“I think we can rely on you to make the safety of the passengers your top priority,” Captain Vargas declared. “But if you’re thinking that your present rank disqualifies you, you are right. You will be promoted to lieutenant commander, effective on the day you take command—”
This was incredible! He had thought it would be at least two more years before he was eligible for promotion.
“—which will be soon,” Vargas continued, “because you will need to make a test flight with the retiring captain, and since he is a civilian he cannot be given authority over Fleet officers.”
In a daze, Terry expressed his thanks for the trust placed in him and went to phone Kathryn. Perhaps, he thought, she’d had something to do with this; the Maclairnans had a great deal of influence with Captain Vargas and he would be unlikely to disregard the ambassador’s wishes. Jessica, too, might have had a hand in it. Nevertheless, his telepathic sensitivity had told him that the CO’s approval had been genuine.
After a joyous reunion with Kathryn during a five-day leave, he inspected Promise, which was in an orbit lower than Shepard’s. It was a somewhat larger ship than Picard, designed to carry twelve people including the crew, the legal maximum for civilian starships; but otherwise it was similar. There was little new for him to learn as far as piloting it was concerned. And the customary protocol for day-to-day living with passengers, far more formal than when only Fleet personnel were aboard, he could learn from Kathryn.
His promotion and new appointment were announced at dinner in the wardroom that night. Terry, unused to being the center of attention, accepted the congratulations of his fellow officers with as much dignity as he could muster, startled and touched by the warmth with which they offered them. When Captain Vargas pinned the silver sunburst of a lieutenant commander to his lapel he was nearly overwhelmed by the telepathic current in the room. How much of it was due to the others’ developing psi ability and how much to his own new awareness of connection with people, he couldn’t tell.
His first duty as captain was to select a crew. He chose Drew Larssen as engineer and told him to become thoroughly familiar with the design of the ship as well as to assist with the maintenance check that was already underway. Also, he ordered him to oversee the installation of a laser cannon like the one that had proved useful aboard Picard. Now that Promise was becoming known in Earth’s solar system as a private ship that carried passengers, there was a small chance that pirates might try to seize them for ransom; and whereas his untrained crew would be no match for pirates if it came to a fight, they would be less likely to pursue an armed ship than an unarmed one.
The choice of a copilot was more difficult. Mikaela would not be fully recovered from her injury in time for the next trip, and in any case it would have to be a man since she and Drew were not committed to a permanent relationship and the two officers must share a stateroom. Terry wasn’t well acquainted with the other pilots, many of whom were members of couples and therefore ineligible. Whoever he chose would have to be trained enroute since none of them had any experience piloting starships. Though the copilot’s main job would be to fly the shuttle, he must be able to take charge of Promise while it was orbiting a planet.
Word had gotten around, and to Terry’s surprise everyone wanted the job—not just because it offered a chance to handle a jump ship, but because his own reputation had spread. He could scarcely believe this until, embarrassed, he was informed by Drew that since the Five-C ordeal Picard’s crew had virtually revered him. It wasn’t only that he had risked his life for them, Drew said. They had been deeply impressed by his advanced psi powers. “None of us knew Fleet people were gaining the abilities the Maclairnans have, aside from managing our physical reactions,” he admitted. “You—well, I can’t believe you’re the guy I’ve been rooming with all this time. There’s not a lieutenant on this ship who wouldn’t jump at the chance to serve under you.”
With dismay, Terry realized that it was starting—the thing he had feared when he’d told Tristan that he wasn’t sure he wanted the ability to heal others. He had no wish to be viewed as a hero, much less be credited with special powers. Yet how could it have been avoided? He could not have let Mikaela suffer from pain or go on bleeding when he was able to prevent it. He could not have let anyone die from lack of oxygen when he knew how to help them lower their metabolism. God, he thought, what will they think when they find out what I’m learning remote viewing for?
It was just as well, perhaps, that Promise wouldn’t be spending much flight time in Maclairn’s solar system. Yet wasn’t that a cop-out? Wasn’t an important part in protecting Maclairn what he wanted most?
He went to see Tristan the next time he was free to go down to the surface. They talked a long time. “You are a forerunner, not a superman, just as many of us on Maclairn are,” Tristan said, “and forerunners are always set apart from their contemporaries by their capabilities. The answer isn’t to hide those capabilities—it’s to work toward making them more widely available. That’s why from the beginning, we’ve considered ourselves stewards here rather than superiors worthy of being admired by people who lack what we’ve gained.”
Terry nodded, seeing for the first time what the term Stewards of the Flame really meant. He had not understood it before; he’d assumed it was just a mystical-sounding phrase chosen for ceremonial purposes. Was he, perhaps, like those formally pledged even though he wasn’t one of them?
There was another question that had been haunting him. “Tristan—was going into that cave more than just stupidity on my part? Did I have some sort of unconscious foreknowledge that I could someday save others by what I learned there?”
