“We couldn’t have … skulked.”
“No, you’d have had to do immediately what you and many others now have to do regardless — get out of the Empire.”
“Are you crazy? Where to?”
Flandry rose once more and looked down upon him. “You’re the crazy man,” he said. “I suppose we are decadent these days, in that we never seem to think of emigration. Better stay home, we feel, and cling to what we have, what we know, our comforts, our assurances, our associations … rather than vanish forever into that big strange universe … even when everything we cling to is breaking apart in our hands. But the pioneers worked otherwise. There’s room yet, a whole galaxy beyond these few stars we think we control, out on the far end of one spiral arm.
“You can escape if you start within the next several hours. With that much lead, and dispersal in addition, your ships ought to be able to pick up families, and leave off the men who don’t want to go. Those’ll have to take their chances with the government, though I imagine necessity will force it to be lenient. Set a rendezvous at some extremely distant star. None of your craft will likely be pursued much past the border if they happen to be detected.
“Go a long way, McCormac, as far as you possibly can. Find a new planet. Found a new society. Never come back.”
The admiral raised himself too. “I can’t abandon my responsibilities,” he groaned.
“You did that when you rebelled,” Flandry said. “Your duty is to save what you can, and live the rest of your life knowing what you wrought here. Maybe the act of leading people to a fresh beginning, maybe that’ll console you.” I’m sure it will in time. You have a royal share of self-righteousness. “And Kathryn. She wants to go. She wants it very badly.” He caught McCormac’s gaze. “If ever a human being had a right to be taken from this civilization, she does.”
McCormac blinked hard.
“Never come back,” Flandry repeated. “Don’t think of recruiting a barbarian host and returning. You’d be the enemy then, the real enemy. I want your word of honor on that. If you don’t give it to me, and to Kathryn, she won’t be allowed to rejoin you, whatever you may do to me.” I lie like a wet rag. “If you do give it, and break it, she will not pardon you.
“In spite of your behavior, you are an able leader. You’re the one man who can hope to carry the emigration off, in as short a while as you have to inform, persuade, organize, act. Give me your word, and Kathryn will ride back in my gig to you.”
McCormac covered his face. “Too sudden, I can’t—”
“Well, let’s thresh out a few practical questions first, if you like. I’ve pondered various details beforehand.”
“But — I couldn’t—”
“Kathryn is your woman, all right,” Flandry said bitterly. “Prove to me that you’re her man.”
She was waiting at the airlock. The hours had circled her like wolves. He wished that his last sight of her could be without that anguish and exhaustion.
“Dominic?” she whispered.
“He agreed,” Flandry told her. “You can go to him.”
She swayed. He caught her and held her. “Now, now,” he said clumsily, nigh to tears. He stroked the bright tousled hair. “Now, now, it’s ended, we’ve won, you and I—” She slumped. He barely kept her from falling.
With the dear weight in his arms, he went to sickbay, laid her down and administered a stimulol injection. Color appeared in seconds, her lashes fluttered, the green eyes found him. She sat erect. “Dominic!” she cried. Weeping had harshened her voice. “’Tis true?”
“See for yourself,” he smiled. “Uh, take care, though. I gave you a minimum shot. You’ll have a stiff metabolic price to pay as is.”
She came to him, still weary and shaken. Their arms closed. They kissed for a long time.
“I wish,” she said brokenly, “I almost wish—”
“Don’t.” He drew her head into the curve of his shoulder.
She stepped back. “Well, I wish you everything good there’ll ever be, startin’ with the girl who’s really right for you.”
“Thanks,” he said. “Have no worries on my score. It’s been worth any trouble I may have had,” and ever will have. “Don’t delay, Kathryn. Go to him.”
She did. He sought the conn, where he could see the boat carry her off and await McCormac’s technicians.
XVI
Strange suns enclouded Persei. A darkness aft hid the last glimpse of Imperial stars.
McCormac closed the suite door behind him. Kathryn rose. Rest, first under sedation, later under tranquilization, and medicine and nourishment had made her beautiful. She wore a gray shimmerlyn robe somebody had given her, open at throat and calf, sashed at the waist, smooth over the strong deep curves.
He stopped short. “I didn’t expect you here yet!” he blurted.
“The medics released me,” she answered, “seein’ as how I’d come to happy news.” Her smile was tremulous.
“Well … yes,” he said woodenly. “We’ve verified that we shook those scouts dogging us, by our maneuvers inside that nebula. They’ll never find us in uncharted interstellar space. Not that they’d want to, I’m sure. It’d be too risky, sending the power needed to deal with us as far as we’re going. No, we’re done with them, unless we return.”
Shocked, she exclaimed: “You won’t! You promised!”
“I know. Not that I mightn’t — if — no, don’t fear. I won’t. Flandry was right, damn him, I’d have to raise allies, and those allies would have to be offered what it would split the Empire to give. Let’s hope the threat that I may try again will force them to govern better … back there.”
Her strickenness told him how much remained for her before the old calm strength was regained: “Dyuba, you’d think ’bout politics and fightin’ in this hour?”
“I apologize,” he said. “Nobody warned me you were coming. And I have been preoccupied.”
She reached him, but they did not embrace. “That preoccupied?” she asked.
“Why, why, what do you mean? See here, you shouldn’t be standing more than necessary. Let’s get you seated. And, er, well have to arrange for the sleeping quarters to be remodeled—”
She closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them, she had command of herself. “Poor Hugh,” she said. “You’re scarred right badly too. I should’ve thought how you must’ve hurt.”
“Nonsense.” He urged her toward the couch. She resisted in such a manner that his arms went around her. Laying hers about his neck and her cheek against his breast, she said, “Wait. You were tryin’ to ’scape thinkin’ ’bout us. ’Bout what I can be to you, after everything that was done. ’Bout whether the things I’m leavin’ untold concernin’ what passed ’tween Dominic and me, if they didn’t include — But I’ve sworn they didn’t.”
“I cannot doubt you,” rumbled through her.
“No, you’re too honorable not to try hard to believe me, not to try hard to rebuild what we had. Poor Hugh, you’re scared you might not be able.”
“Well — associations, of course—” His clasp stiffened.
“I’ll help you if you’ll help me. I need it bad’s you do.”
“I understand,” he said, gentler.
“No, you don’t, Hugh,” she replied gravely. “I realized the truth while I was alone, recuperatin’, nothin’ to do but think in a weird clear way till I’d fall asleep and the dreams came. I’m ’bout as well over what happened to me in the palace as I’ll ever be. I’m the one to cure you of that. But you’ll have to cure me of Dominic, Hugh.”