Not so much that his stolen yacht had been used to deliver the high-yield nuclear device that destroyed the Tyroshi fleet in question. He had already worked out that sequence of events as a matter of course. It was the only loose thread connecting the two events, after all. The fact that at least one of his fugitives was somehow connected to the Coalition of Free Planetary Republics and the Free Planetary Irregulars, though—now that qualified as enlightening. Naturally, his first thought was toward Fenton Wilkes. Certainly after six months on the run it was possible he had cultivated some affiliation with the coalition and their military wing. But plausible? Hardly. If that was the case, why had he not sought asylum and petitioned for citizenship? Instead, he had been captured alone, lightyears from anything resembling coalition space. It simply didn’t add up. He felt reasonably assured in ruling out Ensign Cassel. She was taken under duress and nothing in her jacket suggested any coalition ties.
