"I don't need you to give me gossip. I can find that just fine on my own." Sonia leans forward, matching his gaze with wide, dark eyes, just as serious. "I want to know what's going on, Byerly. The politics are all different now, and you're better at this than I am. I just have a bad feeling. So if that means ImpSec standard, then -- yes. That's what I want."

She rocks back and forth a bit, rubbing her mouth. "I heard today that one of the soldiers from Colonel Vorvolk's camp turned up dead not long ago. It looked like your usual stupid drunken accident, but he was pretty unfavorable toward the outsiders and making a fuss about Galeni, insisting that they make an example out of him. I don't like it, Byerly. A -- a political schism would be bad right now. This is what you do, isn't it? I need you to use that. I have to know what's going on."