Chapter 25- Savage
"Good cop, bad cop," said Nick.
They all stood outside one of the interrogation rooms where Warren was being held. "Not again," said Judy in exasperation. "I told you, Nick, it never works."
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure," said Barker, peering into the room. "Louis and I pulled it off before."
"Only because you have really big, sharp teeth," said Wu, looking up from his desk. "Look, Warren probably doesn't know much. We don't really need his statement, we need his cooperation if we're going to pull this off."
"So we need to be friendly," said Judy. "Get him on our side."
The other cops looked at her in astonishment. "No," said Wu. "We need to scare the ever-living daylights out of him."
Judy frowned. "That seems kinda cruel."
"He's a gun-runner, Hopps, not a choirboy." Wu stood up. "I'll take first crack at him."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"So what's it going to be, Warren? Ten years hard labor or you work with us?" said Wu.
The tramp freighter captain shook his head. "Listen, sergeant, I'm not trying to be a hard case here but- ten years in prison, with time off for good behavior, sounds a hell of a lot better than trying to dodge the crap that will be falling on me if I turn snitch."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"It's your only chance," said Arrizondo. She had switched out with Wu about an hour ago. "This is the real deal, Warren. We've explained what we want out of you. If all goes well-"
"And what if it doesn't?"
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Warren frowned at the wolf across from him, who gave him a nice, big smile.
He flinched.
"You need to ask yourself, Warren, which enemy you want to make today?" said Barker. "The gun-runners? Or me?"
Her smiled broadened.
Warren paled, but shook his head. "Sorry. I just can't help you."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Nick walked into the interrogation room, hopped up onto the seat across from Warren, and leaned back.
As the captain stared, surprised, at the fox, Judy took the next seat, her head suddenly appearing over the table.
"So, Mr. Warren," said Judy, opening a folder on the table.
"Captain," said Warren.
Nick slammed his paw on the table. "Don't interrupt her when she's talking to you!"
"I- what?" He looked at Nick. "Are you being intimidating? Is this really happening?"
"We're trying to help you here," said Judy earnestly. "Look, it's their fault- the guys we're after- that you got caught, right? So help us get them. We put them in jail and you walk away."
Nick lunged across the table, forcing the human to lean back. "You need to stop playing games, Warren. Yeah, maybe we put you away for ten years, but maybe we just spread it around that we learned something from you, too. How long you think you'll last on Delta Pavilion?"
"Pavonis," whispered Judy.
"Delta Pavonis," said Nick, unfazed. "Ten years is a long time to be surrounded by scumbags, Warren. Though maybe you'll like the company. Birds of a feather and all."
He sat back down and Judy picked up the dialogue, though not before giving her partner an uneasy glance. "It's easy, what we're asking. Just a quick meeting, a drop-off, then you go home. We won't even need you for court if this all works out."
"I don't know, Carrots," said Nick disgustedly. "Maybe we're wasting our time. We got lots of other fish to fry if we don't like the smell of this one."
"He's just a businessman, trying to get by, Nick," said Judy. "Let's give him a chance." She looked back at Warren. "A chance to get by, right?"
The ship captain looked from one to another, nonplussed. "Hang on a sec. Am I being 'good-copped, bad copped' by a fox and a bunny rabbit?"
"Is it working?" asked Nick eagerly. Judy covered her eyes with her paw.
The captain sighed. "It's more like 'surreal-cop, even-more-surreal-cop. If you're this desperate, fine. I don't want to see what woodland creatures are next."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Hunter found himself hustled into Bogo's office, away from the uproar on the roof of the station. Tailwhisker practically tossed him into the visitor's chair in front of Bogo's desk, then stood silently, her arms crossed.
"Am I under arrest?" asked Hunter. "I'm only asking out of curiosity, you understand."
"I don't know what you are, Hunter," said Tailwhisker. "What the hell got into you?"
Hunter scowled up at her. "He was going to hurt me, Captain, and then he was probably going to hurt my friends and my home. I stopped him from doing that."
"You beat him to within an inch of his life!"
