Shadows of Golstar (39 page)

“Closer to seven,” Hec interjected.

“Better still,” Owens said. “That should allow a
sufficient margin of time for a search and rescue force to find us. If we can hold
on long enough, I should think Sharné’s government will send someone to
investigate our absence.”

“I am very confident a fleet is on the way, even as
you speak,” she interjected.

“Good,” Owens nodded. “And Hec, I want you to keep
trying to transmit a message back toward Berralton. On the remote chance that
our enemy experiences a transmitter malfunction or something, there could be a
break in the jamming. I want that message transmitted around the clock.”

He asked Sharné if she would record a personalized
message to provide officials some assurance it was genuine, and she was safe on
the planet Selane waiting for aid. The message would include an affirmation
that the
Holmes
was not the enemy. She quickly agreed and recorded a
number of messages directed to Grand Patriarch and the Guardian of the Way,
each carrying a personal reference to something only she and the recipient
would know.

Owens smiled, “Okay then, I guess that’s all we can
do. I wish I could figure another way out, but I’m fresh out of ideas. Hec, you
know I never imagined that when we first started out from Genhome, we’d
experience what we have, then end up here, still running for our lives…”

“Look on the bright side, Boss. Since I joined up with
you, it’s never been boring. And I have to say, my ‘retirement’ has so far
turned out far better than I could ever have hoped. Not only have I traded
weapons' fire with bad guys in deep space; I have taken part in a space voyage
that will go down in history. Believe me Boss, I’ll do everything I can to stay
in one piece. I won’t let you down. I not only owe it to you, but also the Hec
back on Genhome. I can’t wait until I can finally integrate these memories into
my real self. Will I be surprised!  

Owens couldn’t help but grin. They spent the next few
minutes discussing the plan in more detail.

After much discussion on the landing procedure, Owens
then moved to the matter of hand-weapons that they would need to carry on the
planet’s surface. He planned to take a mini-rail rifle and pulse-laser handgun.
He was more concerned about Sharné. He asked her if she had any small arms
experience. She admitted she had no experience with weapons. 

Owens thought a moment and then asked if she would be
willing to carry and fire, if necessary, a dispersal gun. He explained the
weapon was a simple point-and-shoot device that fired bursts of non-lethal
electrically charged particles. A dispersal gun could paralyze a healthy human
at about fifty yards. It was normally used in crowd control situations and
required virtually no training.

Sharné surprised Owens by expressing disappointment
the dispersal gun was non-lethal but agreed to carry one anyway. He figured
that simple vengeance was behind her comment and wondered if he was making a
mistake in arming her. Nevertheless, he had no idea of how many mutineers they
might face on the surface. An additional weapon seemed a good idea.

 Owens nodded, “Good. It looks like we have a
plan, if you can call hide-and-seek a plan.” He paused, considering the next
step, “Now, for another more practical matter.” He asked Sharné, “I didn’t
think to ask before, but were you by chance able to get some sleep? If you
didn’t, I think there’s still enough time to try again. Even a short nap can
help.”

“Surprisingly, I slept very well,” she replied. “I
felt as if I had just put my head on the pillow when I heard Hec calling me to
wake up.”

“Good.” He felt a little relief.

“Yes, and you
were
right. I do feel much better
now; like yours, my mind is clearer. I do not require any more rest, but I
confess I am hungry. You did mention some solid food earlier?”

He nodded, “So I did. I’m hungry myself. I burned up
quite a few calories during our little marathon on the
Saber
. The med
capsule provided me some nourishment along with the transfusion, and the
nutra-drink did take off the edge, but right now I could really use some solid
food.” He straightened, “If you’ll follow me? Hec, I leave control to you.”
 

Sharné rose from her seat and followed Owens down the
short corridor past his quarters and into the ship’s galley. They entered and
sat down at the six-seat dining table. Sharné was impressed by the ample room
the galley afforded. Cabinets, shelves, dispensers and auto-cook were all
recessed, set flush in the bulkheads.  

