Charles Gannon - Fire With Fire

Glayaazh’s mouth puckered tight. “I regret that I cannot do so, Ambassador Visser. Nor can we send an official delegation to Earth, as you requested earlier.” Glayaazh waggled her fingers downward. “To do so could be interpreted as a de facto confirmation of your membership, which would only exacerbate the frictions in the Accord. And frankly, we fear more for the repercussions upon you, rather than any which we might face.”

Downing saw Visser bristling, stepped in quickly. “Third Arbiter, allow us to remain on the topic of Earth’s safety for one moment longer. As my delegation’s security specialist, I must inquire: will you be monitoring our borders? If not, and if they are violated, how would we inform you?”

“As I stated in the last session, your status as a provisional member puts us in a very awkward and unprecedented position. Since you are no longer a protected species, we are precluded from taking preemptive steps.”

“We understand your dilemma, but we hope you will also understand ours. Not only do we lack the absolute security of a protected race, we also lack any useful knowledge regarding the Accord’s other races. This places us in an extremely vulnerable position.”

“Agreed.” She looked toward Alnduul.

The alien being nodded faintly. “We will maintain limited contact with your leaders. In the event of a clear and imminent threat, we will provide compensatory assistance.”

“Alnduul, this is hardly an-an optimal strategy,” Downing sputtered, seeing Caine slip into the room.

Glayaazh’s fingers were waving slowly. “Your words suggest that you presume war is impending. This is a hasty presumption, and to act upon it might convince others that you intend to wage war against them . We counsel you to be patient, and not to assume the worst.”

Then you don’t know much about the job and mind of a defense analyst, Glayaazh, old girl. “Your approach is ethically admirable, Third Arbiter, but still does not answer the question my superiors will-rightly-want answered: what will you do to aid us if we come under attack from other powers?”

Glayaazh folded her long-fingered hands. “Let us speak frankly, if hypothetically. Any attack on you would certainly trigger intervention by the Custodians. If that intervention is resisted, the ensuing conflict would probably follow the fracture lines of the Accord’s present political impasse. The Dornaani Collective and Custodians would contend with the Ktor, the Slaasriithi with the Arat Kur, and yourselves with the Hkh’Rkh. In each pairing, the Accord forces enjoy a decisive technological advantage. Is this not sufficient reassurance against such an attack?”

“Perhaps,” allowed Downing, “but your analysis is crucially dependent upon the pairings you’ve proposed. What if events unfold differently? For instance, it seems to me that the Slaasriithi tend to be diffident. If, in a true conflict, they failed to engage the Arat Kur vigorously, what would keep the Arat Kur from mounting a first attack on our worlds?”

Glayaazh blinked once and turned away. “Your words are wise. Such a course of events must not be allowed. This we resolve.”

“So you might resolve, but what will you do?”

“For now, we will do nothing that could be construed as a military provocation. However, if any other state moves in a manner that could be interpreted as a prelude to hostilities, we shall so inform you and be prepared to intervene.”

Wasserman tossed his stylus down on his dataslate. “So, in plain English, you’re not going to do anything.”

“If the only action you deem important is military, then you are right: at this time, we are currently disposed to do nothing.”

Wasserman glared at the faces which were glaring at him. “Great allies you’ve picked, folks.”

Glayaazh’s image pointedly looked away from Wasserman and back to Downing and Visser. “Mr. Downing, Ambassador: we regret that we cannot offer concrete assurances at this time. But your behavior at these proceedings speaks well of your maturity and appreciation of rule of law, even under the most adverse circumstances. We shall not forget this.

“And now, this conversation must end: we will be recovering your module and intership coupler from the docking hub shortly. The transit to your new destination-Barnard’s Star-will commence soon thereafter. Again, on behalf of both the Custodians and the Dornaani, we wish you fair travels, and hope that we shall meet soon again to resolve your candidacy.”

“We hope the same.”

Glayaazh vanished. Alnduul, who seemed vaguely troubled, remained behind a moment longer to offer a carefully practiced nod to the rest of the delegation, and then faded.

Hwang turned towards Downing. “Barnard’s Star? Why there?”

Downing folded his hands. “After the results of this Convocation, it is now imperative that we return to Earth by that route.”

Durniak’s forehead was as furrowed as a washboard. “Why?”

Visser raised her chin. “We are returning via Barnard’s Star because the combined fleets there must be placed on alert, and receive a full briefing as soon as possible. Containing a potential invasion depends upon retaining control over the Barnard’s Star system.”

Opal frowned. “And why is that?”

Downing answered. “Because with the Arat Kur sphere somewhere in the vicinity of Sigma Draconis, Barnard’s Star is on their most direct route of approach to Earth. Barnard’s Star is also only one shift from Ross 154, which is the real gateway between Earth and all our colonies and outposts on the Green Mains. If we lose the Ross 154 crossroads, our space will be cut into two halves. So, since the warning needs to be sounded in both directions, Barnard’s Star is the best place to start it off.”

Downing checked his watch. “According to the information Alnduul transmitted, we’ll be leaving in less than two hours. If you have any last messages or tasks to attend to, this is the time.”

ODYSSEUS

Caine and Yaargraukh looked out at the stars together, enjoying another long silence. Like the others, it was comfortable, companionable-but it was also heavy with the surety of ending. Caine nodded at the spacescape. “Looking at these stars is like looking out to sea when a storm is approaching. It’s calm where you’re standing, but you can see the edge of the tempest.”

Yaargraukh pony-nodded. “It is the same on my planet, though we are not so fond of the water.” He turned to face Caine. “You do me a very great honor inviting me into your module, Caine.” He glanced at the flags of the five blocs and the Confederation flanking the gallery window. “We have banners such as these, as well. It shames me that I am no longer able, or even allowed, to extend you an invitation to our module to see them. Or to have made a feast to repay your own.”

Caine shook his head. “No surprise, there-and no fault of yours, Yaargraukh. Besides, your honesty and your openness is lavish recompense for our feast. What gifts could do us more honor?”

The top-heavy Hkh’Rkh turned his barrel-shaped torso to face out into the sea of stars once again. “As we prepare to leave, the First’s retinue already speaks of challenges and glory and new lands. I am not sure it matters to them which challenges or what glory or whose lands shall sate their appetites-but this day, they could feel the blood rising inside them. It sang to them and, in their hearts, they sang back. And so, now that the song has started, it must be finished. Yet, as I sit and listen, I cannot help but think that-had it been left to us, to you and I-the song might have been very different indeed, a better song.”

“One with less blood in it?”

Yaargraukh’s neck oscillated. “Perhaps. But, at the very least, one with more honor. The blood-that was ready to flow before any of us arrived here. I have sat at parley tables where the purpose was not to make peace, but to instigate war. So it was here, I think.”