Homeward Bound Part 43

"I still say it should be centuries," Pesskrag replied. "It probably will not be, not with everyone pushing for speed at the expense of quality and safety, but it should be. There are too many variables we do not understand well. There are too many variables we do not understand at all."

"Very well. I thank you." Ttomalss broke the connection. He felt slightly rea.s.sured, but only slightly. Whatever the Race could do, the Tosevites were bound to be able to do faster. How much faster? That That much faster? He despised the idea of preventive war, but. . . . much faster? He despised the idea of preventive war, but. . . .

All of a sudden, he stopped worrying about preventive war. That ginger-peddling female was on her way back. She had two large, unfriendly-looking males with her, one of them particularly bizarre with a mane of yellow hair that had never sprouted from his skin. Ttomalss did not wait to find out if their personalities belied their appearance. He left, in a hurry.

"Hey, buddy, wait! We want to talk to you!" the male with the wig shouted after him.

Ttomalss didn't wait. He was sure the males-and that unpleasant female-wanted to do something to him. He was just as sure talking wasn't it. He swung one eye turret back toward them. To his enormous relief, the males weren't coming after him. The female wasn't relieved at that. She was furious. She clawed the male with the yellow false hair. He knocked her to the sidewalk. They started fighting.

My own people, Ttomalss thought sadly. Ttomalss thought sadly. How are they any better than Big Uglies when they act like this? How are they any better than Big Uglies when they act like this? But the answer to that was plain enough. They were But the answer to that was plain enough. They were his. his. Like them or not, he understood them. He understood them even if they wanted to hit him over the head and steal his valuables. Like them or not, he understood them. He understood them even if they wanted to hit him over the head and steal his valuables.

If the Big Uglies. .h.i.t him over the head and stole his valuables, they weren't just robbers. They were alien robbers, which made them a hundred times worse.

And the Big Uglies wanted to hit the whole Race over the head and steal its valuables. Things had been peaceful and stable on Home for so long. It wouldn't last. It couldn't last, not any more. Maybe, once the Tosevites were gone for good, peace and stability would return . . . if anything was left of the Empire afterwards.

Existence or not-that is the question. So some Tosevite writer had put it. He'd been dead for hundreds of years, maybe even a thousand; Ttomalss didn't know as much as he would have liked about Tosevite chronology before the conquest fleet came. But that Big Ugly had got right to the liver of things. If existence for the Race and the Empire seemed more likely after a preventive war, then preventive war there should be. If not, not. Ttomalss feared he knew what the answer was. So some Tosevite writer had put it. He'd been dead for hundreds of years, maybe even a thousand; Ttomalss didn't know as much as he would have liked about Tosevite chronology before the conquest fleet came. But that Big Ugly had got right to the liver of things. If existence for the Race and the Empire seemed more likely after a preventive war, then preventive war there should be. If not, not. Ttomalss feared he knew what the answer was.

Karen Yeager nodded politely to Trir. "I greet you," she told the tour guide.

"And I greet you," Trir said, also politely. The female had acted friendly enough lately; it wasn't close to mating season. Her eye turrets traveled up and down Karen's length. "I had thought there might be some future in escorting you Tosevites when you come to visit Home. Now I see that is unlikely to be so."

The hotel lobby was as warm as ever. Looking out through the big plate-gla.s.s windows, Karen could see the sun-blasted hills out beyond Sitneff. Despite all that, a chill ran through her. She hoped she was wrong as she asked, "What do you mean?"

"Why, that you Big Uglies probably will not be coming to Home any more, and that I cannot expect to see shiploads of students and travelers. We are going to have to put you in your place, or so everyone says." Trir took the answer for granted.

More ice walked up Karen's back. "Who told you that, if I may ask? And what do you mean by putting us in our place?"

"We shall have to make certain you cannot threaten the Race and the Empire." By Trir's tone, that would be not only simple but bloodless. She had lived in peace all her life. Home had lived in peace since the Pleistocene. Males and females here had no idea what anything else was like.

