by Timothy Zahn
"So take this Cobra factory to Aventine," Matigo said.
Lorne shook his head. "We already covered that," he said. "Aventine is out."
"Because the people won't fight?" Nissa demanded bitterly.
"Because they aren't ready for war," Lorne told her. "They don't have the weapons or the soldiers." He grimaced. "And from what little I saw, they don't really have the mind-set."
"But the Qasamans have all of that," Jin said. "And they have more." She looked at Harli. "Lorne's right, Cobra Uy. Humanity has just one chance to pull this off. That chance is Qasama."
"Let's suppose you're right," Harli said slowly. "Let's suppose you take this Isis thing to Qasama, and you win. What then?"
"What do you mean?" Jin asked, frowning.
"I mean the Qasamans will have Cobras," Harli said flatly, his eyes shifting to Siraj. "And new, milder tone or not, I don't think we can trust them not to turn around and send those Cobras straight back at us once this is over."
"I have already said the Shahni no longer see your worlds that way," Siraj reminded him.
"I understand," Harli said. "And for whatever it's worth, I think you're being sincere about that. The problem is that you're making promises for your government, and I frankly don't think you have the authority to do that."
Beside him, Khatir stirred. "No, he doesn't," he agreed. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small, ornate disk and laid it quietly on the table in front of him. "But I do."
Siraj leaned forward for a closer look at the disk, his eyes widening. Lorne keyed in his infrareds, and there was no mistaking the utter surprise flowing across the other's face. "You're an ambassador?" he asked, looking with astonishment at Khatir.
"Yes," Khatir said. "Though only for the purposes of this mission, of course." He looked at Siraj and Zoshak. "That was why I was removed from that final battle in Sollas," he added. "I needed as much instruction as possible in the demands and parameters of my new position."
"I thought you came merely to serve as our pilot," Zoshak said, sounding as confused as Siraj.
Khatir shrugged. "Certainly I'm that as well," he said. "But Rashida Vil is far better qualified than I. No, this was my ultimate purpose in coming on this mission."
"Even though you don't even like us?" Jin murmured.
"My personal preferences are of no matter," Khatir said evenly. "But since you mention that, allow me to state that much of my animosity toward you in Sollas was based on my doubts about your abilities." He looked at Harli. "Having now seen you in true combat, those doubts have been put to rest."
"Mighty generous of you," Harli said dryly. He gestured at the disk. "I take it that's the sign of your diplomatic authority?"
"It is an ambassadorial signet," Siraj confirmed. He still looked flabbergasted, but his infrared pattern indicated he was starting to get back on balance again. "Such tokens are old and revered, and are given only to the highest of the Shahni's negotiators."
"And as such, I place the future of our peoples in your hands," Khatir said, visibly bracing himself. "Do you wish a full treaty of friendship with the Shahni? Do you wish merely a pact of nonaggression? Whatever your desire, you need only place it in writing, and I will sign it."
"I appreciate the offer," Harli said hesitantly. "Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of authority. Neither does my father."
"But there's someone here who does," Croi spoke up suddenly. "As Ms. Gendreves has already stated, she has full power of negotiation and treaty."
Nissa snorted. "Please," she said disdainfully. "If you think I'm going to hand these people Cobra capabilities in exchange for a worthless piece of paper, you're sadly mistaken."
"Why?" Jin asked. "Fine, so assume that Ghofl Khatir is lying, and that any treaty he signs is worthless. Even with Cobras, how could Qasama ever be a threat to the Cobra Worlds? Why would they be a threat? They don't need our land or resources--they have more than enough of their own."
"What about revenge?" Nissa countered.
"They don't even have space-flight capability," Jin argued. "How exactly would they go about invading us?"
"When this war is over, our full attention will be turned toward the rebuilding of our world," Khatir added. "Besides, revenge is for fools."
"The driving force behind the Qasamans' animosity hasn't been revenge," Jin continued. "It's been the fear of another incursion by us. If we have a nonaggression treaty, and they don't have to worry about that, whatever's left of those feelings are going to go away."
"Unless you're suggesting that our side of the treaty would be the worthless half," Lorne put in pointedly.
Nissa shook her head. "No," she said flatly.
"What if the Qasamans sweeten the deal?" Jody spoke up suddenly. "What if they offer us a peace treaty plus something we can't get anywhere else?"
Nissa snorted. "Such as?"
Jody leveled a finger across the table. "Look at their combat suits," she said. "There aren't any organics on them."
And for the first time since the meeting started, a genuinely stunned silence filled the room. "That's impossible," Kemp said. "They must have scraped them."
"We have done nothing of the sort," Siraj said, frowning curiously as he gazed at his arm, turning it around to look at it from all directions.
"You people have been looking for something that'll keep the organics, spores, and insects off you for decades," Jody went on. "Well, somehow, the Qasamans have come up with one."
