Probability Space (40 page)

“Dr. Capelo, an honor,” General Dvorovenko said.

“Not from my side,” Capelo said flatly. “I’m not too enamored of the army that has kept me locked up for six months.”

“That was General Stefanak’s army,” Dvorovenko said. “The situation has changed. However, I would appreciate the chance to talk uninterrupted, Dr. Capelo.”

Capelo shrugged. He was propped in a chair, which had been wheeled in by a doctor. He looked terrible, his broken arm and ribs in medcasts and his face sagging, but not as terrible as when Kaufman had seen him last. How many hours ago? No way to tell.

“My first duty,” Dvorovenko said, “is to tell you that Admiral Pierce is on his way to congratulate you personally. He’s still on the Herndon System side of Space Tunnel Number One, but is proceeding with all possible speed to the tunnel and will pass through well in advance of the closing time your equations indicate, Dr. Capelo. He will be present for the press conference, of course.”

Marbet shot Capelo a warning glance. He caught it and shrugged again. Kaufman realized that the two had already been brought together and had had a chance to confer.

“Of course,” Dvorovenko continued sourly, “we would have preferred to break the news ourselves to the media about the admiral’s heroism and the tragic closing of the tunnels. But since Ms. Grant has seen fit to do so, it’s important that everyone understand how much information can be released publicly without compromising military security.”

And then Kaufman understood.

Marbet had added a broadcast to Tom’s farewell message to his family. While he had been out-racing the closing tunnels and the SADC military, she had quietly recorded the broadcast Kaufman had neglected to make. But unlike Kaufman, she hadn’t stuck to the truth. She’d told a version glorifying Pierce, a total lie, and then released it piggy-backing on Capelo’s message so Kaufman would have no chance to question its content. She’d tailored that content pragmatically, to save their lives. The transmission represented bargaining, not truth.

And Kaufman thought he was the negotiator on this team.

“I think, General Dvorovenko,” Marbet said, “that we all understand the situation. Dr. Capelo and Colonel Kaufman and I will say as little as possible. When asked questions, we will tell the truth, the same truth I explained on my transmission. That Solar Alliance Defense Council forces raced out to meet an overwhelmingly large invasion of Fallers before they could reach Space Tunnel Number One. That a major battle was fought in Gemini System, and when it became evident that the Fallers would win and invade the Solar System, our brave soldiers did the only thing possible, under Admiral Pierce’s orders.

“Admiral Pierce knew from the brilliant work of Dr. Capelo, who had been working in secret for the good of the war effort, that if both artifacts were set off at prime thirteen that would not, as previously thought, destroy spacetime. Instead, it would cause the closing of the tunnels. Faced with that terrible alternative, Admiral Pierce ordered the artifact brought through Tunnel Number One. He brought all remaining human troops out and detonated the artifact by remote. And Tunnel Number One closed, saving the Solar System from destruction.”

The entire table looked at Marbet: Dvorovenko with the dislike of a person forced to depend on someone he did not trust. Capelo with sardonic irony; he hated having to lie about what had happened, but would do it for the sake of his family. Kaufman with … what? With admiration for how fast she’d thought, and for the tidy aptness of her lies. And with sadness that she’d lied at all. Death, accompanied by truth, would have been more honorable.

“Then we are all agreed on the facts,” Dvorovenko said, with the same sour tone in his voice. “The next step is to listen again to Ms. Grant’s recording. Then as soon as Admiral Pierce arrives, we can open the comlinks to the press.”

“As soon as Admiral Pierce arrives.”
This time Kaufman heard Dvorovenko’s voice, really heard it. That sour note was not because Marbet had released her transmission first. In fact, that probably added to Pierce’s credibility; the story of his heroism was being told by an impartial civilian. No, Dvorovenko’s sourness was because Marbet had glorified Pierce at all. Dvorovenko would have preferred Pierce to be vilified, because vilification would have led to counterrevolution. Dvorovenko supported Pierce in name only.

Did Pierce know? No, or Dvorovenko would not be commanding the tunnel fleet. There must be many generals like this, supporting the supreme commander because the alternative was death, but also biding their time, waiting for their chance. The old, old story … conspirators and the crown.

Kaufman looked at Marbet, shifted his eyes very slightly toward Dvorovenko. She gave a tiny nod. She had heard it, too. Or, more likely, she had known the situation from her first glimpse of Dvorovenko.