Normally, the ship’s AI would perform the cooking
chores.  However, rather than have Hec do the cooking, Owens decided to
use the manual method. He knew he was being a little irrational. The amount of
the AI’s resources the galley would take was infinitesimal. Knowing this he
still wanted to keep all of Hec’s capacity dedicated to winning their race with
the Golstar ship.  

Owens handed her a digi-pad with the ship’s menu
listings and showed her how to make her selection on the touch-screen. Once she
had made her choices, she handed the digi-pad back. He was surprised that she
had selected a heavy, meat-laden dish. Owens thought it looked good and chose
the same. He inserted the digi-pad in the slot just below the auto-cook, which
immediately beeped its acceptance and began to prepare their meals. They sat at
the dining table with cups of Terran green tea Owens had retrieved from the
beverage dispenser. Sharné took her first few appreciative sips from the
steaming cup.

Owens stared into his cup, thinking hard about what he
was going to do next, how he might broach the subject of the
Light Saber’s
woeful condition with Sharné. He hoped to get a few answers to some burning
questions in the short time they had remaining before the planet-fall.

As he considered how he would pose his questions, he
again began to feel a little tense. This was surprising in view of their
current life-and-death situation. Odd, their circumstances hadn’t made him as
nervous as he now felt when he contemplated talking to the lovely woman sitting
across from him. He took an absent swallow of tea. He supposed it was because
he hadn’t much time to think about it; everything happened at such a breakneck
pace he had had no time to consider the situation.  

Now, after a little rest and a rudimentary survival
plan in-place, he had enough time to think and begin to worry. He recognized
that some of his uneasiness centered on his concern about Sharné’s response to
his questioning. His first taste of her anger aboard the
Saber
was still
fresh in his mind. He was used to asking blunt, even harsh questions in his
line of work. He figured that approach wouldn't exactly endear him to the fiery
Golstar representative now sitting demurely across from him, delicately sipping
her tea. Her goodwill would be critical if he was to get any meaningful
information.

 Still, he also was beginning to wonder if that
was the sole reason for his hesitation. Damn, he really
was
dragging his
feet. He couldn’t recall being this indecisive since contemplating his first
date, as a bumbling teenager. He shook his head mentally, where did that come
from? No, his vacillation had to be due to her being what he assumed to be a
ranking member of the Golstar government.

He reasoned that based on her title and the responsibility
she had assumed on his behalf, she was a high-ranking official. In his normal
line of work, he didn’t usually rub shoulders with people of Sharné’s status.
Of course, it didn’t help that she also was from the dangerous, enigmatic
civilization that had-to-date demonstrated nothing but contempt for the
Confederated Planets.  

In addition, he was smart enough to admit to himself
it only complicated matters that she happened to be highly intelligent and from
his perspective at least, drop-dead gorgeous. He, on the other hand, was a
fairly uncomplicated, self-employed private investigator with no special skills
other than those printed on his business brochures.  

Then again, he thought ruefully that it might simply
have something to do with the heavy burden placed on him back on Denbus, one
that became harder to bear with each passing day. The importance of the
in-person encounter with the government of Golstar never truly left his
thoughts, and Reynaud’s parting words kept coming back to plague him, “You will,
after all, be the first and sole representative of Confederated Planets. You
may have the opportunity to play a key role in opening a genuine dialog between
our two peoples.”

So far, he was sure his performance in diplomacy had
fallen far short of Reynaud’s expectation. He groaned inwardly as he thought,
here was another opportunity for him to screw up. He would have to employ
everything he could remember from the briefings he had reviewed en route to
Golstar, which right at that moment wasn’t very much.  

He swallowed the last of the warm brew, and his mind
looped back. He wondered again if worrying about offending Sharné was the
principal reason for his nervousness. Or was her VIP status just an excuse to
avoid another possibility? Almost from the start Owens felt a physical
attraction to the stunning Keeper of the Way. How could a breathing man not be
attracted? Yes, she was striking, he had to admit, but her appeal went beyond
that.    

