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hadn’t found advanced civilizations either. She pondered that. The orders said they would avoid interacting with any human populations. Well and good, if they were as primitive as those found thus far.
    But what if they found a more advanced people? The mission orders didn’t address that possibility. They just instructed Jared to avoid contact. Escape and evasion might prove impossible with a space capable civilization. What would they do then?
    Make contact. Negotiate. Set up diplomatic relations.
    “Father, there are no trained, experienced diplomats on any of these manifests. What if they need to interact with an advanced society that becomes aware of their presence?”
    “Let me see.” He took the tablet and scanned the files. “Fleet has the military side of operations in hand. The science ship has the scientific side. It looks like there may be a gap in the mission statement. I’d suppose that Jared will act as the face of the Empire.”
    She narrowed her eyes. “No offense to my half-brother, but is he trained as a negotiator? I’ll grant that he has a lot of patience, but he’s a military officer. If trouble comes up, he’ll use the tools he knows. In this case, weapons.”
    Her father looked less than convinced. “Come now. I’m certain he’d never open hostilities without significant provocation.”
    “Probably not, but shouldn’t someone trained in diplomacy ride along in case something delicate needs to be addressed? They should have someone onboard who can explain delicate things, like why his ship might be sneaking around in someone else’s territory. It hasn’t happened thus far, but the possibility increases with every mission.”
    Her father leaned back and contemplated her for a minute. “What are you suggesting? That I should send you to cover that position?”
    Kelsey shook her head. “No. The Department of Imperial Affairs has people that settle disagreements between the worlds of the Empire every day. Carlo Vega, or someone like him, would be perfect. I’d say send two experienced negotiators per mission.”
    Her father stared off into the distance for a few minutes before nodding. “I think you may be right. I’ll go back to my office and make some calls. I’ll need to act fast if I want to make this happen. I don’t want to delay the missions.”
    He stood and stretched. “You’ve served the Empire well tonight, Kelsey. This oversight could have had very drastic consequences. Well done. Now, it’s late. You’d best get some sleep. One never knows what unexpected events will land on one’s lap first thing in the morning.”
     

Chapter Five
     
     
    The next morning disabused Jared of the notion that things would go more smoothly just because he’d had a good evening. He woke late, missed the first shuttle, and ended up docking at the far side of Orbital One . He normally enjoyed walking through the station’s bustling corridors, but Admiral Yeats wasn’t fond of tardy officers.
    The yard technicians in their bright blue jumpsuits seemed to be everywhere. He’d never seen so many of them clogging the corridors before. He finally made it to the conference room ten minutes late.
    The room held several dozen people, about evenly split between Fleet officers and civilians. The civilians would be the senior scientific team leaders. Everyone turned to stare at Jared as he took the empty seat beside Graves. Charlie’s expression gave nothing away, but there was a deep twinkle in his eye. He’d be teasing Jared about his lateness for months.
    Admiral Yeats fixed Jared with an unfriendly stare designed to melt junior officers. “So good of you to join us, Commander. Would you like me to start over?”
    “No, sir.” He felt a flush creeping up his neck. “I apologize for my tardiness.”
    The admiral gave him another beat of silence before returning to his notes. “As I was saying, the four converted freighters housing the science teams have completed their refits and