Flagship (17 page)

Cole entered the Officers' Lounge to find David Copperfield and the Platinum Duke engaged in an argument rather than a card game. It concerned the percentage of the break for the house in the alien game of
jabob,
and the argument made no sense since David had never played the game, but it didn't stop him from arguing his position passionately.

"Is the ship okay?" asked the Duke.

"Why shouldn't it be?" responded Cole.

"It shook a couple of times, even after we were beyond that Navy ship's firing range."

"We were entering and leaving wormholes."

"Good," said the Duke. "I thought for a minute it might be falling apart."

"You don't seem exceptionally worried."

"You tell me what good worrying will do when you're flung into space without a protective suit and I'll worry my ass off," answered the Duke.

"I assume we're safely away from that ship," said David. "Otherwise, you'd have told me to"—he searched for the right word—
"visit
my bulkhead."

"We're safe."

"Where are we?" asked the little alien.

"The Inner Frontier."

The Platinum Duke chuckled. "So we're back where we started!"

"Not for long," said Cole, sitting down on a chair that looked more comfortable than it fell, as did everything in the Lounge. "I'll give the Navy a few hours to get discouraged and return home, and then we'll reenter the Republic, probably from a new direction."

"Well, I think you'll be doing it without me," said the Duke after a moment.

"Oh?"

"I came with you because the Navy might be attacking Singapore Station, or at least hunting for me on it. But enough time has passed now. Either they've gone, or at least they're not looking for me anymore."

"You don't know that," said David.

"I'm going stir-crazy on this ship," replied the Duke. "Singapore Station is more than my investment. It's my home, and as long as we're this close I'm going back."

"I can't chance sending a shuttle to the station in case the Navy's still there," said Cole. "But I can have one of the shuttles drop you off on a planet where you can find transportation the rest of the way."

"That'll be fine," said the Duke.

"I think you're stupid, going back to a station that may have a few hundred Navy men on it."

The Duke laughed. "Not as crazy as a man who thinks he can overthrow the Republic with eight hundred ships. In fact, do you still have that many?"

"Probably not," admitted Cole.

"Then why not come back to the station with me?"

"Because sooner or later the Navy will be back on the Inner Frontier, and when we try to drive them out, they'll attack Singapore Station in force."

"But you can't seriously think you have a chance to win."

"In a month's time we've gotten rid of Susan Garcia, and we've seen to it that Egan Wilkie couldn't be elected Chief Street Cleaner," Cole pointed out.

"Cosmetic," said the Duke. "The Republic's still there."

"It's a little different than it was yesterday," replied Cole. "I call that progress."

"I call it window dressing," said the Duke.

"No one's stopping you from going," said David Copperfield. "Why are you so bitter that we won't come with you?"

"You'll
come," said the Duke with certainty. "At least they won't be shooting at you on the station."

"Englishmen are made of sterner stuff," said David. "I'm not deserting my friend Steerforth."

"You're
not
an Englishman," said the Duke. "You're not any kind of a man at all."

"Tell him, Steerforth," said David.

"If he says he's an Englishman, that's good enough for me," said Cole.

"You're both crazy!" said the Duke, getting to his feet. "I'm off to pack my gear. Let me know when and where the shuttle can take me."

He left the room and David turned to Cole.

"Thank you for vouching for me, Steerforth," said the little alien.

"I can deny we went to school together in nineteenth-century England," said Cole.
"He
can't."

"You are a true friend, Steerforth," said David.

"You want to make your true friend happy?" said Cole. "Start calling me by my real name."

"It
is
your real name," said David adamantly. "I don't put my life on the line for anyone named Wilson or Cole. That sacrifice is reserved only for classmates."

"Whatever you say," replied Cole wearily.

"Still no sign of 'em," announced Val's voice. "I think the hole dumped em somewhere else."

"Good," said Cole. "How far are we from Singapore Station?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"Ask Pilot."

"If I may make a suggestion, Steerforth?" said David.

"What is it?"

"Once our position is determined, have it transmitted here on a Tri-D cross section of the Frontier."

"Why?"

"It's possible you may have more friends than you know about," answered David. "Or at least more supplies."

"Val, you heard him."

"Coming up. Let me just speak to Wxakgini."

Cole muttered an obscenity. "How come everyone but me can pronounce his name?"

"Oh, names are easy," said David.

"Thanks."

"It's quantum mechanics that are difficult," continued the alien. "Why, it took me months to totally master them."

"I may put you ashore with the Duke," said Cole.

Before David could reply, Val's voice announced, "Coming at you!"—and an instant later the middle of the room was filled with a cross section of the Inner Frontier. A tiny blinking light represented the position of the
Teddy R.

David studied the image for a moment, then moved his finger through it until it reached a large blue star. "Computer, is this Horatius?"

"Yes," answered the computer's voice.

David smiled and touched another star. "Then this would be New Macademia?"

"Yes."

David withdrew his hand and turned to Cole. "I know where we are now." He indicated a nearby yellow star. "See this? It's Nyerere, and the fifth planet circling it is Ngorongoro. I have a trading partner down there."

"A thief or a fence?" asked Cole.

"It depends on the day," replied David easily. "But he owes me a favor. I'm sure he'll be willing to transport the Platinum Duke to Singapore Station."

Cole stared at him. "David, you were one of the hardest-headed businessmen I ever met. No one owes you a favor. You'd never let it go uncollected."

