Barry Longyear - Enemy Papers

… In the Chirn Kovah I had been placed in what amounted to a sensory deprivation environment…

No sight; no touch; reduced sound… and then The Talman handed to her for entertainment.

…The strangeness-the alien unknown-of everything was made almost familiar because the images from her eyes were prevented from overpowering her other senses…

…a strange thought is in my mind: I was curious; but, if I could have seen, I would have been terrified…

"…To Tora Soam, the war is… an immense puzzle to be solved; a fascinating problem. I think my parent basks in the size and complexity of the puzzle. You and I are nothing more than two factors among the trillions that comprise this puzzle…"

…They had been dipped in fire and had survived to see the Drac Infantry pulling back. Morio Taiseido collapsed beside her, his voice hoarse.

"Major, I could die content at this moment. We whipped them! Holy son of a bitch, we whipped them!"

…is this joy the appeal to battle; to war? If It was the truth, it would be an impossible motivation to treat rationally.

The rules were out; the ultimate consequences were out; nothing was in our minds except the fact that the Dracs were falling back. In that minuscule particle of time, we were victorious…

"…you have overlooked the two most important parties to the negotiations. Where is the Mavedah? Where is the Amadeen Front?"

Raga Gia snorted out a scornful laugh.

"I refuse, Tora Kia, to have the Front at the talks."

Its voice changed direction. "Does this comply with your game, Soam?"

Game?

Raga’s voice turned again in Kia’s direction. "The humans will represent the interests of the Front, and the Dracs will represent the interests of the Mavedah."

Tora Kia laughed. "No, no, my parent’s most respected guest. The interests of the Dracon Chamber are not identical to those of the Mavedah."

Sergeant Benbo spoke for the first time. "Raga Gia, if the Front is not part of the negotiations, there can be no peace. If negotiations ever happen, the Amadeen Front will want its own representative. The Front only wants an end to the war under certain terms. It is the same with the Mavedah."

…Zigh grumped. "Very well, each side should formulate its goals-what it hopes to achieve from the negotiations. Once we have all seen the diagrams-"

Nicole spoke: "There will be no diagrams, First Deputy. Human negotiators are not familiar with talma."

"Surely there must be a human equivalent?"

"Situation assessment, goal formulation, and path construction and evaluation are not systemized comprehensive disciplines among human negotiators."

Exasperated wheezing seemed to come from First Deputy Zigh’s direction. The wheezing paused.

"Goals must be stated in some manner!"

Mitzak laughed…

"…the facilities at the Talman Kovah have projected an armed truce with the forces of the United States of Earth."

"There are several things upon which the occurrence and successful exploitation of this projected truce depend. The truce will follow immediately after a battle of certain configurations…

"…if there is to be peace, or if there is to be more war, sense dictates that talma is best followed if the result is a matter of studied choice rather than a matter of ignorance. anger, or accident. One does not need to take to diagrams to see the truth in that…

…And then, as though it were being played before her upon a stage, she remembered The Story of Lita in the Koda Ovsinda. Lita had invented a game for the students to play.

…There was disturbed silence from the Drac side of the table until Ovjetah Suinat Piva of the Fangen Kovah burst out in laughter.

"I see your game, Tora Soam, Very clever. and you have my compliments."

Compliments?

A game?

A goddamned game…

Her breath coming in rapid gasps, she awakened on her side, still clutching the cushion. There was quiet around her. The sounds of attack had ended.

She released the cushion and pushed herself to a sitting position. The pieces of her dream blurred and faded. Her stomach told her that it was past time for the morning repast.

Why hasn’t Baadek come?

She stood up, felt her way to the door, and opened it along with the door to the greeting room. Her ears told her that the door to the corridor was closed, which answered the question to why Baadek hadn’t called. The closed outside door was the Drac equivalent of a do not disturb sign.

She opened the door, but could hear no one in the corridor. Closing the central door to the greeting room, she spent a few moments cleaning up and putting on a fresh robe. When she was finished, she left her apartment and began feeling her way down the corridor to her right. As she approached the entrance to the series of large living and entertainment chambers, she heard voices.

One of the voices belonged to Tora Kia. Nicole did not enter the chamber, but stood out of sight in the corridor, listening.

"When will you take command of your new denve, Kia? The voice was unfamiliar to her.

"It depends. I am on a special mission for our parent at the present. How long the mission will take is conjecture. What of you? How long is it before you have to report to the Denve Itheda?"

Only a few days. The wound is nothing."

A third officer. You must be the youngest one in the Denvedah. I am proud of you. Our parent is proud too Vidak"

Vidak.

Sin Vidak.

The child I supposedly saved from the fire.

A third officer?

But this one’s voice was different-too different-too old.

"There were a great many promotions after the battle of Fyrine IV, Kia." Nicole heard one of them stand and begin walking about the chamber. There was a silence, more walking, then a pause. "What is this? Kia, by my narrow ass it is a human!"

Nicole heard Kia stand, walk into the corridor, and approach her. Why, Vidak, don’t you remember? This is the woman who saved you from the fire at Ditaar."

There was an overly long pause. Then the one called Vidak spoke: "Of course… and how does the morning find you…"

"Joanne Nicole," Kia completed.

"Yes, how does the morning find you, Joanne Nicole?"

Nicole leaned heavily against the wall as the edges of truth and he swept across her darkness. There was an instant when tears and anger fought with a million blasphemies; but she remembered the student from the Aakva Kovah.

And Shizumaat told Namndas that both the truth and the lie must be tested.

"Test the truth by forcing it to lie; test the lie by forcing it to be true."

She reached out a hand. "You are Sin Vidak?"

"Yes." There was a moment of tenseness then she felt the warm fingers of the Drac’s hands enclose hers. "It is good to see you again, Joanne Nicole."

Nicole moistened her dry lips. "Perhaps you can tell me something I’ve always wanted to know?"

"If I can."

"What happened to your three classmates that I dragged from the fire along with yourself?"

"Ehhhh…" The Drac’s fingers tensed. "They are all well."

Nicole nodded. "All three of them?"

"Yes."

She released the Drac’s hand. "There were only two others."

Tora Kia interrupted. "Vidak was very young and afraid at the time, Joanne Nicole. Who can remember such things under such circumstances?"

A million talman paths raced across her mind, intersecting, finding blocks. reaching conclusions. "Vidak. I overheard Kia say that you are a third officer."

There was a moment of uncomfortable movement, then Sin Vidak spoke. "Eh… perhaps we should talk more at a later time, Joanne Nicole. You do not look well."