Dirge - Alan Dean Foster [125]
“Who says the AAnn fear the humans?” a voice shouted from the other side. “What makes you think the scaled people factor the mammals into their equations?”
“Because while the AAnn may be malicious and rapacious, they are not stupid.” This time it was supportive stridulations that rose in volume from the other side of the table.
The racing noise receded as Debreljinav prefigured her speech with an appropriate gesture. “Do the humans truly hate us so much that they would even refuse our help?”
A representative of one of the technical classifications rose. He was not an eint and was present, along with a number of others, because he possessed the ability to contribute special insight into specific aspects of the debate.
“Only a small number of xenophobes and fanatics among the bipeds actually hate us. Among the rest there are many who openly enjoy our company and are not afraid to say so.” Compound eyes swept the attentive chamber. “The vast majority of humans belong to neither grouping. This mass remains unsure of us and our motives.”
“Ingrates!” a leader of the opposition bellowed. There was discord until the Tri-Eint Sevrepesut could restore order and return dominance to the patient female standing off to his left.
Intimidated, the specialist waited for Debreljinav’s gesture of encouragement to respond to the interruptive expletive. “Humans have short memories but—”
“Fine candidates for allies in time of trouble!” another representative of the skeptical shouted.
“But they are capable of grand kindnesses and gratitude. I believe that those who advocate intercession are correct. In so doing we would gain valuable allies against the AAnn, and against any others who might one day threaten the great hive.” Whistles of derision and rising stridulation threatened to drown him out, but this time the specialist would not be denied.
“The AAnn Empire is strong and growing more powerful by the day! If we will not aid the humans in their just fight against the Pitar to make them our allies, then we must aid them so that the AAnn cannot. Or is that a possibility that the distinguished eints prefer not to ponder?”
The reaction from supporters of intervention as well as those of the opposition showed that it was a notion that had not been much discussed. Everyone hoped that in an ideal cosmos the humans would ally themselves with the thranx against the AAnn. Few cared to contemplate the consequences should the aggressive, militaristically accomplished mammals choose to take the side of the predacious reptilians instead.
“The humans would never support the AAnn in a disagreement with us.” The eint who ventured this observation did not sound very convincing even to herself.
“Why not?” a supporter of intervention countered. “One of your own has just pointed out how much they dislike us.”
“We must make them like us.” Debreljinav’s declaration carried the full force and weight of her considerable personality. “We cannot afford it to be otherwise.”
“It will not be any easy task.” The Eint Jouteszimfeq was anything but encouraging as he looked around the circle. “I have tried to study everything there is to be known about the humans. Individually they are sound, but their mass psychology is unstable. Small, insignificant things can induce vast swings in their collective consciousness. Worse, these critical effectives can in themselves be meaningless and unsupported. But by the time realization sets in, the damage has already been done.” His antennae parted to sense the greatest possible number of his fellow debaters.
“We must move actively to prevent this from happening. Although it does not sound in and of itself especially scientific, making