Tannis fizzed with energy; she was one of the most alive people he had ever encountered. At least, she hadn’t tried to kill him again, though the poison thing hadn’t been a serious effort—she’d just let him know very effectively that she wasn’t happy.
He wasn’t sure about this whole Rebel thing. He’d always considered them an unorganized rabble and not capable of being a serious threat. Look at the Trog and the balls-up that had ended with him hiding on El Cazador. They couldn’t even agree who to blow up.
But they didn’t have a lot of choices here.
“So,” Tannis broke into his thoughts, “while we’re waiting, what does everyone think about this? Anyone got any comments or concerns—vent them now.”
She stood in front of them, hands in her pockets, legs braced while she waited for answers. She was a good leader. She asked for advice and her crew would probably follow her anywhere, trusting her to do what was best for all of them. Unlike his Council, who hadn’t trusted him one little bit. And with good cause. For the first time, he realized he hadn’t actually given his Council’s wishes any thought. He’d merely disregarded them because their ideas weren’t in line with his own. Yes, they were scared and that had irritated him. But only because they disagreed with him, and he’d gotten used to doing exactly what he wanted.
“I’ve always thought the Rebels were a load of undisciplined amateurs,” Jon said. “But if the Trog vouches for this guy, then I’ll trust him.”
“Janey?” Tannis asked. “What about you?”
She glanced up from the console. “I’m with Jon—if the Trog thinks they’re okay, that’s good enough for me.”
Callum was getting the distinct impression that there was something between Janey and the reclusive engineer. Maybe not consummated yet but simmering just under the surface.
“Alex?”
Callum waited to hear what the little priestess had to say—she’d been part of the Church all her life, they were her people, presumably people she had known well, she must have strong feeling about this.
“I think they need to be stopped. Temperance Hatcher is a fanatic. The current guy in charge might be an asshole—” She waved a hand at Callum, and he winced. “But if he makes mistakes, it’s through laziness and stupidity not through evil, which is what Temperance is.”
He winced again at the stupidity comment, but he reckoned he deserved it.
“Fair enough,” Tannis said. “Rico?”
“Let’s go for it. Any chance of blowing a few religious types into dust is my idea of fun, and we can’t do this alone.”
“Well, looks about unanimous. What about you?” She was staring straight at him, and he realized with surprise that she was actually asking his opinion
He sat up straight and placed his glass on the table in front of him. “You mean I have a say in this? I’m just a lazy, stupid asshole.”
Tannis smiled sweetly, with her mouth at least, her yellow eyes remained cold. “Yes, but you’re our lazy, stupid asshole employer, after all.”
He’d asked for that. “I say we go for it. Unless you want to say good-bye to that Meridian treatment—it’s our only hope.”
“Yeah, but don’t try and convince me you’re doing this for me, because I won’t buy it. I think you’ve blown your chance at the Mr. Caring award. You want to go to Trakis Seven as much as I do.”
For a minute, they stared at each other. Callum had an almost overwhelming urge to defend himself, to say it wasn’t his fault. But that would be a lie. Or maybe that he would try and do better in the future. But perhaps that was a lie as well. The truth was he’d always been a selfish bastard and done exactly what he wanted. Back on Earth, they’d called him a hero, but really, he’d only been doing something he loved. But he wanted to do better, and the thought surprised him. He just wasn’t sure he was capable of it, so he kept his mouth shut. Anyway, he reckoned words would be meaningless. He’d have to show her somehow.
“Okay, Captain,” Janey said. “I’ve got five coordinates where we could meet and still have time to intercept the ship before it reaches Trakis Seven. You want me to send them.”
“Go ahead.”
Tannis sat down opposite him, while they waited.
Five minutes later, Janey glanced up and grinned. “Okay, looks like we’re on. Second option. Hmm, they must be quite close.”
“Where and when is option two?”
“Twenty-four hours from now, on our most direct course to Trakis Seven.”
“So we meet in space.”
“Yes. Is that okay?”
“It’s fine. Better really, we can see what we’re up against—less chance for them to take us by surprise.”
“Dev won’t do anything underhanded,” the Trog said.
“Maybe, but you haven’t seen him in ten years, and I’m not taking any chances.” She rubbed her hands together. “Looks like we’re back in business.”
Callum tried to feel enthusiastic, but all he really wanted to do was lie down.
Chapter Eleven