Dana had been given a glimpse of her destiny aboard the Master's flagship, and she had been watching it unfold ever since, playing an active part in that unfolding and refusing to credit any of it to the "Shapings" of Protoculture or any other metaphysical agency. She felt more clearheaded and resolute than she had ever felt, despite the ruggedness of the moral terrain she was traversing. Louie and the Shimada Family didn't view her departure as abandonment, but many would. Her actions during the war would be forgotten. She would be seen as a coward of the worst sort. And yet, was there any other path open to her? One that would not only take into account the Tiroleans and the Shimadas, but would speak to Earth's still- questionable future?
Part of her wanted to steer a course for the Sensor Nebula and make it appear as if The Homeward Bound succumbed to destructive forces. But she couldn't bring herself to slip away like that, on a calculated lie.
And, of course, there was Jonathan.
She may have glimpsed his ship in her premonition, but she hadn't glimpsed him, or foreseen the cruel dance of circumstance that would engulf both of them. He had sanctioned her treason, just as Emil Lang must
have sanctioned Jonathan's when he had hijacked a ship to deliver to the derelict Sentinels. And he had sanctioned her abandoning him, by telling her that she couldn't be tied to him; that there was no room for sentiment in their lives; that they each had their parts to play—
"Dana," Sean said suddenly. "Highest priority commo from Denver Base."
She turned from the view. "Let's hear it."
Nova Satori's cool voice issued from the speakers. "Dana, this is Nova. I'm with General Aldershot. We are delaying the mission. Repeat: we are delaying the mission. Do you copy, Dana? Please respond."
Dana signaled Angelo to open an audio channel. "We copy, Denver. But we strongly urge that you reconsider. That Sensor Nebula is waiting, and we don't want to miss our launch window."
Nova didn't reply immediately, and when she did her voice was heavy with disappointment. "Dana, we know that you've brought the Tiroleans aboard, and we have reason to suspect that the Sensor Nebula isn't tops on your list of places to go."
Dana and Sean exchanged defeated glances. "Denver," Dana said, "the Zentraedi wouldn't accept the clones. I had no choice but to transfer them."
Aldershot answered her in a firm voice. "It won't work, Sterling. It seems that that ship is foldworthy, after all. And some of us feel that you mean to fold it to Tirol."
Dana took a moment to compose her thoughts, then forced a slow exhale. "You're correct, General—on both counts."
"Dana—"
"You're wasting your breath, Nova. Colonel Wolff didn't realize the ship was fold capable, but the Tokyo team learned the truth—"
"I don't believe that for a minute," Nova interjected.
Dana raised her voice. "Lang programmed the ship's on-board computers to time-release the fold codes three months from now. But Shimada's team persuaded the computer to divulge the codes ahead of time."
"You can't do this to us, Dana."
"Sterling, I am ordering you to surrender the ship." "I'm sorry, sir," Dana said. "I can't do that."
"For a hundred Tirolean clones?" Nova asked in distress. "You're a traitor to your people. Sterling."
Dana swallowed hard and found her voice. "I'll accept that, sir. But we all have our parts to play, our separate destinies to fulfill. To begin with, there's no destroying the Nebula. The Zentraedi assured me that it couldn't be done. The Invid are coming, and—despite what Vincinz thinks—the presence of this ship isn't going to make much of a difference, one way or the other. In fact, Earth's probably better off without it."
"You've been corrupted by those damned yakuza," Aldershot growled. "Think what you will. But someone has to communicate with the REF,
and it might as well be me. And all the better if a hundred displaced Tiroleans are returned to their home planet at the same time."
"Quit trying to justify your treachery, Sterling."
"Time will tell if I've taken the right course, sir. I hope we're able to sit down and discuss this episode a year or so from now, when I return with the SDF-3 and enough troops to send the Invid back where they came from. But until then, I suggest you listen to Colonel Wolff and give the Regis what she wants."
"Don't expect me ever to sit down with you, Sterling."
