Warhorse by Timothy Zahn Read Free Book Online Page B

would have demanded that Roman’s own pro-Tampy inclinations be balanced by an opposite bias in Amity ’s executive officer, and it was clear from Kennedy’s own comments that such a demand had indeed been made and yielded to. Still, for the past few days he’d dared to hope that they might have given up that concession at the last minute; that the continuing border troubles would have convinced them that they could safely give Amity a fair trial without the need to stack the deck. Clearly, they hadn’t been interested in taking that chance.
    And coming at the last minute like this, there wasn’t a lot Roman could do about it. Keying the man’s file onto his display, he scanned it one last time to refresh his memory, then touched the intercom switch. “Is the exec there yet?” he asked the yeoman manning the outer desk.
    â€œYes, sir.”
    Mentally, Roman braced himself. “Send him in.”
    The door slid open and a young man stepped through, moving with somewhat less certainty and grace than had Erin Kennedy before him. Less experience with ships in low-rotation mode, Roman noted automatically, filing the datum away for possible future reference. “Welcome aboard, Commander,” he said. “I’m Captain Haml Roman.”
    â€œLieutenant Commander Chayne Ferrol,” the other identified himself, his voice formal, stiff, and cool. “I’m looking forward to serving with you, Captain.”
    Ferrol had argued long and hard with the Senator and his friends about this assignment—had brought up a hundred reasons why it wouldn’t work, a hundred more why he didn’t want to serve under the man who’d come within a hair of nailing him and the Scapa Flow three months earlier. They’d assured him there would be no problem, convinced him he was the only man for the job…but now, standing there under Roman’s unblinking gaze, Ferrol wished he hadn’t given in. Those eyes were far too intelligent, far too discerning, and for that first awful moment Ferrol was sure the captain somehow knew exactly who he was. He braced himself for the accusation as Roman opened his mouth— “We’re looking forward to having you aboard, Commander,” the other said.
    The tightness in Ferrol’s chest eased, and he began to breathe again. So much for paranoia , he thought, annoyed with himself for jumping so easily to conclusions. “Thank you, Captain,” he said. “My apologies for arriving at the last minute like this.”
    Roman waved the apology aside. “I imagine the fault lies with those who sent you.” His eyes dipped to his desk display. “You’ll forgive me if I say that at twenty-four you’re a bit young for your rank.”
    â€œThe commission is honorary,” Ferrol said. That was technically supposed to be a secret, but Roman could hardly have failed to figure it out. “I have, however, had six full years in the merchant fleet, two of them as captain of a small ship of my own. I think you’ll find me fully capable of serving as Amity ’s executive officer.”
    â€œOh, I’m sure you are,” Roman said mildly. “It’s just that your file is oddly vague on these details, and I wanted to get some of them cleared up. The size of your former command, for instance.”
    â€œIt was a small interstellar tug with a crew of fifteen,” Ferrol told him.
    Roman nodded. “I know the type. Close-knit crew, everyone friends, captain basically God—and everyone likes it or quits at the next port. There are a lot of people who think that’s the ideal starship size.”
    His voice was casual, almost bantering…but his eyes were anything but. “It would probably save time, Captain,” Ferrol said evenly, “if you’d just go ahead and ask me why I’m here.”
    Roman cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, I know why you’re here, Commander.