Astra: Synchronicity (25 page)

There was only one reason she would put her
life on the line for such a foolish endeavor: Tiyuri. As the only
man Valera respected or even feared, he held a certain sway over
her. She felt a rush knowing he could kill her at any time—because
all humans and most psions easily fell prey to her strong
domination skills. That danger seduced her.

Valera narrowed her eyes at Aliane. "What are
you planning?"

"I plan to get psions the respect they
deserve for once and for all," Aliane said. "And the Pan-Asian
Union could finally take control of Astra, sharing in the bounty of
advances and technology from Xur, given freely to their allies in
order to eliminate the Allied Confederacy."

Her stare turned towards Tiyuri. "I'm
listening."

"We'd be lying if we told you what we're
asking is going to be easy," he told her, "but it is
necessary."

Large drops of water began to fall from the
sky. "As you know in one week, a delegation of humans will arrive
on Xur. I know you will be a member of the PAU's assembly. There is
a small but vocal minority of American citizens who oppose an
alliance with the Xuranian people. There's bound to be someone in
attendance who sympathizes with their cause. With a little prodding
it should be possible to persuade them to commit acts of violence
against the Xuranians. If it's terrible enough, it should incite
war.

"But it's not enough to give the Xuranians
reason to attack. They need to have a reason to align themselves
with the PAU. What if Oleg Straikovsky was assassinated? Such an
event would cause the PAU to declare war against the AC as well. An
alliance is only natural. They have the firepower and you have the
right location to launch attacks. By that point, the Xuranians will
want as many psions as they can get their hands on to deal with
humans, and I'll be there to pick up the slack."

Valera shook her head. "The plan's too
ambitious. It would never succeed."

When she turned to leave, Tiyuri caught her
shoulder and held her in place. "Have you read the prophecies?"

"You know I don't believe in that
nonsense."

"The prophecy states that a year of darkness
will consume the valley of eagles," he said, his eyes smoldering
with sincerity. "Make that happen and assure your place in history.
Joining with the Xuranians will bring us more power than we ever
dreamed. Think of it, Valera: Astra at our fingertips and the
Allied Confederacy on its knees. All thanks to you."

Using Tiyuri's distraction, Aliane closed her
eyes and put her powers of mental manipulation to use. <speaks the truth. If you ever cared about him, you'll do this.
Don't deny your destiny. Help us.>>

Valera's face softened, her apparent weakness
for his lack of charm surfacing. "Do you really believe in this
plan?"

"I would not be a part of it if I thought
there was no chance to succeed." The pace of the rain quickened
until it poured from the sky.

She leaned toward him and pressed her lips
passionately against his. Aliane averted her eyes, taking shelter
under a dense part of the canopy to avoid the downpour. When Valera
began to moan, Aliane cleared her throat. "Will you help us?"

Valera licked her lips and nodded. "And just
so I have this straight, you want me to go to Xur and have AC
citizens commit violent acts before coming home, killing General
Secretary Straikovsky, and making it look like an assassination by
the AC."

"Yes. I wish Tiyuri and I could be a part of
it, but it's extremely important we have a solid alibi. The first
thing the AC will try to do is blame us for this incident. You are
the perfect person for this job. And remember, it must be
completely convincing."

She smirked. "You don't need to worry about
that. I've arranged assassinations before. I know what I'm doing."
Valera glanced back toward Tiyuri. "When will I get to see you
again?"

"Soon," he said and moved toward Aliane.
"Soon."

"All the more reason for my mission to be a
success," she said. "And trust me—I will succeed. I always
succeed."

The three of them raced back to their ships
through the rain and quickly climbed inside. Aliane grabbed a towel
from the bathroom in a futile attempt to dry herself off. With her
hair still dripping and her clothes soaked through, she sat down at
the helm and headed for the stars.

She didn't have much faith in Valera to get
the job done. The only person Aliane could trust was herself. And
Tiyuri. She didn't believe in miracles, but if her plan reached
fruition, she just may start.

