The Enemy Papers

by Barry B. Longyear

  Davidge reaches out his left arm and places his hand on my shoulder. "General, this is my dear friend, Yazi Ro."

  I nod at the image on the screen. The general remains motionless,

  "Yazi Ro was born on Amadeen. It was smuggled off Amadeen in a quarantine force ship. Yesterday Black October held a televised rally. We had our own person there who took pictures of some of the weapons the Octoberists are carrying." Davidge nods toward Janice and she begins calling up Alley Cat's shots of the rally. "You will see that some of them are carrying the Valmet M660D beam disrupter. The 660D is less than two years old, and the weapons held by those Octoberists were smuggled onto Amadeen by one or more quarantine force ships."

  "I deny any knowledge of such practices, but given that what you say is true, Mr. Davidge, what is your point?"

  "There are two points. First, until you people up there clean up your own act, we're going to find any accusations of quarantine violations directed at us downright funny. The second point, general, has to do with threats." Davidge's smile fades and he matches the general's cold look stare for stare. "This ship, as you know, is a USEF attack transport. Right now its defense shields are operational and the ship is fully armed with its original complement of disrupters, defense missiles, ground support missiles, long range missiles, and automatic cannons. If you should be foolish enough to attack us, we will respond by taking out the four orbiting quarantine stations."

  "Our fighters will destroy you."

  "Possibly. The stations will be atomized, nevertheless. You might want to consider the possible alternatives, general."

  "Such as?"

  "All of the factions on Amadeen have access to weapons capable of attacking this ship. One of them may succeed. Another alternative is that we are successful and peace comes to Amadeen. Either way the QF saves a lot of lives, and isn't that the purpose of the quarantine?"

  He nods at Janice. As the general's image vanishes from the screen, Janice says, "It looks like Popcorn's bomber is changing its mind," The screens come to life and several minor officers of the Thuyo Koradar are dragging, almost carrying, the struggling bomber back to its home workshop.

  As the bomber screams for help and a few of us chuckle, I lean over and speak to Davidge, "Was it wise to threaten the QF, especially since the Aeolus has no weapons at all?"

  "We have the weapons," he answers. "A present from Estone Nev. That's why we spent that extra day at the A'ja Cou Station."

  "Why didn't you tell me?"

  Davidge shrugs and holds out his hands. "Sorry. You were out with Reaper's press gang fleshing out the crew, then you were unconscious, then you were healing, then other things came up."

  Before I can say anything else, Nightwing is back. The Green Fire suicide team is still on its way, Gitoh is confirmed as the goal, and the source of the orders has been identified. Everything is supported by recorded conversations of all the accomplices.

  In the hills overlooking Gitoh, the suicide team will set up its missiles, target the hospital, two schools, and the kovah for lineless children, totaling over eight thousand children and adults. Green Fire's leaders hope to kill enough children and wounded to provoke the Mavedah into a retaliatory strike, thus killing the talks.

  Green Fire's leadership is a council of seven members. This council voted unanimously to make the strike against Gitoh. The orders passed from them to their minister of revolution, who ordered a field commander, who in turn asked for volunteers. Taking out everyone responsible will mean killing at least thirteen more humans.

  "Do they have enough agents?" Davidge asks Reaper,

  "They have one on the missile team, two on the council, and one each on the war minister and the field commander. It'll be close, especially with the security on that council, but they should make it. They should make it."

  As I watch Reaper, I suddenly realize that he is not giving his considered opinion; he is praying. I turn to Davidge. "I want to send this information to the Mavedah. If Green Fire should get through, we must stop the retaliation before it begins."

  Davidge thinks a moment, glances at Kita, then faces Janice. "See if you can raise the Mavedah."

  While Janice turns to the communication board, inside of me there is a voice saying it is all too one-sided. Yesterday we foil two human plots to disrupt the truce. Yesterday we kill twelve humans. Today we target and kill another thirteen humans. While the one voice cries that this is too lopsided, another voice is cheering. I feel guilty about both voices and listen to neither.

  "Got 'em," says Janice. "Taaka Liok, it says it's fourth warmaster, responsible for the Southern Shorda."

