The Orphaned Worlds

by Michael Cobley

  Kuros knew nothing of Teshak’s background and harboured no desires to emulate Clarified characteristics. But he did know that an assigned Clarified like Teshak bore the full authority of the Tri-Advocate Council and therefore could not be obstructed in its duties. The only thing to do now, Kuros realised, was to endure whatever was to come.

  ‘Too gloomy,’ said the Clarified, and the ambient light in the circular chamber brightened to reveal the carven details on the walls and the worn, shiny surface of the warpwell itself. Then Kuros heard footsteps behind him, half-turned and was astonished to see his companion, his mind-brother Gratach walk past to stand blank-faced at arm’s length from the Clarified Teshak.

  ‘I asked him to attend,’ Teshak said, glancing at the general.

  ‘To corroborate my statement?’

  ‘To offer perspective on your actions.’ The Clarified bent his head a little and laughed. ‘You must not think the worst of me, Kuros. I am only here to determine, to cooperate, and to guide.’

  Kuros stared at Gratach, wondering how the Clarified could coerce another’s companion to manifest to that person’s visual sense … but there were audible footsteps, and Teshak can see him, thus this image of him has to be part of the simulation.

  Not knowing what to think, he composed himself, breathed in, filling his lungs, exhaled and smiled.

  ‘I appreciate the effort you have expended on my behalf, your Clarity. Please, commence.’

  For the next half-hour, Teshak questioned him closely on the preparation and buildup to the assassination of Reskothyr, the involvement of the Imisil, and especially the performance of the Ezgara Humans. This continued on to the as yet unexplained disappearance of Robert Horst, the escape of the Enhanced researchers, and the humiliating dogfight near the forest moon in which a poorly armed Earth shuttle shot down two Brolturan interceptors. The Clarified seemed to find this incident amusing and even called up an inset visual of it generated from several real-time files.

  The focus shifted to the shielded cloud harvester and the small ship it had pursued to Darien and down to the planet surface. More recordings appeared in midair frames, including one sequence taken during the firefight atop Giant’s Shoulder and showing two bulky, armoured droids exchanging fire with Brolturan units while a drogued escape craft swept down into the wide entry channel previously excavated from the promontory. Eventually the unidentified droids were subdued with heavy ordnance – shots of fused and melted masses of metal – but the escape craft was empty, as was the chamber below, although later analysis revealed that an energy weapon had been discharged.

  Throughout this, Gratach stood stock-still, his features blank, although Kuros noticed that he and Teshak exchanged glances a couple of times. He realised that it was very likely that his AI mind-brother was undergoing a parallel interrogation, such was the nature of the AI continuum. All AIs in the Hegemony (and many outside it) existed in a state of perpetual linkage to the Hypercore, an immense data citadel permanently stationed in hyperspace, fortified with defence batteries and guarded by battleships. Kuros had always considered this radiating network to be part of the natural order of things yet now it took on a threatening character before which he felt naked and vulnerable.

  ‘In short,’ the Clarified was saying, ‘security was lacking and tactical responses were indecisive, while technical reports have little to say about the intruder droids’ remains beyond compositional breakdown. As for the occupants of the escape pod – which somehow landed on the planet’s highest-security site without suffering a single weapon impact – your analysts found no clues apart from vestigial genetic material, and could only speculate as to their whereabouts.’

  ‘I am forced to agree with your estimation, your Clarity,’ Kuros said. ‘My own conclusion is that these outcomes would have been more satisfactory if more Hegemony troops and specialists had been made available to me.’

  Kuros felt stoic and resigned, having crushed those irrational fears of vulnerability with his adherence to loyalty, and with the conviction that he would shortly be relieved of his position and sent back to Iseri in disgrace.

  ‘Seeking to shift the blame, Kuros?’

  ‘I accept full responsibility, regardless.’

  ‘Good. Now tell me what progress, if any, has been made in bringing the warpwell under our control.’

  ‘At first we attempted to gain access to its functions through activating the symbols and subpatterns on the surface but that only resulted in energy discharges and the death of several tech assisters. Then we carried out detailed molecular scans of the stone surface of the warpwell and detected faint, repeating energy signatures.’

