I nodded, suddenly understanding. I’d asked the ship to make me a miniature version of its own guns. There were no triggers or battery packs on its own lasers. They were attached to the ship itself and they fired when energy was switched on. I might as well hold a light bulb in my hand and ask why it wasn’t shining.
Still, I thought that for my purposes it would do the trick. It was my bargaining chip. I held it in my lap and decided it was time to contact Senator Kim Bager.
Using Pierre’s tiny portable computer, I logged in and connected to a server. Someone down there on Earth must have had the joyous job of monitoring the server around the clock. I was immediately hailed. I hesitated, then joined a private chat room to talk to them. I was glad Pierre had set his system to remember all his passwords. I had no idea what they were, and I didn’t have to figure them out.
“Hello?” I said.
“Pierre?” said a voice.
I nodded to myself. Could it be that they didn’t even know he was dead? Or were they going to play dumb?
“You know this isn’t Pierre,” I said.
“Who am I speaking to?”
“This is Commander Riggs.”
“You are a commander of the alien ships?”
“Of Star Force, yes. Connect me to Senator Kim Bager, please.”
That threw him for a second. “I’ll connect you to my superiors, sir.”
It took a few more intermediaries and about a half-hour of fooling around, but I eventually got through to the Senator. My first direct communications with Bager were awkward, to say the least. I decided not to go easy on her.
“Senator,” I said sternly, “I’m sorry that Ambassador Pierre Gaspard is not able to continue meeting with you.”
“Oh. I’m sorry to hear—”
“He was killed, unfortunately, by your government’s assassins. I’m sure you have been briefed, as you arranged the meeting yourself.”
“Ah—what? He’s been killed?”
“Indeed madam. Your assassin was successful. I was forced to personally deal with her myself.”
“Her?”
“The assassin, madam,” I said.
I glanced over at Sandra, who seemed to be enjoying the Senator’s obvious discomfort.
“First of all, Commander Riggs, let me assure you that I knew nothing of this—”
“Of course not, madam Senator,” I snapped in a tone that indicated I didn’t believe her.
Her voice changed, and I sensed great tension in it. She spoke deliberately, however. “You have to understand, Commander, our government has been put under a tremendous strain. Not everyone is on the same page. We can’t protect our citizens. Your ships kill thousands every day.”
For the first moment, I hesitated. I had been about to grill her further, to accuse her of doing everything but pull the trigger herself. But her words stopped me. They weren’t our ships doing the killing, but from their point of view, it would look that way. All of our ships looked the same to them. How did they know which ones we were in control of and which ones were still unmanned? Some of us stole things, probably people as well. Half the ships roamed the Earth testing and discarding people like chaff. There was plenty of death and hatred to go around for everyone.
“The ships who are still testing people are not under our control. They are not our ships. We are not the aliens, we are just citizens of the world who’ve been caught up in all this. Just like everyone else.”
“Not quite like everyone else. Can you understand how people down here might be frustrated? How—certain factions might arise and get ideas?”
“All right, Senator Bager,” I said. “I suppose it is plausible that Esmeralda was just a lone gunman. A fighter, I believe the new colloquial term is.”
“Esmeralda?” she asked.
“The assassin’s name, Senator.”
“You know her name?”
“Yes, she spoke to me in her final moments.”
A span of silence followed. The Senator had to push a button to transmit, and she wasn’t pushing it now. I wondered what kind of frenzy was going on at the other end. I was certain that the Senator was not alone. She probably had a number of people circling her, taking notes, offering suggestions. The fact that I had spoken with their assassin, learned her true name, and killed her personally must not be welcome news. They would have recovered the body by now and could verify at least some of my story.
I thought about what Crow had said about achieving independence. No political group was allowed to do so unless it was strong enough to fight for its freedom. That lesson was everywhere in history, and it seemed like we were repeating it now. Beating their assassin and getting information out of her had to impress them.
“Commander Riggs,” said the Senator in a cautious voice. “We have to work together for the good of humanity. How do we start again?”
“First of all, we will agree to a cover story that will save face for both sides. I suggest we spin it in this manner: A government agent aspired to take over one of our ships independently. She heard Pierre’s ship would be an easy mark, and she took it upon herself to go rogue.”
“That is my government’s position,” said the Senator, “because it is the truth.”
“Of course it is,” I said. “We will not break off diplomatic relations, despite the extreme provocation. But you must understand that trust must be rebuilt, and our security measures will be extreme from now on. In the future, we will only take aboard well-known, elected public officials for face-to-face meetings. No assistants, bodyguards or equipment bigger than a ballpoint pen will be coming with you.”
“With me?”
“Yes. Naturally Senator, I was hoping you would volunteer. I have something I very much want to show you. A piece of alien technology that might win the ground war with the Macros.”
She hesitated. “Does it have to be me?”
“I’m not a murderer, Kim,” I said gently. “Esmeralda attacked me first.”
Another hesitation. “I’ll come aboard. I’ve read your profile six times. You don’t seem like a typical killer, Commander Riggs. I’m hoping you haven’t changed.”
We set a time. We would have lunch together. I would provide the food.
-21-
Alliances are always forged in the fires of necessity, rather than poured from the sweet wine of love. I recalled having read that quote somewhere and it seemed particularly apt today.
The truth was when I first met with Senator Bager, face-to-face, neither of us was terribly happy about the situation. I considered her an accomplice in the assassination of a man who had been a comrade in battle if not exactly a friend. We had fought together and somehow, when you fight alongside another man in deadly combat, you are forever connected with them at a primal level. Pushing all that aside for diplomatic purposes involved a level of emotional control and detachment I was unaccustomed to dealing with.
“Senator, welcome aboard my ship,” I said.
Bager looked at my proffered hand apprehensively. After taking the ride up via the ship’s long, black arm, people were never in a happy mood. I suppose my appearance had something to do with it. I’d thought about rigging up an eye-patch, because my left eye was still—odd-looking. The nanites hadn’t finished their repairs upon my body in that spot yet. But Sandra had rejected the idea, pointing out that I would truly resemble a pirate if I started wearing an eye-patch. So, I’d opted for a pair of sunglasses.
Bager finally seemed to take a breath, stepped forward and took my hand. I shook it with every ounce of gentleness I could muster. It wouldn’t do to accidentally rip the arm off the Senator upon meeting her. I could see what she was thinking as we touched. Her lips smiled, but her brow was frowning. She was talking to a reputed killer of government agents who wore sunglasses in dimly lit rooms and who barely moved a muscle while shaking hands.