  I watch as the legend of Taaka Liok fills the screen facing me. I have followed the orders of this warmaster for so long that I feel like a child before a disapproving parent it has struggled to please. "I am here," says Liok. "Are you the one who wants to speak?"

  I lean forward, rest my arms on the table, and at last get my mouth working. "Jetah, I am Yazi Ro of the Navi Di."

  The old warmaster raises its eyebrows. "Ah, the truce police. What would you have of me?"

  "We have learned that the Green Fire has planned a missile attack for tonight from the hills surrounding the city of Gitoh. They plan to target the hospital, two schools, and the kovah for lineless children. The object of the attack is to provoke retaliation."

  "If they succeed in their plans," says the warmaster, "they will get their retaliation."

  "We intend to stop them, Jetah. In case we fail, though, I wanted to warn you to allow the Gitoh Sikov time to prepare."

  Taaka Liok studies me for a moment. "Is there anything else?"

  "Yes, Jetah. If we cannot stop Green Fire in time, we would have it that you do not retaliate. We will find out who is guilty, we will execute them, and the truce will hold."

  The warmaster leans away from its camera and clasps its hands together. "Why would you do such a thing, Yazi Ro?"

  "That is our duty, Jetah."

  "Duty?" Taaka Liok leans forward and points. "Who made this your duty?"

  Who? I think of the Front, all of the dead, the millions who live each day in fear, my old comrades, the weariness that haunted me between my terrors. Zenak Abi, Davidge, Jeriba Shigan, Falna in its perverse way. I look at Taaka Liok and do not avert my glance. "It is talma. A talma to peace."

  A sneer touches its lips. "Long before either of us were born, Yazi Ro, the Jetai Diea on Draco decided that Amadeen is forever rulebound into its war. No talma is possible save the elimination of one side or the other."

  "Things continually change, Taaka Liok, including the Jetai Diea's understanding of talma."

  "Where are you from, Yazi Ro?"

  "My parent died in Gitoh, my only home, save the kovah for line less children there."

  It frowns as it studies my image on its own screen. "At the kovah, were you selected?"

  "Yes, Jetah. I am a deserter from the Okori Sikov."

  Taaka Liok glances down, then it reaches out a hand to a point beside the screen. "I promise nothing. Let's see how successful you are against Green Fire's attack." It pauses for a moment. "I will tell you my decision about retaliation once it is made."

  The screen goes blank. All of us continue looking at the dead screen until Kita says, "I don't think the warmaster bought it."

  "Would you?" asks Davidge. "You spend your whole life in hell trying to stay a step ahead of the monster, then all of a sudden Goody-Goody comes along and says, 'Sit this one out, mate. I'll take care of it." He looks at me and I hold out my hands.

  "Will, what if we let Green Fire know we are onto their plans? Perhaps they will wait for another time or simply call it off."

  Davidge taps a fingertip on the table. "We let the Front know, too. They might have some clout with Green Fire. Hell, let everybody know."

  Kita and Davidge exchange glances, then Kita faces Janice. "Raise Nightwing and his regional net. Tell him about Popcorn's bomber and see if some well-placed twenty-nines around the c
ouncil chamber and on the road to Gitoh can't put the brakes on Green Fire, then raise the Amadeen Front―"

  "Priority Red!" calls out Roger. On the screens, we see an explosion followed by the trail of a descending missile followed by another explosion. The sound is garbled for a moment, then a shadow blocks the view. The screen goes blank and the sound goes dead. Sound comes back along with a black screen, and Sally Redfeather's voice saying, "This is Tommy. Alley Cat is dead. Obsidian is under a missile attack right now." We see a glimpse of Ali Enayat's face, eyes staring in death at a burning building. The picture jumps down to a view of Sally's boot crushing Alley Cat's hand-portable. She moves into a shadow cast by some flames and we see another missile coming down into the town, far enough away so that all we see is the reflection of the explosion off the night air.

  "I don't know who's sending the mail, but the missiles sound like ZZK's, which means it's Tean Sindie. They're coming in from the east and being launched from over the horizon."

