Melinda tried to interject, “But…” Before she could continue, the Minister left the office.
CHAPTER 30
If Sharné had any doubts regarding Owens’ ability as an investigator before, they vanished with the summation of his observations. She had not expected such a detailed report on the Saber’s apparent state of disrepair; his blunt revelations were an unpleasant surprise. She had not been informed, nor had she even been aware of the condition of the Saber. And if Owens’ story was to be believed, that condition was sorry indeed.
She had known nothing of the Saber’s structural integrity, only that it was an old ship. She had been briefed on its accommodations and crew but not of its space-worthiness. In the rush to reach the rendezvous point, the ship’s condition totally escaped her notice.
However, Owens’ keen observations had gone far beyond superficial indications of poor maintenance she might have noted under other circumstances. Worse, she was chagrined to discover that somehow, during their frantic flight to escape, Owens still had the presence of mind to analyze bits of seemingly unrelated, barely noticeable clues that were exposed as the Saber succumbed to its final fate. Her surprise grew with his telling of each discovery, all adding up to a likely ominous conclusion. That initial surprise quickly turned to irritation by the end of his speech. She disliked the bleak picture he had painted with his devastating, verbal strokes.
He finally finished the damning dissertation without drawing a conclusion. Instead, he had fallen silent. He made no attempt at interpreting what he had related. Obviously, he was waiting for her response. The Founder take him, what was his purpose in telling her this? Was this to show her how clever he was, or did it portend something worse? She looked at Owens with barely concealed annoyance as she tried to gather her thoughts, but growing indignation was beginning to get in the way.
How typical of Confederated Planets to intrude where they had no right, she thought angrily. Did the lesson they were given three centuries ago need to be taught once more? And how dare Owens to even imply the Golstar ship was in disrepair? He had not the right to judge.
She tried to rein in her temper as she continued to stare at him. She knew she must rationally consider his points and frame a logical reply that he could accept. However, it was hard to think clearly while he was sitting there without expression, no doubt trying to mask a growing feeling of superiority. With these thoughts, she felt the heat of anger truly begin to kindle. She strived for calm, determined to control her growing volatile feelings before she replied.
Almost a minute passed in silence. He was still waiting for her to reply, and the sudden realization Owens might take her hesitation as weakness dashed cold water on her smoldering temper. Instantly, she was back in control. She then knew how she would address his impertinent allegations. Thanks to Owens’ little speech, this latest lie would at least come more easily.
She kept her voice even, but the words uttered from her lips were carved in ice. “To begin, I am not required to justify my government’s choices for your protection and conveyance or, for that matter, its motives for doing so. Hopefully, that was not your intent, so I will allow for your indiscretion this one time. I will grant you some clarification to your observations if that is what you are truly seeking by telling me all of this.”
She looked at him pointedly, daring him to comment. Owens saw that her earlier overbearing, VIP persona had reasserted itself. He had hoped for a less defensive reaction, but now hearing her cold response, he decided to keep silent. There was no need to dig the hole he knew he was standing in any deeper. He nodded his understanding.
Seeing this for acquiescence, she continued, “Your description of what you observed aboard the Saber is accurate as far as it goes and truly not all that surprising. Nevertheless, I remain at a loss what your motive was in initiating such a discussion. If it is because you believe you have unearthed some dark secret, then I am saddened to say that you have seriously erred. And if that is the case, I am afraid I must also express my extreme disappointment.”
“Owens, you have been given a unique opportunity. As no other, you have been permitted to cross our borders and will soon be allowed to set foot on our sovereign planet; a rare gift that has never been extended to anyone outside of Golstar before. Instead of expressing a measure of appreciation, you voice these observations... almost as accusations.”
“I certainly did not mean them to be,” he said. The tone in his voice changed.
She ignored his words and the hardening tone. “Your Confederated Planets mindset is not welcome within our borders. At a minimum, toleration for our cultural differences was expected. For such a momentous occasion, can you not put aside your prejudices?”
Owens winced inside at her expression of disappointment. Then, with this last accusation, he had to keep himself from leaping up and shouting at her, “My prejudices?” He had anticipated a heated response from Sharné, and thought he was prepared, but he had not expected a personal attack. It seemed he had seriously erred once again. His own anger flared but he firmly held it in check. Instead, he waited for her to continue.
She went on, “Surely it was quite clear we made no attempt to conceal the ship’s condition; it was self-evident. It would have been obvious to virtually any observer that the ships were far removed from state-of-the-art. The simple fact is they were brought out of retirement and reactivated for this specific mission as a means for your secure transport back to Berralton.”
She paused, allowing him to think about what she said. After a brief period she continued, “I would also think with all the experience in your field of expertise, you would have at least given some consideration that Golstar would not readily expose its superior technology to any outside party, least of all a member of a proven hostile government, your government, Janus Owens.”
