The Ninth Circle (69 page)
Authors: R. M. Meluch
Calli turned around toward the corridor. Kerry Blue had already withdrawn.
Calli turned back to her officers and let herself look astonished. “Since when? When did this happen?”
“From the date on the certificate, we were in Port Campbell,” said Rob Roy.
“It’s an Ozzie contract,” said Dingo. Sounded as if he approved.
“Mister Ryan. Have Mo check the Marine over.”
“You think Kerry’s ill?” said Dingo.
“I think she’s lost it,” said Calli.
“Because she thinks Steele is still alive?”
“Because she thinks she
knows
Steele is alive.”
knows
Steele is alive.”
Rob Roy demurred. “Doesn’t mean she’s crazy. Tales of psychic connections between loved ones are universal. They’ve never been proved. But.” He ended with a shrug.
“I don’t believe in it,” Calli said.
“Well, we know
we
don’t have one,” Rob Roy admitted. He could read Sanskrit better than he could read Calli’s mind. “But I can’t insist it doesn’t exist. Jose Maria believes in it. Smart man, Jose Maria.”
we
don’t have one,” Rob Roy admitted. He could read Sanskrit better than he could read Calli’s mind. “But I can’t insist it doesn’t exist. Jose Maria believes in it. Smart man, Jose Maria.”
“Jose Maria believes in the biblical God,” Calli said.
“It doesn’t matter what Kerry Blue or my Aunt Martha believes,” said Dingo Ryan. “Steele is either dead and we’ll never find him, or he’s not dead and we need to find him now, now, now.”
Calli had to reconsider. Even throwing out the idea of a psychic connection, maybe a degree of doubt was still in order. “That man has died more than most. He may even hold some kind of record. I don’t want to count Steele out if there’s
any
hope at all. But really. What are the odds?”
any
hope at all. But really. What are the odds?”
“The odds?” said Commander Ryan. “The odds say Adamas really carked it this time.”
Calli’s nodded. Whether Steele vanished because of accidental equipment failure or intentional sabotage, the end was the same. Kidnap was an unreasonably exotic idea.
Calli ordered, “Have the boffins tear the colonel’s crate apart. And I want the displacement gear sifted down to nanite scale. I’m not ready to declare. And what the hell, we already know his next of kin can wait.”
37
M
ERRIMACK
was still in orbit around Zoe when Lieutenant Glenn Hamilton received a summons before the captain.
ERRIMACK
was still in orbit around Zoe when Lieutenant Glenn Hamilton received a summons before the captain.
Glenn had been dreading this review. Afraid she didn’t mask it well.
Dingo Ryan was glib enough. It wasn’t his career on the line. He winked as if he knew something. “So you went native ashore, Hamster?”
Oh, hell. Was that what the captain told him?
“No,” said Glenn. “I went human.”
Dingo said, “That never really works among aliens.”
Glenn kept her mouth shut, her lips pressed in a tight line. It had not been her finest hour.
Glenn left the command deck and marched toward her doom.
Merrimack
was alive around her. Hatches banged open or shut. Water trickled in the conduits. Boots clanged on ladders. Lifts hissed. Voices murmured, shouted, laughed. So many voices. Glenn Hull Hamilton loved this ship. She was going to miss it.
was alive around her. Hatches banged open or shut. Water trickled in the conduits. Boots clanged on ladders. Lifts hissed. Voices murmured, shouted, laughed. So many voices. Glenn Hull Hamilton loved this ship. She was going to miss it.
After what Dingo had said, she was pretty sure she was getting a reprimand for her actions on world. The delay in
Merrimack
’s departure would give her a place to go if she wanted to quit rather than take a reduction in rank. Had to be why Carmel hadn’t left orbit yet.
Merrimack
’s departure would give her a place to go if she wanted to quit rather than take a reduction in rank. Had to be why Carmel hadn’t left orbit yet.