  ‘Many Forerunner technologies involved the conversion of stone and mineral substances into sophisticated instrumentalities.’

  ‘Just so. The main investigation tried to introduce energy pulses of our own along the pattern energy lines but preliminary results have been negative. The secondary analysis team is devising nanobuilt pseudostone incorporating energy pathways, a highly speculative approach which I decided to allow.’

  ‘Very good, Kuros. Now summarise the security matrix around Giant’s Shoulder for me.’

  ‘The promontory and its surroundings are continually scanned by a dedicated satellite in site-synchronous orbit; airspace is monitored by enhanced sweep detectors located at the site, Hammergard and Port Gagarin; ten pairs of interdict drones are on cycling patrols focused on Giant’s Shoulder; six batteries of heavy projectors are on permanent standby, two up at the site, four at ground level; and a company of veteran Brolturan troops occupy fortified positions on the promontory itself.’

  The Clarified Teshak nodded and strolled off to the side a few paces, hands clasped behind his back. The image of General Gratach remained motionless, eyes staring at nothing.

  ‘A comprehensive, in-depth strategy, Kuros. These Human rebels must have you worried. Is that why you requested the Namul-Ashaph?’

  ‘The Humans are a concern, your Clarity, but I am also worried about these lesser bipeds from the forest moon – they are clearly linked to the ruins on Giant’s Shoulder and to the warp-well. Their myths speak of this world being central to a vast war millennia ago, and repeatedly refer to the moon-forest as if it was a living being. I am concerned that together they and the Humans may pose a serious challenge to our purpose here. In fact, with all their lairs and hideouts, I believe that they already constitute a serious problem, one that a Namul-Ashaph is uniquely qualified to solve.’

  ‘The Uvovo are a known quantity, Kuros,’ Teshak said. ‘They represent one constituent in the self-regulating system that the Forerunners put in place to protect this world and its warpwell, just as they did on a hundred other worlds. But here, on Darien, one vital element is missing, a psi-symbiote of some kind that would link every forest and jungle with the greater biomass and turn the entire planet into a single massive weapon; without it, however, the Uvovo are little more than primitives stumbling in the dark.

  ‘As for the Humans … well, within Earthsphere they think very highly of themselves and imagine that they possess some special spark when the truth is that they owe their position of power and influence to us. Without the Hegemony’s backing they would be a minor client civilisation near the Fensahr border. It is through our involvement that they have become strong and able to take the correct decisions. The Humans on Darien may be less disciplined and more seditious but that does not make them so different from other Human communities. Like the Ezgara, for example.’

  Kuros frowned. ‘The Ezgara are a secretive order of Human mercenaries – I fail to see the parallel.’

  ‘Knowledge has its own levels, Kuros, knowledge contained within knowledge. The Ezgara have a homeworld called Tygra, whose system is hidden in the Qarqol deepzone. The Tygrans, as they refer to themselves, are not a sect of hired guns – their antecedents arrived at that world almost eighty velanns ago aboard a ship called the Forrestal.’

  ‘Another of the lost Human colo
nyships,’ Kuros said thoughtfully, masking his astonishment at such revelations, and at the fact that he was being told this at all.

  ‘One of our deep-reconnaissance vessels discovered them a few velanns after the Achorga wars. So while Earth was being rebuilt and its Human population were responding to our careful tutelage, so too were the Tygrans. Our operatives subverted the colonists’ communication network and began a series of subtle experiments that promoted a martial culture and a stronger, more improving hierarchy. Then we gave them an enemy, a low-tech sentient species inhabiting jungle swamps on the same continent, well south of their landing site. These were scaled, oviparous bipeds with a primitive tribal matrix; their numbers were far greater than the Humans but territorial imperatives prevented them from uniting. Conflict was kindled and clandestine social guidance kept it burning fiercely until the expected resolution some nine velanns later. And for the last sixty-five velanns they have been superlative enforcers of Hegemony authority in demanding situations.’ Teshak regarded Kuros with cold eyes. ‘This is how you should have looked at this vagrant nest of Humans, rather than concocting this fake Free Darien Faction and wiping out their government.’

