Edeard walked slowly behind the gondola, praying to the Lady that he wouldn’t screw up now, that his telekinetic strength would hold out, and he didn’t fall ignominiously back into the water. Out there in the crowd surrounding the pool he saw Setersis and Kavine standing in front of a big contingent of Silvarum market stall holders, leading the applause. A huge array of well-groomed family girls greeted him with shrill saucy laughter as they flashed their petticoats and bloomers. Isoix and his family were there. Evala, Nicolar, and all the girls from the dressmaker’s, waving frantically and screaming to attract his attention. He even thought he saw Dybal and Bijulee laughing excitedly among the crowd, but by then he was definitely feeling tired.
The gondola’s prow touched the mooring platform. Constables steadied it. Captain Ronark quickly took charge. Chae and several of the largest constables from Jeavons station handcuffed Arminel and his accomplices. A path was cleared across the alameda, and the prisoners marched back to the station.
Edeard finally stepped up on to the platform. His legs nearly gave out. He was trembling from exertion. Captain Ronark snapped to attention, and saluted him. Kanseen gave him a huge kiss to the delight of the crowd. ‘You Lady-damned idiot,’ she whispered into his ear. ‘I’m so proud of you.’ Macsen pounded his back. Boyd gave him a fierce hug.
‘Dinlay?’ Edeard asked.
‘The doctors have him,’ Macsen yelled about the thunderous sound of the crowd. ‘He’ll be okay. The bullet didn’t hit anything vital. Not that he’s got anything vital in that area.’
‘You scared the living crap out of us,’ Boyd said, wiping the tears from his eyes. ‘What a stunt, you madman.’
‘Look around you, Edeard,’ Kanseen said. ‘Make sure you see it all. This will be the day you tell your great-greatgrandchildren about.’
‘Wave to them, you dick,’ Macsen ordered. He grabbed Edeard’s hand, and held it high, waving and shouting wordlessly.
The cheer that erupted as Edeard grinned sheepishly up at the worshipful horde was scary in its power. The mental strength of so many people united in veneration was overwhelming, verging on a physical force. His grin broadened as Macsen swung him round so the other side of the alameda could see him.
‘If there was an election today you’d be Mayor,’ Boyd said.
‘Listen to them,’ Macsen said. ‘They love you. They want you. You!’ He laughed uproariously.
Edeard stared over at the blue and silver bridge, convinced the kids hanging over the railing would fall they were leaning out so far. They were chanting something. At each call, their fists punched the air in unison.
‘What’s that?’ Edeard asked. ‘What are they saying?’
‘You,’ Kanseen shouted back. ‘They’re calling for you.’
Then Edeard heard the cry in full, and laughed.
‘Waterwalker,’ the crowd chanted in adoration. ‘Water-walker. Waterwalker. Waterwalker.’
Timeline
1500 years between the Commonwealth Saga and the Void Trilogy
2384
First ‘lifeboat’ (a Brant Dynasty starship) leaves to found human colony outside Commonwealth
2384
Firewall project concluded, no further outposts of Prime aliens detected
2385
Barsoomians advocate Advancer genetic concept, declare Far Away politically independent from Commonwealth
2413
Last (23rd) original Dynasty lifeboat departs on colony-founding flight
2403
Paula Myo wins final appeal in Senate Supreme Court to have Gene Yaohui serve a 1,100-year suspension sentence
2518
End of post-Starflyer War economic recession as new47 worlds approach completion, resettlement taxes reduced
2520
CST forms starship exploration division to scout new H-congruous worlds
2520–2532
Second47 populations emerge onto their new worlds
2545 onward
Use of large starships to establish
Commonwealth ‘External’ worlds in phase 3–5 space, extending approximately 500 ly out from Earth
2547
The Cat establishes her Knights Guardian movement on Far Away
2550
Commonwealth Navy Exploration fleet founded to explore the galaxy beyond phase 5 space
2552–3450
Contact made with 47 sentient (physical stage) species across the galaxy
2560
Commonwealth Navy ship Endeavour circumnavigates galaxy, captained by Wilson Kime, discovery of the Void
2603
Navy discovers 7th High Angel-type ship
2620
Raiel confirm their status as ancient galactic race who lost a war against the Void, builders of High Angel ships, which are trans-galactic arks
2652
Paula Myo arrests the Cat, riots on Far Away
2653
The Cat sentenced to 5,000 years in suspension
2833
Completion of ANA first stage on Earth. Grand Family members begin memory download into ANA rather than to SI
2856
ANA begins to contact other post-physical entities in the galaxy
2867
Sheldon Dynasty gigalife project partially successful, first human body biononic supplements for regeneration and general iatrics
2872
Start of Higher humans, biononic supplements allowing a culture of slow-paced long life, rejection of commercial economics and old political ideologies
2880
Development of weapons biononics
2913
Earth begins absorption of ‘mature’ humans into ANA, the inward migration begins
2934
Knights Guardian adopt Higher biononic technology
2955
Phase one worlds now predominately Higher culture
2958
Contact with Hancher homeworld (Tochee-species) 8,640 light years away, on the other side of the Eagle Nebula (7,000 ly)
2967
First neoGuardian downloads memory into ANA
2973–3060
Commonwealth Navy helps defend Hancher homeworld against the Ocisen Empire expansion waves
2984
Formation of radical Highers who wish to convert the human race to Higher culture
2991
Establishment of the Protectorate, an anti-Higher movement, on External worlds
3001
Ozzie produces uniform neural entanglement effect, known as the gaiafield
3040
Commonwealth Navy Exploration Fleet joins Centurion Station, the Void observation project supervised by Raiel, a joint enterprise between over 30 alien species
3084
Non-incursion treaty agreed between Hancher homeworld and the Ocisen Empire
3088
Military assistance agreement inaugurated between Hancher homeworld and Commonwealth Navy, enforcing non-incursion
3120
ANA officially becomes Earth’s government, planetary population fifty million (activated bodies) and falling
3150
Ellezelin settled, 420 ly from Earth, pro-cybernetic capitalist Advancer culture
3255
Radical Angel arrives on Anagaska, Inigo’s conception
3290
Ellezelin opens wormhole to Tari, 15 ly away, start of Ellezelin Free Market Zone
3320
Inigo goes to Centurion star system, his first dream
3324
Inigo settles on Ellezelin, founds Living Dream movement, begins construction of Makkathran2
3338
Ellezelin opens wormhole to Idlib
3340
Ellezelin opens wormhole to Lirno
3378
Ellezelin opens wormhole to Quhood
3407
Ozzie departs Commonwealth for The Spike to build a ‘galactic dream’
3456
Living Dream
movement has over 5 billion followers amid the External worlds, very strong across Ellezelin Free Market Zone.
3466
Ellezelin opens wormhole to Agra (last planet to be joined to the Core of the Free Market Zone)
3478
Living Dream becomes majority party in Ellezelin parliament (72 per cent), converts planet to theocracy, Makkathran2 becomes the planetary capital
3503
Gene Yaohui comes out of suspension, re-lifed in new Advancer/Higher body, settles on Tourakom at the boundary of External space, 520 ly from Earth
3520
Inigo ‘rests’ from public life, Cleric Council assumes guidance of Living Dream
3587
Fragments of Second Dream appear in the gaianet
3589
Ethan elected as Cleric Conservator, announces Pilgrimage
The Dreaming Void Page 69