It was a dark night outside the governor’s castle. Sprawling over several hundred acres of countryside, the chateau was like a jeweled lace, reflecting what little moonlight there was across the green expanse of the surrounding woodlands. The light could be seen twinkling from the hundreds of rooms, like the surface of a river. In addition to its beauty, the castle was also surrounded by high walls and sophisticated detection devices. Armed guards roamed in pairs across the perfectly manicured lawns and gardens. Siberian wolf hounds roamed the areas outside the castle grounds, genetically programmed to eat anyone that was not a resident there or that didn’t arrive through the main entrance.

Inside the mansion proper, a formal dress banquet and party was in progress. Air sleds arrived and disgorged their guests in pairs and threes and fours. As the guests presented their party invitations to the white-gloved marines at the castle gate, they were scanned to confirm their identities and to check for unapproved weapons or devices. Men in formal black attire with jeweled ladies on their arms formed a line to enter the castle. There were guards everywhere.

One after another, the couples were scanned for entry. Janine Parker was no exception. She was, by all appearances, a trophy wife for the handsome dignitary that escorted her to the front gate. Her identity was confirmed against the master database by DNA match. She was a government secretary for one of the administration buildings. Which one is really not important. She could appear in the master database as anyone she needed to in order to get her job done.

She winked at the sergeant performing the scan, and he pretended not to notice. It was not as if her beauty was completely cosmetic. A very good genetic heritage can be a huge benefit with the local boys. She was the kind of woman who gets second looks, and she knew it. She moved inside with her escort, weaving through the crowd of dignitaries, businessmen, playboys, military knights, and knight cadets. She grinned and nodded to each one she was introduced to, all the while carefully scanning the room for her target. The dark-haired dignitary took her by the hand and guided her toward the drink counter, casually ordering two sparklies. His dark skin tone and slightly graying temples gave his caramel eyes just the right look for an important official. Seeing that she was satisfied with her drink, her self-important male friend left her and blended into the crowd, hoping to improve his reputation and power base by rubbing elbows with the proper people. She was forgotten at the bar. He knew where to pick her up later.

She continued to scan the faces in the crowd while she lightly sipped at her drink. The mood ring on her right forefinger turned to a mellow shade of blue as she saw a familiar face, lurking within the corner of the great hall.

Setting down her drink, Janine moved effortlessly through the crowd, nodding casually to anyone who glanced at her, all the while making her way closer to the man the shadows had partially concealed. He also held a drink, and, like her, was scanning the crowd for some unknown purpose. At last, as close as she dared to approach, she pretended to listen in on a conversation about old and new money on New Regulus. The ring on her finger became slightly more turquoise than blue, gently reacting to her jaded mood.

Another man appeared from the study down the hall, carefully closing the door behind him. As the two men met, the first spoke in hushed, clipped tones, clearly irritated. The newcomer responded with cool, reassuring words and placed his hand on the man’s shoulder in an act of reassurance. Satisfied in his appeasing oratory, Lord Count Burick moved out into the party proper, greeting the exalted guests of the sector governor. The other man slipped from the shadows and was gone.

In one fluid movement, Janine moved to the spot where the two men had stood. She did not approach the place directly, but stopped before a painting of the Gallic Wars, resplendent in its depiction of the heroic deeds of that age. As she pretended to study it, her ring again changed color, this time to a deep scarlet indicating that the wearer was becoming impatient or perhaps angry. But that was just for appearances. In reality, the ring concealed a tiny scanning device designed to perform several functions, each triggered by moods, easily mastered by on-the-job training.

In the ring’s blue mode, it scanned for facial recognition and voice print match. Turquoise, the ring made a recording of voice and image, to be compared later to data files back on old Earth. The crimson color activated a DNA tracer, carefully sniffing the air for floating dust particles, recording the chromosome signature of each one. It also read the dust on the floor, carpets, drapes, and walls. Satisfied that her mission was completed, Janine casually withdrew back toward the bar to await her companion’s return.