Scene 37

Captain Panache’s Office, Great Hall of X Marks the Scot

I arrived at Panache’s office an hour before the banquet was scheduled to start. Since the banquet was a formal affair, I had already changed into my formal clothing.

When Jaime invited me in, I found that he had already changed as well. As had all the other Moderators, who were waiting in Jaime’s office for me.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Please,” said Jaime, “Close the door behind you and come have a seat.”

I closed the door and sat in the chair before his desk. “Again, what’s up?”

“We have had a meeting and we have come to a decision.”

“Okay, about what?”

“About the Globo-Fashion situation. Although it seems the kidnapping was a coincidence, it seems that their operations are growing. And each time you have thwarted their plans, with some help from the membership. We believe it’s only a matter of time before they move to attack us directly.”

“I would agree with that. However, they are very unlikely to do so openly. I mean, to the rest of the world, they are a fashion company.”

“You’re right, and an open attack we could deal with. But since it will probably be a covert attack, we need everyone to be alert.”

“And you want me to help out? I’m already doing that.”

“Yes, and we’re grateful for that help. But we have something else in mind.”

“What’s that? You’re not asking me to join the Moderators, are you? That kind of position would tie me down entirely too much. I need a certain amount of freedom of action to do what I do.”

He smiled at that. “Actually, that had been considered. But we anticipated your response. Instead we have a different sort of position for you. Officially, you would hold the rank of Herald. However, your duties would be a bit different from the other heralds. We want your team to handle any operations against Globo-Fashion. To do that, you will have at your disposal anything you need from the Great Golden Hall or its members, as well as the right to call on any of the general membership of the order.”

“Whoa,” was all I could think of to say.

“One other thing,” he continued. “Since Globo-Fashion is likely to strike covertly, it’s possible that they will try to infiltrate our organization.”

“Probable, is more like it.”

“Indeed, so we have one other assignment for you. You are to check out the members to ensure they haven’t been compromised, especially new members. Nothing too intrusive, as we don’t want to violate their rights, but enough so that a plant doesn’t slip through. Can you do that?”

“I don’t think that would be a problem. My team could do that and still have time for our other jobs. We have to pay the bills, you know. There is only one more thing I have to ask.”

“What’s that?”

I smiled at him. “Do I get a fancy office with my name on the door?”