Xenocide (Ender Wiggins Saga)

kill us. It's varelse, not raman."
    "Oh, yes, Valentine's hierarchy. Well, how do I know that the descolada is the varelse, and we're the ramen? As far as I can tell, intelligence is intelligence. Varelse is just the term Valentine invented to mean Intelligence - that - we've - decided - to - kill, and raman means Intelligence - that - we - haven't - decided - to - kill - yet."
    "It's an unreasoning, uncompassionate enemy."
    "Is there another kind?"
    "The descolada doesn't have respect for any other life. It wants to kill us. It already rules the pequeninos. All so it can regulate this planet and spread to other worlds."
    For once, she had let him finish a long statement. Did it mean she was actually listening to him?
    "I'll grant you part of Wang-mu's hypothesis," said Quara. "It does make sense that the descolada is regulating the gaialogy of Lusitania. In fact, now that I think about it, it's obvious. It explains most of the conversations I've observed-- the information-- passing from one virus to another. I figure it should take only a few months for a message to get to every virus on the planet-- it would work. But just because the descolada is running the gaialogy doesn't mean that you've proved it's not sentient. In fact, it could go the other way-- the descolada, by taking responsibility for regulating the gaialogy of a whole world, is showing altruism. And protectiveness, too-- if we saw a mother lion lashing out at an intruder in order to protect her young, we'd admire her. That's all the descolada is doing-- lashing out against humans in order to protect her precious responsibility. A living planet."
    "A mother lion protecting her cubs."
    "I think so."
    "Or a rabid dog, devouring our babies."
    Quara paused. Thought for a moment. "Or both. Why can't it be both? The descolada's trying to regulate a planet here. But humans are getting more and more dangerous. To her, we're the rabid dog. We root out the plants that are part of her control system, and we plant our own, unresponsive plants. We make some of the pequeninos behave strangely and disobey her. We burn a forest at a time when she's trying to build more. Of course she wants to get rid of us!"
    "So she's out to destroy us."
    "It's her privilege to try! When will you see that the descolada has rights ?"
    "Don't we ? Don't the pequeninos?"
    Again she paused. No immediate counterargument. It gave him hope that she might actually be listening.
    "You know something, Miro?"
    "What?"
    "They were right to send you."
    "Were they?"
    "Because you're not one of them ."
    That's true enough, thought Miro. I'll never be "one of" anything again.
    "Maybe we can't talk to the descolada. And maybe it really is just an artifact. A biological robot acting out its programming. But maybe it isn't. And they're keeping me from finding out."
    "What if they open the lab to you?"
    "They won't," said Quara. "If you think they will, you don't know Ela and Mother. They've decided that I'm not to be trusted, and so that's that. Well, I've decided they're not to be trusted, either."
    "Thus whole species die for family pride."
    "Is that all you think this is, Miro? Pride? I'm holding out because of nothing nobler than a petty quarrel?"
    "Our family has a lot of pride."
    "Well, no matter what you think, I'm doing this out of conscience, no matter whether you want to call it pride or stubbornness or anything else."
    "I believe you," said Miro.
    "But do I believe you when you say that you believe me? We're in such a tangle." She turned back to her terminal. "Go away now, Miro. I told you I'd think about it, and I will.
    "Go see Planter."
    "I'll think about that, too." Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. "He is my friend, you know. I'm not inhuman. I'll go see him, you can be sure of that. "
    "Good."
    He started for the door.
    "Miro," she said.
    He turned, waited.
    "Thanks for not threatening to have that computer program of yours crack my files open if I didn't open them myself."
    "Of course not," he said.
    "Andrew would have threatened that, you know. Everybody thinks he's such a saint, but he always bullies people who don't go along with him."
    "He doesn't threaten."
    "I've seen him do it."
    "He warns."
    "Oh. Excuse me. Is there a difference?"
    "Yes," said Miro.
    "The only difference between a warning and a threat is whether you're the person giving it or the person receiving it," said Quara.
    "No," said Miro. "The difference is how the person means it."
    "Go away," she said. "I've