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* SentencedWithoutTrial: Altmayer's third imprisonment is this. No trial, no sentence, and, in fact, hardly any imprisonment -- he got a LuxuryPrisonSuite with only a few officials having the right to communicate.
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* ProppingUpTheirPatsy: Stock allows the leaking of fake documents implicating the Diaboli in HostileTerraforming of a human colony. His plan is to have the other human polities distrust the Diaboli enough to prevent any alliances... and in order to make the picture more convincing, he has Earth denying everything as firmly as the Diaboli.
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* DivideAndConquer: When FirstContact with the Diaboli was first established, the human race came pre-divided. Many governments were quick to declare alliances with the Diaboli, and it took decades of political maneuvering to ensure no other human government would be allied with the Diaboli by the time Earth went to war against them, conquoring the first alien race.
* DontCreateAMartyr: Altmayer is arrested for attempting to kill the alien ambassadors from Diaboli (he hoped to unite the human factions through an EnemyMine situation), he asks whether he's going to be shot without a trial. Instead, he's told that he'll only get a few years... they don't need a martyr. But all of his immediate co-conspiritors will be shot, creating the impression of him being a state witness.
* DontCreateAMartyr: Altmayer is arrested for attempting to kill the alien ambassadors from Diaboli (he hoped to unite the human factions through an EnemyMine situation), he asks whether he's going to be shot without a trial. Instead, he's told that he'll only get a few years... they don't need a martyr. But all of his immediate co-conspiritors will be shot, creating the impression of him being a state witness.
to:
* DivideAndConquer: When FirstContact with the Diaboli was first established, the human race came pre-divided. Many governments were quick to declare alliances with the Diaboli, and it took decades of political maneuvering to ensure no other human government would be allied with the Diaboli by the time Earth went to war against them, conquoring conquering the first alien race.
* DontCreateAMartyr: Altmayer is arrested for attempting to kill the alien ambassadors from Diaboli (he hoped to unite the human factions through an EnemyMine situation), he asks whether he's going to be shot without a trial. Instead, he's told that he'll only get a few years... they don't need a martyr. But all of his immediateco-conspiritors co-conspirators will be shot, creating the impression of him being a state witness.
* DontCreateAMartyr: Altmayer is arrested for attempting to kill the alien ambassadors from Diaboli (he hoped to unite the human factions through an EnemyMine situation), he asks whether he's going to be shot without a trial. Instead, he's told that he'll only get a few years... they don't need a martyr. But all of his immediate
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* MemorialStatue: Altmayer's statue (described by the narration as being "not a very good statue" on account of its excessively idealized portrayal of its subject), raised to him after his death in order to honor his memory.
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* OnceMoreWithClarity: This ShortStory opens with a description of [[OurFounder Altmayer's statue]] in the United Worlds plaza, and the three important dates associated with him. As the story closes, however, we have Altmayer talking with their [[FriendlyEnemy best friend]], talking about which of them would actually receive statues. Altmayer is dismayed that Stock would not be recognized for ''succeeding'' in their shared goal of [[OneWorldOrder uniting the human race]].
to:
* OnceMoreWithClarity: This ShortStory opens with a description of [[OurFounder Altmayer's statue]] in the United Worlds plaza, and the three important dates associated with him. As the story closes, however, we have Altmayer talking with their his [[FriendlyEnemy best friend]], talking about which of them would actually receive statues. Altmayer is dismayed that Stock would not be recognized for ''succeeding'' in their shared goal of [[OneWorldOrder uniting the human race]].
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-->"And when they build their statues, they will build none for me."
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* EarthIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse: The alien ambassadors from Diaboli are surprised to learn Earth, homeworld of humanity, [[SubvertedTrope is not a shrine world]]. While it is the center of the most powerful political unit, it only controls a few worlds out of the one hundred that humanity has colonized. Played straight by the end, when [[OneWorldOrder all of humanity unites into one government]].
to:
* EarthIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse: The alien ambassadors from Diaboli are surprised to learn Earth, homeworld of humanity, [[SubvertedTrope is not a shrine world]]. While it is the center of the most powerful political unit, it only controls a few dozen worlds out of the one hundred thousand that humanity has colonized. Played straight by the end, when [[OneWorldOrder all of humanity unites into one government]].
