(eng) Mike Resnick - Starship 05 by Flagship

Author:Flagship [Flagship]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

"Sir?" said Rachel Marcos. She was standing in the doorway of the mess hall.

Cole, the only occupant, looked up from his coffee. "What is it?"

"We have a matter of some sensitivity," she said, approaching and sitting down across from him. "I don't know how widespread the knowledge of it may be, so I didn't want to discuss it from the bridge, where we could be overheard."

He stared at her curiously. "All right, what is it?"

"We have two men who may or may not be prisoners," she continued. "Nobody knows—or, rather, nobody but you."

"What the hell are you talking about, Rachel?"

"Mr. Brill and Mr. Dunyach, sir," she replied. "They've been confined to quarters since before we rescued the Octopus on Malagori V."

"Hell, I'd forgotten all about them," said Cole. "We've been a little busy in the interim. I promised to set them down on a neutral planet. We haven't come to one." He frowned. "In fact, the deeper into the Republic we go, the less likely we are to find one. I'll have to think about this."

"Maybe I can help," said Sharon's voice, and her image appeared a moment later.

"How?" asked Cole.

"I stopped by their cabins a couple of hours ago to make sure they were being fed on schedule and had been well treated. They asked me to ask you if they can remain on board. Their feelings haven't changed; they still want to do what they can to bring about the end of the Republic."

Cole looked at Rachel. "That'll be all, Rachel."

She saluted and left.

"So what are you going to do?" asked Sharon. "As you pointed out, it's going to be difficult to find a world where we can drop them."

"Difficult," he repeated. "Not impossible."

"They want to stay on the Teddy R and make war against the Republic."

"Damn it, Sharon!" he said, clearly annoyed. "They disobeyed a direct order from their Captain in the middle of enemy territory! There has to be a consequence!"

"All right," she said. "Then let's dump them on an agricultural world and be done with them—but you can't just keep them confined indefinitely for taking a stand on a matter of principle."

He stared at her image for a long moment. "How's Torres doing?"

"He seems fine," she said. "More than a little ashamed that he gave us the information, but physically he's just about recovered."

"So we did our worst, and he's fine," said Cole. "And if they'd had their way, he'd still be fine but eighty men would be dead."

"I'm not arguing that, Wilson," she said angrily. "Hell, I was an active participant! I'm just saying that we might not return to the Inner Frontier for a year or two, if then. You can't keep them confined to their cabins until then."

"All right," he said. "Let me think about it."

"If you want my opinion—"

"I know your opinion," he growled. "Now leave me alone."

She broke the communication, and Cole sat alone in the mess hall, considering his options. Finally he put through a call to Miguel Flores, whose ship was half a light-year away.

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