"We caught them a parsec from St. Michael, Excellency. They sent off a message shortly after we came into sensor range, before we could destroy their transmitting antennas."
"Damn. So the Empire knows we exist." Cortin sighed, not bothering to hide it.
"What's so bad about that?" a young Imperial asked. "There's no reason to be afraid of the Empire!"
"Shut up, Conley!" DeLayne ordered.
"I don't think she ought to," Cortin said quietly. The other members of her team were entering by then, replacing the regular troopers. "Miss Conley—I can't read your rank insigne, to use your proper title—although my second in command disagrees, I believe we have every reason to fear an Empire we fled from some four centuries ago because our religious views were condemned. A number of conditions we've encountered since, causing changes in our way of life, can only make that condemnation worse, possibly—even probably—causing persecution that would wipe out the Kingdom Systems. Three ships held us then; now, we don't have enough to carry a tenth of our population to safety."
"Should you be telling them that, Excellency?" Odeon asked.
Cortin shrugged. "What can it hurt, Captain? They weren't looking for us in particular—but they did send off a message, so more Imperial ships will be coming. Which could doom most of our people, whether I talk to these honestly or not."
"NO!" Conley burst out. "The Empire's not like that, truly it's not!"
"Whether that statement's true or not, you believe it," Cortin said dryly. "Would you mind talking to me in more relaxed surroundings?"
The young Imperial didn't notice DeLayne's beginning objection or Tiny Pritchett's silencing of him. "Yes, sir, if you think it would help."