Dana shut her eyes and signaled Angelo to mute the audio feed. "Are we ready?" she asked Sean.
"Almost. Just want to put a bit more distance between us and the shuttles."
"No hitchhiking allowed," Marie said.
Dana settled into the command chair, enabled the restraints, and moved her gaze from Marie to Angelo to Sean. "Any last minute regrets?" she asked.
After the head shaking was done, Dana turned to the robot. "Machine: initialize the Protoculture generators."
In Jonathan Wolff's voice, the robot said, "Lynn-Minmei," and The Homeward Bound gave a protracted shudder, powered up, and disappeared from sight.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Despite everything we'd been through, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him, because I knew how driven he was. Or, a better way to put that is that I knew, I understood what drove him. I don't think that people set out to be heroes; heroes surface from circumstances that are often beyond their control. My husband had a need to be in that zone—where events teetered on disorder—because it was only then that he could tap his real strengths, as a man, as a Human being. Perhaps that's why he was his most loving when things between us were most chaotic. I can't account for his alleged betrayal at the end, his conspiring [sic] with the Invid [See Rand, Notes on the Run], except to say that he must have been biding his time, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. I don't feel that it had anything to do with my and Johnny's captivity. If he had been with us in Albuquerque instead of in Valhalla, he would simply have been taken prisoner along with the rest of us. So, no, I don't hold him responsible, and I pray that he didn't hold himself responsible. We were two people, Johnny and I, and poor Jonathan felt that he had an entire world to rescue.
Catherine Montand Wolff, as quoted in Zeus Bellow's
The Road to Reflex Point
It was Tirol all over again, Wolff told himself while Eiten Shimada read a prepared statement for the tribunal.
"Furthermore, Shimada Enterprises denies any foreknowledge regarding or related to the capacities and capabilities of the star ship known as The Homeward Bound. As previously stated, the smart machine that accompanied the flight crew was designed merely to evaluate the vessel's performance and to serve as a redundant system in analyzing the effect of the fission bombs on the Sensor Nebula cloud.
"Lieutenant Sterling's statement to the effect that technicians in the employ of Shimada Enterprises discovered a key to the operation of the
ship's spacefold system has no basis in fact. Moreover, it has yet to be demonstrated that Shimada Enterprises was anything but charitable in this entire matter. The robot and other examples of Shimada technology were provided to the Defense Force freely and without expectation of recompense. It is therefore the decision of President Misui and the other members of the Diet, along with those named by the court, that these proceedings shall be considered preliminary, until such time as the allegations can be substantiated to the mutual satisfaction of everyone involved."
Well, perhaps not quite like Tirol, Wolff amended in thought. There, blame had been assigned—even though the guilty parties had escaped sentencing . . .
A month had passed since The Homeward Bound had folded from Earthspace, and the inquest had been going on for more than a week. Thus far, however, in trying to mount a case against the Shimadas, the GMP had only succeeded in muddying the waters. To establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Tokyo had manipulated the events would have required testimony from Kaaren Napperson. But dragging Napperson into court would have eventually led to the revelation that the GMP had given its tacit approval to the raid Vincinz's operativ
es had carried out against the Starchildren's colony.
As a means of safeguarding that same revelation, the intelligence agency had likewise been constrained to dismiss the charges of sedition leveled against Vincinz and the core membership of the Southern Cross command. Without evidence to corroborate that Vincinz had sinister designs on The Homeward Bound, the charges had been reduced to "unauthorized use of a Defense Force vessel," for which the general had received an official reprimand. Thanks to intense lobbying by Senator Grass—whose complicity in the hijacking could not be confirmed—the laser burst that had nearly atomized two Logans was ruled "inadvertent."
That left only Wolff, who had already been thoroughly interrogated by a brood of attorneys, and was next up, now that Kan Shimada's son had finished speaking. The stand was simply a podium positioned among
tablefuls of lawyers, recording secretaries, and officers of the court. The inquest wasn't open to the public, though a few reporters had been granted permission to cover the proceedings for the media. Wolff often wondered how Catherine had reacted to seeing her estranged husband go from hero to accused.
