Over Kassad's shocked protest as he flailed at the anchor ring Andrews announced, "I'll be taking this," she waved the data card significantly, "along with this pirate, his ship, crew, and passengers along with whatever else I find from the expedition." Her armored thug escort made the alternative clear with the barrel of their weapons and quickly muted Kassad's objection.
With her tone dangerously emotionless Connelly stated, "You'll be leaving empty handed if you can't provide legal cause."
Andrews responded in a jeering tone and pronunciation that mocked Connelly's own, "Captain Appleloose, as I'm sure you've already been informed these 'scientists' were involved in illegal research. They are all to be hauled as evidence before a University review board. While this one," Andrews jabbed a finger at Kassad who was only now restoring his purchase on the anchor ring, "failed to yield to my lawful orders."
Connelly didn't acknowledge the slight against her ship in any manner beyond dropping her voice ever further into cold matter of fact tones. "What I've heard so far has been speculation. As for Captain Kassad he has already confessed to evading pursuit and turned himself over to my custody." Kassad raised a finger to object to the specifics but then thought better of interjecting his words as Connelly continued, "The Code of Law is clear. If there is any additional evidence of criminal activity you must turn it over to me. If you are demanding transfer of prisoners or property you must provide proof of your jurisdictional pre-eminence before I am compelled to turn anything over to you."
With a provocatively dismissive smirk that was just begging for a fight Captain Andrews replied, "I have reason based on past association that you are working with the criminals in this captain." The thumb on Andrews' gun hand caressed the weapon's grip eagerly. "Since you've failed to yield to my lawful demands I'll simply have to take your ship as well, but I'll give you the opportunity to save yourself and your crew. Surrender immediately," Andrews grin threatened to become manic, "or by all means let's do this the hard way." Behind her Andrews' entourage braced for the fight they knew their captain wanted.
If anything Connelly looked more annoyed and bored by the threat than anything approaching intimidated. "Now you've gone and threatened a licensed Lawship captain, her crew, and ship." Connelly stated plainly, and then went on allowing her annoyance to edge into her voice, "Captain Andrews call your crew and tell them to stand down. You're going to stay here as my guest and all of us will be going to Mareville to await a magistrate." Kassad knew what the look on Connelly's face meant and he cautiously edged himself out of the line of fire.
Grinning evilly Andrews was thrilled to have a fight on her hands. "I'll have my boys shoot right now, cut your hulk to pieces, and take my chances, but I will have what I came for."
"You're a bigger idiot than he is." Connelly indicated with a jerk of her thumb an indignant Kassad, who had given up protesting his misrepresentation, then with exaggerated patience Connelly explained, "There are one hundred and seventy two mining skiffs in this asteroid field, each of them has a thirty kilojoule mining laser, and while none of them could pierce the Armhamon's hull outright all of them are now targeting it. You may poke a few holes in my hull, but together those mining lasers will drown your crew in molten structural steel before any serious damage is done here." Connelly rolled her eyes at Andrews' outraged expression. "I put this trap together to catch whoever has been pilfering the ore shipments, but it will work just fine to deal with a bullying thug with delusions of grandeur." When Andrews hesitated at conceding to reason Connelly continued, "No matter how you play this you're coming with us to Mareville and if you're stupid enough to put up a fight," with a gesture from Captain Connelly the boarding teams re-emerged taking up positions surrounding Captain Andrews and her entourage, "there's plenty of room in the ship's morgue."
Red faced rage constricted Captain Andrews' face until it seemed it would have pinched clean off, but eventually she relented in a tone that spoke of revenge. "Fine." Tapping the communications circuit on her wrist device she ordered in angry growling tones, "Armhamon, this is your captain. Stand down and wait for my signal. We're going to the local settlement to await a magistrate." Closing the channel Andrews' wrathful expression was joined by a vengeful tone. "You just lost your ship captain. I'm working with University sanction on this one, and you're sided with a known felon and a group of rogue scientists." Shaking her head Andrews concluded, "You're not going to walk away from this one."
Kassad objected weakly, "I am not a known felon. There have been misunderstandings…" he trailed off as no one was listening.
Speaking over Kassad Connelly explained, "Right now I'm walking to the bridge and wherever you walk six of my men will follow to make sure you don't get into any trouble." Directing herself to the boarding party with a nod she received six in return, then tapping the communications circuit on her wrist device Connelly ordered, "Communications officer, call for a Code of Law Magistrate. Navigation, set a course for Mareville, and I want us docked in time for dinner."
Chapter 22: "Horsing Around"
"Survival is a funny thing. It's a concept tied closely to civilization and the almost certainly delusional concepts of safety and security. It's not so much a fine line between 'surviving' and 'thriving' as much as it is an imaginary one reinforced by ignorance. In the end worrying about survival negatively impacts our ability to survive, consuming resources rarely with any return, so that the delusion of safety and security may be a survival trait in itself."
