TADJ44

==Chapter 44 - The Adjudicator==
Office of the Director-General
Toyama City
Taussen Star System
Federated Suns Space
Early 3160
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"I can't believe you did that!"  Joab Arquez the 23rd gasped, "Jon, what were you thinking?"
"Which time?" Jon Cameron asked, "Is this about stopping our fleet from killing them all? Discussing things with their lawyer and finding out about our potential enemies? Presenting her to the Intelligences unedited and sending a readout transcript to the former lords of the Star League, announcing the presence they already knew about or trying to open a dialogue?"
"Giving access to the foreigner!" Joab clarified, "You let her have executive access."
"Yeah, but I didn't give her the full readme file." Jon said, "Look, we don't even know if she can recover.  The intelligences wanted a copy. They requested a copy; not demanded or not insisted. They politely requested that I authorize copying her selfstream to the network."
"Did you bother to ask her?" Joab fumed, "Jon, did you get her permission before-"
"She's a non-citizen.  Permission was not required." the Director-General stated.  "It's covered under the national security act, so don't get your panties in a bind, Joab. It's not like I force-copied a Terran selfstream. Given the traumas she suffered? Even with the nanno, it's a possibility she won't be able to function if she does wake up. So it's also covered under the humanitarian medical proviso, and I checked her records-she doesn't have a do-not-resuscitate document in her medical files.  We can address consent if and when she wakes up."
"What...the Intelligences asked?" Joab was stunned, "WHY?"
"I assume because they found her as singularly impressive as I do." Cameron stated, "THINK about what she said in there.  What she led with.  We've been sitting in isolation while the world burned. Hell, we helped them burn it. By god man, you saw it yourself in the transcription, a chance for peace. To look beyond a past we'll never reclaimed. To a future our ancestors didn't bother to dream of.  Reasonable, Rational, intelligent, Joab. Everything we've tried to build here."
"My god, you're thinking with your small head instead of your big one!"
"She is attractive." Cameron stated, "Exotic even...but no-"
"You can't get emotional about this, Jonny.  She's a foreign agent."
"I'm aware."
"She's not a citizen."
"Also aware." stated Jon
"She has a family and they have the power to come looking for her...and they are coming. Do you think for a minute she'll be able or even willing to help you stop a war that, while we'll win it, will be the long term death of the Redoubt?"
"War isn't inevitable, Joab. it's not an answer, it's a question." Jon asserted, "We'll give them a reason to choose no, well before we have another...incident." he paused, "Who's coming for her?"
''
"Admiral Sharon Elizabeth Ngo, and she's bringing a small fleet." Joab stated.  "The intelligences give them better odds than the Federated Suns fleet sitting five light hours off our system, because the Lyrans are experienced naval combatants. Ngo is considered by The Intelligences to be at least as good as Dharaval was at her best."''
"It occurs to me, that the Ngos might be better in-laws than the Wards." Jon stated, "Let them come. In fact, extend an invitation to Admiral Ngo, as soon as she's in range to accept it.  Executive treatment, favorable access, diplomatic status."
"Does that include access to her Niece in the hospital?"
"That includes family access, yes." Jon asserted, "This does not need to devolve into combat.  We will let them see that we are genuine, that we mean what we say and say what we mean, and that we are an excellent long-term strategic partner with some shared values...and then, depending on how they respond, we will see how they react to the Intelligences.  In the meantime, I want every scrap of information you've gathered on Sharon Ngo, all our intelligence files, everything you've dredged from the communication networks, and anything you can find in other people's historical databases."
The assistant director of the Terran Security Services flinched, "Everything we have in an hour, you'll know, sir."
"See that I do."
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