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* VillainForgotToLevelGrind: The Diaboli empire outnumbers the humans hundreds to one, and are prepared to take out the [[HumansAreWarriors squabbling collection of human worlds]]. It doesn't work: the squabbling had led the humans to refine their military technology and tactics to the point that the first human world to seriously confront the rather stagnant alien empire [[CurbStompBattle easily defeated them]], even before other human worlds started putting aside their differences to join up with the winning side.
to:
* VillainForgotToLevelGrind: The Diaboli empire outnumbers the humans any human polity hundreds to one, and are prepared to take out the [[HumansAreWarriors squabbling collection of human worlds]]. It doesn't work: the squabbling had led the humans to refine their military technology and tactics to the point that the first human world to seriously confront the rather stagnant alien empire [[CurbStompBattle easily defeated them]], even before other human worlds started putting aside their differences to join up with the winning side.
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** The alien Diaboli have always had a single government, and [[HumansThroughAlienEyes find it disturbing that humans have almost always been fractious]].
to:
** The alien Diaboli have always had a single government, and [[HumansThroughAlienEyes find it disturbing that humans have almost always been fractious]].fractious]] (Earth was united shortly before the discovery of FTL travel, and failed to maintain control over the new colonies).
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Bit shoehorned since that title didn't stick. The Publisher Chosen Title entry on the Trivia page fits better
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* HumansAreWarriors: Stock explains to his friend Altmayer that the alien Diaboli has a larger and unified empire, as opposed to the human empires, which are smaller and fragmented. Earthlings could defeat the Diaboli because humans were so very much better at fighting, both in terms of skill and experience, and in terms of technology, having been practicing on and competing with each other for a long time. Stock ahs sculpted recent Earth diplomacy to maintaining this edge by blocking all attempts at forming [[OneWorldOrder a single central government]] while ensuring that no human power allied with the aliens.
to:
* HumansAreWarriors: Stock explains to his friend Altmayer that the alien Diaboli has a larger and unified empire, as opposed to the human empires, which are smaller and fragmented. Earthlings could defeat the Diaboli because humans were so very much better at fighting, both in terms of skill and experience, and in terms of technology, having been practicing on and competing with each other for a long time. Stock ahs has sculpted recent Earth diplomacy to maintaining this edge by blocking all attempts at forming [[OneWorldOrder a single central government]] while ensuring that no human power allied with the aliens.
Deleted line(s) 37 (click to see context) :
* OrwellianRetcon: This story was republished with the title "Ideals Die Hard" for ''Magazine/AuthenticScienceFiction'' (issue #78, March 1957). Subsequent publications use the original name.
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Adding new trope.
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* AlternativeCalendar: This story gives three dates, counted in years since the first atomic explosion. These three dates are the times Altmayer was sent to jail for his beliefs: June 17, 2755; September 5, 2788; December 32, 2800.
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* EarthIsTheCenterofTheUniverse: The alien ambassadors from Diaboli are surprised to learn Earth, homeworld of humanity, [[SubvertedTrope is not a shrine world]]. While it is the center of the most powerful political unit, it only controls a few worlds out of the one hundred that humanity has colonized. Played straight by the end, when [[OneWorldOrder all of humanity unites into one government]].
to:
* EarthIsTheCenterofTheUniverse: EarthIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse: The alien ambassadors from Diaboli are surprised to learn Earth, homeworld of humanity, [[SubvertedTrope is not a shrine world]]. While it is the center of the most powerful political unit, it only controls a few worlds out of the one hundred that humanity has colonized. Played straight by the end, when [[OneWorldOrder all of humanity unites into one government]].
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Pen Island repairs
Changed line(s) 26 (click to see context) from:
* EarthIstheCenterofTheUniverse: The alien ambassadors from Diaboli are surprised to learn Earth, homeworld of humanity, [[SubvertedTrope is not a shrine world]]. While it is the center of the most powerful political unit, it only controls a few worlds out of the one hundred that humanity has colonized. Played straight by the end, when [[OneWorldOrder all of humanity unites into one government]].
to:
* EarthIstheCenterofTheUniverse: EarthIsTheCenterofTheUniverse: The alien ambassadors from Diaboli are surprised to learn Earth, homeworld of humanity, [[SubvertedTrope is not a shrine world]]. While it is the center of the most powerful political unit, it only controls a few worlds out of the one hundred that humanity has colonized. Played straight by the end, when [[OneWorldOrder all of humanity unites into one government]].
