  Neumayer et al. established the existence of a blue-shifted cloud in the core
of Centaurus A, within a few parsecs of the nucleus and close to the radio jet.
We propose that the cloud has been impacted by the jet, and that it is in the
foreground of the jet, accounting for its blue-shifted emission on the Southern
side of the nucleus. We consider both shock excitation and photoionization
models for the excitation of the cloud. Shock models do not account for the
[SiVI] and [CaVIII] emission line fluxes. However, X-ray observations indicate
a source of ionizing photons in the core of Centaurus A; photoionization by the
inferred flux incident on the cloud can account for the fluxes in these lines
relative to Brackett-gamma. The power-law slope of the ionizing continuum
matches that inferred from synchrotron models of the X-rays. The logarithm of
the ionization parameter is -1.9, typical of that in Seyfert galaxies and
consistent with the value proposed for dusty ionized plasmas. The model cloud
density depends upon the Lorentz factor of the blazar and the inclination of
our line of sight to the jet axis. For acute inclinations, the inferred density
is consistent with expected cloud densities. However, for moderate inclinations
of the jet to the line of sight, high Lorentz factors imply cloud densities in
excess of $10^5 cm^{-3}$ and very low filling factors, suggesting that models
of the gamma ray emission should incorporate jet Lorentz factors $\lesssim 5$.
