Asprin, Robert Lynn – Catwoman – Tiger Hunt (With Lynn Abbey)

Alfred frowned, more at the dust clinging to the books than at Bruce’s commentary. “When I was growing up, the big fear was anarchy. Balkanization, my teachers called it. Communism and facism looked like acceptable solutions to the problem. Big powers to keep the little ones in check. I believe I recall that Bessarabia is in the general area of the Balkans.”

“That’s it.” Bruce rose from his chair. He flexed and stretched his shoulders until the ligaments snapped, then loudly closed all the books.

“What is it, sir?”

“All we see is names in books and on maps. We hear about people fighting and killing each other because they want to spell their names with Latin letters rather than Cyrillic. They see independence as the freedom to speak and write the language of their parents. We see it in terms of money. And so we call them foolish, ignorant, and backward. We can’t see what they see—or maybe we just don’t want to.”

“I know I don’t want to, sir,” Alfred confessed. “It seems so sad, so wasteful. Fighting like that over things that aren’t important.”

Bruce opened a window and cleansed his lungs with a yawn. “That’s only because no one ever told you that you couldn’t speak English, or call yourself Alfred.”

He took a step back from the window. Alfred hurried forward to close it.

“I’m going to Gotham. I think I know where I can find one of my three potential terrorist Bessarabians. I’m going to listen to them until I understand why they’re ready to go to war with their neighbors. No need to make dinner.”