  Kuros clenched his jaw, striving to keep his resentment from showing.

  ‘Yet the curious connections do not end there,’ the Clarified went on. ‘You see, we also know where the third Human colony-ship ended its journey, a world in the Ydred deepzone, not far from our rimward border. One of our more enterprising and ruthless monoclans was supposed to be closely monitoring both the original colony, a guarded settlement on their now extraction-adapted world, and a refugee splinter group that fled into the deepzone and indentured themselves to the Roug, one of the old Receding races. Except that a single Human male left the Roug system not long after you arrived here, evaded our agents and was one of those aboard that escape pod that landed so inconveniently on Giant’s Shoulder. Remember? The intruders who were magically gone by the time your crack troops broke through to the warpwell chamber?

  ‘And since our understanding of the warpwell remains minimal, we don’t know if it destroyed them or transported them elsewhere. If it was the latter they could be anywhere. Literally.’

  ‘Mistakes have been made,’ Kuros said, mentally preparing himself. ‘Flaws in evaluation, planning and execution were mine alone. I dutifully await whatever penalty your Clarity decides to exact.’

  Leisurely, Teshak approached him and leaned in a little to speak quietly in one ear. ‘But Kuros, I am not your judge. As I said, I am here to determine, to cooperate, and to guide, so be at peace – I am not going to remove you. That would cause more problems than it would solve. No, I want you to continue as you are, although I shall be holding discussions with Ambassador-Admiral Dyrosha and the captain of the Earthsphere vessel, this Velazquez, after which I may have some … suggestions as to revised methods.’ The Clarified gave a desultory wave of the hand and the warpwell simulation vanished, along with Gratach, leaving them standing in the unfurnished half of the audience chamber. ‘In the meantime, inform your science assister that my own mech specialist will be here later today to brief him on the Namul-Ashaph’s operational parameters.’

  ‘I will so instruct him, your Clarity,’ Kuros said, scarcely able to realise that he was not facing demotion and disgrace after all. ‘Is there any other service which we can render, your accommodation for example?’

  ‘That will not be necessary – I will be residing aboard the Purifier.’ The Clarified started towards the door. ‘A transport bearing the Namul-Ashaph is due to assume orbit by tomorrow morning. I shall inform you before then of possible landing sites and initial tactics.’ With the door partly open, Teshak looked over his shoulder. ‘I look forward to our cooperation, Ambassador.’

  Then he was gone.

  At once, Kuros subvocalised his companion’s call-phrase and General Gratach appeared. He seemed normal, the intricate details of his power armour gleaming with heightened radiance, his form edged with a nimbus missing from the earlier virtual image.

  ‘Has the Clarified Teshak departed?’ Kuros said flatly.

  ‘He is aboard a squad-flyer that is now taking to the air.’ Gratach’s demeanour was formal and inexpressive.

  Kuros gazed at his mind-brother, emotions conflicting.

  ‘How limited was your autonomy during the Clarified’s period of dominance?’ he said.

  ‘Completely. The Clarified Teshak made it clear that he exercised power of erasure over my subspace link. I was to answer questions, obey directions and do nothing else.’

  ‘What kind of questions? What was their purpose?’

  ‘The Clarified mostly queried me as to the veracity of your own replies, while some referred to my own ensigilate origin and my role as your mind-brother. Purpose – testimony corroboration.’

  Kuros regarded Gratach, his image a perfect reproduction of the hero of the Three Revolutions War. He wondered how the real General Gratach would have reacted to such a thoroughgoing humiliation. Almost certainly with ritual suicide. Mind-siblings, however, were incapable of choosing to negate their own sentient existence.

  ‘What are your thoughts on this experience?’ he said.

  Gratach’s eyes narrowed. ‘I experience feelings of fury and shame, but duty to you remains my prime consideration. I intend to improve my efficiency, to extend and augment my skills, so that I may be prepared for all tasks and eventualities.’

  ‘Your steadfast nature, as ever, is a source of strength to me, brother. Leave now and tell my technical assisters to compile a list of effectives who will be instructed in the operation of Namul-Ashaph.’

  Gratach straightened to attention. ‘It will be as you command, brother … Brother, the datanode office reports an incoming high-priority call from the Ezgara commander, Juort.’