She shook her head in unfeigned frustration. “Your government had no qualms about entering a sovereign territory without receiving permission to do so by its inhabitants. Is it surprising we chose not to reveal our military capabilities to you, a representative of Confederated Planets? So, my answer to your question is that we deliberately took some pains to deploy the oldest ships that were still serviceable.”
A rational part of his mind observed her behavior. Her bitter diatribe told him volumes about her society’s current attitude toward Confederated Planets. In another part of his brain, his anger seethed.
Still seeing no discernible reaction from Owens, some of her initial irritation returned. She allowed herself a small frown. “You do remember of what I told you of our concern for your safety? Not considering the attack that just took place, as ancient as they were, three ships of the Dreadnought classification would be more than sufficient to discourage another attack similar to those you experienced prior to your arrival to the Golstar system. Based on our earlier discussion, I believe you will agree it was a logical assumption at the time.”
His lips were a straight line, his jaws clenched. He withheld a response and only nodded.
The outsider was insufferable, she thought. He just sat there, not saying a word. Her voice became indifferent. “With respect to your reference about the lack of ship’s personnel, it was decided to limit the crew’s exposure to you so that misunderstandings…” such as this one, she thought, “…could be avoided. We deliberately partitioned you away from the crew. Our two cultures are different in many ways. It was prudent you remain separated from members of our society until you were provided with some orientation. I was to be your principal interface until that time. Surely, this should not come as a total surprise to you.”
Owens thought he should have expected this kind of response, but aside from his growing anger, he was deeply disappointed, nonetheless. Reigning in a hot, angry retort, he instead matched the coldness of her demeanor and said in a steely tone, “As a matter of fact, I did consider those very things you just mentioned, I but deliberately held back from commenting on them.”
She all
owed her exasperation to surface. “Really… then I cannot fathom your motive; what was your purpose in telling me your story if you knew of this beforehand?”
Enough, he thought. “First,” his voice was now harsh with barely constrained anger. “I want to make this crystal clear. I intended no accusation nor have I made any judgments on what I saw.” This of course was a lie. He had made a number of judgments, and she was only confirming some of what he already suspected.
She started to answer, but he held up his hand. “Wait a god-damned minute; let me answer your question. I assumed I was summoned here because of my profession. You needed me to conduct some sort of investigation, isn’t that right?”
He didn’t wait for an answer, “That being the case... it wouldn’t reflect very well on my skills if I failed to note at least what you have characterized as the ‘obvious,’ now would it? I admit I wanted to share with you some of my insights.” He looked at her pointedly, “Insights that may have a very real bearing on our survival.”
His voice became louder, “You’ve just now confirmed the ship that’s following us is probably in no better condition than the Saber was. That’s already been a factor in our ability to maintain our present lead in the race to Selane. Had Hec and I known of that earlier, perhaps our tactics would have been different. There may have been other advantages to be gained as well.”
“And frankly, I’m operating under less than ideal conditions here. I need information, and you’re the only one on this ship who can provide it. Funny, but it seems to me you can’t see past your own prejudices!”
His sharp words cut her. She had broken through his earlier calm and now he was quite angry. The iron in his voice sent unpleasant shivers down her spine.
He took a deliberate, calming breath. His voice lost some of its edge, his tone becoming more reasonable, “What I saw onboard the Saber was unexpected, and I needed confirmation. I needed confirmation from you. This is what any competent investigator would do.”
There was a muffled cracking sound. He looked down at his hands and saw shards from the cup he must have subconsciously picked up. With deliberation, he dusted his hands and continued; his voice now openly sarcastic, “So I’m sorry if I have offended you… again. That was not my intention. My intention was only to get some answers.” These apologies were getting damned tiresome.
“I see,” she said slowly, trying to ignore the remains of the cup littering the tabletop. She sensed she had glimpsed only a fraction of the displeasure Owens concealed behind his stony expression. She tried to weigh her words more carefully. “I can begin to see it from your perspective, but I must tell you it does not make it any less unpleasant or acceptable to someone who is not accustomed to such… as you would put it, frankness. Owens, please keep in mind I am not of your culture. My background is quite dissimilar from your own, and I have different sensibilities.”
“Believe me, it’s hard to forget.” He thought, in their present circumstances, such sensibilities were an ill-afforded luxury. He wondered how a society that fostered these ‘sensibilities’ had survived this long. While thinking this, he missed part of what she said next.
“… and perhaps in the future it would help to preface such discussions with at least an indication of your intent in order to prepare the listener. Without prior knowledge of what you truly had in mind, I found your presentation unexpected and somewhat… provoking. The farthest thing from my mind was the topic of the structural integrity of the Light Saber.”
She thought a moment. “Suffice it to say that while you are in the Golstar system, I would respectfully ask you to consider limiting your observations to subjects that are more directly related to your assignment.”
Owens frowned.
She quickly went on, “You may of course exercise your curiosity outside of your assignment within reasonable limits, but I beg you to consider carefully who it is you share your ‘observations’ with. You are a visitor to our territory, and I ask you to make some accommodation to our culture.”
