Father started speaking. “My daughter Yerim, I hope this message finds you well, and does not cause you concern. Let me assure you in advance that we have matters under control. This morning I have received a visit from the local representative of Holmes Agro.” I nearly dropped my coffee when he said that. “He expressed grave concern about your performance in your job and in how, he claims, you are failing in your responsibilities. He told me that if he cannot trust the daughter, perhaps he cannot trust the father.”
Holmes wasn’t messing around. Despite my clear warnings the night before, he was putting pressure on my family. I opened a call window to record a reply, but Father continued, “I told the representative that anyone who would question the integrity of my daughter was a man whose judgment I could not trust, and he did not need my rice. I have canceled all our contracts with Holmes, and I am placing my rice futures on the open market.” Father looked down at his comp, and then looked back at the pickup. “I suspect he is spreading rumors to blackball me. The only bids I have so far are below last week’s prices.” That would be bad. Holmes usually paid a premium above market so as to ensure their supply. Now Father would not only lose that premium, he wouldn’t even make market rates.
Again I reached for the reply window, but Father’s words stopped me. “Again, daughter, do not let this concern you. The honor of the Park family cannot be bought at any price. I do not know what you have done to upset Mr. Holmes, but I trust that it was the right thing, and your mother and I will be proud of you when we learn it. Do not waver now. There are always hungry people in the worlds, and I shall find buyers for my rice. We shall never find another daughter like you, Yerim. Park out.”
I choked back tears, and I found my voice to record my reply. “Father, I am your daughter. I cannot do less than the right thing. Thank you. I love you and Mother. This will be a long voyage to Mars and back, and I will think of you the entire time. I will not let you down. Park Yerim out.” I pushed the message to the “Send” queue.
I felt awful that Father was going to lose money due to my work, but I felt so proud that he wouldn’t back down. Anger, regret, and pride warred within me, and I sat there shaking with growing fury and weeping with pride. At last I pushed a copy of Father’s message to Admiral Reed, along with a comment: “Admiral, based on this and last night’s conversation with Mr. Holmes, I recommend an investigation of Holmes and Holmes Agro for interference in this case and for whatever else we can pin on them. Holmes Agro is outside the defined bounds of my plenary power for this case, so I can’t make that call myself, Admiral; but if you choose to pursue an investigation there, I volunteer for the case.”
I breathed deeply, calming myself. I was moved by Father’s trust in me, and I was determined to be worthy of it. Admiral Reed could tell me how to do my job, but I wouldn’t allow anyone else to try.
At last I relaxed enough to continue through my message queue. My very next item was a picture message: Adika, sitting up in bed and smiling through a breathing mask. There was no text attached, but I didn’t need any. “Matt,” I said into my comm as I rose from the desk, “if anyone needs me, I’ll be in the infirmary.”
When I got to the infirmary, Adika was sitting up, and the breathing mask was gone. Head Nurse Lloyd leaned across the bed and fed Adika through a straw. Adika saw me come in, and he spit the straw out. “Please, Carl, the broth is delicious, but I can eat later. I have a visitor.” He wore the same warm smile he had had in his photo message.
Lloyd turned and saw me. “Hello, Inspector.” He looked down at his comp. “You’re on the approved visitor list. But please, keep it short. He still has a lot of resting to do. And Commander”—Lloyd pointed a finger at Adika—“don’t get too excited. Those lungs are still under warranty, but we don’t want to replace them again anytime soon.” Lloyd put Adika’s breathing mask back on, and then he went into the next ward.
I walked over to Adika’s bedside. I wanted to touch him, to shake his hand or press his shoulder or somehow make contact with the man who had saved my life. Probably saved the ship. I wanted to feel that he was real, that he was alive and would stay that way. But he had too many wires and tubes attached, and I didn’t dare touch anything. Lung replacement was a common emergency surgery these days, but it was still a major shock to the system. So I just stood close, and I smiled.
Adika’s voice was muffled by the breathing mask. “Inspector. I am so glad to see you are well.”
I laughed at that. “Me? You’re the one with the new lungs, Commander.”