  ‘Put it through on a screen then attend to your tasks.’

  Gratach disappeared and a holoframe appeared, showing a blue-armoured, dark-visored Ezgara officer from the waist up.

  ‘Captain, what occasions this call?’

  ‘Ambassador, we have pinpointed one of the commandos we thought battle-dead on the forest moon four weeks ago. Atmospheric sampler drones have traced Tygran DNA to a specific location near the southern coast, therefore I ask your permission to carry out an extraction mission.’

  ‘If your commando is still alive, Juort, why has he made no attempt to contact either you or the Brolturan garrison?’

  ‘Possible explanations are limited, Ambassador,’ said the officer. ‘I believe that he has been captured by the indigenes, who have used some kind of psycho-active agent to break his conditioning. Severed from the battle-death reflex and unable to take the Night Road, he may have revealed important information.’

  ‘Perhaps it would be wise to eliminate any Uvovo found nearby,’ Kuros said. ‘After you recover the man, how will you deal with him?’

  ‘He will be taken back to Tygra and debriefed under neural scan. If found non-culpable he may be assigned to menial civilian work; otherwise he would face the choice of self-death or execution, or mind-shredding if betrayal took place.’

  ‘Harsh but necessary,’ Kuros said. ‘Very well, Captain, proceed.

  My operations assister will dispatch the assent to Security and Transorbital Control.’

  Juort inclined his helmeted head. ‘My thanks, Ambassador. We will keep your office informed.’

  ‘Very good. One more thing – remind me which commandery you belong to … is it the Black Sun?’

  ‘No, Ambassador – all of us assigned to Darien are from the Fireblades Commandery. The Black Sun is led by the Marshal Paramount.’

  ‘Of course. My thanks and farewell.’

  Once the Ezgara was gone, Kuros called up the Sky Balcony simulation again, set it for dusk, and sat there gazing down at the brilliantly lit expanse of Erizan, its spires and domes, the towering clusters of the monoclan mercholds, shining and glittering, while thousands of aerial vessels flowed in and out
in strings and chains, streams of glowing beads. He pondered the punishments that Juort had just described, comparing them to the ignominy he would have suffered had Teshak decided to dismiss him. Yet the Clarified had instead made him privy to some astonishing truths about the other two Human colonies, not the kind of information to be shared with someone marked for dishonour.

  On the contrary, might it not be a sign of better things to come? Kuros smiled. If he was careful, and proved his worth to the Clarified Teshak, who knows how high his name might rise?

  CATRIONA

  Cradled in the growing green darkness, Catriona listened, eyes closed, as Segrana sang to her.

  The song was sad, a braided river of lament that ran beneath the hard harmony of sensations that flowed through Cat’s perceptions. The remnants and leftovers of recent showers leaked from tree trunk crannies or spilled like tears from cupping leaves nudged by a breeze or the weight of a bird alighting for a moment on the supporting sprig. Down a thousand paths water trickled, rilled and pattered, and to Catriona it was as if it all poured over her own skin. At the same time she felt the heat of the sun, bathing the upper canopy’s sprigs, leaves and blooms in a delicious blaze. Yet Segrana’s song was an undeniable undercurrent of double premonition. It had begun with low, faint notes of warning as the first Brolturan troops had stepped ashore. When it became apparent that a large offensive force was being assembled, undertones of warning turned to sorrow at the prospect of more death.

  Cat could feel their presence at the edge of the forest, could almost sense the weight of their booted feet. In the few weeks since the murder of President Sundstrom, her mind and her reflexes had become more deeply intertwined with the psionic weave of the continental forest. There was a breath and a pulse to it, the wave of heat and light as dawn swept continuously around the moon, the tug and sweep of weather systems bringing wind and rain. Then there was the purpose of the Brolturans, their occupation of Darien and their grand invasions of Segrana, of which this would be the fifth. Were they still trying to test the defences, or were they engaged in a war of what they imagined was attrition? The latter might make sense, were it not for the huge technology gap – the Brolturans could have fielded land, sea and air attack vehicles or even sprayed the forest with defoliant, yet they had not.