John Ringo: Sister Time

“Can it, Cally,” Papa O’Neal said, crawling out from under a desk. “Let me point out that Michelle has a point. There are only a few mentats in existence. The termination of one is going to be big news. Which means big trouble. The flip side is, other Granddaughter, that he was a mass murdering psychopath with enough power, by your own statements, to wipe out multiple worlds. So I have little regret for her actions. The alternatives don’t bear thinking.”

“I do not believe he was that kind of threat,” Michelle said. “The differences were philosophical…”

“So were the differences between the U.S. and the Soviet Union,” Papa O’Neal said. “Millions of people died — all those proxy wars add up. You probably need to get your nose out of the ivory tower and take a good look at history instead of physics. Most wars in the last century have been about philosophical differences.”

“I can, however, present his death in terms of threat, and the heat of the moment,” Michelle admitted. “For the sake of the O’Neals, Grandfather, you need to be very careful whom our people kill. Please pardon my presumption.”

“Your ‘Wise’ need to understand that someone who gives the orders for henchmen to round up and kill human beings in horrible ways no longer has a credible claim to being a navel-gazing pacifist,” Papa O’Neal said definitely. “The O’Neal Bane Sidhe don’t make it a habit to clean up every problem in the galaxy. Not enough days in the week. But we can make an exception. Do you read me, Granddaughter?”

“I… read you, Clan Leader,” Michelle said. “I will make that point quite plainly to the mentats. And I’m sure that the Indowy masters, when they are apprised of Erick’s full actions, will make it even more plain. The issue should never arise again. In any case, you have accomplished the purposes for which I hired your team. Thank you. Now, I need to take the device back to Adenast and construct a credible story for how it got there.” She raised her hand…

And Cally reached out like a cobra and caught it.

“Oh, no you don’t…” she said, raising the Desert Eagle.

When Cally caught Michelle’s hand, Papa O’Neal knew they were all in for it. The storm clouds were just hanging in the air. Well, it was probably best to let them get it out of their systems. It had been a real long time coming. He put his head in his hands and turned away, wiping the sweat from his face. He could smell the rust of blood, too, but that was nothing new. Their voices were so close in pitch that he could only sort out what was being said by accent and content.

“That is a priceless archeological artifact! You will not damage it.”

“That is a fucking abomination against free will!”

“Free will is an illusion you place far too much—”

“The hell you say! Yours may be an illusion, but mine’s working just fine.”

“This device requires close study. But it needs to be at the hands of the Wise.”

“ Nobody’s wise enough for that.”

“And you in your own vast wisdom are wise enough to decide that for the whole galaxy and all of its posterity?”

“When you guys came to me to do your dirty work? You’re darn tootin’. This ain’t exactly rocket science, Michelle.”

“No, it is ancient Aldenata science and was developed for a very wise—”

“Bullshit! You think you know it all don’t you? The Indowy didn’t make you like this; You’ve ALWAYS been this way! I remember how you use to try to boss me around like you were a little tin god when you were a KID… !”

Papa O’Neal shook his head. That tore it. They were going nuclear. Nothing could stop them from saying it now. Best to just pour it all out. Wait till they wore down then take… steps. He looked around, eyes lighting on a couple of mop buckets and a faucet. Nobody else was moving. Not “frozen in stasis,” just watching the argument and waiting for Cally to get blasted. Which was good. He guessed the problem was mostly gonna fall in his lap. He spat resignedly and headed for the buckets.

“I just knew you would do this. Don’t think that just because the Wise used you to—”

“Damn right they used me. They use people a lot, if you hadn’t noticed. Then kid themselves that their hands are oh so much cleaner than—”

“Do not think they do this casually!”

“Don’t think I do!”

“Don’t you?”

“Well, fuck you too!”

“And this is the response of the self-proclaimed wisest person in the galaxy.”

“Just because I say it in plain English and do it mysel—”

“Oh, that is such garbage! You are so arrogant ! You, Cally O’Neal, decide who lives and who dies. Or you decide who is wise enough to decide, which is much the same thing. You—”

“Don’t you? That’s exactly what you do. You learn what’s basically glorified engineering and you suddenly think your shit doesn’t stink. Free clue, Sister, you aren’t any wiser than the rest of us! And neither are the goddam Crabs. Technological advantage doesn’t give them the right to play God.”

“Your ‘God’ is just a delusional excuse for your own arrogance!”

“Oh, don’t even go there, you so don’t want to go there.”

“You say ‘God,’ but what you mean is a handful of relative babies mouthing their own interpretations of the ravings of luna—”

“Father O’Reilly has more wisdom in his little finger than—”

“Your Father O’Reilly is a petty, deluded, clanless, juvenile intriguer who—”

“You take that back!”

Papa O’Neal was back now, one of the buckets to the brim and sloshing. He’d been nice enough to empty it and at least get them more-or-less clean water. The shoving had started, and they weren’t bothering to get to their feet so much. Hadn’t gotten to hair pulling yet. Probably a good thing. Some things, he just couldn’t watch. He was pretty sure neither one had enough presence of mind left to hurt the other even if they’d a mind to. Not even Michelle. When it was time to put a stop to it, his ears would tell him well enough. They were sisters, all right.

“What is your answer; a few humans get to choose for everybody?”

“You’re human, in case you’ve forgotten, you bitch.”

“Do you think I forget that ever , for even an instant? You people send me off to live among—”

“Oh, like being in a war and about to be eaten was such a piece of cake! And the Bane Sidhe aren’t just a few hum—”

“One, you small-scale intriguers are not the Bane Sidhe. Two, the Bane Sidhe is what you Earth-raised would call the bastard step-child, bottom of the barrel, most foolish bunch of eccentric losers in the Gal—”

“Oh, I’m so sorry you’re in the family with all us losers and what the hell does that say about you , asshole?”

“You kicked me out of the family! Mom and Dad kicked me out of the family but you —”

“Oh, my God! I get left behind to get eaten ; Daddy drops a fucking nuke on my ass… Oh, I forgot, before we even get to the serious stuff, I have to kill some asshole your peaceful Galactic Darhel sent to scrag an eight-year-old ! Poor old you! The Bane Sidhe were there ! Where the hell were your precious Gal—”

“ I was in exile ! I was the useless one, sent off like a spare tire! Just because I have been able to make something of myself, you cannot stand — And you are just one person! The galaxy has to stop because you are in danger? While billions —”

“Billions more than would have died without your murdering fucking civilized Dar—”