He Who Dares: Book Two (The Gray Chronicals 2) (63 page)

“No, he didn’t, not at first.”

“So why?”

“Do you know why he received the first VC he wears?”

“Yes, he saved the life of the Prince of Wales while he was serving in the Royal Marines.”

“He lost people doing it, and he blamed himself.”

“It happens, so?”

“As you may have noticed, Mike is very good at what he does, but.”

“But?”

“He can’t accept people dying when he’s in command.”

“Yeah, I noticed that.  He hates loosing people for any reason.”

“Right.  He has yet to learn that in war people die, and that’s a fact, but he had difficulty living with himself when it happens.”

“So, what has that got to do with this?”  Conner pointed with his weapon.

“He finished the mission, and his five year tour at the same time and left the Marines to come home.  Mentally and physically exhausted.”

“Go on.”  Conner’s eye narrowed as he listened.

“One event led to another, and the three of them met at the wrong place at the wrong time.  Words were said, ‘coward’ was thrown around when he wouldn’t fight, and Mike snapped.”  Andy sighed.  “Before anyone could stop it, the two men were dead because they were cowards, both attacking him at once.”

“Good God.”

“Under interrogation, he admitted, that at some point in the fight, he wanted them dead, and that condemned him.”

“And so, the choice between dead, or the implant, right?”

“Correct.”

“So what’s all this about then?”

“Something I’m not proud of, and didn’t intend until his lizard friend showed up.”

“What’s he got to do with it?”

“Him and Mike have been, um, how can I explain it?  They have been bonded since Mike was born.”  He saw the blank look on Conner’s face, knowing he would have to explain a little more.  “Here on Avalon, the lizards, as most call them, are the dominant intelligent species on this planet.”

“Intelligent?”

“Yes, something that wasn’t discovered until after his Great Grandfather, Max Tregallion colonized this system.”  Conner knew a little about the dangers of that.  “After we discovered that little wrinkle, we also found out that they liked us here.”

“Humm.”  That sounded a little fishy.

“No, it’s true.  Through a series’ of contact we learned that they didn’t have a problem with us being here.”

“I bet that took a while.”

“It did, and of course, we immediately passed a law that forbids the killing or harming of the lizards in any way.”

“They didn’t get pissed off when some of them were killed first of all?”

“Not in the sense you mean.  They put it down to a lack of understanding.  After the law went into effect, anyone who deliberately killed one, paid the price.”

“They bite them, and killed them.”

“Correct.”  As Andrew said that, Mike sat up then, and looked around. 

“What the hell just happened?  He demanded as he stood up.  The lizard scrambled up and resumed its place nestled against his neck.  Mike touched his ear.

“Ouch!  Did you bite me, you little bugger?”  He demanded, looking down.  The lizard hiss softly at him.

“House!  Bring Master Gray another drink, brandy, a stiff one.”

“
Yes, Mr. Anderson
.”

“Your friend was telling me about your trouble here, but he still hasn’t explained why the damn lizard bit you.”

“Any pain, Mike?”

“Actually, no, now that you ask.”  Mike rolled his head around his shoulders a moment.

“I’m still wondering why you aren’t dead, Skipper.”

“Oh, this little twit wouldn’t bite to kill me.  We are old friend.”

“But still, it is just a lizard.”

“They are a lot more than that, Conner.”

“Yes, Mr. Anderson was just explaining that.

“What just happened was, his friend responded to the pain Mike was in.”  Both of them looked at Andy Anderson.

“What do you mean?”  Mike demanded.

“You are cured, that’s all.”

“Cured?”

“Yes,  your friend administered the only known cure to the chemical conditioning the Proctor induced.”  The bot arrived with a large brandy, and Mike gulped it down as if it was water.

“Why the hell didn’t someone tell me about this before?  Make that three more. Andy, why didn’t you tell me
you
little bugger”  He said to the lizard.”  His friend did a little dance on his shoulder and sat back on his four hind legs and began rubbing his tummy with the front two limbs.

“
Yes, sir
.”  The house answered.

“We couldn’t, not without violating our own rules.”

“So why didn’t he,”  Mike looked down, “administer it before.”

“Think about it, Mike.”  He did, looking back to the day after the hearing before he departed for Earth, then he nodded.

“Because I wasn’t ready for it.”

“Exactly.  Had your friend given you the antidote it would have made your punishment meaningless.”

“I had to learn control.”

“Yes, that and other things.”

“What things?”

“I couldn’t say, only they know.”  He said, nodding towards the lizard.  The bot returned with three drinks, and Mike passed them around.