Karen did. For better and for worse-more often than not, for worse-Earth's history was different from Home's. And the Race's soldiers had played no small part in that history since the conquest fleet arrived. "You are talking about a war, about millions-more likely, billions-dying," Karen said slowly. "I ask you again: who told you war was coming? Please tell me. It may be important." She used an emphatic cough.

"Everyone around here except maybe you Tosevites seems to think it will come," Trir replied. "And I do not think it will be as bad as you make it sound. After all, it will be happening a long way away."

You idiot! Karen didn't scream that at the Lizard, though she wanted to. She contented herself with making the negative gesture instead. "For one thing, war is no better when it happens to someone else than when it happens to you," she said, though she knew plenty of humans would have felt otherwise. "For another, I must tell you that you are mistaken." Karen didn't scream that at the Lizard, though she wanted to. She contented herself with making the negative gesture instead. "For one thing, war is no better when it happens to someone else than when it happens to you," she said, though she knew plenty of humans would have felt otherwise. "For another, I must tell you that you are mistaken."

"In what way?" Trir asked.

"This war, if there is a war, will ravage the Empire's worlds as well as Tosev 3. That is a truth." Karen added another emphatic cough.

"That would be barbaric!" Trir exclaimed, with an emphatic cough of her own.

"Why would it be more barbaric than the other?" Karen asked.

"Because this is the Empire, of course," Trir answered.

"I see." Karen hoped the Lizard could hear the acid dripping from her voice. "If you do it to someone else who is far away, it is fine, but it is barbaric if someone else presumes to do it to you right here."

"I did not say that. I did not mean that. You are confusing things," Trir said.

"I do not know what you meant. Only you can know that, down deep in the bottom of your liver," Karen replied. "But I know what you said. I know what I said. And I know one other thing-I know which of us is confused. Please believe me: I am not the one."

Trir's tailstump quivered with anger. "I think you have it coming, for telling lies if nothing else." She stalked away.

Karen felt like throwing something at her. That would have been undiplomatic, no matter how satisfying it might also have been. Karen thought hard about flipping Trir the bird. That would have been undiplomatic, too. She might have got away with it, simply because n.o.body here was likely to understand what the gesture meant.

And then, in spite of herself, she started to laugh. Could you flip somebody the bird here on Home? Wouldn't you have to flip her (or even him) the pterodactyl instead?

However much she wanted it to, the laughter wouldn't stick. That Trir seemed happy war would come was bad enough. That she seemed so sure was worse. And Karen muttered a curse under her breath. She hadn't got the guide to tell her who among the Lizard higher-ups was so certain war was on the way.

Did that matter? Weren't all all the Lizards acting that way these days? She knew too well that they were. And if they acted that way, they were much more likely to bring it on. the Lizards acting that way these days? She knew too well that they were. And if they acted that way, they were much more likely to bring it on.

An elevator opened, silently and smoothly. Everything the Race did was silent, smooth, efficient. Next to the Lizards, humans were were a bunch of noisy, clumsy barbarians. But if they went down, they'd go down swinging, and the Empire would remember them for a long time-or else go down into blackness with them. a bunch of noisy, clumsy barbarians. But if they went down, they'd go down swinging, and the Empire would remember them for a long time-or else go down into blackness with them.

Ka.s.squit came out of the elevator. She waved when she saw Karen in the lobby. She not only waved, she came over to her, saying, "I greet you."

"And I greet you," Karen answered cautiously. She and Ka.s.squit still didn't usually get along. "What can I do for you today?" Would Ka.s.squit be gloating at the prospect of war, too? She never got tired of bragging how she was a citizen of the Empire. As far as Karen was concerned, that was one of the things that made her less than human. She didn't want want to be human, and wished she weren't. to be human, and wished she weren't.

But now Ka.s.squit said, "If you know any way to keep the peace between your not-empire and the Empire, please speak of it to Sam Yeager and to Fleetlord Atvar. We must do whatever we can to prevent a war."

"I completely agree with you," Karen said-and if that wasn't a surprise, it was close enough for government work. Government work is exactly the problem here, Government work is exactly the problem here, she thought. She went on, "From my perspective, the problem is that the Race thinks war would be more to its advantage than peace." And how would Ka.s.squit take she thought. She went on, "From my perspective, the problem is that the Race thinks war would be more to its advantage than peace." And how would Ka.s.squit take that that?

