Epilogue - Lucy
She was Gorilla sapiens. And, because of that fact, she was one of the few crew of the Theseus who was aware of the full scope and purpose of its mission from the beginning. She, her people, were exempt from most of the consequences of the potential outcomes that had been projected by the success or failure of the Theseus’s stated mission goals.
Gorillas were required to render aid, but only to those who request it within easy reach of colonies upon which they were the dominant force. They were a presence in many of the military forces which made up the UEOSC’s member forces, but they did not rely on military aid for their existence like the "Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh My," those species such as great cats which required the assistance of military organizations to maintain their population numbers and were thus could be subjected to a ‘draft’ if a war broke out.
Her people had been somewhat dismissive of the plight of the Aurealians to begin with, and she remained as such. She didn’t particularly care very much about the retribution that the Jurassians faced, whether it was justified or not. Nor was she particularly bothered by the outcomes for Yosca space, now that a Yosca force had successfully initiated a ceasefire between two significant factions of the belligerents.
Because now that it had been done once, it had been proven possible.
To homo sapiens, the impossible was a challenge, the possible was routine. Not so for Gorilla sapiens. Not everything that was possible was worth doing, and it took a certain perspective to know when the price of peace was worth the cost of instability and war. That was Lucy’s true role upon the Theseus. She could fight, but it was her perspective which was her true value.
She was sharing it now with Jon Cassonova over a game of go. She was losing, of course. The man was a grandmaster, she was only good by nonprofessional standards. But the fact that he was playing with holograms of Stargazer and Horthus gave her some chance of at least surprising him. Horthus was actually proving quite good at the game. Stargazer was a child with a clever mind. Though she hadn’t yet picked up the long-term strategical thinking which was required for such an exercise, she was learning fast.
"So you’re saying that we cannot count on the humans sending any other ships, despite us sending diplomats requesting the ‘humanitarian aid’ that they have offered from the beginning?" Horthus inquired.
"At this stage, I strongly advise the leaders of the interim government of the system formerly known as ‘Horthus system’ to consider only the aid which is presently available within said system," she repeated.
"Is this not going back on your word?" Horthus challenged. "You have promised this sort of aid from the beginning, and we have met your stated intentions regarding our armistice. We are no longer belligerents, why do you delay in saving my Nameless?"
"It is not us, or me, that you need to convince," Lucy Gorilla said tersely. "My people would not bother to venture so far from the nest no matter how you call for aid. You must convince the humans, for although the rest of Yosca likes to pretend otherwise, where the humans go, so go we all. And the humans are not very happy that their analysis has proven wrong. That Jurassians can put aside their need for violence with fairly simple pharmacological interventions will rock the humans. That the Aurealians can mask the pheromones that trigger the Jurassian’s hunting instinct will be equally damming; that was valuable knowledge you shared with us Stargazer. Once we’re better able to analyze those plants, both of your people will be many steps closer to coexisting peacefully."
"It was not just instinct which drove the hunts for so long," Horthus pointed out. "Nor will Named stop killing Nameless simply because we no longer need to murder to achieve clarity."
"No," Jon agreed. "And unfortunately that must be resolved before any Jurassian faction may join Yosca. The right to exist, which the Jurassians believe they must earn, and which can be taken away from the Nameless at the drop of a hat, is so fundamental to the UEOSC that the very idea of your people not having it is a fundamental incompatibility. We are more than willing to overlook other cultural differences, such as cannibalism as a method of funeral rites, which among our own people we would find very taboo. But this is a point which cannot be overlooked if you are to join Yosca, and both of your governments joining Yosca is the only way I see of either of you weathering the coming storm."