"Oh, don't exaggerate. It's a hell of a lot harder to kill a Drex than that." Hunter frowned at her when she raised an eyebrow. "We get Drex infiltrators periodically back home, Captain. You put them down fast and you put them down hard. Anything else gets you- and anyone around you- killed. I didn't do what I did because I enjoyed it." Though, if he was being honest, a part of him did.
It was a part he didn't like to think about much. A part that didn't see justice, but revenge.
A chill ran up his spine as he thought about that. He started to wonder if maybe, just maybe, he had gone a little too far this time.
The door opened and Bogo walked in. "Dismissed, Captain," he told Tailwhisker as he walked to his desk.
"Sir, are you sure-"
"Yes. Leave. Now."
The lion nodded and walked out, shooting an uneasy glance at Hunter as she did.
Hunter looked at the water buffalo. "All right," he said resignedly. "I'm ready for the chewing-out."
Bogo reached into his drawer, pulled out a familiar badge. He tossed it to Hunter.
Hunter caught it, stared in confusion.
It was his badge.
"It's not a reward," said Bogo, his voice very calm. As if he was deliberately working to keep it that way. "Congratulations, Hunter. I'm graduating you from the Academy."
"But- if it's not a reward-"
"I don't want you anywhere near those cadets," said Bogo. "Or anywhere near anyone, for that matter. But I can't fire you." He pulled a paper towards him and began to write. "You're being transferred."
"Um, sir-"
"Shut up, Hunter." His voice was still very calm, but something told Hunter he should obey. "We need an officer in the impound lot. Someone to maintain track of inventory, sign vehicles in and out." Bogo met his eyes. "Lots of paperwork. No real police work."
Hunter swallowed. "Sir, let me explain."
The chief gave him a long, hard stare, then nodded. "Fine. You deserve that much."
Nervously, Hunter rubbed his sweating palms against his pants leg. "The Drex are dangerous, sir. They killed my father- I never even knew him. They've killed millions of humans. Whatever they're up to, it's not good for Terra."
"Fair enough," said Bogo. "So why did you beat the hell out of that one? Do you think it'll stop them?"
"They know I'll try," said Hunter acidly. "And they know it will cost them."
Bogo shook his head in wonderment. "You really don't get it, do you?"
"What?"
"Millions of mammals just watched you savagely attack- in direct defiance of the rules, mind- a person, nearly killing him on live TV. Then you tortured him by branding him with that badge. Hunter, you were- and are- seen as representing your species on Terra by a great many mammals. How do you think that makes humanity look?"
Hunter's eyes slowly widened with realization. "Oh, shit."
"Very much so, Hunter. The Drex delegation was overjoyed- oh, they looked sad and distressed whenever the cameras were on them, but I overheard them talking." Bogo leaned back. "You may have just made up the minds of the mammals of Terra, Hunter. In favor of the Drex."
"I was just trying to protect everyone," said Hunter, his voice a whisper. "Nick, Judy, Tavi- my friends. My family."
The chief stood up, held out the transfer orders. "Well, congratulations, Officer Hunter." His voice was hard again as Hunter reluctantly accepted the paperwork.
"It looks like you just handed the job of protecting Terra to the Drex."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Tavi walked into the darkened garage, spotting Shepherd's bulk almost immediately.
It was quiet, right now. The mechanics had all gone home. She sniffed, smelling the familiar odors of grease and oil.
She was trying to forget different smells. Of blood and burned flesh.
She walked up to Shepherd, who swung an optical sensor to face her. It wasn't strictly necessary, she knew, but he had learned that it was a gesture that showed he was paying attention. "Hey, Shepherd."
"Commander." The tank's voice was flat, but somehow conveyed puzzlement. "You are not scheduled for duty at this time."
"I just needed someone to talk to." Someone who didn't just want to talk to her about how Hunter had finally lost it. How he had shown what humans were really like.
"I see," said Shepherd. "Should I contact one of the departmental psychologists?"
She shuddered. "No. What do you do when someone you love does something horrible? I mean, I know this is sort of strange to you, but you're logical, right? What's the logical thing to do?"
