weapon,and I would say they were successful in their endeavors.”
That wrapped up what I had to say. I wasunsure what to do next, when the captain spoke up. “Vydor, theytold me you were the best, and that you could find connections andlink data which others missed, and they were certainly right.”
I sat down and waited to see what would bethe reaction of the others. Dr. Rannor was reviewing the notes hehad taken. Larath was finding some reports on his personalcomputer, and Zalith looked lost in thought.
Larath was the first to respond. “Sir, I haveto say, with regard to Vydor’s statements about the crew, I mustagree. I am looking at the reports from my staff, and an illogicallevel of fear is being reported. I can think of no good reason forthis.”
“Dr. Rannor, what is your opinion on thecolony?” inquired the captain.
“Well, Captain, I have heard some rumorsabout a colony such as Vydor described, but I had rejected them assilly. His assessment of the colony as a failure is an accurateone, based on reports which I have no idea how he could have seen.In my studies of biological warfare I have turned up no newdiscoveries accredited to Arken IV. In fact, I had never heard ofthe colony until this mission,” answered Dr. Rannor.
“Zalith? Your thoughts?” prompted thecaptain.
“I have to admit Vydor’s theory sums upeverything very nicely, and I would agree with his conclusion basedon the given information. This leaves us with a problem. The Magihave at least one powerful plasma cannon, and the ability to sowfear. Either of those weapons by themselves would be dangerous, butcombined they make a deadly mixture,” was his reply.
“Does this change our commitment to send introops?” asked Commander Jones.
“Our orders are not conditional uponanything, so no. It is safe to conclude that High Command knowsabout the Black Adders, and that’s why they do not want us to bringthe fleet in any closer than needed. I assume they are counting onVydor’s reputation for reasoning to defeat the fear weapons, sincethe Tom’s boldness apparently failed,” answered the captain.
“But why did High Command keep thisinformation from us?” asked Dr. Rannor.
“Well, fear of the unknown is something weall have experience of; we all know how to deal with that. Fear asa weapon only works when you can remove the person’s ability todeal with it. They are probably assuming that we have a betterchance of winning if we do not know what we are facing, as odd asthat sounds,” answered Larath. “The big question we need to beconcerned with is how to fight this fear weapon.”
“I am not sure. I cannot find any reliableinformation on how to counter psionic warfare. We are all trainedto deal with fear, but Tom had that same training, and it did nothelp him,” I answered.
There was some brief chatter regardingvarious rumors and theories about psionic weapons, even a fewreferences to myths and legends from days so far back that no onecan place them.
“Captain, I need your permission to select areplacement to take over my post,” I began.
“Do you think you’re not coming back?”interrupted Larath. “If you leave with the intention of failure,then you will surely achieve it.”
Commander Jones interrupted, “That is a goodidea, Vydor. If the mission is a success you are likely to be goneat least a few months.” I noticed he did not address the questionof the mission failing.
“Months?” I was a bit shocked by thatassessment. “I figured several weeks, but not much more thanthat.”
“Yes. If you are successful at making firstcontact, then I will need you as part of the negotiations when Iarrive. In most cases the person who makes first contact is theperson most able to smooth over negotiations. After we have builtup formal communications, you could return to your post here, butthat often takes several months,” answered Commander Jones.
“Oh, come on! First we take a top officer andsend him on a suicide mission, and now we are talking aboutdisgracing him with a desk job? Is nothing sacred any more?” boomedZalith.
The assembled officers really were unhappywith this mission and how it was being handled by High Command.Combine that with the fear everywhere on the ship and things couldstart to get explosive. The captain sat back and watched. He lookedso calm in the face of all this. How did he do it?
It was officially my meeting, so it was up tome to try to control it. “Gentlemen, please. Enough of this. Iappreciate the concern for my honor and wellbeing. I completelyunderstand the risks of this mission. As of now no one understandsour enemy better than me, and I am not looking for a way out. TheEmperor has decreed that I lead this mission, and that is enoughfor me. I need not know what his plans are or the part I will playin them. If by my death or life I can serve the Empire, then Ishall do so.”
I paused a moment and looked around the room.My comment affected them in different ways. Larath, as always, hada look of encouragement about him. It was that look that he used tokeep himself from ever showing any emotion. The captain and Zalithboth regarded me with knowing pride on their faces. It was as ifthey looked at me and saw younger versions of themselves. CommanderJones maintained a completely unreadable posture and face. The bigsurprise was Dr. Rannor. He had an odd look on his face; it was asad look, but more than that. It was as if he was looking into thefuture and what he saw depressed him. He must have known somethingthat he had not shared, but what could it be, and why hide it?
“If there is no further information, orquestions, I have a team to prepare to run without its leader foran unknown length of time.” I paused here to see if anyone hadanything to say. Since this was my meeting, protocol demanded thatI be the one to wrap it up. “Okay then. This meeting isadjourned.”
As everyone started to clear out, the captaingrasped my shoulder from behind and said, “Vydor, wait a moment. Iwould like to talk to you in private.”
He waited for everyone to leave, and thengestured for me to sit across from him. He paused for what seemedlike years. Then in an uncharacteristic, fatherly tone, he startedto speak.
“Vydor, you are a fine officer and a valuablemember of my team here. Since you came on board you have gone wellbeyond the call of duty in everything you have done. You haveworked very hard to prove yourself worthy of the tremendous honorof your position here. I will admit I had to be talked into lettingyou on to my team. You were not my first choice; in fact, you werenot even on my list of possibilities. However, since you came onboard, I have watched you. I have watched how you work with yourteams, and how they view you. I have read every report produced byanyone under your direct influence, and I have kept on top ofeverything you have done from the beginning. You have certainlyshown yourself to be worthy of the great chance you got when youwere offered this position.
“Now that you are leaving us for a while, Iwould like to give you a bit of advice on what to do with yourteams before you go. In your desire to prove yourself, you areoverworking your teams a little. Before you assign a replacement,go over your rules and regulations and add a little moreflexibility and leniency. People tend to work better when they havesome room to maneuver.
“When you do select your replacement, don’tpick the best man for the job; instead choose the one whoseleadership style most closely resembles yours. This will reduce theamount of retraining you will have to do on your return.”
The captain paused here a minute, as hedecided what to say next. I knew him well enough to be silent whilehe worked it out. “Vydor, I must say I am a bit concerned that yourpride may be driving you to take this mission. You lack experienceand really do not know what it is like to face death. You will beleading a very dangerous mission, and every member of that team’slife will be in your hands. I want them all back safely. Do nottake any foolish risks just to prove yourself to us. Returningalive with all of your team will be enough.”
“Captain, I have faced death.” I paused togather myself. “I have faced him in a very intimate way. In ourfirst round, he won. We brought every weapon and tool that theEmpire could muster against him, and lost. Now I am locked in astand-off with him. I can see him down the corridor of time. Hestands ready to do battle again, patiently waiting, knowing thatthe clock always runs in his favor. While I may not have a hugeamount of combat experience, I am all too familiar with death.”
“You are referring to your father, and thedisease you are destined to get. Good, I am glad you realize that.A healthy respect for death is a good thing to have on a missionlike this. Do not look so surprised; I make it my business to knowmy staff. Your family line is plagued with Betalian’s Syndrome.Every male in your family has died from it. In fact, I also knowthat you are the last of your bloodline.”
I was continually surprised by the captain’sability to learn things he was not authorized to know. Personalmedical histories like mine were not intended to be generallyknown, in order to prevent discrimination in
