“For worse times.”
“What’s the difference? We were struck from the ranks of humanity. Yes, we had our own independent policies, but that didn’t happen overnight! We… we were betrayed, as soon as the Others raised a howl!”
“Your people refused to change, Janet. When wars became a thing of the past, your people didn’t want to move on.”
“Were we ever offered that option?” The woman tossed the hair off her forehead and looked defiantly at Alex. “Did anyone ever give us even the slightest chance? All we had was an ultimatum, and the united fleet moving towards Eben. That was it. There was no time to look for compromises. And so… forgive me, Alex, but I’m happy we are at war! My home planet will be free.”
Alex was silent for a moment.
“And still—it wasn’t you?”
“It wasn’t me.”
“Then who?”
A shadow of a smile ran through her face.
“I think I know who it was. But I won’t tell, Alex.”
“But you must tell!”
“No. Sharing suspicions isn’t part of my contract. A detective is aboard, let him puzzle it out.”
“You’ve sworn an oath to me,” Alex reminded her.
“I’ve sworn not to kill the Zzygou. I never swore to look for their killer.”
“And if I were to demand another oath…”
“No.”
Alex threw up his hands. Janet’s voice was dangerously high with tension. She was balancing on the edge of hysteria. But he was sure her hysterical fit would not lead to a concession.
“You’re wrong, Janet. Believe me, all this will lead to tragedy for Eben… and for the whole human race.”
“Maybe,” she rejoined immediately. “Nevertheless, it’s a chance.”
“Thank you for telling me the truth about yourself, at least.”
“Did I narrow your circle of suspects?” Janet laughed, calming down. “Alex… don’t attempt your own investigation. You can talk to everyone, and every single person will tell you they didn’t kill the Zzygou…”
“Why?”
“Because.” Janet got up. “I’m going back to my cabin, Captain. You can come visit me, if you want. We can play ‘sweet-sweet sugar and bitter chocolate.’”
Alex didn’t recall any such game. Well, Janet would probably be a great instructor, and the game—a fun way to pass the time.
If only he had the slightest wish to have sex now…
“I’ll think about it,” he said, evasively.
As Sherlock Holmes and his loyal companion moved from cabin to cabin, Alex had visitor after visitor. A psychologist might say that, subconsciously, the crew still perceived Alex as a father figure. A strict and strong one, whose duty was to protect them.
That was reassuring, in a way.
After Janet left, Kim dropped in. The girl was beside herself with rage. She had also been informed that she was the prime suspect. It seemed that what had offended Kim the most was the fact that the hero of her favorite books turned out to be such a distrustful, dry old stick. She cursed—clumsily, but very diligently—telling Alex in minute detail of her conversation with Holmes.
“Can you imagine? He said I was so desperate to get out of flying back to Edem that I whacked the Zzygou! That I was the only one who knew their anatomy well enough and was strong enough to overpower the Other! It’s like using a ray gun to kill flies!”
“I know of a couple of planets where flies actually deserve that kind of treatment,” Alex noted. He pulled the girl onto his lap, and for the next few minutes they caressed each other in silence. Kim snorted, murmured something to the effect that she wasn’t a little kid anymore and didn’t go for such silliness, but she did visibly relax.
“But you didn’t kill the poor Zzygou, right?” Alex said in a half-questioning tone, still caressing Kim.
“Of course not! And if I were to kill her, I wouldn’t do it that way….” Kim winced. “It was probably Janet. She’s an executioner-spesh, and she hates the Others.”
“Janet says otherwise.”
“Then it wasn’t her,” quickly agreed the girl. “She wouldn’t lie.”
“Then who?”
“You’re trying to guess? But that’s the detective’s job!”
“Kim, everything is very, very complicated. If everyone thinks about what has happened, it might save billions of lives.”
“You aren’t a detective. You aren’t designed to investigate!” Kim looked at him in surprise. She took away his hand, which had gotten a bit carried away. “You’re a master-pilot!”
“Yes, I am a pilot. I’m used to operating under a multitude of dynamic factors that influence each other as well as the ship. I have accelerated reactions, enhanced memory, and reinforced logical capacity. And I am, like any pilot, specially adapted for the job of spaceship captain. That includes the basics of psychology, the ability to sense other people’s moods and guide their behavior. Why can’t I try on the role of a detective?”
“Because you aren’t a detective-spesh!”
“Kim…” He lightly kissed her lips. “Not everything can be pre-programmed.”
She was silent, alarmed, looking him straight in the eye.
“Then why am I not trying to investigate the murder?”
“Because you think you’re a fighter-spesh.”
“I’m not a fighter.” The girl pressed her lips together tightly. “I can feel that. I’m not just a fighter!”
“Right.” Alex nodded approvingly. “You’re more than a fighter. You’re a spy. A terrorist. An agent provocateur.”
“How do you know?”
“I just know. Your job is to be involved in the highest circles of society. And, if necessary, to work a miner’s hack in a POW camp, serve in the military, serve at a brothel, do lab experiments. You’re capable of adapting to any situation. You can become almost anybody. Including a detective, I suppose.”
“I don’t want to!”
“Why not, Kim? Your specialization is unique. Model-speshes, singer-speshes, strategist-speshes… anyone you look at—none of them comes close to your specialization!”
“That just means loneliness.”
The sound of her voice startled Alex. She seemed to have aged instantly, grown decades older.
“Any unique specialist is lonely. You’ll get to like your work. You will enjoy it, trust me. The real thing, not just what you have here.”
“I don’t want to, Alex!” She hugged him tightly. “Why did you tell me all this? Why?”
“You had to find out sooner or later.”
“But I like flying on the ship. I like being with you!”
“Well, no one can forbid you to work as an ordinary fighter.”
“Now that I know what I’m meant to be?”
“Yes, even now.” Alex didn’t look away. “Especially now.”
“I don’t understand,” said Kim piteously.
“You will.”
He didn’t answer any more of her questions. And Kim didn’t persist for long. She didn’t know the “sweet-sweet sugar and bitter chocolate” game. It had probably been invented on Eben. But another game Kim suggested, “kitten claws,” turned out to be quite enjoyable.
Generalov barged into the cabin while Kim was in the shower.
“Would you like some wine?” Alex offered, tightening his bathrobe. A half-empty bottle of real Earthly Vouvray stood on the table.
“Something stronger!” Puck roared.
Alex bent over the bar. He fussed for a while with glasses and bottles, then poured the navigator some brandy.
“So, Holmes has called you the prime suspect, eh?”
“Yes! Everyone already knows?” Generalov shook his head. Roared with sardonic laughter. “Arguments of steel! Tough as titanium!”