“Perhaps I shall, but I’ve got another job to do first. The One are a lot better at translating those Godelized messages than we are, but even they have barely scratched the surface. One of the documents we have been able to decode gives us the location of a couple of dozen intelligent civilizations within reach of Earth, as well as a few details on each of them. The Professor and I want to go and take a look. With Commonwealth sanction if possible, alone if we must.”
“You really think you could get a ship and a crew together?”
“I have a feeling I could get most of the people I need from this ship without too much trouble, and there are probably a lot of others back home who will feel the same way. We can’t let the xenophobes win, Admiral. Not without a fight. There’s too much at stake. The very future of the human race.” She turned to the viewport, looking out at the stars, and said, “We’ve passed the third filter. The first civilization to do that, to win its freedom to walk among the stars for tens of millions of years. Now we get to decide what we’re going to do with that freedom. One path has the Terrestrial Empire at war with half the galaxy in a thousand years. The other might see is as part of a multi-species Commonwealth, dedicated to building something better, something stronger. Without war or bloodshed.”
Frowning, Scott asked, “Is that possible?”
“I don’t know, sir, but I do know that we’ve tried things the other way for ten thousand years. It has to be time to try something else. If we’re going to meet these new races, it can’t be with sword and cannon. Not unless we want to be fighting forever. I won’t pretend we won’t need to fight a few battles along the way, I’m realistic enough for that. It’s just that we have to make it the exception, not the rule. That can’t be who we are, and that can’t be the legacy we end up leaving to our successors.” She paused, smiled, and said, “I’m sorry, Admiral, I didn’t mean to start a lecture.”
“Don’t be,” he replied, rubbing his chin. “I suppose it would beat the hell out of crowding a bar for the rest of my life, and it would certainly be better than being forced to run for office.” Turning to face her, he said, “Tell you what. I’ll sign off on your request, on one condition.”
“And that is, sir?”
“I’m coming with you.”
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