“Yes, I did. What was that?”
Duellos spoke with clear reluctance. “I doubt that Captain Desjani has heard, unless someone claiming to be a friend has passed on the rumors, but you should probably be aware that some of the rumors claim that you and Captain Desjani enjoy a close relationship.”
It was Geary’s turn to frown. “I take it you mean something more than a close professional relationship.”
Duellos nodded, his expression reflecting distaste at having to discuss the matter.
“Are they claiming I’m cheating on Rione? I thought the whole fleet knew about her.”
“Apparently you’re able to keep two women happy,” Duellos replied, then quirked a sardonic smile. “One man allegedly able to keep the likes of Rione and Desjani contented. By all rights that should enhance your reputation, I’d think.”
“It’s not exactly funny,” Geary responded.
“No. It implicates not just your honor but also Captain Desjani’s, and for that matter Co-President Rione’s.” Duellos shrugged. “Anyone seen as your ally is fair game for those who oppose you.”
“Including you?”
Duellos nodded silently, and Geary shook his head. “I shouldn’t be surprised. But I’ll watch my step with Desjani, ensuring there’s nothing that even the most twisted mind could warp into some kind of improper action between us.”
“Twisted minds are enormously inventive,” Duellos pointed out. “If you were on my ship, they’d probably be spreading the same rumors about you and me.”
“No offense, Captain Duellos, but you’re not my type.”
“None taken,” Duellos replied with a grin. “Besides, my wife would look askance on such a relationship.”
“Women can be like that,” Geary agreed, recalling that Duellos had a family back in Alliance space, then couldn’t help a small, derisive smile. “For a guy allegedly with two women, I’m sure not getting lucky very often.”
“Look at the bright side,” Duellos offered. “If you really were cheating on Rione with Desjani, or vice versa, one or both of those women would surely kill you and laugh as they watched you die. Women can be like that, too.”
“They can indeed. Especially women like Rione and Desjani. Thanks for the heads-up on those rumors. I don’t want anyone’s honor questioned on my account.” Geary hesitated as another question came to mind along with memories of Rione. “That stuff that Captain Badaya brought up, about the hypernet gates…”
Duellos nodded calmly. “We managed to defuse that.”
“How much do you know about that?”
“Species extinction.” Captain Duellos leaned back again, closing his eyes for a moment. “Supernovas or novas going off in every star system with a hypernet gate in it. Commander, pardon me, Captain Cresida has let a small group of us know of the potential threat. She anticipated you might need backing up on the matter.” Opening his eyes, Duellos gave Geary a serious look. “I hope you won’t be angry with her. I think Cresida was wise to tell a few of us, as you saw during this conference when the subject came up.”
“I did see that,” Geary admitted. “You’re right. She was smart to do it. I’m frankly afraid for anyone to know, but if we’re to prevent the worst from happening, some people have to know.”
“Who else have you told?”
“Only Co-President Rione.”
“Ah. An Alliance senator.” Duellos grimaced. “The Alliance Senate would vote to use the gates, to explode the ones within Syndic space. You know that, don’t you?”
“That’s was Rione’s assessment, too. And the Syndics would have time to figure out what we were doing and retaliate in kind.”
Duellos nodded, suddenly looking older. “If you get this fleet home, you carry with it the knowledge to wipe out the human race.”
“Yup.” Geary slumped and rubbed his forehead. “Do you want to take over command?”
“Not on your life.” Duellos’s eyes strayed to the star display. “Perhaps the living stars have decided humanity is a hopeless case.”
“The living stars didn’t create the hypernet gates,” Geary replied, his voice harsh.
“If they guided us, it’s the same-”
“Someone…something else gave us that technology. I’m sure of it.”
Duellos pondered the words for a long time before answering. “Some thing. Nonhuman?”
“That’s my guess. Rione agrees with it. We think they’re on the far side of Syndic space.”
“An interesting idea.” Another long pause. “They gave us poison wrapped in candy and are just waiting for us to pop it into our mouths?”
“Maybe.” Geary made a gesture toward the star display. “We can only guess at their motivations. They’re right that humanity is just stupid enough to take their gift and wipe itself out, but they forgot something else about people.”
Duellos raised a questioning eyebrow. “And that would be?”
“We hate being told what to do, and we’re very unpredictable.”
The other officer smiled. “True. May I share this information?”
“Yeah.” Geary thought a moment. “Tell the same people who know about the hypernet gates. I’ve been so afraid of what might happen if the wrong people hear that I forgot to make sure more of the right people know what’s going on. Just in case something happens to me.”
Duellos frowned again. “Bad as we’ve become, assassination of superior officers has never been a path to advancement in the Alliance fleet.”
Geary couldn’t help laughing. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that. But, you know, there’s a war on. People get hurt.”
“So I’ve heard.” Duellos stood slowly, his face thoughtful. “The stakes keep rising, and the responsibility ultimately rests on you. How are you doing?”
“Lousy.”
Duellos nodded. “If worse comes to worst, and you are lost in combat, I’ll do my best. With everything. You have my word on the honor of my ancestors.”
Geary stood as well, reaching to grasp the shoulder of the image and remembering in time to just mimic the gesture. “I never doubted that. Thank you, my friend.”
Duellos saluted, Geary returned the gesture, and the image vanished, leaving Geary truly alone again.
FOUR
NO matter how bad it got, no matter how lonely and isolated he felt in command of this fleet, there were always his ancestors.
When the fleet finally reached the right point around the sun of Baldur and entered jump space en route to Sendai, Geary watched the external display change from endless star-spangled black to endless dull gray shot through with occasional lights that bloomed and faded. No one had known what the lights were in Geary’s time, since it had been impossible to explore jump space, and with the advent of the hypernet, interest in jump space had faded. Or maybe the lines of research that might have explained the lights in jump space had been forestalled by the need to support the war with all the scientific, technical, and monetary means available.
Captain Desjani caught Geary gazing at the lights, realized that Geary had noticed her noticing him, and looked away quickly. She’d told him soon after he assumed command that many sailors believed that Geary had been one of those lights, his spirit resting in the otherwise unchanging expanse of jump space until the Alliance’s need was so desperate that the legendary Black Jack Geary would return to save his people. Did they still believe that, after learning that Geary had actually been drifting in a damaged survival pod orbiting the star named Grendel at the edge of Alliance space for all those years, the beacon inoperative, the survival sleep equipment barely keeping him alive until this fleet stumbled across him?
Would he ever see Grendel again? He didn’t particularly want to. It was pretty much a useless star, the sort of