  Reaper adjusts his headset, covers the mouthpiece, and says, "Eli, lay in a course for east of Obsidian, and put the coal to it! Start scanning for that missile battery." The ship lurches as it turns and roars toward the Dorado. Taking his hand from the mouthpiece, Reaper's voice becomes very quiet. "Tommy, did you get hit?"

  "Reap, you old bastard. No, I'm not hit, but in about a minute I'm going to be in an excellent position to get burgered. As soon as the shrapnel stops flying, old Raymond Sica is going to pull his face out of the mud and order a payback strike against the Mavedah. As soon as he does, I'm going to twenty-nine him, right?"

  "Anybody covering your back, Tommy?"

  "Same guy as always."

  Reaper covers his mouthpiece and looks at the three of us. "If Sica orders the strike, does she whack him?" Without consultation, all three of us nod. Reaper says into his mouthpiece, "If he orders the payback, give him the twenty-nine."

  "Landfall," says Eli over the headset. "We'll be over Obsidian in a couple of minutes. I have two missile tracks and reverse trajectories in the computer. Everything is armed, aimed, and ticking."

  Davidge glances at Kita. She nods. Facing me, he says, "What about it?"

  They will be my first Drac executions. Perhaps this will even out things. "Take out the launchers."

  Davidge relays the order to Eli, and immediately we feel two missiles launch from the Aeolus. Reaper says into his mouthpiece. "The cavalry is on its way, Tommy."

  "Not them?" she protests. "The last time the cavalry came through my neighborhood, my great-grandmother's great-grandmother wound up in a tarpaper teepee in New Jersey selling polyester blankets from Taiwan. Hey Reap?"

  "Still here."

  "If it comes to that, let the Drac down easy. Tommy Hawk out."

  Davidge leans on the edge of the table and faces Reaper. "When you asked Sally who was watching her back, who did she mean?"

  "Same guy as always. That's her Great Spirit, a giant of a mighty warrior who rides a horse made of stars and carries a lance of fire."

  There is silence for a moment, the only sound the dull roar of the ship's engines. Reaper turns to Janice and she nods. "It's the Tean Sindie. Flower and the Blade are on it. No warning at all, very high security. I told them to target the two who handed out the orders, the missile site is about to take care of itself."

  As we authorize the hits on the battery commander and the Tean Sindie area Jetah, an image appears on the screen. We see six tracked vehicles mounted with launchers. Each launcher has tubes for sixteen missiles, but none of them has the full sixteen. As the launchers fire, soldiers of the Tean Sindie cheer the missiles on their way to Obsidian and Black October. I look at Davidge. He is doing the same as I am: counting the dead before they fall.

  We do not see the missiles from the Aeolus come in. One moment there are a hundred or more cheering Drac soldiers of the Tean Sindie, the next the screens go white, the white fades, and there is nothing. No tracked vehicles, no missiles, no soldiers, no cheers. Smoke, a few small fires, a terrible silence. When we had killed nothing but humans, I felt terribly guilty, evil. Now that we have thrown a hundred Drac corpses onto the scales, I feel no better.

  I know why they were cheering. They were beaten, life, friends, and lovers taken from them, and at last, in the form of a gleaming blue winged tube full of explosives, they could strike back against all of those who had tortured and oppressed them throughout their lives. I know why they cheered. They cheered from their pain. They cheered because all of them cheered. They cheered because they did not know that the ones they killed were human copies of themselves. There are insignificant differences of color, the genetic orders concerning the number of fingers and toes, accent, language, belief. Trivialities.

  But there is the tribe. That is something.

  Amadeen is cut up into tribes as primitive as anything on ancient Sindie, as obsessed as any on Timan, as vicious as anything on Earth. The tribe has only one commandment: the tribe comes first. Before right, before justice, before honor, before sanity, before survival, before self-interest, before love. Hissied 'do Timan did not create the war on Amadeen that became a war of three hundred worlds. The old Timan simply pulled the trigger on a gun that was loaded on the plains of the Madah, the mountains of the Irrvedan, the Irnuz Steppe, the streets of Belfast and Sarajevo, and the deserts of the Middle East before either Timans, humans, or Dracs even knew there were stars to touch.