"That is my conclusion as well," Lucy agreed, placing a clever stone. She thought it was clever until Jon answered it, at least, then she frowned. "Aside from the direct interstellar conflict between your people, it is the practice of Urata, and the lack of a right to exist among the Nameless, which most clearly exclude your respective cultures from membership. Urata is not entirely incompatible with human beliefs; palliative euthanasia is an acceptable practice among some human and sapient cultures for the elderly and mortally ill. But the scope and scale of it as used by--"
"The way those cowards do it—that will never be the case here," Stargazer interrupted hotly. "My sisters didn’t even realize that anybody would be so stupid as to taste the Urata intentionally! To avoid it is the first lesson a Kip learns after surviving the test of two in ten! I cannot believe that the reason we have lost so much space was because my people were such cowards that they would rather go into the light blindly than fight for their own survival!"
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"And it was never the case that a veteran or elder was found with Urata leaves in their mouths?" Lucy asked the planetary Chorus Leader. "Never in all of the songs of memory or lamentation?"
Stargazer shifted in a motion Lucy recognized as signaling discomfort. "Some," she admitted. "Not many. It was the dream of taking the Others with us into the light which kept us motivated to live on despite the hardship. But the sorrow of that life is so great, even now when I have hope, the echoes of it haunt my sleep. Still my sisters cling tight the spears we were gifted, not as weapons, but simply to sing songs of better tomorrows. For that is the most wonderful gift we have been given. And the cruelest, if it is to be taken away."
"It is very curious, for a human who has studied dozens of different sapient cultures, to have finally seen two completely alien species from the inside, as I have," Jon said, making a move that made Horthus groan in disgust. "The medicated Named One is actually a wise and just ruler. The hopeful Aurealian is a fierce guerrilla warrior. We would have no way of knowing these things were it not for the Theseus’s intervention. Once the cities have been rebuilt, and the leaders properly medicated, and the pheromones properly masked, oh but this world will be a place to see! I only hope that I live so long!"
"How much longer will you live?" Stargazer asked him. "I know that you are a great elder among your species, and that is why you exist only as a mind in a doll. But how much longer will that keep you alive?"
"It is difficult to say exactly," Jon admitted. "Honestly though, I don’t expect my death to be natural causes."
"You expect to be murdered?" she asked, alarmed.
"It is not the time to speak of such things to her," Horthus said softly. "She is too young and hopeful, she will not understand the importance of one’s legacy."
"You’re right, my friend. Do not worry about me, Stargazer. My death will not come for some time yet, and before it comes, I will see to it that you and your sisters are as prepared for the future as I can possibly make them," Jon promised.
"But that preparation will not include returning to earth to plead on your behalf," Lucy said. "The window for that option is closed, and has been since the moment he surrendered to Horthus."
"An act that, had he not done, would have doomed you and I to the fires of war, my little sister," Horthus said, huffing. "For without him by my side, I would never have sued for peace."
"One door opens, and another one closes," Jon said, shrugging. "I have jokingly referred to it as my ‘retirement, but what I have done is called ‘defection’ among my people. Technically I am not an enemy, but I am no longer considered trustworthy. Had I broadcast my intentions too broadly I would have been prevented from taking the actions I deemed necessary to save the greatest amount of lives. I have no regrets. But there are those on earth who would silence me for the secrets they believe I must not share with the Jurassians, and there are others who would simply like to remove me from the board entirely."
"It is extremely frustrating to have a stone on the board, ill positioned, which you must plan the rest of the game around," Stargazer observed. "I wish that it was within the rules to simply remove the stones I regret playing."
"And yet that rule is exactly the reason I prefer go," Jon said softly. "Too many commanders in history have compared war to a game like chess, where they were willing to think of the lives of their soldiers as pawns to be sacrificed. Sometimes in go you may sacrifice an area or several stones to gain a larger advantage, but always it costs you in the final count. Every sacrifice is a life lost, and every loss counts against the soul of a commander. If you harden your heart to that fact, you are not worthy of the lives of the men who follow you. That is the true way of war, and that is why I play go and not chess."
Lucy had already known this. For Lucy was Gorilla sapiens. And she, too, did not like to play chess. For Gorilla sapiens did not believe in things like pawns.