Free The League of Spies by Aaron Allston Page B

your partner on the agenda. I didn’t know he’d be coming. You can be certain that the updated version will include it.”
    Joram cleared his throat. “I don’t mean to criticize...”
    “Don’t feel at all bad about it, young man,” Livintius said. “I’m always striving to Improve my work. Take your best shot. The worst that can happen is that my next agenda will be even better.”
    “Yes. Well, I have no objection to the agenda as such. But let’s say that you were nabbed by our counterparts in PlanSec, Tarhassan Planetary Security, shortly after you printed this. They’d know the rest of our names and where we were meeting. They’d be able to grab us up, too.”
    Livintius sat back, his brow furrowed, thinking hard. “I’ll be... You’re entirely cor reel. That would have been disastrous. Let’s bring this up again when we get to ‘New Business.’”
    “You’re, um, new to Intelligence, aren’t you?”
    Livintius brightened. “Which brings us right into Item Three, Getting to Know You. Yes, I am.
    As are we all.”
    Joram looked at the others. “How’s that again?”
    Tinian smiled. “Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but our Intelligence careers, and the creation of this temporary unit, are all results of your success on Pengalan. Yes, we know who you are and what you’ve done, Joram.”
    What Joram had done - was accompany a military expedition to the world of Pengalan. That campaign to win the world back from the Separatists had failed, and Joram had been stranded there with a squadron of clone troopers. Joram, then an accountant from the Ministry of Finance, had worked with the troopers, and their combined skills had allowed a number of them to get off that world alive. “So, in running away successfully, I...”
    “No, not that.” She shook her head, and her voice took on a condescending tone. “Your success demonstrated the degree to which an operative from Finance could contribute to Intelligence operations. Immediately after your report was evaluated, a subcommittee of the Republic Senate recommended that Intelligence begin a pilot program to evaluate the suitability of experts from other government divisions.”
    Joram felt his heart sink. “So not one of you was in Intelligence prior to my mission on Pengalan.”
    “That’s right,” Cherek said. “Though the intensive training we’ve received, our personal competence, and pure intellect more than makes up for any deficits of experience.”
    “More than make up,” Livintius said. “Subject-verb agreement, Cherek.”
    “Yes, yes.”
    Joram decided that it might undermine the group’s confidence if he were to cradle his head in his hands. Sobbing would probably make the situation even worse.
    “So,” he managed to choke out, “where are you all from, originally?”
    “Ministry of Licenses and Permits,” Cherek said. “But I’ve been training in hand-to-hand combat all my life. I’ve been the Ministry of Licenses and Permits hand-to-hand com bat champion for eight consecutive years.”
    “I’m from the Department of Health,” Tinian said, pride in her voice. “Flora. I specialize in grains.”
    “I’ve held positions in both the Ministry of Public Information and the Ministry of Education,”
    Livintius said. “In truth, I’ve spent my entire adult life in the hallowed halls of education, and let me tell you, transferring to Intelligence was just the opportunity I needed to couple practical experience with the cool perspective of academia.”
    “Your background we know,” Tinian said. “And your partner?”
    “Mapper’s an ex-trooper,” Joram said. “He’s been on the front lines,”
    Cherek turned a cold look on Mapper. Joram supposed the man felt threatened by the presence of someone with actual, rather than tournament, combat experience. Mapper ignored him.
    “Well,” Cherek said, “I think we’ve accomplished Getting to Know You. Next?”
    Livintius beamed. “Item Four, Formal