The End of All Things: The Fourth Instalment

by John Scalzi

  “May I be honest with you?” Lowen asked Sorvalh. I noted that I found it difficult to think of her as “Danielle” when she was on the job. Not because she materially changed her personality when she was working, but simply out of respect for her position.

  “Ambassador, I believe the point of this current discussion is to be honest with each other, is it not?” Sorvalh asked.

  “I assumed that there would be more of us in the room for this discussion.”

  Sorvalh smiled one of her absolutely-terrifying-to-humans smiles. “I believe each of our staffs thought the same thing, Ambassador,” she said. “But I have always found that there’s an inverse relationship between the number of people in a room and the amount of useful work that can be done. Now that I am the person in charge of things, I find it even more so. Do you not?”

  “No,” Lowen said. “I think you’re right, by and large.”

  “Of course I am. And, Madams Ambassador, I believe that the reason we are here is to have a definitively useful meeting, are we not?”

  “It is to be hoped,” Abumwe said.

  “Precisely,” Sorvalh said. “So, no, Ambassador. I believe we have precisely the correct number of people in the room.”

  “Yes, Premier Sorvalh,” Lowen said.

  “Then let’s not waste any more time.” Sorvalh turned her attention to Abumwe. “You may begin, Ambassador.”

  “Premier Sorvalh, Equilibrium intends to attack the Earth with nuclear weapons and make it appear to the Colonial Union that it is the Conclave that initiated the attack.”

  “Yes,” Sorvalh said. “Vnac Oi here gave me a précis of the report you prepared for us. I assume you are going to ask us for our help in thwarting the attack, seeing that we are meant to be blamed for it.”

  “No, Premier,” Abumwe said. “We want the attack to proceed.”

  Sorvalh reared back slightly at this, looked over to Lowen, and then back at Abumwe. “Well!” she said, after a moment. “This is certainly a bold and unexpected strategy. I’m fascinated to learn how this will be beneficial to any of us, not least the poor irradiated citizens of Earth.”

  “Lieutenant,” Abumwe said to me.

  “We want the attack to proceed because we need to draw out Equilibrium,” I said. “The group is small, driven, and has been difficult for us—any of us—to locate and attack. The one successful attack against the group as a whole was by Rafe Daquin, when he escaped from their control. But other than that they’ve been very good at working in the shadows.”

  “Yes they have,” Oi said. “We’ve purged known Equilibrium operatives, as I’m sure both Earth and the Colonial Union have.” Abumwe and Lowen both nodded here. “But at this point they don’t appear to need any additional operational intelligence to continue their plans.”

  “Or they simply have new allies,” Abumwe said.

  “Either way your man is correct.” Oi motioned at me with a tendril.

  “We found their new base,” Abumwe said.

  “Where?” asked Oi.

  “On Sedna,” I said. “A dwarf planet on the edge of Earth’s solar system. We confirmed it just before Ambassador Abumwe’s ship skipped here.”

  “Then this conversation should be about how you’ve wiped them out already,” Sorvalh said.

  “It’s more complicated than that,” Abumwe said.

  “We know where their new base is, but their fleet—the fleet with which they intend to wipe out Earth—isn’t there,” I said. “They’re showing cautiousness.”

  “So even if the Colonial Union destroyed the base, Earth would still be vulnerable to attack,” Lowen said.

  “That’s why we need the attack to proceed,” Abumwe said. “Draw out the ships over Earth, and simultaneously destroy Equilibrium at their base. Leave nowhere for either element to go.”

  “I’m still not clear how this involves the Conclave,” Sorvalh said.

  “We can’t do both,” I said. “Equilibrium will only act if it’s confident the Colonial Union has no way to respond to their attack on Earth. We need to commit a substantial portion of our CDF fleet to give the appearance we’re threatening the nine planets declaring their independence. We need to be seen taking ships away from the skip drive line, to make it look like it would take days for our ships to respond to an attack on Earth. We also have to have enough ships to immediately respond to Equilibrium’s attack, hidden where it would not think to look for them. We need to be sure we have enough ships to keep even a single nuke from making it to the Earth’s atmosphere. That means generously overestimating the number of ships we need.”

