"That was two hundred years ago!"
"And there," he said, sadly, "lies the difference between us. For the Ashiyyur, yesterday’s tragedy remains painfully fresh. It is not merely history."
"Yes," I said. "We’ve seen how violence upsets you."
"I’m sorry about the attack on the Centaur. But we wished very much to avoid the situation which has now arisen. However, we cannot permit the Corsarius to be returned to its creators. The sad truth of all this is that we may yet be forced to take your lives."
"What do you want?"
"Only the ship. Turn it over to us. I’m prepared to provide safe passage home for you, and to compensate you generously for the loss of the artifact."
I looked at him, trying to read sincerity into those too-thoroughly composed features. "What’s involved in the surrender? How do you propose to do it?"
"It’s not a surrender, Alex," he said smoothly. "It’s an act of courage under difficult circumstances. But we would simply send over a boarding party. As for you, all we ask is that you signify your consent by leaving the vessel. Both of you, that is." He nodded, expressing content that we were moving toward a prudent course. "Yes, simply leave the vessel. Come here to us. You have my solemn guarantee that you will be well treated."
"And released?"
He hesitated. It was brief, a moment’s reluctance. "Of course." He smiled encouragingly. Somehow, during the conversation we’d had at Kostyev House, the fact that his lips never moved had been less disconcerting, perhaps because I could see the communication device by which he spoke, or maybe because the circumstances had changed so drastically. Whatever it was, the dialogue was thoroughly unnerving, and carried with it a sense of direct mental contact. I wondered whether I had underestimated him, whether he was in fact reaching across the void and penetrating my mind. "Are you prepared to leave?"
"We’re thinking about it." Chase stared at the overhead.
"Very good. We will watch for you. In deference to your feelings, we will make no effort to board the ship until you have arrived safely here.
"By the way, Alex, I know this is difficult for you. But the day will come when our two species will stand united in fast friendship. And I suspect you will be remembered for your contribution to that happy moment."
"Why is it so important?" I asked. "Why do you want the ship?"
"It is a symbol of the evil time. I think, in all honesty, that it could not have been found at a worse period. We are again close to war, your people and mine. This vessel with all the memories it will stir, could well be the catalyst for a tidal wave of hostility. We cannot, in conscience, allow that to happen."
Who’s he kidding? Chase asked with her eyes.
"This is not an easy decision for us," I said.
"I understand."
"Please give us a moment to think about it."
"Of course."
"Do it!" Chase said, as soon as his image had faded. "It’s a way out. And they’d have nothing to gain by killing us."
"The sons of bitches would kill us, Chase. They aren’t going to turn us loose."
"You’re crazy," she said. "We’ve got to trust them. What other choice do we have? I don’t want to give my life for a derelict. You know as well as I do that if they can’t have this thing, they’ll just blow it up and us with it. And any notions we have of fighting that goddam monster are just so much fantasy. I mean, this antique wouldn’t have a chance against that son of a bitch, even if it had a full crew and Sim himself sitting in that chair."
"That’s not what you were saying a few minutes ago."
"A few minutes ago I didn’t think we had a choice."
My mouth had gone dry, but I tried to sound calm. "I don’t agree, Chase. They want this ship, and as long as we stay in it, I think we’re safe. They can’t board, and they won’t destroy it."
"Why not? If all they want is to keep us from getting back home with it, they can blow us up any time they please."
"Then why haven’t they already done so?"
"Maybe because they don’t want to kill anyone if they don’t have to."
"You believe that?"
"Damn it, Alex, I don’t know."
"Okay," I was out of the command seat now, rattling around the bridge, trying to think. "If you’re right, then why did they attack the Centaur? They had no compunctions about our lives. They wanted to keep us from getting on board because then they’d have to talk us out."
"Maybe you’re right," she said angrily. "I just don’t know. But I don’t want to get killed over it."
"Then we stay right where we are. How much time before the Armstrongs activate?"
"There are no Armstrongs," she said, desperately.
"Come on, Chase," I said. "How much time before whatever we’ve got activates? Before we can jump into hyper?"
There were tears in her eyes. "About a half day. You think you can stall them that long?"
"I think it’s our best chance." I took her by the shoulders, and hung on to her. "You with me?"
She looked at me a long time. "You’re going to get us both killed," she said.
"I regret that you feel compelled to pursue a course that can only result in bloodshed." S’Kalian did indeed appear upset. "Is there nothing I can say to dissuade you?"
"The hell with you," I said. "You’re going to have to blow up your artifact. So go ahead and do it!" I broke the link.
"You were persuasive," Chase said, glumly. "I hope he doesn’t take you up on it."
The mute drifted closer. The slow oscillation of its component parts accelerated. "Best analysis," said the computer, "suggests everything we can see is part of an energy deployment system."
Chase swore softly. "Where’s the operational center? Where are they vulnerable?"
"At present, insufficient information is available to draw conclusions."
"Your guess is as good as his," I said.
"I think it’s time to put up the shields."
"No," I said.
"Why not?"
"We don’t gain anything by it. We can’t run, and we can’t fight. The shields would only delay the inevitable. Let’s try to keep a surprise available." Something had been bothering me about my conversation with S’Kalian, and I suddenly realized what it was. "Why were they being so nice to us?" I said.
"What do you mean?"
"Why did they want to wait for us to go over there before they dispatched a boarding party?"
Chase shook her head. "I still think maybe they’re telling the truth."
"No," I said. "I’ll tell you what it is: they don’t trust us. We’re bushwhackers in their eyes, and they want us where they can keep an eye on us. That means they think we can do them some damage. How?"
Chase’s eyes closed briefly, and then she nodded. "I can give you a good guess. Their boarding party: they have to lower their screens to pass them through. For a few seconds, they’d be vulnerable."
I felt a simultaneous rush of elation and fear. "They don’t trust us," I repeated. And I found myself thinking about Sim’s chessboard. "Maybe we can turn it to our advantage."
"Go ahead," Chase said. "I’m open for ideas."
"I need you to go back and get two of the pressure suits. Put them inside the capsule, and inflate them. Try to make them look like us. And rig the capsule so we can operate it from here."
"Why? What good will that do?"
"I’m not sure how much time we have, Chase. Just do it. Okay? Let me know when it’s ready, and then get back here."
"All right," she said, getting up, and extending her hand. "And by the way, if I don’t see you again, it’s been a hell of a ride, Alex."
There was a catch beneath the flippancy, but she left quickly. In the general silence of the ship, I could follow her progress back through the hatches.