Changed line(s) 41 (click to see context) from:
* VillainForgottoLevelGrind: The Diaboli empire outnumbers the humans hundreds to one, and are prepared to take out the [[HumansAreWarriors squabbling collection of human worlds]]. It doesn't work: the squabbling had led the humans to refine their military technology and tactics to the point that the first human world to seriously confront the rather stagnant alien empire [[CurbStompBattle easily defeated them]], even before other human worlds started putting aside their differences to join up with the winning side.
to:
* VillainForgottoLevelGrind: VillainForgotToLevelGrind: The Diaboli empire outnumbers the humans hundreds to one, and are prepared to take out the [[HumansAreWarriors squabbling collection of human worlds]]. It doesn't work: the squabbling had led the humans to refine their military technology and tactics to the point that the first human world to seriously confront the rather stagnant alien empire [[CurbStompBattle easily defeated them]], even before other human worlds started putting aside their differences to join up with the winning side.
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page creation
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First published in ''Literature/NewTalesOfSpaceAndTime'' (1951), by Creator/IsaacAsimov. This {{Novelette}} is about a man who trying to unite the human worlds under a [[OneWorldOrder single human government]], and the man who opposed his methods for decades. It was republished [[PublisherChosenTitle with the title]] "Ideals Die Hard" for ''Magazine/AuthenticScienceFiction'' (issue #78, March 1957), although subsequent publications continue to use the original name.
The story opens by describing the [[OneWorldOrder United Worlds of the Galaxy]], and the [[OurFounder statue of Richard Sayama Altmayer]]. It announces that "[[TitleDrop In a good cause, there are no failures.]]", and gives three dates, counted in [[AlternativeCalendar years since the first atomic explosion]]. These three dates are the times Altmayer was sent to jail for his beliefs.
June 17, 2755; \\
Altmayer and his friend, Geoffrey Stock, have been [[{{Conscription}} drafted for the war against Santanni]], a world colonized by humans. Altmayer chose to [[DraftDodging refuse the draft]], because the Satannian people were humans, and the only enemy he was willing to fight were aliens, like the Diaboli. Altmayer was sent to jail, and Stock was promoted to the rank of major, becoming an important military and political figure in the relationship between Earth and the Diaboli.
September 5, 2788; \\
The Diaboli ambassadors have arrived on Earth for the first time. Altmayer and his political party (the Federalists) have been spreading the news about the Diaboli having colonized five hundred worlds in five years, while humanity has only colonized five. Altmayer believes the difference is that [[DivideAndConquer humanity is divided into many fractious governments]] while the Diaboli have [[OneWorldOrder a single government]]. Altmayer tries to bomb the ambassadors, but Secretary of Defense Stock has anticipated him and fooled Altmayer's crew into bombing [[RobotMe robotic duplicates]] instead. Stock and Altmayer argue about [[PretextForWar how justified war against the Diaboli]] would be. In the end, Stock sends Altmayer to jail for five years, but has his closest supporters executed.
December 32, 2800;\\
Altmayer has arranged to meet with Simon Devoire, who used to be a Federalist and now publishes news. They discuss the new proposal by the Diaboli, which would place the aliens as an effective supervisor government over each of humanity's political realms. Altmayer has been given documents proving that the Diaboli have terraformed the obscure salt-oxygen world of Chu Hsi into an [[HostileTerraforming sulfate-sulfide world]], suitable for Diaboli life. The humans who had colonized Chu Hsi were mostly killed. Devoire agrees to publish the information, and Altmayer leaves. Not long after leaving, Stock meets his [[FriendlyEnemy friend]] again. Stock reveals that Altmayer's "proof" was [[ForgedMessage faked]], and that he, as Coordinator of Earth, plans to deny the truth of the message, causing people to believe it is a CassandraGambit. This time, Altmayer is sent to jail without trial, for an indefinite period.
