Rush looked around the conference lounge and nodded in approval. "Commander Johansen....Lieutenants Soleta and Greer....Ambassador Turhi....Lieutenant Thul----thank you all for coming...." He paused. "Although frankly, Mr. Thul, I'm not entirelyl sure if your presence is needed here."
"The ambassador's first meeting with you this will be, Captain, a protective barrier between you there will not be. Best I feel if here to supervise I be."
"Yes, your Mr. Thul has becomes somewhat attached to me as of late," Thul said dryly. "I would've liked to think that he's fascinated by my sterling company. In point of fact, he's likely worried I'll disassemble the ship bolt by bolt while his back is turned."
"You be party with questionable security clearance, so exercising reasonable caution in your presence am I," Thul replied.
Rush had the distinct feeling that Thul's comment was a veiled jab at Rush himself. Thul had made no secret that he was unhappy over Thul's unorthodox (to say the least) means of joining the crew, even in a limited, semiofficial capacity. Nor was he any happier over Rush's condoning it. However, the Malon was not one to question his captain's decisions, and so he endeavored to keep his doubts and criticisms to himself. He wasn't terribly good at it----his body language was generally a dead giveaway, as was his tendency to grind his large fingers into his palm with a scrape like rock on rock whenever he was particularly annoyed about something.
"Very wise, Mr. Thul," Rush said diplomatically.
"I do appreciate the title of 'Ambassador,' Captain," Thul commented. "Will quarters appropriate to the title likewise be issued me?"
Rush leaned forward and, keeping that same polite, diplomatic tone, said, "Do you still want that cook job?"
"Understood," Thul said in a neutral tone.
With a satisfied nod, Rush turned his attention to Soleta. "All right, science officer. You and Mr. Greer have been working tandem, I understand?"
"Yes, sir. I've been talking extensively with Thul to supplement my own knowledge of Centauri Prime...."
"And I've always been something of a history buff," Greer put in. "So I volunteered to help out with some separate research."
"Good to see, Mr. Greer," Johansen said approvingly. She wasn't just being flattering, either. Greer's clear focus and relatively normal behavior ever since the earlier incident had mollified her worries to some degree. "What've we got?"
Soleta and Greer exchanged glances, and she nodded to him that he should begin. He ran his fingers through his shock of bushy raven hair, a slight nervous tick, and then said, "Centauri Prime has achieved a newly mythic status, from everything that I've been able to determine. For starters, the Centauri were not native to the region. Centauri Prime gained its start as a populated world in much that same way that Australia began."
"Criminals mean you?" Thul said. He made no effort to hide his distaste. In truth, he couldn't have hidden it even if he'd been so inclined.
"That's right. There was another race, a sort of Uber race, which had a variety of names as they were known by assorted worlds which were under their influence. The name they had for themselves is lost to history. They were a star-spanning empire who were, if we judge by their conduct, big believers in conquest, but also tended to preserve life rather than destroy it, even if it was of no use to them. They used the planet we now call Centauri Prime as a kind of dumping ground for criminals, unsavory types, political exiles....assorted refuse from throughout their system."
"It was, at the time, a small, cold, and not especially fertile world," Soleta added. "It may very well be that they didn't expect any of the residents there to survive. Mr. Greer has chosen to give a somewhat humanitarian spin to this Uber race's motivations, but for all we know, they simply regarded Centauri Prime as an experiment in endurance. They may have wanted to see how long individuals could survive there before expiring from the harsh conditions."
"So they just kept dumping criminals onto this inhospitable world?" asked Johansen.
Soleta shook her head. "Not exactly. From archaeological records and the myths put forward by Turhi's people, the first of the Centauri arrived in what we would call space arks. They were given provisions enough to last them a few months, plus materials to seed the ground and try to make a life for themselves there."
"Seed unfertile ground," Rush mused. "The parent race was all heart, weren't they?"
"Yeah, but apparently they weren't all-knowing." Greer picked up the story. "The exiles were sent to a planet that had been described to them as inhospitable. But that's not what they found when they arrived there. The climate was fairly temperate, the world almost paradisiacal."
"Could they have arrived at the wrong planet?" asked Johansen.
"A logical conclusion," Soleta replied. "However, the coordinates for the intended homeworld of the criminals had been preset and locked into the ark's guidance systems. After all, the race didn't want to have their exiles taking control of the ship and heading off to whatever destination they chose. There do remain several possibilities. One is that the planet underwent some kind of atmospheric change. A shift in its axis, for example, causing alterations in the climate."
"Wouldn't that have changed the orbit and made the locating coordinates incorrect, though?" Johansen said.
"Yes," admitted Soleta. "Another possibility is that the present coordinates were just wrong and they did not arrive at the intended world. Or maybe someone within their race just took pity on them and secretly made the change. It is frustrating to admit, but we simply do not know to a scientific certainty."
