extinction.” He looked around the group. “But if by security you mean preserving our speciate right to what a bunch of guys in wigs once labeled life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, then you all made the best choice you could.”
Visser shook her head, closed her eyes. “And so that is the report I’m to make to the world leaders: we didn’t like the certainty of remaining alive on our knees, so we chose the possibility of being killed on our feet?”
Caine shrugged. “That’s the report you have to make, because that’s what we did. If they blame you for choosing that option, then they’re not worthy to be our leaders. And then thank God we were here instead of them.”
Downing checked his watch. “There are some last practical matters to address. The group that is going straight home in this module will not be going directly to Earth, but out to the Belt for debriefing. Your cryocells will be-”
Le Mule sat far back in his chair, arms folded. “No way,” he snapped.
Richard curbed his annoyance. “I beg your pardon?”
“You heard me. But I’ll say it again, with emphasis: no
Downing rapped his knuckles on the table: Wasserman flinched, shut his mouth with a snap. “If you haven’t noticed, Alnduul has intimated that he will help us in ways that exceed the comfort level of his superiors. And, possibly, exceed his own authority.”
“And your point?”
“My point, Mr. Wasserman, is that putting the passengers in cryocells gives him a much freer hand to help us.”
“Huh?”
“Like what?” asked Opal.
Downing steepled his fingers. “I suspect he intends to put a covert payload inside our own cargo containers in this module. He can’t put it on the Dornaani ship that is taking the second group to Barnard’s Star: too much chance that his own people will stumble across it.”
Trevor looked eager. “So you’re saying that he wants our people in cold cells so they won’t see him load the ‘special cargo’?”
Downing shrugged. “I’m saying that if Alnduul intends to do anything that exceeds his authority, he can’t tell us openly. And if our passengers aren’t awake to see what he does, then they can’t leak any information about it- even to Alnduul’s own people. Plausible deniability, and all that.”
Visser nodded. “Mr. Downing is right. We shall go into cold sleep at once.”
Wasserman threw down his dataslate. “Look, you all do what you like, but I’m still not climbing into a refrigerator bound for a grubby little rock in the Belt, where so-called experts will ask us the same questions over and over again. Hell, there’s no reason we can’t go straight to Earth, write our reports, and submit them when-”
Elena’s voice was quiet. “You know that’s no substitute for a live debrief, Lemuel. And you’re not the only one who wants to go straight to Earth; I’ve got a thirteen-year-old son who hasn’t seen me in almost two months, now. But remember what’s at stake. We might be talking about the fate of our planet.”
“Look, I don’t have to-”
“Lemuel.” It was Caine; although his face was still pale, his voice was firm. “The. Fate. Of. Our. Planet.” Then he was staring at the wall again.
Le Mule looked like he was about to say something, then glowered at the floor.
Visser rose. “So who is traveling on the module to Earth, and who is going on to Barnard’s Star, Mr. Downing?”
“Most of you will be going directly to the Belt, where Major Patrone will brief the military authorities. Trevor is one of the two people coming with me to brief the flag officers at Barnard’s Star II C.”
Visser stared at Downing, surprised. “Who is the other person accompanying you?”
Opal came erect. Downing was careful not to look in her direction. He looked at Riordan, instead. “I’m afraid that you’re coming to Barney Deucy as well, Caine.”
Caine closed his eyes. Then he nodded.
Downing barely concealed his surprise: although battered and dazed, Riordan’s reaction should still have included some outcry against yet another violation of his personal freedom. But silence? Downing had a fleeting anxiety that Caine had been more seriously injured by the explosive decompression than anyone guessed…
But it was time for seven of them to enter their cold cells, and the other three to board the Dornaani craft that would take them to Barnard’s Star. Downing turned off his dataslate. “Any more questions? If not, we should-”
Alnduul’s image faded back into existence. “All is in readiness,” he affirmed with the slightest incline of his head.
Visser stood very straight. “We thank you, Alnduul.”
“I have done nothing other than perform my duties to you.”
“Okay, then,” Opal said, after glancing quickly at Caine-a glance so brief that Downing was fairly sure he was the only one to notice it. “Since you’ve only been doing your job up until now, I’d like to impose by asking you just one personal question.” Every member of the delegation stared at her.
Alnduul’s inner eyelids blinked rapidly twice. “This is-uncommonly direct of you, Major Patrone.”
“Yeah, well-I get that way when war looks imminent. Which Glayaazh says is not the case. But what do you think, Alnduul: is war imminent?”
“Major, although I cannot answer that question, I can give a relevant response to an earlier query. When Ambassador Visser asked about humanity’s role in this tense situation, Third Arbiter Glayaazh told her that ‘your role is whatever you decide it is.’ I offer a different answer: ‘You already know your role. You merely need to accept it.’”
Visser started. “We already know our role in this conflict?”
Alnduul nodded. “One of you has foreseen it, albeit indirectly.”
“Who?”
“Mr. Riordan.”
Caine looked up with blood-flecked eyes. “What? Me?”
“Yes. We have become quite familiar with the transcript of your statements at the Parthenon Dialogues. If I am not mistaken, you speculated that the earliest role of humans might have been akin to the earliest role of dogs. Do you recall the reason you gave for canines’ original domestication?”
Caine frowned. “To hunt wolves.”
“Exactly. Which is also a great irony: the most effective protectors-the best wolfhounds, if you will-are often those which share many characteristics with the ravagers they have been bred to destroy. But that is hardly surprising, since-as you also pointed out at Parthenon, Mr. Riordan-one must often fight fire with fire.”
Riordan shook his head. “Alnduul, I realize that you’re limited in how much you may tell us directly, but are you implying that the Ktor are wolves and that we’re-well, wolfhounds?”
Alnduul’s mouth half-rotated in the Dornaani version of a smile. “No, Caine Riordan: it is
Caine looked no more edified than anyone else-possibly less so.
Alnduul gestured toward the exit with his tapering hand. “Now, I must wish you all safe travels. Mr. Downing, your party of three shall proceed to your embarkation point. The rest of you must enter your cold cells immediately.” His image faded.
“Fine,” spat Le Mule. “Let’s get it over with.” He was gone in a rush of resentful, gangly limbs.
Opal looked at Caine-whose eyes were unsteady, as if he still found it difficult to focus on distant objects. Although they hadn’t yet engaged in public embraces, this was a logical moment for that breakthrough. But Downing saw that Caine’s unsteadiness caused Opal to pause-and just that quickly, the moment slipped away: they
