Timeweb Trilogy Omnibus (115 page)

“Our telekinesis works best in the starcloud,” the old Tulyan said, leaning forward and looking down sternly. “Mindlink still functions away from the starcloud, but in a much diminished form.”

“All the more reason to join forces with me. I can fill your ships with soldiers and war materiel.”

“It is one thing to defend our sacred starcloud, and quite another to mount an aggressive military campaign far across the galaxy.”

“Your ancient enemies are regrouping,” Anton said, “and they’ll be back, trying to accomplish what they could not before.”

“Then we will drive them off again.”

“Maybe, and maybe not. In any event, why wait for them to come, and why take the chance that they might succeed, using ancient, more powerful weapons? We need to annihilate them in their galactic fold, preventing them from causing more harm.”

“These ideas trouble me,” the First Elder said.

“We live in troubled times,” Anton said. “But I ask you most urgently to consider the merits of my proposal.” The young Doge bowed and swept across his knees with the hat, then returned to his seat.

By pre arrangement Noah followed him to the speaking circle. Standing tall, with his voice strong, he said, “I have had a number of remarkable experiences, spinning across the cosmos in my mind, taking incredible mental journeys. It is all impossible, of course, but seemed real to me each time. Later I came to realize how authentic the cosmic experiences actually were, on a level unknown to any other person of my race.”

As he spoke, Noah noticed all of the Elders leaning forward, listening to his every word.

Taking a deep breath, Noah continued, “Something highly unusual has happened to me, but I have never considered it power, not in any sense of the word. Perhaps it is an ability, or a talent, or just a freak cosmic connection. Whatever it is, comes and goes. No matter what, even if I had full control of myself in Timeweb and I could accomplish meaningful things in that realm, I would consider it a
responsibility
to the entire galaxy, not something I do for selfish reasons.”

He met Kre’n’s gaze, and added, “Just as your people consider it a responsibility to take care of the web.”

“We have heard many stories about you,” said the largest Elder on the bench, looking very intense and severe as he sat beside Kre’n. Earlier, Eshaz had said his name was Dabiggio.

“I am here to second the request of Doge Anton,” Noah said, “and to tell you this. For the sake of the galaxy, all podships must be returned to their rightful custodians, your people. It is not a matter for diplomacy, though we have considered this option at length. Since time immemorial, Parviis have controlled a vast fleet of podships. It is what they do, and what they think they were born to do. I don’t think they will move aside for the sake of anyone, and certainly not where their mortal enemies are taking a central role in using the podships. Instead, we need to strike the Parviis hard and recover the Aopoddae. Tesh says the Parviis are ill and weak, but may be recovering. And—they have more than a hundred thousand vessels.”

As Noah spoke, some of the Elders stepped down from the bench and walked around him, looking down at him closely. The large aliens made him uneasy. Even the shortest of them was still half a meter taller than he was, and all of them weighed several times what he did. Finally he asked, “What is it?”

For more than a minute, the old Tulyans said nothing, and a hush fell over the entire chamber. Looking around, Noah noticed a certain deference toward him on the faces of some Elders … but Dabiggio and others seemed to regard him with suspicion.

“There are many legends among my people,” Kre’n said, “and one of them concerns a Savior.” She placed a large hand gently on Noah’s shoulder. He felt her rough, scaly skin against the side of his neck, touching bare skin. “You may be the one,” she added.

Noah did not particularly like what she had just said. Tesh’s earlier comment bore some similarity:
‘You are destined for greatness.
’ First from a Parvii and now from a Tulyan … to his knowledge, these were the only two galactic races that had ever dominated podships.

Am I really the first of my race who has been able to do it, too?
he wondered. /
think I am, but what if I am not? What if there have been others in the past.…
He paused in his thought process, when it occurred to him that he might be a genetic mutation that would continue into the future, from his own offspring. Yet another galactic race, or subrace.

If the galaxy survives.

But he thought his special ability might be gone, since he could no longer enter Timeweb voluntarily, and of late had only been able to gain entrance through his dreams. It was as if two dimensions were rubbing together at the time-and-space nexus of his life, sliding him into and out of each realm.

