“I can back-up what the captain is saying about how important it is to Noridians that we assimilate into their culture,” Dr. Spencer interrupted. “Last night Jaki admitted to me that she had basically bribed Dr. Helmer and Colonel Memphis with riches and power to help guide earth’s decision.”
“Wait a minute,” I said. “Dr. Spencer, are you telling me that you had important information like that and kept it to yourself?”
“No! I mean not exactly,” he said. I had never seen him totally frustrated because he just wasn’t made up that way but the conversation was clearly headed in a direction he was uncomfortable with… and I didn’t care.
“Just how and when did you get this admission from her?” I demanded.
Hands spread palms down in front of him and while staring at the table he continued, “It was late last night or early this morning in her quarters, I’m not sure which.”
I could swear he snuck a glance up at where Julie was sitting but if so it must have been quick.
“She was trying to convince me,” he continued, “to join them. I was trying to stall for time and convince her that I was going to consider the offer and if I’d run straight to you then she would have known it was a bluff. I was going to find a way to let you know today—I didn’t realize that we didn’t have that much time.”
“How can we know that’s true?” asked Iron Jaw. “With all respect Dr. Spencer, isn’t that what you’d say if you’d been caught conspiring against us?”
Iron Jaw didn’t know Dr. Spencer as well as I did but his point deserved to be addressed.
Dr. Toni Andretti however spoke first, “If Mark was a Noridian loyalist he’d be on the main ship, not sent to die with us.”
From the looks of everyone around the table that addressed it just fine.
“But why is it so important to the Noridians that we become a part of their culture? What do we have that could possibly be so important to them?” Captain Kamiko asked.
While most everyone was focused on the Noridian prisoner I was staring at Captain Silva.
He said, “Noridia wants earth to formally commit to being under Noridian protection. Another way to say it is to be assimilated by them or more precisely to formally become a Noridian Protectorate; part of Noridia in the eyes of the galaxy.”
The captain continued, “What people from Earth can’t possibly understand is that earth’s civilization is unique. Earth has advanced further in just a few hundred years than other galactic civilizations do in tens of thousands. It’s not what Earth possess now that is necessarily so valuable, it’s the discoveries that will be made as civilization continues to explode exponentially.
“The total sum of all earthly human knowledge doubles every few years and the rate is accelerating; there are more honor students in India than there are students in the United States. Earthers are advancing at an exponential rate and those advances could secure Noridia’s place in galactic society.”
“Because the currency of galactic society is respect,” Dr. Spencer threw in.
“Precisely,” Captain Silva finished.
While he’d been speaking the Noridian had turned his head to watch. There was no outward sign of emotion but his eyes were filled with pure hate.
There had been a thought in the back of my head that had slowly turned to certainty as Captain Silva stopped speaking. I thought about how he’d been placed on my team at the last minute and how he had always seemed to be a step ahead of everyone else when it came to knowing what was going on.
“Captain Silva is Noridian,” I said to the table.
Some around the table seemed surprised while others didn’t, but that soon changed.
After slowly shaking his head Captain Silva looked up at me and said, “No Major, I’m a Coridian.”
Chapter 24
Dr. Mark Spencer
What was wrong with me? Here I was surrounded by momentous events, selflessly turning down power and riches, seated around a conference table with mankind’s best hope and… I was still more worried about what Julie might think of me.
When the lights had gone out I immediately realized that I’d screwed up. I suddenly understood why Jaki had seemed almost desperate to convince me to join her—it was my last chance.
She’d known that within a few hours my fate would be sealed either way.
What didn’t make any sense to me though was why me? Why was she so smitten with me?
One of my best physical abilities has always been making love to a woman. I know I’m good at it; I pride myself on being good at it. Jaki never saw my best performances however; I just really wasn’t that attracted and yet it was just as obvious when we were together that I had the magic touch with her. There were times when I think she really had trouble catching her breath. It was great for my ego; it was almost like she’d never experienced a lover like me before—or anyone even close to me for that matter.
As silly as that sounds I hadn’t been able to think of another reason for her fascination with me. Of course, I guess that fascination only went so far. The invitation to join me forever or else I’ll massacre you in the morning along with 50 of your closest friends wasn’t exactly a testament to a healthy everlasting love. Hell hath no fury like a scorned woman…
And when the lights went out I knew we were going to die even if Jaki hadn’t spelled it out. I think I really must be at peace with myself because when I was sitting there in the dark I didn’t panic. I was almost content… almost.
I was regretting that I hadn’t figured it out earlier so I could have done something or warned somebody. I was regretting that I’d never get to show Anzio the beaches of Costa Rica like I’d promised. I was regretting that I’d never kissed Julie.
Now that was a funny thought. Usually I imagined women in bed with me and don’t get me wrong, now that I thought about it I knew her body would fit perfectly next to mine, but at the moment all I could really focus on was holding her and kissing her. It was just strange.
What wasn’t strange was Major Reagan. He had taken charge in that calm collected way of his that just instilled confidence. I suppose I could add not getting to know him better to that list of regrets but who could know? Maybe we would get out of this like he’s suggesting?
At any rate, these were my swirling thoughts when the lights came back on.
Once again we were seated around the conference table; this time with Captain Silva and a beat-up Noridian. I knew the tables had turned; Jaki’s plan had somehow gone awry and my slowness to figure it out had not doomed us after all.
I was anxious to share my confirmation to the now unveiled plot and I belatedly realized that doing so might forever cost me that kiss but so be it. What I hadn’t realized was that my confession would cause Iron Jaw Reynolds to question my loyalty. Why is it that every time I did something noble people questioned me?
As Captain Silva explained why Noridia wanted to absorb the people of earth under the Noridian umbrella more pieces started snapping into place. In a brilliant flash of introspective insight it all came together for me.
“Say that again,” I said.
Captain Silva responded, “I said that I am a member of the Coridian Dynasty.”
It turns out that the terms ‘Noridia’ and ‘Coridia’ didn’t really refer to planets after all. They referred to family dynasties but according to Silva you had to be willing to use the term ‘family’ rather loosely.
Using us as an example he explained that if Earth developed like other planets we would go through an evolution of single authority or one world government but that didn’t mean we would all be of one culture. When government started fading away, which it eventually would, what would be left are a number of different cultures that have no need to compete with one another and plenty of room to expand throughout space. Most of those cultures would find a new planet to call home and 99.99% of their population would have no need to ever travel from it.