Crown of Slaves

People's Republic's StateSec Academy, in fact.' His lips twisted briefly. 'Yes, that was part of the training. I understand they've dropped it nowadays, since Saint-Just was overthrown. Not sure if I approve or not, to be honest.'

He still didn't understand, Berry realized. She and Gohr exchanged a glance. The Manticoran lieutenant took a breath, and continued.

'Look, Officer Cachat, as it happens-'

'Call me Victor.'

'Victor, then. As it happens, I'm something of an expert on combat psychology. I did some research on the subject while I was attending London Point. And also some research on… interrogation techniques.' Victor's eyes widened slightly.

So did Berry's. She knew that London Point was the promontory of Saganami Island where the Royal Manticoran Marine Corps ran one of the toughest finishing schools for small-unit combat commanders in the known galaxy. Her father Anton had once told her about it. So what, precisely, had a Navy officer been doing there?

Gohr obviously recognized their curiosity, but she only shook her head and continued. 'I even published a couple of articles in scholarly psych journals. And,' her mouth twisted wryly, 'one in the Naval Proceedings, as well. That one got a bit wider readership, unfortunately.'

She shook her head again, and her expression smoothed back to one of professional concentration.

'The important point is that, first, I know what I'm talking about, and, second, that I'm not talking about technical details like pain thresholds. I really don't think you understand what an unusual human being you are, Victor.'

He scowled. 'I'm not following you. Other than my personality quirks-everyone has them-I'm no different from anyone else.' Harshly: 'As a Manticoran, you'll probably disagree. But I recognize no distinctions of breeding or birth. There are no supermen in the world-nor any sub-humans, either.'

She scowled right back. 'Give me a break. And give your Havenite ideology a rest too, while you're at it. I wasn't suggesting you were either 'above' or 'below' the normal standard. But what you are-you do recognize the reality of human variation, I hope?-is a very unusual type of person. What's sometimes called a 'natural killer.' '

Victor looked away, not in shame but simply in suppressed anger. His scowl had faded; his mouth turning down in an expression of contempt.

'Thank you very much. I imagine it comes easily to a Manticoran naval officer to sneer at people like me. Not that you haven't turned thousands of people into so much molecular gas. Or won't, if you haven't already, when given the order. My killing is done up close-but it's only measured by the handful. Unlike your mass slaughter. How very ethical of you. Easy enough, when your murdering is done antiseptically, by pushing a button from a distance measured in-'

'Victor!'Berry half-shouted, loudly enough to break him off in mid-sentence. When Victor's eyes went to her, she shook her head.

'I don't think that's what she's getting at. And, anyway, it's rude of you to interrupt her.'

Victor turned to look at Gohr. The Manticoran intelligence officer had a crooked smile on her face. 'Victor, I wasn't making any moral distinction. I was just trying to explain that-yes, you're right. It is easy, relatively speaking, for people, with some training, to kill other people at a distance. And most people can manage to do it in person if they're in the grip of a powerful emotion like rage or terror. What we do, essentially, when we train infantry soldiers is train them how to harness and discipline those emotions. But the number of people who can kill up close, calmly and cold-bloodedly… There aren't very many, Victor, and that's the truth of it.'

Victor started to say something, but she pressed on.

'I said I'm not making any moral distinctions-or judgments-and I'm not, because it would be stupid. Not to mention hypocritical as hell. Sure, people like you can be monsters… but so can the 'kill at a distance' crowd. It's not a matter of having a taste for it; it's simply a matter of being able to do it, and from what I've seen of you, you don't seem to enjoy it one bit, even when you know it's completely necessary.

'But the same kind of mentality that lets you do that is also one that can face torture with relative equanimity. What you might call clinical detachment, applied to yourself. Absolutely confident that you can stand up to the pain for quite some time before breaking. Most people can't do that either.'

'What's your point, Lieutenant?'

'My pointis that being able to do either one can't be combined with acting the part of an intellectual airhead. There's a direct connection-it's not simply 'psychological,' it's profoundly physiological-between your conscious behavior and your emotional symptoms and behavior. Or, to put it another way, you can't remain steadfast and courageous-or ruthless-while you're trying to act otherwise. Certainly not on your level of capacity. That's why-'

She gave Berry a somewhat apologetic glance. 'I know how you got those security codes, Victor. Berry described what happened to me. Do you really think you could have intimidated those men so easily if you'd been acting?Not likely. You terrified them because you were exactly what you told them you were-a man who'd kill them instantly and unblinkingly. And it showed. If you'd been on medical monitors, I'm sure your pulse rate and blood pressure wouldn't have so much as blipped.'

Lieutenant Gohr turned to the view screen. The Felicia filled it now, looming over the shuttle like an alloy cliff.

'We're almost there, Victor. There's still time to turn back. But whatever you decide, give up the plan you've got. It'll never work. Within two minutes after we come aboard, the men in that ship will understand-instinctively, if you will-that they just let a wolf into their cage. They'll kill you, Victor. Don't think they won't. Out of fear, if nothing else. They'll never believe a word of your story.'

'She's right,' chimed in Berry.

Victor took a deep, long breath. Then, to Berry's relief, nodded abruptly. 'All right. We'll go with my other plan.'

Her eyes widened. 'What other plan?'

Victor smiled thinly. 'The one I just came up with. Three seconds ago.'

The shiver and hollow clang of the shuttle docking into one of the Felicia's entry bays echoed through the little craft.

'No time to explain now,' he said, rising. 'Just follow my lead. Say better, my improvisation.'

* * *

I will never, ever, ever, ever do this again, Thandi thought grimly. For perhaps the twentieth time since they began their EVA, she'd been forced to correct their course due to one of her Amazons. Goddam stupid so-called 'super'-women. Why can't they just act like limp sacks of potatoes? If a princess can do it, they should be able to as well. The idiots!

Ironically, Ruth Winton-the one Thandi had worried about ahead of time-was proving to be the only one of her companions who wasn't giving her any trouble. The princess was doing exactly what Thandi had instructed all of them to do-absolutely nothing. Just ride along in their skinsuits as if they were comatose, allowing Thandi to control their course with the SUTs' slave circuits.

Alas, her Amazons still had more than a trace of that old Scrag sense of superiority. Whatever you can do, I can do better. Hence their continual, aggravating-downright infuriating-attempts to 'help' Thandi.

Fortunately, they didn't have any control over their actual thrusters. Thandi had insisted on completely slaving the controls for the Sustained Use Thruster packs strapped over their standard-issue Marine skinsuits, much to their disgust. Good thing she had, too, she now realized, or this entire jury-rigged expedition would have wound up scattered halfway across Erewhon's orbit. But the Amazons were still able to make Thandi's life miserable by their 'helpful' assumptions of whatever body positions they thought were needed. The end result was a course which consisted of a series of little jerks instead of the smooth, continuous trajectory which