The Voyage of the Star Wolf by David Gerrold Read Free Book Online Page B

that.”
    â€œI don’t need accuracy. I just need to know if something’s moving out there.”
    â€œI’ll use a split crew,” said Leen. “Half on life-support, half bringing the network back online. That’ll give you the luxury of both options. And it’ll give me the time to fine-tune each part of the system as I recalibrate. What do you want to do about HARLIE?”
    â€œLet him sleep.”
    â€œYou sure?” Leen looked surprised.
    Reluctantly, Korie nodded. “I’m worried about his state of mind. I’d rather not bring him back up until there’s a ship for him to run. There’s nothing he can do until then anyway. I don’t want him going crazy with worry—or worse, amputation trauma.”
    â€œHARLIE’s too sensible for that.”
    â€œProbably. I’d like to believe you’re right. But what happens if you’re wrong? Let’s play it safe. HARLIE’s a friend of ours. Let’s not take any unnecessary risks with him. Okay?”
    â€œYou’re the boss.”
    â€œOnly by default.” Korie looked suddenly troubled.
    Leen hesitated. He looked like he wanted to ask something else.
    â€œWhat is it, Chief?”
    â€œNothing. I just—”
    â€œGo ahead. Say it.”
    â€œWell, it’s Captain Lowell. I heard that he—I mean, I don’t believe it, but you know—scuttlebutt has it that he . . .” Leen was having trouble saying it; Korie waited patiently. “. . . Well, that he fell apart when the shooting started. Is that true?”
    Korie started to answer, then remembered Captain Lowell’s last advice: “You have to be straight with them, Mr. Korie. Never ever lie to your crew. ” He flinched, then he looked directly at Chief Leen and said as sincerely as he could, “I was there. Captain Lowell did not screw up. The autolog will confirm that. And if any man on this ship says differently, he’s going to have to answer personally to me.” He added, “You can let that be known wherever it’s appropriate.”
    Leen looked relieved. “Thanks. I knew that. I guess I just wanted to hear you say it.”
    Korie nodded curtly and pushed off toward the door.
    That’s one , he thought. How many more ?

Korie’s Cabin

    Captain Lowell wasn’t dead.
    But he wasn’t exactly alive either. It made for a very sticky legal situation.
    Korie spent several grueling hours scanning through the manual of regulations. It wasn’t very helpful.
    With the captain injured, Korie was supposed to assume command of the vessel. The problem was, he couldn’t .
    Without HARLIE up and running and maintaining the log, Executive Officer Jonathan Thomas Korie could not officially assume command. The ship’s doctor could not log a medical report, and Korie could not legally declare the captain incapacitated.
    Until such time as the autolog could be resumed, his was a command without acknowledgment. He had the authority, he had the moral and legal right under fleet regulations; but what he did not have was the acknowledgment of FleetComm’s official representative, the constructed consciousness known as HARLIE. It was like being elected president, but not taking the oath of office. Just when and how does the legal authority begin?
    The whole thing made Korie realize just how precarious his position was. His orders were technically illegal until such time as his right to give them was confirmed. He was floating adrift in a legal limbo every bit as real as the limbo in which the LS-1187 floated. And he was every bit as helpless.
    There weren’t any contemporary precedents for this situation, although there were ample historical records. Unfortunately, those records could be used for academic purposes only. Out of respect for the diversity of individual cultures in the Alliance, FleetComm’s regulations were not derived from any specific naval