The Death of Wisdom

by Paul Brunette

  "All right. Can we talk to him now?"

  "Yes. But I will have to accompany you."

  "Understood."

  Entering the interrogation room required passage through two sets of doors, and another deputy was picked up along the way. When the door into the white chamber was opened, obvious shock showed on Delpero's face at recognizing Physic.

  "Hi, Orit."

  "August."

  "Mr. Delpero," Coeur said, "you may not remember me, but I'm Red Sun,"

  "Right. Orit's roommate,"

  "Formerly, yes. At the moment, I'm the captain of RCS Hornet, and I'd like your help in answering some questions."

  "Get me a lawyer, then I'll talk."

  "Delpero, let's not mince words. If you had a lawyer, he'd advise you to bite your tongue. Well, I can't afford to have you bite your tongue—I need to know why you're here at Ra."

  Delpero wriggled in his seat, but said nothing.

  "You know, Delpero, we're not the next ship going back to Aubaine. it could be months before the next ship arrives from there, and in the meantime these people could get very tired of your attitude."

  "I don't know anything. Just leave me alone."

  "August," Physic said, "don't be stupid. After all they've been through here, they're not going to be nice to you."

  A pause followed, as Delpero looked into the eyes of his wife.

  "All right' he said, "I'll talk, but just to you. Alone."

  Coeur looked back at the guards. Holton shook his head—no.

  Unimpressed by his level of cooperation, she then steered Holton back out to the halt with Physic.

  "Deputy, I appreciate your concern, but we have a planetary emergency here. If there's any chance Delpero knows who attacked this planet, we must get that information from him."

  "I'm sorry, captain. It's just not allowable."

  Coeur growled deep in her throat and snatched her radio off her belt.

  "Deep Six, this is Red Sun. Put me through to the governor, highest priority."

  Holton shifted uncomfortably.

  "Governor Bryce here, Red Sun. What can I do for you?"

  "Mr, Bryce, I'm at the Port Adrian jail, where we're speaking to Mr. Delpero, but I don't think he's going to talk unless he's alone with his wife—my doctor. Will you authorize the guards here to leave them alone for, say, 10 minutes?"

  "Do you think it'll be productive?"

  "It might."

  "Very good, I'll authorize the proper permission,"

  "Thank you, sir. We'll apprise you of what we learn. Red Sun out."

  Coeur and Physic then turned to Holton.

  "Will that suffice as permission?"

  "All right, captain. But just 10 minutes—not a minute more,"

  "Understood. Physic, let's go."

  The other guard, when given instructions to leave, was surprised and paused a moment looking at Delpero. Roughed up as he was, Delpero was still nearly twice Physic's size—a fact that didn't escape Holton's attention either.

  "All right, pops," he said, lifting Delpero out of his seat and handcuffing his hands behind his back, "We're gonna leave you in here alone, so no funny business." Delpero made an inarticulate mumble. "Come on," Coeur said to the guards, "let's go." "And no sound, either' Delpero said. "I mean alone." Coeur didn't respond to that, since the guards had already closed the inner door behind her.

  "Orit, you can't really think I was involved in a smuggling ring."

  "August Physic said, crossing her arms and looking up at her husband, standing two meters away, "it's no use trying to be charming. They've got you pinned six ways from Sunday."

  "It's all circumstantial, Orit. Once I have a lawyer present the facts to a judge..."

  "Damn it, August, there's no time for that! Do you know where I've spent the last week? In a stinking death trap surrounded by Hiver corpses!" "What?"

  "Yes, August, And we need to know if you know who's behind it."

  Apparently shocked, Delpero fumbled backward for his chair and sat on it. "I had no idea."

  "August—"

  "I tell you, I had no idea! I just came to Ra—

  Physic moved closer to Delpero.

  "I just came to Ra to meet Zorn."

  And Physic released a heavy sigh.

  "But I didn't know what she was doing here—she didn't say what she was going to do with the stuff I sent."

  Physic knelt down on one knee beside his chair.

  "August, there are 300 Hivers dead at Seabridge station, killed by a biological warfare agent. Did you supply that virus?"

  "Good Lord, Orit. What kind of man do you think I am?"

