Jemunu-jah gaped at the Deyzara. “The Authority would shoot Sakuntala to protect a fungus?”
“If they believe it to be intelligent, comparatively helpless, and in danger, yes. Policy would allow them to do that even if the pannula are not directly affected by the ongoing clash.”
The Sakuntala’s ears bent forward and his tail lay limp on the deck behind his chair. “This changes everything.”
“That is what I am saying. Because of its uniqueness, the pannula will become the focus of Commonwealth interests on Fluva.”
“It is so absurd.”
Masurathoo rolled his eyes. “The policies of governments often are. But both the Deyzara and the Sakuntala have to learn to deal with them.” He went silent, turning to gaze again at the rain-swept forest.
Deal with them, Jemunu-jah thought furiously. Unless—what if the Commonwealth Authority continued to remain ignorant of the pannula’s hypothesized intelligence? Where would be the harm in that? Even if the bad-tempered human’s assessment was correct, it could be many, many years before anyone else happened to stumble upon the knowledge.
Could he persuade Hasa to keep silent on the matter? Jemunu-jah doubted it. It was likely that such a momentous discovery would mean that honors would be bestowed on the human by his own kind. Even if the Deyzara did not entirely believe it, it was reasonable to assume that Masurathoo would eventually support the human’s contentions, if only for the effect it would have on any Sakuntala uprising. Jemunu-jah had no quarrel with that. He also wanted to see an end to the conflict. But did he want to see it enforced, on some of his own admittedly misguided people, by Commonwealth weapons?