“Half your age. And yet I have to tell you the facts of life.”
“Why should I heed you,” McCormac asked, but subduedly, “when you serve that abominable government? When you claim to have ruined my cause?”
“It was ruined anyway. I know how well your opposition’s Fabian strategy was working. What we hope to do — Kathryn and I — we hope to prevent you from dragging more lives, more treasure, more Imperial strength down with you.”
“Our prospects weren’t that bad. I was evolving a plan—”
“The worst outcome would have been your victory.”
“What? Flandry, I … I’m human, I’m fallible, but anyone would be better on the throne than that Josip who appointed that Snelund.”
With the specter of a smile, because his own fury was dying out and a measure of pity was filling the vacuum, Flandry replied: “Kathryn still accords with you there. She still feels you’re the best imaginable man for the job. I can’t persuade her otherwise, and haven’t tried very hard. You see, it doesn’t matter whether she’s right or wrong. The point is, you might have given us the most brilliant administration in history, and nevertheless your accession would have been catastrophic.”
“Why?”
“You’d have destroyed the principle of legitimacy. The Empire will outlive Josip. Its powerful vested interests, its cautious bureaucrats, its size and inertia, will keep him from doing enormous harm. But if you took the throne by force, why shouldn’t another discontented admiral do the same in another generation? And another and another, till civil wars rip the Empire to shreds. Till the Merseians come in, and the barbarians. You yourself hired barbarians to fight Terrans, McCormac. No odds whether or not you took precautions, the truth remains that you brought them in, and sooner or later we’ll get a rebel who doesn’t mind conceding them territory. And the Long Night falls.”
“I could not disagree more,” the admiral retorted with vehemence. “Restructuring a decadent polity—”
Flandry cut him off. “I’m not trying to convert you either. I’m simply explaining why I did what I did.” We need not tell you that I’d have abandoned my duty for Kathryn. That makes no difference any more — interior laughter jangled — except that It would blunt the edge of my sermon. “You can’t restructure something that’s been irreparably undermined. All your revolution has managed to do is get sophonts killed, badly needed ships wrecked, trouble brewed that’ll be years in settling — on this critical frontier.”
“What should I have done instead!” McCormac disputed. “Leave my wife and myself out of it. Think only what Snelund had already done to this sector. What he would do if and when he won back to Terra. Was there another solution but to strike at the root of our griefs and dangers?”
“ ‘Root’ — radix — you radicals are all alike,” Flandry said. “You think everything springs from one or two unique causes, and if only you can get at them, everything will automatically become paradisical. History doesn’t go that way. Read some and see what the result of every resort to violence by reformists has been.”
“Your theory!” McCormac said, flushing. “I … we were faced with a fact.”
Flandry shrugged. “Many moves were possible,” he said. “A number had been started: complaints to Terra, pressure to get Snelund removed from office or at least contained in his scope. Failing that, you might have considered assassinating him. I don’t deny he was a threat to the Empire. Suppose, specifically, after your friends liberated you, you’d gotten together a small though efficient force and mounted a raid on the palace for the limited purposes of freeing Kathryn and killing Snelund. Wouldn’t that have served?”
“But what could we have done afterward?”
“You’d have put yourself outside the law.” Flandry nodded. “Same as I’ve done, though I hope to hide the guilt I don’t feel. Quite aside from my personal well-being, the fact would set a bad precedent if it became public. Among your ignorances, McCormac, is that you don’t appreciate how essential a social lubricant hypocrisy is.”
“We couldn’t have … skulked.”
“No, you’d have had to do immediately what you and many others now have to do regardless — get out of the Empire.”
“Are you crazy? Where to?”
Flandry rose once more and looked down upon him. “You’re the crazy man,” he said. “I suppose we are decadent these days, in that we never seem to think of emigration. Better stay home, we feel, and cling to what we have, what we know, our comforts, our assurances, our associations … rather than vanish forever into that big strange universe … even when everything we cling to is breaking apart in our hands. But the pioneers worked otherwise. There’s room yet, a whole galaxy beyond these few stars we think we control, out on the far end of one spiral arm.