He tried to shake his head, but all the tubes made it difficult. “Inspector, we have shared an adventure, and an infirmary. You must call me Chuks.”
I smiled. “Only if you call me Yerim.”
“Yerim. That suits you.”
“But Chuks,” I continued, “I didn’t know if I’d see you again at all.”
Again he tried to shake his head. “Constance is the finest doctor in the Three Worlds, and all the spaces in between. I was in good hands, in the best possible place to get treated.”
“I’m still relieved. I’m so glad that I can finally thank you, Chuks, for saving my life.”
“You’re welcome. But I was only doing my job. These tubes, this surgery, they are just part of the job.” He sighed. “And now I will get a long vacation, though Constance calls it physical therapy.”
“Yes.” I could only imagine what his regimen would be like, far longer and more extensive than my own. “I’ll miss you during your ‘vacation.’ I may need someone to knock some heads together, and both you and Smitty are on restricted duty. I’m not sure Matt’s up to it.”
Adika’s face grew stern. “Then perhaps, Yerim, you must learn to knock your own heads together.” But he couldn’t hold his scowl, and he laughed. Then he started coughing. Lloyd stuck his head in from the other ward, but Adika raised a hand and waved him off. Lloyd returned to the other room.
When Adika’s coughing subsided, he continued, “From what I hear, you are managing the situation on this ship just fine. We had that one rough patch, but you are now firmly in control.”
“I’m trying,” I said. Father’s message was still on my mind, giving me confidence. “You were right, there’s a lot more happening here than one can find in official reports, and I’m trying to understand it all. That’s another reason that I owe you thanks.”
“Again, it is nothing,” Adika continued. Then he paused. “But if you do feel a need to show your gratitude, you could dismiss the charges against Captain Aames.” My eyes grew wide, and he quickly added, “I joke, Yerim, I joke. You must do your job as you see fit. I know that your honor is no more for sale than my own. Please forgive an invalid for a small bit of humor.”
“I forgive you, Chuks.” But inside I burned. Adika was probably telling the truth: he had just been joking. He hadn’t meant to reignite my anger, but that was exactly what he had done. One more person telling me what to do—and someone I had come to think of as a friend. I nodded agreement as I strove to keep my anger inside. I was sure he hadn’t meant anything by it.
But I still felt the pressure. I did owe this man my life, but I couldn’t let that sway my decisions any more than I would let Knapp or Holmes.
As I pondered all these forces bearing down upon me, Head Nurse Lloyd appeared at my side. “I’m sorry, Inspector, time’s up. The commander needs his rest.”
“Yes, Nurse.” I turned back to Adika. “Thank you again, Chuks. And please get better soon. This ship needs you. We’re all pulling for you.”
“Thank you, Yerim. Bed: down.” Adika’s bed flattened out, lowering his head so he could rest. Lloyd led me out of the infirmary.
When I reached the passageway, Dr. Baldwin was there waiting for me. She pulled me aside and into her office. “Inspector,” she said, “I’m going to be short here, and blunt, because I don’t have a lot of time. So I’m sorry if this comes across as pushy, but Chuks was right. And he might have been joking, but I’m not:
you owe him, and you owe me. That man and this crew saved your life, and we did it according to protocols we learned under Captain Aames. Because of his training, this is the best crew in space, and I don’t care what the damned admirals say.”
Again I felt my fury building. “Doctor, are you telling me how to do my job too?”
Dr. Baldwin shook her head. “No, I’m just trying to get you to think. Think about what you’ve seen on this ship. Make your decision based on that. Just do what you have to do. Let Captain Aames go, let us do our jobs in peace. Or if this crew isn’t good enough for you, if our commander isn’t up to your standards, then charge him already, and to hell with you.”
I couldn’t find words to speak, and I came up empty. Dr. Baldwin took a deep breath, and her scowl softened. “I’m sorry, that’s too harsh. Blame it on the fact that I’ve spent the last week stitching my husband together from pieces. But I’m tired of this thing dragging on. I’ve already patched up enough bodies for this cycle. Tensions are through the roof. The longer this goes on, the more likely things will blow up even worse. So whatever you’re going to do, just do it already.”