He was surprised that the word ‘ask’ was actually in her vocabulary. Maybe he hadn’t totally wiped out the little rapport that he had established with her earlier. His temper was once more in control and his voice lost its remaining edge, “I’ll try to keep that in mind. I just hadn’t expected you to see my observations from that perspective.”
She softened her own response even more and said, “You must understand it is not I alone who will view things in that way.” She had to make Golstar’s position clear and hoped it would not make him angry again.
She sighed, “Perhaps I should have stated this before, I will try to do so now. Golstar’s request involving your services is admittedly unprecedented, and I surmise from your government’s perspective, it is even groundbreaking. However, you should know it neither arbitrates the existing state of undeclared truce between our two governments nor is it a sign our government’s position towards Confederated Planets…” She had almost said Confederated Planets’ unwanted interference, “…has softened or changed in anyway.”
She now seemed a little nervous, so he said in a conciliatory tone, “I was never led to believe otherwise.” Owens thought to himself, it had been a hope rather than a belief. He knew Vice Consul Reynaud would be very disappointed to hear Sharné’s declaration.
She said more earnestly, “Owens, please believe this is no reflection on you. You are not here because of any diplomatic skills you may possess. We summoned you to Golstar to perform a specific service; we need you for an important investigation. It was never intended as a sign our borders will be relaxed or the status quo has changed in any way.”
“I see.”
She allowed herself a small sigh, “So I ask you to keep in mind it will be necessary for you to exercise a certain degree of caution and be little more… circumspect when dealing with what are obviously sensitive subjects to Golstar.” This was not coming out the way she wanted it. “Allowances, of course, will be made, but I confess patience is not of our foremost virtues.”
Owens stifled a sarcastic laugh. What patience?
Owens took another moment to consider her words. Her initial, harsh reaction notwithstanding, she now seemed to accept at least some of the rationale behind his earlier discussion on the Saber. She had returned to a calmer demeanor. However, her follow-up statements were still a little too condescending to Owens’ ear, although it didn’t appear she intended this to anger him. Nonetheless, he felt some degree of frustration. These ‘sensitive subjects’ he thought, obvious to whom? How would he know what those sensitive subjects were? This orientation she talked about?
Just then he wasn’t about to ask Sharné for further clarification. He had seriously upset her. Her initial reaction was more intense than he had expected, but at least now she seemed composed. In any event, he would try to be more careful in the future. Besides, he thought, her defensive posture had already told him some of what he had wanted to know. Unfortunately, it further cooled their relationship. Still, he believed he was right in sharing his observations.
In reviewing the last few minutes, Owens was still puzzled by Sharné's personal conduct. For someone holding what was obviously a high office in her government, her behavior hadn’t matched his expectation. His limited experience with government officials didn't prepare him for her strong, emotional response. Of course, his reaction to that response hadn’t been exactly mild-mannered either. She certainly seemed to have a knack for pissing him off.
Breaking his reverie, Sharné asked, “Owens, can you understand our position?”
He figured it was as a good time as any to change the subject. “Yeah, I do understand. You’ve answered my questions, and I have no need to make further reference to the Saber’s condition. In the future, I’ll keep in mind what you’ve said.” He felt that a little clarification on his part was needed. Perhaps it would help for reconciliation with her. As though as an afterthought, he said, “But I will confess that some of my questions weren�
�t solely intended for clarification.”
She looked at him and wondered if he was about to offer up a new revelation. Whatever he was about to say, she vowed to herself that this time she would be prepared; this time she wouldn’t lose control. “Oh,” she said. “What other reasons did you have?”
“To be honest, some of the questions were aimed to satisfy my personal curiosity.” He ran a hand through his hair. “You see, I’ve always been inquisitive; it was my insatiable curiosity that led me into this profession in the first place, and I happen to think it’s an advantage for anyone in my line of work. Even so, I’ll admit it’s difficult sometimes for me to draw a clear line between professional and personal curiosity.”
She felt a wave of relief at his words. She said, “I believe I can understand how that might happen.”
“I’m glad. Frankly, in our present circumstances, my personal survival seems to be intertwined with Golstar’s request for my professional services. So I can’t promise I won’t stray over the line again, but I’ll try.”
Nodding, she said, “Thank you.”
He asked, “Would you now be open to a strictly professional discussion on the case you have in mind for me?”
“Yes, of course,” she disguised her relief. “It is the reason you have traveled so far… and endured these hardships is it not?”
● ● ●
Hec had listened to Owens and Sharné’s heated discussion with interest and wondered if it was a genetic trait in Golstar citizens to be so hypersensitive. While he was monitoring the conversation, Hec also tracked the probe’s progress. The probe successfully reached the outer perimeter of the sensor net without mishap. If the satellites were active, there was no measurable indication that Hec could discover. The AI guided the probe deeper into Golstar’s early-warning system watching for any indication the little satellites were functioning. So far, everything seemed as Sharné had promised.
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