Firmament: Machiavellian by J. Grace Pennington

Author:J. Grace Pennington [Pennington, J. Grace]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2014-10-16T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter XII

No one replied to the Captain’s decided announcement. My lips parted involuntarily, and a muted heat washed over me. It wasn’t what I’d been expecting, but I had the feeling that I should have seen it coming.

A quick glance at Guilders showed me that the Captain hadn’t consulted with the older man about the decision. His face wouldn’t have looked surprised to a stranger, but I, who had known him so long, could read the slight furrow of his bushy, white eyebrows and the extra stiffness of his shoulders to see that he was startled, and even hurt.

I looked back at the Captain as he began to speak again. “I know that some of you are against this proposition. But Whales and I have looked at the probabilities and it seems to be worth a try. We all know our purpose on this vessel—to discover, explore, document. This opportunity is unprecedented in the history of space exploration. It gives us not only the chance to befriend the inhabitants of Kainus Ge, but the tools to help and ally with any other races we may come upon in the future.”

For two seconds, everything was silent. McMillan continued tapping his fingers, eyes fixed on the Captain. Guilders didn’t move, and Whales remained business-like, as usual.

The Doctor, however, didn’t keep quiet for long.

“What about the laws against going into the galactic center?”

I realized then that this was the first time it had been said out loud.

“I haven’t made this decision lightly, Gerry…” the Captain began, but Guilders cut him off.

“And what will you do when ISA finds out? You could lose your license for this, Trent.”

“They won’t find out until we get back,” he explained. “And by then, we’ll be safe and able to show the value of the substance. It will no longer be an issue.”

“Have you thought of asking permission?” Guilders asked.

I squirmed, remembering his statement to me. “Sometimes it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission…”

The Captain shook his head. “You know all the red tape that would bring about. I don’t want to leave those people back on that planet…”—he jerked his thumb over his shoulder as if Kainus Ge were behind us—“…to die of heatstroke and starvation for another few years while the matter gets dragged out in the court of some bureaucrat who’s never seen what we’ve seen. You weren’t there, Guilders. You don’t know what it’s like.”

“It doesn’t matter what it’s like.”

I turned in the direction of the new voice. It was Lee. He had leaned forward for the first time, and his cheekbones were defined by the tightness of his jaw.

“Harrison, it doesn’t matter what it’s like,” he repeated, “not if it’s wrong.”

The Captain didn’t move at first. He kept his face towards the Doctor, but his eyes no longer focused. His chest rose and fell with deep breaths, then he turned slowly towards his brother, eyes blazing in a restrained way that made it frightening.

“Did I ask your opinion?”

“No,” Lee said, without backing down. “Nor did you when you left.

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