-Excerpt from “Our Hard Road” Herself's first autobiography
Docking at Mareville meant aligning and matching the Appaloosa to the spin on the enormous sphere's axis and where the massive airlock doors were located. Efficient and well practiced cycling operations soon had the big Lawship balanced between thick mooring cables in the center of the airlock. As she was processed through to the dockyards the Armhamon loitered a few kilometers away; wary of another trap.
Anyone looking at the extensive facilities stretching as far as the eye could see along the Mareville axis could have been excused for thinking that the entire colony was devoted to ship construction. Once past the airlock weightless conditions made the sphere's axis ideal for the processed cargo routing, docking, and shipyard activity that went on there. Even the volume of noise from the incessant industrial activity could barely be contained by the largest audio dampers commercially produced. Without the need for yard crews to suit up for vacuum conditions the shirt sleeve environment promoted efficient productivity, but for all its extensive elaborateness this was only the entryway for the settlement.
It took only seconds after the Appaloosa was securely clamped into her birth for teams summoned from the local PC&R to come aboard. In short order the medical professionals had declared everyone who had been exposed to the environment beyond Law's End as being under their protective custody. Before anyone could object the science team in their automated medic pods, Greene, Kassad, and a very reluctant Canis were being whisked towards the Mareville's PC&R facilities.
Ordinary transit from the sphere's axis to the living spaces at the equator was by monorail. Tracks followed the sphere's interior curvature from the zero gravity industrial zones to its equators where the living space was located. The pressurized monorail cars connected key activity living, working, administration, and shopping centers with the axis gateway.
Each monorail car had thick doors that were actually two sets of doors that could function as a narrow airlock in the case of emergencies. Nearly every building and vehicle in the settlement could be sealed against possible loss of pressure even though no significant breaches had occurred in living memory. Even the long rows of greenhouses and hydroponic gardens were capable of functioning in an air tight mode to protect their precious contents from any disaster.
Overhead Mareville's sky full of weightless industrial machinery was carefully concealed. Massive panels covering the industrial heart of Mareville created an almost perfect imitation of the preferred T
erran environment. Able to project anything from Terrestrial strength daylight, to a scattering of imitation starlight, and a myriad of glorious shades of azures and violets in between, they completed an illusion of being outdoors that even the most claustrophobic could accept.
As soon as the cars arrived at the main PC&R building each patient was instantly diverted to individual care. Every test available was performed and the results were cross referenced, analyzed, and compared to every record of past exposure or condition that was even remotely comparable. The number of specialists called upon for consultation was impressive, and in turn the number of those experts who offered their advice unsolicited was proportionately staggering.
Initial news of the Law's End survivors had sent a thrill through the Mareville medical community at the novelty and challenge these patients represented. Through the instantaneous communications of Laniakea's quantum communications network that excitement soon spread throughout the hundred thousand galaxies. Idle curiosity and the dramatic nature of the story drove an interest much amplified through speculation that quickly raced ahead of hard facts.
Before long even specialists who hadn't been called on to consult were clamoring to advise for the chance to pour over the unique data generated by these cases. As a result there was no shortage of treatment recommendations. The great cloud mind of Laniakea's united medical community observed responses, crunched the numbers, and in a matter of hours came up with a program for rehabilitation. In a matter of days all of the survivors would be responding, recovering, and coming to terms with the attention their predicament had resulted in.
Even before the cure for what was rapidly becoming known as Law's End Condition could be arrived at the Laniakea's myriad media outlets had seized upon the story as well. Of particular interest was the imagination capturing story of a wife and her unrelenting efforts to rescue her husband in the face of University opposition, long odds, and great danger. Before long there were few who hadn't heard the story of the fated scientific expedition even if the actual details were still mostly obscure.
While Greene found herself an instant celebrity with many doting admirers she had never met the other survivors faced much different experiences. All of the science team members were being kept under heavy sedation and out of the public light entirely. Canis had been trained to behave with stoic indifference to media attention making him a poor subject whose role in the events beyond Law's End was quickly dismissed. Kassad on the other hand found himself the subject of a campaign by a noteworthy Lawship captain to paint him as a pirate intent on looting the expedition's remains.
Morning found Greene in the chair she'd slept in at her husband's PC&R bedside with one hand idly toying with the man's dark brown hair. Around the room were bouquets of flowers collected locally but purchased by admirers very distant. The room itself was almost as perfectly generic a medical recovery room as if it had come off a central assembly line; aside from the settlements ubiquitous and only occasionally subtle equine themed stylizations and decorations.
With a sigh of blissful contentment Greene gazed out the private room's floor to ceiling window. Beyond the recovery room rows of crystal clear greenhouses stretched away for kilometers up the inner wall of the sphere allowing their greens and browns flecked with yellows, blues, and reds to bask in the artificial sun. As the artificial dawn grew in intensity automated farm equipment and its organic handlers could be seen to toil away at providing the necessities and pleasantries of life.
