“You still haven’t answered why the Covenanters attacked Hamilton.”
“There was another agent on board—a Covenanter agent. We caught him just before he was about to complete a device that would have destroyed the Magellan. That was another reason why the Owens was dispatched,” Morgan said. “The captain felt it was urgent to report a Covenanter saboteur who was planted to disable or destroy the Magellan just at the time the Covenanter fleet arrived. We didn’t know about the CW flotilla, of course.”
Just nodded. Morgan had a pat explanation. Only problem was that saboteurs wouldn’t reveal where they were from, or much of anything. So Morgan had known before and had been watching. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to move so fast.
“What happened to the saboteur?” Liam’s words didn’t sound like a question.
“He had nanetic fail-safes in his system. Major DeLisle couldn’t keep him alive.”
Knew both statements were true. They also weren’t related. Morgan had taken care of the saboteur… or ordered DeLisle to let him die. Couldn’t say I felt much sympathy.
“The battle here in Hamilton system,” I prompted.
“No single system—not really, and especially not without advance notice—can be effectively defended, not without massive superiority in numbers,” Morgan went on. “When they didn’t get the signal from their agent, and when the Magellan appeared leaving Danann, they figured he’d been discovered, and that meant we had the Danannian technology. For them, the only way to stop us from using it was to try to destroy our installations on Danann, and the Magellan, and attack Hamilton and create enough destruction and disruption that it would be generations before anyone could recover or find the Danannian technology…”
Sounded good if you didn’t think. Didn’t make total sense, if you did. Just nodded. Waited to see what else Morgan had to say.
“Very good defense in depth, Commander.” Liam’s voice dripped sarcasm. “And just how did every D.S.S. fleet in the Comity happen to be waiting off Hamilton?”
Morgan lifted his hands in a shrug. “I can’t explain that. Good luck?”
“Let me offer a hypothesis,” Liam said. “Let us just suppose that the Comity wanted to exploit the fact that the Worlds of the Covenant had this… fixation on the Morning Star or the Spear of Iblis. Let us further suppose that the Covenanters received unimpeachable intelligence about just how advanced the Danannian technology was, including its potential to destroy warships at a distance and how it just might be something like the Morning Star. Further assume that they received scattered information about how to find Danann, and that most Comity fleets would be elsewhere than in Hamilton system… and let us further suppose that the Middle Kingdom, which was doubtless more than a little irritated about the assassination of First Advocate Tyang Ku Wong, just happened to discover that all Covenanter fleets might conceivably be engaged in occupying Danann and attacking Hamilton system… I would judge that the Middle Kingdom is effectively laying waste to the Zion system and New Jerusalem, if it hasn’t already done so.”
Morgan looked at Liam. Tiredly. “That’s all hypothesis.”
“Absolutely.” Liam smiled. Thought his early expressions had been cold. I was wrong. “But that doesn’t invalidate its basic truth.” He paused, then went on quietly. “I’m not a spy, and I’m not an agent. I wasn’t certain, but it would make perfect sense. The Worlds of the Covenant have been expanding. They have a high birth rate, and they don’t operate with any kind of logic that meshes with the more rationalistic polities. The Middle Kingdom has suffered most, but isn’t powerful enough to risk the Comity’s enmity… but an alliance of convenience would not only remove the Covenanter threat, perhaps permanently, but neutralize the Chrysanthemum Worlds. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone even suggested that a CW flotilla might be able to slip in and discover that technology after the Magellan left. They really didn’t pursue us that hard.” Liam paused. “Then, too, you even considered the most important motivation of the Covenanters and the Sunnis.”
Morgan smiled, amused. Said nothing.
“If an alien species could create a universe, does that make them gods? If the Comity obtains that technology, that ability, what does that do to the myth of the divine creator, the source? What does that do to the power structure of the Covenanter worlds? The theocracies didn’t want the technology. They wanted it buried. If the Comity obtains it and masters the Danannian technology, the Worlds of the Covenant become even more irrelevant— politically, theologically, and in terms of sheer power. Even if the Covenanters did manage to acquire the technology, either from Danann or by stealing it, what the technology represents would destroy their culture. Five thousand years of history has shown that.”
“Can anyone master it?” I asked.
“Not for a long time, if ever,” Liam said. “Dr. Taube, Lazar, Hector Regens—they’re convinced that some of it may never work because the expansion of the universe somehow changed the understructure of the universe itself.” Looked at Morgan. “You suspected that, didn’t you?”
“Let us just say that I’m a skeptic.”
“We can’t go back to Danann? Can anyone?” Thought I knew, but had to ask.
“After those fireworks, I don’t think either the captain or the D.S.S. would wish to risk it I don’t.” Morgan’s voice remained tired.
“Very effective, Commander. You managed to employ a technology we’ll never master to destroy the one rival to the Comity long before it could become a significant threat, while creating an effective alliance with the Middle Kingdom and weakening the strongest other system along their borders. Do they get to keep and ‘pacify’ the Covenanter worlds?”
“You’ve been wasted as a historian, Professor.”
“I think not.” Liam smiled. “I’ve enjoyed life more— although not as much as I intend.” He turned to the blank wall screen. “Captain… since we don’t intend more violence, might we depart with your assurance of, shall we say, neutrality?”
“What do you intend to do with your burst transmission, Professor?” The captain’s voice came from the screen.
“Oh… that. I imagine I’ll leave it on standby in various locales, possibly for the rest of my natural life.”
“I doubt that will be necessary.” Her image filled the screen. Beside her was the most honorable Special Deputy Minister Allerde. “We have already recorded a number of speculations from others on the team. Professor deSilva has extrapolated most of what you suggested, and Professor Khorana also has had some enlightening speculations. Ser Barna knows most of this, and his absence would be noted. Besides, as a most practical matter, it is now in the Comity’s interest for the rest of the Galaxy to understand exactly how far we will go against blind—and it is truly blind—faith.”
“And I’ll be allowed to publish a monograph or book that outlines this?”
“But, of course,” Allerde replied. Sounded genuine. “So long as you can document whatever you publish in the scholarly accepted fashion.”
Liam laughed. “Very clever.”
Morgan looked unhappy. “What about security?”
“I am sorry, Commander,” Allerde added. “It was decided that the most obvious aspects of the strategy would be made public. Since initial communications have revealed no significant damage to civilian targets in Hamilton system, there is little advantage to further secrecy, and great disadvantage. As you have experienced, it appears that secrecy is not possible concerning the… artifact and what it represents.” He smiled politely. “ I am most certain you will enjoy your well-earned retirement.”