I couldn’t answer without shouting, and I didn’t want to upset Adika next door. So I pulled away from Dr. Baldwin, and I stormed out of her office and down the passageway. When I was a quarter ring away, I finally let out a scream. If one more person told me what to do, I was ready to test the limits of my plenary powers by having them clapped in irons.
And then I laughed at the notion. I was getting as bad as Aames, thinking I had the powers of an old British sea captain to put men in irons. I imagined the look on Reed’s face when I announced that punishment, and I laughed even harder.
I was still laughing when Smitty came upon me in the passageway and asked, “What’s so funny, roomie?”
Without thinking, I wheeled on her, my temper let fly like a rocket off the pad. “Oh, it’s your turn now?”
“What?”
“I see a pattern here. It’s like the entire crew of the Aldrin is lining up to take turns telling me to lay off of Captain Aames.”
“Wait a minute—”
“No, you wait a minute! I am tired of all this pressure from every person I meet, and I am not going to put up with it anymore.”
Smitty’s face turned as red as her hair. “You’re outta line, Inspector. I don’t know what’s crawled up your ass, but it has nothing to do with me.”
I stopped. Considering, I realized Smitty hadn’t said anything wrong. The problem was all mine. I had projected my frustration onto her. “I’m sorry, Smitty.”
“That’s Bosun Smith to you, if you’re going to behave like that, Inspector. But as long as you’ve brought it up, I do have some advice for you: get that stick out of your ass and stop worrying about what everyone else thinks you should do. That’s their problem, not yours, so stop hiding behind it and just do your job.”
Just do your job. That’s really what it came down to: all this pressure from all these directions, they were a sideshow. They weren’t my job. “You’re right, Bosun. You really are. And I really am sorry. I was wrong, entirely, and you didn’t deserve that.”
Smitty’s voice dropped in volume, but her face remained flushed. “Well, don’t waste time apologizing when I’m still mad. It won’t do you any good. Save it for later, after I’ve had time to kick a wall or two.” And then she gave just a slight smile, and I felt better. “But what’s got you so angry that you’re attacking random people in the passageway?”
So I explained: not all the details, nothing that I shouldn’t make public, but enough to show how many people were pushing me in one direction or another. “I blocked every one of them, but it’s like the pushes are coming faster and faster. I’m getting too tired to keep pushing back.”
Then Smitty showed me that maybe I was forgiven after all: she reached out and patted my shoulder. “Poor Yerim, they’re going to keep pushing you as long as you give them a reason to try. As long as you haven’t made a decision yet, they’re going to try to make you decide their way. And I can’t blame them: if I thought I could get away with it, I would bully you into clearing the captain.”
“Smitty!”
“But I can’t. I know you’re stronger than that, even as tired as you are. But the only way to stop the pushing for good is to finish the damn job. I appreciate what you’ve been doing, trying to understand the context, not just accept what’s in some reports. But it’s time for your next move.”
I looked at Smitty. In her own way, she was pushing too. But it was in the right direction.
“You’re right, Smitty. Thank you.” I lifted my comm and pulled open a call. “Matt, this is Park. Contact Chief Carver, extend my apologies for the short notice, and tell him I expect him in my office for a deposition in an hour.”
12. MUTINY ON THE ALDRIN EXPRESS
Deposition of Chief Anson Carver in the matter of The System Initiative v. Captain Nicolau Aames. Questioner for the Inspector General’s Office: Inspector General Park Yerim. Court Reporter: Lieutenant Matt Harrold. Questioner’s comments and questions appear in italics. Deponent’s responses appear in plain text. Deposition taken on 10 June 2083.
Q: If you’re ready, Chief Carver: please describe your assignment and location on 7 March of this year.
On 7 March I was assigned as the chief officer of the interplanetary vessel Aldrin, serving under Captain Nicolau Aames, a position I had held for the preceding nineteen years.
Q: Hold up a moment. The reporter shall include a copy of Chief Carver’s service record as Attachment Carver 1. Continue, Chief.
