Chapter 49 Day 99 The Decision
'Have you looked over the final engineering proposal?' Min asked, looking into the bistro as I was brewing a cup of cha. We'd completed our course change two days ago and were now on course for Zilantre.
'Several times. And I've had them walk me thorough the whole procedure in the engine room as well.'
'Then we're ready to discuss it. Any objection to doing it now?'
'Now's the time. I've my cha and the sooner our plans are settled, the more comfortable I'll feel.'
'Right. My office is the closest,' she replied, so I grabbed my mug and followed her down a deck to the owner's suite.
She settled behind the broad desk and I on a chair before it.
'So Captain, I believe now is your golden time to advise caution,' she said, with a faint smile.
'I believe Vyn has already made that point,' I replied cautiously. 'I'm here for orders.'
'Oh, come now, That's a very cowardly reply.'
I shrugged. Min kept her feelings well hidden, but still, I had a pretty good idea that the decision was already made, and saw no point in committing myself one way or the other. 'It's your decision. I can tell you what I'd do if you weren't aboard...'
'If you hadn't had me drugged and shanghaied,' she interjected, but without any malice behind it.
'If I hadn't decided to enforce my Guild contracts,' I agreed, with a smile.
'Oh, all right. What would you do if I wasn't aboard.'
'I wouldn't gamble with your ship. Our insurance will eventually cover the delivery penalties, so all I'd be facing is the expense of relining the bell. The decision on how to proceed with that project, whether our current credit balance and the proceeds of the sale of trade goods would cover the standard repair, or whether we'd proceed with cutting the bell down would depend on prices, and a radio packet from you.'
'So you think making the repairs now is a gamble, even after having been walked through the whole process.'
'I'm saying that the downside of failure would've been too much of a gamble for me to take without consulting you. If we delay deceleration and we find a fatal flaw in the project, we could end up spending several months clawing our way back to Zilantre, and that's turning a blind eye into any issues we might have to deal with 20 aus deep into the Myzar Drift. On the other hand, running two weeks over schedule, is easy to justify by the events. A fractured engine lining is a known hazard and we took the prudent course to insure as timely a delivery as possible under the circumstances. A two-month delay is a lot iffier. We'd have clearly made the wrong decision which resulted in a serious delay of the boats needed for the safety of mining crews,' I said, adding, 'I know Vyn's gone over this with you already, so I'm here for my orders. I'll see that whatever you decide gets done and works.'
'You think I'm going to go with Myes' plan?' she asked watching me.
'Yes.'
'And you're not comfortable with that?'
'I wouldn't say that. It should work. It's only the downside of failure that gives me pause. Still, I won't be able to say I told you so, if we should try it and fail.'
'I'd hope not, since you're being so evasive.'
'I'm not. You know where I stand. I'm simply avoiding a pointless argument. My engineers have assured me they can do it, so I'm comfortable with either course. More so with one than with another, but comfortable enough with both that I see no reason to argue. Give me my orders.'
'Well, Captain, that being the case, I see no reason why we shouldn't give Myes' plan a go. The way I see it, we can fall back on the balancing rockets at any point in the process. I think delivering the cargo on time in the face of adversity, would be just what we need to make our mark in a new trade system, making it worth the risk,' she said, adding, 'I'm not someone who gives up easily.'
'No, you're not. I'll get the gang working directly,' I replied, standing. 'I know they're eager to get going – they've come to view this as a challenge, something they'll be able to yarn about for the rest of their lives.'
'And, just to be clear here, you've promised that if this falls into a black hole, you're not going to say I told you so,' she added with a slight smile.
'Well, yes, though if we find ourselves deep in the Myzar Drift and ten seconds away from making a small impact crater in a large drift asteroid that we couldn't avoid, I may be at least thinking, Next time she might want to listen to me,' I said and gave her a grin and a sketchy salute. I wasn't feeling quite so cocky, however.