Lenka found it made rather less sense when she tried to explain it to the Dictator.
He was suspicious. "What is this sudden interest in Terra Group's mission, Lady Leannan?" He was all the more suspicious, if he was using her family name. He had been calling her Lenka for days now.
"Rumors, Sire," she blushed. "I heard that in Paris they encountered difficulties with a group of Russians seeking the shield. Sharon told me that none of Terra Group speaks Russian. I do. I thought I would offer my services to them as an interpreter."
Thayer raised one eyebrow. "In case they should run into this group again."
"Just so."
"Then, in the midst of the firefight, you'll be there to interpret the other side's battle cries for them?" He smiled slightly.
"Perhaps they'll give me half a minute for negotiating, Sire, before the firefight."
"You haven't worked long with Terra Group, Lenka," Thayer chuckled.
"No. . . ." Nor did she wish to work long with them, after all the trouble they' d caused her sovereign. But if she wanted to ascertain the truth, there was no other way than to be there among them.
It was a sacrifice Lenka Leannan was prepared to make.
"Well, perhaps you can interpret interrogations after the firefight, then. All right, Lenka," he said. "Part of me hates to send you to them, but . . ." He glanced down heavily. "They are still our allies, whatever our personal difficulties. Their mission is one I would support, whatever I think of them individually. I hope you can be of help to their cause."
"Thank you, Sire." Lenka left, greatly relieved and even more greatly anxious, hoping she could be of help to the sorrowing Dictator in his personal difficulties at the same time.
~
"I hope you know what you're doing," Naira chided her little sister for the third time that afternoon. Eti found it had become second nature to keep track of how often in a day she heard that line from Dohrnaira. She also found it beyond her ability to keep track of how often, in grand total, she'd heard it since their childhood together.
"Grace, calm down, Naira. We'll be in there for only a second. I just want a look round. Who knows what we might find? You've heard the rumors. And you know," Eti grinned, "it might only take a little push--just a nudge--to finally make Lord Atner forget about his Terra Group girl."
They had timed it well; the Batcave was unguarded, while Terra Group was busy with preparations--and, apparently, a traditional meal of some sort--necessary before leaving on their mission tomorrow. Eti smiled with satisfaction at the smooth progression of her plan. As soon as she'd smelt the pancakes cooking, she 'd left her lurking spot near the kitchen and run--well, limped a little--to find her sister. Eti could have done this alone, but it didn't hurt to have someone to watch your back.
The Red Home lay open, inviting them in. The Neris sisters lost no time making the most of this opportunity.
"Lieutenant Cochran, a word?"
With his fork halfway to his mouth, Josh froze at the sound of the voice. It was cool, brisk, controlled; but something lurked beneath its surface, elusive to him, yet tangible enough to make his stomach tighten around all the pancakes he' d eaten so far. With an effort (doubled by the effort of making it look effortless) he glanced up, locked eyes with Lenka Leannan, and tried to grin nonchalantly.
"Lady Leannan," he greeted her. "Sure. What's on your mind?"
She glanced away for a moment, apparently weighing her words, then slid quietly into the seat opposite him and, fixing her gaze on his breakfast, answered slowly.
"Terra Group is leaving soon."
"I, uh, can't discuss--"
"Oh, don't start, Lieutenant; the whole Palace knows it, so you needn't pretend otherwise. Your mission continues."
"All right," he shrugged. "And if it does?"
"I've a proposition for you. I understand there's a chance you may have to deal with certain parties speaking Russian, and--"
"What?" Josh blurted. "Where'd you hear that?"
"Common knowledge, really," Lenka said, glancing up just long enough to flash the slightest of grins at him. "Never mind. The point is, none of you speak Russian, do you? No, I thought not. Well, it happens that I do. So I . . . that is . . . if you . . ."
"What's this?" he raised an eyebrow at her. "Offering your services?"
"If your protocol droid didn't know French, I'm guessing it won't know Russian, either," Lenka said with a cool, triumphant smile.
"Now how do you know about Zee?" Josh growled. "Is nothing sacred in this Palace?"
"Nothing secret, that's generally safe to assume, anyway," she dipped her chin in an almost-shrug. "Look, it doesn't matter what I know or how I know. You do need me on this mission--of that I'm certain. No one else placed so near your group can serve you as interpreter in this, so I'm willing to do it. Lord Thayer has consented to loan me to Terra Group for the duration of the mission."