Two years into his third imprisonment, Stock meets Altmayer again, and explains [[ThePlan what he's been doing all these decades]]. Altmayer has been a public face rallying humanity against the Diaboli, while Stock has been an InternalReformist, setting up gambits and tricks to [[DivideAndConquer break the alliances between other humans and the Diaboli]]. Because HumansAreWarriors, Earth's navy will be able to CurbStompBattle the Diaboli fleets, and the other human governments will flock to the winning side. Stock knows that his machinations will be too dishonest for future generations to agree with, but he wants his friend Altmayer to [[OurFounder represent the change]] to a [[OneWorldOrder United Worlds organization]]; a federation of all human worlds.
This story has been republished several times;
''Magazine/UtopiaScienceFictionMagazine'' (issue #4, October 1956),
''Magazine/AuthenticScienceFiction'' (issue #78, March 1957), ''Literature/ScienceFictionVerhalen 3'' (1964), ''Literature/DodiciVolteDomani'' (1964), ''Literature/NightfallAndOtherStories'' (1969), ''{{Magazine/Sirius}}'' (issue #14, August 1977), ''Literature/OrionsSword'' (1980), ''Literature/OtherWorldsOfIsaacAsimov'' (1987), and ''Literature/TheCompleteStoriesVolume1'' (1990).
----
!!"In a Good Cause--" contains examples of:
* BookEnds: In both the begining of the story and the end, we read the InUniverse quote, "[[TitleDrop In a good cause,]] there are no failures."
* {{Conscription}}: On June 17, 2755, Richard Altmayer and Geoffrey Stock have been drafted for the war against the human world Santanni. Stock chooses to serve, and is promoted to Major by the war's end. Altmayer instead chooses to [[DraftDodging refuse the draft]] and goes to jail.
* DivideAndConquer: When FirstContact with the Diaboli was first established, the human race came pre-divided. Many governments were quick to declare alliances with the Diaboli, and it took decades of political maneuvering to ensure no other human government would be allied with the Diaboli by the time Earth went to war against them, conquoring the first alien race.
* DontCreateAMartyr: Altmayer is arrested for attempting to kill the alien ambassadors from Diaboli (he hoped to unite the human factions through an EnemyMine situation), he asks whether he's going to be shot without a trial. Instead, he's told that he'll only get a few years... they don't need a martyr. But all of his immediate co-conspiritors will be shot, creating the impression of him being a state witness.
* DraftDodging: Altmayer is jailed on June 17, 2755 because he refused to accept {{Conscription}} against the human government of Santanni. He would rather fight against the alien Diaboli.
* EarthIstheCenterofTheUniverse: The alien ambassadors from Diaboli are surprised to learn Earth, homeworld of humanity, [[SubvertedTrope is not a shrine world]]. While it is the center of the most powerful political unit, it only controls a few worlds out of the one hundred that humanity has colonized. Played straight by the end, when [[OneWorldOrder all of humanity unites into one government]].
* FirstContact: Humanity's discovery of another alien race occurs off-screen and before the story starts, but influences Altmayer's attempts to unite humanity against the potentially dangerous aliens.
* HostileTerraforming: Altmayer has discovered documents proving that the sulphur-breathing Diaboli terraformed the obscure human colony of Chu Hsi to be fit for Diaboli life. Trying to release these documents, Stock arrives to arrest him "too late" to prevent the publication of the "proof". Earth naturally joins the Diaboli in decrying the information as a forgery, and sending Altmayer to prison for spreading lies. [[spoiler:Which is part of Stock's long-running scheme to manipulate things so that when the human-Diaboli war comes, no human power is on the Diaboli's side.]]
* HumansAreWarriors: Stock explains to his friend Altmayer that the alien Diaboli has a larger and unified empire, as opposed to the human empires, which are smaller and fragmented. Earthlings could defeat the Diaboli because humans were so very much better at fighting, both in terms of skill and experience, and in terms of technology, having been practicing on and competing with each other for a long time. Stock ahs sculpted recent Earth diplomacy to maintaining this edge by blocking all attempts at forming [[OneWorldOrder a single central government]] while ensuring that no human power allied with the aliens.
* HumansThroughAlienEyes: Part of the story is told from perspective of alien ambassadors from Diaboli, who discuss the foul odor of humans and disgust at the thought of watching humans eat: "My cud will never be sweet again". To clarify; they are strict vegetarians who evolved from grazing animals, and that's how they feel about the idea of eating meat.
