ey faced outward in a
momentarily vacant slot for two along the edge of
the fast moving lane. Opportune and random, the
location was as secure as any from eavesdropping.

"I briefed Narval an hour ago," said Brad. "He's
certain that he can get the INOR leaders to join
for a healthy share in the prize. I've been ordered
to plan for a combined operation to take the depot."

"When?"

"He's sitting on that. What he wants from me
now is to portray an integrated assault by INOR
combined forces from a point halfway between
the depot and the Slingshot construction site.
I'm to work out the details and keep each element
on a timeline from launch to full military control
of the objective."

"Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

"Talk to me."

"Setting the launch point against the depot
from a couple of million kay outbound from the
Plutonian orbit doesn't make sense. It's especially
suspicious when you consider that the INOR forces
will be coming from sunside of Pluto and therefore
sunside of the depot -- the presumed target less
than a half million kay from here. Why not have
the fleet rendezvous closer to the target?"

"My question, precisely."

"How do you see it?"

"I'm not sure yet. Narval did say to crank in
diversionary tactics that would draw the Terminals'
defensive forces away from their normal ops zone."

"That's weird."

"Agreed. He's setting it up this way to maximize
his options, he says. The final decision, he said,
needn't be made until the final moments. Confuse
the enemy and all that."

"Are you saying the same plan can be used against
the Terminals?"

"Absolutely. Oh, a few formation and tactical
switches but they can be made in the field as
the fleet switches targets."

"Would it work?"

"A bit of delay, but I'm sure it would. But at
whichever target Narval's final order sends the
fleet, the results would be a disaster for the
UIPS. The real target's spunnel lines will crash,
destabilization will disrupt the entire Slingshot
construction schedule. We'll have lost the launch
window."

More commuters swung aboard the strip and
crowded their space. Brad and Zolan eyed them;
time to split.

"What now?", Zolan asked.

"Not much choice." Brad replied in a whisper. "Use
the depot spunnel facility to get word to Ram.
Don't take any nonsense about getting to Hanno.
Once you're through to him, you shouldn't have
an access problem. So get to the depot, shoot the
burst, and get back her