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

they figure it out, it will be far too late. You have my assurance of that, Councilor.”
    “Thank you, Vnac,” I said. “Now, would you send in our next two visitors.”
    Oi nodded and made its way to the antechamber, where the principals of my next meeting waited.
    “Ambassador Abumwe, Ambassador Lowen,” I said, as the two humans entered. “Thank you both for seeing me at such short notice.”
    “Councilor Sorvalh, please accept my condolences,” Lowen said. “And the condolences of the governments I represent. This is a terrible day.”
    “Condolences from me and the Colonial Union as well,” Abumwe said.
    “Thank you both,” I said, and motioned to the table. “Please sit.”
    They sat. Oi positioned itself in a corner, to observe. I stood, considering my two guests.
    “Is everything all right, Councilor?” Lowen asked.
    “Yes,” I said, and smiled, slightly. “I apologize, ambassadors. I am trying to decide how to say what I have to say next.”
    “You told me earlier that you prize truthfulness,” Abumwe said. “In spite of the environment in which we work. Perhaps at this moment truthfulness would be even more useful than usual.”
    “All right,” I said. “Then here it is: By this time tomorrow I will be the ruler of the Conclave. The deal has already been made. It’s not a role I would have asked for but it’s one I need to take, for the stability of the Conclave.”
    “Understood,” Abumwe said. Lowen nodded.
    “One consequence of today’s events is that the members of the Conclave will be looking to place blame for the assassination of General Gau. Time will eventually provide an answer but that won’t stop the drive for a target in the short term. There are fundamentally two choices here: place blame internally, on a nation or nations within the Conclave, or place it externally.”
    “I can see where this is going,” Abumwe said.
    “You’re not wrong, I imagine,” I said. “But please let me finish. Understand, both of you, that at this very moment I have one priority: to keep the Conclave intact. There is nothing else that comes close to that goal. At this moment, this means I cannot allow internal doubt, internal accusation, or internal blame, even if it is correct to do so. ”
    “So you will blame us,” Lowen said. “We humans.”
    “Yes,” I said. “Officially.”
    “What does that mean?” Abumwe asked.
    “It means that for the moment, the official response of the Conclave is to privilege the Ocampo report over your report. It means that we officially assume that the Colonial Union intends malicious action against the Conclave. It means that it is under suspicion with regard to the death of General Tarsem Gau. It means that although we will not declare that a state of war exists between our two governments, any future provocation from the Colonial Union will be met with the harshest appropriate response.”
    “It means you’re using us as a scapegoat,” Abumwe said.
    “I’m not entirely familiar with that term but I can guess what it means. And yes.”
    “You understand that the Equilibrium group will use this as an excuse to make attacks that appear to be from the Colonial Union.”
    “Yes, of course.”
    “Then you understand what my next concern will be,” Abumwe said.
    I nodded at Lowen. “Perhaps you wish to have further discussion on this topic privately. Ambassador Lowen does not need to be read in for this part.”
    “It’s too late for that now, don’t you think.”
    “All right,” I said. “You know I have a back channel open to the Colonial Union. Director Oi here,” I nodded to Vnac, “will be keeper of that channel. If the Colonial Union is genuinely interested in avoiding a war with us, Ambassador, then it will consider continuing the free sharing of information between us. It won’t change the Conclave’s official position on the Colonial Union for now. Unofficially it will help me keep the warmongers in the Grand Assembly in