STARDANCER

by Ed Howdershelt

  L'Tan said, "Expect lots of resistance. No matter how you present any plan that involves the military, some people will see it as nothing but a military takeover."

  T'Mar sipped his beer and studied the bottle for a moment.

  "They'll be right," he said. "It will be a military takeover, however well-intended it may be. Roughly ten percent of the population survived the virus attack. Figure that children, the aged, and other non-workers amounted to about half of the pre-virus population. They're gone now, and those who survived are mostly military people in their early middle years. Most have had some education and experience of some kind. Three food-producing worlds survived, as well. If we handle this right, nobody will have to do without too much during the reorganization period."

  L'Tan said, "Some will want to go home. They won't want to relocate."

  "That," said L'Mir, "May not be an option for everyone for a while. We'll have to put the most useful people where they'll be most useful to all, and they'll have to realize the necessity of their positions."

  T'Mar looked at her and said, "Nationalize all abandoned and unclaimed properties under salvage laws, then reissue a lot of it to the survivors who seem best able to make use of it and store the rest under guard. No personal taxes and uniform wages for the duration of the reorganization effort. The government can be the distribution system and can pull what it needs for maintenance from what passes through. When productivity exceeds demand, we'll know our jobs are finished and we can demilitarize the government and the economy."

  L'Tan abruptly rose and walked to the back of the shuttle.

  "You sound as if you're already on the bandwagon," she said.

  "I guess I am," said T'Mar. "I can't see the current civilian system functioning quickly or efficiently enough to keep things together, and politicians do tend to play favorites. We'll need leadership that functions equally well for all involved."

  L'Tan took a beer from the cold storage locker and asked if anyone else wanted one before closing the locker door and walking thoughtfully back to her seat.

  She didn't sit down right away; instead, she opened her beer and sipped it, then said, "T'Bar, I can't believe that you brought T'Mar - whom you don't even know, really - and me out here to have a few beers and help you plan the immediate future of the Confederation."

  T'Bar grinned and asked, "Why not? You'll have to live and work in whatever we cook up, just like everyone else, and you were both civilians until very recently. I want to put together something that fits everybody's needs."

  "But, still..."

  "No buts. The Council and the remnants of the government have been quick to string together lots of words and appoint committees, but slow to act. Before I left, I converted six ships to act as mobile hospitals and distribution points for necessities. Three hundred thousand people who were in transit or working on various off-world projects that weren't self-sustaining are presently bunking on those ships, L'Tan. I detailed six more ships to deliver emergency supplies to other project locations and take aboard those requiring relocation. When I updated the Council members before coming out here, several of them were actually pissed that I hadn't consulted with them before authorizing assistances."

  He sipped his beer and continued, "They'd wanted to set up emergency relief using their own people, of course. Money would be made, political debts canceled, and all that. We don't have time for that kind of crap. People need help now, not two weeks or a month from now. Our cities are full of the dead. We, the military, will have to do the cleanup. It's just too big a task for conventional methods. We need workable answers immediately, L'Tan. The Council seems unable to handle the situation. When we arrive, the Council members will be politely sequestered until they've agreed to cooperate. In the meantime, we'll begin the essential tasks of cleanup and apportionment of goods and services."

  "They'll be 'politely sequestered', huh? Since you've already drafted this plan, why are we out here at all, T'Bar?"

  T'Bar looked at L'Mir, who nodded and smiled up at L'Tan.

  L'Mir said, "We want you to be the interim military governor, Captain L'Tan. Governor of the entire Confederation, or what's left of it."

  After a moment of shock, L'Tan turned to T'Bar with, "No, you aren't joking, are you? No matter how you dress it up, this is going to look like a military coup."

  "Only because it is. I take it you don't want the job?"

  "You're damned right I don't. Sir."

  T'Bar smiled and said, "All the more reason to put you in charge. You'll be impatient to get the job done right and get out of the office. Look at it this way, Captain L'Tan; there's a job to be done that only the military can accomplish, but we need a director who won't turn into a dictator. We need someone who will want to put things back into civilian hands as soon as possible."

  "Why not you, Admiral? Or Commander L'Mir, here? They'll think I'm just your puppet, anyway."

  "It can't be me, L'Tan. It can't be any of those close to me. It has to be someone both competent and believable. You'll do fine."

  L'Mir said, "We're going to install someone. You have what it takes to run things well and you'll be more than ready to step down when the time comes."

  L'Tan eyed her sharply, then faced T'Bar.

  "If I don't accept, what then?"

  "Then you Captain an assistance ship and we find someone else. T'Mul and L'Fal are on our list of possibles."

  "Near the bottom of the list, I hope," said L'Tan. "T'Mul..? Oh, wait just one damned minute, I see what you're doing, here. Let me see that list, T'Bar."

  T'Bar nodded to L'Mir and she handed her pad to L'Tan.

  "There are only three names on this list," said L'Tan.

  "And you're at the top," said T'Bar. "Time is a factor. We want this packaged and ready to present when we get back, L'Tan, and we don't have time to shop around. We need your answer."

  L'Tan handed the pad back to L'Mir and asked, "Why do you keep saying 'we', Admiral? There's no 'we'. This is your plan."