"Actually, it may be even better than that," Lorne added as a stray thought suddenly rose from his memory. "Out in Devole's Canyon, when we were practicing for our attack, the giggers and screech tigers were just as annoying and persistent as they apparently always are. But I don't think anything smaller even came near them."
"He is correct," Siraj confirmed. "I noticed that also, but it seemed of only minor importance at the time."
"What exactly is that material?" Freylan asked, leaving his place by the wall and circling around the end of the table to the Qasamans' side.
"Treated krissjaw hide," Siraj told him, pulling one of his gloves from his belt and handing it to Freylan for examination.
"We've tried treated predator hides," Matigo said. "They don't do a bit of good."
"Maybe it's something unique in the treatment process," Freylan suggested, kneading the material of the glove as he studied it. "Or something inside the material. What are all these fibrous things?"
"They are stiffeners," Siraj said. "They give extra strength to the material when the servos are operating, becoming rigid when a small current runs through them."
"I'll be damned," Geoff said softly.
Lorne turned in his chair to look at him. "What do you mean?"
"It's the current," Geoff said, his voice chagrinned, embarrassed, and excited all at the same time. "Why the hell didn't anyone see that before? The current in the Djinn combat suits--it creates the same kind of low-level electric field produced by the skin, muscles, and nervous systems of living creatures."
"Thereby fooling the organics and spores into thinking it's living animal tissue," Harli said, some of Geoff's excitement starting to creep into his voice. "You might be right. You rollin' well might be right."
"So what kept the predators away?" Kemp asked.
"Who cares?" Geoff said. "I mean, yes, that's important, and we'll need to figure that out. But the point is that with those suits, you've got ninety percent of the Caelian problem licked."
"More than that," Freylan added. "Remember, these things are at heart combat suits. They've got sonics and lasers built right into them. More than enough to handle giggers and probably even screech tigers." He held up the glove toward Harli, then waved it around the room. "Don't you see? With enough of these suits Caelian won't need Cobras anymore."
"At least not the numbers you need now," Jin said. "But the point's well taken." She looked at Khatir. "Ghofl Khatir?"
"Add it to the treaty," Khatir said without hesitation. "
As many suits as you need, once the war has concluded, plus peace between our worlds in exchange for the Isis facility."
Siraj leaned over and murmured something to him. "A correction," Khatir said. "The main combat suit delivery will still need to wait until after the war, but I am informed that there are two spare suits currently aboard our transport. You may have those immediately."
Jin turned to Nissa. "Well, Ms. Gendreves?"
"I don't care if they offer to cover every Cobra Worlds citizen with gold," Nissa said icily. "I will not sign any treaty with these people."
"That's all right," Paul spoke up unexpectedly. "I'll sign it."
Nissa drew back, her eyes running up and down him. "You? You have no authority to speak for the Dome."
Paul folded his arms across his chest. "Prove it."
For the first time, Nissa seemed actually at a loss for words. "You can't just sign for the governor-general," she insisted after a few seconds.
"The Dome could renounce it," Harli agreed quietly. "Probably would, in fact."
"Fine," Paul said. "But in the meantime, the Qasamans will have their Cobras." He looked at Khatir. "And with luck, we'll have our victory."
"This is insane," Nissa snapped. "Cobra Uy, I demand you stop this travesty at once."
For a long moment, Harli gazed at Paul's face. Then, slowly and deliberately, he sent the same gaze around the room. He gave a small nod, and finally looked back at Nissa. "I'm sorry, Ms. Gendreves," he said. "But I have no evidence that Cobra Paul Broom doesn't have the authority he claims. I therefore can't interfere with him."
Nissa actually sputtered. "This is lunacy!" she snarled. She spun to glare at Paul. "This is treason."
"This is war," Harli said bluntly. "We do what we have to."
Nissa shot a look of her own around the room. Then, slowly, she straightened to her full height. "Fine," she said, her voice back under control. "You do your little treaty. I can't stop you. But."
She leveled a finger at Paul. "If you do," she continued, her voice deadly, "I state right now, in front of all these witnesses, that you have committed high treason. And I will have you arrested and brought up on those charges."
"Understood," Paul said. "Understand in turn that if you're able to find a court at the Dome to file those charges with, it'll mean we've won the war. In that case, I'll consider any punishment I receive to be a small price to pay."
For a moment Nissa held his gaze. Then, without a word, she turned and stalked out of the room.
Paul took a deep breath. "Cobra Uy?" he asked. "Do you have someone trained in writing up official documents?"
"I'll get him on it right away," Harli promised. "In the meantime, Matigo, perhaps you'd be good enough to gather a team to escort Warrior back to his ship and bring it here to Stronghold." He gave Khatir a strained smile. "I'd like to at least see this Isis thing before we all commit treason with it."
* * *
Twelve hours later, they were once again in space.
Lorne was sitting alone in the Troft freighter's cramped dining area, gazing out at the stars, when he heard soft footsteps approaching from behind him. From their rhythm . . ."Hi, Mom," he said, not turning around. "Dad gone to sleep yet?"