Shepherd hesitated. "I do not understand the concepts you are talking about."
"It's Hunter. He attacked a Drex. Mercilessly. Viciously." She paused, remembering. "Savagely," she whispered.
"Drex. Drex are classified as hostile. Officer Hunter's actions in assaulting one was within common rules of engagement," said Shepherd.
"He broke the rules," said Tavi. "He attacked him in a way that he shouldn't."
"Unclear," said Shepherd. "What rules?"
Tavi explained about the challenge and the rules that had been set up. "It scared me, Shepherd. I mean, he's always been a bit of a rule-breaker, but-"
"If he broke the rules of engagement laid out by a superior," said the tank patiently, "Then proper discipline should be undertaken. This will ensure that further remediation is not required."
"Wow," said Tavi. "You really don't know Hunter, do you?"
"I spoke to Officer Hunter," said the tank. "He is wise."
The mongoose did a double-take. "He's what?"
"Wise. Wisdom. The quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment. Officer Hunter has survived as a patrol officer for many years on Alphacen, where most police officers either transfer to less dangerous assignments or are discharged KIA or WIA." Shepherd's optical sensor stayed on her face. "Officer Hunter is wise."
"He nearly murdered that Drex," said Tavi. "Over a game. A contest."
"Drex are hostile," repeated Shepherd.
"Do they have to be?"
There was a silence. "Drex are classified hostile-"
"Why? Or more accurately, why can we not try and re-classify them?" asked Tavi. "Because they're different? Unnatural?" Her voice rose on the last word.
The tank backed away slightly, sensors waving in confusion. "Are you upset, Commander?"
"I am!" she shouted. "I thought he could change! I believed that maybe, just maybe, he could learn to see past what we are- or what mammals think we are- to what we could become!"
Shepherd backed up until he bumped the wall, sending tools on their racks jangling. "Commander, have I done something wrong?"
Her shoulders slumped. "No," she said, her voice falling to a whisper. She was silent. "He was my friend," she said quietly. A tear ran down her cheek, fell to the floor.
"Friendship is a lie," said Shepherd carefully.
The tank couldn't blink, but it shifted nervously at the furious look Tavi gave it. "What did you say?" she hissed.
"Love, friendship, honor- these are all lies," said Shepherd nervously.
"Who told you that?" demanded Tavi.
"Officer Hunter," said the tank. "He is wise."
Tavi's eyes filled with tears. She turned and stalked out of the garage, into the gathering darkness.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Nick woke up to find himself being shaken- rather more violently than necessary, he felt- by Judy. "Wake up," she hissed. "We've got a problem."
He instantly became awake, throwing off the covers and sliding out of bed, dressed only in his boxer shorts. He grabbed a pair of trousers from a nearby chair and pulled them on. "What's going on?"
"Come into the operations room and you'll see." She darted back into the hotel suite's living room, which they had dubbed the "operations room".
Nick threw on a shirt and followed her. "What's up?"
Barker, who was rifling through a pile of papers, looked up. "Wow, fastest I've ever seen you wake up. Maybe you should treat every morning as an emergency."
Before he could answer, Judy held up one of their laptops. It showed ZNN's website.
SAVAGE HUNTER, screamed the headline. Below the headline, there was a massive photo of Hunter astride a prone Drex, his fist cocked back. Blood spattered his clothing and face.
Nick blinked. "The Drex probably had it coming."
"That's remarkably understanding of you," said Judy acidly.
"Come on, Hunter wouldn't just try and murder anyone," said Nick. He wandered over to get a cup of coffee. "Only people who deserve it. And maybe lawyers."
"That's repetitious, Nick," observed Wu. Barker gave him a flat look.
"And also in bad taste," she said. "Remember Hart?"
Nick blinked and looked away, abashed. "I didn't mean that," he said.
"The point is," said Judy, trying to get the conversation back on track, "things are looking pretty dicey between the humans and Terra right now. They could recall us at any moment."
Nick looked at her. "Seriously?"
It was Barker who answered. "Yeah. We just got a call from the embassy. They're expecting the Terran government to bring us home within a week. Maybe sooner."
