Page 61 of Advance and Retreat
“How did you arrive at this hypothesis?”Real consternation had appeared.
“You hide behind grand pronouncements of your superiority.You stood back and let the All wipe out who knows how many lives in your dimension because it had no effect on you personally.You’re perfectly willing to let it happen here too.You tell us to make our peace with the inevitable end, rather than trying to help us stay alive.We don’t have to die at the All’s tentacles, but you’ve decided you’re too afraid to do anything about it!”
“We’re not sure you’re accurate.”
The Other looked positively sulky.Maybe it hadn’t lost all emotional ability after all if it didn’t like the words it was hearing.
Jackie shifted and burbled a tiny sound.She’d be waking soon and ready to nurse.Cassidy decided it was as good a time as any to show her unwanted guest the door.
She had a couple more things to get off her chest first.
“The proof is plain.You’re afraid to lose your view of yourself as a preeminent entity by lowering yourself to assist mere physical beings.Fear masked as arrogance makes you unwilling to save species the All would wipe out.”
“We don’t experience fear or arrogance,” the Other insisted.
“Ha!You’ve displayed it every time I’ve encountered you. Your ego keeps you from getting involved.It makes you worse than the All.”
“Worse?”
“The All is merely vicious.However, the Other lacks basic decency.You stand by and watch the All commit atrocities and don’t lift a finger to stop it, though you could.If there’s a better example of pure, unmitigated evil and cowardice, I can’t imagine it.Our blood and the blood of those you allowed the All to kill is on your hands.You bear as much, if not more, guilt as it does.”
As she watched her double struggled to comprehend the accusations she’d hurled, it occurred to Cassidy her denouncement had been a waste of breath.The Other, despite all its phenomenal attributes, was simply incapable of understanding it could be found inferior in any respect.
“Never mind,” she sighed, feeling defeated as Jackie’s eyes blinked open.“Just leave, and don’t come back.I have nothing left to say to you.”
“Cassidy—”
Her shout joined Jackie’s hungry wail.“Get the hell out!”
The Other disappeared.
* * * *
Alpha Space Station
Kuran bowed to the vid image of Admiral Tranis, who sat at a desk in a sunlit office.The window behind the admiral showed a stunning view of Kalquor’s green sea, which surrounded the island headquarters of the empire’s fleet.It was a far lovelier setting than Kuran’s own bare-bones office, but the Nobek felt no jealousy.He didn’t need much in the way of décor.He spent most of his time shadowing Stacy.
“Thank you for taking my com, sir.I realize you’re busy.”
If the bearded Dramok felt put out by the demanding summons Kuran had sent, he didn’t show it.“You said it was important, and since you can’t speak to Admiral Piras, you needed to talk to me.What can I do for you, Agent Kuran?”
“You’re aware of the attempted assassination on Governor Nichols.”
“I’ve read your reports of the incident and your investigation into it.Good work catching the man who set the attacker on the governor.”
Kuran tamped down on a spike of temper to hear the near murder of his beloved referred to as anincident.He needed Tranis on his side.“It was easy once I had the bar’s surveillance information.The fool didn’t cover his tracks very well, and he’s known around the area.”
“You uncovered new information after apprehending him?”
“I have, sir.Not only was he able to give me specific names, but I was also able to gain records of his communications with those who had him threaten the assailant.Transmitting those records and the names to you now.”
Tranis glanced at the screen that appeared before him.His eyes widened after a moment of reading and turned their regard to Kuran.“There’s no doubt about the instigators’ identities?”
“None, sir.I ran voice and frequency identifiers.They confirmed with over ninety-two percent confidence the order to kill Governor Nichols came straight from Governor Noah Taylor of New Bethlehem and Governor John McCarthy of Mercy.”
“Which complicates things.”Tranis scowled and stroked his jaw.“Itreallycomplicates things.”
“Yes sir.If the Galactic Council wasn’t overcome by the All, they’d take on the rest of the investigation and level the appropriate charges.Although, if the situation were as it should be, Earth could have claimed jurisdiction over the two colonies.They were still considered colonies when the original Earth was rendered unlivable.Independence from their parent government, which is now moved to Earth Two, hasn’t been validated by either planet’s voters.”Kuran worked his angle carefully.
