Нэнси Кресс - Terran Tomorrow

“If you were only around the Terran diplomatic mission for a short time, how did you learn English?”

“I learned for years from my cousin Graa^lok, who was friends of Austin Rhinehart, a Terran. I practiced very much.”

“Why?”

She said simply, “I hoped to come to Earth. To where my people became taken, a hundred and forty thousand years ago. I didn’t know if that will happen, but I wished to prepare.”

“I see. And now you are here. I know it must not be what you expected.”

“No. It is a…,” she searched for the word. “… a tragedy. But I can see that it will became better. After war ends. The wilderness is beautiful.”

Colonel Jenner stared at her. Oddly, this didn’t make Jane uncomfortable.

The door opened and a woman in uniform entered. Colonel Jenner said, “Ah, Major. This is Jane. My second in command, Major Duncan.”

Jane said, “I greet you, Major Duncan.” Another title? There had been no “majors” among the Terrans on World, and Jane thought the word meant “large” or “important.” But Major Duncan wasn’t in command here, so she couldn’t be more important than Colonel Jenner. Also, she was tall but not particularly large. It was very confusing.

Major Duncan looked strong and severe. Her hair had been scraped back under a soldier hat; her boots shone blindingly; her face bore no expression as she nodded at Jane. She said nothing, and evidently Colonel Jenner didn’t expect her to. He said to Jane, his tone less warm and more detached, “Even though you only met the Terran soldiers at the end of their deployment to World, I’d like you to tell me what happened with them.”

“It will be better to talk to my father. He was there, in the compound, much longer. Or to… to Dr. Jenner.”

He didn’t react to the mention of his grandmother. “I will talk to all of them, but they are all recovering still from microbial adjustment. Only you and Glamet^vor¡ are out of the infirmary… that’s not how you say his name, is it? I’m sorry, I’m not good at languages.”

“That is okay. He should to choose a Terran name.”

“But I see from your face that he will not.”

The colonel was quick-witted. Jane said, “No, he will not. He doesn’t like it here.”

“But you do.”

“I don’t know yet. But it is interesting.”

Colonel Jenner laughed, a short bark that seemed to explode from him without his choice; he looked astonished that it had. Major Duncan didn’t change expression. The colonel said, “I’m sorry—I wasn’t laughing at you. There’s a silly Terran curse: ‘May you live in interesting times.’”

“And you do,” Jane said. He looked much different when he laughed.

Again he studied her intently, and again he turned formal.

“Yes. Now please tell us everything you know of the Terran expedition to World, starting at the beginning. Even if you only heard it from others.”

She did, careful to include everything and in the right order: the attack by another Terran spaceship (“They said it was Russian”) that destroyed the Friendship and killed most of the Terran expedition. How the survivors, four soldiers and five others, had not known about the time jump. How they tried and failed to find a vaccine against the same spore cloud that had hit Earth earlier. How Branch Carter had made contact with the colony ship launched decades before; the ship had been contaminated with spores that had killed the colonists but not the leelees aboard—

Major Duncan spoke for the first time. “What is a leelee?”

“A animal that Marianne used by experiments. Like your mice.”

“I see. Go on.”

Marianne and Claire had realized there must be something aboard the colony ship that killed the spores. Branch discovered how to call the ship back and it contained the virophage, airborne, that had saved most of World’s people by counteracting R. sporii . That ship was the Return .

“Thank you,” Colonel Jenner said, “but what did the soldiers do?”

“Did not Ranger Kandiss tell you?”

“He did. I want to hear your version.”

There were no different “versions” of truth, only truth and lies. Jane’s headache was worse. She said, “Lieutenant Lamont was the leader soldier. They built the compound to protect the lab from people who tried to steal the little amount of vaccine Claire brought from Terra. But it was stealed anyway, by Lieutenant Lamont. He also tried to destroy the device necessary to call back the colony ship. He wanted the spore cloud to destroy World. He hated us. I didn’t know why. I also now don’t know why, but I heard that he believed Worlders did not tell Terra the truth about the spore cloud. That Worlders caused it, to hurt Terra. Or maybe not that we caused it, but that we knew it would kill so many on Terra and did not say. Or something bad. I don’t know what he believed, or what the Russians believed when they destroyed our cities. I know that Lieutenant Lamont tried to destroy the call-back device so we cannot call back the colony ship and save World.”

She could not tell from Colonel Jenner’s face whether or not he already had this information. Wouldn’t Ranger Kandiss have told him all this? Why was he making Jane relive it all? She had lost members of her lahk in the destruction of the beautiful capital city, Kam^tel^ha. They had all lost so much to the Russian attacks, including their only other starship.

Colonel Jenner said, “And what happened to Lieutenant Lamont?”

“Lieutenant Brodie—”

“Lieutenant? Did he give himself that rank?”

Jane tried to remember. “No, I think no. He said he was ‘corporal.’ But his soldiers—his World soldiers and also Ranger Zoe—called him that. Later, I mean.”

“I see. Then what happened?”

“Lieutenant Brodie killed Lieutenant Lamont. To stop him of shooting another Terran so Lieutenant Lamont can obtain the device and destroy it. Then Lieutenant Brodie and Ranger Zoe stayed on World. They are there now.”

“Thank you, Jane, for all that information. I can see you’re angry. Why?”

“You already knew this.”

“Yes. But confirmation of intelligence is important. And I learned a new fact: You don’t like talking about violence.”

“No.”

“Let me ask you this—do you think Lieutenant Brodie was right to kill his commanding officer?”

For the first time, Major Duncan’s face changed; she showed surprise, almost immediately gone. Jane wasn’t surprised; this was a question of ethics, and so had been endlessly discussed on World. Jane had discussed it with La^vor, who said no, violence was never justified. But…

Jane said slowly, “Yes, I think Lieutenant Brodie was right. Lieutenant Lamont was ready to shoot another Terran, a child . And Brodie-mak saved so many more of lives on World by to obtain the call-back device before it was destroyed.”

“Did he stay on World to avoid court-martial?”

“What is that?”

“A judgment about the killing, with possible punishment.”

“No, he did not stay on World because of that. He stayed to help rebuild, and to make an army on World for if the Russian ship comes back. Also, he signed a mating contract with Isabel Rhinehart from the Friendship . You asked me many questions, Colonel. May I ask now?”

He looked surprised. “Yes, I suppose so. But first—Major, do you have any additional questions?”

“No, sir.”

“Dismissed.”

When Major Duncan had gone, Colonel Jenner turned back to Jane. “Ask your questions.”

“When I waited for a soldier to bring me to you, I talked to some of children. They were very unpolite. One said there is not room enough in the dome for us and we will became told to leave. Is this true?”