She was obviously intelligent, confident and had displayed
courage during their ordeal aboard the
Saber
. Still, he thought, a very
short time had passed since their first meeting and her effect on him seemed
all out of proportion. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been in the presence of
beautiful women before, let alone dated a few them. However, she was different.
Maybe, he thought, it was her mysterious background that intrigued him... or
perhaps it was a byproduct of sharing and surviving mutual danger, creating a
bond of sorts. He realized this line of thinking wasn’t getting him any closer
to the matter at hand. Damn it, he was still procrastinating.  

Sharné looked at Owens and wondered why he had not
said anything since he programmed the auto cook. Sharné watched him stare
moodily into his empty cup, seemingly oblivious to her presence. As he sat
there, staring at the cup in his large hands, she could not guess what he was
thinking.  

As the quiet lengthened, she gradually became a little
concerned and decided to break the silence. “Owens, is there something
bothering you, something I should know?” She sensed he was holding back. A
troubled thought surfaced, and she wondered if he wasn’t misguidedly
‘protecting’ her from an unexpected change in their situation, perhaps
something affecting their chance for escape. She recalled a recent discussion
with her father, about relationships between the men and women in Confederated
Planets. Could he be truly trying to protect her… for her own good?

It did not help her mood that Owens was ignoring her
question, still staring down at his cup. At his continued silence, Sharné
became more agitated, slowly becoming worried he was indeed keeping something
from her. “If it is about our current situation, you must not hesitate to tell
me. If there is something wrong, then perhaps I can help.”

He looked up at her, startled. His eyes looked into
hers. Still, he seemed to hesitate, as if trying to find the right words.

To Sharné, his lack of a reply became inexplicably
exasperating, and before she could stop herself, she said, “I need not remind
you that you
are
in my territory, under my indulgence and protection.
Your refusal to answer my simple question not only heightens my sense of
distrust; it verges on insult. As Keeper of the Way, I will not allow such
behavior from a…”  

She stopped, suddenly embarrassed. She had
unconsciously slipped into an officious demeanor. Her hidden prejudice was
revealed. The unfairness of her statement and the heat in which it was
delivered confused her. Why had she reacted so strongly? Right then, she felt
like crawling under the table. Under her protection indeed, she thought
ruefully. It was really the other way around; it was Owens who had protected
her
.  

Surprised by the sharpness in her voice, Owens felt a
surge of adrenalin. He barely kept himself from an angry retort in reply. Damn,
he thought. He always seemed to do the wrong thing around this woman. He tamped
down his own rising temper and tried for a reassuring tone, “I’m sorry Sharné;
I was uh, somewhere else. It’s a bad habit of mine.”

She was surprised by his awkward apology. “I was
concerned you might be withholding something from me in order to spare my
feelings.”

He shook his head, “No. I’m not hiding anything from
you, Sharné. As I said, we’re a team and in this together. You know everything
I know.” He wondered what type of information she thought he could possibly be
withholding. How could their situation be any worse than it was? “I was just
mulling over some thoughts that are ah… totally unrelated to our escape. I
guess I drifted off, I do that sometimes. It took me a second to refocus. I can
see how I may have alarmed you, given our circumstances.”    

Relieved, she said, “No, it is really I who should
apologize. I do not excuse my outburst. I should have known better. Since our
escape from the
Saber,
you have kept me informed of all aspects of our
present circumstance and even encouraged my participation.” She looked down, “I
suppose I am less resolved with our situation than I had first believed.”
Inside she was angry with herself. She was not used to apologizing. What was it
about Owens that made her want to attack him? She raised her eyes and looked at
him thoughtfully. He still appeared uncomfortable. If it wasn’t their immediate
survival that was troubling him, she wondered, what was?