Ep.#15 - "That Which Other Men Cannot Do" (The Frontiers Saga) (3 page)

Two young men came out of the front door and walked toward him.

“Excuse me,” Nathan said to the young men. “Is this where Mister Dubnyk lives?”

“You mean, Captain Dubnyk?”

“Uh, yes,” Nathan replied.

“Yes, it is,” the man replied, after which he and his associate continued on their way.

Nathan looked at the house, examining it more closely. “Business must be booming,” he said to his Ghatazhak escort as he continued to the front door.

After knocking, the door opened, and a young woman appeared in the doorway. “Do you have an appointment, sir?” she asked, eying them both with suspicion.

“No, I’m afraid we do not,” Nathan apologized. “However, I suspect that Captain Dubnyk will want to see us.”

“The captain is very busy, I’m afraid…”

“Please, if you’ll just let him know that Captain Scott is here, I would appreciate it greatly. We have come a long way.”

“Of course,” the woman acquiesced, stepping back and closing the door.

“I didn’t think we would need an appointment,” Nathan commented as they waited.

“I believe this residence was once two separate buildings,” the Ghatazhak soldier said as he walked to the side of the porch, inspecting the front of the building. “There was once a path over there, just like the one on which we approached. It has been removed, as has the platform to which it once led.”

“That would explain things,” Nathan realized.

The door opened again, and the young woman reappeared. “My apologies for the delay, Captain. Please, come in.”

The Ghatazhak soldier stepped forward, determined not to allow the captain to enter without first ensuring his safety.

“I’m sorry, I was instructed to only allow Captain Scott inside,” the young lady said firmly.

“I am responsible for the captain’s safety,” the soldier insisted.

“It’s all right,” Nathan told his bodyguard.

“No one is ever in any danger in Captain Dubnyk’s home,” the young woman reassured him.

“There, you see?” Nathan said. “Everything will be fine.”

“Captain, I am under strict orders…”

“I’ll leave my comm-set open, alright?” The sergeant was not smiling.

The Ghatazhak sergeant touched the side of his helmet, causing his visor to drop down and his tactical display system to activate. He swept his head from side to side, scanning the interior of the building. “There are at least seven more persons in the building,” he reported. “I do not detect any weapons. However, there are several locations within the structure which my systems are not able to penetrate, all of which are large enough to contain hidden weapons.”

“Give me your side arm, then. Will that make you feel better?”

“Do you know how to use it?”

“I think I can figure it out,” Nathan assured him.

The Ghatazhak soldier removed his belt and holster, handing it to the captain. “It will power up when it is drawn from its holster.” He looked sternly at the captain. “There is no safety.”

“Thanks for the warning, Sergeant,” Nathan said as he strapped the weapon to his hip.

“Captain Dubnyk does not allow guests to carry weapons into his home,” the young woman warned.

“I’m afraid he doesn’t have much of a choice, this time,” Nathan told her. “It’s either I come in with a weapon, or my friend here comes in with
all
his weapons
and
his bad attitude. I’m pretty sure that Captain Dubnyk would prefer that it was just me and one little gun.”

The woman sighed in resignation. “Very well. Follow me.” The young woman stepped aside, allowing Nathan to enter.

The interior of the house was also not as Nathan remembered. The last time he had visited Captain Dubnyk, his home had been small, sparsely furnished, with little in the way of decoration. It had also been poorly kept and in disarray. This time, it was the complete opposite. The interior was well decorated in traditional Tannan stylings, and it was spotlessly clean and tidy.

Nathan was led into a small sitting room just off the main entry foyer.

“If you’ll please take a seat, the captain will be with you in a moment. He is just finishing up his afternoon teachings.”

“Teachings? What does he teach?”

“History, religion, philosophy,” she replied, “the captain is a
very
wise man. He has lived over a thousand years, you know.”

“Yes, I am aware.”
Most of it in suspended animation
, Nathan thought to himself as he took his seat.