  “So you’ll need the Conclave to attack the Equilibrium base,” Oi said.

  “Yes,” Abumwe said. “And we want you to allow us to hide a fleet in Conclave space, at skip distance, so we can respond immediately to the Equilibrium attack on Earth. We don’t believe Equilibrium will look for our fleet in your space.”

  “That means trusting you not to attack whatever system we’d put you in,” Oi said.

  “You don’t have to trust us,” Abumwe said. “Put whatever protections you like on us. Just give us a place to park our fleet.”

  “And you?” Sorvalh turned her attention to Lowen. “It’s still the general consensus on your planet that the Colonial Union engineered the attack on Earth Station and killed thousands, including much of your global diplomatic corps. You’re telling me that the Earth trusts them,” she flicked a hand to encompass Abumwe and me, “to protect you from annihilation.”

  “It wasn’t an easy sale, no,” Lowen admitted. “This is where the Conclave comes in again. Our assent for this plan is contingent on your acceptance. If you don’t trust the Colonial Union, we don’t trust it.”

  “And what then?” Sorvalh asked. “What if I don’t, in fact, trust it?”

  “Then we give you everything we have on the attack,” Abumwe said. “We give it to you and pray that, despite your recent actions, you are willing to protect the Earth. You did before. Your predecessor General Gau did, at the very least.”

  “We wouldn’t do that out of the goodness of our souls,” Sorvalh said. “If we intervened to the benefit of the Earth, you can assume that we would no longer be dissuaded from pulling it into our sphere of influence. So, Ambassador, you’re asking me to believe that the Colonial Union could accept that,” Sorvalh said. “And even accept possibly in time allowing the Earth to join the Conclave.”

  “The Colonial Union accepts at this point that the Earth is lost to us,” Abumwe said, nodding at Lowen. “We have told as much to the governments on Earth that will still speak to us. It will no longer be the captive source of our soldiers and colonists. We are now beginning to make the changes that will allow us to survive in this new reality. That being the case, we no longer factor the Earth’s participation, voluntary or otherwise, into our plans. We do not want to see it as part of the Conclave. But better the Earth is in the Conclave than destroyed. It is humanity’s home, Premier.”

  Sorvalh nodded and turned to Oi. “Your analysis, please.”

  “This is a lot, Premier,” Oi said. “And from a people we have no historical reason to trust. At all.”

  “I understand that,” Sorvalh said. “For the moment, treat the information given as accurate.”

  “Then leaving aside the moral issue of leaving a planet open to a genocidal attack, there’s very little upside here for the Conclave,” Oi said. “Both the Earth and the Colonial Union need something from us but offer no benefit to us outside the destruction of Equilibrium, which we could now attack ourselves and cripple operationally. They need us but we don’t need them. And bluntly, there are hundreds of our member species who would be happy to be rid of either or both. There’s still no way politically that we could bring Earth into the Conclave without tearing it apart.”

  “You’re saying we shouldn’t be involved,” Sorvalh said.

  “‘Should’ is a relative term,” Oi said. “Remember that I am leaving aside the moral di
mension of this for the moment. What I am saying is that if we do get involved, there is almost no upside to it for us.”

  “Except, perhaps, the gratitude of the two houses of humanity,” Sorvalh said.

  Oi snorted at this. “With no offense to our human friends here, Premier, I wouldn’t set any great store in the gratitude of humanity.”

  “Too true,” Sorvalh agreed.

  “So you won’t help us,” Abumwe said.

  “No, I won’t,” Sorvalh said. “Not without obvious benefit for me. For the Conclave.”

  “What do you want?” Lowen asked.

  “What do I want?” Sorvalh repeated to Lowen, and leaned in toward the human ambassadors, accentuating just how large a creature she was relative to our species, and also, how exasperated. “I want to not have to think of you, Ambassador Lowen! Or of you, Ambassador Abumwe! Or of humanity. At all. Can you understand this, Madams Ambassador? Do you understand how truly tiring your people are? How much of my time has gone into dealing with humans?”