Nick rubbed his cheek, thinking. "Hmm. I really expected more time than that. Wanted to build up a little more trust with Liu. But-" he snapped his fingers, "Wait a minute."
The fox dashed over to where his phone was charging and snatched it up. "This may be just what we needed. An excuse."
Judy and Barker looked at each other, bemused. "Excuse for what?" asked Barker.
Nick had already dialed. He held up a paw, forestalling any further questions. "Yes, this is Nick Wilde. May I speak to Chamberman Liu?"
"Nick, what are you doing?" asked Judy warily.
He covered the phone's receiver with his paw. "What's it look like I'm doing? I'm working the mark." His ears perked up. "Ah, Chamberman. Yes, I did see the news- I suspect you know the embassy is thinking about leaving? Well, as it happens, there is one final way you could show your friendship for us, if you were so inclined."
Judy blinked. "Nick-"
He waved her to silence. "Well, obviously we're concerned about the Drex- we both know the humans are better allies. So we were wondering if we could do a deal. Perhaps some samples of human weaponry-"
"You're doing an arms deal?" hissed Judy.
"Yes, I'll hold," said Nick. He looked at Judy. "That's the next step of the plan."
"An arms deal."
"Of course."
Wu shook his head. "He'll never go for it, Nick."
Before Nick could answer, Liu's muffled voice spoke again from his phone. "You can?" said Nick. "Great! It will really help defend us from the Drex! I can see we're likely to have a long and profitable relationship." He nodded as he listened further. "Yes, I'll be waiting for your call with details. I actually have a list of some weapons that we're particularly interested in. I'll let you know when you call."
He hung up. "Well, that was easy."
"There's no way," said Wu. "Why would he go for it so quickly?"
Nick shrugged. "I have a hunch, but it's just that. For now, I need a shopping list for Liu." He reached over and picked up a document- a copy of the shipping manifest from Warren's cargo ship.
"What are you going to do with that?" asked Barker.
Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "Go shopping."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Chamberman Liu thoughtfully replaced the receiver of his phone.
Avenford Raines, sitting across from him, raised an eyebrow. "Was that who I think it was?"
"Young Nicholas Wilde? Yes, it was. Wanting weapons to 'defend themselves against the Drex.'"
Raines shook his head. "I don't like it, sir. They're planning something."
"Are they?" Liu smiled. "Fortunately, so am I. Do we have any shipments on-planet still? Something we can redirect easily?"
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The Terrans and Human Stars delegation were meeting in a different room than usual. Maximus had changed it partly as a symbolic gesture- showing the changed nature of their relationship- and partly because he needed the massive television that dominated one corner of the room.
Maximus stood as Castell and the rest of the human delegation entered the room. "Premier," said Castell, his eyes calculating. "I really think it's premature to recall your delegation based on the actions of one man-"
"One mammal who has become something of a symbol of humanity- its flaws and virtues- to many Terrans," said Maximus. "One man who violated the rules of what was intended to be a friendly bout between two neutrals and nearly killed a member of the Drex delegation."
"Exaggeration," said Castell. "It takes a lot more to kill a Drex than that."
"You would know," said a new voice. Maximus kept his eyes locked on Castell, who turned to face the newcomer. Castell's eyes narrowed as he recognized Octavius, his face still scarred with the shield-shaped badge of the ZPD. "You've killed enough Drex yourself, Colonel Castell."
"Not a colonel anymore," said the diplomat. "I retired."
"Indeed," said Octavius, smiling tightly. "Strange how they send a retired colonel as the ambassador, isn't it, premier? You are aware that most of the embassy staff have military backgrounds as well?"
"Almost everyone from Alphacen has a military background, Octavius," said Castell in exasperation. "The draft laws."
"Yes, the draft laws. Everyone must do their part, isn't that right?" The Drex pulled out a chair and sat, his eyes intent on the human. "All humans are trained to be killers from an early age, are they not?"
Castell growled slightly. "Drex need no training at all, of course. It's just their nature," he sneered.
