Conquistador by S. M. Stirling

them through commercial channels on FirstSide, and then sold them—or delivered them, anyhow—in a single mass.”
    Her father shrugged angrily. “Yes, yes, no doubt it was careless—and we should discreetly try to find out here in the Commonwealth who was responsible, and see that they get a reprimand if it was one of the Families, or a trip to the mines otherwise. However—”
    The man in the screen raised the cigarette. “I think Agent Rolfe had something else to add.”
    â€œYes, sir,” Adrienne said gratefully. “Once attention was drawn to the goods, the results could have been catastrophic. DNA scans are now extremely cheap, fast and accurate, and routine. With illegal animal products, they use them even where they’ve got no particular reason; if it’s so easy, why not? When animals are down to a few hundred well-studied individuals, DNA from an unrelated population . . . we might as well hang out a ‘From Another Universe! ’ sign. Once or twice we can tolerate. People disregard information that upsets their preconceptions. But if we rub their faces in facts they can’t dodge, somebody is going to start connecting the dots.”
    â€œIndividuals have stumbled on evidence of the Gate before,” the Chairman snapped.
    â€œYes, sir. But it’s also getting more suspicious when people disappear over on FirstSide, too. The crime rate’s down there, and they tightened up on security a lot during the war, with identity cards and biometric scanners all over the place.
    â€œSirs,” she went on earnestly, glancing from her father to her grandfather and back, “we have to tighten up too. We’ve got to put anything illegal—or just rare and unusual—on FirstSide on the prohibited list, and we’ve got to be more careful about bringing the American authorities down on us.”
    â€œWe’re not in the business of enforcing United States laws,” her father said.
    John Rolfe’s upraised hand cut short her reply. He spoke instead: “We are when it’s to our advantage, Charles,” he said mildly. “The agent has a point. You and I can discuss it later. Now, back to the matter at hand: investigating the investigation on FirstSide. I agree that it has potential, albeit also risks.”
    â€œI don’t like it,” Charles said slowly.
    â€œNeither do I, very much,” his father said. “Is there anyone other than Agent Rolfe in a position to do the legwork? Or can you get the Commission to act quickly and decisively here in the Commonwealth, so that we need not move on FirstSide?”
    â€œNot easily,” Charles said, rubbing the fingertips of his right hand over his forehead. “Not without definite proof the Collettas are up to something. Not only would creating a stink be a godsend to the Imperialist faction, but I’d have to step on the corns of a lot of influential Settler business interests, restrict their trans-Gate exports and capacity to earn FirstSide dollars—and the Commission’s monopolies are unpopular enough as it is. That would bring in the Families they’re affiliated with—you know they can’t afford to ignore their clients’ complaints. Not if they don’t want them looking for new patrons.” There was a hint of frustrated anger in his voice.
    His father grinned, not unsympathetically. “Well, I did set this place up with a more decentralized power structure than I might have if I’d had perfect precognition,” he said. “Though efficiency isn’t everything . . . but I think that does reinforce Adrienne’s point.”
    Adrienne kept her face expressionless. She wouldn’t have let the Commonwealth’s government drift into the sort of sloppy, amorphous neofeudalism that had evolved here over the past couple of generations, but it suited the Old Man fine most of the time.
    Keeps life interesting and