“You can escape if you start within the next several hours. With that much lead, and dispersal in addition, your ships ought to be able to pick up families, and leave off the men who don’t want to go. Those’ll have to take their chances with the government, though I imagine necessity will force it to be lenient. Set a rendezvous at some extremely distant star. None of your craft will likely be pursued much past the border if they happen to be detected.
“Go a long way, McCormac, as far as you possibly can. Find a new planet. Found a new society. Never come back.”
The admiral raised himself too. “I can’t abandon my responsibilities,” he groaned.
“You did that when you rebelled,” Flandry said. “Your duty is to save what you can, and live the rest of your life knowing what you wrought here. Maybe the act of leading people to a fresh beginning, maybe that’ll console you.” I’m sure it will in time. You have a royal share of self-righteousness. “And Kathryn. She wants to go. She wants it very badly.” He caught McCormac’s gaze. “If ever a human being had a right to be taken from this civilization, she does.”
McCormac blinked hard.
“Never come back,” Flandry repeated. “Don’t think of recruiting a barbarian host and returning. You’d be the enemy then, the real enemy. I want your word of honor on that. If you don’t give it to me, and to Kathryn, she won’t be allowed to rejoin you, whatever you may do to me.” I lie like a wet rag. “If you do give it, and break it, she will not pardon you.
“In spite of your behavior, you are an able leader. You’re the one man who can hope to carry the emigration off, in as short a while as you have to inform, persuade, organize, act. Give me your word, and Kathryn will ride back in my gig to you.”
McCormac covered his face. “Too sudden, I can’t—”
“Well, let’s thresh out a few practical questions first, if you like. I’ve pondered various details beforehand.”
“But — I couldn’t—”
“Kathryn is your woman, all right,” Flandry said bitterly. “Prove to me that you’re her man.”
She was waiting at the airlock. The hours had circled her like wolves. He wished that his last sight of her could be without that anguish and exhaustion.
“Dominic?” she whispered.
“He agreed,” Flandry told her. “You can go to him.”
She swayed. He caught her and held her. “Now, now,” he said clumsily, nigh to tears. He stroked the bright tousled hair. “Now, now, it’s ended, we’ve won, you and I—” She slumped. He barely kept her from falling.
With the dear weight in his arms, he went to sickbay, laid her down and administered a stimulol injection. Color appeared in seconds, her lashes fluttered, the green eyes found him. She sat erect. “Dominic!” she cried. Weeping had harshened her voice. “’Tis true?”
“See for yourself,” he smiled. “Uh, take care, though. I gave you a minimum shot. You’ll have a stiff metabolic price to pay as is.”
She came to him, still weary and shaken. Their arms closed. They kissed for a long time.
“I wish,” she said brokenly, “I almost wish—”
&nb
sp; “Don’t.” He drew her head into the curve of his shoulder.
She stepped back. “Well, I wish you everything good there’ll ever be, startin’ with the girl who’s really right for you.”
“Thanks,” he said. “Have no worries on my score. It’s been worth any trouble I may have had,” and ever will have. “Don’t delay, Kathryn. Go to him.”
She did. He sought the conn, where he could see the boat carry her off and await McCormac’s technicians.
XVI
Strange suns enclouded Persei. A darkness aft hid the last glimpse of Imperial stars.
McCormac closed the suite door behind him. Kathryn rose. Rest, first under sedation, later under tranquilization, and medicine and nourishment had made her beautiful. She wore a gray shimmerlyn robe somebody had given her, open at throat and calf, sashed at the waist, smooth over the strong deep curves.
He stopped short. “I didn’t expect you here yet!” he blurted.
“The medics released me,” she answered, “seein’ as how I’d come to happy news.” Her smile was tremulous.
“Well … yes,” he said woodenly. “We’ve verified that we shook those scouts dogging us, by our maneuvers inside that nebula. They’ll never find us in uncharted interstellar space. Not that they’d want to, I’m sure. It’d be too risky, sending the power needed to deal with us as far as we’re going. No, we’re done with them, unless we return.”
