Part 47 (2/2)

”No doubt some truth will hatch from that eggsh.e.l.l, s.h.i.+plord,” Atvar said. ”And we still await the reply from Britain. But the Americans do cause me some concern for the simple reason that they have prospered rather than falling to pieces in the interval since the fighting stopped. None of our a.n.a.lysts seems to understand why they have prospered, either. By all logic, government through snoutcounting should have failed almost immediately-should never have been attempted, in fact.”

Kirel made the affirmative gesture. ”I see what you are saying, Exalted Fleetlord. Nippon and Britain have systems similar to ours, though the British also use some of this snoutcounting silliness. And the Reich Reich and the SSSR have rulers with the power of emperors, though they gain that power by murder or intrigue, not by inheritance. But the Americans truly are anomalous.” and the SSSR have rulers with the power of emperors, though they gain that power by murder or intrigue, not by inheritance. But the Americans truly are anomalous.”

”And they are technically proficient,” Atvar said discontentedly. ”They are the ones with a s.p.a.cecraft in the asteroid belt. They are the ones sending representatives to meet with the Big Ugly our researcher has raised as if she were a female of the Race.”

”I have been keeping track of that, yes,” Kirel said. ”Truly a worthwhile project on the researcher's part. Do you think some of the wild Big Uglies are beginning to become acculturated? Video of one of the wild ones meeting with our specimen suggests he is one of that sort.”

”The wild ones? My judgment is that acculturation is still superficial,” Atvar said. ”If they do begin to reverence the spirits of Emperors past, that would be a more significant turn toward the Empire's way of life than removing their hair and wearing body paint in place of their cloth wrappings.”

”Indeed. I completely agree,” Kirel said. ”But the American Big Uglies, as you have pointed out, are not fools, even if they are barbarians. They too must realize the likely result of permitting such reverence, and yet they do so. Why?”

”Again, a.n.a.lysis is incomplete. We really do need to study the Americans more,” Atvar said, and scribbled a note to that effect for himself. ”Their ideology seems to be almost evolutionary in nature: they let individuals compete in snoutcounting contests, and they let ideas compete through 'freedom of reverence' and 'freedom of discussion.' Their a.s.sumption seems to be that the best will prevail as a result of this untrammeled compet.i.tion.”

”Now that is interesting, Exalted Fleetlord,” Kirel said. ”I had not seen their ideology expressed in quite those terms before.” His mouth fell open in a laugh. ”They certainly are optimists, are they not?”

”I think so. Every male of the Race I know thinks so. By all I can tell, most other Big Uglies think so, too,” Atvar said. ”And yet the Americans continue to do well. They continue to steal and adapt and build on our technology even more aggressively than the Reich Reich or the SSSR. Puzzling, is it not?” or the SSSR. Puzzling, is it not?”

”Very much so,” Kirel answered. ”And their relations with us are less shrill and warlike than are those of the other two leading independent not-empires. They might almost be civilized.”

”Almost,” Atvar said. But then he realized the s.h.i.+plord had a point. ”We do seem to make more allowances for them than for the other not-empires, do we not? I wonder if the American Big Uglies are devious enough to take advantage of that.”

”We have not suspected them of attacking the s.h.i.+ps of the colonization fleet, at least not seriously suspected them,” Kirel said. ”Do you believe we should begin a more intensive investigation along those lines?”

After some thought, Atvar made the negative gesture. ”We have no evidence that would lead us to suspect their guilt, and their behavior otherwise has been as near exemplary as Big Uglies come.”

”We have no evidence to lead us to the Reich Reich or to the SSSR, either, though each has tried to implicate the other,” Kirel pointed out. or to the SSSR, either, though each has tried to implicate the other,” Kirel pointed out.

Before the fleetlord could respond to that, Ps.h.i.+ng hurried into his office once more. Atvar saw his agitation even before he spoke: ”Exalted Fleetlord!”

”By the Emperor, what now?” Atvar asked, casting down his eyes in respect for the sovereign so many light-years away.

”Exalted Fleetlord, I have just received a written communication from the amba.s.sador of the Nipponese Empire.”

”What now?” Atvar repeated in some irritation. Like Britain, Nippon had retained its independence when the fighting stopped. The Nipponese thought that ent.i.tled them to equality of status with the USA, the SSSR, and the Reich. Reich. The Race didn't, for the simple reason that Nippon, being without explosive-metal weapons, could not do them nearly so much harm as the three more prominent Tosevite powers. The Race didn't, for the simple reason that Nippon, being without explosive-metal weapons, could not do them nearly so much harm as the three more prominent Tosevite powers.

Ps.h.i.+ng said, ”Exalted Fleetlord, the amba.s.sador reports that Nippon has detonated an explosive-metal weapon of its own manufacture on an isolated island called”-he looked down at the paper he held-”Bikini, that is the name.”

Atvar let out a furious hiss and turned to the computer monitor. When he chose a reconnaissance and intelligence channel, he saw the explosion was just being reported. ”The Nipponese must have timed the delivery of that note most precisely,” he said, and then, dreading the answer, ”Is there more?”

”There is, Exalted Fleetlord,” Ps.h.i.+ng said unhappily. ”The note goes on to demand all privileges previously accorded only to Tosevite powers with explosive-metal weapons. It warns that Nippon has submersible craft of its own, and knows how to use them to its own best advantage.”

”Even for Big Uglies, the Nipponese are arrogant,” Kirel said.

