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interdicted—attacked my ship and intended to kill me.”
    â€œThat will be for a court to decide,” Edvarrin replied after a longer pause than usual. “Your military escort confirms your story, but also confirms that you insisted on taking Osman’s ship as a prize. Under these circumstances, and in the absence of communication with Vatta corporate headquarters or the Slotter Key government—and with no Slotter Key diplomatic representative authorized to confirm or deny the validity of your letter of marque—we are unwilling to have you bring your ship in under your command. You will take up a station at least twenty-five thousand kilometers from our orbital station, under guard of our insystem security service, and transfer to the station by shuttle. You yourself may appear before a court as specified in the Uniform Commercial Code, Section 82, paragraph 32.b, this court to be convened upon your arrival. This court will then determine the legality of your actions and the ownership of
Fair Kaleen.
Should you choose not to submit to this procedure, you are forbidden to approach nearer than fifty thousand kilometers. On your present course, this intersection will occur in approximately sixteen hours.”
    Ky looked around the bridge and met expressions as blank as she felt. “That’s…not what I expected,” she said. “It could take days to straighten this out.”
    â€œIf you go in there, you’ll end up in jail,” Rafe said. “Remember that
determine the legality of your actions
? If the civil court decides you were wrong to kill Osman and his crew, you’d be facing criminal charges in a system where you don’t even have diplomatic representation.”
    â€œIt’s the only way to prove who I really am—” Ky said. “I need to get this ship in my name legally.”
    â€œIt’s the way to be stuck in a lockup with no chance at all to prove who you really are.”
    Martin gave Rafe a sidelong look, then nodded. “He’s right, Captain. They want you to go alone; you don’t know anyone here; you don’t have any allies. You can’t call on the Slotter Key embassy, even if there is one.”
    â€œThere’s not,” Ky said. “I checked. Representation is through Fiella Consortium.”
    â€œThere you are. No allies, no backup—it’s insane.”
    â€œBut if I don’t go, they’ll say I’m a pirate. And what will happen to Stella and the
Gary
?”
    â€œStella can take care of herself,” Rafe said. “And she’ll have Mackensee to speak up for her, as well as the other captains—she didn’t make the decisions you made. As your designated representative, she can receive the funds due you from the rest of the convoy and pay off Mackensee.”
    â€œI’ve got to talk to Johannson again,” Ky said. “And Stella. But I have to answer them first.”
    â€œNo, you don’t. You’ve got hours. And by the way,
partner,
I really appreciate your not telling me about that letter of marque. Were you ever going to?”
    â€œYes,” Ky said. “When the time came.”
    The look he gave her was not reassuring. “Well, the time came at someone else’s convenience. I hope you don’t have too many more surprises for me. I do my best plotting when I have all the facts.”
    â€œNo more that I know of,” Ky said. “For what it’s worth, I hadn’t made up my mind to use the letter of marque, since by the time it arrived in my hands, I knew the Slotter Key government had turned against our family. If the ansibles were up, I’m sure they’d have recalled it or repudiated it or whatever they do.”
    Rafe blinked. “You weren’t going to use it? What kind of idiocy is that? It’s a marvelous opportunity to rebuild Vatta’s fleet, if nothing else. Not every system government is as hidebound