Judgment

"What if their focus is completely different from the Confederation's?" Harry asked.

"Then the records in that cavern might contain information the Confederation has never had," Veratia said. "Either way, if we can get their analysis records, we'll understand what they're after. The problem is that they may have exposed themselves deliberately to draw the Confederation's attention to Node Seven and conceal what they're doing elsewhere."

Harry picked up a slice of bread. "They exposed themselves at Node Seven on purpose, but the cavern's location may have been exposed by accident. The Intelligence Group might have found it because they left traces during their day-to-day activities, not because they wanted the Confederation to find it."

"If that cavern is their main base of operations," Pabbie said, sitting down, "they should have taken stricter measures to hide it than they did at Node Seven. The fact that the Intelligence Group found it suggests the Eye of the Sand may not be as careful there as they were at Node Seven."

"Or," Cassandra said, "they have two different operating standards. Their work at Node Seven required great precision, so they kept their output extremely low and spent two years completing their initial survey. Their daily activities in the cavern don't require the same level of secrecy, so they left traces the Intelligence Group could find."

Veratia finished her last bite of toast and leaned back on the sofa for a moment. Her gaze shifted from the sunlight outside to Ms. Rosier's letter on the coffee table. "If the Intelligence Group found the cavern by chance, the Eye of the Sand may not realize the Confederation knows where their base is. But they'll find out sooner or later. The Intelligence Group didn't conduct a close reconnaissance after confirming the cavern's location, so they