Free Birthright: Battle for the Confederation- Turmoil by Ryan Krauter Page B

we
catalogued a decade ago but nobody felt the need to settle," Loren
admitted.  "There's a few mining companies there, and it's a little on the
cold side, but there's a big orbital station and plenty of space, so we've set
up a processing point and are building housing as fast as we can.  People from
all over the Confederation and even a Talaran world are heading there if they
can't get to their homes anymore.  Most of them leave pretty quickly, and the
place isn't set up for long term housing; there's no real independent
government there, just Confed military and those private corporations.  But
it's better than being forced into a Priman labor camp and they're free to go
when they have a place to head for."
    "So what can we
do?" asked Cory, back to business.
    "We can figure
out how to buy the Lemurians some time if they want the help when Primans come
calling," Loren stated firmly.

Chapter Four
               
               
     
     
    Tana Starr waited
impatiently in the cafe where she often took her meals.  She was good enough at
her tradecraft to at least not look impatient, however.  The server
stopped by to refresh her stim-caf while she finished off the last few
spoonfuls of her soup.  It was a beautiful day out; the sun was shining but
once in a while briefly obscured by puffy mid-level summer clouds, the
temperature was just right for wearing a light coat, and there was just enough
of a breeze to keep the air moving.  The conditions were favorable to her not
because she enjoyed the comforts; having grown up on a huge mothership in deep
space, she was accustomed to the recycled air of a starship and the harsh
artificial light provided by the fixtures within.  No, she was pleased with the
conditions because they allowed her to sit in the outdoor portion of the cafe
where she could better keep an eye on the street.  The spindly metal tables
were also spaced farther apart than indoors, and that combined with the noise
of hovercars, street and foot traffic made attempts at surveillance much more
daunting.
    "Tana,"
she heard a friendly voice say from behind her, "is that you?"
    She turned to regard
the young man standing just a few steps away from her.  Face lighting up in
surprise, she got up and took a step over to give the man a hug.  "Of
course it is, Salvor."  She pointed at the chair opposite hers.  "Have
a seat."
    Salvor, a Drisk male
who appeared to be in his late twenties, took the offered chair.  He was tall,
with dark slicked-back hair and fashionable business clothes.  The server had
noticed the new arrival and appeared with a glass of water and menu as soon as
the young man was seated, then was discrete enough to leave them to their
conversation.
    "It's so nice
to see you again," Tana said brightly, acting as if Salvor was a long-lost
friend.  That was not quite the case. 
    Salvor took his comm
device from his pocket as set it on the table next to his place setting, then
nodded at Tana.  "We are secure," he said softly.
    "Monitoring
this location would prove difficult even before your scrambler was
active," she stated.  "We must speak quietly, but we can speak
relatively in the clear.  We are just two among countless people that meet here
for a meal and drinks."
    Salvor nodded, for
while he was used to working under cover, he was not trained to act so openly
as Tana Starr.  He was a covert operative, trained to do the less pleasant
aspects of the missions his comrades like Tana set in motion.  His comm device
contained a field scrambler that would dampen their voices outside of a few
feet so the people at the table next to them wouldn't be able to hear, a common
device employed by many of the people who worked in the city centered on
running the Confederation government.  If Tana said they could speak mostly in
the clear, he'd take her word on it.
    "My team has
finished assembling," he began.  "We've arrived in singles and pairs
over the last two days and have settled