by John Dalmas
"And to commit it against your people is ugly to contemplate, although they-you-intended it for us."
Again he scanned his audience. "I will ask all of you to comment, but first I would like to hear Ambassador Qonits' thoughts. If you will, sir."
There was a long silence-twenty seconds at least-then Qonits swayed his head, a negative. "There is nothing I can say now. Perhaps after others have spoken."
David MacDonald exhaled softly. Having Qonits here makes it harder to say "kill them." He wondered at his own calm, his objectivity. Yukiko was lost to him, at least until he died himself. Probably, he thought, it was Tualurog who killed her. Tualurog himself was surely dead, and while that didn't lessen the loss, it had quenched the thirst for vengeance.
Chang's gaze moved to Admiral Tischendorf. "What do you have to say, Admiral?"
Frowning, Tischendorf pursed his broad mouth. "To stand off and fire torpedos at unarmed ships…? If I order it, our people will do it. And for the life of me, I can't see any way around it. But doing it will… leave a scar on everyone's soul, even beyond this lifetime. As you said, we would carry it forever.
"On the other hand, if we start firing, I suspect that those not in the first target set will generate hyperspeed and leave. Then we'll have the long job of hunting them down; a long, unpleasant, unpromising job."
He sat back, finished.
"Dr. Shin," Chang said, "what do you have to say?"
"At this point, Mr. President, I can only echo Admiral Tischendorf. Perhaps next round." Shin knew Chang's style. The rounds of comments or questions would continue until he'd heard all he felt was needed.
"Ah. Ms. Honghi?"
"Mr. President, my concern is for the evacuees, and freeing their worlds of Wyzhnyny occupation so they can go home again. Those who want to. Considering all the relatives and friends who died, and the farms and towns destroyed, many may not want to."
The president nodded gravely. "I'm sure that's true." His gaze paused on Qonits, then moved to Dorje Lodro. "Your Wisdom," he said, "what guidance do you have for us?"
"Guidance?" Her tone was mild. "You and the prime minister are quite able to make your decision on this without my input. But since you ask… Consider. The Wyzhnyny are dangerous only if armed. Presumably they have weapons and munitions aboard their troopships and ordnance ships. If you can collect those, and launch them by gravdrive into the sun, the Wyzhnyny are no longer dangerous."
You hope! David thought.
"Of course, if you spare them, you must decide what to do with them. They cannot go home. And if you do not spare them… " She paused. "As has been said: they are ensouled. You will bear great karma." She looked at Qonits. "Ambassador, within the Commonwealth boundaries, has your armada colonized planets which had no human occupants?"
Qonits looked at Dorje with the first glimmer of hope. "Three," he said.
"Ah." She turned to Chang. "If all the Wyzhnyny in the armada were landed on one of them-perhaps the most favorable, or that nearest Terra-they would be relatively easy to monitor and police. Then the Wyzhnyny colonists on other planets could be offered tranportation to that world."
She bowed slightly. "I have said enough."
Chang nodded, then looked at Qonits again. "Mr. Ambassador, you were sent to negotiate with us. Could you speak for us? Talk your people into surrendering, and settling on a world of their own? We of course would dictate the terms, but if those terms are not punitive… " He paused, waiting.
Dorje Lodro's words had revived Qonits. "I can try," he said quietly, "but I cannot guarantee success. It depends on who has taken command of the colonization fleet, if anyone has.
"The colonization fleet has no admiral of its own. It was commanded by the grand admiral-Lord Quanshuk and then Lord Tualurog. Each of the colony tribes had a commanding general and a governor, both of the master gender, but-"
Foster Peixoto raised a hand and interrupted. "What do you mean by master gender?"
"Let me first finish answering the earlier question. Those generals should all be in stasis, and at any rate are unqualified to command a ship, let alone a fleet. It is unlikely they've been revived, but the possibility is worrisome: We could find ourselves dealing with a commander strong in pride but weak in understanding.
"Whomever I must negotiate with will probably, hopefully, be a warrior, not a master, and normally my status is superior to a warrior's. But they will distrust me. And with Lord Quanshuk dead, my status is… " He groped for the word "ambiguous," and settled for "unclear."
