“Come on,” said Noxon. “The reason your testes aren’t visible is because you’ve been castrated. You won’t have any descendants.”
“Not me personally,” said the alpha mouse. “I think of all the babies in their uteruses to be my children, so to speak.”
“Well, Father of Great Nations, answer me: Will you accept this plan and abide by whatever decision I make when we reach the alien world?”
“I accept the plan and I promise to abide by your decision,” said the alpha mouse.
“How is that different from what you would say if you were already determined to break every promise and take over the world and the ship and everything?” asked Noxon.
“It isn’t different,” said the alpha mouse. “But I mean it. And you’ll see that I mean it because I will no longer seize every opportunity to subvert you.”
“So our alliance is set?” asked Noxon.
“We have only one condition,” said the alpha mouse.
“Which is?” asked Noxon.
“You take at least one of us into the future with you and let her connect with your computer system when the aliens take it over. So we can make some assessment of what they’re capable of.”
“No,” said Noxon.
“Seriously? Why not? Knowledge is essential.”
“Knowledge is power,” said Noxon. “You’ve been trying for thousands of generations to break into the programming of the ships that control Garden, in order to reprogram them to allow you through the Wall and to let you develop higher tech than they currently permit. And you’ve failed. But these aliens broke into our computer systems, took them over, and used them to destroy us. You want to see how it’s done.”
Silence for a few moments. Then: “That was truly not my plan,” said the alpha mouse. “If it had been my plan, then that means I was already acting in bad faith and our alliance was already shattered. But I was acting in good faith. I really need to understand what their capabilities are. We will be much safer approaching their planet if I have some idea of how to resist them and keep them from taking over our ship remotely.”
Noxon thought for a while. Finally he spoke to Ram Odin. “I think I’m going to take one of them forward in time to watch the alien invasion while hooked into the communications network.”
“I thought your argument against that was excellent,” said Ram Odin. “Flawless, in fact.”
“It was,” said Noxon.
“So what did they say to change your mind?” asked Ram.
“More promises,” said Noxon, “which are exactly what they’d say if they’re telling the truth or if they’re lying.”
“So you have no idea,” said Ram Odin.
“You have to leap sometimes,” said Noxon. “You have to trust.”
“And if you’re wrong to trust them?” asked Ram.
“It’s in their self-interest to keep the alliance at least until we get to the alien world,” said Noxon. “At least until we’ve eliminated that threat. After that—well, we’ll see.”
“That’s it? We’ll see?”
“All alliances between rivals take that form,” said Noxon. “We work together as long as it makes sense to do so—and then see how the other side behaves when some of the incentives for cooperation are removed.”
“Very wise,” said Wheaton.
“It’s time to get these mice out of here,” said Noxon. “Come on, all of you climb up on me. The mice,” he added quickly. “Talking only to the mice.”
They scampered up into his clothing. The facemask remained aware of every one of them. “You won’t regret this,” said the alpha mouse.
“Good,” said Noxon, already regretting it, yet sure there was no better way. “Now the rest of you, kindly take my hands. We’re jumping back into the future one last time. I believe we have a car parked nearby waiting to take us back to civilization.”
The decision about the mice had been entirely Noxon’s to make. But since Deborah and Anthropologist Wheaton were not crucial now to any course of action, he could leave their future up to them.