25
IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS, there were moments that I feared I had utterly failed in my mission. One part of me feared that if Ezhya and gamra Chief Delegate Marin Federza heard what we discussed, I would be out of a job and they would never speak to me again.
I mentioned this to Thayu and she said, “What do you think Ezhya would rather have? A group or entity that he can negotiate with and learn things from or a group he will need to go to war with?”
Yes, I knew, I knew, but the little voice of doubt was so insistent.
Since Asto had a large army, but had never been keen to wage all-out war, I didn’t need to ask Ezhya that question.
Thayu continued, “If Ezhya thought this was an issue he could easily win, he’d have sent a few ships, they’d have blasted a few sites from orbit and he’d hav