The Terran delegation flinched. Maximus's eyes narrowed. "Since we've made contact with the Drex," said Maximus, "They have been respectful, courteous, and understanding. Since we made contact with the Human Stars, you have been arrogant, condescending, and even carried out what is arguably an act of war. Two if you count the Horne incident."
The human ambassador's face snapped to the elephant. "Your excellency-"
"You have, throughout this process, treated us at best as wayward calves," continued Maximus remorselessly. "You act as though we, having been created rather than 'naturally' evolved, are a lesser species than you." He looked at the Drex. "The Drex are also a 'created' species, from what I understand."
"They are nothing like you," said Castell emolliently. "You are much more human than any other species-"
"Is this how you compliment us, Ambassador?" said Maximus acerbically. "By comparing us to you? By implying that we are almost human?" He reached for a remote, and clicked the television on.
The first image was one of an old office building. The windows were shattered, debris scattered the street around it. Police cars, their lights flashing, surrounded it. In the foreground, two paramedics worked on a bobcat laid out on a stretcher, while behind them a series of other stretchers were rolling past, each one with a zipped body bag on it.
Castell grimaced. "The Raid, as you call it. The perpetrators were punished. A human provided valuable assistance in saving lives."
"Yes," said Maximus. He clicked a button on the remote again.
A new image, this time of the interior of a warehouse. A crime scene photo. Three bodies lay where they had crumpled, each one shot at least once through the head. "It was a human who did this," observed Maximus.
"He did it to save the lives of two of your officers," argued Castell.
"He did," agreed Maximus. Another click.
The screen showed Octavius, screaming silently in pain as Hunter held a badge to his face. Maximus glanced at the Drex, who reached up to gingerly touch the still-livid scar on his cheek.
"What is your explanation for this-" Maximus hesitated over the word, "-savagery?"
"He did what he had to," said Castell. "What he needed to do to win." The human looked uncomfortable.
"What he needed to do," repeated the premier. He stepped around the table to Octavius, who stood at his approach. "How badly would you have injured Hunter had you won, Mr. Octavius?"
The Drex shrugged. "Perhaps a broken bone, though I would have tried to avoid that. Most likely, the worst he might have had was a concussion, and perhaps not even that."
"You can't trust a Drex-" shouted Castell. He stopped as Maximus raised a massive paw.
"Tell me why," asked the elephant quietly, "I should trust a human."
Castell hesitated.
"It is the nature of humans to fear," said Octavius. "Especially to fear the unknown. Hunter did not know what I might do to him. So he reacted savagely, viciously. It was an over-reaction, brought on entirely by fear." He paced towards Castell. "Tell me, Ambassador, why do the Drex engage in games and contests?"
The human said nothing at first, then realized he had little choice. "To realistically assess potential threats," he said reluctantly. He already knew where Octavius was going.
"To realistically assess potential threats," repeated Octavius. He looked at Maximus. "We do not engage in vicious, preemptive assaults just because of what we fear might happen." He sneered at the word fear, looking Castell in the face. The ambassador flushed red with rage.
When he spoke, his voice was thick with suppressed anger. "Premier Maximus, it is true that we fear. That we fear what we don't understand. But this is a trait common to all mammals. You have much more in common with us than the Drex."
"Except peace," murmured Octavius.
"We have been at peace-"
"A rather high body count for peace, don't you think?" said Octavius blandly.
"Enough!" said Maximus, smashing his trunk down on the table. "Ambassador Castell, I invited Ambassador Octavius here for a specific reason. Ambassador-" he nodded to Octavius- "please explain your proposal."
Octavius snapped his fingers, and one of the other members of the Drex delegation stepped forward, handing him a folder. "A mutual commerce treaty," said Octavius. "Between Terra and the Commonwealth." The Commonwealth was the name of the Drex worlds.
Castell frowned. "This is unwise," he warned Maximus. "The Drex frequently infiltrate spies and saboteurs on worlds they-" he stopped as he realized the likely response.
"Yes," said Maximus dryly. "Not at all like the humans. I didn't invite Octavius here just to rub this in your face, Castell." He nodded to the Drex Ambassador.
