Fire with Fire(139)

“Yes. After we had established several colonies on the third planet in the Delta Pavonis system, we discovered various artifacts indicating prior, and possibly persistent, sapient habitation. We eventually confirmed a relatively small group of this race is still extant.”

Alnduul was silent for a long time. Then his gills flared and rippled. “This is known to us, Mr. Riordan.”

The nervous chair squeakings to either side of him stopped. Hah: thought so. “Then why was this world on our pathway of allowed expansion? I would have expected it to be excluded—along with others held in trust for those sapients.”

“A reasonable deduction. And a most reassuring display of self-declaration and good faith not specifically mandated or required by the accords. However, the situation on Delta Pavonis Three is a special case: there has been no oversight.”

“But how—”

“Mr. Riordan, I cannot share the specifics of the case with you until Earth receives and accepts Accord membership. To do otherwise would be to violate the Accord’s confidentiality protocols.”

Violate the protocols? That would logically mean—“So some other member race is somehow connected to the sapients on Dee Pee Three? And therefore, you can’t discuss the situation without violating your Custodial restraints upon sharing information that pertains to other member races?”

Alnduul’s gills flared outwards with a pop: a signal of surprise? “A most stimulating conjecture, Mr. Riordan. But I cannot respond to it, either.”

“Of course he can’t,” whispered Downing. “Not without revealing it to be the very reason he can’t respond—thereby confirming what you asked in the first place. Well played, Caine: very well played indeed.”

Caine smiled tightly, but thought: This is no game, you ass. They may be allowing us to ask the questions, but we’re under a microscope, being watched and judged. “Alnduul, I must finish by pointing out another problematic situation pertaining to the fifty-eight worlds we have been allotted.”

Alnduul’s lids nictated slowly. “Yes. 70 Ophiuchi. This is a difficulty.”

“Had we known—”

“You are blameless in this. The fault lies within the Accord.”

Caine waited for him to expand upon his comments; he did not do so. “And, once again, that is all you can say.”

“Just so. Naturally, you must anticipate that the topic of 70 Ophiuchi will be raised. However, the member states know that you cannot be pressed to decide your species’ policy on this matter. At most, you can be charged to bear the Accord’s—and the individual states’—perspectives on the matter back to Earth.”

Caine looked at Visser and Downing: they exchanged satisfied pouts and nodded at him. “Very well, Alnduul. We thank you for your answers and your candor. That is, I believe, all the questions we have at this time.”

“Very well. Allow me to acquaint you with the itinerary and protocols of tomorrow’s Convocation . . .”





Chapter Forty-Two

ODYSSEUS

Caine looked over at Visser. “Ready?”

She didn’t look back. Nerves again, he thought. Then she nodded tightly. “Ja.” She clutched her palmtop and papers unnaturally close to her chest.

From just behind Caine, Thandla sounded as anxious as Visser looked. “Mr. Riordan, if you could clarify once again—”

Thandla’s question was drowned out by Le Mule Wasserman’s favorite, brayed interjection from the rear rank of the delegation: “Jesus Christ. Thandla, what’s with you? He handed out the procedural guidelines last night.”

Thandla turned toward Lemuel slowly. “I have been memorizing the communication and data protocols that the Dornaani insist we use. Some of the data handshakes are quite complex. Regrettably, this left me little time for memorizing the agenda itself. I hope you do not find that excessively distressing.”

Downing interceded before Wasserman could make whatever riposte he was readying. “Mr. Thandla, after introductions, the current members have an opportunity to question our bona fides as the legal representatives of our species. Then they are allowed to interrogate our government’s dossier, including the legitimacy of its claim to being the definitive source of power and decision-making for our species.”

“I thought the Custodians had already submitted a report on us to the rest of the Accord.”

“Yes, but the Custodians’ report is general, and other than what the other member states have learned from our own broadcast signals, that’s pretty much all they know about us. Protected species like us are entitled to the same informational privacy the members have, except in regard to Custodians.”