  "I don't know. You tell me."

  "Look, Or, I don't care whatever else you think I've done—I don't trade in Black War weapons."

  "Then who would, August? Zorn?"

  "Zorn's...a pretty loose gun. She might."

  "Do you know where she could get them?"

  "Orit, I honestly don't know. The people I hired to ship goods to Zorn claimed she worked out of a Guild base somewhere, but she never told me where it was."

  "You don't even have a clue?"

  "I have a clue. Krishnamurti thought it was somewhere in Thoezennt."

  Physic nodded.

  "There is another thing," Delpero added, "Do you remember those holograms I had in the yacht?"

  "Yes. We were going to ask you about those."

  "Those were from Zorn, you probably remember. Most are places I've heard of—the gas giant at Keipes, the forest at Nicosia—but the last one, she didn't say where that was. I think it was recorded at the Guild base.

  though."

  "is that why you came to Ra? To get Zorn to take you to that base?"

  Delpero nodded.

  "A jungle and binary stars. Not much to go on."

  "Orit," Delpero said, with a suddenly imploring tone, "I don't want to stay here. Can't you take me with you?"

  "Out of the question. We're not going that way."

  "Where are you going?"

  "I'm not at liberty to discuss that."

  "You're going to Thoezennt, aren't you? Oh my Cod, you're going to Thoezennt in that little far trader..."

  "Somehow, August, it's hard to think you care. Not after the way you've screwed everyone else you know."

  Delpero grimaced, "You really do hate me, don't you?"

  Physic hesitated a moment before answering.

  "No, August, I don't. Maybe I wish I did, because that would make things easier. But I don't."

  Delpero opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out.

  Physic touched Delpero's shoulder for a brief moment, then let the contact pass and nodded to the mirror. Holton appeared at the side door a moment later to let her out.

  "Good-bye, August," Physic said, standing.

  "Good-bye, Or."

  Physic then turned and withdrew through the door to the hallway, where Coeur was waiting for her.

  "Were you listening?"

  "As best I could. He sounded sincere, but then I suppose he would be good at that."

  "Do you still want to go to Thoezennt, then?"

  "Oh, yes; we're going to Thoezennt. Thank you, deputy marshal. I think we can find our way out."

  With all the attendant fuss about Delpero, Coeur knew that her original launch hour was unrealistic, and so postponed it another two days. That gave her crew time to complete the various projects they could only complete before leaving.

  After flying Physic back to Seabridge Nest in Lord Ryan's luxurious launch (which she'd decided to keep, after filing her necessary-use voucher), Coeur returned to Hornet in orbit and assisted Crowbar and the Marines in recovering the weather-beaten and partly flooded support sled off the coast of Gypsy Island. Hornet then flew to a remote desert, and the same recovery gang washed radioactive dust off both Hornet and the sled. Scissor and Physic, meanwhile, familiarized M. Dina and Florence with the first effective test for Hiver Folgorex II—a test they used first on Sc
issor.

  It proved that Scissor had the virus.

  When Hornet, with the sled and Lord Ryan's launch securely stored in her cargo bay, finally returned to Seabridge Nest the day of departure, all was desolation. Agricultural robots (lacking the autonomy of Florence and its fellow medbots) had ceased to tend the fields, and not even a single Hiver was anywhere to be seen. Only Pratt's sullen patrols were evidence that anyone still inhabited the lonely domes.

  With Drop Kick and Crowbar, Coeur went to retrieve her two researchers from the medical laboratory, where she also saw Dina and Florence for the last time. The lack of bodies in the lower floors—which Coeur had anticipated—was more disconcerting than she'd expected, and the dismay showed on her face when they reached the lab level.

  Even more dismaying was the sight of Scissor outside of its vac suit. No longer given any protection by it, he had earlier cast it aside.

  "Hello, Scissor. Feeling all right?"

  "I am feeling no ill effects at this juncture, captain."

  "That's good," Coeur said, turning to face the still vac- suited Dina. "Greetings, Manipulator Dina."

  "Greetings, Red Sun. I understand you will now be departing."

  "That's correct. We'll be sending a warning about the virus back to the Coalition, though. Deadeye has secured his own appropriate use voucher and scraped together enough of a crew to man Lord Ryan."