Fredericks was handling the case for the GMP. Wolff's attorney, a small but ferocious young woman, had been appointed by the court.
"Colonel Wolff," Fredericks began when Wolff was in place, "to whom would you say you owe your allegiance as an officer in the Defense Force?"
Wolff frowned. "I'm not sure I understand the question."
Fredericks forced a thin smile. "What I mean is, you left Earth as a member of the Robotech Expeditionary Force, which answered to the Plenipotentiary Council, which itself was a judicial arm of the United Earth Government. But looking around this room, you'll find neither RDFers nor members of the Council. And our government, at this point, can scarcely be described as either united or global in scope. So, Colonel, to whom do you offer salute?"
Wolff touched his chin. "I suppose I'm still attached to the REF."
"And, in turn, to the Plenipotentiary Council, of which Dr. Emil Lang is a member in good standing."
"Lang and eleven others, yes."
"Very good, Colonel. And now that we've established that Lang is in effect your commander—one of twelve, at any rate—I want to return to something we discussed two days ago. You testified then that you had no knowledge of The Homeward Bound's capacity for fold. And, I must say that your officers and crew have done an admirable job of bolstering your statements. However, I'd like to hear your explanation of why Dr. Lang and General Reinhardt opted to leave you uninformed as to the ship's fold potential."
Wolff addressed his response to the five judges seated opposite him. "I was simply charged with informing whomever was in command that the Masters' were en route to Earth. Unfortunately, I was too late. As to why Dr.
Lang and General Reinhardt kept me in the dark," Wolff shrugged, "I guess they wanted me to remain on Earth at least until the computer time- released the fold codes."
"Then you have accepted Dana Sterling at her word regarding the hidden agenda of the ship's computer?"
"What reason would she have for lying?"
Fredericks snorted. "We'll come to that in a moment, Colonel. But before we do, could you elaborate on what you mean by the phrase 'whomever was in command.'"
Wolff took a breath. "Dr. Lang ventured that the Southern Cross apparat had ascended to a position of global authority, and that those in command would be reluctant to accept that General Edwards had joined forces with the enemy—the Invid Regent. He was further concerned that Edwards might pave the way for the invasion of Earth by the Invid Regent by making the most of his past affiliations."
Fredericks considered Wolff's words while he paced. "You're suggesting that General Edwards wouldn't be perceived as a threat by the people with whom he had been affiliated before the launch of the SDF-3."
"That's correct."
"Meaning who, Colonel? Which people, specifically?"
"Field Marshal Anatole Leonard, Chairman Wyatt Moran, and Dr.
Lazlo Zand, among others."
Fredericks moved to the GMP table and picked up a sheet of paper. "This letter, handwritten and signed by Emil Lang, was provided to the court by Colonel Wolff, and it confirms his statements. But I would like him now to name the person to whom this letter was addressed."
"Rolf Emerson," Wolff said.
Fredericks repeated the name. "In other words, Colonel, you weren't ordered to deliver the information about the Masters, General Edwards, and the Invid to 'whomever was in command,' but to the highest-ranking member of the former Robotech Defense Force."
Wolff's lawyer shot to her feet. "Sirs, Colonel Fredericks is twisting the
facts. Minister of Defense Emerson was a major general in the Army of the Southern Cross."
Fredericks whirled on her. "Of late, perhaps. But until the Military Accord of 2030, Rolf Emerson was a career officer in the RDF."
As were Fredericks, Satori, and Aldershot, Wolff said to himself. But they were GMP now—Gimps, as they were sometimes called—movers and shakers in Earth's secret army, and seemed to have forgotten their roots.
"Colonel Fredericks, you're splitting hairs," one of the judges advised. "Southern Cross, Robotech Defense Force . . . Come to the point."
"The point, sirs, is that Colonel Wolff's primary responsibility was to keep his ship and the information it contained from anyone considered a rival of the Robotech Expeditionary Force. Isn't that true, Colonel?"
