He ran out of words, standing there, staring at fourteen politicians and hoping that enough of them understood. That enough of them could hear the truth.
“Breathe, Colonel Wong,” Kariuki told him, the big man’s voice very soft. He glanced around at his compatriots. “If you and the Ambassador could give us a few minutes?” he asked. “I believe we should discuss this in private.”
The disadvantage of having a computer network embedded in your body was a perfect sense of time. It was seventeen minutes and forty-two seconds from the moment the door closed to the moment it opened again.
“Come in, Colonel, Ambassador,” Saren told them, the Admiral holding the door with her own hands. She led them back to the table at the front and stood next to them.
“We have discussed your proposal and your…assessment of its necessity,” Councilor Tzu told him. The androgynous Chinese councilor looked at him gently. “Some of us pretend to have hearts of iron, Colonel, but we are all human. Most of us have, in fact, been soldiers.
“Your points ring true, but I must remind you that it is not the Security Council’s task to authorize new funding agreements. It is, in truth, our task to say no to the UPA’s leadership when we believe that the nations we represent have no chance of saying yes.”
“We are not saying no this time,” Kariuki said loudly and clearly, as if shutting down any last scraps of argument. “I will take your proposal—and, I think, a recording of your presentation—to Keid. I believe I can convince the Grand Council to authorize a funding agreement to keep your peacekeepers in operation.”
“We will all take your proposal home,” Kennedy confirmed. “And we will do all we can. For now, though, to begin this operation calls for the UPA to take on the risk that our governments will not choose to fund it.”
“Then we will take that risk,” Saren said flatly. “Too many of my officers came back from Golden Lancelot looking for an answer. They don’t know the question yet, and therapy helps them put it aside, but they are still looking for an answer. I do believe that Colonel Wong has finally helped me understand the question:
“We have committed a great evil. However necessary, the destruction of a species can be described no other way. How, then, do we make up for that? How do we balance our accounts with God?
“To be peacekeepers is only a beginning, but the need is there, and we have the strength to act. While you convince your governments that the funding will be required, I and the rest of UPSF command will go over Colonel Wong’s proposals in detail.
“By the time your ship is ready to return to action, Captain Wong, we will have a peacekeeping fleet to send you to.”
Henry bowed his head in relief. He’d done it. Somehow, he’d done it.
He knew the task he’d set before himself and his comrades wasn’t an easy one. It was, in many ways, an impossible one. They couldn’t save everyone.
But to balance their accounts, they would save everyone they could.
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About the Author
Glynn Stewart is the author of Starship’s Mage, a bestselling science fiction and fantasy series where faster-than-light travel is possible–but only because of magic. His other works include science fiction series Duchy of Terra, Castle Federation and Vigilante, as well as the urban fantasy series ONSET and Changeling Blood.
Writing managed to liberate Glynn from a bleak future as an accountant. With his personality and hope for a high-tech future intact, he lives in Kitchener, Ontario with his wife, their cats, and an unstoppable writing habit.
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Other books by Glynn Stewart
Peacekeepers of Sol
Raven’s Peace
Raven’s Oath (upcoming)
Exile
Ashen Stars
Exile
Refuge
Crusade (upcoming)
Castle Federation
Space Carrier Avalon
Stellar Fox
Battle Group Avalon
Q-Ship Chameleon
Rimward Stars
Operation Medusa
Starship’s Mage
Starship’s Mage
Hand of Mars
Voice of Mars
Alien Arcana
Judgment of Mars
Sword of Mars
Mountain of Mars (upcoming)
Starship’s Mage: Red Falcon
Interstellar Mage
Mage-Provocateur
Agents of Mars
Duchy of Terra
The Terran Privateer
Duchess of Terra
Terra and Imperium
Light of Terra: A Duchy of Terra series
Darkness Beyond
Shield of Terra
Imperium Defiant
Shadow of Terra: A Duchy of Terra series
Relics of Eternity (upcoming)
Vigilante (With Terry Mixon)
Heart of Vengeance
Oath of Vengeance
Bound By Stars: A Vigilante Series (With Terry Mixon)
Bound By Law
Bound by Blood
Scattered Stars: Conviction
Conviction (upcoming)
Changeling Blood
Changeling’s Fealty
Hunter’s Oath
Noble’s Honor
Fae, Flames & Fedoras: A Changeling Blood Universe Novella
ONSET
ONSET: To Serve and Protect
ONSET: My Enemy’s Enemy
ONSET: Blood of the Innocent
ONSET: Stay of Execution
Fantasy Stand Alone Novels
Children of Prophecy
City in the Sky