After his return to the station after talking to the Hansons and Tad, Wayne met with Tanya.
"What?" Tanya inquired. "No questioning room? No empath?"
"Your involvement is something I would prefer to keep quiet," Wayne said. "You have quite a reputation in the YIRAAS, Tanya. People don't even need to hear your lastname when someone says 'Tanya' and everyone knows who they're talking about."
Tanya gave a wry smile.
"I don't like corruption in the ranks. Let alone in the legends."
"I'm hardly a legend."
"Ha!" Wayne scorned. "You're right up there with Leroy. Everyone on the council thinks highly of you, and if it weren't for the fact they know you're busy with the teleportation amplifiers, teachin Ga'Revali to the exceptional telepaths and dealing with significant telepathic incidences, I'm sure that the next retiree would ask you to take their place."
Tanya looked at him with raised eyebrows.
"Well, it's true," Wayne pointed out. "Quite frankly, we need you Tanya. You've managed to make yourself indispensible to us, and unless you tarin up another Master, I don't know how we'll deal without your expertise in the future. Especially now that Carl has retired."
"But your concerned about my involvement with Christian, huh?" Tanya asked. "May I point out that it's your fault. You and your predecessor, that this happened."
"Oh?"
"You wouldn't let me take Christian away from Craig when I had the chance."
"Is that what this is about?"
"Yes, Wayne, ultimately it is. As a child he would have adapted much better to our way of life. But oh no. You inisisted that he stay, and so he went from one lousy upbringing to another. No, it's only now that he's in his twenties that you want to bring him in. Only now," Tanya was visibly upset. "You chose his life for him then, and now you're doing it again. All of you. You only brought this whole mess down on yourselves, and Christian is the one who's suffering - not you."
"Tanya - "
"Damnit Wayne, don't give me that look," Tanya scolded. "I know Christian better than you ever will. I'm hoping to remain to be someone that Christian can trust - trying to provide some sort of normality in his life. Because he hasn't got a normal life, Wayne, although I wouldn't blame him if he saw it that way. He's been chased and hunted and forced to look out for himself all his life. He leads a dangerous life and he has no way out of it. Not even being rehabilitated by us is going to remove him from it, no matter what you may promise him. I know it and he knows it. You can try, but you'll never be able to protect him from all the forces out there who are after him - not even a new identity will do that."
Wayne remained quiet, listening. Tanya was on a roll now.
"And you know what else? I'm glad he's befriended the Hansons. Because that means he actually has some friends. The Hansons are good boys, despite what you might think of them for not reporting Christian. In fact, that only proves my point. They're good for him, Wayne."
Wayne sighed.
"Tanya," he said softly. "I can't just let Christian go. He's too high profile."
"So you need to make an example of him?"
"I also can't just let him go as a favour to you either," Wayne replied. "There need to be equality in our justice system, Tanya. No favourtism. Otherwise then where will we be?"
"And yet, you are showing him some..." Tanya pointed out. "Rehab warrant still. Hmm?"
"You know why that's in place still," Wayne defended. "And don't you dare critise me for that."
"I'm not. I'm just pointing it out. That information isn't exactly what you would call widespread."
"Nonetheless, no matter who he has been in the past, that doesn't wipe away everything he's been since then. He needs help."
"Yes, he does. But not the kind you're thinking of. He needed that kind a long time ago."
Wayne rubbed his temples.
"Tanya. I'm not here to debate what should be done with Christian. I'm here to discuss what should be done with you."
Tanya said nothing, just looked at him.
"As I said earlier, you've made yourself indespensible to us. And I'd rather it not come out that one of the legends of the YIRAAS has been found guilty of aiding and abetting a known criminal - amongst who knows what else would come out if I conducted an interview with an empath on deck."
"So..." Tanya said slowly. "You want to come to an arrangement? Quietly? As if I were some common criminal you wanted to pursude to testify against their friends in exchange for charges being dropped."
"Hardly. But you are up for at least one criminal charge," Wayne pointed out.
Wayne sighed again.
"Truly, Tanya this is ridiculas," he said. "Obviously you feel justified in what you've done. And we don't want to charge you, and we want you to continue your good work. But we need to come to some arrangement, Tanya. Because by all rights I should be dragging you over for an interview. Christian has been visiting you on the Station, and I'm not the only one who knows it."
"Ahh, so it's a saving face operation."
"Stop being obstructive."
Tanya waved a hand.
"So place me under house arrest like you did to Taylor."
"We both know I can't do that."
"Why not? You just need to make sure I have an escort everywhere I go. Ga'Revali class. Downside for amp work. major telepathic incidents. Oh..." Tanya replied innocently, "I see your point."
"Didn't I just tell you to stop being obstructive?"
"I'm sorry," Tanya replied, honestly. "But you're right. I do feel justified, and I just... yeah..."
There was quiet for a moment.
"I think from now on, you can't reassign any more agents, even if you are a consultant. Not without going through me. And I will want a more specific reason for the reassignment than what you gave me about Tad," Wayne said with raised eyebrows. "Also, I'm going to cut your security clearence."
"Fine."
"Also, I want your moments and your calls to be logged. I want to know where you're going and why, and who's calling and why."
"Whatever."
"And we both know I have ways of checking up on you if you fail to log anything properly."