“That’s too big a question for any of us to answer,” Tristan replied slowly. “There might have been precognition involved, but on the other hand it might have been synchronicity, which is something that has never been understood. All we can be sure of is that such connections are not just random chance. To say that they are, as the majority of scientists try to, is to ignore the mathematics of probability that they claim to respect.”
“How can they ignore mathematical fact?”
“How can they ignore statistical proof of the existence of psi? Scientists have always swept facts that don’t fit current theories under the rug, because to accept them would be to leave themselves stranded without the firm ground of a theory to stand on. And that’s a state only a very exceptional scientist can tolerate. Wait and see, Terry—as captain of Promise, you will meet the mentors who have been working on Earth, and you will begin to grasp what we’re up against.”
After consultation with the XO, Terry chose Lt. Amir Khalil as copilot of Promise on the basis of skill as a shuttle pilot and his expressed interest in interstellar astrogation, as well as his strong support of Maclairn’s goals. Once Commander Linley had signed off on the maintenance work he and his new crew took the ship on a six-day test cruise with the former civilian captain as advisor. It went smoothly, but of course it was bound to, within the solar system. The real test of his piloting ability would come with his first jump.
They went out as far as Three and orbited it before coming back. Terry felt increasingly uncomfortable as they neared it, not because of anything to do with Promise but because a vague sense of unease nagged at him whenever he wasn’t busy with his work. Finally, in the night, he realized what had brought it on. It was the memory of the strange experience he’d had twice before at this distance from Maclairn, the sense that there was another ship somewhere in the vicinity. Or was it just memory? Tristan had acknowledged that what he’d felt before could have been precognition. But why would precognition come to him here and nowhere else, when that form of psi wasn’t related to distance?
He had not sensed it during the swift return from Five-C aboard Shepard, but he had been exhausted then and had slept soundly. Now, he found he could not sleep. There was something just beyond the edge of consciousness that he couldn’t push aside. Not until they approached Macla
irn on the return trip did he feel free to take joy in having become a starship captain.
~ 30 ~
The current observers that Kathryn had brought to Maclairn were not scheduled to leave for another ten days and Terry was able to spend many of them with her, exulting in the fact that they wouldn’t be parted when it was time for Promise to go. They looked happily forward to the trip, sharing in the planning; she, after all, represented the ship’s owner and was responsible for all details other than those connected with the ship’s maintenance and operation, though he would be in full command while in flight.
Four days before departure, when he was back aboard Shepard supervising the dispatch of Promise’s cargo and consumables, Terry was called to report to Captain Vargas. “It’s come to my attention, Commander, that Kathryn expects that Promise can carry more passengers from now on because she won’t be using up a stateroom,” the CO said.
Terry reddened. Of the six double staterooms aboard she had previously occupied one alone and the captain another, leaving one for the other officers and only three for passengers; if she shared his, there would be four. “Well, yes,” he said. “I guess we did assume—”
“I realize you have been lodged together in Jessica’s home. It’s entirely acceptable under Maclairnan custom, and on a trip involving just Fleet personnel, or one carrying only mentors, we wouldn’t object either. But future civilian passengers will come from many cultures, some of them very conservative, and you will socialize with them as an official representative of Fleet. I’m sorry, but we can’t have it made obvious that the relationship between the two of you is in any way inappropriate.”
Frowning, Terry considered this. It was a long-term problem, and the restriction would undoubtedly extend to whatever hotels they stayed in on Earth. They couldn’t make trip after trip without ever sharing a bed, and he did not like the idea of sneaking. If they were caught at it, the repercussions would be worse than if they lived together openly. Besides, it was a waste of much-needed passenger space.
“Sir, there’s another possibility,” he declared. “We’re committed to each other, which is the equivalent of marriage under Maclairn’s law. If we were also married under League law, no one could object. As captain of a deployed cruiser, aren’t you authorized to perform weddings?”
Captain Vargas looked thoughtful. “Yes, I’m licensed to do that,” he said after a pause. “But if I marry a couple I’m obliged to offer counseling. And you must think very carefully before you enter into a legal marriage, Terry. There’s more to it than having an exclusive sexual relationship.”
“It’s not just sex with us,” Terry protested. “I thought you knew that.”
“Yes, of course—I know you care deeply for each other and wish to share your lives. But think: what about the future? You are an outstanding officer and you have it in you to reach the top—perhaps to command a colonizer someday. Kathryn appears dedicated to her career as legal advocate for Maclairn. Can you ask her to choose between abandoning it and the long separations your expeditions may require?”
This was the question that had tormented Terry from the moment he’d first realized the depth of his love for Kathryn. He would not ask her to choose—she was a Steward of the Flame and pledged to work for Maclairn’s cause. The choice would have to be his, and it would apply as much to exploring as to possible higher command. Either he must give that up to stay on Maclairn, or they would have to be parted someday. He had put off thinking about it, hoping that as long as he was based here the issue would not arise. But it was true that it would be settled if he married her. Though few modern marriages lasted a lifetime, he could not see himself ending his for the sake of career advancement; he would not do that to Kathryn even if he wanted to.
