by neetha Napew
He had to admit the Big Ugly officers showed courage. They sat unmoving while the building shook around them. Colonel Doi looked at Teerts and said something in his own language. Major Okamoto translated: "The colonel says that if he joins his ancestors in the next little while, he will have the happy— no, the pleasure— that you go with him."
Maybe Doi's words were intended to make Teerts afraid. Instead, they gave him one of
the very few moments of pleasure he'd had since his aircraft swallowed those indigestible Nipponese bullets. He bowed first to Doi, then to Okamoto. "Tell the colonel I feel exactly the same way, with roles reversed." Too late to regret the defiant words; they were already spoken.
Okamoto turned them into Nipponese. Instead of getting angry, Colonel Doi leaned forward in his chair, a sign of interest. Ignoring the dreadful racket all around, he said, "Is that so? What do you believe happens to you when you die?"
Had Teerts' face been flexible like a Tosevite's, he would have grinned enormously. At last, a question he could answer without fear of getting himself into deeper trouble! He said, "When we are through here, our spirits join those of the Emperors who guided the Race in the past so that we may go on serving them." He didn't
just believe that, he was as sure of it as he was that this part of Tosev 3 would turn away from its star tonight. Billions of individuals of three species on three worlds shared that certainty.
When his remarks had been translated, Colonel Doi made that mouth-motion of amiability, the first time Teerts had seen it from an interrogator. The officer said, "We have much the same belief. I shall be honored to serve my emperor in death as I have in life. I wonder if the spirits of our dead war against those of your kind."
The notion made Teerts queasy; material Tosevites were quite troublesome enough, and he didn't care to think of Emperors past being compelled to struggle against their spiritual counterparts. Then he brightened. Up until a handful of years before, the Big Uglies had enjoyed no industrial technology. If their barbarous spirits dared assail those of the
Race, surely they would be smashed.
He did not say that to Colonel Doi. "It may be so," seemed a much safer answer. Then he swung his eyes toward Okamoto. "Please ask the colonel if I may ask him a question that has nothing to do with spying."
"Hal,"Doi said.
Teerts asked, "Do all Tosevites hold the same idea about what will happen after you die?"
Even in the midst of chaos, that sent the Nipponese officers into gales of their barking laughter. Through Major Okamoto, Doi said, "We have as many beliefs as we have different empires, maybe more. That of us Nipponese is the correct one, however."
Teerts bowed politely. He did not presume to contradict his captors, but Doi's answer left him unsurprised. Of course the Big Uglies
were divided in opinion about the world to come. The Big Uglies, as far as he could see, were divided about everything. Their little makeshift empires had all been fighting one another when the Race came; no doubt their little makeshift beliefs fought one another, too.
Then his scorn faded. In an odd way, the Big Uglies' innumerable different beliefs and languages and empires might have proved a source of strength for them. They competed so savagely among themselves that less effective methods fell by the wayside. Maybe that was why the sword-swinging savages the Race had expected to meet no longer inhabited Tosev 3.
Like any right-thinking member of the Race, Teerts automatically assumed unity and stability desirable in and of themselves. Until he came to Tosev 3, he'd never had any reason to assume otherwise. Now, as if a cold breeze blew through his thoughts, he
wondered what price his species, and the Hallessi and Rabotevs with them, paid for their secure, comfortable lives.
Until the Race came to Tosev 3, it hadn't mattered. Now it did. Even if the exalted fleetlord Atvar were to pull every starship off this chilly mudball tomorrow (which of course the exalted fleetlord would not do), the Race would not be finished with the Tosevites. One fine day— surely sooner than anyone back on Home would expect— starships full of fierce, savage Big Uglies would follow where Atvar had gone.
What did that leave? The only thing that occurred to Teerts was conquering the Tosevites and so thoroughly integrating them into the Empire that their competitiveness would be stifled for good. Failing that... he didn't want to think about failing that. The next best choice he came up with was sterilizing the planet altogether. That would keep the
Empire safe, no matter how hard it was on the Big Uglies. All other choices looked worse.
Bombs stopped falling; the turbofans of the Race's killercraft faded into the distance. In the streets of Harbin, a few Nipponese still fired rifles into the air at imaginary targets. "It is over," Lieutenant Colonel Kobayashi said. "Until the next time they come back."
"Let us resume the questioning, then," Colonel Doi said. He turned his face toward Teerts once more; his poor immobile eyes could not do the job by themselves. Whatever friendliness and recognition of Teerts as a fellow intelligent being he had shown while discussing the nature of the world to come now vanished as abruptly as it had appeared. "We were speaking of radar machines. I find your answer evasive and unsatisfactory. If you do not prove more forthcoming, you will be punished. Major Okamoto..."
Teerts braced for what he knew was coming. Okamoto bowed to Doi, then stepped forward and slapped Teerts across the muzzle, just in front of his left eye turret. He staggered. When he regained his balance, he bowed to Okamoto, though he would sooner have killed him. "Please tell the colonel I will do my best to answer his question, but I am ignorant of the knowledge he seeks."