”And now they have some good reason for arrogance.” Atvar knew he sounded even more unhappy than his adjutant, but he had cause to sound that way. He turned an eye turret toward Ps.h.i.+ng. ”Do the Nipponese demand that we evacuate all territory that they occupied when the conquest fleet arrived?”

”Not in this note, no, Exalted Fleetlord,” Ps.h.i.+ng said. ”What they may do in the future, however, is anyone's guess.”

”That is a truth.” Kirel's voice was mournful, too.

After calling up a map of Tosevite political conditions at the time of the conquest fleet's arrival, Atvar examined it. ”There are occasions when I would be tempted to return to the Nipponese the subregion known as China. Considering the difficulties its inhabitants have given us, some other Big Uglies might as well have the dubious privilege of trying to rule them.”

”You cannot mean that, Exalted Fleetlord!” Now Kirel sounded horrified.

And Atvar realized his chief subordinate was right. ”No,” he said with a sigh, ”I suppose I cannot. All the Tosevite not-empires would take it for a sign of weakness, and they leap on weakness the way befflem leap on meat.”

”What will you tell the Nipponese, then?” Ps.h.i.+ng asked.

Atvar sighed once more. ”Unfortunately, they have demonstrated strength. And they may be arrogant-or shortsighted-enough to use their new weapons without fear of punishment. Here, Ps.h.i.+ng, tell them this: tell them we shall grant them all the diplomatic privileges they request. But tell them also that with privileges comes responsibility. Tell them we are now constrained to observe them more closely than ever before. Tell them we shall take a much more serious view of any potentially aggressive action they may prepare. Tell them they still are not powerful enough to seek any real test of strength against us, and that any attack on us will be crushed without mercy.”

”Very good, Exalted Fleetlord!” his adjutant said, and used an emphatic cough. ”It shall be done, in every particular.”

”I thank you, Ps.h.i.+ng. Oh-and one thing more,” Atvar said. Ps.h.i.+ng and Kirel both looked curious. The fleetlord explained: ”Now we hope they listen.”

As Liu Han paced through the prisoners' camp, she kept shaking her head. ”No,” she said. ”I don't believe it. I don't want to believe it. It can't possibly be true.”

Nieh Ho-T'ing gave her an amused look. ”It can't possibly be true because you don't want to believe it? What kind of logic goes into a statement like that?”

”I don't know,” she answered. ”And I don't care, either. What do you think of that? Tell me where you heard that the eastern dwarfs used an explosive-metal bomb. Did the little scaly devils tell you? I doubt it.” To show how much she doubted it, she used one of the little devils' emphatic coughs.

But Nieh said, ”You do not want to believe it of the j.a.panese because you hate them even more than you hate the scaly devils.”

”That...” Liu Han started to say that wasn't true, but discovered she couldn't. She did hate the j.a.panese, with a deep and abiding hatred. And why not, when they'd destroyed the village that had been her whole life and slaughtered the family she'd thought would be hers forever? She amended her words: ”That doesn't matter. What matters is what's true and what isn't. And you didn't answer my question.”

”Well, so I didn't,” the People's Liberation Army officer admitted. He bowed to Liu Han, as if she were a n.o.blewoman from the old days, the days of the Manchu Empire. ”I will, then. No, the scaly devils didn't tell me. But I heard the guards talking among themselves. I don't think they knew I understood.”

”Oh,” Liu Han said unhappily. She knew the scaly devils often didn't pay any attention to what their human captives might hear. Why should they? Even if the humans understood, what could they do about it? Nothing, as Liu Han also knew all too well. She scowled and kicked at the dirt. ”Will the j.a.panese start using their bombs against the little devils here in China, then?”

”Who knows what the j.a.panese will do?” Nieh Ho-T'ing answered. ”I often wonder if even they know ahead of time. But whether they use bombs or not, they've gained a lot of face by having them.”

”So they have,” Now Liu Han's voice went savage. She kicked the dirt again, harder than before. ”They learned imperialism from the round-eyed devils. All we ever learned was colonialist oppression. The little scaly devils threw them out of China, but they kept most of their empire and they kept their freedom. And what have we got from the little devils? More colonialist oppression. Where is the justice in that?”

Nieh shrugged. ”Justice comes with power. The strong have it. And they give their version of it to the weak. We were unlucky, for we were found weak at the wrong time.”

When Liu Han looked out to the horizon, she did so through strands of razor wire the little scaly devils had set up around the perimeter of the camp. If that didn't tell her everything she needed to know about strength and weakness, what would? She scowled. ”How can we use the j.a.panese to our advantage?”

”Now that is a better thought.” Nieh Ho-T'ing set a hand on her shoulder for a moment, as if to remind her they'd been lovers once. ”The Russians have always refused to give us explosive-metal bombs of our own. So have the Americans. Maybe the j.a.panese will be more reasonable.”

”Maybe they'll hope the Russians get the blame,” Liu Han said, which made Nieh laugh and nod. ”That might be a reasonable hope, too. I wonder if Mao has this news yet.”

”Mao always knows the news.” Nieh spoke with great a.s.surance. ”What he can do with it may be another question. I'm sure he'd be willing to deal with the j.a.panese to get an explosive-metal bomb. I'm not nearly so sure they'd be willing to deal with him.”

”If I were one of the eastern dwarfs, I'd be afraid of dealing with anyone Chinese,” Liu Han said. ”They must know how much vengeance we owe them for what they did to us.”

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