And yet, wouldn’t that be what he was doing if he decided he couldn’t marry legally? If he told her that they must sleep apart aboard Promise because he’d been advised not to bind himself?
“It’s too late for either of us to choose,” he said. “We’re already bonded; a ceremony won’t make any difference.”
Captain Vargas sighed. “So I thought,” he admitted. “Aldren explained to me that with telepaths the bond can become unbreakable after very short acquaintance. All the same I had to speak because I wasn’t sure you knew the extent of the opportunities that may open up for you. I suspect that if Kathryn truly loves you, she will not let you reject them, and that there are painful separations ahead. But it would not be any less painful if you held back now.”
That afternoon he went down to the surface on special leave to formally propose. Kathryn agreed with enthusiasm, but then she said hesitantly, “There’s something you don’t know about me, Terry—something I’ve put off telling you.”
“I know everything I need to know,” he assured her, smiling, “Our minds merge every time we have sex.”
“That reveals current thoughts, not past history. You don’t even know my surname.”
“I thought you dropped it when you became a citizen of Maclairn.”
“I did, but we’re going to Earth, and if I’m your wife it’s going to come up. I’m a Bramfield.” At his blank look, she asked, “Haven’t you ever heard of Arthur Bramfield?”
He shook his head. “I left Earth as soon as I got out of school, and at the Fleet academy we didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to the news. If he’s a notorious criminal or something, don’t worry about it—I don’t care who your relatives are.”
“Arthur Bramfield is the CEO of the Maclairn Foundation. He’s my grandfather.”
“You told me your granddad was the head of it when we first met,” he said, puzzled.
“But I didn’t tell you that he’s one of the richest people on Earth apart from that. He’s a billionaire in his own right, Terry, and my parents died when I was little—that makes me an heiress. It’s something I’ve never wanted, but I’m stuck with it.”
Stunned, Terry could only gape.
“I love Granddad very much—he and Gram raised me, and he’s a wonderful person,” she went on. “And I don’t mind his having money; he supports many charities and has put a lot into the Foundation, which is what pays for keeping Promise operational. But I never got a chance to live like other girls. And when I finally met someone I thought I might marry . . . well, as I told you, he dumped me when I asked him to come to Maclairn. It wasn’t only that he was scared off by my interest in psi. My inheritance won’t be of any use on Maclairn, you see, and it turned out that it was all he really cared about.”
Troubled, Terry said, “You—you didn’t fall in love with me just because I didn’t know, did you?”
“That was what attracted me so fast,” she admitted. “No man had ever wanted me for myself before. But after that, nothing mattered except being with you—I’d have loved you even if you did want my money. On Earth, though, there’ll be people who won’t believe that you didn’t marry me for it; behind your back they’ll call you a fortune hunter.”
“Will your grandparents think that?”
“No. They’ll recognize you for what you are, and they’ll be happy for me.”
“Then do we care what other people think?”
She frowned. “I don’t if you don’t, but I had to warn you. Some, even in Fleet, may assume you got command of Promise only through Granddad’s influence. Being rich and famous gives him power; that was why the Foundation was able to make contact with League officials in the first place, and why they were willing to negotiate a contract.”
Terry had wondered how that came about; an ordinary group of people claiming to have found a world where ESP was widespread would be dismissed as crackpots. “Does Captain Vargas know who you are?” he asked, suddenly worried that it might indeed have been the cause of his unexpected promotion.
“No. Admiral Derham does, because I went back to Earth with his group, but he promised me he wouldn’t tell anybody. No one here knows except Jessica. And let’s leave it that way.”
The wed
ding was held two days later aboard Shepard, not only because it had to be performed in League territory, but because most of the crew wanted to attend. The captain, after talking with Kathryn by phone, decided that there was no need for him to counsel her face to face; so she didn’t come aboard until a few hours before the ceremony. She brought with her only her close friend Elbra as an attendant; the Maclairnans would celebrate afterward with the wedding feast customary among them when couples declared themselves lifemates.
There being no such thing as a wedding gown on Maclairn, there had been some question about what Kathryn was to wear. Terry, Drew as best man, and the official honor guard—composed of both men and women—would be wearing their dress uniforms, and she had not brought any formal attire from Earth. White was considered inappropriate because on Maclairn it was reserved for the Ritual. In the end she wore a pale gold-colored dress, exquisitely hand-sewn like all Maclairnan clothes, with a small sunflower in her blond hair. Terry thought she had never looked more beautiful.
The rings they exchanged were of copper, fashioned for them by Tristan through same psychokinetic process used by mentors to create the Stewards’ flame pins. It was traditional, he’d said, for jewelry of special significance to be made in this way, to symbolize the blessing of the community as a whole on whatever pledges its members made to each other.
“I, Terry, take you, Kathryn, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until we are parted by death.” That was the traditional commitment he declared aloud; but underneath, telepathically, he added, The words we say aren’t needed, for we are already one and nothing can ever part us. Whatever happens in the future, we have that to hold to, and it will always be the touchstone of my life.
The Rising Flame: Box Set: Defender of the Flame + Herald of the Flame Page 19