Okamoto translated that. Doi said, "Ha! More likely you are a liar. Major..." Okamoto slapped Teerts again. While he desperately tried to think of something that might satisfy Doi, Okamoto drew back his hand for yet another blow. Teerts began to think that being killed by bombs from the Race might not have been so dreadful after all.
* * *
Atvar said, "We can now take it as certain that the Big Uglies know enough to covet nuclear
weapons of their own." His voice had the dreadful finality of a physician's when telling a patient only a little time was left.
The assembled shiplords stirred restlessly. Atvar tried to think of worse news he might have given them. Maybe that the Big Ughes had exploded a nuclear weapon under one of the Race's landed ships. Of course, they would have found out about that without his telling them.
Straha said, "Exalted Fleetlord how did our secunty procedures fail so abominably as to permit the Tosevites to raid a nuclear recovery team?"
Atvar wondered how his own security procedures had failed so abominably as to permit Straha to find out just what the Big Ugliest had done. He said, "Investigations are continuing, Shiplord." He was also investigating how Straha had learned what
had happened but forbore to mention it.
The shiplord said, "Forgive me, Exalted Fleetlord, but I would be grateful for somewhat more detail than you have furnished."
"Forgive me, Shiplord, but I have difficulty in providing it." Before Straha could come back with more sarcasm, Atvar went on, "One of the unfortunate things we have observed about the Big Uglies is that, while we have better technology, they are better soldiers than we in tactical terms. We have practiced and studied war; they have lived it. To our cost, we are discovering what a difference that makes."
"Let me give an example of this," Kirel said, supporting the fleetlord. "In and around several of our positions, we installed sensors that detected Tosevites by sniffing out the uric acid that is one of the wastes they excrete.
The concentration of it in the air lets us gauge the number of Big Uglies in the vicinity."
"This is adapted from standard techniques we use back on Home," Straha said in challenging tones. "Why do you mention it now? What relevance has it to our failure?"
"Its relevance is that the Tosevites do not think in our standard terms," Kirel answered. "They mu
st somehow have become aware of our sensors — possibly by stumbling over one of them — and learned how they functioned."
"So?" Straha said. "I assume this story has a point."
"It does," Kirel assured him. "The Tosevites began discharging their liquid wastes directly onto the sensors."
"Disgusting," Straha said. There if nowhere else, Atvar agreed with him. Having evolved
on a hotter, drier planet than Tosev 3, the Race did not casually cast off water, but passed all its excreta in neat, solid form. Big Ugly prisoners had strained the fleet's plumbing systems.
"Disgusting, true, but also informative," Kirel said. "Some of our technicians suddenly began screaming in panic that four billion Tosevites were heading straight for their position. By our best estimates, that is about double the total population of Tosev 3, but it is also what the drenched, befouled, and overloaded sensors were reporting. And while we reacted to these frightening data, the Big Uglies worked mischief elsewhere. Is this a ploy that would have occurred to any of us?"
Straha did not answer. None of the other shiplords said anything, either, though a few let their mouths fall open in amusement. Atvar thought the story was funny, too, in a scatological way, but it also had a point. He
drove that point home: "The Big Uglies are ignorant, but they are far from stupid. Within their limits, they can be very dangerous. They have learned better than to stand up to us in large-scale combat, but at these little pinprick raids they excel."
"This raid was more than a pinprick," Straha insisted.
"Strategically, yes, but not tactically," Atvar said. "The Big Uglies also use this world's revolting weather to good advantage. They are accustomed to wet and cold, even to the various forms of frozen water which occur on Tosev 3. We have to learn to deal with these case by case, and they are making our education expensive."
Straha said, "In my opinion, this world may not be worth our settling. The weather is not its only revolting feature: the Big Uglies themselves certainly merit that description."
"As may be," Atvar said. "The Emperor has ordained that we bring Tosev 3 into the Empire, and so it shall be done." That statement of unconditional obedience to the Emperor's will brought up short the shiplords who before had plainly agreed with Straha. Atvar went on, "Many parts of this world will suit us well, and its resources, which the Big Uglies exploit only inefficiently, will be most valuable to us."
"If this be so, let us use its resources as if they were on a lifeless planet of one of our own solar systems," Straha said, "Kill all the Big Uglies and we solve most of our problems with Tosev 3."
Atvar did not like the number of shiplords who looked as though they agreed with Straha. He said, "You forget one thing: the colonizing fleet is already on its way behind us. It will be here in less than forty years— twenty turns for this planet— and its commander will not thank
us for presenting him with a dead world."
"Given a choice between presenting him with a dead world and a lost war wherein the Big Uglies learn of nuclear weapons, Exalted Fleetlord, which would you prefer?" Straha demanded. Even the shiplords of his aggressive faction stirred restlessly at that; such acid sarcasm was rare among the Race.
The best way to defuse it, Atvar thought, was to pretend not to recognize it. He said, "Shiplord, I do not believe those are the only choices left to us. I intend to present the commander of the colonizing fleet a planet ready for his settlers."