  "Will they be taking Delpero back to Aubaine?" Physic asked.

  "Negative. Since the Hiver transport headed back in the direction of the Federation, they'll be trying to follow the same course, away from Aubaine. It would be handy, though, if we could give Blackball some data on this new antibody test of yours, so they can disseminate it aiong the route."

  "Already done," Florence announced, pulling a data card from the computer it was sitting at. "This disk contains the technical data in Hiver and Anglic text. I shall make arrangements to transmit the data directly to Lord Ryan's computer."

  "Outstanding. Then I guess it's time to go, Physic, Scissor. The ship's fueled up and Crowbar's fairly certain we've scrubbed off all the fallout dust."

  "And you picked up the tank, too, right?"

  "It's not like it's going to fly anywhere, though," Crowbar said. "Contra-grav's completely wrecked."

  "Anyway," Coeur said, "we're ready to leave any time you are."

  "Right with you," Physic said, pulling another disk out of a separate computer and popping it into the bag on her shoulder, "All right, I'm ready,"

  "As am I " Scissor seconded.

  "I can't say when we'll be back," Coeur said to Dina. "Will you be maintaining your lab here or moving elsewhere?"

  "Here, most likely. Since I avoided contracting the disease, together with two of my associates, we will remain here to conduct further research and look after the safety of the individuals in low suspension."

  "You're tougher than I am," Crowbar said. "I don't think I could spend months in a vac suit."

  "What must be done shall be done," Dina said.

  "Amen to that," Coeur said. "Come on guys, let's go hit space."

  Given the scale of her search—looking for a small base among the 25 systems in Thoezennt Subsector—Coeur was more concerned with finding it than with what she'd do when she did. Shortly after Hornet entered jump, though, Snapshot and Drop Kick pointed out a possible problem with their approach, "We look like we're from the RC."

  "You mean the ship, Snapshot? It's not particularly obvious where it comes from."

  "No," Drop Kick said. "We mean us. With our body sleeves and personal gear, we don't look much like the people who'd be doing business with the Guild—that is, of course, assuming that we're trying to be subtle."

  Coeur leaned back in the chair at her stateroom desk. "Well, we alt have civilian clothes. I just thought we'd send small groups out in those wherever we stop to look around."

  "Sut why not take it a step further," Snapshot proposed. "Since Xezor is the last friendly world we'll visit, we could stock up on enough gear to make the whole ship look like some kind of free trader."

  "I don't know if Xezor's all the larder you're expecting, Snapshot. The people who control the starport aren't big fans of the Coalition, so I was planning on landing near an island state that we've already got bootstrap teams in."

  "Hrm."

  "At! the same, it is a good idea. Crowbars already preparing smuggling areas for the battle dress and heavy weapons—if we roughed up the inside of the ship, too, we might make a convincing frontier trader—even a pirate. Since the tank's wrecked, we could claim we captured it somewhere, and are offering it for sale."

  "Right," Drop Kick and Snapshot agreed, nodding to each other.

  "All right, then. Whenever we land, I'll detail you two to scare us up some ratty looking clothes and low-tech equipment."

  "Yes, sir," Drop Kick said, saluting with Snapshot and withdrawing with the gunner.

  The Republic of Free Xantreeb, Coeur thought afterward, surrounded on three sides by hostile neighbors. I wonder if that really is the best place to leave those two running around?

  Oh, well, they're adults. I'm sure they'll stay out of trouble.

  Crowbar was the closest thing to a pirate Coeur had in her crew, having already ventured beyond the AO with his Lancer mates, so he was ideally suited to overseeing Horner's conversion into a plausible free trader. Guided by his knowledge of smuggling techniques, and aided by Scissor while Gyro and Snapshot kept an eye on the jump drive, he made short work of the necessary changes, completing them a day before the ship's precipitation at Xezor.

  "We're actually kinda lucky," Crowbar explained to Coeur in the galley. "Hornets already slapped together out of spare parts, so she came out of the yard looking zip-tech."

  "Indeed," Scissor added, "Most of our modifications have consisted of replacing original indicator panels with older dials and gauges otherwise detailed for emergency repairs."

