The Lady Ellena received Grimes in her office, listened to what he had to tell her.
She said, "You were overly generous, Commodore—but, of course, it is easy to be generous with somebody else's money. Even so . . . . Commissioned rank for that pair of cheap entertainers . . . ."
He said, "You wanted Shirl and Darleen. Now you've got them."
She said, "I most certainly did not want the Pruin woman. Now it seems that I've got her too."
Grimes told her, "She was part of the package deal, Lady."
Ellena made a major production of shrugging. "Oh, well. At least I shall not have to mingle with her socially. And I think that the Palace will be able to afford to treat her to an occasional meal in the sergeants' mess."
"Or the officers' mess," said Grimes. "Shirl and Darleen will be officers . . . ."
"Thanks to you."
" . . . and they will wish, now and again, to entertain their friend."
"I cannot imagine her being a friend to anybody. But now, in my palace, she will be free to come and go, to eat food that I have paid for, to swill expensive imported beer. But that, of course, is the least of your worries, Commodore. After all, it is your ship that brings in all such Terran luxuries, at freight rates that ensure for you a very handsome profit."
"Being a shipowner," said Grimes, "is far more worrisome financially than being a planetary ruler. I've been both. I know."
"Indeed?" Her thin eyebrows went up almost to meet her hairline. "Indeed? Well, Your ex-Excellency, I thank you for your efforts on my behalf. And now I imagine that you have business of your own to attend to."
Grimes could not think of any but, bowing stiffly, he made his departure from the Lady Ellena's presence. He was somewhat at a loose end; Maggie was still at her function, giving her after-luncheon talk and answering questions, and Brasidus was still presiding over the council meeting.
He found his way to his quarters. His suite possessed all the amenities usually found in hotel accommodation, including a playmaster. There were gin and a bottle of Angostura bitters in the grog locker, ice cubes in the refrigerator. He mixed himself a drink. He checked the playmaster's library of spools. These included various classical dramas in the original Greek and a complete coverage of the Olympic Games, on Earth, from the late Twentieth Century, Old Style, onwards. Unfortunately the library did not include anything else. Grimes sighed. He switched the playmaster to its TV reception function, sampled the only two channels that were available at this time of day. Both of these presented sporting events. He watched briefly the discus throwing and thought that these people would have much to learn from Shirl and Darleen. Then he switched off and got from his bags some spools of his own. He set up a space battle simulation and soon was engrossed, matching his wits against those of the small but cunningly programmed computer.
Eventually Maggie joined him there.
She flopped into an easy chair, demanded a drink. Grimes made her a Scotch on the rocks. She disposed of it in two gulps.
She said, "I needed that! What a bunch of dim biddies I had to talk to. Oh, it wasn't so much the talking as the stupid questions afterwards. Most of my audience knew only two worlds, Earth and New Sparta, and were quite convinced that those are the only two planets worth knowing. As a real, live Arcadian I was just a freak, to be condescended to. They even lectured me on the glories of Hellenic culture and the great contributions it has made to Galactic civilization. Damn it all, Hellenic culture is only part of Terran culture, just as Australian culture is. Talking of Australians, and pseudo-Australians, how did you get on with Shirl and Darleen?"
"I persuaded them to accept commissions in the Amazon Guard. Unluckily—or was it so unlucky?—Fenella was part of the deal. She's staying on to do a piece on them, and part of the package is that she's to be allowed free access to the Palace at all times."
"Why did you say, 'or was it so unlucky'?"
"She might be able to help us. I gained the impression that she's on the track of something. Is there any way that she could be pressganged into the Intelligence Branch? After all, we were."
"But we were—and are—already officers holding commissions in the Survey Service. When admirals say, Jump! we jump. Even you, John, as long as you're on the Reserve List."
"Civilians can be conscripted . . ." said Grimes. "I was. I became a civilian as soon as I resigned from the Service after the mutiny."
"As I heard it from Admiral Damien," Maggie said, "you were offered the Reserve Commission that you now hold. You were not compelled to accept it."
"Mphm. Not quite. But there were veiled threats as well as inducements."
"Could you threaten Fenella?"
"I wish that I could. But as I'm not a major shareholder in Star Scandals I can't."
"Inducements?"
"I've already played one major card by getting her the permission to come calling round to the Palace any time that she feels like it. There should have been a quid pro quo. I realize that now."
"Now that it's too late. What we want is an I'll-scratch-your-back-if-you'll-scratch-mine situation. What inducements can we offer? Mmm. To begin with, I'm the senior officer of the Federation Survey Service on this planet . . . ."
"I am," said Grimes indignantly.
"But only you and I know it. As far as the locals are concerned, as far as Fenella is concerned, you're no more than an owner-master, waiting here for his little star tramp to come wambling in with her cargo of black olives and retsina. And I have a warship at my disposal. A minor warship, perhaps, but a warship nonetheless."
"A Serpent Class courier," scoffed Grimes, "armed with a couple of pea-shooters and a laser cannon that would make quite a fair cigarette lighter. Commanded by a snotty-nosed lieutenant."
"You were one yourself once. But how far could you trust Fenella? Suppose, just suppose, that you spilled some of the beans to her? Could she be trusted?"
"I think that she subscribes to the journalists' code of honor. Never betray your sources. Too, there's one threat that I could use. The Baroness Michelle d'Estang of Eldorado is a Star Scandals major shareholder. I was among those present when Michelle, wielding the power of the purse, killed a really juicy story that Fenella wanted to splash all over the Galaxy."
"I take it that Michelle is one of your girlfriends."
"You could call her that."
"And we've other cards to play. Both of us are personal friends of the Archon. And you, I have gathered, have been on more than friendly terms with Shirl and Darleen. Soon, I think, we must have a get-together with Miz Pruin and offer her our cooperation in return for hers."
"If you say so," said Grimes. "And now I suppose that we'd better get dressed for tonight's state dinner party."
"We have to get undressed first," she said suggestively.