Government Offices, Ariel, October 25th 2519

"Mr. Holt?"

"Yes, sir, Mr. Bartram?"

"My office, /now/."

"Uh... Yessir."

...

"Do you recognise this?"

"Um... yes, sir. That's the woman I spoke to yesterday: red hair, very nice, very friendly..."

"And?"

"Uh... She came in... um... yesterday. Wanted... um... to have some changes made to her records."

"/What/ changes, Holt?"

"Well, um, they said she was dead, sir, and... clearly she wasn't. I did do all the biometric checks, sir..."

"So she wandered in, admitted to falsifying Alliance documents, and just asked if she could have them changed..."

"Well... yes, sir. I... um. She seemed to know what the fine was, and was quite willing to pay it."

"Did she say /why/?"

"Yes, sir. She said someone had been trying to kill her, and it was for her own safety."

"So you just did what she asked?"

"I... uh. Yes, sir. But..."

"But /what/, Holt?"

"Well, sir, there's been that memorandum from up top saying we should be more helpful and friendly: the whole 'The Alliance Cares' thing? I didn't see the harm in it - it's not like she wanted /fake/ papers."

"Holt. Have you been living under a /rock/ for the last two months?"

"N...no, sir. I've been on Whitefall till the middle of October. My Mom's been ill. I did file for leave and everything..."

"Even /Whitefall/ has a Cortex feed, Holt."

"My mom doesn't hold with it, sir."

"Your mother 'doesn't hold with it'. Dear God in Heaven."

"Sir?"

"Does the name not ring a bell? Constance Anne Saint? No little mental jingling? No sudden appearance of a lightbulb over your head?"

"Uh.. no sir. There was an Admiral Saint..."

"There was indeed an Admiral Saint, Holt. 'Was' being the operative word. Killed by the same person or persons that attempted to off his daughter."

"I see, sir."

"'I see, sir.' Somehow, Holt, I very much doubt you do. Dismissed."

....

"Zenda Federal Base. How may I direct your wave?"

"Could I speak with Commander Laura Parker, please?"

Zenda Federal Base, Ariel, November 8th 2519

"Parker."

"Commander Parker? Bartram here from the Goverment building. You asked to be informed if there was any further activity on Constance Saint's file after last week."

"And?"

"She's just applied for a weapons license: all worlds, standard personal sidearms up to semi-automatic, as per 435/5 sub 4."

"I see..." The sound of a pen tapping on teeth.

"Ma'am?"

"Let her have it."

"Ma'am?"

"Is there some problem, Mr. Bartram?"

"N..no, ma'am. I'll see to it right away."