Solace 02 The Ocean of Years by Roger MacBride Allen

Author:Roger MacBride Allen [Allen, Roger MacBride]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Fiction, General, Science Fiction, Life on Other Planets, Time Travel, Koffield; Anton (Fictitious character)
ISBN: 9780553583649
Publisher: Bantam Books
Published: 2002-06-24T22:00:00+00:00

What about it, Admiral?”

Koffield looked at Marquez. “It might be both small landers. If there is a planet-side emergency, it might well be that the second lander would have to go in for a rescue.”

“Suppose the second lander runs into trouble too?” Bolt asked.

Koffield looked to Bolt and turned his palms up, empty. “Obviously, the Cruzeiro do Sul couldn’t go down after her, or else we could all be marooned on Mars for good. If the second lander fails, that’s that. So if we go down, we’ll definitely lose one lander, and possi-bly two.”

Koffield looked back at Marquez. “I can’t in good conscience offer to buy or replace your landers, because I would have no way to pay for them. You know better than I do, Captain Marquez—I own barely more than the clothes I’m standing up in. I lost nearly everything the first time I was marooned in time, and lost most of the remainder the second. The Planetary Executive of Solace did provide me with a certain amount of discre-tionary funding—but nearly all of it has gone to paying for our transport on Earth—and to buying, as quietly and discreetly as I could, the specialized equipment we’ll need for Mars. But the government of Solace did send us on this trip, and thus, in effect, hired your ship. 1 believe they would compensate you—though there is no way for me to guarantee that.

And we might not make it back to Solace, for whatever reason. You might not want to go back there—and I couldn’t blame you. But I believe they would compensate you. That’s the best I can offer.”

Norla raised her eyebrows. Koffield had just admitted his poverty, and his own lack of authority outside the group, in front of his whole command. Plainly, he had felt he had no choice but to play it absolutely straight with Marquez. In that, he was probably right. Marquez knew the score as well as Koffield did. No sense in any of us trying to kid each other anymore, she thought. Marquez nodded. “You’re asking me to take lots of chances,” he said. “A lot of chances.” He considered for a moment.

Norla watched Koffield’s face. There was a whisper of desperation behind his hard and determined expression. If Marquez said no—

“We’ll use the São Paulo first,” Marquez said at last. “I never did like the way she handled on docking anyway.”

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