“Ah, yes,” Kris said, trying not to feel guilty for making the demands the situation had required. So much for breaking the ice.
“This last week, however, has been nothing short of magnificent,” the judge said as her old eyes filled with young wonder . . . and she settled a linen napkin in her lap. “We have long had images of this end of the galaxy. But no observatory can hope to capture what we are seeing up close. That is well worth the price of admission for these old eyes.”
The judicial legend sampled her chicken pasta before she went on. “The scientists in boffin country are bubbling every morning with new discoveries. New conclusions. New ideas to test. I should think you must be bombarded with suggestions. Nay, demands to change course and get closer to this or that phenomenon.”
“Nelly fields them for me.”
“But it’s nice to hear from someone who has an inkling of just what I’m having to wade through . . . and some respect,” Nelly said. “Kris takes me way too much for granted.”
“I’m sure it must seem that way from your perspective,” the judge said, clearly reserving judgment.
“The captain makes the final decision,” Kris said. “He has a very keen sense that the safety of the Wasp and its crew has first call on our course.”
“Ah, yes, the safety of the ship and crew,” Francine said, with a nuanced twist to the words. “That is nice to know.”
For a while they ate in silent companionship.
“So,” Francine said, laying down her fork. “How long are you going to continue putzing around and dodging your duty?”
“Dodging my duty?” Kris almost yelped in surprise.
“Young lady, I’ve sat on enough benches listening to lawyers lay out the history of how this or that crime came to be committed that these old eyes can’t miss a crime in progress.”
Again, all Kris could do was echo, “Crime in progress?”
“Yes, young woman. We didn’t come halfway around the galaxy to loaf around, dawdling from one star system to the next. You are avoiding your duty.”
“You want to tell me what duty I’m avoiding?” Kris asked. Everyone Kris had ever met either hated Longknifes . . . or expected them to save their bacon. It wasn’t unusual for people to hold both views. Apparently, legendary judicial minds were no different.
“No, young woman, I have no idea what you should be doing. I’m a judge. I look at what people have done and tell them if it is right or wrong, or, more often, legal or illegal. You’re just dithering. Get off your duff and do something.”
“So you can convict me.”
“Or find you innocent. I’m sure some Longknife in your long family history has been found innocent. Can’t think of any cases at the moment, but there must have been one or two.”
“I seem to recall that Grampa Al had some very nasty things to say about your decision that corporations should no longer have the full status of people before the court.”
The gray-haired woman had the courtesy to chuckle at that. “Yes, I can imagine that my name was taken in vain several times after that decision,” she said. “That doesn’t matter in the present instant, however, and you know it.”
“Yes, I do. Still, you must have some ideas about the matter I’m dithering over. Everywhere I go on this ship of late, people look right at me. Right through me. And don’t say a word to me.”
The former jurist shook her head. “The day after I retired from the bench, I rose early as I usually do. But instead of going to my chambers, I took a walk in the park. It was a lovely spring day. I took a deep breath of fresh air, and it hit me. Someone else would have to make the hard choices. I could watch the news and get just as mad as anyone else at the boneheaded things people did to each other. Nobody would ever again come to me years later and ask me to decide who was right and who was in the wrong. It felt so wonderful to feel again. I hadn’t done it in years. Wonderful feeling.
“Sorry, young lady, I am retired, and I do not have to make the hard decisions anymore. With luck, you might make it to retirement someday. May your first breath of fresh, free air be as sweet as mine was. Until then, back to the salt mines, Princess.”
With that, the amateur astronomer picked up her fork and continued her dinner in silence.
After a moment or two of reflection, Kris found that she was no longer hungry and left the table. It took her a few minutes longer to decide who she wanted to talk to. It took Nelly very little time to collect Jack and Ron the Iteeche in her Tac Center.
“I just had the strangest supper partner,” Kris told them, then filled them in on Judge Francine’s thoughts.
Jack greeted the story with a chuckle. “The word on the law-enforcement circuit was that no lawyer wanted to present before her. Didn’t matter whether they were prosecuting or defending, she was not the judge they wanted to be in front of.”
“I think I can understand their attitude now,” Kris said. Ron was standing rather still through this. “You do have judges in the Empire, don’t you?”
“We have judges. People might bring what I think you call criminal and civil cases before them. I do not understand this case brought against him whom you call your grandfather Al. The law means what the Emperor says it means. How could a judge know the heart of the Emperor?”
“I don’t think we should go there, tonight,” Kris said. “Nelly, get Captain Drago on the line.”
“Got him,” Nelly said.
“You have a question, Princess?”
“Yes, Captain. I understand we’ve done a lot of wondrous stargazing this last week but haven’t found anything relating to aliens.”
“That is correct, Your Highness.”
“Any hints that we might?”
“My best guess is that we could keep this up until the cows come home, and all we’d have to show for it is a lot of cow manure.”
“I was kind of expecting that answer, Captain. Would you stand by for a few minutes; I think I’ll have fresh orders for you.”
“I’m glad to hear you’ve had enough of this messing around.”
“Thank you for your opinion, Captain,” Kris said, and cut the link.
Kris turned to the two people whose opinion she most valued on the matter at hand. “So. What do you think we do now?”
“This is a waste of time,” Jack said. “That alien ship could have come from here. But it could just as easily have come from a thousand light-years from where we found it. Heaven knows, if it was them gazing at our entrails and searching for our base, they wouldn’t be finding anything of interest in these systems.”
“Thank you, Jack. Ron, what does the Iteeche Empire have to say?”
“Very little. I am just along for the ride. Is that the way you say it?”
“Yes, but you’re here for some reason?”
“But you are halfway around the galaxy from that reason. Our ships are not disappearing here.”
“We are going to get there. I’m just taking the indirect approach.”
“Very indirect,” the Iteeche agreed.
“So it is agreed that we should get ourselves closer to where we might find some hostile aliens,” Kris said.
“If we’re hunting hostiles,” Jack said, “it seems only natural to get closer to where they’ve found us before.”
“Nelly, have Captain Drago set a course to return us to where we parked the battleships. Also have him send the message ‘Z’ to those squadrons.”
“It’s done, Kris.”