"Bow before me now, Wagner, or I shall destroy us all," he demanded with
a grim smile that showed his resolution.

Wagner did as he commanded and fell to his knees in front of Bernibus,
saying in the same gentle, appeasing voice that he had first used on me,
"My dear Bernibus, do not be rash, do not act in anger. Let's talk this
over, and see ... and see if we can't find a peaceful solution," his
fear of death evidently caused him to stammer.

"You fool, do you think that I haven't heard that voice a thousand times
before? Do you think that I will fall for your same trick once more?"

Wagner put his face to the ground and groveled like the filthy swine
that he was, for he knew full well that if Bernibus set off the atomic
anionizers he would die. His life was completely out of his hands and
there was nothing that he could do to reclaim it, except to beg for
forgiveness. This he did, saying, "Bernibus, you do not understand, the
situation was more complex than you realize, and I had no choice but to
act as I did. Do you not think that it was as hard on me as yourself?
She was my sister, my only sibling. But there was no other way, I had to
put the advancement of our people over the life of anyone, even my own
sister, as you must do now, putting the advancement of our people over
petty differences."

Here the King interjected, "Bernibus, do not act rashly, I beg of you,
for if you set off the anionizers, than all is lost. Do you not realize
that if you do that, all that we have worked for all of our lives is
lost?"