If the war went well, that still remained possible. Even Atvar, though, was beginning to doubt whether Tosev 3 would be as ready for the colonists as the plans back Home called for. Conditions on the planet were too different from what the Race had expected:
too many Big Uglies here with too many of their own factories.
And Straha, curse him, would not shut up. He said, "Exalted Fleetlord, how can we claim to be winning this war, conquering this world, when even the little gimcrack Tosevite empires which have allegedly surrendered to us continue to maintain armed resistance to our occupying forces?"
"If the sagacious shiplord has a solution to this difficulty, hearing it would gladden my spirit," Atvar replied. "We continue to defend ourselves, of course, and to strike back against raiders as we may. What else would you have us do?"
Straha was never short on opinions. He said, "Retaliate massively for every act of banditry and sabotage. Slay ten Big Uglies for every truck damaged, a hundred for every soldier of the Race harmed. Force them to respect us—
and eventually they will"
"Exalted Fleetlord, may I speak to this issue?" Kirel asked.
"Speak," Atvar said.
"I thank you, Exalted Fleetlord. Straha, I want you to know I formerly held a view similar to yours; as you may or may not have heard, I strongly advocated the destruction of the Big Ugly city called Washington to terrify the Tosevites of the United States into ceasing their resistance to us. The strategy likely would have succeeded against the Hallessi or Rabotevs, or even against the Race. Against the Tosevites, it has failed."
Straha started to interrupt; Kirel stuck out his tongue to stop him. "Let me finish, if you please. I do not claim we have failed to cow many of the Big Uglies by massive shows of force. But there also exists among the
Tosevites a strong minority impelled to ever greater resistance by such acts on our part. Your policy plays into the hands of these fanatics."
"Why should the Big Uglies be different from any civilized species?" Straha said.
"Our scholars will be debating that for thousands of years to come, as they review the records of this campaign," Kirel said. Mouths lolled open here and there among the assembled shiplords; the Race's scholars were notoriously more sure but slow than slow but sure. Kirel went on, "I, however, lack the luxury of leisure, as is true of everyone here on Tosev 3. Were I to speculate, I would say the Big Uglies' differences go back to their peculiar— I might say unique— mating patterns."
Straha made a disgusted noise. "Always we come back to mating. Do the miserable Big
Uglies think of nothing else?"
"The answer to this may be no," Atvar said. "The intense emotional bonds they form with sexual partners and with offspring make them willing to take risks any member of the Race would reckon insane, and also provoke them to take vengeance should partners or offspring be harmed."
"There may even be more to it than that," Kirel added. "Some of our scholars speculate that the Big Uglies, because of the familial attachments they are accustomed to forming, also are predisposed toward forming equally strong attachments to the causes of their little empires and their implausible religious systems. We are in effect dealing with a species full of fanatics— and fanatics, by definition, are not to be constrained by threats offeree which would deter more rational individuals."
"Let me see if I understand you, Honored Shiplord," Straha said. "You are advancing the hypothesis that Tosev 3 may never be as fully pacified as Halless 1 and Rabotev 2 are, and that the Big Uglies may continue suicidal resistance to us even after overall military victory is achieved."
"You extrapolate further than I have been willing to go, but the answer is basically yes," Kirel said unhappily.
Atvar said, "Let us eat the worms ahead of the soup, Shiplords. Before we can discuss ways to reduce harassment of our forces after we conquer, we must first complete our conquest. The truly atrocious winter weather prevailing over much of the northern hemisphere of Tosev 3 makes matters no easier for us."
"Our males should have been better trained to withstand such conditions," Straha said.
The fleetlord wished one of the fearsome Tosevite snipers would draw a bead right in the middle of Straha's snout. All he did was complain and intrigue; he didn't care for solving the problems he pointed out. Atvar said, "I might remind the shiplord that no territory within the Empire closely simulates the climate of the Tosevite lands wherein, to our misfortune, our most formidable opponents dwell."
Several males even of Straha's faction showe
d their agreement with that. It relieved Atvar a little. He was coming to dread these assemblages. Too often he had bad news to report, and news bad in ways he never would have imagined before the fleet left Home. He'd expected his principal concern on this campaign to be how many soldiers carelessly got hurt in traffic accidents, not whether the Big Uglies would soon be fighting him with nuclear weapons of their own.
He'd also expected much better data from the Race's probes. He'd already resigned himself to their missing the weird technological jump the Tosevites had taken after they departed: that was the Big Uglies' fault, not theirs. But they should have done a better job of reporting on Tosevite social and sexual habits, so Kirel's research crews wouldn't have had to start learning about them from scratch.
What really worried him was the thought that maybe the probes had sent accurate data back to Home, only to have those data ignored, misinterpreted, or downright disbelieved by scholars who analyzed them from a Race-centered perspective. If similar mistakes had been made before the conquests of the Rabotevs and Hallessi, the Race not only got by with them but didn't even notice them— the subject species really weren't very different from their overlords. But the Big Uglies were... and finding out how