"Odd." Cortin turned her attention to the Lieutenant Commander/Captain while the trooper left to speak to her butler. "Which should I call you, Imperial?"
The man shrugged. "Whichever you want, Colonel. Either one's correct."
"And your name?"
"Ivan DeLayne, Lieutenant Commander, Imperial Terran Navy, ident code HERIE-1935-8586. Your Excellency."
Cortin chuckled, amused at the man's insolent tone.
"Excellency—" Odeon said behind her, sounding angry.
"Take it easy, Captain," Cortin said, smiling. "He doesn't know any better." She studied the Imperials for a moment, then said, "But I should caution you that my team is more protective of my position than I am myself, Captain DeLayne. It would be wise not to agitate them unnecessarily."
DeLayne stood silent, and Cortin nodded. He wasn't going to carry on a conversation, lest he inadvertently give her some information he didn't want to—but he wasn't reckoning with her truthsense. She didn't want to go to extreme measures with him unless she had no other choice—he wasn't a criminal, after all—but she did need some basic information, and yes-or-no questions would give her that whether he cooperated or not. "Were you looking for our worlds in particular?"
No answer, of course, but his reactions were clearly negative.
"No. All right." She turned to the troopers guarding the Imperials. "How far into our space did they get?"