  Sorvalh threw up her hands. “Do you realize that I have seen the two of you—and you, Lieutenant Wilson—more in the past two of your years than I have seen the representatives of most of the Conclave’s constituent members? Do you know how much of my predecessor’s time was taken up with you? If I could magically wish humanity away, I would do it. Instantly.”

  “It’s a fair call,” I said. Abumwe turned to look at me, incredulously, and I was reminded that not too long ago, she could hardly stand me. It might be we were about to be headed back down that road.

  Sorvalh noticed. “Don’t glare at the lieutenant, Ambassador. “He’s perfectly correct, and I think you know it. It is a fair call. Humanity is more trouble than it’s worth. However.”

  Here the reluctance in Sorvalh’s voice was palpable. “I cannot magically wish humanity away. I am stuck with you, both of you. And you with us. So. Here is what I want in order to help you.”

  Sorvalh pointed to Abumwe. “From the Colonial Union, I want a comprehensive non-aggression treaty with full diplomatic trade relations. Meaning no more of these nonsense back channels and saber rattling. Once we eradicate Equilibrium, we can jointly reveal everything we knew about it, end all speculation, and make the argument that a great deal of our recent hostility was manufactured by them. I can use that to push the treaty through the Grand Assembly, and you can use it to convince whoever it is you need to as well.”

  “You’re asking me to sell the Conclave an ally,” Abumwe said.

  “Not at all. I don’t think either of our governments is ready for that. I’m merely asking to no longer so actively and intentionally be at each other’s throats.”

  Sorvalh turned to Lowen. “Likewise, a non-aggression pact and full diplomatic and trade relations with Earth.”

  “I don’t see how we can be aggressive toward the Conclave,” Lowen said.

  “You can’t,” Sorvalh agreed. “But it’s not for the Conclave’s protection. It’s for yours. From us.”

  “I understand.”

  “Good,” Sorvalh said. “Finally, the same non-aggression pact and full diplomatic and trade relations between Earth and the Colonial Union. Because while for now I don’t want you two merging back together, you entirely separated will always be a danger to the Conclave. For better or worse, for all our sakes, this division of humanity has to come to an end.”

  “It’s a three-way stalemate,” Oi observed.

  “It’s perfect,” I said.

  “It might be,” Sorvalh said. “Thus are we all bound to each other in a mutual agreement to leave each other alone, while still keeping open actual lines of communication and commerce.”

  “It’s a nice thought, Premier,” Oi said. “There’s just one problem.”

  “Everyone who is not in this room,” Abumwe said.

  “Yes,” Oi agreed. “You said, Premier, that the more people involved, the longer things will take. This set of agreements will involve everyone. You’re never going to get such a treaty through the Grand Assembly. And I doubt that Ambassador Abumwe will get sign-off from her people. And as for Ambassador Lowen, well. Earth doesn’t even have a functional global government. She literally can’t make an agreement that the entire planet will abide. This won’t get done.”

  “Fine,” Sorvalh said. “Then we don’t let anyone outside this room have a vote.”

  “They won’t like that,” Oi said.

  “Your head of intelligence is understating the case,” I added.

  “I don’t care,” Sorvalh said. “Everyone in this room understands this is a thing that should be done. We are all agreed to this. Yes?”

  Abumwe and Lowen nodded.

  “Then let’s call it done,” Sorvalh said.

  “It’s an imperial action,” Oi warned.

  “No,” I said. “It’s an opportunistic one.” I turned to Lowen. “The Louisiana Purchase.”

  “You’re speaking gibberish,” Lowen said.

  “Go with me here,” I said, and looked at Sorvalh. “Back on Earth, a long time ago, a U.S. president named Thomas Jefferson was offered a deal on territory that would more than double the size of his country. The Louisiana Purchase. Technically speaking, he wasn’t empowered to accept the deal—the U.S. Constitution was ambiguous about whether the president could authorize the purchase. But he did it anyway. Because it doubled the size of the country, and then what was Congress going to do? Give it back?”

  “We’re not buying land, Lieutenant,” Abumwe pointed out.

