The End of All Things #2: This Hollow Union by John Scalzi

to push one of their own into power. Now that faction has fragmented and all the factions are fighting each other. So if your plan was to divert attention away from the general, it worked. Of course, now there are complications. What was best for the general in the short term is not, I think, the best for the Conclave in the long term. You do see that, Councilor.”
    “I do,” I said. “We buy time where we may.”
    “You bought yourself time,” Oi agreed. “I don’t think it’s of very good quality.”
    *   *   *
    In my own office, just before the general’s address, I regarded Ode Abumwe, and she me. “I believe we might be two of a kind,” I said to her, finally. “Two people who believe in the usefulness of truth, despite the environments in which we work.”
    “I am glad you believe so, Councilor,” Abumwe said, and waited for me to continue.
    “You were blunt yesterday in our meeting after your presentation,” I said. “I was hoping you might be again.”
    “As you wish,” Abumwe said.
    “What does the Colonial Union hope to gain by sharing the information you have with us?”
    “We hope to avoid a war with the Conclave,” Abumwe said.
    “Yes,” I said. “But what more than that?”
    “I was given no other brief, either publicly or privately,” Abumwe said. “We knew Ocampo and Equilibrium wanted to set each of us on the other for their own reasons. We knew it would end poorly for us, and that we would be obliged to make it end as poorly as possible for you as we could.”
    “Presenting us this information does not end the potential of conflict between us.”
    “No, of course not. But if conflict happens, it will be because of our own damn foolishness, and not anyone else’s.”
    I smiled widely at this. Abumwe, a professional diplomat, did not flinch. “But you don’t believe that your brief is the whole of the reason this information was given to us,” I said.
    “You’re asking me for my opinion, Councilor.”
    “I am.”
    “No, I don’t,” she said.
    “Will you offer me your thoughts as to some of the other reasons?”
    “That would be irresponsible of me.”
    “Please.”
    “I would imagine we wanted what in fact happened,” Abumwe said. “Using the information to destroy the comity of the Conclave and to force open the fissures that were already developing. You could destroy us, and even if we took you with us that would be of little comfort. Better if you destroyed yourselves without going through us first.”
    “And do you believe that’s how it would happen?” I asked. “That members of the then-former Conclave, individually or severally, would conveniently forget it was your report that started us on the path to our destruction? Would forget Roanoke? Would forget all the other reasons we have to despise you?”
    “What I believe is aside from what my responsibilities are to the Colonial Union.”
    “I understand that,” I said. “But it’s not what I asked.”
    “What I believe is that both our governments are in an impossible situation at the moment, Councilor,” Abumwe said. “We’ve been pushed there by this Equilibrium group, yes. But Equilibrium could not by itself have gotten us to where both of us are now. We can blame this situation on Equilibrium, or on each other. But we are where we are because we put ourselves there. I don’t know if there’s any way for us to avoid what’s coming. The best we can do is put it off and hope something else develops along the way, to save us from ourselves.”
    “Another thing we have in common, Ambassador.”
    “I don’t doubt it, Councilor,” Abumwe said. “The rumor is that the general is going to address the Grand Assembly today.”
    “He is.”
    “He’s hoping to repair the damage my report created.”
    “That’s some of it, yes.”
    “If I’d have been him—or you—I wouldn’t have let me address the assembly.”
    “If we hadn’t have had you do it, we would have different