“Huh?” said Caine.
Downing nodded. “Yes, I see what you mean. Knowing Elena, if Caine had shown up again unattached, I suspect she would have read your father the riot act and become thoroughly—and quite vocally—unmanageable.”
“Hell, she’d have called a press conference just to flip him a bird,” drawled Trevor.
“Er . . . yes, probably so. But if she saw Caine already in the company of another lady, then—”
“Yeah,” interrupted Trevor, “that’s my point: Elena’s a class act. She wouldn’t go barging in under those circumstances. I’ll bet that’s just how Dad set it up.” Trevor’s certitude sounded suspiciously like a lament: these were hard—very hard—things to learn and hear about an idolized father.
Downing suppressed a sigh: he had known this side of Nolan for over twenty years, and even that didn’t make today’s revelations any easier to hear. But it all made sense now, particularly Nolan’s understated pessimism about Caine and Opal’s long-term prospects as a couple. He’d never wanted a permanent connection between them, because then Caine and Elena could not be reunited. Meaning he had used Opal miserably.
Trevor was apparently reflecting on the uneven ethics of his father, as well. “Given all the family secrets Dad kept from us, and all the shady crap he pulled, I guess I’m no longer so surprised that he had you sneak his body onto that government clipper for out-shift to another system.”
Oh Christ; how did Trevor learn that? “Trevor, I—”
But Trevor wasn’t listening. “I get the charade of the cremation and the memorial: an empty casket would have prompted a lot of questions. But why didn’t Dad tell us he had found a way to be buried outsystem, Richard?”
Downing closed his eyes and hated each of the four words separately, ferociously, before he uttered them: “I cannot tell you.”
Trevor frowned. “You mean, you don’t know?”
“I mean I cannot tell you anything about it.”
Trevor sat open-mouthed for three very long seconds. “Damn it, Uncle Richard, you are going to tell me where my own father’s body is, and why it’s there, or so help me, I’ll—”
“Trev. Please. I can’t tell you about how your father’s body was ultimately handled because I don’t know.”
Trevor, who was half out of his seat, stopped. “You don’t—?”
Downing looked away. “It was all arranged after his death. It wasn’t his—or my—idea.”
“Then whose idea was it?”
Might as well tell him. “The Dornaani.”
“The—?” Trevor fell back in his seat. “What the—what the fuck do they want with Dad’s body? And why the hell did you give it to them?”
“Trevor, I don’t know what they want. But they—well, they seem to revere your father. And he wanted to be buried among the stars. And they made it clear that they would both see to that request, and also be—indebted—to us if we granted them the honor of doing so.”
“So you traded away Dad’s body for some alien goodwill? What are you, Richard, a fucking monster? He was your friend—your closest friend!”
Downing felt his eyes start to burn. “Yes, he was, Trevor. And this is what he’d have wanted. And you know it.” Trevor’s stare had gone from cold to arctic, and was dropping toward absolute zero. “Trev, please understand: I wanted to tell you about your father, but the President ordered it kept quiet.”
Trevor’s eyes did not change. His voice was emotionless. “Is there more on the day’s agenda, sir, or are we done? Caine and I are due to report for our own debrief and then training.”
Downing sighed. “Yes, we’re done.”
Trevor rose quickly; Caine took a moment longer. Downing made his way to the door, shook hands with Caine—who seemed, if not sympathetic, at least accepting—and then extended the same hand tentatively to Trevor. Who took it, but with even less warmth than Caine had.
“I’ll miss you, Trev,” Downing said lamely.
“Have a safe trip, sir.”
Downing turned and tried to put Trevor’s stony expression out of his mind.
And kept trying all the way to his ship.
Unsuccessfully.
ODYSSEUS
Caine and Trevor did not follow Downing back up into the subterranean hangar, but they had to pass through it on the way to their own debriefing. As they navigated the black-and-yellow-dashed safeways, they saw a familiar object amidst all the esoteric military hardware: a secure canister from the module they had inhabited during their time at the Convocation Station.
“What the hell is that doing here?” Trevor wondered aloud.
Caine considered its size, hermetic seals, and profuse marking labels: it was the container for the biological samples they had gathered at the party. It was also just large enough to be— “Maybe Alnduul is using it as his own personal Trojan Horse?”
Trevor turned to stare at the gray shipping module as it was loaded onto the same shuttle that Downing would soon board. “You mean, you think Alnduul’s breaking the rules and going to Earth anyhow?”
“Somehow, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
As they watched the secure canister disappear into the shuttle’s hold, Downing’s spare, slump-shouldered silhouette appeared, moving steadily through the pre-boarding checkpoints.
Trevor became very quiet. “I guess I was pretty hard on Uncle Richard.”
Caine knew to tread carefully. “Well, if you were, it’s understandable. He dropped some pretty big family bombs back there.”
“Yeah. Dropped a few on you, too.”
Caine shrugged. “It’s been a busy day.”
