STARDANCER

by Ed Howdershelt

  T'Lek was afraid to move. He looked pleadingly past her at an impassive T'Bar and T'Mar. Neither of them moved to stop her. Tac adjusted something on his console, not even acknowledging T'Lek's presence.

  T'Mar said, "If you kill him, you'd probably have to stand trial for it, L'Tan. It won't bring anybody back. You'll probably lose the rank and the new ship, too, because they frown on Captains who lose control. Let the courts have him."

  For long moments, he wondered if she'd heard him, then L'Tan's hand moved. She flicked the beam off and turned as if to hand the probe to T'Mar, then, still holding the probe, she swung a hard right at T'Lek's head.

  T'Lek was barely conscious, lying on the deck again, as she asked, "How many of our people just died because of him, Tac?"

  "Fourty-four hundred and seventy-three."

  "Thank you. T'Lek? Did you hear that?"

  In a faint voice, T'Lek said, "Y... Yes."

  "Good. While you wait for your trial, you're going to be placed in a very small room where you will hear the computer tirelessly recite the names and ages of each and every one of them to you."

  L'Tan then reached to grasp the front of T'Lek's shirt and hit him again, bouncing his head on the floor. T'Lek passed out. She turned to T'Bar and held out the probe to him.

  "I'd like to make sure that he hears that list a few times, Admiral."

  T'Bar reached to take the probe from her hand.

  "No problem, Captain L'Tan, and thank you for restraining our prisoner when he became unruly."

  Two security people arrived, woke T'Lek, and escorted him off the bridge, then T'Bar asked Tac for an update.

  "Admiral," said Tac, "The explosion stopped expanding near our last position and is now contracting almost as fast as it expanded."

  T'Bar, L'Tan, and T'Mar joined Tac at the console as he interpreted the readings.

  "T'Lek's right about one thing. This miniature sun won't last more than a week. The core temperature is already dropping."

  "Details later. Does it pose any sort of danger to us?"

  "No, sir, not at this distance."

  "Good. All officers here for the meeting may now rejoin their ships. Have the Comm officer link all ships for another announcement. T'Var, you have the conn. I'll be back in a few minutes."

  T'Bar gave no indication of where he was going or why. The others watched him leave the bridge in silence, followed by those who would be leaving the Alliance, then the Ensign at the Comm console cleared his throat.

  "The inter-ship link is ready and standing by, Tac."

  "Thank you, Ensign."

  T'Var walked to his command chair and sat down rather tiredly, gazing silently at the tiny sun on his vid screen. After some moments, he sighingly muttered a one-word summation of his feelings.

  "Damn."

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Admiral T'Bar returned to the bridge half an hour or so later. T'Var got up to offer him the command chair.

  Once he was seated, T'Bar opened the inter-ship link and said, "To all ships and personnel, this is Admiral T'Bar. By now you should all know that the Eiranians tried to use a new energy weapon against us and that the weapon malfunctioned. Eirania is now a small star and will never again be a danger to anyone."

  He paused to let those words sink in, then continued, "A small observation team will remain here. When the rest of us return, there will be another inter-ship comm link and services will be held for those no longer with us. Lists of affected worlds and those ships and crews lost will be made available to all ships at that time. That is all."

  After the words, 'That is all,' T'Bar stood up and extended a hand to Captain T'Var, then to L'Tan, T'Mar, and Tac.

  "I'll be returning to my ship now," he said. "L'Tan, you and T'Mar meet me in bay two in half an hour. I'll give you a ride to your new ship. You've inherited the L'Syn. She was barely finished when the virus hit them."

  Without further comment, Admiral T'Bar again left the bridge of the Alliance. L'Tan, T'Mar, and T'Var looked at each other for a moment, then repeated the handshakes as a default gesture of leaving.

  "Half an hour," said L'Tan. "He must know that we don't have much luggage."

  T'Var couldn't help a snorting laugh. "Just the two uniforms you're wearing and a few bottles of wine, if I'm not mistaken."

  L'Tan gave him a questioning look. "How did you know about the wine?"

