The Enemy Papers Page 38

  "Of course."

  "Then bring me back to Natueh Gi."

  She felt the bed-table begin to move, then Tora Soam's words whispered into her ear. "Hissied 'do Timan. Is he responsible for Heliot's death?"

  Nicole weakly shook her head. "No. Heliot Vant's death is the thing that endangers Hissied 'do Timan's plan. Heliot's death caused the negotiations to be reopened."

  The bed-table stopped moving. "Then who?"

  Nicole held out her hand. "Ambassador Rafiki, can you wait for a moment?"

  "Yes."

  Nicole's hand touched Tora Soam's arm. "Send for your child. Between them. Ana Rafiki and Tora Kia know."

  Minutes later, freshly medicated and in her bed, Nicole listened as Tora Soam, Kia, and Ambassador Rafiki arranged themselves on couches and chairs. Jetah Indeva stood beside the compartment's door. Tora Soam spoke. "Very well, Nicole. Begin."

  Nicole nodded slightly. "Ambassador Rafiki?"

  "Yes?"

  "Explain your relationship with Heliot Vant."

  "Explain?"

  "What was it like? How did you feel?"

  Ambassador Rafiki was silent for a long moment. "At first we could not communicate. There were too many hostilities and false issues. But as we fought over these issues, the hostility, I think, was replaced by a degree of mutual respect. I ... I admired Heliot very much."

  "And describe what happened the night Heliot died."

  "I have given that information to Major Haridashi; and I have authorized the information exchange you requested through Colonel Moore."

  "Please describe it. I am more interested in the feelings than in the events."

  "Very well. It had been a long, hard struggle working out the terms of the treaty. At one point in the negotiations, Heliot suggested that the two of us meet informally to allow us to discuss and settle upon several points without our respective negotiating teams screaming charges and counter-charges at each other. The meeting was very productive."

  "There were more meetings, Ambassador?"

  "Yes. We managed to get more done that way."

  "And your affection for Heliot grew?"

  "I wouldn't call it affection .... Admiration. Respect"

  A haunted tone came into the ambassador's voice. "Perhaps it was affection. I think the feeling was mutual. Just before Heliot died, it told me that it respected me. Heliot was so proud—not only of what had been accomplished, but that we had accomplished it. A Drac and a human. Heliot ... was proud of us."

  Nicole heard Tora Soam stand and walk toward the ambassador. "You cry. You cry for Heliot Vant?"

  "Is that so odd?"

  "Yes, that is odd."

  Nicole turned her head toward Tora Kia. "Kia, explain to them what happened."

  "How should I know?"

  "You know."

  There was an embarrassed silence, then Kia spoke. "Yes ... I suppose I do. Ambassador Rafiki?"

  "Yes?"

  "Just before it died, Heliot Vant became very emotional."

  "Perhaps. As I said, Heliot was very proud of what we had done." She uttered a sad little laugh. "Heliot .. Heliot even blushed."

  The direction of Kia's voice changed. "My parent, it is possible to feel love ... sexual toward a human."

  Jetah Indeva snorted. "Preposterous!"

  "But possible just the same, Jetah."

  Tora Soam spoke. "Continue, Kia."

  "Heliot Vant loved her, but did not think in such terms. After all, Ambassador Rafiki is a human. There was no reason for Heliot to think that there was cause for guarding its emotions."

  "Kia, do you mean that Heliot's feelings for this woman caused it to ... conceive?"

  "Yes."

  "How can such a thing be possible? And at Heliot's age it..."

  "At Heliot's age, the act of conception would result in Heliot's death. And the empathy, love, sexual feelings ... a Drac can have for a human."

  "How do you know?"

  "It ... has happened before."

  "How do you know, my child?"

  "It has happened to me."

  "Kia ..." The Ovjetah seemed stunned. "Nicole? You and Nicole?"

  "It was a strange moment, my parent. It was dark ... and I had no reason to guard my feelings. My mind was burdened by my nightmares, and this creature in the dark offered to listen—to allow me to unburden myself. Later, she ... thought of me as her mate, seeking her own comfort."

  "But you conceived?"

