“I am imagining this is where the less good news graduates into the bad news,” I said.
“You are correct, because right now it does not matter whether the Abumwe information is true or not,” Oi said. “The general is correct that the Colonial Union and Abumwe dropped a bomb into our lap—a bomb you suggest we let her set off, I will remind you—and now all the chatter I’m hearing is our members triangulating toward it or away from it. We’ve introduced chaos into the usual mix of ambition and venality we lovingly call the Grand Assembly. Before, we had two primary groups in the chamber: those generally drifting away from the Conclave and those generally supporting it. Right now my analysts have identified six distinct emerging philosophical groups. Some of these believe the Ocampo report and some believe the Abumwe, and then there are some who don’t care about the truth value of either but merely whether they can be used as tools to settle political scores. The group that especially worries me at the moment is the one my analysts are calling the ‘purgers.’ You can guess what the purgers want to do.”
“The general is addressing the Grand Assembly about this very problem.”
“No doubt because of your advice.”
“That sounds more accusatory than usual, Director.”
“Apologies,” Oi said. “I don’t mean to imply it was bad advice. Just that you appear to have more influence over the general than usual recently.”
“I don’t believe that’s true.”
“If you say so. At the very least everyone else is too busy to notice.”
“Do you think the general is worse off than he was before, politically?” I asked, changing the topic.
“No,” Oi said. “Before Abumwe addressed the Grand Assembly, a large faction had targeted the general in order to push one of their own into power. Now that faction has fragmented and all the factions are fighting each other. So if your plan was to divert attention away from the general, it worked. Of course, now there are complications. What was best for the general in the short term is not, I think, the best for the Conclave in the long term. You do see that, Councilor.”
“I do,” I said. “We buy time where we may.”
“You bought yourself time,” Oi agreed. “I don’t think it’s of very good quality.”
* * *
In my own office, just before the general’s address, I regarded Ode Abumwe, and she me. “I believe we might be two of a kind,” I said to her, finally. “Two people who believe in the usefulness of truth, despite the environments in which we work.”
“I am glad you believe so, Councilor,” Abumwe said, and waited for me to continue.
“You were blunt yesterday in our meeting after your presentation,” I said. “I was hoping you might be again.”
“As you wish,” Abumwe said.
“What does the Colonial Union hope to gain by sharing the information you have with us?”
“We hope to avoid a war with the Conclave,” Abumwe said.
“Yes,” I said. “But what more than that?”
“I was given no other brief, either publicly or privately,” Abumwe said. “We knew Ocampo and Equilibrium wanted to set each of us on the other for their own reasons. We knew it would end poorly for us, and that we would be obliged to make it end as poorly as possible for you as we could.”
“Presenting us this information does not end the potential of conflict between us.”
“No, of course not. But if conflict happens, it will be because of our own damn foolishness, and not anyone else’s.”
I smiled widely at this. Abumwe, a professional diplomat, did not flinch. “But you don’t believe that your brief is the whole of the reason this information was given to us,” I said.
“You’re asking me for my opinion, Councilor.”
“I am.”
“No, I don’t,” she said.
“Will you offer me your thoughts as to some of the other reasons?”
“That would be irresponsible of me.”
“Please.”
“I would imagine we wanted what in fact happened,” Abumwe said. “Using the information to destroy the comity of the Conclave and to force open the fissures that were already developing. You could destroy us, and even if we took you with us that would be of little comfort. Better if you destroyed yourselves without going through us first.”
“And do you believe that’s how it would happen?” I asked. “That members of the then-former Conclave, individually or severally, would conveniently forget it was your report that started us on the path to our destruction? Would forget Roanoke? Would forget all the other reasons we have to despise you?”
“What I believe is aside from what my responsibilities are to the Colonial Union.”