  "Does Black October have this yet?" asks Kita.

  Reaper nods. "So does the Front, the Mavedah, and all the little sons of bitches." He glances at Davidge. "Raymond Sica ordered the retaliation. Before it could be carried out, Sally Redfeather took him on the dance. Sica's guards took her down."

  Janice reaches out a hand to place it on Reaper's shoulder, but he shakes his head and continues. "Message from October: Paul Ruche is running October now. He wants to meet with us face to face."

  "A setup?" asks Kita.

  Reaper rubs his eyes and shrugs. When his hand comes down, his face looks very old. "Hell, I don't know. The feeling I get is that he wants to know if we're for real."

  "For real?" I ask. "What does that mean: for real?"

  "Sincere," answers Davidge. "Perhaps the new leader of Black October wants to know if we're sincere." He lowers his gaze to the center of the table. "Perhaps not." He looks at Janice. "What about the Green Fire attack on Gitoh?"

  "They've been looking at the numbers written on the wall and I think they've reconsidered."

  He nods, puts his hands on the table, and pushes himself up. Once he is standing he says, "Well, that's something. That's something." He frowns for a moment and looks up at the screen. Several of the fires have gone out. "Whose hand-portable is that?"

  "Fireball. It just got there from training."

  "Fireball," Davidge repeats. "Tell Fireball we've had enough pictures. Tell it to put down its twenty-nine and get out of there." He removes his headset and places it on the table as he looks back at Reaper. "Arrange a meeting with Ruche. Maybe we can show him we're for real. See what we can do about getting Ali Enayat's and Sally's bodies returned to us."

  "Got it."

  "For the meeting, I want us all wired for pictures and sound with feeds to all the broadcasting stations who will take them."

  Reaper nods. "I'll take care of it."

  Davidge looks down at the center of the table and speaks, it seems, to himself. "Bodies. There is doubt out there; doubt about us. After what we've done, after what they've paid, after what we've paid, there is still doubt." He glances at me and asks, "How many bodies more will it take before we are considered for real?"

  It is not a question with an answer. He puts his hands on the edge of the table and pushes himself to his feet. For the first time he looks terribly old to me. He reaches out a hand and places it on my shoulder. "I'm very proud of you, Ro." One by one his gaze picks out all those in the comm center, "I'm proud of all of you, everyone in The Peace."

  He turns and walks fro
m the comm center to his quarters, his steps slow and almost feeble, his back bent beneath the weight of his cares. Kita places her hand on mine. "If we're needed I'll have my headset with me." She rises and follows Davidge out of the center.

  Reaper, Janice, and Roger work with the screens, spreading the word, making arrangements, passing on graphics to the broadcasting stations. A meeting place and time is arranged with Black October and I feel the Aeolus swinging about.

  I think of Ali Enayat's two children, one human and one Drac, neither of them biologically related to him. They must be told. I think of Sally Redfeather in her dress at that terrible bar. Reaper will tell Cudak.

  I especially think of that old Drac, Toack, the one who guarded her things, the one who never left its history behind and brought the war with it into the future, the one who kept repeating its mantra: "All my children. All my children." I see Will Davidge doing the same.

  It is quiet on the Dorado for the rest of the night. I go to sleep and dream that I am a child in Willis Davidge's cave. There I learn to love, to be loved, to become love. I am a part of this wonder that is the universe, only to find that it is a trap set for me by Falna. I reach for Uncle Willy's hand and find death. I awaken screaming and cry myself back to sleep.

  FORTY-THREE

  Soon after sunrise, in the hills north of Obsidian, Davidge, Kita, and I go to meet with the new leader of Black October, Paul Ruche. From the right front corner, Reaper pilots the power platform because he refuses to let us go without him. He has enough weapons concealed about his person to make it possible to sink him to the bottom of a lake of quicksilver. The Aeolus is in its usual position over the Shorda Sea, our backup authorization team―Yora, Janice, and Cudak―in place. Reaper, Kita, and I carry hand-portables and our cameras are sending, the ship relaying the feeds to the Front, the Mavedah, and to all of the splinter groups.