“I am accusing separate individuals who work for the Imperial Security Service,” Holmes pointed out. “And I’m afraid, Lady Sey-Zo, that even if we expose the person who carried out the crime, we won’t be able to trace back the whole chain. Those who gave the orders will come through unscathed. Certainly. This is, alas, commonplace in human society.”
“This is bad practice,” said the Zzygou. “But… I understand. Give me at least the agent. The one who carried it out!”
Her hands squeezed together, as though already grabbing the murderer’s throat.
“Let us continue.” Holmes nodded. “Of course, the undercover agent, or agents, must have a convincing background story. The legend, moreover, presents them either as absolutely innocent, having nothing to do with the murder, or—as part of the double game—on the contrary, the source of multiple false leads. I did not know which cover-up method was used by the enemy. It was another dead end. All the methods of systematic investigation either yielded no results, or required the kind of time we simply do not have at our disposal. It was then I noticed Captain Romanov’s behavior.”
Alex caught several intrigued and even frightened glances directed at him.
“Captain Romanov was either the murderer himself, or he knew who the perpetrator was. But if he was innocent, why didn’t he name the criminal? Perhaps the evidence he had was very circumstantial… but Alex Romanov still hoped to check it out first. Then again, maybe he just didn’t wish to turn the killer in.”
Holmes smiled, and Alex politely bowed his head.
“What could have put the captain on guard, I thought? I had to correlate all the information about what had happened, to listen to the testimonies of every witness, before one small detail caught my attention… I decided that it could serve as the point of departure and made the decision to support the captain’s tactics. No matter what they happened to consist of.”
“Thank you, Mr. Holmes,” said Alex.
“You can tell us your version of what has happened,” Holmes suggested politely. “I think it will be quite interesting….”
Alex cleared his throat, got out another cigarette and lit up. Holmes’s pipe did make a better impression… and his tobacco tasted better, as well.
“The whole problem is in the lack of time,” he began. “There are no perfect crimes. Sooner or later, tracing the biographies of every one of us, or using all the complex methods of instrumental investigations, Mr. Holmes would manage to expose the killer. But the perpetrator never did hope to come through unscathed. His main goal is to bide time until the hostilities start. After that he either surrenders… or, more likely, his owners organize a rescue operation. If the higher-ups of the I.S. really were involved in this case, it would be nothing for them to remove the Lucifer currently guarding us and send a S.W.A.T. team onto Mirror. Although an agent-spesh could eliminate all the witnesses by himself.”
“Let him try!” said Kim quietly.
“Even if you aren’t the murderer, Kim,” said Alex with a melancholy air, “don’t overestimate your strength. You are a spesh. But your real combat experience is next to zero. And when two equal forces meet in combat, experience determines everything.”
Kim snorted, and indignantly elbowed Alex’s side. At least she didn’t take his suspicion of her seriously.
“I have a few guesses based on certain clues,” Alex continued. “Snippets… details… sketchy impressions. They put me on guard, but I’m afraid it would be useless to present them. Circumstantial evidence doesn’t help. And the time we have left… please correct me, Sey-Zo, if I’m wrong…”
“Eight hours, thirty-five minutes,” said Generalov. “Exactly. After that, the first military unit of the Zzygou will enter into firing contact with our fleet in the Adelaide system.”
“Eight hours and twenty-one minutes,” the Zzygou corrected him. “I need time to contact the headquarters. Seven thousands warships cannot be halted instantaneous… not even ours.”
“I would say, we have seven hours, plus or minus ten minutes,” Morrison objected. “As soon as the Zzygou ships come out of the hyper-channels, they will be targeted. So our fleet has to be stopped as well… and that is a more lengthy process.”
Janet Ruello laughed quietly:
“I would say we have around four hours left. Taking the isolation field off Eben would take no less than four hours. If the field disappears, our fleet will begin large-scale dislocation and preventive vengeance strikes. This will be a much more serious reason for war than one little bee… please excuse my choice of words, Sey-Zo.”
Alex nodded.
“As I see it, we are all busy making calculations here. Well, Janet’s opinion is probably the most pessimistic, but also the most correct. Time is slipping away… let’s not waste it. Lady Sey-Zo! The person who has murdered your companion is one of the crewmembers, right?”
“Or C-the-Third,” said the Zzygou coldly. The clone lowered his head.
“Or Danila C-the-Third Shustov,” nodded Alex. “Lady Sey-Zo. We are unable to definitively point out the killer. So I propose that you personally, with your own hands, execute us all. Computer, remove the force field barrier from the Zzygou.”
“Completed,” said the ship. The Zzygou got up and looked around in disbelief.
“Computer,” Alex continued. “I order you not to obey any of my commands after I say ‘Let justice be done’ and until the moment when those same words are pronounced by the Zzygou and Peter C-the-Forty-Fourth Valke. Let justice be done!”
“Completed.”
“What the hell are you doing!” shouted Generalov. “You fucking bastard! You xenophile! You…”
He choked on his own words. Flailed around, trying to breach the barrier.
“Calm down, Puck Generalov! I understand it is harder for a natural… but you’re human, damn it! What are our lives next to the fates of two civilizations!”
Generalov breathed heavily, but fell silent.
“I want to know your opinion, my friends,” Alex continued quickly. “Paul Lourier! Do you agree with my proposition?”
The engineer didn’t hesitate to answer:
“Yes, Captain. It’s our duty.”
“Great. Xang Morrison?”
“Captain, the idea doesn’t seem all that correct to me,” began Morrison cautiously. “Yes, we are all ready to sacrifice ourselves, but should it be done this way, while we still have time…”
“I see. Janet Ruello?”
The black woman frowned, looking at him. Shook her head.
“Stupid, dishonorable, and won’t have the right effect.”
“All right. Kim O’Hara?”
The girl cautiously touched his hand. She whispered, “Alex…”
“Kim O’Hara?”
She glanced over at the Zzygou, frozen motionless.
“I… I don’t want to. I don’t intend to die because of some bastard!”
“Puck Generalov?”
The navigator slowly lifted his hand to his forehead. Wiped the sweat off.
“Why does my luck never change?”
“Puck Generalov, answer me.”
Perhaps Alex only imagined it—but a spark of understanding flashed in the Zzygou’s eyes.
“Go to hell, you specialized moron!” the navigator blurted out. “I didn’t sign up to die for all humanity! And certainly not for the Zzygou!”
“So what’s your decision?”
“Will it change anything?” asked Generalov with bitter irony.
“Maybe. Humanity is only an abstract symbol. And the Zzygou—even more so. But do you really have nothing you’d die for?”
“You decide!” Generalov blurted out.