* MeaningfulEcho: Altmayer has a statement that becomes a CatchPhrase OffScreen, "In a good cause, there are no failures." The story opens with this as part of [[OurFounder his statue]] and [[BookEnds ends with]] his friend Stock reminding him of the line.
* OnceMoreWithClarity: This ShortStory opens with a description of [[OurFounder Altmayer's statue]] in the United Worlds plaza, and the three important dates associated with him. As the story closes, however, we have Altmayer talking with their [[FriendlyEnemy best friend]], talking about which of them would actually receive statues. Altmayer is dismayed that Stock would not be recognized for ''succeeding'' in their shared goal of [[OneWorldOrder uniting the human race]].
* OneWorldOrder:
** Altmayer is constantly pushing towards a single human government, but his friend Stock seems to oppose him. Stock actually has [[ThePlan a plan to unite the human governments]], one that depends on having an idealist calling for unity amoung the various human-colonized worlds.
** The alien Diaboli have always had a single government, and [[HumansThroughAlienEyes find it disturbing that humans have almost always been fractious]].
* OrwellianRetcon: This story was republished with the title "Ideals Die Hard" for ''Magazine/AuthenticScienceFiction'' (issue #78, March 1957). Subsequent publications use the original name.
* OurFounder: The story opens by describing the statue raised to commemorate the ideals of Altmayer, and the TwistEnding reveals how completely irrelevant he was to realizing it.
* TitleDrop: The title is part of a quote that becomes famous within this work.
--> "In a good cause, there are no failures; there are only delayed successes."
* TwistEnding: A man spends his entire life trying to achieve peace and unity among humanity. He is constantly opposed by his childhood friend. In the end, the friend comes to him and reveals that he was trying to achieve the same, except he was using methods that actually worked, instead of the other's blind idealism. As a double-twist, the friend then puts the idealist as a figurehead in his efforts, being aware that his efficient, but violent methods will not be understood by the future generations, while idealism will be.
* VillainForgottoLevelGrind: The Diaboli empire outnumbers the humans hundreds to one, and are prepared to take out the [[HumansAreWarriors squabbling collection of human worlds]]. It doesn't work: the squabbling had led the humans to refine their military technology and tactics to the point that the first human world to seriously confront the rather stagnant alien empire [[CurbStompBattle easily defeated them]], even before other human worlds started putting aside their differences to join up with the winning side.
* VillainHasAPoint: This ShortStory follows two friends over decades as their paths diverge, Altmayer is an idealist desperately trying to unite the human race in the face of an alien threat, while Stock becomes a soldier and later a political leader who fights in multiple wars against other human factions. When the alien Diaboli finally do attack, the human factions unite and make short work of them. The soldier points out to his friend that decades of internal competition had forced humanity to advance militarily, which protected them from outside invaders. Though events have proved him right, he acknowledges that his friend's idealism will make him a hero in the future, while his own militarism will make him history's DesignatedVillain.
----
The story opens by describing the [[OneWorldOrder United Worlds of the Galaxy]], and the [[OurFounder statue of Richard Sayama Altmayer]]. It announces that "[[TitleDrop In a good cause, there are no failures.]]", and gives three dates, counted in [[AlternativeCalendar years since the first atomic explosion]]. These three dates are the times Altmayer was sent to jail for his beliefs.
June 17, 2755; \\
Altmayer and his friend, Geoffrey Stock, have been [[{{Conscription}} drafted for the war against Santanni]], a world colonized by humans. Altmayer chose to [[DraftDodging refuse the draft]], because the Satannian people were humans, and the only enemy he was willing to fight were aliens, like the Diaboli. Altmayer was sent to jail, and Stock was promoted to the rank of major, becoming an important military and political figure in the relationship between Earth and the Diaboli.
September 5, 2788; \\
The Diaboli ambassadors have arrived on Earth for the first time. Altmayer and his political party (the Federalists) have been spreading the news about the Diaboli having colonized five hundred worlds in five years, while humanity has only colonized five. Altmayer believes the difference is that [[DivideAndConquer humanity is divided into many fractious governments]] while the Diaboli have [[OneWorldOrder a single government]]. Altmayer tries to bomb the ambassadors, but Secretary of Defense Stock has anticipated him and fooled Altmayer's crew into bombing [[RobotMe robotic duplicates]] instead. Stock and Altmayer argue about [[PretextForWar how justified war against the Diaboli]] would be. In the end, Stock sends Altmayer to jail for five years, but has his closest supporters executed.