  "Yes. The Tora line continues."

  Ambassador Rafiki stood. "Nicole, you are saying that I killed Heliot?"

  "No, Ambassador. Circumstance, misunderstanding, age ... love killed Heliot Vant."

  Tora Soam spoke. "Nicole, what of the poison?"

  "Ovjetah, Heliot Vant's death was an accident. An accident that threw an enormous random factor into Hissied 'do Timan's carefully, balanced equation. The poison, I think, was a desperate attempt to salvage the equation. Perhaps Londu Peg is a Timan agent. More likely, the poison was introduced later. There are enough secret corridors on the orbiter to enable the Timans to contaminate the evidence at will. The new autopsy, you ordered should confirm what Kia said."

  Ambassador Rafiki stood next to Nicole's bed. "The treaty Heliot and I worked out; why does it play into the hands of Hissied 'do Timan?"

  "The treaty locks all sides into the problem of Amadeen. And the treaty does not resolve the problem of Amadeen. Therefore it assures the resumption of the war and that both sides will regard future treaty negotiations as closed paths—unproductive. A continued full-scale war between the USE and the Dracon Chamber is vital to Hissied 'do Timan's plan."

  Ambassador Rafiki stood silently for a long moment, then she spoke to Tora Soam. "There are many things I do not understand. However, I will go now to obtain the powers Nicole thinks are necessary." The direction of the ambassador's voice changed. "Jetah Indeva, I will keep you informed."

  Nicole heard the ambassador leave the compartment. Jetah Indeva grunted and followed the human."

  Tora Soam spoke. "Nicole, I feel that I should say something."

  "About what?"

  "So many things .... For one, you and Kia ..."

  Kia's voice. "Yes, my parent. It is true."

  "Then, my child ... then you must be transported back to Draco. There is too much risk here, if what Nicole says is true. The line—"

  "If there is risk, my parent, it is not to me but to Joanne Nicole. I think it is clear now that the Timan understands her function here. I will remain here to lessen that risk."

  "Do you ... love the human?"

  Tora Kia was silent for a long time. "No. Things are different in the light. But I—we—owe her the Tora line. To you and I she should be more than just a talma to solve a problem."

  Nicole listened as Tora Kia walked from the compartment. Tora Soam stood silently for a moment, then spoke. "Joanne Nicole?"

  "Yes, Ovjetah?"

  "This thing Kia says. How ... how can a human and a Drac ...

  "Love?"

  "Yes. Even for a moment."

  "Ovjetah, Cohneret in the Koda Talmeda once asked which is the stronger: love of form, or love of being."

  "You lecture the Ovjetah of the Talman Kovah?"

  "Remember, Ovjetah, that what your mind says is true, and what your feelings confirm as truth, are different creatures."

  "Emmmm."

  She closed her eyes and settled into her bed. "And now I lay me down to sleep, a pit of vipers at my feet. And if I die before I wake—"

  "Joanne Nicole."

  "Yes, Ovjetah?"

  "I do not have your insight. But I see this much. Knowledge of the Timan's plan will serve the plan. How do we buy the silence of Hissied 'do Timan?" Tora Soam paused, then continued in a grave voice. "And there is more. If the Timan has planned as thoroughly as you think, then the orbiter is a bomb. Any solution that is devised can be countered by the simple expedient of blowing the orbiter and everyone in it to pieces and blaming the event
on either the Mavedah, the Front, the USE Force, the Dracon Fleet, or the Ninth Quadrant."

  "That would appear to be the situation, Ovjetah. We can only hope that Hissied 'do Timan views the situation in the same manner." Nicole pulled her cover up to her neck.

  "And now I must sleep. May the many mornings find you well, Tora Soam."

  There was an uncomfortable silence. "And you, Joanne Nicole."

  She listened as the Ovjetah walked slowly from the compartment. After the door had hissed shut, Nicole whispered to the empty room:

  "And God bless us every one."

  NINETEEN

  "Aydan." spoke Niagat. "I would serve Heraak; I would see an end to war; I would be one of your warmasters."

  "Would you kill to achieve this. Niagat?"

  "I would kill."

