Page 1899

“I’m--” A horrified pause came over her as she considered what he might be implying. “I’m... pretty sure?”

“Mm.”

She was hesitant to inquire any further, but there was no point in stopping now, she figured. “Are you really saying... that it is possible to make everyone like us?”

“I’m not saying anything,” said Gohvis. “I’m merely questioning your certitude.”

Emiliana just stared at him, trying to discern something from his unreadable lizard face.

Gohvis didn’t say anything more, however. Even after another minute or so of silence, he seemed perfectly content to let the conversation end there.

She tried to think. She felt like she still had a million questions for him, but there was only one that was dominating her thoughts at the moment. “...Doesn’t it bother you that your supposed comrades in Abolish are trying to kill so many innocent people?”

“Not particularly,” he said flatly.

“But why? You said you don’t believe in what they are doing.”

“Yes,” said Gohvis, “but just because I don’t believe in it, doesn’t mean I don’t understand their perspective. And more importantly, it doesn’t mean that they are incorrect.”

That was not what she had wanted to hear. “What...?”

“The simple fact of the matter is, even if I disagree with them on principle, their logic is still perfectly sound. From a purely objective standpoint, they could be right, and I could be wrong.”

“That’s...” She sighed. “No. They can’t possibly be right. How can you even think that?”

“How can you not?” he countered. “Just because you don’t want something to be true doesn’t mean it isn’t.”

She merely furrowed her brow at that response.

“I don’t actually know if it is possible to change such a fundamental aspect of human nature,” said Gohvis. “Certainly, there is little in the way of historical evidence that such a thing has ever been done before. It may very well be impossible.”