Still, Noah sensed that he had not entirely lost the ability, and that it lay dormant somewhere deep inside, verified by the dreams. One day, the skill would resurface again, but only when he was ready to receive it.

But the suggestion that he might be a Savior was an aspect that terrified him, one that he did not feel equipped to handle. Gazing up at the rugged, ancient faces of the Elders and at the audience around the chamber, he wanted to announce that he was not anyone’s messiah, that he was just one man, and he would do the best he could.

As Noah considered this, he noticed that most of the Elders had returned to their seats, but First Elder Kre’n remained behind. Now she said to him, in a husky whisper, “I just read your thoughts.” He had almost forgotten that she was still touching his neck, but now he became aware of it, and remembered what Eshaz had once told him, that Tulyans could read minds this way.

When she withdrew her hand, Noah felt sudden panic, and a swooning sensation.

“Don’t say what you’re thinking to them,” the Tulyan leader urged, still whispering. “Let those who think you are the Savior continue to believe. It makes them more likely to authorize the military venture. Only time will tell if you really are the one. You don’t even know yourself.”

Reluctantly, Noah nodded. Kre’n returned to her own position on the bench.

Noah continued, speaking passionately. “At this moment in galactic history, there is a critical need for unity between Tulyans and Humans and cooperation on an unprecedented scale.” The great chamber had fallen silent, while everyone listened to his words.

“I don’t know the full extent of my abilities, or why I’ve been placed here at this time of terrible crisis.” He paused and looked around the chamber with a determined expression. “Truly, I can only tell you what is in my heart, something your First Elder has ascertained with her touch. We must move forward together and survive … or die together. Doge Anton is right. We must form a military joint venture and attack the Parvii Fold.”

Whispering filled the chamber, and Noah concluded his remarks.

After he resumed his seat between Eshaz and Anton, the Council engaged in a brief debate among themselves, speaking in low tones on the other side of the bench. There was a good deal of whispering, and periods when the Tulyans read each other’s minds by touching hands.

Finally, the Elders resumed their places at the bench, but this time they remained standing.

In a somber tone, the First Elder looked at Doge Anton del Velli and announced, “We agree to form a military partnership with you. Due to the pressing need to regain our relationship with the sacred Aopoddae fleet, we see no viable alternative.” She cleared her throat. “We will provide podships and pilots for the enterprise, while the merchant princes will provide weapons, fighters, and the military commander in chief.”

“That is satisfactory,” Doge Anton said, rising as he spoke.

“I must emphasize that we were never masters of the sacred fleet,” Kre’n said. “Instead, it was a cooperative arrangement between two sentient races for the well-being of the entire galaxy.”

“May I propose a name for our joint assault force?” Noah asked, standing beside Anton.

Kre’n nodded.

“The Liberators,” Noah said. “It will be our mission to rescue podships and return them to you, for the stewardship and maintenance of galactic infrastructures.”

“We are not inspired by such designations,” Kre’n said, with a slight smile, “but it is known that you Humans are. Very well, for the purposes of this mission, we shall be known as the Liberators.”

Chapter Eighty-Nine

The endings and beginnings of life perpetually feed into one another, in infinite and fascinating variations.

—Master Noah Watanabe, unpublished interview

While Tesh no longer wanted Anton as a lover, she had been impressed by a number of decisions he had made recently, all surprising in view of his youth and political inexperience. According to stories circulating while his demented mother was still alive, he had emerged quickly from behind her skirts to carve his own identity as a leader. Now he was working closely with Noah Watanabe, a man Tesh looked up to more than any other.

The aggressive plan that the two men had conceived for the Tulyan Starcloud trip had irritated her at first, but in the end she had seen the wisdom of their views, and the absolute necessity of carrying them out. The way Noah and Anton were setting aside political animosities between the government and the Guardians was admirable, and she liked their decision to bring a nehrcom relay unit along on the voyage. While it was of no use at the starcloud, since it was out of range of land-based installations, they had foreseen how it would be employed elsewhere.