Everything was reassuring and peaceful. It was pleasant, scheduled, and orderly. The warm embrace of the artificial womb civilization had made for its peoples. This was safety from the bitter howling wilderness surrounding them.
It was all so welcoming the only thing that could pull Greene's eyes away from the visage was the opportunity to check on the sleepy mumbling of her beloved. The sedation he was under was heavy and he was not supposed to wake for some hours. It was all part of a carefully thought out recovery program.
Utterly serious medical professionals had assured Greene that healing the emotional damage from the stress of the experience would be a long and ongoing process. The future of the Greenes would include painful physical therapy and counseling sessions, but it would be a future they could endure together. In her heart and mind she knew they were together and that meant they could overcome anything.
A tone from the doorway diverted Greene's attention again. The doorway stood slightly ajar so the sound of other humans moving purposefully about could filter in. Just beyond the doorway a figure waited anxiously for an invitation to enter. Where she had expected to see one of the medical authorities, dispassionately and professionally aloof, there stood a more familiar figure.
Shock and uncertainty at the figure's sudden appearance stunned Greene into silent staring. Well into his eighties the figure looked to be not much older than Greene herself. With their matching eyes and hair color along with similar bone structure they could have easily been mistaken as brother and sister.
Taking an uncertain step into the room the figure stopped inside the entry. "I hope I'm not intruding here."
Glancing from the figure to her husband and back again Greene shook her head, not knowing how to feel at the intrusion. There was a roll of emotions at the arrival of her father. In recent years they'd almost reconciled, although they'd never been formally estranged. Greene had no doubt that he was here while in pursuit of company interests, but he hadn't needed to drop by.
Eventually Greene determined to be hospitable by saying, "No, you're not intruding." As her father took another nervous step into the room she remembered common courtesy, "Please, sit with us. He'll be out for some hours yet. I suppose we should talk."
Inwardly Greene cringed at her use of the word 'suppose' in spite of herself. Not long after word of the disaster had reached her she'd determined not to waste effort assigning blame. There was plenty of blame to go around and none of that truly mattered.
Awkwardly nodding at the invitation Greene's father moved to the stylized horseshoe backed chair on the opposite side of bed. His mouth opened to speak and then closed again. They were both quiet for a time.
After a while her father found the words to speak. "I was so relieved that the research crew was rescued. I'm very proud of you." Gesturing to the sleeping form he added, "I'm very proud of you both." Another awkward silence descended and threatened to extend but the figure found more words. "If there's anything I can do, just let me know."
Greene was disappointed by her father's rote apology, and irritated by the obligatory nature of his visit, her determination to let the visit play out cordially disintegrated, "Why didn't you tell me it was a weapons project? Why didn't you tell us?"
"That's just not true. Simply because something has military product applications doesn't make it a military product." Her father almost continued but then stopped himself realizing that his daughter had heard variations of the speech many times before and started over saying, "I would never have gotten you involved if I thought the research team would actually try to utilize the information they gathered. Believe me when I tell you that I was being honest when I called this a research program. They weren't supposed to develop anything at this site. The hazards… well, you saw what the hazards were."
Greene looked to her husband as she tried to reign in her anger. "Well they certainly developed something didn't they?"
Instinctively retreating into his long held role as corporate spokesman her father said, "You don't know that. I don't know that. Everyone who knows what happened is still unconscious."
Sometimes Greene felt as if she were dealing with a company product rather than a human being when dealing with her father. "We might know if everything wasn't buried in company secrets."
With a heavy sigh her father tried to explain, "When I told you about the opportunity I was thinking this would give us a reason to talk to each other again, or at least an excuse. I admit I was being selfish. I never thought it wa
s dangerous, at least no more dangerous than any other deep space work."
Roiling emotions only yielded to will with an effort that Greene found she was too tired to exert for long, "It's nice to hear you say that, but it's not necessary. Everything is going to be fine now." Realizing that her words might have sounded sarcastic she made an effort to sound more conciliatory. "I'm glad you came to visit. I know you have to get to the hearing."
A bit too hopefully her father replied, "There's still some time left." Realizing how desperate he must have sounded he hung his head. "I know you must blame me for all of this," he found some spot on his hands to focus his gaze on as he talked "however you should remember that the company financed both the project and the rescue. It's my job to look after corporate interests, but you have to believe that I wouldn't have let any of this go forward if I'd known what would happen."
As a girl Greene had heard variations of that excuse often enough for it to have accrued negative associations, and she bitterly threw another of her father's cherished sayings back at him, "Anything else we might have done is in the past. We're both going to have to live with our decisions and their consequences."
Wounded by the words Greene's father only meekly managed to respond, "I know." As a representative of corporate interests her father was relentless and confident but when it came to personal matters he hopelessly floundered. "I know things haven't been perfect between us, but I am here for you."
Some cruel corner of Greene's mind asserted itself angrily seeking retribution for a history of barely remembered failings. "You're here for the company and by happy coincidence it allows you to be here for me. That has always been the problem between us."
Law's End Page 19