He stared at her dumbfounded, all his plans and calculations for his team, in their continuing quest for Cheriss and the shield, thrown suddenly into confusion by this turn of events. "Well, Lieutenant," Lady Lenka smiled demurely, meeting his eyes at last, "what do you say?"
It had happened before, that he'd risked getting lost in those eyes. The moment he'd first seen Lenka Leannan: It seemed a lifetime ago now, the far side of the mission to Paris. After all that had happened in Paris . . .
He frowned to banish the thought and nodded once quickly. "All right, why not? Welcome to Terra Group, Lady--"
The sound of the mess hall's door banging open interrupted the sealing of this deal. Josh and Lenka both looked up to see Becki, looking almost out of place without baby Thirteen in her arms, rushing over to them.
"Josh!" she gasped, catching her breath; then, catching sight of his interlocutor, "Oh, hello, Lady, um, Leannan . . ."
Lenka answered with a nod and a slight smile--not quite reflected in her eyes--but Becki, caught up in the news she bore, had turned back to Josh and didn't see it. "What are the chances," Becki began, perching on her knees on the edge of the bench next to him, "we could move up our departure a little?"
"Uh . . . how little?"
"Tonight."
"What? Why?"
"Read this," she said, passing him a slip of paper. Then she seemed to remember Lenka's presence and glanced suspiciously at the Mendellian.
"It's okay," Josh put in quickly, "Lenka's joining us for the Jerusalem mission."
"What?"
"As an interpreter. I'll explain later. Anyway, what's this supposed to be?" He waved her note under her nose. "February first, eight a.m., okay, but what's the rest of it? Some sort of address?"
She nodded. "In downtown Jerusalem."
"And just what do you expect to find at this address?"
"I got this from Fir," she said, beaming with intensity at her discovery, leaning closer to point out part of the address. "It's a shop on Ben Yehuda, or rather the apartment over the shop."
"Fir?"
"He just got back from Jerusalem. And from what he heard there, apparently this apartment's to be the site of a little auction."
"An auction. Okay . . ."
"Someone," she said slowly, relishing the moment rather more than he was inclined to appreciate, "plans to sell, to the highest bidder, one of the pieces of our shield."
"The shield? They're auctioning it?" He laughed and glanced back at the scrap of paper. "Now why didn't we think of that? Hey, we could have called an auction of our own, a bluff, just to see who'd come . . . or put out a want ad, Lost: One Planetary Shield Generator. Reward if returned."
"Well, now that you mention it, we could . . ." At the odd tone in her voice, he glanced up; her eyes sparkled and her hand hid her mouth--she was laughing at him.
"February first," Lenka interrupted suddenly, startling them both. "That's tomorrow."
Josh paused to recount the days in his head while Becki nodded eagerly at Lenka as at a newly-discovered ally. "It is," she said. "That's why we've got to leave tonight. If we wait till tomorrow we'll get there too late."
"You want to crash this party?" Josh said warily.
"Sure. It's our best lead right now."
"We have Cheriss's notes--"
"This is still our best lead."
He nodded slowly. "I'll have to talk to Kristy. I want her with us on this mission, but if she needs more time for the tests on the baby . . ."
"Surely now that they're started, someone else can finish them?"
"Maybe. All right, we'll see what we can do. Round up the team--we'll do a briefing one hour from now, and leave as soon as we can."
Becki grinned broadly and took off to spread the word. Lenka watched her go, a look of shrewd appraisal narrowing her eyes, and Josh watched Lenka. It had happened so fast that he was still getting used to the idea of this lady in waiting being now a member of his team. Only now that the deal was done and, after she'd been privy to their discussion of the Jerusalem auction, there was no going back on it, did it occur to him to wonder what, exactly, had prompted her to make her offer. Mere civic-mindedness? Noble as she might be, he somehow found that doubtful. There was something odd about the whole business.
Then she glanced back at him. There was an unexpected warmth in her eyes this time as she smiled and bid him farewell till the briefing, departing then as suddenly as she'd arrived, leaving him thinking back again to the first time he' d glimpsed those eyes, wondering just what they'd been trying to tell him--or withhold from him--today.