As Tesh approached Canopa, piloting Webdancer at the head of the Tulyan fleet, Doge Anton used the relay unit to send a coded transmission ahead, ordering the shutdown of the pod station defense system. This was done, and the podships arrived en masse, surrounding the facility. A few of the ships took turns to disembark passengers. The vessels were unlike any others seen in that sector, at least in modern times. They had large reptilian faces on their prows, giving them a hybrid appearance, like the strangest race in the entire galaxy.

At the pod station, Anton’s wife, General Nirella Nehr, greeted the Doge and his entourage, bringing with her a contingent of Red Beret and MPA soldiers. She wore a red uniform with gold epaulets and braids, the first time Tesh had ever seen her in it. The impressive garb suited her. This woman of impeccable reputation looked very official and comfortable in her position. She saluted the Doge, then stood rigidly at attention as he spoke to her.

“Begin loading our specialized military personnel and hardware onto the podships,” Anton said. “Exactly as I told you to prepare before I left, except now we have a larger fleet than I anticipated … more than nine hundred ships. We will make stops all over the Merchant Prince Alliance, gathering the largest possible strike force.”

“So it’s really going to happen,” Nirella said. “An assault on the Parvii Fold!” The female officer glanced at Tesh, then back to Anton. “As you ordered, we’ve been getting everything ready in your absence, including our most powerful space-artillery pieces.”

He plans well,
Tesh thought, looking at her former boyfriend.
Let’s hope this leads to a good result.

Although he struggled to conceal it, Pimyt was alarmed to see Human military activity on Canopa, with hundreds of podships setting down on the surface of the planet. Where did Doge Anton and Noah Watanabe get all of those vessels, and why did they have reptilian faces on their prows, giving them the appearance of odd Aopoddae-Tulyan hybrids? The Hibbil wanted to relay nehrcom messages to his people, but since Lorenzo’s fall from power he was being denied access to a transceiver.

Using his remaining connections, Pimyt traveled around the planet to see more of what was going on. Through the payment of bribes, he learned what was happening: a major military venture to the Parvii Fold, with Tulyan pilots operating the ships. He felt his spirits lifting. There were persistent rumors that the Parviis had powerful telepathic weapons, so with any luck at all, the task force would be wiped out and never make it back to Canopa.

On the third day of military preparations, the door to Pimyt’s office on the orbiter slammed open, and Nirella Nehr marched in, wearing her uniform and cap. Just before the door closed behind her, he saw her soldiers crowding into the corridor outside.

“Where is my father?” she demanded, leaning on the desk and glaring at the Hibbil, only centimeters from his furry face.

“I don’t know,” Pimyt said, indignantly. “How dare you come in here like this?” Actually he’d been trying to arrange an appointment with her to work his wiles on her, but she had either been too busy to respond or had her own reasons for avoiding him. This was not what he had in mind.

“Some of the people you’ve been paying off are talking, and we have established a pattern. You’ve been blackmailing my father, haven’t you?” She was so angry that spittle sprayed on his face.

Wiping off his cheek, the attaché responded in a syrupy tone, “You and I might come to an understanding, in exchange for certain … cooperation.”

With a sudden motion, she grabbed him by the neck and shouted, “I ‘11 hook you up to the same Hibbil torture machine that Lorenzo used on General Sajak, melting his body piece by piece, from the feet up!”

“And what a galactic scandal that would cause,” Pimyt countered, with a sly, ostensibly fearless smile. “Especially when embarrassing information about your father is released at the same time. Let’s call it an industrial secret about how your precious nehrcom works. It’s not quite as complex as you’ve let on, is it?”

When she reddened, he grinned and added, “The disclosure is all set up, an automatic reaction if anything happens to me.”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and for a moment he thought she might murder him on the spot. Then she whirled and stalked off, without another word.

As she left, angry and frustrated, Pimyt realized he had only won a skirmish with this female general, and there would be additional confrontations. Maybe he should have told her more, everything he knew about the internal workings of the nehrcom. But she had caught him off guard, and he’d wanted more time to consider what to tell her.