"On the other hand their situation is desperate, and I expect they will listen." He puffed a Wyzhnyny sigh before finishing. "There is little more I can say about the prospects, until I know more about the terms you have in mind."
He gestured a shrug. "And now, Mr. Prime Minister, I shall explain the genders for you. It is important that you know; they are central to understanding us."
There are, he told them, four genetic genders and three nurture-actuated, "exalted" genders. One of the exalted genders-"matrons"-develops functional breasts, and if assigned a newborn, nurtures it. As a result, this "nurtured" infant develops distinctive anatomical, morphological and mental traits. That is, it becomes "exalted." With nurture, a genetic warrior becomes a master; a genetic artisan becomes a scholar; and a genetic nanny becomes a matron. Each quite distinct from the unnurtured phenotype.
Frowning, Chang said: "We were told by-another source that both sexes nurse the young."
"That requires clarification. We have only one parent gender. Each adult of the parent gender alternates between male and female sexual phases, and only the parent who carried the child nurses it. But the nonsexual nanny gender, which is larger, will also nurse any unweaned young in its care."
"You told us the matron gender nurses selected young."
"In a sense. But what the matrons produce is not what you might call `milk.' They provide something quite different, and in smaller quantities."
"Seven genders," Tischendorf mused. "What percentage are warriors?"
David had asked the same question while they'd waited aboard the scout, to be picked up, so Qonits recognized Tischendorf's problem. "About twelve percent," Qonits said, "but the parent gender, and the nannies and artisans are also trained to fight. Masters, as exalted warriors, are physically the largest and most powerful, and well able to fight. But they are seldom called upon to physically participate in combat. Their command powers, and sense of responsibility, are too valuable."
The admiral regarded the information thoughtfully. "And only the parent gender has sexual intercourse?"
"Only the parent gender is appropriately equipped and hormonally inclined."
"What is the difference between a warrior and a-parent in uniform? On the battlefield that is?"
"Warriors are larger and stronger, and have more appropriate reactions. In fact, they are bolder and more aggressive in all matters, and in war, more ready to put their lives in danger. In peacetime, warriors both accept and seek responsibility more than any other gender excepting masters. In the military, the great majority of commissioned officers are warriors, but they do not attain the higher ranks. All elite units are made up of warriors."
Tischendorf nodded thoughtfully. "So then, all-citizens?-are trained as soldiers?"
"All but matrons. Matrons have seriously limited intelligence. Also they are very precious to the species, unique and uncommon. All the exalted genders are; nurturing a newborn for exalted status commonly results in the infant's death. We have a saying, half serious: `Death by deranged morphogenesis is God's way of helping us appreciate the occasional success.' "
David wondered how such an odd system had ever evolved. And Qonits had mentioned God. Had he said it to mislead them, or was the proverb genuine?
"That is why," Qonits continued, "the exalted genders are exposed to actual combat no more than necessary. But matrons are especially precious. A warrior is most fierce when protecting a matron."
He bowe
d then, and the president reclaimed the floor. "Tell us about scholars, Mr. Ambassador."
"Ah, scholars. I have slighted my own kind, have I not? Scholars are exalted artisans. The artisan genotype in general absorbs information more easily than other genotypes. And artisans tend to apply information in practical ways. Scholars excel artisans in their affinity for information, but are less focused on its practical applications. Also we look more deeply, and analyze with greater facility."
He displayed what David knew was a grimace. "Unfortunately those strengths are not always accompanied by wisdom. They can give rise to overconfidence and vanity." He paused. "And it is a scholar weakness to become so engrossed in some area of interest-learning your language, for example-that we lose track of relative importances."
Chang regarded Qonits for a long moment. "Thank you, Mr. Ambassador," he said. "You've been very enlightening."
***
Chang led his de facto council through two additional rounds before he and his prime minister thanked and dismissed them. The last thing he said was that he would consult next with Charley Gordon, then perhaps talk further with them.