December 32, 2800;\\
Altmayer has arranged to meet with Simon Devoire, who used to be a Federalist and now publishes news. They discuss the new proposal by the Diaboli, which would place the aliens as an effective supervisor government over each of humanity's political realms. Altmayer has been given documents proving that the Diaboli have terraformed the obscure salt-oxygen world of Chu Hsi into an [[HostileTerraforming sulfate-sulfide world]], suitable for Diaboli life. The humans who had colonized Chu Hsi were mostly killed. Devoire agrees to publish the information, and Altmayer leaves. Not long after leaving, Stock meets his [[FriendlyEnemy friend]] again. Stock reveals that Altmayer's "proof" was [[ForgedMessage faked]], and that he, as Coordinator of Earth, plans to deny the truth of the message, causing people to believe it is a CassandraGambit. This time, Altmayer is sent to jail without trial, for an indefinite period.
Two years into his third imprisonment, Stock meets Altmayer again, and explains [[ThePlan what he's been doing all these decades]]. Altmayer has been a public face rallying humanity against the Diaboli, while Stock has been an InternalReformist, setting up gambits and tricks to [[DivideAndConquer break the alliances between other humans and the Diaboli]]. Because HumansAreWarriors, Earth's navy will be able to CurbStompBattle the Diaboli fleets, and the other human governments will flock to the winning side. Stock knows that his machinations will be too dishonest for future generations to agree with, but he wants his friend Altmayer to [[OurFounder represent the change]] to a [[OneWorldOrder United Worlds organization]]; a federation of all human worlds.
This story has been republished several times;
''Magazine/UtopiaScienceFictionMagazine'' (issue #4, October 1956),
''Magazine/AuthenticScienceFiction'' (issue #78, March 1957), ''Literature/ScienceFictionVerhalen 3'' (1964), ''Literature/DodiciVolteDomani'' (1964), ''Literature/NightfallAndOtherStories'' (1969), ''{{Magazine/Sirius}}'' (issue #14, August 1977), ''Literature/OrionsSword'' (1980), ''Literature/OtherWorldsOfIsaacAsimov'' (1987), and ''Literature/TheCompleteStoriesVolume1'' (1990).
----
!!"In a Good Cause--" contains examples of:
* BookEnds: In both the begining of the story and the end, we read the InUniverse quote, "[[TitleDrop In a good cause,]] there are no failures."
* {{Conscription}}: On June 17, 2755, Richard Altmayer and Geoffrey Stock have been drafted for the war against the human world Santanni. Stock chooses to serve, and is promoted to Major by the war's end. Altmayer instead chooses to [[DraftDodging refuse the draft]] and goes to jail.
* DivideAndConquer: When FirstContact with the Diaboli was first established, the human race came pre-divided. Many governments were quick to declare alliances with the Diaboli, and it took decades of political maneuvering to ensure no other human government would be allied with the Diaboli by the time Earth went to war against them, conquoring the first alien race.
* DontCreateAMartyr: Altmayer is arrested for attempting to kill the alien ambassadors from Diaboli (he hoped to unite the human factions through an EnemyMine situation), he asks whether he's going to be shot without a trial. Instead, he's told that he'll only get a few years... they don't need a martyr. But all of his immediate co-conspiritors will be shot, creating the impression of him being a state witness.
* DraftDodging: Altmayer is jailed on June 17, 2755 because he refused to accept {{Conscription}} against the human government of Santanni. He would rather fight against the alien Diaboli.
* EarthIstheCenterofTheUniverse: The alien ambassadors from Diaboli are surprised to learn Earth, homeworld of humanity, [[SubvertedTrope is not a shrine world]]. While it is the center of the most powerful political unit, it only controls a few worlds out of the one hundred that humanity has colonized. Played straight by the end, when [[OneWorldOrder all of humanity unites into one government]].
* FirstContact: Humanity's discovery of another alien race occurs off-screen and before the story starts, but influences Altmayer's attempts to unite humanity against the potentially dangerous aliens.
