"Brothers, kinsmen this is Maurr of the House of Kihrr, speaking. This base is doomed, and the Rasharr empire will be doomed as well. The GHOULs say they want to save it by returning to the purity of our traditions, to the foundations of the sacred texts to fight this modernity that frightens them. They're lying. To stop the changes that are eroding their privileges, they themselves are the bearers of that very change they're claiming to fight." Maurr paused and thought of how many times he and JS had tried that speech, polishing, dramatizing it. "They say they're stuck to traditions, but they've been discrediting the moieties on which our society rests. Thousands of years ago, looking for biological purity, the BAR empire doomed our people, and our elders, mindful of that fate, created a right balance of powers entrusting the Blue and Red Mantles with the reasons of peace and war. In their wisdom they also entrusted the matriarchs with the decisions on peace and war. The sacred psalms speak of great matriarchs flying among the stars listening to the people's voice and administering justice. This is not the world the GHOULs are building today! By demeaning the Blues and locking the matriarchs up on our planet, the GHOULs are destroying our traditions and causing our people's ruin. Is this the ethical state the GHOULs fill their mouths with? I fear an ethical state run by the breeze of a cracking whip, by the gale of shaken nooses, by the hissing sound of beheading axes, by the thunder of the fire of firing squads. When we regained the stars, we wanted to be respected, maybe even loved, certainly not despised and hated. Brothers, I'm offering a chance. Surrender and join me! Let's save our people!" "Now we wait," JS said. "How long?" O'Malley asked. "Not too much. If they don't show up in a reasonable lapse of time, we'll destroy the base." JS replied. After a while, a message popped up from a screen: "Give us a proof prince Maurr speaks of his own free will." Maurr responded with a code phrase only selected members of the Blues could know, and a personal story. "If there's a relative of mine, he'll recognize the story. It's a family thing." Soon came the reply: "We ask for a meeting." and the coordinates of the proposed site followed. "Deal." JS said, giving instructions for the parley. "There're passages not listed in the base official map. This lower deck was considered impassable for example, but it isn't. Be on the alert, guys!" Given orders to strengthen their defences against intruders, JS and Maurr went to the meeting. O'Malley was officially with them, but JS had snipers lurking here and there and felt pretty safe. Four Rogues presented themselves all unarmed, as agreed. One of them was injured. "Prince," one of the Rogues said, "it's such a relief to see you here." Then the man turned to JS: "Consort, Captain Sea, my respects." "Maurr, what should we do?" The wounded man was one of Maurr's father's cousins, JS mind-read, but the fourth Rogue was the petty offenders' spokesman from the penal companies. Crime was considered a heresy, for it was a violation of the laws against vice and for virtue foisted by the regime. "We are willing to surrender, but on conditions." the gaolbird said. "No conditions," Maurr replied, "Either join my liberation army, or go to a prison camp." "You could destroy us, you didn't, so we can have a deal." replied the Rogue. "We didn't destroy you for Maurr's sake." JS retorted sharply. "No deal, yet there's a new condition: you'll seize the station's HQ." Silence. "Tough guy aren't you?" the Rogue grinned, "OK, we're in." "We'll win our honor back," the Blue leader said. "Do you think we can trust the convicts?" Maurr asked JS later. "This way we force them to take sides. Seizing the station will compromise them, so they won't go back." JS grinned cunningly. "Moreover, there's the ships' scrutiny as a safety clause." --- Thanks!