Chapter 14: The Ultimate Sacrifice

"Otis, we've got to talk. I ... I've got an inquiry from the White House."

Otis faced Natalie, his eyes widening. "The White House? Why would they want anything to do with us, or more precisely, why would we speak to them? They put a target on each of our backs. We're wanted dead or alive, with the emphasis on deceased. Besides, the Ti'chrk killed one of President Taylor's kids and are holding his son hostage. Do you really think he'll suddenly develop a spine now?"

"Well, as you know, I've been in contact with other reporters who aren't on anyone's radar. There's talk going around the newspaper that the White House is interested in speaking to us, but they don't know how. She relayed a private phone number we can use to contact them."

"Again, is there any reason we'd want to, aside from some unknown suicidal tendencies?"

"I didn't speak to them myself, but from what my associate can gather, when they killed President Taylor's daughter, it seems to have gotten through to him. If it had happened any other way, he might have capitulated. But since it proved our accusations, it convinced him the aliens aren't legitimate negotiators. He realizes his son's life is effectively over, but he's looking at ways of striking back, before the Ti'chrk can do the same thing to everyone."

"'Striking back'? What does that mean?"

Natalie shrugged. "I have no clue, but would you rather gain a reluctant partner or maintain a known enemy? In this case, the enemy of your enemy is a resource, regardless of what they think about you."

"Or, more likely, they're searching for a sacrificial lamb who'll placate the Ti'chrk. By the way, your broadcasts have made our job harder. Instead of laboring in obscurity, now everyone knows about us, including the Ti'chrk."

Natalie sighed, spreading her arms. "I anticipated that, but ... the people need to know. Without understanding what'll happen, more countries will seek their own agreements with the aliens. I also published the information on how to kill the aliens. If enough people gain those skills, the aliens will have a hard time appearing on any street corner.

Peter made a rude noise, causing Natalie to grin. "It's nice to know a sense of humor is universal."

"The problem is, although they don't know about me precisely, they realize they've got a leak, and that it's at a high level in their organization. Now, they aren't discussing strategy as they once did."

"What about orders? They can't act without broadcasting information, can they?"

Peter said something, and he and Otis had a brief discussion, which included Paul.

"Not according to our new friends. Their ship is small, which means it won't take much for each of them to speak physically to each other, rather than using their telepathic connections."

Natalie shrugged. "That's a problem, but it may work in our favor. Just like how David took out so many of the initial negotiators, delays in communication mean they'll respond slower."

"Maybe. I said you'd made it harder. We won't know how much more difficult until we next engage. But our element of surprise is gone."

"Which is why you should consider this newest lead," Natalie said. "If we can utilize their resources, and turn them into an ally, we regain the element of surprise."

"Or provide an ideal opportunity for them to achieve their ultimate goal—eliminating their only opposition."

"We've made desperate choices before, how is this any different. I think we should hear them out, but do it in a way they can't use it against us."

Ger, who'd been quietly listening, spoke up. "It may accomplish more than that. You've noticed how Natalie's report was translated into a variety of languages and how it's gotten a wider distribution. I suspect President Taylor is using the NSA to assist us in getting our word out. That's got to count for something?"

Otis turned to those surrounding him. "All right, let's take a vote. Who thinks reaching out to those wishing to kill us is a good idea?"

Everyone hesitated, considering their options, but one hand after another went up.

"Otis, you've got to think of this as an active rebellion. You start out with no one trusting you, but as we turn up the heat, more people realize the risks. It's only by building allies that rebellions succeed. Peter and Paul weren't with you initially, but as the rebellion continues, and advances, more people start signing up. This may be a sign of our success, rather than another attempt to kill us."

Otis threw his hands up. "OK. Fine! This really isn't any stupider than all of our other decisions. We've got to do something. Let's do it. Natalie, you make contact, but remember, you're the one exposing herself."

"OK, here's the plan the White House offered," Natalie explained. "They realize that playing along with the aliens won't save lives. The President understands his son died as soon as he was taken hostage. Even if he turns us over to save him, they'd only strike out later. He hadn't trusted our intelligence before, but when he saw what he'd previously thought was blatant propaganda, he's rethought his stance.

"They've got an interesting idea. They want to know where the Ti'chrk ship is stationed. They figure, if the aliens only have limited resources, if they do like the Chinese and launch a massive nuclear strike, it may incapacitate them."

Otis frowned. "It's not like we haven't seen that approach fail horribly before."

"But we're not talking about a single bomb, activated close to home. Instead, we're discussing a launch of every nuclear weapon the U.S. has. They've already been recalculated to target a single source in orbit. If we can give them their location, it just might succeed."

Ger leapt up. "If a single nuclear weapon destroyed the communications of Beijing, what will ten-thousand do?"

Natalie spread her hands wide. "But if we're talking about annihilation and the deaths of billions, isn't a few lights going out worth considering?"