Mosaic - Jeri Taylor [61]
The dreaded Admiral Paris reminded her of the cheerful farmers she had grown up with.
He waved idly at her. "Sit down, sit down. Let's get to it. I have the feeling you want me to rekindle my days as an Academy professor." Kathryn was stunned. She had told no one about her plan. It was so unlikely that she didn't want to appear foolhardy. Could this man actually probe her mind? Was he a telepath? She felt her heart beating in her chest. "It's remarkable you should say that, sir. I hadn't mentioned it to anyone, but I was hopeful that you would consent to being my advisor for a junior honors thesis."
The ever-present smile tugged at his mouth. "Junior honors thesis, eh? I might consider a senior thesis. Maybe you should wait until next year."
"Maybe you should wait until you hear what the thesis is about." The words were out of her mouth before she thought, and she realized they sounded impudent. But the admiral seemed amused, and he didn't fight the grin. "Touche. Tell me, Cadet Janeway, what your thesis concerns."
"Massive compact halo objects."
The smile disappeared from his face, to be replaced by that first scrutinizing stare. Once again, Kathryn felt that he was scanning her brain. This time, he didn't seem to be getting results. "I see. And just what is it you would propose to offer about halo objects that provides new insight?" Halo objects, she knew, were a special interest of the admiral's; he had spent years trying to formulate a theory on the origins of these enigmatic and elusive space phenomena. Kathryn leaned forward, feeling on surer ground now. "I've developed a new hypothesis concerning their origins. One that might revolutionize all the thinking that's gone into them so far."
"Very ambitious. Just what is this hypothesis?"
"With all due respect, sir-if you want to find out, you'll have to read my thesis. Which I can't write until I have an advisor."
He laughed out loud. "I like you, Cadet. Your reputation precedes you, you know. You're the young woman who reported finding a chordate in the caves of Mars. Stirred up a whole hornet's nest of scientific controversy." Kathryn sighed inwardly. It was true that her claimwhich she had considered carefully before making, since it would mean an admission of having gone cave-divinghad startled Starfleet's scientists. Well-equipped diving parties were immediately launched, but no fossil other than the one she had spotted had been found, and there was vast disagreement in the scientific community as to whether the find was in fact a chordate. Her admission had earned her a rebuke from her mother, but so far as she knew, her father was unaware of the escapade. He was too busy to care. "I think we'll get along well," Admiral Paris continued. But then he leaned toward her over his desk and fastened her with those piercing eyes. "But I warn you-everything you've heard about me is true. I don't suffer slackers. You'll work harder for me than you've ever worked for anyone. You'll learn to live on four hours of sleep a night. And if you complain or whine or, God forbid, burst into tears, we're finished as of that moment. Are we clear on that?"
"Yes, sir."
He held her gaze, unblinking, for another full minute. She returned it firmly. Finally he leaned back, picked up one of the pictures from his desk. "What do you think of my family?"
"Very handsome, sir."
"Thank you. I'm proud of them. The girls are quite independent and have informed me in no uncertain terms that they don't intend to follow the family tradition and enter Startled. I respect that." There was a pause, then he continued. "But I'll admit I'm pleased that young Tom seems to have his heart set on the family career. I wouldn't push my children, but it would have taken something out of me if mine were the last generation