Leaving the council room, David felt relief at the direction the meeting had taken. For despite the death of Yukiko, he did not want the Wyzhnyny eradicated. Qonits, who had become his friend, was a Wyzhnyny. Also he remembered the pastry chef on the Meadowlands, who out of goodness of heart had been friendly to him and Yukiko and Annika. And who now was dead.
***
After lunch in their suite, Qonits napped, while David sat in one of the small roof gardens and read the Kunming Daily Reporter in detail. Later, Qonits also came up, accompanied by Lance Corporal Shaughnessy, who removed himself a dozen yards, as if to give them privacy. Nonetheless, David supposed the marine was bugged-surely something was-and that everything they might say would be recorded.
"Tell me about Wyzhnyny history," he said to Qonits. "Not the details, but the broad features."
"The broad features? That is feasible, yes. I will begin at the beginning." Qonits also believed they were being recorded, and that David was leading him. Nonetheless he talked frankly, almost till supper.
***
Via Ramesh, the president and prime minister tried to consult with Charley Gordon after lunch. Admiral Soong, however, asked that they postpone it a couple of hours. Charley was still sleeping off the nervous exhaustion of the long battle. And the colonization fleet showed no sign of leaving. There was constant warp radio traffic between Wyzhnyny ships, but while no one on the Altai had any idea of what was being discussed, it sounded desultory, rather than intense.
Chang and Peixoto gave him half an hour, then eavesdropped on the ambassador and David MacDonald, gaining useful insights.
Forty minutes later they called the Altai again, and counseled with Charley, and Alvaro Soong. When the armada had arrived in the system, Charley told them, the colonization fleet had obviously been ordered to park where they were, and wait. But they wouldn't wait forever. Their commanders were surely aware that their warfleet had been destroyed. His impression was, they'd been discussing the dangers of fleeing-of being dispersed and isolated, with the separate units lacking adequate technical-industrial equipment for long-range survival. Along with the probability that many would be torpedoed when they booted their drives. They were aware that a human fleet was standing by, also in warpspace, with target locks on Wyzhnyny ships. And that survivors would almost certainly be hunted by the humans.
But they wouldn't wait forever. Unless something intervened soon, they'd leave, unless a peace proposal changed their minds.
An hour's discussion resulted in a plan. Half an hour later, Qonits, using a bottled savant in Cee Ministry, sent the basic features of an offer via Charley himself, who forwarded it using the Wyzhnyny command frequency. The vocators of the bottled savants provided a much better approximation of Qonits' Wyzhnynyc speech than any human vocal apparatus could.
The Wyzhnyny commanders could expect an "imperial" ambassador in two Wyzhnyny shipsweeks, to confer with them directly. Qonits would leave in a cruiser the next day, with David as his companion.
Chapter 64
Unfinished Business
Months had passed since the Wyzhnyny offensive on New Jerusalem had been broken. The Burger engineers had worked diligently, transforming the army's base from a tent camp to prefabs, electrified for heat and light. The battalion officer's dayroom had a wooden frame and a subfloor of newly-sawn planks, provided by the Burgers' portable sawmill. Walls, ceiling, roof, and the floor itself were sheets of Plastosil brought from Pastor Luneburger's World with the army.
The New Jerusalem Liberation Corps was ready for winter.
Which soon would be there. It was early ElevenMonth by the Jerrie calendar-dark, cold and wet-when Ensign Esau Wesley came in after supper. He'd brought his platoon back from patrol an hour and a half earlier, had cleaned up and eaten, then come to the dayroom to read. He'd never been much for loafing, and over the months had read, then reread the books Captain Zenawi had loaned him. He found them engrossing, full of facts and ideas-even wisdom-useful to a leader.
And that's what he'd become. The previous Sevenmonth he'd been officially posted as acting platoon leader. He'd never known or wondered why. In the army, orders came from on high-the company commander, Regiment, Division, or War House-and you went along with them.
He knew very well, of course, how he'd become unofficial acting platoon leader. Ensign Berg had been killed on the Tank Park Raid, then Ensign Hawkins had broken his leg on the Artillery Base Jump. But taking over in an emergency was one thing. Having the post on the company TO was something else.
