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honor." Melek looked at Blair for a long moment, as if struggling for the will
to go on. "Your claws are at our throats. Would your people accept our&
surrender? The Race cannot be allowed to die, even it means placing our fate
in the hands of our enemies."
Blair nodded slowly. "Peace is what we both need now. If you can end this war,
I think you'll find we won't demand more than you're willing to give." He
paused. "And maybe one day, when the War is over and the hate is past, you and
I will be able to meet& as friends."
"Friends& " Melek seemed to ponder the idea. "Perhaps it is possible.
Will you carry our offer to your superiors? To help us put an end to the
fighting?"
Blair nodded, the effort almost more than he could manage. As the fear and the
adrenaline both ebbed away, he could feel the fatigue sapping his strength.
"I'll do it," he said. "
We'll do it& "
Then blackness took him. He never felt himself hit the smooth, unyielding deck
below him.
EPILOGUE
Shuttle Cludad de Buenos Aires
Terra System
"Our top story is the historic news from the Torgo System, where delegates
from the Kilrathi Empire signed a peace treaty to put an end to the war& "
On the newspad monitor screen, the view showed the interior of the huge
auditorium at Sector HQ. There was a large audience, mostly uniformed members
of the Confed Armed Forces, gathered around a raised stage beneath the
transparent dome. The ceremony took place at night, and a thousand stars
blazed brightly above the delegates.
Blair noted Paladin prominently seated among the Terran
representatives, and near him was Admiral Tolwyn. The court of inquiry found
the admiral blameless in the loss of the
Behemoth
, and he had returned to active service just in time to be a part of the
protracted negotiations. Blair thought it was fitting, somehow, that Tolwyn
played a role in the final triumph. Though he never agreed with the man's
style or motivations, Admiral Geoff Tolwyn was a central figure in the
Confederation resistance throughout the war, and it was only right that he
should see it through to the very end. His nephew, Kevin, was also among the
host of aides and assistants, and Eisens dark, craggy features were visible at
the table as well. Among the Kilrathi, the only one Blair recognized was
Melek, but the ornamentation of the other Imperial delegates made it plain
that they represented a cross-section of important surviving nobles and
military leaders.
Barbara Miles continued her voice-over report. "Following the incredible raid
which led to the destruction of the Imperial homeworld, Kilrah, the Kilrathi
decision to sue for peace was greeted with excited celebrations throughout
human space. After months of peace talks deliberating a final settlement, the
initial cease-fire was finally converted to a lasting peace through the
Kilrathi acceptance of the Treaty of Torgo."
The view switched back to a head-and-shoulder shot of Barbara Miles.
"TNC attempted to contact the pilot who carried out the Kilrah raid for his
reaction to the peace treaty, but Colonel Christopher Blair was unavailable
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for comment. We will have further details on the signing of the peace treaty
later in this Infoburst& "
Blair switched off the newspad and glanced out the port beside him.
The shuttle began its descent now, crossing the terminator just as the dawning
sun lit below the curved blue and white arc of the planet.
Earth&
He had dedicated his entire adult life to defending her, and now the long
battle was over. And despite Melek's fears of another alien empire beyond the
Kilrathi sphere threatening future wars, Blair knew his own days as a warrior
were over. After a well-deserved period of leave, he was slated to go on the
inactive list so that he could begin a new career, serving with the diplomatic
staff that would soon begin work turning the abstract peace treaty with the
Empire into solid, working reality.
Henceforth Christopher Blair would be a warrior in the cause of peace,
fighting a new kind of battle to ensure that all of his fallen
comrades Angel and Flint, Vaquero and Hunter and Iceman, Cobra and
Flash and all the rest, even Hobbes had not died in vain.
It was a daunting challenge, but Blair would not be facing it alone.
She hurried down the aisle as the seatbelt warnings flashed on the forward
bulkhead. Blair met her eyes, and they shared a smile.
"What would you like to do first, after we're down?" he asked, strapping her
in.
Rachel Coriolis took his hand in hers. "I'd like to take a long walk along the
seashore," she said, "with wet sand between my toes& and no bulkheads or metal
decks or spare parts in sight."
"Sounds good to me," Blair told her, settling into his seat and closing his
eyes. The others were all still there, in his mind, but no longer demanding or
clamoring. They and he had finally discovered peace.
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