“Captain Pensig,” said the newcomer. “I got here as fast as I could.”

“Thank you, Major,” Pensig said. “Captain Vatta, this is Major Grawn, our legal affairs officer.”

“What seems to be the problem here?” Grawn asked.

“The problem is, this Vatta crewman’s been in trouble over and over since she docked—” The clerk nodded at Ky. “One thing after another—illegal biologicals and now he’s killed at least two people—”

“Is alleged to have killed two people,” Grawn said. “I believe this station operates under the General Code, does it not?”

“Well, yes, but things are a little different out here…”

Grawn cocked his head to the right. “Either you operate under the General Code, or you don’t. Which is it?”

“The General Code… mostly…”

“And that means that accused persons have the right to legal representation, including during interrogation, isn’t that right?”

“I’ll have to check,” the clerk said, reaching for a button on his desk.

“Go ahead,” Grawn said. “I’m sure you’ll find that’s the case, and when your officer in charge confirms that, tell him that legal representation is here.”

“But you’re military and the murd—the accused—is civ. Her crewman.”

“She’s retained our assistance,” Grawn said. “Her legal problems are our legal problems.”

The clerk muttered into his equipment, then looked up. “All right. You can go back. She can’t, nor any of the rest of you.”

Grawn didn’t move. “A ship captain is held legally responsible for crew behavior and damages to a station, under the General Code. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes.” Very grudgingly.

“Then Captain Vatta is also a party to the accusations, and has a legal right and duty, under the code, to ensure that her crew are being treated appropriately, and to have access to all pertinent information. She’s coming with me.”

“I—oh, all right. But nobody else.” He got up to show the way.

“No one else,” Grawn agreed. He nodded at Ky. “After you, Captain.”

They passed a large office and two smaller ones. The corridor turned left, and she saw two doors, each with an armed guard outside. One opened as she approached, and a short, stout man in a business suit looked out.

“If it isn’t Major Grawn,” he said with no enthusiasm.

“Inspector Filgrim,” Grawn said, mirroring the lack of glee. “How nice.”

“The last time you were here,” Filgrim said, “that was a mess.”

“But not our mess,” Grawn said. “So I am in hope it is not our mess this time.”

“Only if you make it yours,” Filgrim said. “Which I hear you have… frankly, were I you, I’d have been a little more wary of taking employment from a Vatta.” That with a sour look at Ky.

“Oh? What do you have against Vattas?” Grawn said.

“They have enemies. People don’t have enemies all over the galaxy for no reason. Probably been up to something for years and finally got found out.”

“Until recently, have you had any complaints against Vatta ships or crews?”

“Well… no. But that’s just because we didn’t realize—”

“Or because Vatta’s enemies have nothing to do with Vatta’s wrongdoing, and are entirely self-motivated.”

“Everyone’s guilty of something,” Filgrim muttered. “Never met a civ who wouldn’t lie—”

“Or a law officer, either,” Grawn said. “Enough. You’re interrogating members of Captain Vatta’s crew without legal representation present. I am now here; I will be present for one, and Captain Vatta for the other.”

“That’s—”

“By the code,” Grawn said. “You have a male and a female in custody, right? I’ll sit in with the male, and Captain Vatta clearly should sit in with the female.”

Filgrim looked as if he’d bitten into a sour fruit, but nodded, and opened the door wider. Ky got a glimpse of Jim, with a blackening eye and hunched shoulders, at a table inside. Then Filgrim nodded to the next door. “The girl’s in there. I haven’t gotten to her yet. You can go in.”

Grawn nodded at Ky and she went into the next room. Mehar sat at another table, watched over by two guards.

“Are you all right, Mehar?” Ky asked.

“Yes, Captain. I’m sorry—”

“We have legal assistance now,” Ky said, interrupting. “Major Grawn from the Mackensee Military Assistance Corporation. You will have a representative while you’re interrogated.”

“I don’t know how it happened,” Mehar said. “We had just picked up some fruit, and we came around the end of the radiated display—”

“You should wait until Major Grawn gets here,” Ky said, hoping she was right. “I’m really more interested in how you are.”

“I wasn’t hurt. Jim fell down when the display was hit and fell on him.”

“Display?”

“Yes… they had a tower of cans, and something hit it, probably a solid slug, and it fell. Jim was right beside it, and the cans landed on him. I was far enough back, so I ducked, and then I heard the shots.”

“I’m surprised they missed Jim,” Ky said. “If he was down and in plain sight.”

“Whoever it was just shot at everything,” Mehar said. “The lights above me shattered. I heard lots of people screaming, and things breaking and falling.”

“And you—”

“I hit the deck, Captain. I didn’t see anyone shooting at me, so I just lay there. Then the Garda arrived. They said we shot some people, but it wasn’t us—”

“Did you see anyone?”

“There were people in the store when we got there. Just… people. I didn’t really notice them, except for one of the quad humods. He—I think it was a he—didn’t need a basket. I watched him pick up plums and apricots and apples all at the same time and use the fourth hand to twist the bag-ties. We were supposed to hurry, Quincy’d said, so we just picked out the fruit and went on—”

The door opened. “Ah,” Major Grawn said. “Captain Vatta—this is Mehar Mehaar?”

“Right,” Ky said. She glanced at Mehar. “This is Major Grawn, of Mackensee; he’s their legal officer.”

Major Grawn came in and sat down; Filgrim followed, looking even more sour than before.

“Mehar, have you given a statement?”

“I—I tried, sir.”

“That’s my job,” Filgrim said.

“Well, then, get to it,” Major Grawn said. “But try sticking to evidence this time.”

“I—all right, Ms. Mehaar, what’s your version of this.”

Mehar, with nervous glances at Ky and Filgrim, told how she and Jim had been sent to buy refreshments and gone to the nearest grocer’s, where the trouble landed on them.

“Why did you start shooting at everything?” Filgrim asked.

Grawn snorted. “Inspector—you’re making rash assumptions.” He turned to Mehar. “Did you fire your weapon? Did Jim?”

“No, sir! I tried to tell them that—”

“Did you see who was shooting?”

“No, sir. I never saw anyone with a weapon, but things were crashing down, the lights blinking, and people screaming—”

“You never shot anyone?” Filgrim was clearly dubious. “Which gun was yours?”

“Gun, sir? I didn’t have one. I had the pistol bow, but no bolts loaded. They’re in that belt they took off me when they brought us in. Jim had a gun, but he didn’t have time to get it out before stuff fell on him.” She looked at Ky. “I tried to tell them he hadn’t fired, but they didn’t listen to me.”

“Two people are dead, Mehar,” Ky said. “They had to consider that.”

“I assume the store had a vidscan going,” Grawn said. “Have you reviewed it? Or checked the weapons for discharge?”

“No,” Filgrim said.

“Well, that seems to be a good first step… not that I’m trying to teach you your business, but Captain Vatta was on the point of departure and I believe had already signed on to the departure queue. If these people are not guilty, then here’s a way to establish that quickly.”

Filgrim scowled, but agreed to review the store’s vidscan with them. There on the screen both vidscans played in synchrony: the left aisle and part of the middle; the right aisle and the rest of the middle. Jim and Mehar, heading down the left, pausing to pick up fruit from this bin and that, then turning, coming up the middle aisle as if to head toward the bakery… and then, as Mehar had said, shots, broken lights—