Glenn entered the briefing compartment. The captain was there and waiting. There was no Marine guard inside the hatch. That was a good sign. It meant no one was expecting Hamster to go parabolic when she received the news. And there was no Rob Roy in here. Absence of legal counsel was a great sign. Glenn hoped it was a great sign anyway.
Calli bade Glenn sit across from her at the table.
Glenn sat, rigid. The captain passed a data capsule across the table.
Glenn took it, questioningly. “Sir?” It had a Navy seal on it. Had to be a reprimand. An official one at that.
The captain said, “I’m making an assumption here. I don’t want that to look like I’m pushing you out the air lock.”
Glenn saw what she had in her hand. Not a rep. Far from it. Captain Carmel had made an official recommendation for Lieutenant Glenn Hamilton to be given her own command.
That meant a transfer to a ship that didn’t need a xenolinguist.
Patrick had been holding her back.
Patrick was staying on Zoe.
There was nothing holding her here now.
Be careful what you wish for
.
.
“Thank you, sir.”
Cal gave her head a minimal shake. “You’re ready. You’ve been ready.”
Glenn displaced to the LEN expedition camp.
The LEN scientific expedition were allowed to stay on world for now—by leave of Caesar Numa and under Roman supervision.
It was before dawn in this time zone. But
Merrimack
was leaving. It was now or never.
Merrimack
was leaving. It was now or never.
Glenn had signaled ahead. She told Patrick to meet her at the edge of the sleeping camp.
Patrick’s eyes did the quick head to foot when she thunderclapped into existence on the landing disk.
Patrick saw his wife was in uniform. She hadn’t brought any belongings with her. He didn’t look awfully surprised. He did look awfully disappointed.
Glenn stepped off the disk. She moved in close, laid her hand on Patrick’s chest, her head bowed. She told him what he already knew. “I can’t stay.” She had to whisper, because her voice didn’t work.
“I don’t want a divorce,” said Patrick.
“I don’t either.” Tears burned to get out. She was not going to cry. “I don’t want to separate, but that’s what’s happening.”
“I don’t want a legal separation,” said Patrick.
Glenn sniffled, lifted her head. “Neither do I.”
“This isn’t going to work,” said Patrick.
Glenn nodded silent agreement.
Probably not
.
Probably not
.
But there was no need to force it.
Patrick said, “The pack keeps asking for you.”
He had been out with the foxes again.
Glenn said, “They get over their losses quick.”
“They keep asking.”
“Patrick, don’t you make me cry.” She held in her tears.
It was still dark. She looked up to the half starry sky at the rim of the Milky Way. Patrick followed her gaze. He said, “Make up a constellation with me?”
“Um.” He’d thrown her off guard. She said, “Okay.” It was something to keep her from crying. Glenn pointed out the groups of stars she and Nox had already named. “There’s Akela. That’s Nag and Nagaina. That’s Zam-Zammah. Those are Nox’s. There’s the
Merrimack
. Statue of Liberty. And that’s—okay that’s an ice cream cone.”
Merrimack
. Statue of Liberty. And that’s—okay that’s an ice cream cone.”
“An ice cream cone?” Patrick chided.
“I felt like ice cream,” Glenn snapped, almost crying, almost smiling.
“What about that group of stars.” Patrick pointed. “From big blue there to that tight pair five degrees down, over to the reddish cluster.”
“I don’t think we did anything with that,” Glenn said. She sniffled.
“That’s not taken?” Patrick said.
“No. That’s yours. Give it a name.”
“Glenn Hull.”
She caught in her breath. She couldn’t think of anything to say.
Patrick was pointing up. “And how about those stars. Next to you. The five red ones. Are those taken?”
She shook her head.
Patrick named them. “That’s Princess.”
Glenn threw her arms around him, cried into his ear, “Patrick, don’t let the clokes take over Zoe. Don’t let those monsters take root on this world.”
