of the room through the opposite door.
Tolwyn turned and looked back at Ian.
'Well, your Firekka friends sure played a damn fine scene,' he said with a grin.
'Think they'd really do it?' Jason asked, turning to Ian.
Ian smiled.
'Those birds might not look like much when you first meet them, but I'll tell you this, they make the finest liquor in this corner of the universe and straight or drunk when they make a promise they keep it.'
'What about that threat of the colonies not observing the armistice?' Jason asked.
'Let's not talk of that now, Tolwyn said quietly. 'Shall we go watch the show?'
Though he hated to admit it, Jason found that he actually did want to see what was already being hailed as the most historic moment in a hundred years, as if all the victories and even the defeats of the war had already become secondary.
Tolwyn stood up and started for the door that Rodham had gone through. Admiral Noragami, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff came around from the other side of the table and approached Tolwyn.
'Nice try, Geoff, but it was doomed from the start.'
Tolwyn nodded.
'I heard that a little something regarding you has just come to light as well,' Nuragami said quietly.
Tolwyn merely smiled and Nuragami extended his hand.
'Take care of yourself, Geoff,' Nuragami said and turning he went out the opposite door taken by Banbridge. Knowing how Tolwyn felt about the whole affair, Jason was more than a little surprised that his admiral was not boycotting the signing as well.
They passed down a long corridor lined with Marine security guards and stepped into an open cavernous hall which served as the hangar bay for this deep space base, the vacuum of space on the other side kept out by the magnetic lock field
How many times have I looked out a bay like that, he thought, sitting inside my fighter, strapped in and waiting for the launch signal? The mere thought of it set his heart racing again. Even though he was glad the fighting had stopped, he knew he'd miss it, the adrenaline rush of launching, the pure joy of flying the most powerful fighter craft ever built. If this peace really did hold, all of that was finished. It was a strange feeling of relief and regret all at once.
'Gonna miss it,' Hunter said softly, standing by Jason's side.
Hunter nodded that they should follow Tolwyn, who was slowly weaving his way through the crowd to stand with the small knot of military personnel who had decided to witness the event
A polished durasteel table two meters wide was the only furniture in the middle of the hangar. On the table, in ornate gold embossed folders rested the armistice agreement with copies in Standard English and Kilrah. To one side more than a hundred representatives of the Confederation were present, easily outnumbered by the hundreds of members of the press. The other side of the table and hangar was empty.
A door on the far side of the hangar opened and a lone Kilrathi emerged without fanfare, dressed in a simple uniform of scarlet and gold. The press turned their cameras on him, several breaking with protocol and shouting questions.
Baron Jukaga turned, looked at them, and smiled, raising his paw in a friendly wave. The press went wild, moving in closer.
'I have a little formality to attend to first,' he announced, his standard English nearly perfect and free of the tendency of putting a hissing s on soft ending words and hard k's on most others, 'then we'll have a chance to talk later,' and his disarming informality caused several of the press to laugh.
Behind him came yet more Kilrathi, these in the more formal garb of high officers and they filed silently past the cameras and lined up behind Jukaga. Jason noticed that there was only one Kilrathi photographer recording the scene as compared to the swarm of reporters from the Confederation side.
'We have reached agreement then?' Jukaga asked standing by the other side of the table opposite Rodham.
The president smiled, nodded, and pointed at the formal documents set in the middle of the table.
Without hesitating Jukaga took up a pen, signed the documents, and then slid them back to Rodham, who signed it as well. The two shook and Jukaga turned and looked back at the press.
'Friends, this armistice is but a start. Let us truly come to realize that the universe is big enough for both of us and that a permanent peace can be arrived at. These proceedings are now ended.'
A cheer erupted and Tolwyn, shaking his head, looked back at Jason.
'He certainly knows his Earth history with that closing line. Let's hope it isn't prophetic as to who the ultimate winner is.'
Jason wanted to ask him to explain the reference but decided to let it pass.
The crowd started to break apart into smaller groups many heading for the refreshments arrayed along a side wall. Jason followed in Tolwyn's wake and noticed a Kilrathi officer coming up to them.
'You are Tolwyn? ' the Kilrathi asked.
'Yes.'
'I am Tukarg. I was in command of the carrier Gi'karga in what you call the Third Enigma Campaign. I wished to tell you your counterstrike was masterful.'
Taken off guard Tolwyn said nothing.
'I also understand you commanded the opening of the recent action at Munro.'
Tolwyn still remained silent. From behind Tukarg another Kilrathi appeared and Jason was surprised to see that it was the Baron.
He was not as tall as most Kilrathi and could even be called slight by their standards, though that was still powerful when compared to a human. His coat was a smooth golden red, and from what little Jason knew of Kilrathi blood lines, the coloring was a mark of the most noble breeding. His eyes were dark, almost coal black, but as he approached a flash of reflected light made them appear to glow for an instant with the color of fire.
'A nice quote of MacArthur,' Tolwyn said as Jukaga approached. 'Did it have some hidden meaning?'
Jukaga laughed softly.
'Maybe a bad choice on my part; I didn't want to imply that it was you surrendering to us.'
'I understand you've read a lot of our literature.
Jukaga smiled.
'A hobby I've found fascinating. Your Chaucer's tales are much the same as our own Backrka's 'Tomes of Sivar,' about a group of pilgrims traveling to a holy shrine.
Tolwyn smiled.
'A nice choice of English works to study,' Tolwyn said.
'Ah yes, you were born near Canterbury.'
'However, the pilgrimage to the tomb of Thomas Becket had slightly different rituals than the blood feast of Sivar,' Tolwyn replied.
'Different people, different customs, as they say, but nevertheless I do enjoy your literature.'
'You've spent time then studying me?' Tolwyn asked.
'You were an adversary. I heard you led the first wave at Vukar Tag, of course I would want to know more of you.'
'So you read Chaucer, is that it?'
Jukaga laughed
'Amongst others.'
'And who are some of the others?' Tolwyn asked quietly.
Jukaga smiled.
'Political, intellectual writers.'
'Such as Machiavelli, Sun Tzu,' Tolwyn ventured, 'or perhaps some pages from the writings of Mao or General Giap and his writings on how to weaken an opponent through means other than war; or perhaps a little Clausewitz or the Alpha Centurian theorist Vitivius the Younger.'
'Why those in particular? Is this a recommended reading list?'
'No,' Tolwyn said quietly, 'just speculation.'