“Can I get you anything?” the young woman asked. “Something to eat or drink? Some spiced tea, perhaps? It is a wonderful blend that we grow in the garden here. It goes very nicely with the tarts I made this morning.”

“No thank you, I’m fine.”

“Very well. It will just be a few minutes,” the young woman assured him. She nodded politely and excused herself.

“How are you doing out there, Sergeant?” Nathan said in a near whisper over his comm-set.

“
I am fine, Captain. Further scans confirm my original assessment. This structure is actually two structures that were recently joined. There has also been considerable remodeling done to the interior in recent months.
”

“How can you tell?”

“
My sensors can detect weaknesses in the structure,
” the sergeant explained. “
Newer construction tends to be stronger, due to better methods and newer materials. There are a total of four exits. One on each face of the building. There are also many windows through which one can exit, none of which appear to have been reinforced. Should you need to exit quickly, it should not be difficult. Furthermore, the front door has only a single locking bar, which my weapon will handle with ease. I can be inside in seconds if needed.
”

“Thank you, Sergeant. I’m sure that won’t be necessary. Captain Dubnyk is not a violent man.”

“
I have read the files on Mister Dubnyk,
” the sergeant replied. “
The only conclusion I was able to come to was that he is intelligent, and is willing to do whatever is necessary to stay alive. Those two attributes alone make him dangerous, in spite of his advanced age. Other than that, we know alarmingly little about him, which makes him even more suspect as a threat.
”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Nathan replied.

The young woman reappeared. “Captain Scott, if you will please follow me, Captain Dubnyk will see you now.”

Nathan rose and followed the young woman down the corridor.

“
Captain,
”
the sergeant called over the comms,
“
It appears you are being led to a large room at the end of the corridor. There are seven men in the room. Six of them to your left as you enter, and one of them to your right. I believe the one to your right will be Dubnyk, as the other six persons are facing him. I still detect no weapons.
”

Nathan refrained from answering the sergeant as he continued to follow the young woman down the corridor. He was not sure if she was aware of their comm-link, and he felt no need to advertise the fact.

The young woman opened the door at the end of the corridor and stepped into the room, holding the door open for Nathan. He followed her in, and found exactly what his sergeant had described. Six men to the left, and Captain Dubnyk to his right. The room was tastefully decorated, with rich tapestries on the walls and floor. Captain Dubnyk sat in a comfortable, overstuffed chair on one side of the room, and the rest sat in more modest chairs arranged in a semi-circle facing the captain.

“Captain Scott,” Mister Dubnyk greeted in earnest. He gestured to the young woman who had escorted the captain in, and she quickly moved to his side to help him rise from his chair. “I did not think I would see you again,” he continued as he took a few shaky steps toward Nathan to greet him properly. He reached out to shake his guest’s hand.

Nathan took the old man’s hand. Mister Dubnyk’s grip was weak, but his hands did not tremble as much as before. Nathan shook his hand gently. “I am happy to see that you are doing so well,” Nathan greeted. “When I approached, I was positive that I had made a wrong turn somewhere.”

“Ah, yes. I was fortunate to acquire the residence next door when the owner passed.”

“How have you been able to afford so much in so little time?” Nathan wondered.

“Please, Captain, won’t you sit?” Dubnyk said, as he gestured to one of the young men to give up his seat.

“I hope I’m not interrupting?”

“Not at all, not at all,” Dubnyk insisted. “What better opportunity for my students to learn about history than to meet a man who is making it day in and day out.”

“I think you are exaggerating my contributions, Mister Dubnyk.”

“The good captain is too modest,” Mister Dubnyk told his students.

“
I would feel better if only you and Mister Dubnyk were in the room, Captain,
” the sergeant said over the captain’s comm-set.

“I wasn’t expecting an audience, I’m afraid,” Nathan told Mister Dubnyk. “Perhaps we could talk in private? I promise I won’t take too much of your time.”

“Nonsense, Captain. I am always available for you. I have already cleared my calendar for the afternoon. I gave the order as soon as I was made aware of your arrival.” Mister Dubnyk looked at his students. “Please, gentlemen, the captain and I have much to discuss. We will continue your lessons tomorrow morning, at the usual time.”

