“Do you, Patrick,” Nicole said, her voice cracking, “take this woman, Nai, to love and cherish as your wife and partner in life?”
“I do,” said Patrick.
“And do you, Nai,” Nicole continued, “take this man, Patrick, to love and cherish as your husband and partner in life?”
“I do,” said Nai.
“Then I announce that you are husband and wife.” Patrick and Nai embraced, and everyone shouted. The newlyweds shared their first married hug with Nicole.
“Did you ever talk to Patrick about sex?” Nicole asked Richard after the party was over and the crowd had dispersed.
“No,” said Richard. “Max volunteered. But it shouldn’t be necessary. After all, Nai has been married before… Goodness, you were certainly emotional tonight. What was that all about?”
Nicole smiled. “I was thinking about other weddings, Richard. Simone and Michael’s, Ellie and Robert’s…”
“That’s one I would like to forget,” Richard said. “For many reasons.”
“I thought, during the ceremony, that I was crying because this was probably the last wedding I would ever attend. But later, during the party, I thought of something else. Has it ever bothered you, Richard, that we have never had an official ceremony?”
“No,” Richard said, shaking his head. “I had a ceremony with Sarah, and that was enough.”
“But you have had a wedding, Richard. I never have. I have given birth to children from three different fathers, but I have never once been a bride.”
Richard was silent for several seconds. “And you think that’s why you were crying?”
“Maybe,” Nicole said. “I don’t know for certain.”
Nicole walked around while Richard was in deep thought. “Wasn’t that a magnificent statue of Buddha the octospiders gave to Nai?” she said. ‘The artistry was superb. I really thought both Archie and Dr. Blue were enjoying themselves. I wonder why Jamie came to get them so early—”
“Would you like to have a wedding ceremony?” Richard asked suddenly.
“At our age?” Nicole laughed. “We’re already grandparents.”
“Still, if it would make you happy…”
“Are you proposing to me, Richard Wakefield?”
“I guess so,” he said. “I wouldn’t want you to be unhappy because you’ve never been a bride.”
Nicole crossed the room and kissed her husband. “It might be fun,” she said. “But let’s not plan anything until Patrick and Nai are settled. I wouldn’t want to steal their limelight.”
Richard and Nicole walked toward the bedroom with their arms around each other. They were startled to find their passage blocked by Archie and Dr. Blue.
“You must come with us right away,” Archie said. ‘This is an emergency.”
““Now?” Nicole replied. “At this hour?”
“Yes,” said Dr. Blue. “Only the two of you. The Chief Optimizer is waiting. She’ll explain everything.”
Nicole felt her heart rate surge as the adrenaline poured into her system. “Do I need a coat?” she said. “Will we be leaving the city?”
For some reason, Nicole’s first thought had been that the summons was related to the child’s cry that Richard had heard after his first visit to the Embryo Bank. Was the child sick? Perhaps dying? Then why weren’t they going directly to the zoo, which was outside the dome, in the Alternate Domain?
The Chief Optimizer and her staff were indeed waiting. Two chairs were in the room. As soon as Richard and Nicole were seated, the octospider leader started speaking in color.
“We have a major crisis under way,” she said, “one that could unfortunately lead to war between our two species.” She waved a tentacle and video images began to appear on the wall. “Early today, two helicopters began ferrying human troops from the island of New York to the northernmost section of our domain, right next to the Cylindrical Sea. Our quadroid data indicate not only that your species is preparing to launch an assault against us, but also that your leader Nakamura has convinced the human populace that we are your enemy. He has obtained the support of the senate for the war effort and, in a comparatively short period of time, has created an arsenal that could inflict substantial damage on our colony.”
The Chief Optimizer stopped while Richard and Nicole watched video snapshots snowing bombs, bazookas, and machine guns being manufactured in New Eden.
“Investigative forays have been carried out during the last four days by small groups of humans on the ground and the pair of helicopters in the air. These reconnaissance missions have penetrated as far south as the barrier forest and have covered the entire cylindrical range of our territory. Almost thirty percent of our food, power, and water supply is contained in the region that the humans have reconnoitered.
“There has been no combat, for we have offered no resistance to the exploration activities. We have, however, placed signs in key places, using what we know of your language, informing the human troops that the entire Southern Hemicylinder is the realm of another advanced, but peaceful, species, and requesting that the humans return to their own region. Our signs have been ignored.
“Two days ago a troublesome incident occurred. While we were harvesting grain from one of our large fields, there was a helicopter overflight. The vehicle made a nearby landing and dispatched four soldiers. Without any provocation, these humans executed the three animals doing the harvesting-the same six-armed creatures the two of you saw on your initial tour of our domain-and set fire to the grain field. Since that incident, the content of our signs has changed, and we have made it clear that any other similar behavior will be considered an act of war.
“Nevertheless, it is apparent from actions earlier today that our warnings have not been heeded and that your species is planning to start a conflict it cannot possibly win. I was today considering announcing a declaration of war, an extremely grave event in an octospider colony, with ramifications at every level of our society. Before I took the irreversible action, however, I consulted with those other optimizers whose opinions I most respected.
“The majority of my staff favored the war declaration, seeing no way of convincing your fellow humans that a conflict with us would be a disaster for them. The octospider you call Archie, however, made a proposal to my staff that we think has some small probability of working. Even though our statistical analysts say war is still the most likely outcome, our principles demand that we do everything possible to avoid war. Since Archie’s proposal requires your involvement and cooperation, we have called you here tonight.”
The Chief Optimizer stopped speaking in colors and shuffled to the side of the room. Richard and Nicole glanced at each other. “Did your translator follow all that?” she asked.
“Most of it,” Richard replied. “I certainly understand the gist of the situation. Do you have any questions? Or should we suggest they proceed with Archie’s proposal?”
When Nicole didn’t say anything Archie moved to the center of the room. “I have volunteered,” their octospider friend said, “to negotiate personally with the human leaders in an attempt to stop this conflict before it escalates into full-scale war. To accomplish this, however, I must Obviously have some help. If I suddenly appear in the camp of the human soldiers, they will kill me. Even if they do not, they will have no way of understanding what I am telling them. So some human who understands our language must accompany me to translate my colors or there’s no way that a meaningful dialogue can be started.”
After Richard and Nicole told the Chief Optimizer that they had no disagreement with the basic concept proposed by Archie, the two humans and their octospider colleague were left alone to discuss the details. Archie’s idea was straightforward. Nicole and he would approach the camp near the Cylindrical Sea together and would request a meeting with Nakamura and the other human leaders. At that meeting Archie and Nicole would explain that the octospiders were a peace-loving species who had no territorial claims on the north side of the Cylindrical Sea. Archie would request that the humans withdraw from their camp and cease their overflights. If necessary, as a token of the goodwill of the octospiders, Archie would offer to supply quantities of food and water to help the humans through their current difficulties. A permanent relationship between the two species would be established and a treaty drafted to codify the agreement.
“Jesus,” Richard said after he finished translating Archie’s comments. “And I thought Nicole was an idealist!”
