Life Goes On by Tayell, Frank (large ebook reader txt) 📗

of recorded history. You don’t need a badge to do what needs to be done. You don’t need a judge to decree what is just.”

“Theoretically, I can see how this is the just thing to do,” Corrie said. “But it still doesn’t feel right.”

“Because you deserve revenge,” Tess said. “You deserve a more specific and personal vengeance from those two than anyone else, but everyone alive today are their victims. Stringing them up won’t bring back the dead. It’ll only further tarnish our souls. They’ll sail back to Australia aboard the Te Taiki. There will be a trial. There probably will be an execution. But everyone at home deserves justice, too. Whether any trial, with its inevitable verdict, can be called just is a question for the philosophers. For us, if we are trying to build a better world, we can say that we began with mercy, not murder. That’s about the only thing that can make your sacrifice, our sacrifices, worthwhile.”

But though there would be no execution, the captain had a different, but as equally old-fashioned, duty to perform on the deck of the icebreaker. Six members of the prize-crew formed an honour guard. The others, and the newly promoted Captain Renton, were busy familiarising themselves with the ship’s controls and engines before the icebreaker and the Te Taiki sailed off in separate directions. Otherwise, of the New Zealand sailors, only Captain Adams and Commander Tusitala were present: the captain to say the words, and the commander to fly her back to the warship at the ceremony’s conclusion.

Tess found a place next to Clyde, at the rear of the small crowd, gathered at the aft of the ship. Nicko and Bruce, Avalon and Smilovitz, Zach and Corrie, forming a ring more than the usual two columns, behind the bride and groom.

“For something new to begin, something old must end,” Adams said. “So a marriage is not a beginning, but an affirmation of intent. A public acknowledgement to the world, as represented by those here present, of the love and devotion that you both have demonstrated to each other, and pledge to continue demonstrating in the years ahead. It is traditional, now, to talk of the future, of the trials and troubles ahead of you. Of the compromises and concessions you’ll have to make. Of the sacrifices. But that tradition is a few months out of date. While each of our futures are uncertain, you two can enjoy the certainty of spending the rest of yours together. So, I’ll ask you, Olivia Preston, do you take Pete Guinn—”

“Parsley,” Corrie called out. “His real name is Parsley.”

“Sis!” Pete said.

“You want to do it properly, don’t you?” Corrie said.

“She’s right, Pete,” Olivia said. “Sorry, Captain.”

“No worries,” Adams said. “Do you, Parsley Guinn, wish you’d legally changed your name before the outbreak?”

“I do,” he said.

“Too late now,” Adams said. “Olivia Preston, do you take Parsley Guinn for your husband.”

“I do.”

“And do you, Parsley Guinn, take Olivia Preston for your wife?”

“I do.”

“Then I pronounce you both married. Congratulations.”

An hour later, Tess was standing in the metal-sided shelter at the ship’s stern. It might originally have been built as a bad-weather observatory, but from the yellow nicotine stains on the walls, the previous crew had mostly used it as a smoking room.

“There you are, Commish,” Clyde said. “I was looking for you.”

“Is there trouble?” Tess asked.

“Not even a hint,” Clyde said. He held up a bottle, and two glasses. “But you missed the toast.”

“I wanted to see the captain off,” Tess said. “She’s a link with home.”

“We’ll be seeing her again in a couple of weeks,” Clyde said.

“I said the exact same thing to Anna back in Australia,” Tess said. “How is Captain Renton?”

“Getting a feel for his new command,” Clyde said. “He’s a good bloke, and the colonel will keep an eye on him. Nicko’s asleep. Zach’s helping Corrie in the galley. The scientists are going through the documents we grabbed from Corn Island. The happy couple are below. The crew are getting familiar with their new home, but I think we’ve earned a few hours rest.” He split the last of the bottle between the two glasses. “What shall we drink to?”

“Happiness,” she said. “May it always find us, especially when we’re not looking.”

“I’ll drink to that.”

She took a sip. “Not bad. How was the island off for supplies? That bar was practically empty when we arrived.”

“They were running low. I got the impression one reason they killed off so many locals was so as not to share the food. We’ll need to look for more around Puerto Morelos.”

“I don’t think this ship was being used to trade fuel,” Tess said. “But there’s no way the cartel would let a prize like a fuel-transporter remain unclaimed. I think the captain was correct, the fuel’s aboard a ship, but it was sailing north, and kept on sailing north. We won’t find it off Puerto Morelos.”

“Maybe we’ll find a helicopter. Bruce wants to try flying one.”

“He’s got a licence?”

“Not exactly,” Clyde said. “But he’s done three take-offs and six landings. That’s nearly as many as Captain Renton.”

“Bruce landed twice more than he took off? Now there’s a yarn I want to hear. But finding a helicopter isn’t a priority. Not now, anyway.”

“You’re not sure where we’ll end up, then?” Clyde asked.

“How could anyone be?” Tess said.

“Ah, but if you’re not certain, then you can get in on the pool. We’re taking bets on how far north we’ll get before we turn around. Nicko’s got Cancun. I’ve got Savannah, and Zach took Washington, D.C.”

“Washington? We’re not going that far.”

“It’s not that far from Georgia,” Clyde said. “We might even go a little further, all the way to New York. Captain Renton says it’s a theoretical possibility. The scientists