"Semantics," said David.

"What?"

"A matter of tenses."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"He
will
owe me a favor," explained David.

"How do you figure that?"

"You're still a Navy ship. I'll simply tell him that I will misdirect you away from Ngorongoro if he'll provide the Duke with transportation."

"If he's got half as good a security system as yours was, he'll know we're the
Teddy R."

"And by now everyone knows that the
Teddy R
has teamed up with the Octopus, who is a thief and a cutthroat."

"Why don't we just offer him some money to transport the Duke, and save the threats for someone who doesn't figure to be on our side from the outset?" said Cole.

"Well, yes," said David. "I suppose we
could
do that."

"See to it before the shuttle leaves the ship."

"They taught you well in school, Steerforth," said David. "Of course I was just testing you."

"Of course."

"Well, that's that. Shall we go have some kidney pie and Yorkshire pudding?"

"In
our
galley?" asked Cole with an amused smile.

"All right," replied the alien. "Brisket of beef, then, with a good red wine."

"Later, perhaps."

"Fine," said David, getting up and walking to the door. "I'll check my records and see how to contact my friend."

"David, you didn't bring any records."

"All right," admitted the alien. "I'm going to check and make sure he's still in business. Not everyone has my survival instincts."

"I'll vouch for that," said Cole.

"Thank you for the compliment, Steerforth," said David, and left.

Sharon's image instantly appeared. "Have you ever wondered what would have happened if you'd said your name was Wilson Cole the first time you met?"

"He had nine bodyguards with their guns trained on me," answered Cole. "There's every likelihood that he'd have killed me."

"You really think so?"

"He's not always on speaking terms with the truth, but he was right about one thing: he has excellent survival instincts. That's the only way he could have stayed in business all those years. A lot of rivals tried to rob him or kill him, but he's still around and most of them aren't."

"So now that we're out here, what's our next step?"

"Well, Sokolov's still got another abandoned planet to bomb." He paused thoughtfully. "I think I'll have Christine find three or four more, and have each of them transmit a prerecorded message just before we hit them."

"What kind of message?"

"I think a panicky voice saying that the government promised to protect them, and they're being attacked right now, and where the hell is the Navy, and why won't the Republic protect them?
That
kind of message."

"And you'll make sure thousands of worlds hear it."

"Wouldn't be much point in just sending it to Deluros VIII, would it?" answered Cole.

"It's very effective, Wilson, but we can't just bomb abandoned planets forever."

"We don't intend to. But if we're going to throw the rascals out, as the saying goes, we want to make sure most of the populace agrees with us. All we're really doing now is shaping public opinion."

"So what else do you plan to do?" asked Sharon.

"It depends on conditions."

"What conditions."

"Various," said Cole.

"You can be an infuriating person to talk to!"

"So meet me in my cabin later and I promise not to talk."

"Maybe I'll meet you in your cabin, and unless you talk I'll cut off your supply of me."

"Whatever makes you happy," said Cole. "That Gentry's a fine-looking woman. I don't suppose you've noticed?"

"Men!" she snapped, and cut the connection.

"Val," he said, contacting the bridge, "who's working the main computer?"

"Idena."

"Let me speak to her."

Idena Mueller's image instantly appeared. "Yes, sir?"

"I want yon to put me through to Lafferty," he said. "I'm pretty sure he's still in the Cicero asteroid belt. You'll find the coordinates and codes in your machine."

He waited almost two minutes, and then Lafferty's face popped into view above his desk.

"How's it going?" asked Cole.

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"We're making some progress. Susan Garcia is no longer the Fleet Admiral."

"That's a step in the right direction," said Lafferty. "Whoever replaces her won't be as good. How'd you kill her?"

"We didn't."

"Who did—the Teronis?"

"She's still alive," said Cole. "She's just been relieved of command."

"Your doing?" asked Lafferty.

"I'd like to think so."

"One of my men who had to leave the Cicero system tells me you're also destroying millions of civilians."

"It's comforting to know the news is spreading," said Cole.

"Did you really have to kill that many?" asked Lafferty. "Our war is against the government and the Navy."

"I give you my word that we haven't killed a single civilian," said Cole.

Lafferty's image frowned. "Then how—?"

"I'll tell you when I see you. This is supposed to be a secure connection, but I'd prefer not to trust it if I don't have to."

Lafferty nodded his head. "Not a problem. And in the meantime, I'll accept your answer."

"So much for
our
progress," said Cole. "How about yours?"

"We've got our hands on one," answered Lafferty, making sure he wasn't explicit just in case the connection wasn't secure.

"How did you get it?"

Lafferty smiled. "I think we'll also save
that
answer for when we're face-to-face."

"How soon is it ready?" asked Cole.

"It won't be here for another day or two, and then it'll take at least four days to install it and check it out."

"Six days," said Cole. "Yeah, that'll be okay. What about ID?"

"We're blank on that."

"Okay, we've got six days to come up with something. You need anything else?"

"Not right at the moment."

"We'll see you then," said Cole, breaking the connection.

He got to his feet and began pacing, considering his options. He felt too confined, so he went down to the crew's quarters where he could walk with a little more freedom. Next he went up to the bridge, paced around it briskly with an expression that said he didn't want to be bothered, and finally he went to the mess hall, ordered some coffee, and sat staring at it for ten minutes.

After another five minutes had passed, David Copperfield came in.