The president nodded gravely. "I'm sure that's true." His gaze paused on Qonits, then moved to Dorje Lodro. "Your Wisdom," he said, "what guidance do you have for us?"
"Guidance?" Her tone was mild. "You and the prime minister are quite able to make your decision on this without my input. But since you ask… Consider. The Wyzhnyny are dangerous only if armed. Presumably they have weapons and munitions aboard their troopships and ordnance ships. If you can collect those, and launch them by gravdrive into the sun, the Wyzhnyny are no longer dangerous."
You hope! David thought.
"Of course, if you spare them, you must decide what to do with them. They cannot go home. And if you do not spare them… " She paused. "As has been said: they are ensouled. You will bear great karma." She looked at Qonits. "Ambassador, within the Commonwealth boundaries, has your armada colonized planets which had no human occupants?"
Qonits looked at Dorje with the first glimmer of hope. "Three," he said.
"Ah." She turned to Chang. "If all the Wyzhnyny in the armada were landed on one of them-perhaps the most favorable, or that nearest Terra-they would be relatively easy to monitor and police. Then the Wyzhnyny colonists on other planets could be offered tranportation to that world."
She bowed slightly. "I have said enough."
Chang nodded, then looked at Qonits again. "Mr. Ambassador, you were sent to negotiate with us. Could you speak for us? Talk your people into surrendering, and settling on a world of their own? We of course would dictate the terms, but if those terms are not punitive… " He paused, waiting.
Dorje Lodro's words had revived Qonits. "I can try," he said quietly, "but I cannot guarantee success. It depends on who has taken command of the colonization fleet, if anyone has.
"The colonization fleet has no admiral of its own. It was commanded by the grand admiral-Lord Quanshuk and then Lord Tualurog. Each of the colony tribes had a commanding general and a governor, both of the master gender, but-"
Foster Peixoto raised a hand and interrupted. "What do you mean by master gender?"
"Let me first finish answering the earlier question. Those generals should all be in stasis, and at any rate are unqualified to command a ship, let alone a fleet. It is unlikely they've been revived, but the possibility is worrisome: We could find ourselves dealing with a commander strong in pride but weak in understanding.
"Whomever I must negotiate with will probably, hopefully, be a warrior, not a master, and normally my status is superior to a warrior's. But they will distrust me. And with Lord Quanshuk dead, my status is… " He groped for the word "ambiguous," and settled for "unclear."
"On the other hand their situation is desperate, and I expect they will listen." He puffed a Wyzhnyny sigh before finishing. "There is little more I can say about the prospects, until I know more about the terms you have in mind."
He gestured a shrug. "And now, Mr. Prime Minister, I shall explain the genders for you. It is important that you know; they are central to understanding us."
There are, he told them, four genetic genders and three nurture-actuated, "exalted" genders. One of the exalted genders-"matrons"-develops functional breasts, and if assigned a newborn, nurtures it. As a result, this "nurtured" infant develops distinctive anatomical, morphological and mental traits. That is, it becomes "exalted." With nurture, a genetic warrior becomes a master; a genetic artisan becomes a scholar; and a genetic nanny becomes a matron. Each quite distinct from the unnurtured phenotype.
Frowning, Chang said: "We were told by-another source that both sexes nurse the young."
"That requires clarification. We have only one parent gender. Each adult of the parent gender alternates between male and female sexual phases, and only the parent who carried the child nurses it. But the nonsexual nanny gender, which is larger, will also nurse any unweaned young in its care."
"You told us the matron gender nurses selected young."
"In a sense. But what the matrons produce is not what you might call `milk.' They provide something quite different, and in smaller quantities."
"Seven genders," Tischendorf mused. "What percentage are warriors?"
David had asked the same question while they'd waited aboard the scout, to be picked up, so Qonits recognized Tischendorf's problem. "About twelve percent," Qonits said, "but the parent gender, and the nannies and artisans are also trained to fight. Masters, as exalted warriors, are physically the largest and most powerful, and well able to fight. But they are seldom called upon to physically participate in combat. Their command powers, and sense of responsibility, are too valuable."
The admiral regarded the information thoughtfully. "And only the parent gender has sexual intercourse?"
"Only the parent gender is appropriately equipped and hormonally inclined."
"What is the difference between a warrior and a-parent in uniform? On the battlefield that is?"
"Warriors are larger and stronger, and have more appropriate reactions. In fact, they are bolder and more aggressive in all matters, and in war, more ready to put their lives in danger. In peacetime, warriors both accept and seek responsibility more than any other gender excepting masters. In the military, the great majority of commissioned officers are warriors, but they do not attain the higher ranks. All elite units are made up of warriors."
Tischendorf nodded thoughtfully. "So then, all-citizens?-are trained as soldiers?"
"All but matrons. Matrons have seriously limited intelligence. Also they are very precious to the species, unique and uncommon. All the exalted genders are; nurturing a newborn for exalted status commonly results in the infant's death. We have a saying, half serious: `Death by deranged morphogenesis is God's way of helping us appreciate the occasional success.' "
David wondered how such an odd system had ever evolved. And Qonits had mentioned God. Had he said it to mislead them, or was the proverb genuine?
"That is why," Qonits continued, "the exalted genders are exposed to actual combat no more than necessary. But matrons are especially precious. A warrior is most fierce when protecting a matron."
He bowed then, and the president reclaimed the floor. "Tell us about scholars, Mr. Ambassador."
"Ah, scholars. I have slighted my own kind, have I not? Scholars are exalted artisans. The artisan genotype in general absorbs information more easily than other genotypes. And artisans tend to apply information in practical ways. Scholars excel artisans in their affinity for information, but are less focused on its practical applications. Also we look more deeply, and analyze with greater facility."
He displayed what David knew was a grimace. "Unfortunately those strengths are not always accompanied by wisdom. They can give rise to overconfidence and vanity." He paused. "And it is a scholar weakness to become so engrossed in some area of interest-learning your language, for example-that we lose track of relative importances."
Chang regarded Qonits for a long moment. "Thank you, Mr. Ambassador," he said. "You've been very enlightening."
Chang led his de facto council through two additional rounds before he and his prime minister thanked and dismissed them. The last thing he said was that he would consult next with Charley Gordon, then perhaps talk further with them.