“So, that’s why you deliberately got me angry?”

“Yes, once your friend turned up, I had to try.”

“I’m not sure if I should thank you, or punch your lights out.  He chuckled.

“I’d rather take the thanks, as I’m too old to mix it up with you now.”

“Bullshit!  That will be the day.”

“Anyway, here’s to you, Mike, and Mr. Conner Blake, your faithful and protective friend.”  He raised his glass.  Conner carefully slipped his weapon back inside his jacket and raised his glass.

“You shouldn’t feel any after effects.”

“I take it, that this isn’t the first time this has happened.”

“No, there are a few others, a very few others who earned the remission of sentence.”

“Thank God for that.”

“Skipper, if I may?”

“Speak up, Conner.”

“You are my Captain, and as a serving none commissioned officer, I don’t really have the right to talk to you about this.”

“Conner, stop waffling.”

“The one thing you still have to learn, sir, is that in war, people die.”

“I know that.”

“Begging your pardon, sir, you don’t.  Every time someone gets hurt, you blame yourself.”

“That’s only right, I did, do make the command decisions.”

“And if you have to
order
someone to their death?”  Mike nodded.

“I see what you mean.”

“It can and will happen, sir, and yes, you should feel the loss, but not the blame, sir.”  Mike reached over and squeezed Conner’s shoulder in response.

“I second, Mr. Blake’s comments, Mike.  That was what got you into trouble in the first place.”

“Yes, I know.”

“But, we’ll let that pass for now, water under the Bridge, so to speak.  Let’s talk of other things, shall we?”

“Yes, such as?”

“Good, now tell me about the Lady Ann.”

“How on Earth did you know about her!”  He asked in surprise, feeling himself stiffening slightly.

“You don’t think I’m the Chief of intelligence for nothing do you?”

“I knew we have spies on Earth, but not that high up.”

“Sure we do.  We don’t trust the present Earth Government an inch.”

“Well, you know who she is then.”

“Yes, the Princess Royal and possible heir to the throne.”

“I don’t like being spied on, Andy.”  Mike felt himself get red.  What the Lady Ann and he had between them, was between them, and not for the general amusement of the Avalon spy chief.

“They do have other reasons for being there, beside you.”  He grumbled.  “You decided you wanted to go and join the Royal Navy, against my better judgment, so be it, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care what happens to you.”

“You know why I had to do that.”

“Yes, I do, but I still say you can’t run away from your responsibility.”

“So you say, and I was not running away.  Just giving people a little breathing space.  Besides that, I have the right to choose where my life will go.”  It was an old argument, one they’d had many times before.

“I know...”

“Let’s drop it, and chat about something else, you know we’ll never see eye to eye on this issue.”  Mike smiled, feeling himself relax again, seeing Andy nod, then a slow smile spread across his face.

They chatted late into the evening, Mike filled him in on as much detail of his adventures as he could.  In the end, Andy called a halt, and after a handshake all round he took off.  He and Conner had a pleasant meal prepared by the house bot, a few more drinks and went to bed.

His old room was just as he’d left it, and pulling off his clothes he fell into bed, and a few moments later he was fast asleep, unaware of Conner coming in and covering him.  He smiled, wondering about this bundle of contradictions he called his Captain and shook his head.  For better or worse, he’d thrown his lot in with Mike’s, and even if it got him killed, it was going to be an interesting ride.  He then winked at the lizard sitting on the top bed rail and whispered good night.  The morning brought a slight hangover and a constant stream of visitors to the house.  Almost before Mike had finished breakfast the first one arrived, the Prime Minister.  He joined Mike for a cup of coffee, looking chipper, even for all his 123 years.

“That was quite a bombshell you dropped on me, Mike.”

“What was their reaction?”

“Oddly, for once, they all convened in person, and we spend two hours arguing the ramification of the request.”

“So they didn’t go along with it.”  Mike sighed, seeing his hopes dashed.

“On the contrary, they were all for it, 100%.  No, what we were arguing about was how much of our R&D to put into them, on top of what you have already given us, plus time frame, where and so forth, and what precaution we needed to take.”

“And the upshot?”

“The consensus was, that we build all the hulls on Lancelot in batches of ten, then lift them to the space yards for fitting out on Merlin, them back to Lancelot for weapons and trials.”  Mike thought about it, seeing the logic.  Each of the three major shipyards could work simultaneously, and might even be able to complete the first hundred ships even faster.  He stroked his chin a moment.