But even if he had had such resources, it would be a futile gesture. Car'das was waiting for him, and bringing more people would only mean putting more people at risk. That wasn't why he was here.
'Yes,' he told Entoo Nee. 'This is it. Do I assume you're here to take us to Jorj Car'das?'
'If you wish to see him,' the little man said, his eyes thoughtful on Karrde's face. Once again, as on Dayark, glimpses of the true Entoo Nee were peeking through the carefully crafted facade of harmlessness. 'Well. Shall we go?'
He led the way to an open-topped landspeeder at the edge of the landing circle—a landspeeder, Karrde noted, that despite Entoo Nee's apparent surprise at the small size of the party was only a four-seater. Weaving his way expertly in and out of the rest of the traffic, the little man headed off toward the mountains. 'What's going on here?' Shada asked, gesturing around them as Entoo Nee dodged around a particularly slow-moving fuel truck.
'They're preparing for some sort of maneuvers, I expect,' the other said. 'Military people are always maneuvering one direction or another.'
'How far is it to where we're meeting Car'das?' Karrde asked, not particularly interested in what the Exocron Combined Air-Space Fleet had on its agenda for the day.
'Not far,' Entoo Nee assured him. 'Do you see that light blue building straight ahead, the one just a bit up the slope of the mountain? That's where he is.'
Karrde shaded his eyes from the sunlight. From this distance, at least, it was not a very impressive place. Not a fortress; not even a mansion.
In fact, as Entoo Nee cleared the military area and started across the more sparsely trafficked civilian section of the city, the light blue building ahead began to look more and more like a simple, unassuming house.
Shada was apparently thinking along the same lines. 'Is that where Car'das lives, or just where we're meeting him?' she asked.
Entoo Nee threw her a quick smile. 'It's always questions with you, isn't it? Such a good, thoughtful mind.'
'Asking questions is part of my job,' Shada countered. 'And you haven't answered me.'
'Answering questions isn't part of my job,' Entoo Nee said. 'Come now, there's no need for impatience—it's only a little farther. Just relax and enjoy the trip.' The blue house continued to look smaller and less impressive the closer they got. Smaller, less impressive, older, and considerably shabbier. 'As you can see, it was built right up against the cliff face,' Entoo Nee commented as they drove past the last cluster of other houses and started across a grassy field with a rapid creek running through the middle of it. 'I believe the original owner thought that would provide extra stability during the winter winds.'
'What happened to the left side?' Shada asked, pointing. 'Did a wing get torn down?'
'No, it was never built,' Entoo Nee told her. 'Car'das once began to add on to the house, but—well, you'll see.'
An unpleasant tingle ran down Karrde's back. 'What do you mean, we'll see? What stopped him?'
Entoo Nee didn't answer. Karrde glanced over at Shada, found her looking at him with an odd expression on her face.
A minute later they were there. Entoo Nee brought the landspeeder to a smooth halt in front of a once-white door whose paint had chipped and faded with age and neglect. 'You lead the way,' Shada said to Entoo Nee, sliding herself deftly between Karrde and the house. 'I'll be behind you; Karrde will be behind me.'
'Oh, no, that won't do at all,' Entoo Nee said. He shook his head, a quick, nervous-looking movement. 'Only Captain Karrde and I will be able to go in.'
Shada's eyes narrowed. 'Let me put it another way—'
'No, that's all right, Shada,' Karrde said, moving around her and taking a step toward the door. Away from the center of the group, with nothing between him and the blank and empty windows, he felt painfully exposed. 'If Car'das only wants to see me, then that's the way it has to be.'
'Forget it,' Shada said flatly, catching hold of Karrde's arm and hauling him bodily to a stop.
'Entoo Nee, either I go in with him or he doesn't go in at all.'
'Shada, this isn't helping,' Karrde growled, glaring at her. Did she want all of them to be summarily shot down
