Выбрать главу
***

"The final award," said Kilgore, "recognizes the contribution of a young lady from Rimway, who came here seeking inspiration, and who discovered the terrible danger that was rushing toward us. She sacrificed her life and a brilliant career in an effort to warn us. This award will be placed in a special station in the Coalition Hall of Fame. Ladies and gentlemen, we all owe a great debt of thanks to Vicki Greene."

The celebration lasted well into the night. I danced with Alex and Mash and half the males in the place, including several of the Mutes. I won't try to describe how that must have looked. You'd have had to

see it. I talked with Proctor Selvan, and received an invitation to visit her whenever I could. "How did all this happen?" I asked her. "How is it possible?" She gazed serenely down at me. "It was too good an opportunity to miss. We knew that from the moment the situation first developed. But we needed someone to help us pull the trigger. To create the political wave. You did that rather nicely when you spoke to the Chief Minister." She drew back her lips. "That's the wrong word. Connected is as close as I can get. When you connected with the Chief Minister." "You mean the interview?" "Of course." "But I wasn't talking to him. I had the Director in mind. Whiteside." I got the fangs again. "You were talking to both ," she said. "And it appears both got the message."

Toward the end of the evening, I found myself back in Alex's arms. "Brilliant performance, Chase," he said. "From start to finish." "Thanks." "I guess you'll be wanting a raise." "I could live with it." He grinned. "We'll figure it out on the way home." "Okay." Kilgore must have noticed Alex was getting ready to leave. He came over and shook his hand. "Thank you, Alex," he said. "We'll never forget what you've done." Alex looked around. And ushered us-himself, the Administrator, and me-toward a corner. Kilgore signaled his security people, and they formed a wall to keep everyone at a distance. "What is it, Alex?" "Mr. Administrator, I was surprised you mentioned the rogue element." "The crisis is over, Alex. Anyway, there's really no way to keep something like that quiet. Best to get out in front with it." "Yes, sir. Of course. You know Wexler made an attempt on our lives." "Of course." "But he wasn't in it alone. May I ask whether you've acted against those who were involved with him?" "We've found some. Perhaps all. To be honest, we can't prove criminal intent against any of them because we don't think they knew why they were getting the warnings." "Mr. Administrator, you can't really believe that." "No, of course not, Alex. But knowing it and proving it-" He shook his head. "Those who were involved have been terminated from their positions. Sent quietly away." "I see." He gazed into Alex's eyes. "Was there something else?" For a long time, Alex stared back. There was more he wanted to say. Maybe about power and responsibility. Maybe simply about paying attention. "No," he said finally. "Nothing else." "Good. I'm glad you and Chase were there to help set things right." He shook Alex's hand and turned on his heel and walked off, but got only a dozen strides away before several of his guests approached him. One held up a drink to him as we watched, and offered a handshake. His smile returned.

FORTY-THREE

People like to say, during a journey, that only the journey matters, and not the destination. Believe me, Lia, the destination matters. Oh, yes, it matters.

- Dying to Know You

Even with the Salvation Fleet, as it became known, combining the naval forces of both sides with a vast number of private and commercial vehicles, escaping the Thunderbolt was still a near thing. It was never clear that the shield could be assembled in time, or, if it were, that it would be possible to synchronize its arrival at Salud Afar at the exact hour it was needed. No task had ever seemed more daunting. The decision to go ahead with the shield stopped all evacuation attempts. When it became firm, it provoked worldwide criticism. The Administrator was put under extreme pressure, and there were even two assassination attempts. But he stayed with it, and when the critical hour arrived, so did the wall to block off the deadly gamma-ray burst. Today he stands not only as a towering hero, but he has also become a symbol of the interspecies peace movement. No one, they will tell you, has done more to promote a reasonable rapprochement between the two civilizations.

We did not see him again, in person, after the awards ceremony. When we checked out of the hotel the next morning, we found flowers waiting for us, with a text message that he wished us well, and informing us that we would always be welcome on Salud Afar. I spent a rousing weekend in Kayoga, the city of romance, with Lance Depardeau. He'd recognized me from the news accounts and told me he would never have believed anyone would be crazy enough to take the chances I had in the taxicab. A few days later he showed up unexpectedly at another celebratory luncheon, and proposed to me. "It's short notice, and I know it's not smart to commit myself so quickly, and I'm risking losing you. But I'm also going to lose you if I stand by and watch you go back to Rimway." He was right, of course. We'd be too far apart to carry on a serious relationship. So I said thanks, but let's wait and see. I fell in love with him, and left him. I entertained for a while a dream of eventually going back, or maybe of his coming to Rimway. But it never happened. And he recently let me know he'd met somebody.

I tracked down Jara, who was assigned to the Traffic Control station in East Quentin, outside Marinopolis. Unlike Lance, she hadn't gotten a good look at who was riding in the taxi. She was too busy trying to hang on to the door. I arrived as her shift finished, and said hello. She, too, knew me immediately as the woman who was getting all the attention in the media. But she didn't connect me with the runaway cab. When I told her, her face darkened. "You could have gotten us both killed." "I had to keep going," I said. I told her about the asteroid. "Why didn't you just explain?" "Because the CSS was after me. I couldn't afford to-" "Look"-she wanted no nonsense from me-"I haven't been following the story that close. But I don't appreciate what you did. Next time, you might try trusting us." And she turned away.

Reporters found the young Ashiyyurean male who'd followed me out to the raft. The interview that followed was translated into standard and made available all over the Confederacy. He gallantly denied any special claim of heroism, but admitted he'd thought twice about going into the water with both me and the vooparoo running loose. The reporter, also a Mute, asked without a trace of humor which of us had been scarier. I'm happy to report he gave first prize to the vooparoo . But he had to think about it.

***

Rob Peifer wrote Callistra: The Hunt for the Devil's Eye , recounting the entire story. It's won awards and has made Peifer one of the most visible journalists on Salud Afar. At least that's what he says. He is currently working on a biography of Vicki Greene. The book made celebrities of Orman and Shiala, who'd rescued us from the crash after our escape from the plateau. They were recognized by a local civic group as the Citizens of the Year. Alex and I attended the ceremony. We took Ivan and his wife to dinner the night before we left for home. We owed them a major vote of thanks. Alex has since sent him a comm link that was once owned by Karis Timm, the legendary physician.