  "I picked it out. L'Sil's idea, but my expertise. She doesn't drink. Good luck in your new command, Captain L'Tan." He grinned as he asked, "Are you going to keep this guy as an aide or find him a real job?"

  With a grin of her own, L'Tan said, "Either way, he'll earn his keep."

  T'Mar grinned along with them as they shook hands again and he and L'Tan left the bridge, heading toward their room. They walked in silence until they reached the door to 3410. T'Mar thought that L'Tan seemed tense about something.

  As he reached to tap in their door code, L'Tan spoke.

  "T'Mar, you seem a little tense about something."

  He laughed softly and said, "I was just thinking the same thing about you. L'Tan, I don't know spit about being a Fleet Lieutenant. Now that the crisis is over, I'm going to decline the commission."

  They entered the room and the door shut behind them. When T'Mar turned around, L'Tan was looking at him questioningly.

  "Are you sure you want to do that? Your previous employers may not have jobs, themselves, after today."

  "Sure they will. Only the numbers of people have changed; not the nature of people. My job may change a bit, but I don't think I'll be unemployed."

  L'Tan's gaze narrowed.

  "Your job has had you posted in four places in one year. Are you saying that you'll want to leave me when we return? Has this just been a quick fling to you?"

  T'Mar smiled and raised his hands in mock protest.

  "Don't misunderstand me. I'm not trying to escape. At the moment, we're military, but the need for a military has pretty much vanished, other than as a means of enforcing law and order. What do you think they'll have you doing with that fancy new ship, ma'am? We've never found any potential enemy worse than ourselves, and now there are so few people left... I expect that people like us will become the peacekeepers and intermediaries while everybody else begins rebuilding. And don't pretend you don't know what I mean by 'people like us'."

  L'Tan relaxed somewhat.

  "No, I won't pretend we aren't different. That occurred to me, too," she said. "There will probably be martial law until they can pull whatever's left of things back together. You might want to see what T'Bar thinks before you resign that commission, though."

  "If we turn into police, they'll likely want civilians involved at all levels. If I can continue doing what I've been doing, a military commission is unnecessary. Chances are that the territory will be much smaller, and that the need for covert operations will be just about zero for a long time. Since they'll probably put your ship to work as a portable police station, there won't be any reason that I can't stay aboard."

  A few steps later, he added, "Besides, if I were working for you and sleeping with you, there'd be too much room for outside criticism. What we've become to each other has evolved in our short time together and feels right to us, but it might not seem right to anyone else if I were your Lieutenant and your lover."

  L'Tan said nothing as she opened the transport case containing the wine and tossed her few belongings in. T'Mar put his in, as well, then closed the case and picked it up. On the way out, he rezeroed the door lock code.

  "Lieutenant or not," said L'Tan in a brusque tone, "You'll need quarters of your own on a ship that I'm commanding. We'll see to that as soon as we're aboard the L'Syn."

  As they started walking to bay two, T'Mar asked, "Are you upset with me?"

  "No. With all that's gone on, I just hadn't realized... Never mind. You're right, T'Mar. Things will have to look right to the crew and everyone else."

  "You forgot to add, 'damn it'."

/>   "So I did," she said in a flat tone. "Damn it."

  Bay two was only a few yards away when she asked, "What if the almighty 'they' decide that you'd be better employed elsewhere, T'Mar?"

  He shrugged. "Then I guess I'd have to see about a new job somewhere else on the Confederation payroll. Can't let all my service time go to waste and blow my retirement. Know any ship's Captains who might be looking for an aide?"

  L'Tan stopped walking and turned to face him with a small smile.

  "One, maybe," she said. "Prior experience in the job would weigh the odds in your favor, of course. Would you really do that, T'Mar?"

  "You'll just have to take my word for it unless it happens, L'Tan."

  A couple of crewmen were passing them. L'Tan waited until they'd entered bay two and the doors had closed, then she glanced around before leaning to kiss him quickly.

  "Well," she said, "If it happens, you'll already have the job."

  When they entered bay two, Admiral T'Bar was standing next to one of the shuttles. He looked up and nodded as they approached, then resumed his conversation with one of the fighter pilots.

