Mother of Demons by Eric Flint

A moment’s arm-stroking. Then, with the tone of assurance:

“It must be so. I can think of no other explanation. Several Kiktu refugees have told me that it was well known that Kopporu was opposed to the Kiktu clan leaders’ plan of battle. She had predicted disaster beforehand, and then demanded the command of the right flank. She was admired for that nobility of spirit, it seems. But the truth was different. She hatched a plot, and carried it out. Led the retreat of her flank into the swamp. Set a terrible ambush for the Utuku who pursued. And then—led the remainder of her tribe across the Lolopopo Swamp. Seeking refuge, I expect, in the Chiton.”

“Treason, you are saying?” asked Joseph.

The gesture of questioning.

“Treason, yes. Or—supreme loyalty.”

Joseph took command of the meeting then.

“Our options are clear and simple. From what the scouts report, the two armies will contact each other at the base of the Chiton, before either can reach any of the canyons. A battle will inevitably ensue—in two days, at the earliest. Probably three.”

He stared at the map.

“The Kiktu are outnumbered, but if we throw ourselves on their side, it may be enough to turn the tide.”

“And the other option?” asked Takashi.

“We marshall our forces behind Adrian’s Wall and wait—while the Utuku and the Kiktu fight it out. The Utuku will probably win, but the Kiktu will inflict massive casualties upon them. Very massive, I would think— if Rottu is right and they are still under the leadership of this Kopporu. Massive enough, probably, that the surviving Utuku will not be able to force their way up the canyon. They will retreat, and return to the main army for reinforcements. That will take some time, which we can use to prepare ourselves.”

The other Lieutenant in the hut, Andrew MacPherson, spoke for the first time.

“So. If we join the Kiktu, we risk everything at once. If we wait on the sides, we give ourselves some breathing room. That, I think, sums it up.”

Joseph nodded.

“Which do you prefer?” asked Takashi.

“It is not for me to decide. The decision is not simply a military one. It involves the fate of the entire colony—and everyone else on the Chiton, gukuy and owoc alike.”

Indira took command.

“Joseph is right. The council must make the decision. And we should—”

“No!”

She was stunned into silence. Joseph’s voice had been like a thunderclap.

She stared at him. “But, Joseph—the council is the only—”

“No.”

“But—”

“No.”

Silence filled the hut. Indira looked around. The faces of all the young members of the council mirrored Joseph’s—even the face of Anna Cheng. She looked at Julius. After a second, he looked away.

Joseph’s voice drew her back to him.

“This”—he said, pointing to the map, “is not a decision like any other. It is the decision that will change everything. It is the decision that will make the future. It is a decision which can only be made by that person who understands the future, and its perils.”

His face was like stone.

“And its secrets.”

Indira’s mind was blank. Like a bird, paralyzed by the gaze of a cobra.

Black as night. Implacable.

Joseph’s face softened, slightly.

“I’m sorry, Indira. I am not angry with you, as I was before. I have been listening to Ushulubang, these past nights, and—”

He took a deep breath. “I know that I terrify you. I even think that I understand why. Some part of it, at least. This decision—” He pointed to the map “—seems obvious to me. As simple and easy to make as—as whether to cherish the owoc. But you see deeper than I. Than any of us.”

Joseph paused, groping for words. He glanced at Ushulubang. Then said:

“This decision is not simply an answer. It is a question. A great question. Maybe the greatest question of all. The answer may be obvious, but the question is not. Therefore, only you can make the decision.”

She started to protest.

“It is true—mother.”

Desperately she scanned the room. Every face was like stone—even, to her horror, that of Julius.

No, not every face.