need to, and believe me, I really think you should. If you have any questions the AI can’t help you with, then you call me at any time. Any time. Okay?”
“Got it, sir.”
“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Captain Vitharana had been gone a long time, but still Michael lay thinking through the extraordinary proposal the man had put to him.
Quite how Fleet could persuade the president to cooperate, Michael had no idea. He was not even sure it could. But Vitharana had sounded awfully sure of himself, so he could only assume that the president must have been briefed already; somehow-a wink, a nod? — she must have convinced Fleet she would go along with its plan to get him off the hook. He still had to plead guilty, and for him to do that would not be easy. It might even be impossible. Talking about what had happened in Barkersville was one thing, but entering a formal admission of guilt? That was different.
He would have to sleep on it.
Saturday, January 22, 2400, UD
Lieutenant Commander Fellsworth moodily poked at the small fire she had coaxed into life, its flames throwing splashes of yellow-gold onto the walls of the huge limestone cavern that had been her home for what seemed like a lifetime.
Cursing the fate that had posted her to the
“Got a tickle; my neuronics got a tickle!” the woman shouted. “We’ve been found!”
Looking back later, Fellsworth would swear that her heart stopped for a moment. For so long she’d wanted to believe that somehow one of her spacers had gotten a message through to the embassy in McNair. Now, when proof finally had arrived, she could not believe it.
“Show me,” she ordered, scrambling out of the cave into the open air.
Five minutes later, she sat watching in disbelief as a little flybot maneuvered with exquisite precision down through the forest canopy before setting down on the ground right in front of her.
“Fuuuck,” Fellsworth hissed through clenched teeth. They had been found. They really had been found. The
It took a while, but finally Fellsworth restored order. She commed into the bot and, her identity confirmed, waved one of the spacers to flip the bot over, its belly opening to reveal the payload of comm gear. To whom it would connect her, she had no idea, but as long as it worked, she did not care. It sure as hell would not be to the Hammers.
Amos Bichel terminated the voice call from Fellsworth.
Finally, he thought, he had something to plan around, though how in God’s name they were going to get the
Comming the ambassador, he started to put together his report. If he was quick, he would get a courier away in time to catch the next flight out.
Sunday, January 23, 2400, UD
It had been a long night and an even longer day, but finally Michael had decided what he would do.
It was simple in the end. He had done what he had done despite knowing it was wrong because he had not had the balls to stand up to Yazdi. So he was going to come clean, admit his guilt, and hope that Vitharana’s plan worked as advertised. The alternative-indictment, courts, a trial, the trashpress in overdrive-just did not bear thinking about.
The door opened to admit Captain Vitharana. A woman wearing the distinctive gold gorget of a registered observer followed him. Christ! Things were getting serious, Michael thought, if he merited one of them.
Vitharana wasted no time. He did not even bother to introduce the observer.
“Right, Helfort,” he said briskly. “Have you made a decision?”
“Yes, sir. I have.”
“You’ve taken advice, I hope?”
“I have, sir, from the college legal AI. She was very helpful.”
“Good. So?” Vitharana asked.
Michael did not look at Vitharana, staring instead at the registered observer. He wanted every second of this recorded and recorded properly. He took a deep breath to steady his jangling nerves. This was not easy. “I take full responsibility for what happened at Barkersville. For the murders of Detective Sergeant Kalkov, Commitment Planetary Police Service, and Trooper Askali, Hammer of Kraa Doctrinal Security Service.” His voice hardened. “I take full responsibility for all of it, sir, including those that Corporal Yazdi, you know. .” He faltered, turning back to Vitharana. He could not say the words.
Vitharana got it, anyway. He nodded.
“I was the senior officer present, sir,” Michael continued, his voice firm again. “I had the command authority to stop what happened. I could have, should have stopped the murders, all of them, but I did not. For that reason, I take full responsibility for my actions and those of Corporal Yazdi. That’s what I want to say. I have a detailed statement prepared that I would like to comm to the registered observer. That’ll cover it all.”
“Let me read it first.”
Michael shook his head. “No, sir. I don’t want anyone to say that it was not entirely my statement. I’ve stuck to the facts, so I can’t have gone too wrong. If you don’t mind.”
Vitharana looked surprised and more than a little discomfited. He was obviously not used to junior lieutenants telling him what he could and could not do.
“Go ahead, then.”
The registered observer had gone. For a while there was silence, the two men happy to let things slide for a moment.
Vitharana broke the silence. “You’ve done the right thing, Michael. You know that?”
Michael nodded. He thought, hoped he had.
“Good. Let’s leave that for a moment. Now, I’ve spoken to your doctors. They say you are making good progress and it’s okay for me to take you out for the day as long as you don’t do any walking. So I’ve set up a meeting, which I would like you to attend.” Vitharana got up to leave. “I’ll pick you up here tomorrow at 10:00 sharp. Dress blacks.”
Michael looked puzzled. The only clothes he had were hospital-issue pajamas. Apart from his shipsuit and boots, he had lost everything else when the
“Ours is not to reason why, Michael. A brand-new set will be delivered first thing tomorrow.”
Michael almost shook his head as Vitharana left. The whole world had gone nuts. Where in God’s name would