There was no way for either of them to use the information. The deal had already been struck. Kaufman prepared himself to publicly praise Admiral Pierce, the man who had murdered Sullivan Stefanak, Laslo Damroscher, Magdalena, Ethan McChesney, Prabir Chand …

“Colonel Brady, are the recorders ready?” Dvorovenko asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“Then in a few minutes … what’s that noise?”

Shouting in the corridor. Running footsteps. A captain burst through the door. “Sorry, sir, you’re needed on the bridge, a priority-one SCI transmission and we’re the action addressee.”

“Is that reason for such a disturbance?” Dvorovenko said testily. “Get those men quiet!”

“Yes, sir. It’s the newscasts, sir.”

Dvorovenko hurried out of the room. The two lesser generals glanced at each other, then followed him. The three colonels remained.

Capelo said, “Put on the newscast, somebody. I don’t believe this sumptuous conference room doesn’t have newscast capability.”

No one moved.

“Oh, Jesus Newton God, I’ll do it myself!”

But Capelo couldn’t get his power chair to move without help. He tried to climb out of the chair and fell back, wincing. Kaufman got up and coded the wall screen for outside newscasts; it was standard military issue. He expected the officers to stop him, but they didn’t. Probably they were curious, too.

The screen displayed the “MQ&A News” logo. MQ&A was an underground newscast, frequently arrested and shut down by the government and then, phoenix from the ashes, resuming its voice elsewhere. They managed to put robocams or even live reporters in the most unlikely places.

A news avatar who might have been any ethnicity said excitedly, “—still only rumors. However, the conspiracy to erroneously claim the space tunnels are closing is causing widespread panic among the corporations of the Solar System. The target of the conspiracy was rumored to be Admiral Pierce, expected to return from the other side of Space Tunnel Number One later today. Rumors say the admiral might have walked into a death trap. The conspirators, MQ&A has been told, are even now being identified and rounded up by the SADC. Again, these are unsubstantiated reports that have been released to MBC from an unnamed source. However—”

The screen blanked.

“Those irresponsible bastards…” one of the colonels growled. She rose and left the room.

Again Kaufman glanced at Marbet. She shook her head. Whatever was happening now, it didn’t originate from her wildcat broadcast.

More shouting in the corridor, abruptly cut off. A second colonel left the room. The third one strode to the door and shouted, “Lieutenant?”

“Sir?” She materialized instantly.

“What the hell is happening out there?”

“I’m not sure, sir, but they say … someone said…”

“Said
what?”

“That the tunnel closed, sir. That we lost a ship, it just rammed into it and disappeared. And … and Admiral Pierce hasn’t come through yet.”

The colonel glared at the hapless lieutenant. Finally he snapped, “Guard these people!” and left.

“Yes, sir.” The lieutenant took up a position half in and half out the door, ears dearly attuned for more news from the rest of the ship.

Capelo laughed. “Pierce on the other side of the closed tunnel”

“You don’t know that’s it’s true,” Kaufman said. He felt dazed. Too much was happening too fast.

“Are you warning
me
to respect facts, Lyle?”

Marbet said, “Do you think MQ&A was right? That there was a conspiracy … No, wait a minute. The news avatar said there was a conspiracy to convince Pierce the tunnel closings were true although they’re really lies! But they
are
true!”

Capelo laughed again. “And if Pierce is really trapped on the other side, the conspiracy’s against him, all right.”

Kaufman saw the lieutenant was listening avidly. Kaufman said, “The conspiracy … if there is a conspiracy … was someone trying to get Pierce to believe the tunnels were
not
dosing, and that saying the opposite was only an attempt to lure him into ambush. If that’s so, it implicates you, Tom. Your work.”

“So what?” Capelo said. “My work
is
real. The tunnel closed, just about … let me see … ten minutes ago. And if that’s the way it happened, Pierce is trapped on the other side of the tunnel. Forever. Man missed the last lifeboat on the
Titanic,
the last ship out of Atlantis.”

Slowly the lieutenant turned to face the three civilians in the room. Kaufman was suddenly glad he was wearing an army uniform; it might make the young man answer. “Lieutenant, if Admiral Pierce is trapped on the other side of the tunnel, who’s in charge here?”

“General Dvorovenko, sir.”