***

The day of the Allied Fleet's departure from
Chara bound for Xur arrived at long last. Throughout Northampton,
very few people slept well. Magnius found himself tossing and
turning all night long before he drifted off for a few hours. As
the unfiltered morning sunlight poured into the room, he jumped out
of bed and bolted toward the window. Three large ships sat on the
landing pad at the end of the street, waiting to embark on their
historic journey.

He sighed before heading into the shower.
Since his release from the hospital, he stayed in the East Annex of
the Westwood Estate, where high-ranking government officials roomed
during their visit to New England. The modern suites contained
every amenity one could ask for, from the daily room service to the
restaurant-quality food available at any time. It was a life he
almost allowed himself to get used to. Almost.

The peace summit had been a success. Very few
concessions had to be made on either side of the negotiation table.
Pisa was abdicated by the PAU and turned over to the UE. The PAU
imposed a reasonable tariff on all AC imports. Territory lines had
been redrawn with the Americans claiming the lion's share of star
systems in Astra. Once the alliance with the Xuranians was settled,
humans would enjoy free access throughout Astra.

Listening to the news about this prospective
alliance had his mind spinning. The pace concerned him. No one had
any idea what sort of race the Xuranians were other than what the
Xuranians themselves chose to share, and proceeding ahead on those
facts alone seemed like a huge mistake.

The human language was filled with clichés
about not rushing a potentially good thing, yet it seemed like the
government wanted everything done now. According to a recent ANN
poll, sixty-eight percent of AC citizens opposed an alliance. To
complicate matters the anti-Xuranian Centrist movement continued to
pick up momentum. While an alliance right now would be
enlightening, it wasn't popular. Establishing a positive
relationship for several years would go a long way toward improving
perception of Xuranians.

But Magnius didn't influence politics on
Chara. The progressives did, and a big part of their agenda
embraced peaceful relations. Conservative feelings on the subject
in the AC Council were mixed, only agreeing because a
Xuranian/Pan-Asian alliance constituted a grave security risk they
weren't willing to take.

The fate of Superbia had yet to be
determined. Magnius got the strong feeling the Xuranians planned to
push a higher degree of integration between normals and psions. He
worried normals might be forced to capitulate too much to Aliane. A
message she broadcast three days ago welcomed the forthcoming
alliance. She hoped it would renew the bonds of humanity and bring
forth a prosperous era for all the people of Astra. He knew her far
too well to take her words at face value. She wanted something, and
she was just the sort of person who wouldn't think twice about
strangling Chairman Dodd with an olive branch.

After dressing, he spent little time fussing
over his outward appearance. His salted hair had been cut short
again, combed forward as an afterthought. Five days ago he'd shaved
his face and had only now reached the amount of bristle he'd grown
accustomed to in his attempt to blend in with the human crowd. It
had taken a great deal of work to cultivate convincing wrinkles
over the years that would age him enough to project the illusion of
being normal. All of the effort had been exhausting, but it
mattered to him.

Without another thought, he headed downstairs
to the dining room. Even though the sun had risen just an hour ago,
most tables had already filled. Representatives from all over the
AC stood ready to embark on the voyage to Xur but not on an empty
stomach.

The host showed Magnius to his usual table in
the back corner of the room. From there he stayed out of direct
sight with much of the dining area. He gestured a waiter over to
him and ordered a steak and cheese omelet. After the waiter left
the table, Magnius saw Nadine round the corner and slip into the
opposite side of his booth. She'd joined him for breakfast every
single day he'd been here, as though checking to make sure he
hadn't somehow fallen off the wagon.

In spite of the early hour, she already
looked perfect. She wore a yellow sheath dress and would've been
the only splash of color in the room had it not been for Magnius'
maroon blazer. He didn't quite recall how he let her talk him into
accompanying her to Xur—only that she did.

"Good morning," he said as he leaned forward
and rested his forearms on the table. "I hope you slept better than
I did."

