ven called their Baron the
"Shogun", on-planet.

But it also looked like a dangerous place to operate. The Shogun's
secret police force was made up of the Kai-school ninjas Owajima was
rumored to have been, and it seemed possible he'd been one of them
before joining the Corps. If so, he'd undoubtedly use them for
backup--which meant going in, Nevan thought, would be like sticking his
head in a balik's den. A female balik's, with newborn cubs. One alerted
field agent would be bad enough; a police force of agent-equivalents
. . . the smart thing would be to call it off, go back to Terra, set up
a new identity, and start over. He did know who his quarry was, now; he
wouldn't be starting from scratch.

He was reluctant to do that, though. He'd done nothing even the most
fanatical secret police could legally arrest him for; it seemed a shame
to abandon his mission when he was so close to accomplishing it. Being
arrested without cause would be justification for mind-calling his
thakur, and he was sure she'd intervene; Owajima had to be the only
agent with an entire planetary police force to call on for backup,
which made him an unrepresentative opponent. Besides, Nevan admitted,
he relished the challenge. He hadn't had the opportunity to really use
his abilities in longer than he cared to think about.

* * * * *

Owajima answered his phone, to see the chief of spaceport security.
"Yes, Captain?"

"The Last Resort just called for landing, Colonel. Do you want us to
detain DarLewies?"

"No, thank you. Permit him to land and do as he wishes, but keep him
under close surveillance. Discreetly, of course."

The security chief smiled. "Of course, Colonel. We will keep you
informed at all times. Will you need any further assistance?"

"I do not believe so, but if I should, I will ask."

* * * * *

Nevan had to land at the New Tokyo civilian spaceport, but he was
likeliest to be able to get current information about Owajima at the
nearby Imperial Navy base, so he rented a car and drove the twenty
kilometers north. He'd been on so many worlds that he didn't find
Nippon-Ni particularly remarkable, though he was pleased that the
temperature was high enough he didn't need a jacket. And the smell of
chocolate chip cookies or a close local equivalent coming from a shop
he passed was tempting enough to make his mouth water, but he kept
going; Nevan DarLeras' fond