Shocked, she exclaimed: “You won’t! You promised!”
“I know. Not that I mightn’t — if — no, don’t fear. I won’t. Flandry was right, damn him, I’d have to raise allies, and those allies would have to be offered what it would split the Empire to give. Let’s hope the threat that I may try again will force them to govern better … back there.”
Her strickenness told him how much remained for her before the old calm strength was regained: “Dyuba, you’d think ’bout politics and fightin’ in this hour?”
“I apologize,” he said. “Nobody warned me you were coming. And I have been preoccupied.”
She reached him, but they did not embrace. “That preoccupied?” she asked.
“Why, why, what do you mean? See here, you shouldn’t be standing more than necessary. Let’s get you seated. And, er, well have to arrange for the sleeping quarters to be remodeled—”
She closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them, she had command of herself. “Poor Hugh,” she said. “You’re scarred right badly too. I should’ve thought how you must’ve hurt.”
“Nonsense.” He urged her toward the couch. She resisted in such a manner that his arms went around her. Laying hers about his neck and her cheek against his breast, she said, “Wait. You were tryin’ to ’scape thinkin’ ’bout us. ’Bout what I can be to you, after everything that was done. ’Bout whether the things I’m leavin’ untold concernin’ what passed ’tween Dominic and me, if they didn’t include — But I’ve sworn they didn’t.”
“I cannot doubt you,” rumbled through her.
“No, you’re too honorable not to try hard to believe me, not to try hard to rebuild what we had. Poor Hugh, you’re scared you might not be able.”
“Well — associations, of course—” His clasp stiffened.
“I’ll help you if you’ll help me. I need it bad’s you do.”
“I understand,” he said, gentler.
“No, you don’t, Hugh,” she replied gravely. “I realized the truth while I was alone, recuperatin’, nothin’ to do but think in a weird clear way till I’d fall asleep and the dreams came. I’m ’bout as well over what happened to me in the palace as I’ll ever be. I’m the one to cure you of that. But you’ll have to cure me of Dominic, Hugh.”
“Oh, Kathryn!” he said into her hair.
“Well try,” she murmured. “Well succeed, anyhow in part, anyhow enough to live. We must.”
Vice Admiral Sir Ilya Kheraskov riffled the papers on his desk. The noise went from end to end of his office. Behind him, the projection screen today held an image of Saturn.
“Well,” he said, “I’ve perused your account, and other relevant data, quite intensely since you arrived home. You were a busy young man, Lieutenant Commander.”
“Yes, sir,” said Flandry. He had taken a chair, but thought best to give the impression of sitting at attention.
“I regret leave was denied you and you’ve been made to spend the whole two weeks in Luna Prime. Must have been frustrating, the fleshpots of Terra glowing right overhead. But any number of irregularities had to be checked out.”
“Yes, sir.”
Kheraskov chuckled. “Stop worrying. We’ll put you through assorted rituals, but I can tell you in confidence, you’re off the hook and your brevet rank of commander will be made permanent. Till your next escapade gets you either broken or promoted, that is. I’d call the odds fifty-fifty.”
Flandry leaned back. “Thank you, sir.”
“You seem a touch disappointed,” Kheraskov remarked. “Did you anticipate more?”
“Well, sir—”
Kheraskov cocked his head and grinned wider. “You ought to be effusive at me. I’m responsible for your getting this much. And I had to work for it!”
He drew breath. “True,” he said, “your obtaining the code was an exploit which justifies overlooking a great deal else. But the else is such a very great deal. Besides losing Asieneuve on a trip most kindly described as reckless, you staged other performances which were high-handed at best, in gross excess of your authority at worst. Like removing the sector governor’s prisoner on your own warrant; and conveying her with you; and concealing her presence on your return; and heading back out with her; and losing her to the enemy … I’m afraid, Flandry, regardless of what rank you may gain, you’ll never have another command.”