Trevor’s answering smile was a bit quizzical. “You know, Richard and I thought you’d make a fuss.”
“About what?”
“About being impressed into service. He said you haven’t exactly been an eager foot soldier for IRIS.”
Caine shrugged. “When I’m hijacked or hoodwinked into service, I tend not to be happy about it. And it wasn’t always clear that Richard’s missions were, in fact, service to my country. More often, it seemed like they were serving his agenda. And although your uncle may have noble intentions, I don’t equate his agenda with my country’s needs.”
“Fair enough. And I’m not sure I do, anymore, either.” Trevor sighed. “But I have to hand it to him: he and Dad were right about the threats to us. God knows we got a nasty surprise at the Convocation.”
Caine nodded. “Worse than nasty. After what happened there—well, now we’re just living from one pivotal moment to the next.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that we are on the crest of one of history’s waves. Whatever happens next, it will change our lives—and our species—forever.”
Trevor stared at him. “Huh. Sounds like you were already thinking about volunteering.”
Caine nodded. “At a time like this, events trump individual wants, even needs. We just do what we have to do to protect those who depend on us.”
Trevor nodded. “I remember reading about the Allies in World War Two; a lot of their soldiers felt that way, too.”
“I think—I fear—there may be more than a few parallels, Trevor.”
Who smiled down from his 6’2” height at his slightly shorter companion. “So, wordsmith, what’s your advice for the times in which we live?”
“‘Hope for peace, prepare for war.’”
“Whoa; now you’re sounding like a career officer.”
“Not my intent, I assure you. ‘Going career’ is a life choice. I’m just stepping forward to do my part.”
“Well, career or not, you sure are starting to sound like a soldier.” Trevor looked him up and down. “Now we just have to determine if you have what it takes to be a soldier.”
Caine smiled. “Let’s find out.”
Appendix A
The Accords
The Accord is a democratic council comprised of politically equal member states. Membership is conferred thro
ugh a process of mutual assessment and determination. Attendance at all Convocations of the Accord is mandatory; absences are treated as abstention and warrant the censure of the Accord. Accord policy and arbitration outcomes are determined by simple majority votes. However, changes in the accords themselves (additions, deletions, emendations) require unanimous approval (abstentions are construed as rejections). Issues addressed by the Accord include: accord policies and actions toward non-Accord powers, races, objects, or phenomena;
interpretation and application of the accords;
proper procedures for administering the Accord, including first contact, meeting, and communication protocols;
reassessment and periodic alteration of the current pathways of allowed expansion for Accord member states.
A member state’s membership in the Accord requires, and remains contingent upon, truthful self-representation in all disclosures of data or statements of intention: lies of omission or commission are expressly forbidden. If it is found that a member state misrepresented itself upon application for membership in the Accord, its membership is annulled.
One member state of the Accord is designated as the Custodian of the accords. The Custodians are charged with ensuring that all member states comply with the accords, that lack of compliance is corrected, and that disputes are resolved by arbitration commissions.
The Accord and its individual member states are expressly and absolutely forbidden from interfering in the internal affairs of any member state. The only exception to this is articulated in the Twenty-first Accord.
All entry into another member state’s space must comply with territorial transit agreements negotiated between the member states in question. If no such agreements exist, a member state may declare any intrusion into its territory as illegal and may require the Accord to convene an arbitration commission to seek redress. The race designated as Custodians are excluded from these constraints when acting in their capacity as Custodians. However, they are expected and enjoined to use all possible restraint and to secure prior permission wherever and whenever possible.
No violence of any kind or on any scale is permitted between the races of the Accord.
No espionage is permitted between the races of the Accord, nor are other clandestine attempts to subvert or circumvent the autonomy, prerogatives, or secrecy constraints of another member state.
No agreement (legal or personal) made between individuals or collectives from two (or more) member states may ever explicitly or implicitly encumber or abridge the absolute indigenous autonomy of any of the parties to the agreement. Therefore, any member state (or inhabitant thereof) may terminate any agreement with any other member state (or inhabitant thereof) at any time for any reason, contractual obligations notwithstanding.
Disputes between member states and violations of these accords may only be resolved by a Custodian-appointed arbitration commission. Member states involved in a dispute may not serve on arbitration commissions convened after the commencement of their dispute until said dispute is resolved. All arbitration commissions are chaired by Custodians, and must follow the same determinative protocols as the Accord itself, as outlined in the First Accord.
Member states which are found to have violated an accord are instructed by the finding commission how to make amends for this violation. If the member state finds these instructions unacceptable, they may propose an alternate means of making amends, may request a reconsideration, or may appeal for clemency or exoneration (if there are suitably extenuating circumstances).
Member states which flagrantly or willfully violate one or more accords forfeit their membership in the Accord. The same applies to member states which choose to ignore or reject the final determination of arbitration commissions. Former Accord member states may reapply for membership.
Members of the Accord must agree to restrict their use of interstellar-rated microwave and radio emissions to dire emergencies (such as distress calls, or in the event that all other communication systems have malfunctioned).