  “No, but you’re buying something else: peace,” I said. “And you’re buying it by mutually acting against Equilibrium, which exists to bring the end of the Conclave and the Colonial Union, and is planning immediate harm to Earth, with immediate consequences for the Conclave and the Colonial Union. So don’t wait. Premier Sorvalh is right. Agree to terms here and now and present it as a fait accompli. Then get everyone busy with punching Equilibrium in the throat. We stand or fall together on this one. I prefer to stand.”

  “By the time it’s all done, it’s too late to go back,” Oi said. “There’s a new normal.”

  “It’s not a bad idea.”

  “It’s a terrible idea,” Oi said. “It just has the advantage of being better than the other option.”

  “Is that your assessment as my head of intelligence?” Sorvalh asked Oi.

  “My assessment as your head of intelligence is that the Colonial Union has consistently shown itself to be the greatest single threat to the Conclave, and Earth isn’t much better,” Oi said. “If you have an opportunity to take them out of your equation, then do it. If it means presenting this as a done deal that isn’t able to be taken back, do it. You’ll get pushback and criticism for it. But you may still have the goodwill of the Grand Assembly for holding the Conclave together.”

  “Oi, will this work?”

  “You’re the premier of the Conclave, madam,” Oi said. “If you want to make this work, it will. When you can tell them about it, mind you. We need to destroy Equilibrium first. For that to work, it will need to be as covert as possible.”

  Sorvalh nodded and turned to Abumwe. “Can you agree to this?”

  Abumwe nodded. “Yes.”

  “Can you make it stick?”

  “I will tell them they have no other option but to make it stick.”

  “And you, Ambassador Lowen?” Sorvalh asked.

  “You’re asking me if I can accept a deal that saves my planet from nuclear annihilation,” Lowen said. “I’m pretty sure I can sell it.”

  “Don’t sell it,” I said. “Present it as sold.”

  “Agreed,” Oi said, and pointed to the door. “When we walk out of here it’s done.”

  “Yes?” Sorvalh asked.

  “Yes,” Abumwe said.

  “Yes,” Lowen said.

  Sorvalh smiled, and it was terrifying, and glorious. “And so we learn how simple it is to change the history of the universe,” Sorvalh said. “All you need is for every
other thing to have gone so horribly wrong first.”

  She stood, with Abumwe and Lowen following her example almost immediately. “Come, Madams Ambassador. Let us announce our new era of peace together. Let us dare anyone to take it from us. And then, let us go to war together. For the first, and hopefully last, time.”

  * * *

  Two weeks later, on October second, using the standard calendar of the Colonial Union, and at roughly three in the afternoon, the Colonial Union received official notice from nine of its colony worlds that they were declaring themselves independent from the union. Each of these planets was independent of the others but declared immediate diplomatic relations with each other and offered the same to the Colonial Union.

  In times past the Colonial Union might have sent a single ship per planet to deal with the uprising; when a planet has no real defenses against you that you yourself did not create, you didn’t have to make that much of an effort. But since the Tubingen event over Khartoum, it was evident that there had to be a change in strategy, and in the Colonial Union’s response to rebellion. Especially to a rebellion that involved multiple planets simultaneously.

  The skies above the rebellious worlds added new constellations as a flood of CDF ships flowed into their space. Each rebellious planet received no fewer than a hundred ships—a piece of psychological warfare designed to cow and intimidate those trying for their freedom.

  They would not be cowed. They shouted their defiance and dared the Colonial Union to do its worst.

  This went on in a seemingly intractable manner. There was no clear end to the stalemate. The planets demanded the Colonial Union and the CDF withdraw from their skies. The Colonial Union replied that they would not. The large majority of the human military fleet was now permanently stationed above the worlds that it used to protect.

  On October 21, a ship appeared in the skies above Earth, a trading ship registered to a world of the Conclave. It was the Hooh Issa Tun, and it had disappeared almost a year before. In a moment, the Hooh Issa Tun was no longer alone as another ship of Conclave ancestry appeared, and another, and another. A student of recent history would recognize the staggered appearance as a bit of theater. The late General Tarsem Gau, when he was the head of the Conclave, would do the same thing when his grand fleet appeared over the sky of an unauthorized colony. The Conclave would then give the colony the choice of being evacuated or destroyed.