Chapter 17 part 2

"Because it wouldn't have been right," he said. "You did your job well. You led your team out of an impossible situation."

I almost believed him. But I waited quietly, staring, just in case.

Graves returned my gaze evenly then he shrugged after a moment. "That's not the only thing, naturally."

Naturally, I thought to myself.

He turned back to the practice fields. The teams were being issued combat knives—sharp ones. They flashed with edges like white lines in the bright sunlight that streamed in from the dome overhead. I winced as one recruit opened up another's arm. There would be plenty of nu-skin sprayed over open wounds tonight.

"The real reason was that Harris and I owe our lives to you."

I looked at him in surprise.

"How's that, sir?"

"We were at the bottom of the mine and cut off. Several teams never made it out of that mine, McGill. Yours did. When you made your report—that changed everything."

I began to put it together. I nodded.

"When I made my report they had confirmation of your death, right?" I asked. "At that point, they authorized your revival. So, they were holding off on doing it until you came out or were confirmed dead?"

He nodded slowly. "That's right. And with the legion leaving Cancri-9, that would have been it for all of us if you hadn't made it out. They'd keep the data, but never make our copies. Perma-death for all."

I understood now why he was impressed by my efforts to survive and why he'd felt the urge to go the extra mile to keep me breathing. If I hadn't made it out, we'd all have been done for.

"Sir?" I asked. "What will the Galactics do if they find out I'm still alive?"

"They won't."

"I know that sir. But, hypothetically?"

"Hypothetically? I don't know. I don't know how connected that inspector is or how pissed off he might be. I would guess we'd all be permed officially. Possibly the entire legion would be unloaded on a rock and nuked. Hell, I don't know."

I stared at him. "That wouldn't be right. I remember Galactic Law from school. It's quite egalitarian. The Galactics are no more—"

By this time, Graves was laughing. "You read their laws? Their treaties? The deals they signed with Earth? That's grand. You should read a little more of history, son. Those who rule don't take insults lightly. They bend the rules now and then, and when they do, they always bend them in their favor. It's a natural part of life, I think."

I shut up because I realized I didn't know what I was talking about. Graves had been out here in space for decades. Who was I to lecture him on the way the universe was supposed to work?