“I am not a pet,” said Koven with an annoyed tone of voice, his face painted with a scowl.
“Just enjoy the food,” said Ova as she stood on the other side of the bars that formed the door of his cell. “It is from our wedding.”
Koven picked up the plate and threw it against the wall. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been violently angry. Maybe it was when he had helped subdue the man that had accidentally killed a historian on Dulfour. He remembered punching the man several times beyond need. Now he looked at his dinner splattered against the wall of his cell.
“If you cooperate, you will find your circumstances improve. But if you continue this behavior, well, it won’t go well for you,” said Allor.
Allor pointed at the door and the guard responded by unlocking it. Koven was faced with a guard, Allor, Ova, Dubitam, and MinKey. Agent training was excellent, and there was a very high probability that Koven could win in a physical battle against them. But Koven didn’t attack his captors. He came out of the cell. Allor led them back to the larger interrogation room. Allor pointed at the table when they entered.
“Wait a tix,” he said to Koven. Then he pointed at Koven’s chains. The guard removed them.
“There, more comfortable, I hope,” said Allor, motioning for Koven to sit down at the table.
“Don’t expect me to thank you,” replied Koven.
“I don’t,” said Allor.
“You’ve fared better than the Ceros priests,” Ova said.
“Why did Punford agree to the Compromise of Accensor?” Allor asked.
“Because she had little choice,” said Koven. “She could have battled the Entol and defeated them on the day. But her history of atrocities was such that it would have been a temporary victory only. She would have lost her last allies and would have eventually seen defeat and probably killed. She agreed to become a figurehead because she believed that it was the only way for her to survive.”
“Thank you,” said Allor. “Why were there no attendees at the funeral of Owsel the Chemist?”
“Because he was working on airborne drug delivery at the time of his death. People were afraid that he would have a final joke by intoxicating everyone at his funeral,” said Koven. “But he got them in the end, anyway No one expected him to be able to dose the entire planet’s water supply. It was a strange three days on Huff.”
“Why did Eliz dress as a soldier during her coronation?” asked Ova.
“Because she wanted everyone to know that she was first and foremost a warrior princess that was becoming a queen.”
“But she died in battle the next day,” replied Ova.
“Yes. Historians generally agree that it was not only a fitting ending for her but also that her death led to a revitalization of science under the reign of her sister. Eliz discouraged interest in things she didn’t understand. She even resisted the explanations from those who could have helped her understand them. Active ignorance is something that psychologists have never adequately explained.”
“Why geostationary orbit?”
“Shorter distance, faster comms, quicker arrive and escape, the list is pretty long. Do you want to know all of it? It will take lengthy discussion in order to ensure you understand.”
“Never mind,” said MinKey, and then she looked at Dubitam, who had a puzzled look on his face.
“Thank you,” Ova said.
“You have to give back the technology.”
“We won’t do that,” said Allor. “Especially now that we have you. You are our Rosetta Stone.”
Koven interlaced his fingers on the table.
“Do you know what happens when they wipe a memory? The victim doesn’t remember anything, not even how to speak. They are returned to the level of an infant.”
“This is what they did to our ancestors when they were put here,” said Ova.
“Yes. And it took many, many revs for the people of this planet to make the limited progress you have achieved. If you don’t return the tech, there is a significant chance that everyone on this planet will have their memories wiped again. And that starts with one major event when it happens.”
“What is that?” asked MinKey.
“Famine.”
“But we are making progress to get out of quarantine,” complained Allor.
“By using technology that you haven’t developed. This is forbidden. It is the belief of the History Department that if the planet meets the contact criteria on their own then they have the maturity to join the federation of planets. Otherwise we could have another Razore.”
“Did he really destroy that many planets? Thirty-four?”
“Yes. But he had help from some of the planets themselves. They were too trusting. He was a most agreeable person. Most people said he made them feel like an old friend. This helped him convince them that their limited defenses were unnecessary.”
“Fools,” said Ova.
“Do you know what else is foolish? Not giving back the tech. Especially when there is a shortage of habitable planets. Earth 7 could be sold to developers, like happened on Earth 4. Developers won’t buy a habitable planet with an indigenous population.”
“So they move us somewhere else,” replied Ova.
“No. They kill everyone.”