Contempt

"You do understand how important this is, Under-Ambassador? The fate of the New Concord rests upon the success of your mission!"

I bowed deeply before the haughty eyes of the High Ambassador. He wore the black-and-gold of the Yesod, blood-sworn enemies to my own clan of Kether, but such differences mattered little here. We both served the *Malkuth* above all else.

"Yes, Ambassador. I understand you well. I will not fail you, nor the *Malkuth*. Long life to the Empire!"

"And to the Matre Dei!" he responded properly, according to the ritual.

Two days later, I stood upon the command deck of the orbiting warship. Rear Admiral Scheer of the Greater German Republic was my escort and was prepared to serve as my translator, though I did not need one. He was a tall Aryan male, yellow-haired and proud, with intense brown eyes. He did well at concealing the contempt I knew he must feel for me as a member of a lesser race.

"The Sixth Reich is most pleased that you have come to meet with us. The Council is intrigued with the possibilities an alliance with the *Malkuth* may have to offer."

"You honor me with your hospitality," I replied politely. Surreptitiously, I surveyed my surroundings. While I was impressed by the vigilance of the black-clad guardsmen, I was also disappointed. I feared they might make things difficult, if worst came to worst. But only difficult, not impossible.

"If it is not impolite, I would like to know when I can expect to meet with the Council?"

The admiral grinned, exposing perfect white teeth. He was an impressive specimen of humanity. If only his eyes had been blue, he might have harbored hopes for a Council seat himself someday. Ah well, there was always the surgery.

"Tomorrow, if all goes well. Ten of the twelve Councilmen are already on board, and Dieter van Dewerk has already sent word that his proxy vote will be in favor of the New Concord."

"Yes, Herr van Dewerk has been most supportive."

"It's no secret," the admiral agreed. "He originally sponsored the motion, as I imagine you have heard. Unfortunately, there has been a minor rebellion in one of the Slovakian provinces which is under his governance and he will not be attending the meeting."

"Most unfortunate. My tongue is not so eloquent as his, I fear.”

"You are no doubt correct. As for the Council, they are only waiting the arrival of the Minister of Security, Horst Lessing. He will be here soon."

Yes, Horst Lessing, I thought. The key. Our intelligence sources had kept us far better informed than the Germans knew. The Council that ruled the Sixth Reich was an oligarchy, not a dictatorship, and the men who sat in the seats of power were individuals who agreed upon only one thing: the superiority of their Aryan heritage. On all other issues were they free to differ.

And differ they often did. I knew that five other members of the Council were in agreement with van Dewerk and firmly supported the alliance. Also, I knew five Councilmen would vote against the New Concord. A split vote counted as a negative, so Horst Lessing's vote was crucial. And, despite our best efforts, unknown.

"Will a decision be reached at the meeting, Herr Admiral?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Oh no, of course not. The Council will discuss it after you've addressed them, and they will put the matter to a vote the next day."

I breathed a silent sigh of relief. Praise the Blessed Mother! If things went poorly, I'd have at least one evening to rectify the situation.

It was a disaster. I knew the plan was dead from the moment I walked into the formal chamber. The members of the Council were arrayed in a half-circle facing the entrance, and I felt a wave of hatred engulf me like a physical force emanating from their petty, pure-blooded minds.

The hatred flowed even from those who supported the alliance. It was only from a purely pragmatic point-of-view that they had entertained the notion and then come to accept it. But the others were ruled by their hate, and by their fear. It did not matter that the Empire had wealth and technology they desired. It did not matter that we needed their weapons technology and were willing to pay dearly to acquire it. It did not matter that they were desperate for an ally in their savage war against the League of Seven. All that mattered was that we were an inferior species in their eyes, a breed far less than human, a class beneath contempt.

I felt despair as I looked into the pale blue eyes of Horst Lessing. I cannot read minds, but I did not need any extra-sensory perception to discern his thoughts. *You thing* I could almost hear him thinking as he stared at me, filled with disgust. *You insect*.

I spoke only for a short while, touching just briefly upon the benefits offered by an alliance with the *Malkuth*. I saved my flowery words for another day, for ears that might deign to listen.

It was not difficult to escape my room, for the lock was digital. Our weapons systems might be primitive compared to theirs, but our electronic technologies were far superior and it was a matter of seconds to defeat the primitive door mechanism. I was worried about the guards, having noted their vigilance earlier, but it seemed they had been mostly for show. My scanners detected no warm bodies in the vicinity. Careless, but perhaps not by their lights, for who would be sneaking around an orbital warship at shipsnight except a crew member? Certainly not an incarcerate!

I soon found a terminal providing a link to the ship's computer. It was a simple thing to learn where Herr Lessing was located; in VIP quarters not far from where I had been imprisoned. Silently, I made my careful way down the silvery corridor to his room and easily bypassed the electronic safeguards upon his door.

The door whirred shut behind me as I edged slowly forward. In the morning, Horst Lessing would be found dead in his bed, slain by unknown assassins. Perhaps at the behest of a Council rival, or possibly agents of the League of Seven. The respected Imperial Under-Ambassador, of course, would not be suspected. Was I not harmless in my cell? Tomorrow, the vote would be six to five, in favor of the New Concord, and my duty would be done. Praise the Great Mother!

The doomed human slumbered, unaware, before me. I touched a series of buttons on the little black Digital Mind Assistant welded permanently to my thorax. I knew what I was about, but it is always best to seek confirmation in these delicate matters. *[ncd huma / ff anat / heart: locate] * The whirring hum of my DMA's drive was inaudible, but I could feel a pleasant warmth against my cold body as it vibrated. *[srch pos / heart: locate= quote{the way to a man's heart is through his stomach}]*

Clacking my mandibles with satisfaction, I extended the longest of my eight killclaws from its chitinous scabbard….

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