She was not sure how she expected him to do that. There had been too much talk of letting the surviving clokes stay on Zoe.
She felt Patrick’s palm on her back. He said, “I thought I’d put the clokes’ fate into the paws of whose world this is.”
Glenn pulled back, blinked at him. “The foxes?”
He gave a shrug. “You know what they say. Dig up a clutch of cloke eggs you stop the clokes for a day. Teach a fox to dig—”
Glenn gave a wobbly smile. “You don’t need to teach a fox to dig.”
“Teach a fox to dig up ugly ugly bad bad . . .”
You stop them forever
.
.
Anyone who wanted to preserve the clokes would need to relocate them. Zoe was
not
going to sustain cloke life.
not
going to sustain cloke life.
Tears broke out. Glenn smiled, sniffed. She held him tight. Her fist closed on the back of his shirt. “Patrick Hamilton, I am going to miss you.”
As
Merrimack
left the Zoen star system, Glenn brooded over the lost soul that was Nox.
Merrimack
left the Zoen star system, Glenn brooded over the lost soul that was Nox.
Nox had done evil ghastly things, and she had no business feeling fond of him. At some point she knew she would decompress, get her head clear, and find the ability to loathe him. For now she felt loss and waste.
What was a devil but an angel gone wrong?
“How does one become so twisted?” she wondered out loud.
She was killing a bottle of Kentucky bourbon with Captain Carmel and Rob Roy Buchanan in the Captain’s Mess. The bottle had belonged to another John Farragut.
Rob Roy suggested, “When you cast people out from society, they’re going to exist outside of society. You make them outlaws. Punishment may make the victim feel better, but as far as teaching a lesson to the offender or making an example of him, punishment accomplishes the opposite of what you like to think it does. Jesus had the right idea, but the Old Testament is so much easier to follow.”
“There was a lot to the man,” said Glenn. “I would have thought Rome could do more with him than toss him out as trash.”
“Yes,” said Calli, her voice hard. “You would think.”
Glenn told Calli, “The Xerxes didn’t need to crash into the Ark. Nox didn’t need to ride the Xerxes in. He didn’t need to be aboard.”
“No, he didn’t,” Calli agreed.
“He could have bailed.”
“He could have,” said Calli.
He could have. “But we didn’t see any life craft from the Xerxes. Ambassadorial ships have great escape boats. The pirates didn’t use them.”
Rob Roy recounted the facts. “Antimatter detonated inside the Ark. We saw the Striker fly out. And there is no chance the pirates were somehow aboard the Striker.” He paused on that one. “Is there?”
“No,” said Glenn and Calli together.
The Striker was physically too small.
And after more consideration Calli questioned, “Why the hell would Numa sacrifice the Xerxes?”
“He didn’t,” said Glenn. “Not on purpose. I’m sure he thought the Striker would win the tug-of-war with the Xerxes.”
“The patterner
lost?
” said Calli, eyebrows high. “That doesn’t fit the kind of patterner we both know.”
lost?
” said Calli, eyebrows high. “That doesn’t fit the kind of patterner we both know.”
Now that she thought of it, Glenn had to agree. “Augustus would never have lost that battle.”
Patterners never lost their grip. Not accidentally. When a patterner lost, he had a reason.
“And even after the Striker lost its hold, the Xerxes might have survived a collision with the Ark,” said Calli. “I don’t know why the Xerxes detonated. There was no need for that either. A Xerxes’ containment system should have survived impact. I think.”
But it hadn’t survived. It was an incontrovertible fact that antimatter had detonated inside the Ark.
That meant the pirates committed suicide and took the alien Ark with them.
“Maybe Nox’s Circle just wasn’t that familiar with the ship’s controls,” Rob Roy offered. “Or maybe they wanted to go out with a big bang.”
The Xerxes was a valuable piece of equipment. The patterner had tried to salvage it but couldn’t overpower pirates hell-bent on freedom or death.
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