  "Well, excuse me, Captain," said L'Mir, "But I'm here, too, and I support the plan I helped devise, so that's two, as in 'more than one'. 'We'."

  T'Mar rose and went to the cooler for another beer. As he opened the beer, he said, "L'Tan, I had to work with T'Mul once. I don't know L'Fal at all. If those are the only three names available, I'd rather that you take the job."

  L'Tan laughed and said, "Well, I'm so flattered that I'm the lesser of your percieved evils today, T'Mar."

  He smiled back at her and said, "That's exactly what you are, ma'am. The candidate least likely to truly screw things up and let the job go to your head. Unless you absolutely refuse, you're elected."

  L'Tan sat quietly for some time, then asked, "How can I know that you'll really allow demilitarization when the time comes, T'Bar? How can I believe that you won't just have me replaced or completely take over, yourself?"

  "Ask T'Mar. An E-rifle is a line-of-sight weapon. I could never appear in public again after such a takeover, could I, T'Mar?"

  L'Tan looked at T'Mar questioningly. "What the hell is he talking about, T'Mar?"

  "Someone else from my group would do it if I couldn't, L'Tan. The Admiral knows that there will be no dictatorships in the near future."

  T'Bar reached to touch her arm gently and said, "T'Mar and his people are your safeguard against treachery, L'Tan. Remember when the pirate K'San took hostages on Danar to make us release one of his ships and crew?"

  L'Tan thought back. "One of K'San's people shot him and freed the hostages because he believed the Confederation would hunt them down."

  T'Bar grinned and said, "That was the official story. T'Mar was posing as a drug dealer at the time. He went in to set up a deal with K'San, then put a burst through his head and flew the hostages to safety in K'San's ship. T'Mar was on Eirania to stay out of sight until he was called as a witness in a drug trial and to cool off until he was issued another assignment."

  L'Tan turned a flat gaze on T'Mar.
>
  "That wasn't exactly on your resume. Is there anything else I should know about you?"

  T'Mar shrugged and said, "Well, my favorite color is emerald green. My favorite ship's Captain is L'Tan. My favorite..."

  "Shut up now, please."

  "Sure, Captain."

  T'Mar grinned at her and sat back to sip his beer. L'Tan continued to gaze at him as if wondering about something for another few moments, then she turned to T'Bar to study him for a moment, as well.

  "Okay, damn it," she said. "I'll take the job."

  Chapter Twenty-three

  L'Mir stood up and removed a recording disk from her pad, then put it in a console unit and said, "Everything said during this discussion has been recorded. I now need each of you to witness the document. Each of you will have a copy and the original will remain on file. Step right up, ladies and gentlemen."

  "I want to review what we're signing," said T'Mar. "Please play it back for us once, L'Mir."

  With an odd glance at him, she did so. Toward the end of the playback, T'Mar nodded and said, "I have something to add to the recording."

  L'Mir asked, "What might that be?"

  "I expect to be a bit more than a gofer in all this. The rank of Lieutenant is fine aboard ship, but to get things done without much backtalk, I want to be made a Commander, I want to be able to act on L'Tan's behalf if she's incapacitated or unreachable, and I want one ship at our disposal at all times. Make it L'Tan's ship, the L'Syn. Also, L'Tan and I and our designates will be armed at all times."

  T'Bar said, "If all present agree, I don't see a problem."

  L'Mir said, "The guards in the Council halls are traditionally the only ones armed. Why do you feel that you'll need personal weapons?"

  T'Mar said, "If I can get past the guards, so can someone else."

  "You really think that you could slip into Council chambers past..."

  T'Bar interrupted her with, "L'Mir, his teams have done it quite often as part of training exercises between Council sessions. It keeps the guards sharp."

  L'Mir's expression was one of true surprise that morphed into a wry look.

  "Oh," she said wryly. "I see. Well, then, are you sure the rank of Commander will be enough, or would you rather be made a Fleet Captain, as well?"

  "Commander will do, I guess. I haven't been checked out in a starship. I might bump into something. We can let L'Tan continue as Captain of the L'Syn. It'll give her something to do on her days off."

  T'Bar chuckled. "That's magnanimous of you, T'Mar. I really don't see a problem, L'Mir. He wants personal protection and a means of escape for both of them. These are difficult times and they'll have difficult positions."

  L'Mir nodded. "If there's nothing else, everybody may now sign and I'll make the copies."

  Each signed the electronic document in turn and L'Mir logged the proceedings, then handed each of them a disk as the copyings were completed.

  "Now it's my turn to have a beer and relax a little," she said. "You all realize that this documentation of our meeting could later be construed as proof of treason, don't you?"

  "It could also be construed as proof of good intentions," said T'Bar. "We alone currently have the means and the motivation to help people quickly, and the people certainly shouldn't object to that."

  "Some will object to a military takeover," said L'Tan. "I do, for instance. Nothing had better go wrong, T'Bar, or T'Mar won't have to shoot you."

  "Relax, L'Tan. I'm too old to give a damn about ruling the universe. It would be entirely too much trouble."

