Free Blue Light of Home by Robin Smith Page B

way to annex Earth without anyone noticing?”
    It wasn’t the first time she’d asked so directly, but Vala had never answered with more than a grunt. Now, to her surprise, he flashed her one of his rare smiles and said, “Once I’ve finished collecting the histories of each of Earth’s nations, cultures, scientific and industrial progress, politics and religions, and thoroughly mapped your world’s resources, habitats, and areas of environmental crisis, I’ll send the complete report to the Empire’s tacticians. They’ll study it—this will take a number of years—and formulate a plan to achieve a unification of Earth’s nations.”
    “Oh my gosh,” Skye said, laughing. “You honestly think it’s going to be that easy?”
    “Yes, particularly since the Empire will ease their transition by offering certain strategic technological advancements.”
    “So, you’re going to dangle a flying car in front of us and that’s going to magically cool down the problems in the Middle East, resolve creationists with Darwinians, and end racism?”
    “Not with a flying car, but yes.” He leaned out to give her knee a pat, all his attention still on his computer screen. “Sometimes all it takes is the right incentive. Human beings aren’t unreasonable. With guidance, they can be brought together.”
    “You sound awfully sure of yourself,” she said dubiously.
    “You forget we’ve done it before.”
    “How many times?”
    Vala showed his teeth in a grimace of perhaps not unjustified pride. “Six.”
    “How many times did it work out as painlessly as you just said?”
    His smile faded slightly. “Four.”
    “And the rest of the time, you what? Went to war?”
    “Yes. But that won’t happen in this case.”
    “Again, you sound sure…”
    “I may not be a tactician, but I am one man in an airless environment. This vessel has no weapons system, but there is a defensive net in place around us. And in all the time I have been here, those defenses have never been tested. When a demand was made for one of Earth’s females, you were provided within the day.” He smiled again, as if this point were one she’d actually want to ponder in a positive light. “They recognize our superiority and that is a very good way to begin. Humans have much to recommend themselves. Once their imagination and ingenuity are properly harnessed, they’ll be a great asset to the Empire.”
    The sad thing was, he thought he was paying her a compliment.
    Skye let it drop and gradually, Vala’s attention was recaptured by his monitors. There were days when she had to work hard at reminding herself that she wanted him to talk to her.
    No, that wasn’t fair. Considering he’d only had about a month to work at it, Vala had turned out to be a decent conversationalist, as long as the topics under discussion were the philosophy of the warrior, the history of the Empire, or, surreally, the artistic works of the post-Impressionist movement, with an emphasis on Van Gogh. And of course, he could listen to Skye talk about herself for hours, even though getting him to grunt a simple yes or no answer about his own past could be a day-long exercise in frustration.
    But he was talking. And apart from the first few days, when he’d so obviously been uncomfortable about it, he kept her company fairly well. (“Is it hard for you to do this?” she’d asked one night, as they’d been comparing what little she knew of the Trojan War with something he called the Siege of Praxus. “Not so much anymore,” he’d replied, “I just pretend you’re a man. Until I have sex with you.”) And knowing that he was making the effort solely for her comfort ironed out a lot of the awkwardness. Oh, nothing was going to make the time she spent up here pass quickly, but it was definitely better than it had been.
    She kind of liked it here, most days. Except for the awful food and the tiny rooms and the never-changing view and her damned limited wardrobe and all