Volsky set his tea cup down and folded his arms. “You are suggesting that the Captain somehow arranged for that message to be sent to us? That he may have sent it himself?” “Yes sir… but no… not the man here with us now.” If they thought I was mad before, thought Fedorov, then they will be certain of it if I reveal what I truly think has happened here. I have already said enough, and in truth, I’m not really certain about that recall order. Stay in the here and now. Reveal things that bear on this moment, and the days ahead. If I try to tell them everything, it will be like pouring more tea into Volsky’s cup than it can hold, and more than he could ever hope to drink. Easy now. Take things slowly. “Concerning the Captain,” he began. “I was shocked to see him here because in the course of our experience in the past, he was separated from the ship. In fact, we believed he was lost in action, until I discovered otherwise.” “Tell me,” said Volsky, still trying to give his Navigator a fair hearing, though Fedorov could see that Doctor Zolkin was becoming a little restless.
