Nicole felt Tora Soam lower itself beside her upon the couch. "What are the apparent and the real goals of the Mavedah and the Front?"
The apparent goats were clear: each side demanded nothing less than the extermination of the other side. The real goals? The settling of old scores? Happiness? Put the entire planet’s population under therapy until each side can live with the existence of the other? "I am not certain."
"Emmmm. I will tell you this: as things now stand, both the Dracon Chamber and the United States of Earth would be inclined to hand back conquered territories and end the fighting-except for Amadeen."
"Have there already been negotiations?"
Tora Soam hissed. "Of a sort. A creature more of information and communication. rather than accomplishment." The silence in the chamber became desperate.
The Drac seemed to be waiting for Nicole to respond. She rubbed her temples and thought for a moment. "Zigh Caida and the other Dracs at the repast; they are the Drac representatives to the negotiations?"
"The… former negotiations."
…And then the past spoke to her:
Uhe told its warmasters:
"Never again shall one tribe starve because of a boundary, tabu, or law…"
The student Shizumaat spoke to the servant of Aakva:
"…I see that a rule stood between the Mavedah and survival; I see that the rule was nothing sacred, but made by Sindie; and I see that Uhe saw this and cast the rule aside to save its people: The truth I see, then, is that rules are meant to serve the Sindie; the Sindie is not meant to serve rules…"
In some manner, every crisis described in The Talman was rooted in talmai veruhune: the service of rules; ruleboundedness. Every resolution was rooted in stepping outside of the rules. And talma was the formal discipline, paths, rules for stepping outside of rules.
Maltak Di, in the Koda Nushada, told its students: "Talma is not the way; Talma is a way for seeking ways."
Ruleboundedness. And every major halt in human advancement, every major crisis in human history, was rooted in talmai veruhune. Call it religion, politics, philosophy, science-it was the blind allegiance to rules.
"Tora Soam, both the United States of Earth and the Dracon Chamber are rulebound into this war."
"Yes."
"And you find through me a way to step outside of the rules?"
"A possible way."
Too many things came together at once as sharp pains lanced through her head. She could not-would not-admit to what she knew; what Tora Soam wanted her to know; and what the Ovjetah would have her do about it.
…There was a disturbed silence from the Drac side of the table until Ovjetah Suinat Piva of the Fangen Kovah burst out in laughter.
"I see your game. Tora Soam…"
Nicole stood up. "I must go to my apartments, Tora Soam. I do not feel well. I think I too, see your game."
She heard Tora Soam stand. "And what will you do?" Nicole began feeling her way toward the corridor. "What will you do, Joanne Nicole?"
Nicole sat in her apartment’s entertainment room for a few minutes, trying to get control of herself. Then she said to hell with it and began tearing up the place. Nicole ripped open the cushions with her fingers and swung things until she heard other things smash.
"Cute! Cute. Tora Soam, you bastard-" Lights flashed in her head and she found herself sitting on the floor, a lump growing on the right side of her forehead. Cut stone walls do not smash easily.
"This is stupid."
She pulled herself up, felt her way into the bathing room, and tried to keep the swelling down by putting cold water on her forehead.
The game.
Lita’s formula for winning: "I win."
The bloody damned game.
She realized that she had been fenced with rules and fattened up with choice tidbits of information. Tora Soam and the other, Jetai Talman had found themselves rulebound. Somehow a Lita had fenced Amadeen. the USEF, and the Dracon Chamber with a structure of rules… a structure that allowed no end to the war… no end short of destroying both human and Drac civilizations. The weapons were too powerful; the tacticians too skilled.
An insight was needed: a talma that would reveal the nature of the structure, which would, in turn, reveal the talma that would allow the structure to be encircled by another structure.
And she was a part of the talma to find that insight. Paths for finding paths to find paths through which more paths…
Wheels within bloody wheels.
She stood upright. -That’s why I could never get that damned feeler stick in the Chirn Kovah to work for me! That would have allowed me to see too much! Another damned talma to find…
Pur Sonaan and its damned player… selected recitals by Vencha Eban…
…Vencha Eban gasping at being discovered not cleaning the room… "After the birth of my only child, Hiurod, my reproductive organs (poignant pause indicating deep sorrow) had to be removed. Hiurod died-"
"God damnit!"
Supporting cast: Vunseleh, Mitzak… Tegara-oh, she was good.
"Your name-ha! Your skin! It is yellow!
"No shit. toadface…"
…Tora Kia slapping me in anger… good old Baadek swearing its undying loyalty to me…
They were all good.
"Jesus H. Christ!"
And if everything fit together, Tora Soam would be standing in her open doorway, watching its convoluted talma going down the drain. Nicole turned toward the bathing room door, felt her way through the central accessway, and entered the greeting room.
"Tora Soam?"
"Yes?"
"You bastards certainly went to a lot of trouble. Why?"
"To end a war is not sufficient reason?"
"Why me?"
"You were one of many, Dracs and humans with unique sights, selected by the Talman Kovah’s computers. Your command’s unpredictable resistance at Storm Mountain placed you in the coarse selection. Your rescue of the children-"
"Was… was that attack staged, too?"
"No. But I suppose it is to be expected that you would put nothing beyond my behavior."
"That is no lie, Tora Soam."
Nicole held her hands to her head. Benbo and that smell of flowers… cleaning. Vencha Eban!
"Damn! Is Benbo? A Drac?"
Tora Soam gave an involuntary laugh. "My apologies. Your Amos Benbo is still on Ditaar."
"Who…"
"Its name is Fanda, one of our most accomplished actors."
"A Drac?"
"Yes. It was necessary for you to hear the Amadeen Front’s hate from someone you could trust. Fanda studied Benbo for many days." Tora Soam was silent for a moment. "It will harm things no further, Joanne Nicole, for me to inform you of something else. It may relieve some of your pain. Leonid Mitzak, under my instructions, lied to you about the extent of the attack on the V’Butaan Field. None of your men were killed." Nicole leaned against the wall. A thousand thoughts demanded her attention at the same time.