Ka.s.squit used the affirmative gesture. "Truth. And a truth I do not know how to get around. My superiors are convinced they will have to fight later if they do not fight now, and they will be at a greater disadvantage the longer they delay. By the spirits of Emperors past, they must be addled!"

Karen wondered if they were. Humans progressed faster than Lizards. Both sides could see that. But . . . "If we can destroy each other, what difference does it make who has the fancier weapons? Both sides will be equally dead."

"That is also a truth." As usual, Ka.s.squit's face showed nothing, but urgency throbbed in her voice. "Under such circ.u.mstances, war is madness."

"Yes," Karen said. "The United States has always held this view."

"After its experience when the colonization fleet came to Tosev 3 and in the unprovoked attack by the Deutsche, the Empire is not sure that is a truth," Ka.s.squit said. "And, speaking of unprovoked attacks, consider the one your not-empire made against the colonization fleet not long after its ships went into orbit around your world. If you see a way to seize a victory cheaply and easily, will you not take it? This is the Race's fear."

"I do not know what to tell you, except that Sam Yeager is the one who made sure our unjust act would not go unpunished," Karen said. "I do not think we would make the same mistake twice. And I cannot help seeing that you have just made a strong case for war, at least from the Empire's point of view."

"I know I have. Making the case for war is easy-if one does not reckon in the dangers involved," Ka.s.squit said. "My hope is that your not-empire has indeed changed from its previous aggressive stance. If I can persuade my superiors of that-and if you wild Tosevites work to convince them of the same thing-we may possibly avert this fight, even now."

"Would Sam Yeager be the American amba.s.sador to the Race if we had not changed our ways?" Karen asked.

"Sam Yeager would not be your amba.s.sador if the Doctor had survived," Ka.s.squit pointed out. "The Doctor was a very able diplomat. No one would say otherwise. But no one would say he was a shining example of peace and trust, either."

She was right about that. If you were in a d.i.c.ker with the Doctor, he would have had no qualms about picking your pocket. Not only that, he would have tried to persuade you afterwards that he'd done it for your own good. That talent had made him very valuable to the United States. Whether it had made him a paragon of ethics might be a different question.

"Do what you can with your own officials," Karen said. "I will speak to Sam Yeager. As you say, we have to try."

Ka.s.squit used the affirmative gesture. They might not like each other, but that had nothing to do with anything right now. Karen rode up to her father-in-law's room and knocked on the door. When he opened it, he said, "You look like a steamroller just ran over your kitten."

She eyed him. "You don't look so happy yourself."

"To tell you the truth, I'm not," Sam Yeager said. "The small stuff is, Atvar is mad as hops because the Race found a rat-a half-grown rat-in a building a couple of miles from here. He keeps trying to make it out to be our fault, even though the cleaners let the darn things out."

"A half-grown rat? So they're breeding here, then," Karen said.

"Sure looks that way," Sam Yeager agreed. "And that's just the small stuff. The big stuff is . . . Well, you know about the big stuff."

"Yes, I know about the big stuff. That's why I wanted to talk to you." Karen summed up the conversations she'd just had with Trir and Ka.s.squit. She went on, "What can we do? We have to be able to do something something to convince the Lizards this war's not worth fighting. Something-but I don't know what." to convince the Lizards this war's not worth fighting. Something-but I don't know what."

Sam Yeager let out a long, weary sigh. "If they're bound and determined to go ahead and fight, I don't know what we can do about it but hit back as hard as we can. They look to have decided that this is going to be the best chance they've got." He shrugged. "They may even be right."

"Even if they are, it'll be a disaster!" Karen exclaimed.

Her father-in-law nodded. "I know that. I think they know it, too. If they don't, it's not because I haven't told 'em. But if they think it'll be a disaster now but maybe a catastrophe later . . ." He spread his hands.

"We don't want a war with them. We just don't, don't," Karen said.