"A little. Not much. I know you're not
looking forward to the trip to Xur so I won't even bother asking.
But other than that, how are you doing?"

"Better. Not completely better, but I'm
getting there. Slowly. I just wish…"

She pinched her brow. "What?"

"I wish I'd never been foolish enough to fall
in love with Lyneea. I know your relationship worked out great for
you, but I think most psions are better off alone." He stared at
the table and turned his glass of water. "I think I'm better off
alone."

"There's nothing wrong with being
single."

"I don't like being single. After my second
marriage ended, I just felt lost. Three times now, and I have yet
to get things right. Lyneea meant the world to me, and I lost her
because of a stupid lie. And I keep lying about it because I've
done it for so long I have to."

Nadine offered a comforting smile. "But it's
who you are."

"I don't think I've ever known who I am." He
picked up the glass and took a long drink of the icy water. The
cold condensation on the outside of the glass drained the heat from
his fingers and the sensation lingered after he put it back on the
table. "I've never really been a psion, and I'll never be normal no
matter how hard I try. I should've just bought a ship a long time
ago and headed beyond Astra to find some planet I could live on by
myself because that's how alone I've felt my whole life…Greta knew.
Not right away, but she figured out I was a psion and was okay with
that. When she died, I didn't know how I would ever go on with my
life. I let myself be lonely for a long time. But one day I met
Lyneea, and things changed for the better."

"Why didn't it last?"

Both of them glanced up at the waiter, who
placed the steaming food down in front of Magnius. The waiter
turned to Nadine but she shook her head to indicate she wasn't
hungry. As soon as he left, Magnius picked up his fork and knife
and continued their conversation. "Her mom was kidnapped and
repeatedly mind raped by a psion. I didn't learn about it until
after we were married, and by then it was too late to tell her.
Finding out that I was a psion like she did was a betrayal of the
worst kind. But why am I telling all this to the woman with the
fairy tale romance?"

"Because I'm the only one you can tell it to,
and I'm not going to judge you. And you're hoping I might just let
you in on one of my visions."

He gave her a harsh stare as he chewed a
mouthful of food. "When we were on the street hiding from Tiyuri,
how did both of us stay unseen?"

"I used you to augment my powers," she said.
"I'm not strong enough to be able to fool Tiyuri for both of
us."

"What do you mean augment your powers?"

"Strong telepaths can assist one another to
pull off feats they wouldn't be able to do by themselves. Why do
you think Aliane has someone like Zingeri as a consort? Because she
actually loves him? Hardly."

I didn't know telepaths could do that
,
he thought. It made him feel like even more of a dunce. His
telekinetic skills seemed inferior in every way to the vast
repertoire of a telepath.
Curse my fucking luck
.

"Please don't think that, Magnius," she
whispered. "You're the most unique psion I've ever met. Telepathy
doesn't scare me, even from someone as powerful as Aliane because I
know what to expect. But you? I don't know entirely what you're
capable of, but I'm perceptive enough to know I should fear
it."

"You think I can do more than move crates
around a warehouse?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Once you refine
your powers, yes. Much more."

Though her words piqued his curiosity, he
forced himself to change the subject. "So can I expect to be
sitting alone in my quarters for most of this trip since I'm not a
distinguished VIP?"

Nadine sighed as she relaxed back into her
seat. "More or less. You won't be in the cargo hold, don't worry
about that. Once we get to Xur, you'll be able to join in on the
festivities. In the end I think you'll be happy you came on this
trip."

"See that in one of your visions?" he
quipped.

The second lady smiled, her even teeth
reflecting a uniform shade of whiteness. "I've arranged for you to
bring your hoverbike. I understand you don't go anywhere without it
even if you might catch your death on it one day."

"You'd tell me if you saw that…right?"

She twisted her lips. "Yes." But there was
obviously more swirling in her mind than that one brief word. Was
he reading too much into her expression?