Birthright

“You mean it!” said the first woman incredulously. “You're really going to go down and talk to them!”

“Hope your Galactic's fluent,” said the second woman contemptuously. “Yes, sir. Hope it's real good. Maybe if you bow and scrape enough they won't know what you are. They might think they've stumbled onto a whole new species.”

The man spat on the floor, carefully maneuvered his body through the opening, and began the slow descent. His foot kicked a loose rock that tumbled down the mountainside, and he immediately stood up in full view of the Kragans, waving his arms wildly. “Don't fire!” he yelled. “I'm coming down to talk. I have no weapons.” To his mild surprise, he was allowed to complete his journey unmolested, and within two hours his feet rested on solid ground.

“Who is your leader?” he asked of the assembled Kragans. “I,” said one of those nearest to him.

“I have come to talk,” said the man, trying to keep from breaking into Terran. “Why?” asked the Kragan.

“To ask for mercy.”

“Is that all?” said the Kragan. Had its face been at all manipulable, it would have looked suspicious. “Not quite,” said the man. “You know that we also have the power to destroy this planet and everything on it.”

“We know that.”

“I'll make you a deal,” said the man. “If you'll let us remain here, alive and unharmed, I'll allow you and your forces to leave. We have no desire to die, nor to kill anyone else.” “You have no desire to kill anyone,” said the Kragan emotionlessly, “and yet you came down here to threaten us with complete and total destruction. Is it any wonder that we cannot allow you to survive?” “But we are the last!” said the man. “When you have killed us, the race of Man will have ceased to exist.”

“Yes,” said the Kragan. It did not sound regretful. “It was Man that gave form and structure to the galaxy. We've played too important a role in the scheme of history to die as a race. Surely you must be able to see some value in keeping a remnant of us alive.” “As you kept remnants of other races alive?” asked the Kragan. “How many species has Man exterminated in his brief lifetime? How many worlds has he ground to dust and ash?” “But damn it,I didn't do those things!” cried the man in exasperation.