The Commodore didn't want the truth of the Quetzal Plume getting out to the rest of the flotilla, so he gritted his teeth and acquiesced to Etzli's requests.

But, despite their outward pleasantness in front of others, neither Etzli nor the Commodore were under any delusions. She didn't make requests. She made demands.

Blackmail. Extortion. Bribery. Call it what you want; it wasn't the sort of thing a heroic Outranger would've ever done. But Etzli wasn't an ...