"We've agreed on the treaty between the Commonwealth and Terra," said Octavius smoothly. "Now, we'd like to offer the chance for a third partner to join the agreement."
Castell exchanged confused looks with the other members of the human delegation. He looked back at Octavius. "You don't mean-"
"The Human Stars," said Octavius. "Yes. We're offering you the chance to sign a peace treaty, binding the Human Stars, Terra, and the Commonwealth together." He leaned back, satisfied.
A long silence built up. Castell and Octavius locked gazes. Maximus eyed them curiously.
The old elephant was no fool. He knew that the Drex were trying to play the humans, make them look bad. They expected the humans to turn down the offer. But did the Drex know he knew that? It was the sort of consideration that made politics such a headache.
Conversely, he didn't understand why the Drex seemed so confident that the humans would turn down the offer. Why not just accept it? It would create peace, at least for a while, even if it were true that humans and the Drex simply were destined to never get along.
Finally, Castell reached over and slid the folder to himself. "I must contact Alphacen for instructions," he said, his voice low. He rose.
Octavius rose, as well. "I understand."
As Castell turned to leave, Octavius spoke again. "Ambassador Castell." The human turned back.
"You think of yourselves as leaders, as natural protectors," said the Drex quietly. "As interstellar policemen, as it were. But you've been taking that role on for too long without any oversight, without any check on your own actions. Maybe it's time we tried cooperation. Try and keep the peace together."
Castell gave him a hard look, then turned back and continued walking.
When they had left the room, Maximus sat down in his seat. "You are very confident they will reject the treaty," he observed.
Octavius sighed. "They're barbarians, in many ways. Savage, as Terrans would say. Not wholly without honor or redeeming value, mind you. But- there is one other provision to the treaty I would like to propose."
Maximus was instantly wary. "What's that?"
"You are under a grave threat from the humans, Premier," warned Octavius. "Because you are- from their point of view- a grave threat to them."
"A threat?" said the elephant, amused. "Oh, certainly we've made vast strides in technology based on what we've seen of theirs, but we have nothing to match even a small human warship. There is nothing that we can do to harm them."
"Isn't there?" said Octavius thoughtfully. "Yet your ancestors are here, on Terra, the ancient human homeworld. And the humans are not."
Maximus stared at him for a long moment. "Perhaps they left voluntarily when they created us?" he suggested. "Let us develop our own way."
"And yet try to exterminate you?" pointed out Octavius. "No, there is some reason they were forced to leave your ancestors alive. Something that stopped them. Something that might still be here."
Maximus felt a shiver run down his spine.
"The technological level of the United Terrans was much higher than our current capabilities," said Octavius. "Who knows what technologies might have survived from those ancient times?"
"It's not something I like to think about," muttered Maximus.
"I assure you the humans do not, either." Octavius stood and bowed to the elephant. "But I also assure you they are."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Octavius walked into the embassy, and was immediately confronted by an older man. "Sextus," he greeted him, bowing his head. "I had not heard you had arrived."
"This operation has been going on far too long," said Sextus. He nodded at the elevator. "You will brief me on what has happened thus far."
The two men walked through the lobby of the Drex embassy. In contrast to the almost ostentatious defenses of the Human Stars embassy, there was no security visible- the only Drex to be seen were apparently office staff, hurrying to and fro on their own private errands.
Appearances could be deceiving. Octavius stopped one young Drex woman. "Aurelia, my dear, as much as we may appreciate your very flattering ensemble-" he tapped one side of her tight-fitting suit, eliciting a metallic tap as he made contact with her concealed pistol- "it rather gives the game away."
"My apologies, Octavius," she said. "I shall put on a jacket."
"I'll have the staff lower the air conditioning a bit, so any Terrans won't be curious why so many of us are wearing heavy clothing," said Octavius. He looked at Sextus. "Details."
"Always details. The humans say that God is in the details, Octavius."
"Not our god," he responded. "Which is why you're here, I imagine."