* HostileTerraforming: Altmayer has discovered documents proving that the sulphur-breathing Diaboli terraformed the obscure human colony of Chu Hsi to be fit for Diaboli life. Trying to release these documents, Stock arrives to arrest him "too late" to prevent the publication of the "proof". Earth naturally joins the Diaboli in decrying the information as a forgery, and sending Altmayer to prison for spreading lies. [[spoiler:Which is part of Stock's long-running scheme to manipulate things so that when the human-Diaboli war comes, no human power is on the Diaboli's side.]]
* HumansAreWarriors: Stock explains to his friend Altmayer that the alien Diaboli has a larger and unified empire, as opposed to the human empires, which are smaller and fragmented. Earthlings could defeat the Diaboli because humans were so very much better at fighting, both in terms of skill and experience, and in terms of technology, having been practicing on and competing with each other for a long time. Stock ahs sculpted recent Earth diplomacy to maintaining this edge by blocking all attempts at forming [[OneWorldOrder a single central government]] while ensuring that no human power allied with the aliens.
* HumansThroughAlienEyes: Part of the story is told from perspective of alien ambassadors from Diaboli, who discuss the foul odor of humans and disgust at the thought of watching humans eat: "My cud will never be sweet again". To clarify; they are strict vegetarians who evolved from grazing animals, and that's how they feel about the idea of eating meat.
* MeaningfulEcho: Altmayer has a statement that becomes a CatchPhrase OffScreen, "In a good cause, there are no failures." The story opens with this as part of [[OurFounder his statue]] and [[BookEnds ends with]] his friend Stock reminding him of the line.
* OnceMoreWithClarity: This ShortStory opens with a description of [[OurFounder Altmayer's statue]] in the United Worlds plaza, and the three important dates associated with him. As the story closes, however, we have Altmayer talking with their [[FriendlyEnemy best friend]], talking about which of them would actually receive statues. Altmayer is dismayed that Stock would not be recognized for ''succeeding'' in their shared goal of [[OneWorldOrder uniting the human race]].
* OneWorldOrder:
** Altmayer is constantly pushing towards a single human government, but his friend Stock seems to oppose him. Stock actually has [[ThePlan a plan to unite the human governments]], one that depends on having an idealist calling for unity amoung the various human-colonized worlds.
** The alien Diaboli have always had a single government, and [[HumansThroughAlienEyes find it disturbing that humans have almost always been fractious]].
* OrwellianRetcon: This story was republished with the title "Ideals Die Hard" for ''Magazine/AuthenticScienceFiction'' (issue #78, March 1957). Subsequent publications use the original name.
* OurFounder: The story opens by describing the statue raised to commemorate the ideals of Altmayer, and the TwistEnding reveals how completely irrelevant he was to realizing it.
* TitleDrop: The title is part of a quote that becomes famous within this work.
--> "In a good cause, there are no failures; there are only delayed successes."
* TwistEnding: A man spends his entire life trying to achieve peace and unity among humanity. He is constantly opposed by his childhood friend. In the end, the friend comes to him and reveals that he was trying to achieve the same, except he was using methods that actually worked, instead of the other's blind idealism. As a double-twist, the friend then puts the idealist as a figurehead in his efforts, being aware that his efficient, but violent methods will not be understood by the future generations, while idealism will be.
* VillainForgottoLevelGrind: The Diaboli empire outnumbers the humans hundreds to one, and are prepared to take out the [[HumansAreWarriors squabbling collection of human worlds]]. It doesn't work: the squabbling had led the humans to refine their military technology and tactics to the point that the first human world to seriously confront the rather stagnant alien empire [[CurbStompBattle easily defeated them]], even before other human worlds started putting aside their differences to join up with the winning side.
* VillainHasAPoint: This ShortStory follows two friends over decades as their paths diverge, Altmayer is an idealist desperately trying to unite the human race in the face of an alien threat, while Stock becomes a soldier and later a political leader who fights in multiple wars against other human factions. When the alien Diaboli finally do attack, the human factions unite and make short work of them. The soldier points out to his friend that decades of internal competition had forced humanity to advance militarily, which protected them from outside invaders. Though events have proved him right, he acknowledges that his friend's idealism will make him a hero in the future, while his own militarism will make him history's DesignatedVillain.
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