***
There was a story behind it. It had been Sevenmonth. The entire corps had taken a lot of casualties, and the regimental commander, Colonel Leclerc, had called in his company commanders to work on reorganizing the regiment. They'd begun right after breakfast, and had pretty much wrapped it before lunch. Some companies had been deactivated-combined with other companies, or their personnel distributed within the regiment as replacements.
Division wanted airborne-qualified personnel kept in airborne-qualified platoons; something Leclerc would have done in any case. "Zenawi," he said, "your 2nd Platoon has the most distinguished record in the regiment. With a very fine commander. But according to Major Hatta, Hawkins won't be out of the hospital for eight weeks at the soonest. Add three weeks or more for rehab… " He shrugged. "And Hatta strongly recommends that Hawkins not jump again-not in this gravity.
"Fortunately Ensign Hussain is available. From 3rd Regiment; a good man. His platoon covered Demolitions while they'd wrecked the Wyz howitzers, and taken a lot of casualties. Including Major Chou, which left Hussain the senior officer, in charge of the rear guard action and evacuating the casualties. Then the Wyz elite hit. Hairy business, and he handled it well, all of it.
"I'm assigning him to you, to lead 2nd Platoon B."
Captain Kemau Zenawi Singh chewed a lip. "Colonel," Zenawi said, "2nd Platoon has a platoon sergeant who acted as platoon leader throughout the Artillery Base Raid. I'd hoped to see him get the job."
Leclerc frowned. "Esau Wesley? I reviewed his commendations last night, before okaying his promotion to sergeant first class. A remarkable young warrior. But he doesn't have anything like the training and the leadership experience Hussain has. Are you sure you don't prefer him because he's B Company, and you're loyal to your own people?"
Zenawi set his jaw. "That's part of it, sir. But on the other hand, I'm an old friend of Hussain. We were in the same cadet squad at the Academy. Went into Tehran together a few times, to sample the ethnic eating places.
"The thing is, young Wesley's a sort of icon in B Company, though I doubt he knows it. He's better than his official record, sir. For one thing he's got natural presence. Charisma. Berg, Hawkins, Captain Mulvaney, all made a project out of him early on, at Stenders, because of his leadership qualities. And he never disappointed them.
"On the Tank Park Raid, he took out the southwest tower by himself, with cover by a couple of blastermen. Then, at the Pecan Orchard, he led a stealth team into the middle of the Wyzhnyny camp and stole their headquarters, a floater-took it from under their noses-which was vital to our success there. And… "
Leclerc interrupted. "Kemau," he said patiently, "I know those things. But his reputation stems from his individual exploits. Leadership's another matter."
"But not unrelated, Colonel. In that disorganized melee at the tank park, before he took out the southwest tower, he functioned effectively as a leader. He and his squad were one of two sent into an utterly chaotic melee to support 3rd Platoon when they were getting swamped. And it was Wesley that Mulvaney turned to to get the flak towers handled. And on the artillery base jump, Esau directed Hawkins' Platoon at the same time he… "
Leclerc cut him off. "All right. So he's a natural warrior and a promising leader. Hussain's another natural warrior, and a trained and proven leader. Where's Wesley's advantage?"
"You already identified it, sir." Zenawi showed no sign of backing off. "You wanted to keep units intact so far as possible; `for morale and unity,' you said. Wesley's been 2nd Platoon from the beginning, and he's a legend in B Company. In Airborne A Temp for that matter. He's got a reputation: they believe he can do anything, even salvage bad situations. He's smart, tough, fearless… and lucky! The men talk about it. The men of B Company, especially 2nd Platoon, would feel slighted, insulted, if he got passed over now."
Zenawi's expression was intense, his white eyes hard in his black face. "Hussain is a good man and he is a proven officer. In time, 2nd Platoon would forget their resentment, and like him. But it wouldn't be the same, and it would take awhile." He paused, and put his hand on his chest. "Speaking respectfully, sir, their company commander wants Esau Wesley, and so does his company!"