"What do we know," Greer stepped in, "is that Centauri Prime itself was an almost limitless supply of pure energy."
"Pure energy? Follow I do not," Thul said.
"Think of it as an entire world made of dilithium crystals," explained Soleta. "Not that it was dilithium per se, but that's the closest comparison. The ground is an energy-rich mineral unique to the world, all-purpose and versatile beyond anything that has ever been discovered elsewhere. The nutrients in it are such that anything planted in it grows. Anything. Pieces of the planet, when refined, were used to harness great tools of peace and growth...."
"And then, eventually, great tools of war," Greer said.
The tenor of the meeting seemed to change slightly, and when the mention of war came up, eyes seemed to shift to Turhi. He shrugged, almost as if indifferent. "It was before my time," he reminded them."
"With Centauri Prime as their power base, they were able to launch conquest of neighboring world," Greer said. "And then, once they had those worlds consolidated under their rule, they spread their influence and power to other nearby systems. In essence, they imitated the race which had deposited them there in the first place."
"What about this race you mentioned?" asked Rush. "Was there a conflict with them? Did they ever return to Centauri Prime and discover what they had wrought? Or did the Centauri ever go looking for them?"
"No to the first, yes to the second," Greer replied. "But they never found them. It's one of the great mysteries of Centauri history."
"And great frustrations," Turhi put in.
"Understandable," Thul rumbled. "Wished to pay them back your ancestors did for the indignity initial of like garbage dumped upon a world not their own."
"You see, Lieutenant Thul," Turhi said with mild amusement, "you understand the Centauri all too well. Maybe we shall be fast friends, you and I."
Thul simply stared at him from the depths of his dark, hardened skin.
"The Centauri homeworld has always been the source of the Centauri strength, both physical and spiritual," said Soleta. "The events of the last weeks, including the collapse of their republic, may have been presaged by the change in the planet's own makeup. In recent decades, the planet seemed to lose much of its energy richness."
"Why?" asked Rush.
"Since the Centauri were never able to fully explain how their world acquired its properties to start with, there's understandably confusion as to why it would be deserting them now," said Soleta. "Still, the Centauri might have been able to withstand those difficulties, if there had not been problems with various worlds within the Centauri Republic."
"It was the Senderians," Turhi said darkly.
Rush seemed to stiffen upon the mentions of the name. "You claimed that at the Atlantis meeting, I understand. What's your basis for saying this?"
"The Senderians have always hungered to make inroads into our republic. They've made no secret of that, nor of their boastfulness. I believe that they instigated rebellion through carefully selected agents. If not for them, we could have...."
"Retained your power?"
"Perhaps, Captain. Perhaps."
"By the same token, isn't it possible," Rush said, leaning forward, fingers interlaced, "that the Senderians simply serve as a convenient excuse for the deficiencies in your own rule. That it was as a result of ineptitude among the rulers of the Centauri Republic that the entire thing fell apart. That, in short----it was your own damned fault?"
There was dead silence in the room for a moment, and then, imperturbably, Turhi said once again, "Perhaps, Captain. Perhaps. We all have our limitations----and we all have beliefs which get us through the day. In that, I assume we are no different."
"Perhaps, Turhi. Perhaps," said Rush with a small smile.
Then Rush's comm unit beeped at him. He tapped it. "Rush here."
"Captain, this is James. We're picking up a distress signal from a transport called the Qeexer ."
"Pipe it down here, Lieutenant."
There was a momentary pause, and then it came through the speaker. "This is the Qeexer," came a rough, hard-edged and angry voice. "Chilo, Captain. We've sustained major damage in passing through the Taerdi system. Engines out, life-support damaged. We have nearly four dozen passengers aboard---civilians, women and children---we need help." His voice seemed to choke on the word, as if it were an obscenity to them. "Repeating, to anyone who can hear----this is---" And then the signal stopped.
"James, can we get them back?"
"We never had them, sir. We picked it up on an all-band frequency. He threw a note in a bottle and hoped someone would pick it up."
"Have we got a fix on their location?"
"I can track it back and get an get an approximate. If their engines are out, I can't pinpoint it precisely. On the other hand, they wouldn't have gone too far with no engine power."
"Our orders are to head straight for Centauri Prime," Johansen pointed out.
Rush glanced at her. "Are you going to suggest that we ignore a ship in distress, Commander?"
There was just the briefest of pauses, and then Johansen replied, "Not for an instant, Captain. We're here for humanitarian efforts. It would be nothing short of barbaric to then ignore the first opportunity to deploy those efforts."
"Well said. Greer, get up to the bridge and work with James to find that ship. Get us there at the fastest possible speed. Johansen..."