  "Would you kill Heraak to achieve this?"

  "Kill Heraak, my master?" Niagat paused and considered the question. "If I cannot have both I would see Heraak dead to see an end to war."

  "That is not what I asked."

  "And, Aydan. I would do the killing."

  "And, now, would you die to achieve this?"

  "I would risk death as does any warrior."

  "Again, Niagat, that is not my question. If an end to war can only be purchased at the certain cost of your own life, would you die by your own hand to achieve peace?"

  Niagat studied upon the thing that Aydan asked. "I am willing to take the gamble of battle. In this gamble there is the chance of seeing my goal. But my certain death, and by my own hand—there would be no chance of seeing my goal. No, I would not take my own life for this. That would be foolish. Have I passed your test?"

  "You have failed. Niagat. Your goal is not peace; your goal is to live in peace. Return when your goal is peace alone and you hold a willing knife at your own throat to achieve it. That is the price of a warmaster's blade."

  —Aydan and the War of Ages, Koda Itheda, The Talman

  The next few days saw Nicole's theory concerning Heliot Vant's death confirmed. Heliot had died by conceiving. During the autopsy in Sindievu, traces of the poison were found, but it had not invaded the body tissues. The poison had been added later. Londu Peg was questioned and cleared.

  Outside the orbiter a USE military police detail found a dead suited Timan, an employee of Timan Nisak. Cause of death: a rip in the right leg of the protective suit, exposing the Timan to space's vacuum. Timan Nisak did not ask for an investigation.

  On Amadeen's surface, Hita Zhan declared endless horror upon the Front as it replaced the recently murdered Akaam Jaada as First Warmaster of the Mavedah. At the same time, Charlotte Raza was leading units of the Amadeen Front in a massive assault upon the eastern Shorda continent. On the orbiter, a new conference was called.

  Hissied 'do Timan studied the screen. The image showed a small compartment in the orbiter occupied only by a rectangular table and four chairs. A chair was at either end of the table, and the remaining two chairs were on the opposite side of the table from his point of view. The Timan turned from the screen. The being standing against the bulkhead wore a protective suit.

  "You are a strange person, Leonid Mitzak."

  "What seems strange to you, Hissied 'do Timan?"

  The Timan turned back to the screen. "A human, in the employ of the Dracon Chamber, now my personal informant. How many ends are there to play against the middle?"

  "Strange sentiments from a Timan. My information has been accurate, hasn't it?"

  "Yes, but you have not answered my question. Why are you here—with me—Leonid Mitzak?"

  "I follow my interests."

  "I pay you nothing. If you believe what you have said, then you must believe that aiding me will take the race that you admire and the race that birthed you to destruction. What other interest do you follow?"

  "I think it should be obvious to a Timan."

  "Explain it to me."

  "Hissied 'do Timan, are you familiar with the human game of chess?"

  "Of course. It is quite popular among the younger children of my planet. You would use this to illustrate something?"

  "Imagine a chess board set up between us. Now the human who plays is an expert on a set of rules and strategies based on that set. However, the Drac who plays the human will win, because the Drac is an expert on standing outside fixed sets of rules. The Drac's first move would be to sweep its opponents pieces off the board."

  "And, Mitzak; the Timan player? What would his first move be?"

  "The Timan's first move would be to switch games."

  Hissied 'do Timan looked up at Mitzak. "And?"

  "My interests are served by throwing in my lot with winners."

  The Timan looked back at the screen and nodded thoughtfully until the screen's image showed beings entering the compartment. The screen showed Ambassador Rafiki taking her seat at the right end of the table, Jetah Indeva taking its seat at the left end of the table, and the blind human. Nicole, seating herself in one of the center chairs, facing Hissied 'do Timan's point of view. Her shoulder was encased in a white cast. In a few moments, Tora Soam entered and lowered itself into the seat to Nicole's left.

  Hissied 'do Timan leaned back in his couch. "Mitzak, they have left no room at the table for the Front or the Mavedah. You said that they understood that they are bound to the problem of Amadeen."

  "I also said that they understood that Amadeen is not a problem open to solution. They know they are rulebound, and how.