Would Dvorovenko have engineered this? No, Kaufman decided. Dvorovenko had been reluctant for the entire press conference to go forward. So who?

Marbet said to Kaufman, very low, “Not Dvorovenko. Not any military. The reactions of the officers are wrong for that.”

Capelo heard them. Unlike the others, he didn’t bother to keep his voice down. Maimed and battered, covered with foamcasts and med patches, too skinny and too stressed, the physicist looked like a chewed-upon rat. He said loudly, “Not military? But who else would Pierce listen to? What bloody civilian genius would have had the sheer balls, not to mention the sheer influence, to convince Pierce that scientific truth wasn’t actually truth but just a political conspiracy directed at him personally? Somebody played on Pierce’s weakest point, his paranoia.”

General Dvorovenko came back into the room, trailed by his officers. Kaufman didn’t have to be a Sensitive to read the shock and excitement in their bearings.

“Gentlemen, madam,” Dvorovenko said, “we have a change of plan. The press conference will go forward, but not with you. The situation has changed. You will be conducted to your quarters to await further briefing.”

“Wait, please, General,” Marbet said sweetly. All at once she looked younger, very vulnerable, a defenseless woman appealing to a knowledgeable source of power. “Could you tell us what happened? I mean, we’d hear it on the news, I know, but … could you tell us?”

“Certainly, Ms. Grant. Admiral Pierce has been tragically trapped behind the closing tunnel while fighting off a last sudden attack by Fallers. He cannot return. The effective government he left behind will guarantee a smooth transition to his second-in-command on Mars, Acting Supreme Commander General Yang Lee.”

Capelo gave a hilarious snort.

Kaufman knew nothing of Yang Lee; the general must have risen in power while Kaufman was on World. He said to Dvorovenko, “General, is General Lee in a position to keep in check the unrest that will inevitably occur with such huge changes to the … the Solar System as a whole?” No war. No space tunnels. No commerce with colonies. Half the navy gone forever behind the tunnels.

“I’m sure he will be able to do that,” Dvorovenko said. “You three will be escorted now to your quarters.”

“Thank you,” Marbet said.

They followed the young lieutenant from the room. In the corridor Marbet said to Kaufman, “I’m staying with you, Lyle.”

“Me, too,” Capelo said. The lieutenant, eager to return to the conference room, made no objection.

In a stateroom Kaufman had never seen before (“your quarters”), he and Marbet and Tom looked at each other. Marbet said, “Another revolution? More fighting?”

“Can’t tell,” Kaufman said. “Everything’s different.”

“And Pierce is gone,” she said.

Capelo said, “When do you think they’ll take us home?”

“Oh, soon,” Marbet said. “We’re public figures now. Of course, Tom, you were before.”

“Fuck that,” Capelo said, “I just want to see my family again.”

Kaufman said, “We still have to stick to the story Marbet concocted.”

She faced him. “You resent me for that, Lyle, don’t you.”

He didn’t answer.

Capelo said, “She saved all our lives, Lyle.”

“I know.”

Capelo said, with sudden force, “And if you’d have thought of it, you’d have done the same thing, Lyle. Look at all the lies you told to get us as far as Tunnel Number One. Don’t resent it now because this time you’re not the one who masterminded the brilliant deception. Give her the Goddamn credit and stop trying to be the only one who can run the show.”

Anger flooded Kaufman. Before he could react, Capelo had headed his power chair toward the door. “I’m going to sleep while I can. But I know one thing … I’d really like to meet whoever set up Pierce to stay behind that tunnel long enough for it to close.
There’s
the brilliant deceiver that makes both you and Marbet look like snakeoil salesmen.

“I wonder who the hell it was.”

THIRTY-FOUR

THERA STATION, MARS ORBIT

D
uring the weeks traveling from Space Tunnel #1, Kaufman divided his time between the observation deck and the confused, contradictory, delayed broadcasts from Mars.

He and Capelo and Marbet traveled first class, aboard a luxury liner with the silly name
Golden Diamond
. The ship had been carrying businesspeople, diplomats, and tourists to Artemis System. Now, having no tunnel to Artemis, it had turned around and sailed for home with its bewildered load of passengers. Most of the tunnel fleet was likewise being detached and sent back to Mars. At this end of the Solar System there was nothing left to defend, and no one to defend it against.