That’s no punishment. “Sir,” Flandry said, “my report justifies whatever I did as according to regulations. So will the testimony of the men who served under me.”
“Taking the most liberal interpretation of your discretionary rights that man, xeno, or computer can conceive of … yes, perhaps. But mainly, you rascal, I argued and politicked on your behalf because the Intelligence Corps needs you.”
“Again I thank the admiral.”
Kheraskov shoved the cigar box forward. “Take one,” he said, “and show your gratitude by telling me what really happened.”
Flandry accepted. “It’s in my report, sir.”
“Yes, and I know a weasel when one slinks by me. For instance — I read from the abstract of this wonderful document you wrote — ahem. ‘Soon after leaving with Lady McCormac for Terra, with minimal crew for the sake of speed and secrecy as per orders, I was unfortunately noted and overhauled by an enemy cruiser which captured me. Brought to the flagship at Satan, I was surprised to find the rebels so discouraged that, upon learning Admiral Pickens had their code, they decided to flee the Empire. Lady McCormac prevailed upon them to spare me and my Didonian hand, leaving us behind with a disabled vessel. After the loyalists arrived, I discharged and returned home the said Didonian with the promised reward, then set course for Terra—’ Well, no matter that.” Kheraskov peered over the page. “Now what’s the mathematical probability of a prowling cruiser just happening to come in detection range of you?”
“Well, sir,” Flandry said, “the improbable has to happen sometimes. It’s too bad the rebels wiped the computer’s log in the course of removing my ship’s hyperdrive. I’d have proof. But my account by itself ought to carry conviction.”
“Yes, you build a very solid, interlocking pile of reasons, most of them unverifiable, why you had to do what you did and nothing else. You could spend your whole voyage back from Sector Alpha Crucis developing them. Be honest. You deliberately sought out Hugh McCormac and warned him about the code, didn’t you?”
“Sir, that would have been high treason.”
“Like doing away with a governor you didn
’t approve of? It’s curious that he was last seen a short while before you cleared for departure.”
“Much was going on, sir,” Flandry said. “The city was in turmoil. His Excellency had personal enemies. Any one of them could have seen a chance to pay off scores. If the admiral suspects me of wrongdoing, he can institute proceedings to have me hypnoprobed.”
Kheraskov sighed. “Never mind. You know I won’t. For that matter, nobody’s going to search after possible witnesses, rebels who may have elected to stay behind. Too big a job for too small a gain. As long as they keep their noses clean, we’ll let them fade back into the general population. You’re home free, Flandry. I’d simply hoped — But maybe it’s best that I myself don’t inquire too deeply. Do light your cigar. And we might send for a real potation. Do you like Scotch?”
“Love it, sir!” Flandry got the tobacco going and inhaled its perfume.
Kheraskov spoke an order on his intercom, leaned forward with elbows on desk, and blew clouds of his own. “Tell me one thing, though, prodigal son,” he begged, “in exchange for my wholesale slaughter of fatted calves wearing stars and nebulas. Plain avuncular curiosity on my part. You have extended leave coming as soon as we can tie up the red tape. Where and how does your twisted ingenuity suggest you spend it?”
“Among those fleshpots the admiral mentioned,” Flandry replied promptly. “’Wine, women, and song. Especially women. It’s been a long time.”
Aside from such fun and forgetting, he thought while he grinned, it will be the rest of my life.
But she’s happy. That’s enough.
I/we remember.
The Feet is old now, slow to travel, aching in flesh when the mists creep around a longhouse that stands at the bottom of a winter night. The Wings that was of Many Thoughts is blind, and sit alone in his head save when a young one comes to learn. The Wings that was of Cave Discoverer and Woe is today in another of Thunderstone. The Hands of Many Thoughts and Cave Discoverer has long left his bones in the western mountains, whereto the Hands that was of Woe has long returned. Yet the memory lives. Learn, young Hands, of those who made oneness before i/we came to being.
The Rebel Worlds Page 17