  Coeur nodded, having seen their good work "roughing up" the bridge without diminishing its capacities.

  "All right. But where did you put the original equipment?"

  The same place we put the Marine gear and the original computer core—the last place anyone will look."

  Challenged earlier in the week to find Crowbar and Scissor's smuggling area, Coeur had by now eliminated all the more obvious choices—the airless aft drive section, landing gearwells, ceiling compartments, and hull frame, for instance, "All right, where?"

  "Sure you don't want to guess?"

  "Go ahead, indulge me."

  Crowbar grinned, "Inside the fuel tank. Scissor and I built an insulated vessel that can only be accessed from a belly hatch after the liquid hydrogen's been drained."

  "I like it," Coeur answered, with a grin of her own.

  "Actually, the thing I'm proudest of is our work with the computer core. With all the spare parts in Scissor's stateroom, we were able to remove every original memory board and replace it with a blank duplicate. Even a crack hacker won't find any place we removed data, because it was never there in the first place!"

  Suddenly, Coeur cast a sidelong, worried look at the industrious pair, "Trouble, sir?"

  "No. I'm just hoping they give you a raise when we get back to port. I'd hate to think of you working for somebody else."

  "Sir," Scissor observed, "the RCES pay scale is fixed at a uniform rate."

  "It's a joke," Crowbar explained, softly.

  "Oh, humor. Do forgive me, captain."

  Coeur forgave him, for the pair's good work could not help but put her in a forgiving mood. Good feelings were less in evidence in the cargo hold, however, where she dropped in on the exasperated Marines and their hapless AFV. Though the turret and top deck of the Pyrrhus were substantially intact, the forward avionics suite and belly contra-grav modules were severely abused and beyond the prospect of repair. What was even worse, though, the frame was badly bent, warped in a way that would make high-speed flight a suicidal proposition even if new CG m
odules could be found and installed.

  "It's a real pity," Whiz Bang said. "It was such an outstanding vehicle."

  Mercy laughed. "Yeah, right."

  "It did have one good quality," Coeur said; "it didn't sink."

  "Good point," Bonzo said, "Perhaps the Aubani Navy can use it as a patrol boat"

  "Actually," Drop Kick said, "it probably won't be worth anyone's trouble to fix. More than likely, they'll remove the useful components and melt down the armor for scrap."

  "Well, fine," Coeur said, "I'm sure you did your best.

  Just as long as she looks the part of a sled we're looking to sell, I'm sure that's the most we'll need from her."

  Unlike every world in the Coalition, the unassimilated planet Xezor lacked a traffic control net, though it wasn't as if it would have mattered if it had one—none of the island nations had a space fleet anyway. The Republic of bruhamen did have a class C starport, however, and therefore would eventually be a necessary target for normalized relations with the Coalition—no matter how much its populace disliked the Coalition at present. Out of diplomatic courtesy, Coeur signaled Bruhamen's government that she had arrived for ocean refueling only, and then discreetly set down on the other side of the planet at Free Xantreeb.

  Climatically, the island of 250 kilometers diameter was clearly tropical year-round—it sat 10 degrees above the equator of a world where a single ocean moderated global climate—and the Arses and Marines debarked into a balmy seeming-paradise, spoiled only by the sulfuric scent of volcanic smoke prevalent over all the islands of the world.

  "Ah," Physic said, admiring the bronzed men strolling down the beach near the grassy glade they'd set down in. "So that's why we stopped here."

  "Negative," Coeur said. "The local bootstrap team said it had a headquarters near this field,"

  "Oh, I see it," Drop Kick said, "up in the hills there."

  "Nice camouflage," Snapshotsaid. "They at war here?"

  "According to our last data," Coeur said, "all these islands around here claim each other as their rightful territory, but I don't think its a shooting war at this point. Come on, let's go visit the office."

  To reach the office, recessed into a cliff above the beach, the three Arses and one Marine eschewed their air raft and instead passed on foot through the outskirts of Pango City—a city of thousands that occupied a wide valley in the south face of the island. Having changed from their body sleeves to light shirts and shorts more suitable to the tropics, they weren't obviously extraterrestrial in origin, but somehow the locals placed their origin and greeted them cheerily.