"Their att.i.tude is, we may not want one now, but we're a bunch of changeable Big Uglies, and sooner or later we will," Sam Yeager said. "I don't know how to convince them they're wrong, either. And I'd better. If I can't . . ."

"Ka.s.squit is trying the same thing on their side." Karen wasn't used to talking about Ka.s.squit with unreserved approval-or with any approval at all-but she did now.

"Good for her. I hope it helps some, but I wouldn't bet the house on it," Sam Yeager said. "I hope something helps some. If it doesn't . . ." He paused again, and grimaced. "If it doesn't, we'll have a war on our hands."

"We can see it's madness. Ka.s.squit can see it's madness. The Lizards are usually more reasonable than we are. Why not now?" Karen could hear the despair in her voice.

"It's what I told you before. They must think this is their best chance, or maybe their last chance. It doesn't look that way to me, but I'm not Atvar or the Emperor." Sam Yeager's scowl grew blacker. "I'm just a scared old man. If something big doesn't change in a hurry, four worlds are going to go up in smoke."

In the control room these days, Glen Johnson felt more as if he were in a missile-armed upper stage in Earth orbit, or even in the c.o.c.kpit of a fighter heading for action against the Lizards. Anything could happen, and probably would. He knew d.a.m.n well that the Race could overwhelm the Admiral Peary. Admiral Peary. His job, and the job of everybody else on board, was to make sure they remembered they'd been in a fight. His job, and the job of everybody else on board, was to make sure they remembered they'd been in a fight.

The ship had a swarm of antimissiles that were supposed to be a hair better than the best the Race could fire. She also had close-in weapons systems-a fancy name for radar-controlled Gatling guns on steroids-to knock out anything the antimissiles missed. Put that together and it wouldn't keep the Admiral Peary Admiral Peary alive. It wasn't supposed to. But it was supposed to keep her alive long enough to let her get her own licks in. alive. It wasn't supposed to. But it was supposed to keep her alive long enough to let her get her own licks in.

"What do you think?" Johnson asked Mickey Flynn. "Are we ready for Armageddon?"

Flynn gave that his usual grave consideration. "I can't say for sure," he replied at last. "But I do know that Armageddon sick and tired of worrying about it."

Johnson groaned, as he was no doubt intended to do. Mickey Flynn looked back blandly. Johnson was sick of worrying about it, too, which didn't mean he wasn't doing his share and then some. "What do we do if the balloon goes up?" he said.

This time, Flynn answered right away: "Well, it will be over in a hurry, anyhow." That was what the Lizards would have called a truth. By the way he said it, he thought Johnson was a d.a.m.n fool for asking the question. After only a short pause, Johnson decided he'd been a d.a.m.n fool, too.

In the background was the radio chatter among the Lizards' s.p.a.ceships and orbiting stations and shuttlecraft. Johnson didn't know how much good monitoring that would do. n.o.body was likely to give the attack order in clear language. It would be encrypted, so the Americans wouldn't realize what it was till things. .h.i.t the fan.

Even so, the traffic was often fun to listen to. Lizards-and the occasional Rabotevs and Hallessi-bickered among themselves hardly less than humans did. Their insults revolved around rotten eggs and cloacas rather than genitals, but they used them with panache.

All at once, everything stopped. For about fifteen seconds, the radio waves might have been wiped clean. "What the h.e.l.l?" Johnson said, in mingled surprise and alarm. He and Mickey Flynn had been talking about Armageddon. Had they just listened to the overture for it?

But then the Lizards returned to the air. Everybody was saying the same things: "What is that?" "Do you see that?" "Where did that come from?" "How did that get there?" "What could it be?"

Flynn pointed to the radar. It showed a blip that Johnson would have sworn hadn't been there before, about two million miles out from Home and closing rapidly. "What have we got here?" Johnson said, unconsciously echoing the Lizards all around the Admiral Peary. Admiral Peary. "Looks like it popped out of thin air." "Looks like it popped out of thin air."

"Thinner vacuum," Flynn said, and Johnson nodded-the other pilot was right.