Wolff glared at Fredericks. "If it was, why would I have submitted to a full debriefing about the events on Tirol?"
Fredericks was willing to concede the point, but asked, "And you told the full truth during those debriefings?"
"Yes."
"And you likewise told us everything you knew about your ship?" "Everything I knew."
Well, there it was, Wolff thought. He had just perjured himself. But as surely as he had encouraged Dana to take the ship, she had encouraged him to lie for the greater cause. We all have our parts to play, she had said to Aldershot before the fold, echoing Wolff's own words to her. And what a bittersweet event her departure had been for him, knowing he might never see her again.
The day she had come to his quarters, he had made a split-second decision to encourage her to take the ship. Once he had gotten over his initial anger and despondency, that was. But he had realized from her questions and tone of voice that the Shimada team had uncovered the truth about The Homeward Bound, and also that she had probably wired herself, in the hopes of conjuring the fold code out of him. So he had supplied it, though carefully, to avoid arousing the interests of the GMP personnel
tasked with monitoring their conversation. Nor did he regard Dana's actions as a violation of trust, because she had attempted to tell him—in a code of her own devising—what she knew, and how conflicted she felt . . .
Fredericks was pacing once more, clearly building toward some bombshell. "Colonel Wolff, how would you characterize your relationship with Dana Sterling?" he asked suddenly. "Did you consider it a professional relationship?"
Wolff swallowed and said, "Yes." Because the GMP's surveillance tapes had been ruled admissible as evidence, he knew he had to exercise care.
"Strictly professional?"
"There was a personal side to it, as well. Relatively speaking, I was with her parents only a few months ago, and she was naturally curious to learn all she could about them."
"You told her that a second daughter had been born to Miriya Parino Sterling?"
"I did."
"And how did she take that news?" "She was overjoyed."
"I imagine that she was anxious to meet her sibling." "Why wouldn't she be?"
"Indeed, why wouldn't she be? . . . But getting back to the personal aspect of your relationship, how do you imagine that Dana Sterling saw you: as a fellow officer, a friend, a kind of father figure, a potential lover—"
"Colonel Fredericks," one of the judges interrupted. "This is an inquest, not a trial. Colonel Wo
lff is a decorated officer and I won't allow his name to be besmirched by innuendo."
Fredericks spent a few seconds studying his bloodless hands. "Sirs, if you'll permit me to proceed, the relevance of my questions will become apparent."
The judges conferred briefly. "We're going to allow you some leeway, Colonel," one of them said. "But I'm warning you, tread carefully."
Fredericks nodded. "Suppose we approach this from a different angle,
Colonel Wolff. How would you characterize your feelings for Dana Sterling? She is, what—nineteen years old? And you're . . . Well, that's irrelevant, I'm sure. But just what did you feel toward her?"
"I thought of her as a valiant officer and a pleasant young woman." "That's all—'a pleasant young woman?' I only ask because she made
such a point of mentioning you in her final communication with General Aldershot. First, she absolves you of all complicity in the hijacking; then she suggests that we follow your advice concerning the Invid . . ."
"I can't help that," Wolff said brusquely.
"Then you don't feel she was going to great lengths to protect you?" "Protect me from what?"
"Why, from this, Colonel. From a trial, in which you have been implicated as a conspirator. But, of course, you had no idea she was planning to hijack your ship."
Wolff grinned slightly. "I wasn't aware that it could be hijacked."
"I see . . . So, during the moments the two of you spent together— aboard The Homeward Bound and . . . elsewhere—Sterling merely plied you with questions about her parents and her baby sister. And perhaps she even told you that she missed them, terribly." Fredericks turned to Wolff. "Did she ever tell you that she missed them, Colonel?"
"She may have said that."
"And did she on any occasion tell you about the clones she was sheltering in Monument City."
"She spoke of them."
"Did she describe to you their desperate plight?" "She said they were dying, if that's what you mean."
Before the Invid Storm Page 17