  The screen showed Tora Soam standing. The Ovjetah bent over, touched the table's communications link, and then spoke.

  "Hissied 'do Timan?"

  The Timan keyed his own link. "Yes."

  The Ovjetah's image straightened up. "We shall begin."

  "Tora Soam, why am I the only Ninth Quadrant observer at this meeting?"

  "It is a special meeting; and you are the only official of the Ninth Quadrant who has an interest." Tora Soam reached out a hand and touched Nicole's shoulder. The blind woman stood as Tora Soam resumed its seat. The blind woman spoke:

  "An agreement between the Dracon Chamber and the United States of Earth has been reached. We are here to sign an amended version of the Heliot Vant-Ana Rafiki Treaty."

  Hissied 'do Timan nodded. "Excellent, excellent.—But what does the amendment involve?"

  "All Drac and USE regular forces will be withdrawn from Amadeen. There will be no more demilitarized zone. Amadeen will be quarantined and left to settle its own problems." Nicole smiled. "We are no longer locked into the fight on Amadeen."

  The Timan examined the face of the USE ambassador. "Ambassador Rafiki, the United States of Earth has sworn to defend the humans upon Amadeen. There are promises."

  Rafiki nodded, then looked into the camera. "The promises have been broken."

  "Broken?" The Timan looked at another face. "Jetah Indevah!" The Timan sat forward. "What of the pledges made by the Dracon Fleet to the Mavedah?"

  The Drac shook its head as it continued to look at the tabletop. "The pledges have been withdrawn. Amadeen is on its own."

  "I find this ... hard to understand—" Hissied 'do Timan studied the blind woman for a moment. "Nicole, everything appears to be decided already. What is this meeting's purpose?"

  "To inform you, Hissied 'do Timan."

  "Jetah Indeva, Ambassador Rafiki ... you both must be aware that this treaty—abandoning your peoples upon Amadeen—will outrage both of your races."

  Ambassador Rafiki answered. "Both Jetah Indeva and I have been granted plenipotentiary powers regarding Amadeen. Most of our peoples will go along with the treaty, because most people will go along with anything. Our governments will go along with it for two reasons: they are bound to our decision by law; and violating the treaty resumes the war. The treaty won't be popular, but it is preferable to the alternative."

  "You must both know that you can never defend your actions."

  Indeva faced the camera. "We know that not keeping silent would serve your plan,
Timan, but talma must be observed. It will ruin me, but it will end the war. A small price."

  "Your respective governments cannot afford to allow this treaty to go into effect. Both the Dracon Chamber and the United States of Earth subsist upon popular favor. Ambassador Rafiki?"

  "Your words are true. Our decision may even cause our governments to be brought down. But that too is a small price. You see, both of our governments find it easier to break agreements with friends than with enemies. The price of breaking this treaty is too horrible for either government to contemplate—whatever the domestic political costs."

  Joanne Nicole spoke. "Hissied 'do Timan, no matter how unpopular this treaty will be, it is still a treaty—a formal agreement between governments. Both governments will observe its terms, because failure to do so would violate laws, honor, pride, integrity, trust —" Nicole laughed. "You see, Timan, we are rulebound into this treaty. And you understand that, don't you?"

  The Timan glanced at Mitzak, then looked back at the screen. "Nicole, do you not comprehend that my plan is served just as well if it becomes known?" He again turned toward Mitzak. "And the plan is also served if all of us die within the next moment. I can cause this to happen before your Mitzak can take a step across the deck." Hissied 'do Timan faced the screen. "Do you think that I am afraid to die for my race?"

  "We count on it." Nicole shook her head. "You are a patriot, Hissied 'do Timan. I believe you would happily die that your race might survive."

  "Then ... what is all this? You have been outplayed at each turn. Your treaty changes nothing."

  "At this moment, Hissied 'do Timan, units of the Dracon Fleet and the USE Force are moving toward Timan under orders to turn your planet into a cinder and your race into a memory. This force is under the direct joint command of Jetah Indeva and Ambassador Rafiki, and it will carry out its orders unless new orders are received. If you kill us all, those new orders cannot be sent. And we would buy your silence at the same price."