Barry Longyear - Enemy Papers

She felt the three-fingered hand with both of hers; then she stood, moving her hands up the Drac’s arm, shoulder, and throat, until her fingertips were touching the creature’s face. The smooth skin, the almost absent nose, the prominent brow… the mouth opened. "Are you satisfied, now?"

Nicole moved her hands down the Drac’s chest, then she grabbed its robe with two angry fists. "Your face might be a costume! Perhaps I ought to rip off this robe and check out your piping to be certain!"

Strong hands grabbed her wrists, pulling her hands free from the robe. "Sit down, Joanne Nicole." The hands held her wrists until she lowered herself down upon the couch. The hands released her. There were the sounds of the Drac returning to the other couch. "You are the graduate of a process. You have discovered what the process is intended to serve-which was part of your graduation. You hold a piece of the answer needed to resolve this war." The Drac stood; its footsteps moved across the floor. "In the time that it has taken me to say that, over two hundred Drac and human soldiers have either died or have been wounded." Tora Soam’s footsteps moved around for a few moments, then came to a stop. "You had a question."

"What makes me so special in this process? I was told that hundreds were involved."

"Yes." There was a silence. "But two things have happened: your graduation came early-due to the chance circumstance of Vidak’s visit; and the United States of Earth and the Dracon Chamber are close to agreeing upon the terms of a cease-fire."

"The cease-fire terms?"

"The terms are similar to those suggested by all of you who were in training, except that the Ninth Quadrant Assembly has requested and has obtained permission to have a committee from the assembly observe the negotiations."

"The Ninth Quadrant?" Nicole frowned as something buzzed in her head. "For what purpose?"

"The stated purpose, Joanne Nicole, is to observe and report back to the Quadrant Assembly."

"Do you suspect another purpose?"

"I suspect everything; don’t you?"

Nicole slowly nodded. "Tora Soam, what are the other ceasefire terms?"

"I See I am Tora Soam, now."

"For the time being."

"Emmmm. As to the terms, the human and Drac forces will halt all advancement and will establish fixed positions; a demilitarized zone will be established upon Amadeen; and the zone will be policed by a joint human-Drac force. And, as you know, neither the zone nor its police will be able to halt the fighting upon Amadeen."

Nicole heard the Drac resume its seat upon the opposite couch. "Soon a joint human-Drac commission will be established to supervise the return of captured territories, as well as the colonization of new planets. Of course, as you have pointed out, the cease-fire upon Amadeen cannot turn into a treaty unless a solution is found for Amadeen. But that cannot be done until we discover how we are rulebound."

Nicole settled back upon her couch. "Maybe I’ll help you in this. But not if you keep pulling twists on me. I have to have something I can rely upon; some reference points to reality; something to trust."

Then the Drac spoke the words of Shizumaat: " Instead, believe this: question everything, accept the wholeness of no truth, nor the absolute rightness of any path. Make this your dogma and in it you will find eventual comfort and security; for in this dogma is your right to rule the lower creatures of the Universe; for in this dogma is your right to choose your talma; for in this dogma stands your right to freedom from dogma. "

"Tora Soam, that last piece of advice almost killed me."

"Joanne Nicole, talma does not assure immortality; it only improves your chances of achieving goals." Tora Soam’s voice seemed to turn away. "You are not required to either like it or approve of it, human. But you must understand it. We will be leaving for Amadeen in a few days, and it will take many more days for us to reach the negotiations before the cease-fire fails. Will you come with me to Amadeen?"

"Who else will be going?"

"Some of my advisors from the Talman Kovah. There will also be Leonid Mitzak and my firstborn Tora Kia."

"Why?"

"Both Mitzak and Kia understand your function in this enterprise. Their task is to help you."

"What function will you serve, Tora Soam?"

I will advise our negotiators."

"And what function will I serve?"

"You will advise me."

Joanne Nicole wiped her hands across her face, letting them fall upon her lap. "I don’t have your answers."

The Drac issued a brief laugh. "Events do not allow me to wait for them. The answers are upon Amadeen. Will you come?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Of course, I cannot force you to find my answers."

"You people have certainly done a fine task of trying."

Your sightlessness and I governed the kind and nature of the information you received. We did not force you. You came to your own conclusions through your own choices. Joanne Nicole, will you come to Amadeen with me?"

"I want to tell you No! Because. " because you have not dealt with me…"

"I suggest the word fairly to complete your thought. And I also suggest that you already know what that thought is worth Joanne Nicole."

…Maltak Di. Maltak Di and its damned sixteen beads…

"Jetah. that is not fair!"

"Now you answer from stupidity."

Nicole bit her lower lip and slowly nodded. Passion is a creature of rules…

"I will go with you."

The sound of Tora Soam’s footsteps receded from the room, while a new set of footsteps-familiar-entered.

"Mitzak?"

"Yes. I will be going with you to Amadeen."

"I was told. It seems, Mitzak, that Lita is playing games with us."

He laughed. "No rules?"

Nicole leaned the back of her head against the couch. "There are rules, Mitzak. There are always rules. We just don’t know what they are yet. Let’s just hope to hell we have sense enough to yell I win before everyone else does."

That evening, at the night repast back at the Tora estate, the actor, Fanda, performed a short piece from a modern play. Tora Kia sat silently, while the "brass" giggled and applauded Fanda’s performance. "The brass" belonged to the same performance company from which Fanda had come.

Nicole ate very little, and paid little attention to the merriment and conversation.

A desert of questions; only a few grains of answers.

There was a pause, and Nicole called Fanda to her side. "How may I serve you, Joanne Nicole?"

"Benbo. You must have met him, studied him."

"I did, yes."

"How is he?"

"When I left him, he was Ditaar vemadah. Since the USE captured Ditaar, I do not know."

She nodded. "Thank you."

Fanda returned to its companions and paired up with one of the "brass" named Tioct to perform a Drac love play. Nicole left the room and began feeling her way back to her apartment. In the silence of the corridor, there were footsteps following her. Nicole stopped walking; and the footsteps behind her stopped. She recognized them. "What do you want, Tora Kia? If you are Tora Kia?"

The footsteps moved to her side and stopped. "I am Tora Kia. You must believe that I was not a willing part of this game."

"I see that. What do you want?"

"Joanne Nicole, I am… confused."

"According to The Talman. that is the Drac’s natural state of affairs."

"I suppose that is one interpretation." Tora Kia’s breathing seemed uncomfortable. "There is something that… something that you should know."

"What is that?"

"That night, when I played the tidna and you came to the chamber. We sat together."

"And?"

"You touched my arm, placed your head on my shoulder-listened to my talk. I held you. It was dark."