The Lizards started sending messages toward the blip: "Strange ship, identify yourself." "Strange ship, please begin communication." And another one, surely transmitted by a worried member of the Race: "Strange ship, do you understand? Do you speak our language?"

Speed-of-light lag for a message to get to the strange ship-where the devil had had it come from? out of nowhere?-and an answer to come back was about twenty-one and a half seconds. That, of course, a.s.sumed the answerer started talking the instant he-she? it?-heard the Lizards, which was bound to be optimistic. it come from? out of nowhere?-and an answer to come back was about twenty-one and a half seconds. That, of course, a.s.sumed the answerer started talking the instant he-she? it?-heard the Lizards, which was bound to be optimistic.

"Do you think we ought to send something, too?" Johnson asked. Mickey Flynn was senior to him; it was Flynn's baby, not his. The other pilot shook his head. Johnson waved to show he accepted the decision. He found a different question: "Do you think it's a good thing we're at top alert?" Just as solemnly, Flynn nodded.

Close to a minute went by before the strange ship responded. When it did, the answer was in the Lizards' language: "We greet you, males and females of the Race." The individual at the microphone had a mushy accent. Even as Johnson realized it was a human accent, the speaker went on, "This is the starship Commodore Perry, Commodore Perry, from the United States of America. We greet you, citizens of the Empire. And we also greet, or hope we greet, our own citizens aboard the from the United States of America. We greet you, citizens of the Empire. And we also greet, or hope we greet, our own citizens aboard the Admiral Peary. Admiral Peary."

Johnson and Flynn both stabbed for the TRANSMIT TRANSMIT b.u.t.ton at the same time. Johnson's finger came down on it first. That was his only moment of triumph. Flynn, as senior, did the talking: "This is the b.u.t.ton at the same time. Johnson's finger came down on it first. That was his only moment of triumph. Flynn, as senior, did the talking: "This is the Admiral Peary, Admiral Peary, Colonel Flynn speaking. Very good to have company. We've been out here by ourselves for a long time." Colonel Flynn speaking. Very good to have company. We've been out here by ourselves for a long time."

Again, there was a necessary wait for radio waves to travel from ship to ship. During it, Johnson wondered, What's in a name? What's in a name? The The Admiral Peary Admiral Peary recalled an explorer who'd pitted himself against nature and won. The recalled an explorer who'd pitted himself against nature and won. The Commodore Perry Commodore Perry was named for the man who'd gone to j.a.pan with warships and opened the country to the outside world no matter what the j.a.panese thought about it. The Lizards might not notice the difference, especially since was named for the man who'd gone to j.a.pan with warships and opened the country to the outside world no matter what the j.a.panese thought about it. The Lizards might not notice the difference, especially since Peary Peary and and Perry Perry were p.r.o.nounced alike even if spelled differently. But Johnson did. What did it mean? were p.r.o.nounced alike even if spelled differently. But Johnson did. What did it mean?

This time, the person at the radio-a woman-replied in English: "h.e.l.lo, Colonel Flynn. Good to hear from you. I'm Major Nichols-Nicole to my friends. We were hoping we'd find you folks here, but we weren't sure, because of course your signals from Home hadn't got back to Earth when we set out."

"I hope you've been picking up some of them as you followed our trail from Earth to Home," Flynn said. "And if you don't mind my asking, when did did you set out?" you set out?"

That was a good question. Here on the Admiral Peary, Admiral Peary, Johnson didn't feel like too much of an antique, even if he had been in cold sleep longer than most. But Johnson didn't feel like too much of an antique, even if he had been in cold sleep longer than most. But these these whippersnappers might not even have been born when Dr. Blanchard put him on ice. How much of an antique would he seem to them? whippersnappers might not even have been born when Dr. Blanchard put him on ice. How much of an antique would he seem to them? Do I really want to know? Do I really want to know?

He had time to wonder about that again. Then Major Nichols' voice came back: "About five and a half weeks ago, Colonel."

Mickey Flynn drummed his fingers on his thigh in annoyance, one of the few times Johnson had ever seen him show it. "Five and a half weeks' subjective time, sure. But how long were you in cold sleep?" Flynn asked.