But she was already nodding, one step ahead of him as she tapped her comm unit. "Johansen to engine room."
"Engine room. Wren here."
"Wren, we're going to be firing up to maximum warp. You have everything ready to go?"
"For you, Commander? Anything. We're fully up to specs. Even I'm happy with it."
"If it meets your standards, Wren, then it must measure up. Johansen out."
Greer was already on his way, and Rush was half-standing. "If there's nothing else...."
But Turhi was shaking his head, as if discouraged about something. The gesture caught Rush's attention, and he said, "Vito?"
"The Taerdi system. I know the area. He must've tried to navigate the Terminal Territory. It shouldn't have been a problem." He sighed.
"The Terminal Territory?"
"It's a shooting gallery. Two planets that used to be at war, until we imposed peace on them. The Terminal Territory was a hazard of the past, except apparently the danger has been renewed. Just another example of the breakdown occurring all around us." He shook his head again, and then looked around at the silent faces watching him. And then, without another word, he rose and walked out of the room.
Vito Turhi stared at the wall of his quarters. Then he heard the sound of the chime. He ignored it, but it sounded again. "Enter," he said with a sigh.
Rush entered and just stood there, arms folded. "You left rather suddenly."
"I felt the meeting was over."
"That's my call, not yours."
"I'm somewhat out of practice in terms of having others make judgments on my behalf."
Rush walked across the room, pacing out the interior much as Turhi had earlier. "Do you want to be viewed as an object of pity aboard this ship, Vito?"
"Certainly not," Turhi said sharply.
"Contempt, then? Confusion, maybe?" He stopped and turned to face him. "Your title, accorded out of courtesy more than anything else, is 'Ambassador.' Not prince. Not lord. 'Ambassador.' You damn well better find that satisfactory. And by the same token, you damn well better understand and acknowledge my authority on this ship. I don't want my decision to allow you to stay with us viewed by you as a weakness on my part."
"I don't view it that way at all."
"I'm glad to hear that."
Turhi regarded him thoughtfully for a moment. "May I ask how you got that scar?"
Rush touched it reflexively. "This one?"
"It's the most prominent, yes."
"I got it while killing someone like you."
"Is that some kind of a threat, Captain?"
"I don't have to kill anymore----I hope," he added as an afterthought.
They sat in silence for a moment, and then Turhi said, "It's important to me that you understand my situation, Captain. We oversaw a republic, yes. In many ways, in your terms, we might've been considered tyrannical. But it was my life. My life----and the life of those around me who worked to maintain it and help it prosper. Whether you agree with our methods or not, there was peace. Peace!" and he slapped his legs and rose. He turned his back to Rush and leaned against the wall, palms spread wide. "Peace built by my ancestors, maintained by my generation. We had a birthright given to us, an obligation....and we failed. And now I'm seeing the work of my ancestors, and my family, dismantled. In a hundred years....in ten years, for all I know----it will be as if everything we accomplished, for good or ill, will be washed away. Gone. As traceable as a tower of sand on the edge of a beach, consumed by the rising tide. What we did will have made no difference. It was all for nothing. Every difficult decision, every hard choice, ultimately amounted to nothing whatsoever. We have no legacy for our future generations. Indeed, we'll probably have no future generations. I have no royal consort with whom I can perpetuate our line. No royal lineage to pass on."
"And you're hoping to use this vessel to rebuild your power base, aren't you?"
Turhi turned and stared at him. "Is that what you think?"
"It's crossed my mind."
"I admit it crossed mine as well. But I give you my word, Captain, that I will do nothing to endanger this ship's mission, nor any of its personnel. My ultimate goal is the same as yours to serve as needed."
Slowly Rush nodded, apparently satisfied. "All right. I can accept that....for now."
"Captain....?"553Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQenSLy6QAL
553Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbtqOB72EE9
"What?"
Turhi smiled thinly. "You were aware the entire time, weren't you. Aware that I had stowed away on your vessel."
For a moment Rush considered lying, a course that he would not hesitate to indulge in if he felt that it would serve his purposes. But his instinct told him that candor was the way to go in this matter. "Yes."
"Good."
"Good?"
"Yes. It's something of a relief, really. The notion that I was aboard a ship where the commanding officer had so little awareness of what was happing around him.....it was unsettling to me."553Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7z7XopmZ9
"I'm relieved that I was able to put your mind at ease. And Vito..."
"Yes?"
"Believe it or not----I can sympathize. I've had my own moments where I felt that my life had been wasted."
"How did you deal with such times of despair?"
And Nicholas Rush laughed softly and said, "By taking command of a starship, of course." But then he held up a warning finger. "Don't get any ideas from that."
"I shall try not to, Captain. I shall try very hard."
c553Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFdKPdcyod
