The Last President by John Barnes Read Free Book Online

ever saw or even heard about the metal. And he’s not a man to link a deal or take advantage, that Halleck. I’ve always prided myself on sharp unsentimental dealing, but now I find I’d rather deal with an honest Yankee who had a real commission in the old Navy than a passel of slick Irishmen and ambitious kay-dets.” Rollings tracked Whorf’s gaze as it reached out to
Discovery
. “Got to admit it,” Rollings said, softly, “I mean,
look
at her, she’s
gorgeous
.”
    â€œYeah.” Whorf sounded choked up.
    â€œWhorf, I’m thinking about the family here. You know how we keep
Ferengi
stocked and ready to go, and we all know we might have to run for it any time. Geordie’s a good guy, but—and don’t you ever quote this to your brother—even though he can take
Ferengi
anywhere with enough water under her keel, I think he will always need someone to tell him where.
    â€œDeanna’s no sailor and never will be, but she’ll run Ferengi Enterprises some day—from an office, someplace, like it should be run. If I’m gone, and your brother pulls any oldest-male privilege bullshit, you take Deanna’s back and make sure she keeps the company. So Deanna needs to stay here to inherit the company, Geordie needs to stay here to sail
Ferengi
, and Uhura needs to stay here because she’s young yet. And that leaves you, Whorf.”
    â€œYeah, I guess it does.” Whorf sighed.
    â€œIf anything happens to me, Deanna’ll need your judgment and maybe your gun. So promise me you’ll come home as fast as you can—
if
you hear of that kind of trouble.”
    â€œYou knew before you asked I’d—Wait,
come home?
” Whorf’s stare was almost comic. “Where am I going to be, Pop?”
    Rollings thought,
in my heart, like always
, but he said, “The family needs somebody away from Manbrookstat, ’specially if we get into a major thing with the Commandant. You’ve got a fine mind and you’d like to see the big world before you settle down, and I understand that being the biggest junk man on the Hudson is not your idea of the good life. So
all
I’m going to ask is for you to haul ass home if you hear we need you.
    â€œBut meanwhile, it’s a big world, and
Discovery
is a beautiful ship. Halleck’s a skipper I trust. You’ll never get a better chance. Besides as soon as your Moms heard that you can get a bachelor’s degree from being a scholar-sailor, she was ready to tie you up and throw you on board.”
    â€œOh, man, she would, wouldn’t she? Pop, I don’t know how to say it—”
    â€œYou don’t have to, I already know.” Rollings thumped his son on the back, and somehow that turned into an awkward bear hug between the men. “Hell,
yeah
, sign on with
Discovery
. I wouldn’t want to be the man who kept you home.” The men held each other in the icy dark for a long time. “All right, let’s get back in and try to keep that creepy white boy’s eyes off your sister.”
    â€œI don’t worry about his
eyes
, Pop.”
    They were settled at a table with warmed wine punch, and Uhura had just joined them, when the band played a brassy, clumsy fanfare and the Commandant strode in, half a dozen Special Assistants at his heels, followed by the Galway trade delegation.
    The Commandant spoke first, and at length; his gift for an inflated phrase had them half stupefied when finally Doyle strode forward to speak.
    â€œWell, with the fine food, and warmth and light on a cold winter’s night, and it’s good to be here,” he said, “so I won’t detain you long. From here on, you’ll be seeing a great deal of us. A bit like what happened after Rome fell, once again we Irish were a well-educated people far away from the worst of it. And because of how the wind blows, and being so far west and north, and a certain amount