Johnson nodded: another good question. If the Commodore Perry Commodore Perry was still slower than Lizard starships, that said one thing. If she matched their technology, that said something else-something important, too. And if she was faster, even a little bit . . . was still slower than Lizard starships, that said one thing. If she matched their technology, that said something else-something important, too. And if she was faster, even a little bit . . .

The wait for radio waves to go back and forth felt maddening. After what seemed like a very long time, Major Nichols answered, "No, Colonel. No cold sleep-none. Total travel time, five and a half weeks. There've been some changes made."

Johnson and Flynn stared at each other. They both mouthed the same thing: Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ! The Lizards were bound to have somebody who understood English monitoring the transmission. The second that translator figured out what Major Nichols had just said, the Race was going to start having kittens, or possibly hatchling befflem. Johnson pointed to the microphone and raised an eyebrow. Flynn gave back a gracious nod, as if to say, The Lizards were bound to have somebody who understood English monitoring the transmission. The second that translator figured out what Major Nichols had just said, the Race was going to start having kittens, or possibly hatchling befflem. Johnson pointed to the microphone and raised an eyebrow. Flynn gave back a gracious nod, as if to say, Be my guest. Be my guest.

"This is Colonel Johnson, junior pilot on the Admiral Peary, Admiral Peary," Johnson said, feeling much more senior than junior. "I hope you brought along some proof of that. It would be really useful. Things are . . . a little tense between us and the Race right now." He almost added an emphatic cough, but held back when he realized he didn't know how people of Major Nichols' generation would take that. After sending the message, he turned to Mickey Flynn. "Now we twiddle our thumbs while things go back and forth."

Flynn suited action to word. He said, "Why don't they have faster-than-light radio?" His thumbs went round and round, round and round.

"They do, in effect," Johnson said. "They've got the ships-if those are what they say they are. Einstein must be spinning in his grave."

"Colonel Johnson?" The voice of the woman from the Commodore Perry Commodore Perry filled the control room again. "Yes, we have proof-all sorts of things that we know and the Race will hear about as its signals come in from Earth over the next few days and weeks. And we have a couple of witnesses from the Race aboard: a shuttlecraft pilot named Nesseref and Shiplord Straha." filled the control room again. "Yes, we have proof-all sorts of things that we know and the Race will hear about as its signals come in from Earth over the next few days and weeks. And we have a couple of witnesses from the Race aboard: a shuttlecraft pilot named Nesseref and Shiplord Straha."

"Oh, my," Johnson said. Even imperturbable Mickey Flynn looked a trifle wall-eyed. Straha had lived in exile in the USA for years. He'd been the third-highest officer in the conquest fleet, and then the highest-ranking defector after his effort to oust Atvar for not prosecuting the war against humanity vigorously enough failed. And he'd got back into the Lizards' good graces by delivering the data from Sam Yeager that showed the United States had launched the attack on the colonization fleet.

"I'd like to be a fly on the wall when Straha meets Atvar again," Flynn said.

"Admiral Peary, do you read me?" Major Nichols asked. "Are you there?" do you read me?" Major Nichols asked. "Are you there?"

"Where else would we be?" Flynn asked reasonably. "Ah, forgive me for asking, Major, but is the Commodore Perry Commodore Perry armed?" armed?"

"That is affirmative," Nicole Nichols said. "We are armed." She She used an emphatic cough, which answered that. "We did not know for certain that you had arrived when we departed, and we did not know what kind of reception we would get when we entered this solar system. Can you please summarize the present political situation?" used an emphatic cough, which answered that. "We did not know for certain that you had arrived when we departed, and we did not know what kind of reception we would get when we entered this solar system. Can you please summarize the present political situation?"

"I do believe I would describe it as a mess," Flynn said, a word that summed things up as well as any other for Glen Johnson. Flynn went on, "You'll need more details than that. I can put you through to Lieutenant General Healey, our commandant, and he can patch you through to Sam Yeager, our amba.s.sador."

That produced a pause a good deal longer than required by speed-of-light. "Sam Yeager is your amba.s.sador? Where is the Doctor?" Major Nichols asked. She used interrogative coughs, too.