  "I have a suggestion," said T'Mar. "We don't really have to completely take over all operations of the government. Emergency relief, supply management, and police work are really all that counts at the moment. Why not just declare ourselves the agency in charge of such necessities and let the Council continue to run the rest of the show? We can tell them where what is necessary and how we can accomplish our goals and let them officially tell us to handle things."

  L'Mir asked, "You really think they'll willingly go along with anything that cuts them out of the decision-making process?"

  "Yes, once they understand the alternative. Seems to me that people bright enough to become elected to the Council ought to be able to see that people like us aren't going to wait for them to vote on every little item or appoint committees to study each situation in depth. They can back us and be public heroes or be swept aside and remembered for less important functions during the crisis."

  T'Mar glanced around and found everyone regarding him oddly.

  "Well?" he asked. "We've already decided to do it. We have to extrapolate the ramifications before they happen. There will be resistance. Organized resistance, once people get over the shock and realize that the military has taken control. A lot of them will refuse to see what we're doing or believe that it's temporary. We need the Council members to speak for us, not against us. I propose that we assign one to each capital ship as an observer."

  L'Tan said, "That will just make it seem that we're keeping them apart and holding them hostage."

  "And if we keep them together? The same people will think we're holding them hostage as a group. At least if they're on the ships they can actually see what we're doing and make reports."

  T'Bar asked, "What do you suggest we do with the people who stand against us? Jail them?"

  "Work them. Draft them into service and put them to work in the relief efforts. Let them communicate freely with people back home, but put them where they can do some good while they bitch."

  "What about the ones who can't be drafted for whatever reason?"

  "If they can find the energy and wherewithal to give us a hard time, put them in a position to handle some of the communications. Keep them too busy to bitch in jobs that serve the relief efforts and allow them to be kept informed. Some will organize against military rule. Help them organize in a structured manner so that we can turn the whole mess back over to them sooner."

  "I'm afraid I don't understand," said L'Mir. "Why you think they'd accept our help in organizing against us? That doesn't make much sense, T'Mar."

  "They don't have to know that they're being helped. Some of our people will take leadership roles in local governing and refill the vacant offices from among those qualified or the nearly qualified and trainable."

  The rest of the shuttle flight was spent in consideration of various details concerning the takeover and organization of resources, as well as how best to present L'Tan to the Confederation in her new role. It was decided that there would be a simple ceremonial appointment by the Council in order to inform and involve the public.

  As the shuttle docked with L'Tan's ship, she had a few final words for T'Bar.

  "I don't like what we're doing, T'Bar. Not one bit. I just can't see a better way to handle things at the moment. I want your personal guarantee that this won't go on one second longer than absolutely necessary. I need to be able to believe that."

  "You have it, L'Tan. That's all I can say. You won't really believe it until this is over and you're just a ship's Captain again, anyway."

  L'Tan wasn't completely satisfied with his answer, but she stepped into her new ship's lock with T'Mar and turned to gaze back at T'Bar.

  "In that case, goodbye for now, Admiral."

  "Goodbye, Captain L'Tan."

  She saluted him as required by military regs, then pressed the lock's 'close' button. The lock cycled and opened on the opposite side, where they saw four officers standing at attention.

  "Captain on deck," said a Commander, who saluted for the entire group.

  L'Tan returned the salute and stepped out of the lock. The Commander offered his hand and said, "Welcome aboard, Captain. I'm Commander T'Sal."

  He then introduced the others and offered to show her to the bridge immediately.

  "Thank you," said L'Tan. "This is my aide, Commander T'Mar. I don't want to sound ungracious, but I'd like to postpone further introductions and the usual tour until later.
Right now, I'd like to get something to eat and then spend some time in my quarters."

  The group of officers looked at her rather disconcertedly for a moment, then T'Sal said, "Uh, yes, ma'am. Is there anything you need right away?"

  "Yes, there is. Computer access. I have some research to do before we get back, so let's get T'Mar and me logged in. You still have the conn, Commander."

  "Yes, ma'am. Will there be anything else?"

  "No, I don't think so. Not at the moment, anyway."

  T'Sal glanced around briefly and asked if more luggage would be arriving.

  "No, this is all of it," said T'Mar.

  When he offered no more explanation, T'Sal shrugged and dismissed the other officers, then showed L'Tan and T'Mar to their quarters, which were only a few doors apart from each other. After introducing them to the ship's computer, he suggested putting a crewman at her disposal.

  L'Tan shook her head and said, "These ships are all alike. We'll find what we need or ask for it. Thank you, anyway, T'Sal. We'll see you in the dining hall in a few minutes."

  Once T'Sal had left the room, L'Tan searched the room's desk, then waved a notepad at T'Mar, indicating that he should join her. As he crossed the room, she began writing.

  Her note read, 'Assume someone's listening to us at all times.'

  T'Mar grinned and nodded as he took the notepad and wrote, 'Not a doubt. Too big a deal not to expect it.'

  'You're the spy. What to do?'

  'Nothing. Total silence would seem odd, anyway. They'd expect us to talk about things. The only reason you don't have a security team now is the way T'Bar wants to present things to the Council.'