  "No," said T'Bar. "I don't know precisely what will happen, but there may be a severe 'Reduction in Force' among Fleet personnel very soon, so you'll want to be prepared to take up a civilian profession."

  The pilot looked uncomfortable as he said, "It might help if I had a civilian profession. I came straight into the service from school."

  T'Bar sighed, clapped a hand on the man's shoulder, and said, "Well, then, keep an eye open for training opportunities. A hell of a lot of career fields have suddenly become hungry for new people, and essential services will be on a recruiting binge. The others are here, so we have to leave now. Don't worry, son. You'll find another place in things if they RIF you."

  The young man nodded and stepped back a pace, seeming uncertain about something. He then saluted the Admiral, said, "Thank you, sir," and walked away.

  T'Bar turned to L'Tan and T'Mar and said, "He dated my daughter. When I told him that she's still alive, I thought he was going to faint on me."

  L'Tan said, "If he feels that way about her, you may be seeing more of him."

  "Could be," said T'Bar. He stepped into the shuttle and said, "Let's go," then disappeared into the cockpit to talk to the pilots.

  The Admiral's aide, a female Commander named L'Mir, was already seated in the shuttle. She put down her pad and stood as they entered, greeting L'Tan and T'Mar by their ranks and names with a smile for each.

  As he and L'Tan chose seats for the journey, T'Mar looked at the gorgeous young woman and wondered if her arrangement with the Admiral was anything like his with L'Tan.

  "Would anyone like a drink?" she asked. "We'll be between ships for a little while."

  L'Tan looked puzzled as she asked, "Reason?"

  L'Mir nodded. "The Admiral wants to talk to you both."

  When L'Tan glanced at T'Mar, he shrugged and said, "A beer, thanks."

  L'Tan's gaze narrowed slightly, then she turned back to L'Mir and said, "Nothing for me, thanks."

  "Let me know if you change your mind," said L'Mir.

  T'Mar watched the tall young woman walk to the back of the shuttle and open a cooling compartment. Blonde hair and a fine, firm figure. A bright smile that seemed natural, as opposed to part of the job. Tool or toy? Perhaps both?

  When she brought his beer, he thanked her and she returned to her seat, just behind the cockpit door.

  L'Tan whispered, "You like that one, do you?"

  He whispered back, "She looks damned good, really. You jealous yet?"

  "No, and you'd better hope I don't get that way, Lieutenant."

  T'Bar emerged from the cockpit and took a seat across from them. L'Mir handed him the pad she'd been using, then rose to make another trip to the back of the shuttle. She returned with another beer and handed it to T'Bar, then sat down.

  "Thank you, L'Mir. You're too good to me. Are these reports the latest?"

  "They are," she said, then rattled off a comprehensive summary of matters so concisely and quickly that both L'Tan and T'Mar were left staring at her.

  "Thank you," said T'Bar again, grinning. "She's the real brain around here, you know. The Confederation Council has suggested for immediate decision the idea of disbanding a sizeable chunk of our military. Your analysis, L'Mir?"

  "I think we should try to delay the release of all personnel, regardless of the Council's possible decisions. Our people have been through a lot, as survivors of both the disease and the demise of Eirania. They need time to come to terms with events in a familiar environment and time to prepare for what may lie ahead, but more than that, there are other considerations."

  L'Mir reached for the pad, tapped it a few times, and handed it back.

  "Have a look, Admiral. The pirates and others living on the fringes of our Confederation weren't targeted with the virus. The Eiranians probably planned to clean them out later in a more brutal fashion. There's looting in many regions of many worlds. A few people have tried to 'unofficially' resettle a few worlds already and seem to be trying to set up small kingdoms instead of adhering to Confederation governmental standards. I think the Council is acting prematurely in disbanding over half the Fleet. They need time to see the magnitude of what's happening, and they're used to presiding over civilized worlds with resources enough to handle their own emergencies. I don't think they're at all prepared for having to deal with anarchy."

  T'Mar asked, "Are you suggesting bypassing the Council and handling things ourselves?"