"Yes, just now," she said, coming over and sitting down beside him. "How are you doing?"
Lorne huffed. "How do I even answer that?" he asked. "Five days ago, I was standing in front of Governor-General Chintawa, listening to him rant and rave and demand that I drag you to Capitalia for some big overblown politically-charged ceremony. Since then I've fought my way through one war zone, fought my way through another war zone, and am on my way to a third. My father's had his leg nearly blown off, and I've found out that my brother's also been badly wounded and that my mother has a brain tumor. Oh, and almost single-handedly, my sister's solved the Caelian problem."
He turned to look at her, forcing a small smile. "There's also the minor point that my entire family's been branded as traitors," he added. "You tell me. How should I be doing?"
"You should be looking at the half-full side of the glass," Jin told him soberly. "Two war zones, yes, and you survived both of them. So did the rest of your family."
"I suppose," Lorne said, a knot forming in his stomach. "You really think the Qasamans can regrow all that muscle and skin on Dad's leg?"
Jin shrugged. "Carsh Zoshak is pretty sure they can. They've also told me they can remove my tumor just fine."
Lorne grimaced. "Not exactly high-confidence ways of phrasing it."
"Life is uncertain," Jin said. "As for the treason part, let's just see what happens. As Dr. Croi pointed out, Governor Treakness's last-minute blessing on Nissa Gendreves was hardly intended to cover the situation we all found ourselves in."
"But we did still give top-secret Worlds technology to the Qasamans."
"With the tacit agreement of Harli Uy and the rest of the Caelian hierarchy," his mother reminded him. "Under the circumstances, I rather think they'll be on our side in any future political confrontations with the Dome."
"Certainly after Jody's had a few weeks to work her charm on them." Lorne shook his head. "I still can't figure out how I'm supposed to feel about leaving her there alone."
"What alone?" Jin scoffed. "She's got Geoff, Freylan, and a whole planetful of Caelians who have this crazy notion that they owe a debt of gratitude to the Broom family. She's also got Rashida Vil."
Lorne felt his mouth drop open. "Rashida got left there, too?"
"You didn't know that?" Jin frowned. "No, of course you didn't--you were helping get your father aboard when that was decided. No, Harli needed someone to translate between him and the prisoners until Warrior can send back to his demesne-lord to arrange to have them taken off. Since we don't need a pilot anymore, Siraj Akim ordered Rashida to stay on Caelian for the duration."
Lorne grimaced. "You sure he didn't just decide to leave a hostage as a guarantee of Qasama's good behavior?"
"There may have been some of that," she conceded. "It's a very Qasaman way of thinking. You might as well start getting used to it. As for Jody, would you really rather we had brought her with us into yet another war zone?"
"I know, that sounds ridiculous," Lorne said. "That's why I'm having trouble knowing how to feel about it."
"Well, if I were you, I'd put that one out of my mind right now," Jin said firmly. "You saw her face--she wasn't about to leave Freylan and Geoff to experiment on those Djinn combat suits without her. It would have taken all of us plus Harli's Cobras to drag her out of there."
She reached over and patted his knee. "And I'd put all the rest of it out of my mind, too," she added. "You're hungry, you're tired, and you're suffering the emotional roller coaster that comes of being in the middle of combat. Trust me--I've been there. Food, and then sleep, are the order of the day."
"Okay." Lorne hesitated. "Mom . . . do we really have a chance?"
"To win this war?" Jin shook her head. "I don't know, Lorne. What I do know is that when you stood there in that meeting and said the Qasamans were the most well-equipped of all of us, you were speaking truer words than even you knew. They have soldiers, they have weapons, they have whole underground cities."
"Cities, huh?" Lorne said, his mind flashing back to all the backbreaking hours of travel through Aventine's drainage conduits.
"Whole cities," Jin confirmed. "And they've got Djinn."
Lorne swallowed. "And now they've got Cobras. If they can get them deployed fast enough."
"I think they can," Jin said. "The Qasamans probably already know which of their people have the personalities to be Cobras, which will cut out most of our usual two-week screening process. Isis will cut the two weeks of implantation to five days, and their accelerated-learning drugs will probably cut the usual nine-week training regimen by at least two thirds. Maybe more."
"If that stuff really works."
"Oh, it works just fine," Jin assured him. "Ghofl Khatir and Rashida Vil learned to fly that Troft
transport in a single evening. There'll probably be side effects, but it'll work."
She squeezed his knee. "And those Cobras are going to make a huge difference."
"Three hundred of them?" Lorne asked skeptically. "To defend a whole planet?"
"Yes indeed." Jin smiled tightly. "Because the invaders will be coming back prepared to deal with the people and weapons and Djinn. But they won't be ready for Cobras."
"Maybe," Lorne said. "I just hope it'll be enough."
"So do I," Jin said. "I guess we'll both find out."
