He nodded and she could tell he was biting back words. And tears, she thought. “All right.” After a moment, his eyes moved to Kinsey.
“You’re probably the human race’s expert on the Jao, Professor, as least as far as their history goes. What’s your assessment of the situation? I’m not talking about the problem with the Ekhat. That’s a military problem which will either be handled or it won’t. I’m talking about the overall political situation. I have a feeling we’re sitting on a powderkeg here.”
Kinsey sat up straighter and made vaguely groping motions with his hands in midair. Again, Caitlin had to stifle a laugh. Kinsey was unconsciously trying to adopt his favorite professorial stance when explaining something to his students while seated—clasp his hands before him on the desk. The problem was, he had no desk.
After a moment, realizing what he was doing, Kinsey sighed and lowered his hands into his lap. He did clasp them, though.
“Powderkeg is right. In essence, Mr. President, what you’re looking at is vaguely analogous to the Indian Mutiny of 1857—except, in this instance, the rebellious natives and their sepoy troops are being organized and led by the equivalent of an English duke. For all practical purposes, except for the flotilla under Oppuk’s command on the moon, Aille krinnu ava Pluthrak has seized control of Terra—its military forces as well as its civilian administration. And he proposes to turn over all effective control to the natives, subject to the final approval of him or his appointed staff.” He glanced at Caitlin. “Which includes humans as well as Jao.”
Ben Stockwell sucked in a breath. “Jesus. Correct me if I’m wrong, Professor, but didn’t the Indian Mutiny turn out really bad for the mutineers?”
“Yes and no. In the immediate sense, yes. The British crushed the rebellion, and did so ruthlessly. But it was the Mutiny that finally alerted the British Empire to the British East India Company’s misrule of the subcontinent. Shortly thereafter and as a direct result, the East India Company was given the heave-ho and the British Empire started administering India directly. Less than a century later, India got its independence.”
Stockwell stared at him. “I see.”
Kinsey shook his head. “I don’t think you do, Mr. President, not fully. I used that analogy just to focus our thinking, but the analogy only goes so far. There’s a least one difference, and it’s a big one—two differences, actually. The first is that this ‘mutiny’ is being led by a very prestigious Jao, not by the ‘natives.’ That will make quite a difference in the way the Jao look at it.”
“What’s the second difference?”
Kinsey gave him a solemn look. “The second difference is that—so far—there’s been no equivalent of the Black Hole of Calcutta. Where, if you don’t recall the history, the Indian rebels murdered a large number of Englishmen in India. Actually, that happened in many places, but the Black Hole of Calcutta was the single most notorious episode. Especially after the British seized on the incident and exaggerated the fatalities for propaganda purposes.”
Stockwell sucked in another breath. “I see your point.”
“I certainly hope you do, Mr. President. Aille krinnu ava Pluthrak has declared himself kroudh. That term is usually translated as ‘outlaw.’ But the connotations, in this situation, are actually quite different. The term ‘outlaw,’ for us, is associated with ruffians. For the Jao as well, to a degree, when kroudh status is imposed upon a Jao. But for a scion of a great kochan to do this, to declare himself a kroudh—to take what is, from a Jao viewpoint, such an extreme measure—is equivalent to Martin Luther nailing his theses on the door of the Church. It’s almost never been done, in the history of the Jao. Only four times, that I know of. And every time it has happened, the kroudh’s memory in Jao history resonates with our concept of ‘noble martyr,’ not Jesse James or Billy the Kid. Well . . . ‘noble martyr’ would be western civilization’s take on it. The Japanese might think of it more along the lines of ‘true samurai’ or ‘exemplar of the Bushido code.’ In a number of ways, Jao culture is more akin to Japanese than to ours.”