Unless further study uncovers flaws in their character which would preclude an eventual Chani-like expansion, I personally feel we must consider annihilation for this race as soon as possible. Since we obviously need to discover the race's full strategic capabilities-and since our subject refuses to cooperate-we are being forced to provide a stronger incentive. The results should be enlightening, and will be sent as soon as they are available.
Regards, Eftis The door slid back and Kelly stepped into the test chamber, looking across the room eagerly to see what sort of creature he'd be competing against this time. The dim red lights were back on in the room, indicating someone from a world with a red sun, and as Kelly's eyes adjusted to the relative darkness he saw another of the alligator-like Olyts approaching the table. "I greet you," Kelly said, making the crossed-wrist gesture he'd seen at his first game here. "I am Kelly McClain of the human race."
The Olyt repeated the salute. "I am ulur Achranae of the Olyt race.
"Pleased to meet you. What does ulur mean?"
"It is a title of respect for my position. I command a war-force of seven spacecraft."
Kelly swallowed. A trained military man. Good thing he wasn't in a hurry to win and go home.
"Interesting. Well, shall we begin?"
Achranae sat down. "Let us make an end to this charade quickly."
"What do you mean, 'charade'?" Kelly asked cautiously as he took his seat. He was by no means an expert on Olyt expressions and emotions, but he could swear this one was angry.
"Do not deny your part," the alien snapped. "I recognize your name from the reports, and know how you played this game for the Stryfkar against another of my people, studying him like a laboratory specimen before allowing him to win and depart. We do not appreciate the way you take our people like this-"
"Whoa! Wait a second; I'm not with them. They've been taking my people, too. It's some sort of psychology experiment, I guess."
"Whoa! Wait a second; I'm not with them. They've been taking my people, too. It's some sort of psychology experiment, I guess."
"Before you do so we must inform you of an important change in the rules," Slaich's voice cut in. "You shall play three different games, instead of one, agreeing on the rules before beginning each. The one who wins two or more shall be returned home. The other will lose his life."
It took a second for that to sink in. "What?" Kelly yelped. "You can't do that!" Across the table Achranae gave a soft, untranslatable hiss. His claws, fully extended, scratched lightly on the game board.
"It is done," Slaich said flatly. "You will proceed now."
Kelly shot a frustrated glance at Achranae, looked up again. "We will not play for our lives. That sort of thing is barbarous, and we are both civilized beings."
"Civilized." Slaich's voice was thick with sudden contempt. "You, who can barely send craft outside your own atmosphere; you consider yourself civilized? And your opponent is little better."
"We govern a sphere fifteen light-years across," Achranae reminded Slaich calmly, his outburst of temper apparently over. For all their short fuses, Kelly decided, Olyts didn't seem to stay mad long.
"Your eight worlds are nothing against our forty."
"It is said the Chanis had only five when they challenged you."
The silence from the speaker was impressively ominous. "What are the Chanis?" Kelly asked, fighting the urge to whisper.
"It is rumored they were a numerically small but brutally aggressive race who nearly conquered the Stryfkar many generations ago. We have heard these stories from traders, but do not know how true they are."
"True or not, you sure hit a nerve," Kelly commented. "How about it, Slaich? Is he right?"
"You will proceed now," Slaich ordered, ignoring Kelly's question.
Kelly glanced at Achranae, wishing he could read the other's face. Did Olyts understand the art of bluffing? "I said we wouldn't play for our lives."
In answer a well-remembered flash of red light exploded inches from his face. Instinctively, he pushed hard on the table, toppling himself and his chair backwards. He hit hard enough to see stars, somersaulted out of the chair, and wound up lying on his stomach on the floor. Raising his head cautiously, he saw the red fireball wink out and, after a moment, got warily to his feet. Achranae, he noted, was also several feet back from the table, crouching in what Kelly decided was probably a fighting stance of some kind.
"If you do not play, both of you will lose your lives." Slaich's voice was mild, almost emotionless, but it sent a shiver down Kelly's spine. Achranae had been right: this was no simple psychology experiment.
The Stryfkar were searching for potential enemies-and somehow both humans and Olyts had made it onto their list. And there was still no way to escape. Looking across at Achranae, Kelly shrugged helplessly. "Doesn't look like we have much choice, does it?" sent a shiver down Kelly's spine. Achranae had been right: this was no simple psychology experiment.
The Stryfkar were searching for potential enemies-and somehow both humans and Olyts had made it onto their list. And there was still no way to escape. Looking across at Achranae, Kelly shrugged helplessly. "Doesn't look like we have much choice, does it?"
"Since this contest is so important to both of us," Kelly said when they were seated again, "I suggest that you choose the first game, allowing me to offer changes that will take away some of your advantage-changes we both have to agree on, of course. I'll choose the second game; you'll suggest changes on that one."
"That seems honorable. And the third?"
"I don't know. Let's discuss that one when we get there, okay?"
It took nearly an hour for the first game, plus amendments, to be agreed upon. Achranae used three of the extra transparencies and their supports to create a three-dimensional playing area; the game itself was a sort of 3-D "Battleship," but with elements of chess, Monopoly, and even poker mixed in. Surprisingly enough, the mixture worked, and if the stakes hadn't been so high Kelly thought he would have enjoyed playing it. His own contributions to the rules were a slight adjustment to the shape of the playing region-which Kelly guessed would change the usual positional strategies-and the introduction of a "wild card" concept to the play. "I also suggest a practice game before we play for keeps," he told Achranae.
The Olyt's dark eyes bored into his. "Why?"
"Why not? I've never played this before, and you've never played with these rules. It would make the actual game fairer. More honorable. We'll do the same with the second and third games."
"Ah-it is a point of honor?" The alien cocked his head to the right. A nod? "Very well. Let us begin."
Even with the changes, the game-Skymarch, Achranae called it-was still very much an Olyt one, and Achranae won the practice game handily. Kelly strongly suspected Skymarch was a required course of the aliens' space academy; it looked too much like space warfare to be anything else.
"Did the Stryf speak the truth when he said you were not starfarers?" Achranae asked as they set up the board again.
"Hm? Oh, yes." Kelly replied distractedly, his mind on strategy for the coming game. "We've hardly even got simple spacecraft yet."
"Surprising, since you learn space warfare tactics so quickly." He waved his sheathed claws over the board. "A pity, too, since you will not be able to resist if the Stryfkar decide to destroy you."
"I suppose not, but why would they want to? We can't be any threat to them."