But... but..."
"It's said, they are after pirates. As on request, brothers Zunge again crawled out from their hideout. They are making trouble at the outer belt again, and I have decided to send one squadron to catch and wipe them out once and for all. But now we will let the TC's do that. We will get safety, they get their pirates, and we all will be happy."
"You are sure?"
Silvia relaxed, by mentally imagining kicking her boss. In the balls. Hard.
"Im sure," she said.
She wasn't, but if Zacharia continues to whine, something will leak out. That was inevitable.
"O, thank you. But... really, need I meet them?"
"Since you got the letter, and they asked for it, you can't really deny meeting them. If you try ignore them, it will look ... suspicious, you know. Of course, you don't need meet them alone," she quickly added.
"When you are near, Silvia, I..."
"Im sorry, but I don't think, I will attend your meeting. On the other hand, the public relations minister is sitting without any real job. Let him finally earn his pay."
"Yes, yes! I will call him!"
Returning to her office, Silvia started with calling in the guilty personnel.
About a dozen men and women were standing and sitting around the conference table, when she stepped out from her small cabinet and looked at them.
"Okey, I want an explanation. Today I suddenly get informed, that top UG agents are working on our planet."
Quiet murmur.
"They asked for a meeting with Sindh. They arrived last week, possibly even even earlier. I want to find out about them all. Where they stay, whom they meet, what they eat. Even color of their underwear!"
That called a few suppressed laughs.
"Next time, if you miss something like that, heads will roll."
Laughing stopped.
"Also I want them under surveilance twenty six hours in a day. You will be their shadows. Follow them like smell follows a muskrat."
Silvia looked at each of them one by one.
"Mario. You will go over our databanks. I think, next request will be permission to use them. You will clear all info about the few agents. The list of the names I will give you after meeting. Also you will leave only two or three of our secret agents into UG. And do it so that nothing can be restored or deciphered. Destroy any earlier backups. No. Replace them with current stuff. Make a newbie mistake owerwriting files."
"The papers on them you will get when you will leave. I want first reports be at my table tomorrow at 6.30. Free."
Into silence people one by one leaved room.
The technician stood and walked toward her. Silvia sighted and tossed her hair back from face.
"Mario. I want you meet with Janine and pick out few of the best looking agents, we have. Clear their dossiers, and give me list." she slowly said.
"Yes." he nod and after short silence, leaved.
Silvia remain standing at the end of table.
Kei and Yuri passed the security guards post and started to walk upstairs. They were into one of newest buildings into city - an utilitary cube of plasteel, plasbeton and plaglass. Indestructable monolith, that may even hold against a small nuclear bomb.
"Wonder, if we are going to meet most powerful man on the planet, Yuri?" Kei asked.
"Definitely not. Most powerful is heads of security services," Yuri reply, looking around and taking in notice each little thing.
They had meet representatives yesterday. They had asked, and after meeting with the governor, they will meet the security director too.
There were two persons into the room.
Man, who was sitting behind the desk, didn't leave impression of being dangerous. He was small, thin, his head was showing signs of starting baldness. Not the standart image of dread pirate. Only one thing that was strange, was his eyes. They didn't rest, they moved all the time, looking at the girls, out of window, on the walls, floor, papers on table, but never meeting Yuri's gaze.
Other man rise from the chair at the side of table to greet them.
"Greetings. My name's Leon Sincler. Allow me to introduce - Zacharia Sindh, governor of our world. We are happy to meet one of famous WWWA teams on our planet..."
Followed exchanges of meaningless pleasanties. The man was a diplomat, Kei deducted. A talker, to keep them on the standart talk and keep other man from telling too much... Not that he was trying...
"I can only appraise so fast reply from the United Galactica and Worlds Welfare Works Association, miss Keith and miss Ilona."
"Thanks," Kei said abruptly, and earned a look and kick from Yuri.
"Thank you, ser," Yuri said softly. "United Galactica representatives was pleased to fulfil request from one of our newest worlds, to show their concern about the safety and welfare of its members." Kei only bowed head, keeping silent.
"It is certainly a pleasant gesture, as we know too, that the prices of WWWA isn't the cheap ones, as well as that their work always is the perfect... with only a few exclusions..."
Here comes... Yuri prepared for the worst, but the man was real diplomat, and didn't say the 'D' word.
"We gladly accept your help in this matter, though I still am saying, we are able to deal with the pirates with our own space fleet. The situation isn't such a critical. We have already destroyed six raiders from original fleet of eight. We have also discovered and destroyed their base on one of asteorids from outer belt."
"Drats, we're too late!" escaped from Kei.
"Im sorry," Yuri smiled to soften the effect. "My partner was eager to test the newest weapon system upgrade in real fight."
Kei had tact enough to blush. After another kick at her ankle from Yuri.
Both men smiled.
"Next time, we will leave some game for her to hunt," Leon promised.
Yuri can tell, that both men were worried. And the smiles were definitely forced. Trofarians were softly pushing them out. But why? If the pirates were dealt with, why not simply cancel the request for help. If not, then why now turn it down?
"Then you have no objections for us to stay and look around for the two last pirates?" Yuri asked.
"Certainly not. Enjoy your stay. Of course, we will cover your everyday expenses, including the hotel pay."
That was a sting. They knew. Yuri sighted mentally, but that was inevitable. She had however hoped to hide it for longer.
"In meantime, our security director Silvia Mein will give you all the assistance, you will request."
Both men stand up. The audience was over. And Zacharia hasn't said a single word except the meaningless greetings.
"Unpleasant type," Key said into low voice, following secretary to the cabinet of the Trofar Security director. Secretary was small round blonde, yet both girls had noticed that the roundness was from muscles, not fat...
"Agree. He was very afraid. Wanted to throw us out, UG or not, but could't."
"We are under cover. So it can't be our reputation?" Kei looked at partner.
"Maybe he saw thry the cover..." Yuri sighted.
Kei fell thoughtful.