Nathan nodded at the young men as they rose from their chairs and left the room. “They are all so young,” he commented after the last of them had left the room.

“The young are usually the most eager to expand their horizons. They are at the age when all the world is a mystery, and life has not yet locked them into the daily routines and responsibilities that so often hamper one’s continued personal growth.”

“And their parents approve of your teachings?”

“On the contrary, Captain,” Mister Dubnyk said, surprised by Nathan’s accusing tone, “they encourage it. I am helping to broaden their understandings of humanity through the teachings of history. Being a student of history yourself, I would expect you to understand the value of its lessons more than most.”

“History can be both objective
and
subjective,” Nathan pointed out.

“Ah yes, the old ‘history is written by the victorious’ argument. I suppose there is some truth to the matter, as well as your assertions. But that is where philosophy comes into play, is it not? We present the facts, the objective aspects of a historical event, and then we look at them subjectively as we try to understand the how and why of the events. It is in the
analysis
of those objective facts wherein the
value
of history’s lessons lie.” Mister Dubnyk chuckled. “If nothing else, Captain, I am keeping restless young men off the streets of Klondell and out of trouble.”

Nathan smiled wryly. “Why do I feel like I’m being given a sales pitch?”

“My apologies,” Mister Dubnyk replied. “I have had to defend the value of my teachings on more than one occasion. I am running a business, after all.”

“And a quite lucrative one at that,” Nathan replied.

“Yes, I have been fortunate in that regard. As I said during your last visit, the Tannans love their stories, and there is so much they do not know about the past. Their own history has been nearly erased on two separate occasions…first by the bio-digital plague, and then by the Jung centuries later. There is a great void in their own cultural history that is dying to be filled.
That
is where
I
come in. In exchange, I accept whatever remuneration my customers are willing to bestow upon me. Some are even willing to pay for regular sessions, like those young men who just left.”

“And how many
students
do you have?” Nathan wondered.

“A few dozen, I suspect. My assistant, Fayla—the young woman who greeted you—she keeps track of such things.”

“You can even afford an assistant?”

“A sad story, one of many, I’m afraid. She lost her father. He was serving on the Jar-Keurog when it was destroyed. Her mother died when she was young. She had nowhere to go, so I took her in. She has become quite indispensable to me. Almost like a daughter, really. She takes care of me, and in exchange, I share everything I have with her.”

“And the others? Are they lost souls as well?”

“A few others might fit that description, each in their own unique way, I suppose. I do have some students who regularly exchange labor for lessons. In fact, most of the remodeling of my home was accomplished by such arrangements.”

“Quite the enterprise.”

“It has worked out well for me here on Tanna. That is why you pop in periodically, is it not, Captain? To check on my well-being?”

“Perhaps.”

“Or is it my magnetic personality that draws you back time and again?”

“Let’s stick with the ‘well-being’ thing.”

“Of course,” Mister Dubnyk replied with a smile.

“I trust you are in good health?”

“Indeed, at least for a man of a thousand. From what I hear, you are doing quite well for yourself as well, Captain. How many systems have you liberated now? Eight?”

“Two, actually,” Nathan replied, “and I had a bit of help.”

Mister Dubnyk looked confused. “I was under the impression that it was far more.”

“This system, and Sol. All those that followed were liberated under the command of Admiral Dumar of the Alliance.”

“But you did lead the attacks, did you not?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Then it is your name that history will remember,” Mister Dubnyk insisted. “People like to hear stories of those who led the battles, not those who made the decisions to send others into battle.”

“I’m not sure that my history professors would agree with you.”

Mister Dubnyk leaned forward in his chair. “Tell me, Captain, to whom does the child whose father was killed direct their hatred? At the general who gave the order to attack, or at the man who pointed the gun and pulled the trigger? Make no mistake, Captain, you are the one who will be remembered in the centuries that follow. Of this I am quite certain.”