“Oh, for Shiva’s sake, Henry. Our authority and responsibilities are clearly defined. If this guy had some chronic version of Ebola that wasn’t going to kill him but was still contagious, we’d still be handing him off and packing up. Our mandate is for emergent situations. This whole thing no longer fits that description. I have my orders from Dr. Laakkonen, which means you have yours.”

Dr. Narang looked around the table. The holiday mood had evaporated, and no one would meet anyone else’s eyes.

* * *

Moore looked at the report that Dr. Narang had pushed to him. The man seemed to prefer hardcopy, judging from his desk. Normally, Narang would get a small bit of pleasure from forcing him out of the twenty-first century, but today she found herself feeling something akin to sympathy for the man. He appeared to be getting stymied at every turn. Although she felt his stance on the whole nanite thing was overblown, he at least was consistent and willing to discuss his reasons.

Now this. She waited to see if his head would explode.

“You are releasing the crew? Really?”

“It’s all in the report, Admiral. They’re not infected, not infectious, not affected. There’s simply nothing we can point at and say ‘this is a concern’. The nanites are possibly the most reluctant alien invasion force imaginable.”

“You’re not concerned about other consequences? What about their safety once they’re back home?”

“I’ve discussed this with my boss and with members of the crew, including Captain Jennings. The crew is motivated to keep quiet. They don’t need the money, obviously, and most of the attention they’d attract would be hostile. Perhaps violently so. Instead, they’ll be going home at about the time they’d have normally expected to end their tour. Barring another leak, they’re probably pretty safe.”

“Probably, again. Doctor, I continue to be concerned about your cavalier attitude about the down side of being wrong.”

“I don’t see an alternative, Admiral, either for the ICDC or the military. The New Liberation came about specifically because of the excesses that 21st century governments perpetrated on their citizens. You know what would happen if we attempted to contravene those dictates.”

Moore rubbed his eyes with thumb and forefinger for a moment, then sighed. “Thank you for giving me a copy, Doctor. I appreciate the courtesy and I understand you didn’t have to. I’ll read it in detail in my copious spare time.”

Well, that part I can identify with, Narang thought. It wasn’t just the crew who were going to be released. She was looking forward to a home-cooked meal and sleeping in her own bed more than she would have believed possible. For the first time in her professional life, she found herself questioning her career choices.

Maybe it was time to cut back on the field assignments.

51.Discharge Day

51.Discharge Day