Expendable - James Alan Gardner [28]
Chee must have noticed me eyeing his tobacco, for he offered the pouch for me to inspect. “It’s the real thing, Ramos. Rank hath its privileges.”
I took the pouch and inhaled deeply in spite of myself. “What do you mean?” I asked.
“This tobacco was stolen under cover of darkness from Old Earth itself. I organized the raid personally. Five Explorers landed on the island that used to be known as Cuba, primed as much ripe leaf as they could get in fifteen minutes, then scampered back to the ship just before the Spark Lords arrived with weapons blazing.”
“You risked Explorer lives for tobacco?”
“Don’t squawk,” Chee growled. “The High Council reamed me out enough, without you bitching too. Of course, all the council cared about was violating our treaty with the Sparks; they didn’t give a flying fart for the Explorers…who all got back without a scratch, I might add. The council cursed and screamed, and next thing I knew, they were sending me to Melaquin. I suppose you agree with them.”
“Your actions are difficult to understand,” Yarrun replied. “Tobacco is grown on many Technocracy planets, not to mention the Fringes. It seems rather…extravagant to endanger Explorers and the treaty for something so easily available.”
“Shows how little you know about tobacco,” Chee answered. “The stuff our Technocracy grows is castrated and harmless—no tar, no nicotine, not a single carcinogen or addictive substance in the damned vegetable from flower to root. Sissy weed! On Old Earth, tobacco still has balls. It can kill you…will kill you if something else doesn’t get you first. I like that in a plant.”
He produced a match and swept it across the rough metal control pad set into the captain’s chair. Prope and Harque drew in their breaths sharply. Ignoring them, Chee sucked on the pipe to pull the match flame onto the tobacco, then took a few experimental puffs. “I hate safe vices,” he continued, shaking out the match. “Live your life on a limb, that’s what I say.”
“Begging the Admiral’s pardon,” I said, “but from an Explorer’s point of view, inhaling weak carcinogens is a pretty candy-assed risk. Ultimately, you die in bed. Sir.”
The bridge fell silent except for the soft hum of machinery. Prope’s mouth dropped open in shock. Harque had his back to me so I couldn’t see the expression on his face, but his hand stopped moving and hovered stunned over the instrument panel. Even Yarrun stared at me in surprise, his hideous face lit from below by the greenish glow of his data screen.
Chee met my gaze without rancor. “The wolf knows something the sheep will never understand. Is that what you’re saying, Ramos?”
“The wolf pays for it,” I answered.
“A big ante buys into a bigger pot,” he said.
“The pot only grows big when there are many losers.”
With a small laugh, he patted me on the arm. “Don’t you just love arguing in metaphors? Makes you feel profound as a polecat. Even when you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” He smiled. “Maybe we’ll have this argument again someday.”
“Maybe.” If he could pretend we’d survive, I could pretend with him.
“Data on Melaquin coming in,” Yarrun quietly announced.
Melaquin—The Story from Initial Probes
Melaquin (AOR No. 72061721)
Third planet in the Uffree system; one moon
Average distance from primary: 1.0 A.U.
Gravity: 1.0000 G.
Thermal Index: 1.0000 S.
Atmosphere: 21% oxygen
78% nitrogen
.9% argon
.03% carbon dioxide
Other trace gases, e.g. methane, ozone, water vapor
Day: 24.0000 standard hours
Orbital period: 365.25 days
Axial tilt: 23.5 degrees
Surface: 78% water; four continental land masses; many islands, some approaching continent size; poles ice-capped
Life: Abundant green vegetation in 80% of land areas; abundant carbon-based microorganisms in atmosphere;