They entered the elevator. Sextus eyed Octavius. "I read your report. Regarding your contest with Hunter." He grabbed the younger man's chin and twisted it slightly, studying the scar on his cheek. "You seem to have come off the worse for it."
"Have I?" said Octavius. He took a deft step back, breaking Sextus's grip. His superior frowned slightly. "The Terrans now have seen just how vicious the humans can be. All they have against us is propaganda by the humans."
"You mean you deliberately allowed yourself to be defeated?" said Sextus, his eyebrows raising.
"Not entirely," admitted Octavius. "I had anticipated drawing it out more. It was- somewhat humiliating how quickly he beat me."
Sextus nodded slowly. "Honesty, it seems. There have been concerns about you, Octavius."
The elevator dinged and the two Drex walked out. They nodded a greeting to a functionary who bowed deeply to his two superiors.
"Concerns, sir?" said Octavius as they entered his office. He closed the door behind him. "What concerns?"
"This peace treaty," said Sextus. "What is the purpose?"
"The humans won't sign it," said Octavius. "And so the Terrans will distrust their motives."
"You fail to consider the alternative." The statement was a simple declaration of fact, but Octavius stiffened. Failure to consider alternatives was a grave sin for the Drex- they had to think things through, because they lacked fear to guide them.
"I did not," he said stiffly.
"Then what if the humans do, in fact, sign it?"
"Would that be so bad?" asked Octavius.
There was a long silence, his superior studying him closely. "The humans must not be allowed to flourish," he said finally. "At some point, the superior species must be triumphant over the weak."
"Yes, but not necessarily now." Octavius unconsciously touched the burn on his cheek, wincing slightly at the pain. "And what harm will it do to wait a bit longer, if it makes us more likely to succeed?"
"The time is now," insisted Sextus. "The humans must be destroyed for good."
"Why?" The word slipped out of Octavius's mouth before he could stop himself.
Sextus's fist slammed into his stomach, and he found himself on the floor, retching. "The humans must be destroyed," repeated Sextus. There was no anger in his voice. He kicked Octavius hard in the kidney. "The Council of Seven has decreed it. You are not of the Seven yet, Octavius."
"Septimus is dead," gasped the younger man. "I am Octavius."
"You are not of the Council yet," Sextus reminded him again. "You may be soon. In the meantime, your punishment for questioning the Council is not yet complete." He pulled a small device from his coat pocket. It had a long, thin, metal tube, connected to a black rubber handle with a switch on it. He toggled the switch briefly, and an arc of electricity shot out.
There was no fear in a Drex. No fear of punishment. So Octavius felt only a mild sense of frustration as Sextus hauled him into a chair and began applying the end of the device to his skin.
Then he felt nothing but pain for a long moment. When Sextus removed the device, he gasped for breath.
"It's necessary," said the older man. "For your own good. If the consequences are not immediate and dire, it is far too easy for a Drex to question the common good. We have no fear of death, of ostracism. Lack of fear makes it too easy for us to rationalize the negative consequences away. Only by making them horrific indeed can we overcome our tendency to rationalize." He applied the stick again. Octavius writhed as his nerves were hyper-stimulated, the sensation remarkably akin to being burned over his whole body.
"Once more," said Sextus, eyeing the panting Drex critically. He suited action to words, and Octavius collapsed, falling off the chair.
He waited as the younger Drex slowly pulled himself back up onto his chair. He looked up at Sextus. "I hear and obey, Sextus."
The older man nodded gravely. "Have strength, Octavius. You will be Septimus, if you succeed." He turned as if to leave, then looked back. "I have one question."
"Yes?" Octavius's muscles ached, a burning sensation still running through them periodically.
"You could have had that scar removed already," said Sextus. "Why do you still have it?"
Octavius, in answer, raised his arm, showing his wrist where a burn scar was visible. "This is how we learned that fire hurts," he said. "When we were children."
Sextus glanced at his own wrist, where his own scar was. "Yes?"
Octavius pointed to his cheek. "This is how I learned that Hunter is a dangerous human."
"So you intend to keep it? For how long?"
"Until he is a danger no more," replied Octavius.
