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 They re all my people in there, the Senator assured him, raising one hand to
study a fingernail.  You know, Chayne forgive my bluntness you seem rather
less than satisfied with the way the hearings went today.
Ferrol snorted.  You noticed that, did you?
Deliberately, the Senator raised his eyes from his examination.  We ve
noticed.
Believe me. All of us.
Ferrol felt his face growing warm.  Sorry, he muttered.
For a long moment the Senator eyed him without speaking.  I m sure you ll
understand, he said at last,  that you re the last person we would have
expected to see passionately arguing a Tampy point of view. I m sure you ll
also understand how such an abrupt change in attitude is likely to make our
friends nervous.
 I am not arguing a Tampy point of view, Ferrol growled.  I m arguing that,
in this particular case, we happen to have as much to gain from an extension
of
Amity s mission as do the Tampies. I don t know how to make that any clearer
than
I already have.
 Oh, your position is clear enough, the Senator shrugged.  It s your judgment
that s in question.
Ferrol s annoyance was starting to simmer into anger.  This isn t some
half-assed idea I came up with on the spur of the moment, Senator, he
reminded the other stiffly.  I ve thought that space horse calves were
humanity s best bet since long before you put me aboard the
Amity
.
 Indeed, the Senator said dryly.  Yes, your war-horse concept is quite well
known among our group. Some of us feel it almost qualifies as an obsession, in
fact which is a major part of our concern. What evidence do you have that
space horse calves would be more responsive to human control than the adults
are?
 Absolutely none, Ferrol said.  What evidence do you have to the contrary?
The Senator s lip twisted in a way that always made Ferrol feel like a
stubborn and not very bright child.  Let me spell it out for you, Chayne, in
terms you apparently haven t thought of. Assume for a moment that Junior
wasn t a fluke, that there really was some factor in
Amity s mission or crew that induced the breeding.
Assume further that we can reproduce the results at will and are at some point
able to make off with one of the calves. What do you think the Tampy reaction
will be?
 They won t be exactly happy about it 
  Won t be happy doesn t even begin to cover it, the Senator cut him off
sharply.
 In case it s escaped your notice, Chayne, the Tampies see themselves as the
guardians of nature in general and of space horses in particular. Stealing a
calf out from under their noses for research purposes could well trigger a
full-scale war that we re emphatically not ready for.
With an effort Ferrol unclenched his teeth.  Then we don t steal the calf, he
said.
 We find some way to experiment on it without the Tampies knowing what we re
doing.
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Timothy Zahn - Warhorse
The Senator raised his eyebrows.  And how do you suggest we do that?
 I don t know, Ferrol shot back.  You have the idea people ask them
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. Assuming they haven t lost their nerve, too.
The Senator s face darkened.  Such things take time, Ferrol. Time, and money,
and planning. You d probably have to stay on the
Amity for several more months, possibly as much as a year.
 Whatever it what? Ferrol stared at him.  What do you mean, I d have to stay
on the
Amity
?
The Senator gazed at him.  The only way the committee will authorize a
breeding mission for the
Amity is if at least fifty percent of the original crewers and all of the
senior officers agree to stay with it. Until we know what if anything the
actual trigger mechanism is.
Ferrol stared at the other, his anger turning into something icy.  Is that
what all this was about? he demanded.  Getting me worked up so that I
wouldn t have time to think about signing away another year of my life for
you?
 Consider it a test of your nerve, the Senator countered coolly.  This is
your
vision, after all. If you don t have the commitment to see it through& ? He
shrugged.
It was emotional manipulation of the most blatant sort deep within him, Ferrol
could see that clearly. But the knowledge of what the Senator was doing to him
didn t help in the slightest. As the Senator had undoubtedly known it
wouldn t.
 I ll stay with the
Amity as long as it takes, he gritted out.  Just be damn sure you find a way
to get one of the calves.
 Assuming there are calves to be gotten, the Senator agreed. His goal
achieved, all the challenge in his voice and manner was gone again, leaving
behind the slightly cynical detachment that Ferrol had always associated with
the man.  I suppose we ll just have to wait and see.
 Yes, Ferrol said shortly, fumbling for the release with a hand that still
shook slightly with emotion.
Just like a damn clockwork robot
, he thought bitterly.
He just flips a switch, and I do a little dance
.  If that s all, I ll be getting back to my seat.
 One more thing, Chayne. The Senator paused, and Ferrol thought he saw the
lines around the other s mouth tighten, just a bit.  Keeping all of Amity s
senior officers aboard means that Erin Kennedy will be staying, too.
Ferrol cocked his head.  You say that as if it should bother me.
The Senator snorted under his breath.  Perhaps it should. Are you aware that
she took a reduction in rank to join the
Amity s original mission?
 I d heard that, yes, Ferrol said slowly, forehead wrinkling in thought. He d
never had much social contact with Kennedy, but she d never struck him as [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]