All Accord ships must be equipped with a transponder that, upon inquiry from any other Accord ship, will relay its member state of origin, its name or code, its master, and any special conditions under which it is operating.
All Accord ships must be furnished with multiple crewpersons who are conversant in the Code of Universal Signals and, if requested, must use this Code to initiate and respond to any and all communiqués.
All member states must maintain strict compliance with the Accord-prescribed pathways of allowed expansion. A single race may petition for a revision of its own expansion pathway: this is handled as an arbitration.
New races are contacted by the Accord only when they achieve routine interstellar travel, whether of a faster-than-light or slower-than-light variety.
The time and method of contacting a new race is determined by the Custodians of the Accord. Prior to contact, new races are designated as “protected races.”
Monitoring of nonmember intelligent species is the responsibility of the Custodians. Routine supporting tasks may be assigned to one other member state that possesses sufficient technological and exploratory capabilities.
An outgoing Custodian member state selects the order in which member states are invited to succeed it. FTL travel is the prerequisite for Custodianship. The minimum duration of Custodianship is 24.6 Earth years. Minimum advance notice of resignation from Custodianship is 4.1 Earth years.
If no race is willing to accept Custodianship, the Accord is considered dissolved, as are all agreements previously made and enforced under its aegis.
Extraordinary circumstances: the Custodians are to intervene as soon as is practicable, and unilaterally if that is most expeditious, if: any member state’s or protected race’s homeworld is invaded or otherwise attacked;
if any member state or protected race takes action that is deemed likely to result in the destruction of a planet’s biosphere.
The Custodians may undertake this intervention without soliciting Accord consensus, and may, if necessary, violate other accords in order to ensure that the intervention is successful.
Appendix B
Worlds Permitted for Human Expansion by the Accord
Listed in ascending order of distance from Earth. Systems in boldface are those which humanity has occupied at the time of the Parthenon Dialogs. Those in italics are systems with “green” or “brown” worlds. The 70 Ophiuchi system is omitted, since, although occupied by humans, it was not on the list of permitted worlds.
Proxima Centauri
Alpha Centauri
Barnard’s Star
Wolf 359
Lalande 21185
Sirius
Luyten 726-8
Ross 154
Lacaille 9352
Ross 128
EZ Aquarii
Procyon
DX Cancri
Epsilon Indi
Tau Ceti
LHS 1565
YZ Ceti
Luyten’s Star
Kapteyn’s Star
Lacaille 8760
Ross 614
BD-12 4523
CD-25 10553
Wolf 424
Hipparcos 15689
Van Maanen’s Star
Cincinnati
Hipparcos 72509
CD-46 11540
Ross 780
BD+44 2051
Groombridge 1618
Hipparcos 82725
CD-49 13515
CD-44 11909
Keid
AC+79 3888
Lalande 25372
Wolf 294
L 722-22
L 205-128
BD+01 4774
36 Ophiuchi
82 Eridani
HR 7703
Delta Pavonis
CD-45 13677
L 119-44
CD-34 11626
LHS 1070
BD+04 123
Beta Hydri
&
nbsp; Rho Eridani
Zeta Tucanae
L 49-19
Gamma Pavonis
Appendix C
Highlights from the General Information Site of the Independent Interstellar News Service
IINS—INDEPENDENT INTERSTELLAR NEWS SERVICE WIRE COPY
18.09.2115
Gateway / Ross 154 system
¶ » First reports from the European Union Pathbuilder mission to 70 Ophiuchi B I indicate that the first world of the primary star in this binary system supports life. However, the organisms found are of an unusual and primitive variety, surviving at temperatures that are usually well below 0 centigrade.
¶ » As lead researcher Nadine Dussault reported, “What we have found is a life form that does not have a constantly extant xenogenetic code. Instead, it has a two part xenogenetic system. The first part is a protein ‘hub’ which is inert except during reproduction. The protein ‘spokes’ that migrate to and insert themselves into this hub are the second part of the system. They contain reproductive data for the cell and direct its metabolic processes.”
¶ » According to Dussault, when the cell’s internal chemistry changes in anticipation of reproduction, the hub summons these protein spokes and the entire urchinlike matrix undergoes a process broadly analogous to meiosis. The new copy of this matrix is what then carries the genetic code for the new cell that is split off from the parent cell.
¶ » Once that new cell has grown to the point where its structures are all clearly expressed, the protein strands detach from the hub and begin regulating the new cell’s metabolic functions. Dussault explained: “It is like nothing we have ever seen before. We simply could not have known to model this.”
¶ » Dr. Dussault’s comment that xenobiologists “could not have known to model this” refers to assertions within the xenobiology community that, with enough data, expert systems and computer modelling programs should be able to predict all possible macroorganic combinations and simple life forms. The discoveries by Dussault’s team are yet another indictment of such automated “xenomodeling” as a means of creating a compendium of most, or all, possible unicellar biochemical bases even before encountering them.
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