  L'Mir looked for a moment as if she might be trying to find an acceptable way to phrase her thoughts, then said, "I'm only suggesting that we remain intact until we - and the Council - have a better idea of what's going to be required. If half a Fleet or less will truly be enough, then, by all means, let's release people, but I believe this matter should not be decided too hastily."

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Admiral T'Bar handed his pad to L'Tan and said, "Look at these reports. Some of these 'resettlers' must have been circling like carrion birds. The moment the virus had run its course, some of them descended on the nearest worlds and started pillaging the remains. Others - as L'Mir said - seem to be trying to set themselves up as dictatorships. In one incident, appropriated military hardware was used to drive away people who were trying to return to their homeworlds."

  T'Mar said, "If they're capable of using our hardware, we can either absorb them and put them under the control and guidance of local governments or we can hunt them down and destroy them. We don't need to offer them any other options."

  L'Tan said, "They're criminals. Why offer them any options at all?"

  "Look at it this way; there's lots of room now. Lots of resources will go to waste, no matter how many people return to their worlds and reclaim their corporate or family holdings. Put these squatters to work and get them involved and a lot of them will become citizens by default when they no longer have to scrabble for a living in the outworlds. Give them homes and property and see if they don't very quickly come to regard piracy about the same way we do."

  "When colony worlds opened for settlement, where were these people?"

  "I'm not saying that they aren't lazy, larcenous, or otherwise socially impaired. I'm saying that if they suddenly become owners of things that can't be moved, they'll have to defend their ownerships and learn to interact as citizens. If they fail and revert to criminal behavior, feel free to hunt them down, ma'am."

  L'Mir grinned and T'Bar chuckled.

  "That's kind of what we had in mind," he said, "But the Council had trouble with the concept of decriminalizing pirates when we first mentioned the idea."

  L'Mir's expression turned somber as she said, "Yes. They're still thinking and acting as if ninety percent of the population hadn't just died. Just before we left, one of the Council members apparently realized for the very first time that he might not be paid this month."

  T'Mar said, "Tha
t must have driven the situation home for him."

  "Yes," said L'Mir. "Yes, it did. His wife immediately signed them up for dining hall passes, just in case."

  L'Tan snickered. "If he finds out that he isn't getting paid, he'll probably try to make it look as if it's his idea and say he's refusing his salary for the duration."

  T'Bar grinned. "Probably so. They're all politicians, so if one does that, maybe all of them will. Can't hurt. They can get free room and board anyway."

  Admiral T'Bar stood and paced the cabin.

  "As I see it," he said, "The Council is premature in releasing more than half the military. While they're in uniform, we can use our troops in everything from harvesting crops to keeping the lights on in the cities. If we let them go, I believe we'd soon have anarchy on our hands. When what's on the shelves runs out, we'd have wholesale starvation and civil wars on half the Confederated worlds. I don't like the idea of militarizing resources, but I see no other way to guarantee continuity until there are enough capable civilians to take over."

  L'Tan said, "The Council won't go for that, sir. What you're suggesting is essentially the suspension of the Constitution and a military government."

  "I'll talk to them, but I won't let them act in a highly principled, but impractical, manner. What we need right now is a survival plan, people. I want to present the Council with something that doesn't make it look as if an Admiral is promoting himself to 'absolute ruler'."

  "That could be tough," said T'Mar. "Especially since that seems to be what you're doing."

  T'Bar's tone was ominous. "Was that sarcasm, Lieutenant T'Mar?"

  "That was an observation, Admiral. I happen to think you're right about keeping people in service until things are more or less straightened out, but a lot of people are going to see things in a bad light if you place yourself in charge."

  T'Bar gazed at T'Mar as if judging the truth of his words, then said, "I don't plan to place myself in charge, Lieutenant. I'm suggesting that we keep the Council as an advisory group and add to it from the ranks of those who know how farms and factories really function. We have a limited time in which to find or train competent replacements at all levels of production and distribution. I don't want anyone to go hungry or starve because commodity prices are too high. I don't want anyone trying to survive a winter in cold and darkness because a city grid is down. That means that - for instance - a fighter pilot may have to learn how to operate a power station. A ship's doctor may wind up running a teaching hospital. We have the basic infrastructure available in uniform, and I intend to use it."