Episode 62

Recruitment

The hands of the chronometer pointed to high noon, Terran standard time, when Draco finally got underway and escaped Bonoplane's orbit, beginning the long acceleration which would gradually push it into hypertransit. When she emerged, she would be somewhere in the Rhysalan system. There Captain Hull would refuel, and presumably, receive the orders that would take him, and her, to Terra.

Watching the planet through the star window, York became aware of a score of sounds—murmured pulsations of the great engines coming through the bulkheads, the hum of air conditioners, whirring fans, clicking noises from within the bridge consoles. Draco was girding herself for her long leap into no-time.

Off to one side, Hull and Galton were bent over the star maps, plotting the intricate geometry of acceleration, time and distance. If the captain was concerned with the presence of the saboteurs aboard, he didn't show it. Although his manner with York had been reserved since their inspection of the Rigel, much of the suppressed agitation he had betrayed earlier seemed to have vanished.

She walked over to Osborn, who had the watch on the communicator. “Can you stop by my cabin when you're free?”

Osborn glanced around guardedly before answering. “I'm not allowed in that area unless on duty.”

“Wear your duty belt,” she prompted. “I'll clear it with the captain if anyone asks questions.”

“In that case, ma'am, I'll be there,” he agreed.

She was waiting for him when his knock came at the door. She let the big young man in and gestured toward a chair, glancing up and down the empty passageway before closing the door behind him. She folded her arms and raised her chin.

“Mr. Osborn, do you remember our earlier conversation?”

“In the mess?” He nodded eagerly. “Sure, Miss York.”

“So you know who I really am.”

He nodded again.

“Mr. Osborn, I'm going to ask you to do something extremely important. And it is so important that you cannot speak to anyone about it, not even Captain Hull or any of the officers.”

His face revealed his reluctance, so she pressed him harder.

“Mr. Osborn, do you understand that what happened on Rigel was no accident? Three hundred and ninety five men were murdered.”

“Murdered!” Osborn exclaimed. He sat up straight, and as she expected, the shock of the news caused his reluctance to vanish.

“They were murdered,” she repeated. “And one or more of those nine men were responsible. The ship and nearly all of its crew were murdered in cold blood, Osborn. What's worse is that they are planning to do the same thing here, on Draco.”

“That's impossible!” Osborn protested.

“It's not. You've seen the bodies. Doctor Benbow has confirmed my suspicions.”

“Does the captain know?”

“He knows what happened on Rigel. He doesn't know how I'm going to prevent it on Draco. He can't know, because I can't be sure who can be trusted and who can't be. You're the only one I can be certain of, because you are the only member of the entire crew who couldn't have planted the gas canister in this cabin.”

The young enlisted man nodded slowly. “Right, because I was escorting you earlier, and then I was standing outside the door.”

“Exactly.”

“But what if I was in on it? I mean, I could have had a partner, right?”

She smiled faintly. She was quite willing to bet her life that this fresh-faced young outworlder was not an intelligence operative for anyone, let alone House Dai Zhan.

“Captain Hull assigned you to guard me. So, unless the captain is also in on it, or enlisted men have the ability to pull their captain's strings, I think we can safely rule you out.”

“The Captain would never betray the Navy!” Osborn looked stricken at having implied otherwise. York found it informative that it was the thought of betraying the Navy, not Terra, that horrified the young man.

“I concur entirely. Now, are you willing to help me stop these killers from killing again?”

“Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it!” Osborn declared.

And so she told him.

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