On the date in question I was at my station on the bridge of the Aldrin as we made our return approach to Earth.
Q: Please describe the events of that date as you observed them from the bridge of IPV Aldrin.
Begging the inspector’s pardon, I suggest those events will be more comprehensible if I present them in context.
Q: In context, Chief?
The events of 7 March were just a link in a long chain of events. They didn’t transpire in isolation. I think that to truly understand the events of that day, you need to understand the entire chain.
Q: This is unorthodox, Chief Carver. I would remind you that I am running this deposition, not you. But this office is willing to grant you some leeway. Proceed. But stick to relevant events. I don’t need you to retell the entire history of the Aldrin.
Thank you, Inspector. The roots of the incident in question can be found in the Aldrin’s prior Earth-Mars semicycle, during mission planning for the upcoming Mars-Earth semicycle. The Aldrin’s mission plans are always a combination of routine transportation and shipping with unique scientific missions. On some cycles, however, we also upgrade our infrastructure, adding new rings or new levels on existing rings. Those take extra effort from our crew, in coordination with the orbital construction factories that build the new infrastructure. Those additions are part of our long-term infrastructure growth plan.
[Sound of coughing.]
Excuse me, my throat’s a little dry.
Q: Reporter, pause recording and bring the chief some water.
Q: Is that better?
Yes, thank you, Inspector. So, our long-term infrastructure growth plan . . . The Aldrin is more than just a transport ship, it’s an ever-growing platform for Earth-Mars transport and commerce. Besides our transport capabilities, we have workshops and laboratories, we have hydroponics and recycling, and we even have our own university. We have a number of civilian permanent residents who work full-time in the laboratories, and others who provide goods and services to support the crew and the ship. Many of the crew have families aboard the ship. And this is all expanding under the long-term plan: new rings and new levels to grow the habitable space of the ship. New levels are assembled from components we pick up during planetary rendezvous; but new rings are assembled in the Farport orbital shipyards and boosted to speed so that we can rendezvous with a ring all in one piece, dock with it, an
d integrate it as a permanent addition. Because the Aldrin is driven primarily by orbital mechanics, not by reaction engines, the ship can grow without excessive worry about fuel consumption. Our ship is analogous to a pendulum swinging back and forth between Earth and Mars: the pendulum swings the same distance at the same speed regardless of whether it is heavy or light. Of course, our cycler orbits are vastly more complicated than a pendulum, so we have to make minor course corrections during each cycle. Those do take more fuel and become more expensive with each added ring, and it takes a lot of fuel to boost a new ring into a rendezvous vector; but the small additional cost is more than compensated for by the additional commercial opportunities we get from the added space.
That had been our long-term road map, and we had successfully grown the Aldrin from its original two rings up to seven, and also added levels to our existing rings. But that new mission plan represented a new phase in Earth-Mars commerce: all our earlier rings had been constructed and launched from the Farport yards, but H Ring was under construction at the new Ares yard in Mars orbit. Its successful launch and integration, immediately following the integration of G Ring, would be a major political and public relations coup. It would demonstrate that the Initiative could greatly expand Earth-Mars commerce on a short schedule. There was a lot of pressure to make it a success, no matter what the cost.
And anyone who knows Captain Aames knows that he doesn’t give a damn about politics or public relations, and he doesn’t bow to pressure. He won’t turn down a mission if it can be done, but he’s better than anyone at poking holes in a mission plan and showing when it’s doomed. The usual plan for adding a new ring was to dock it and integrate it as part of the Earth-Mars semicycle, and then at Mars we power it up and open it for partial occupancy as a pilot effort. We run it through shakedown during the longer Mars-Earth semicycle. By the time we reached Earth, it would be ready for full-time occupancy, and the pilot occupants would get first priority on the new space. But that mission would have to be accelerated: we were still integrating G Ring during that Earth-Mars semicycle, and they wanted to dock H Ring before we were even sure that G was stable. Then we would have to shake down both new rings by the time we returned to Earth.
The Last Dance Page 35