The Web and the Stars

by Brian Herbert

  * * * * *

  Despite the new information pointing to Noah’s whereabouts, Subi Danvar felt they needed more information before sending an armed rescue mission. So he decided to send Gio on yet another reconnaissance mission. It was not the first time Gio had been sent out, but on the prior occasions he had gone with other Guardians and robots.

  This time, Subi was sending him alone. “You must leave and return carefully,” the adjutant said at the appointed time, “taking great care not to allow anyone to follow you.”

  “I know how to check for tracking devices and take other precautions,” Gio assured him, before slipping out into the night.

  * * * * *

  As the armored man slipped through the darkness, his thoughts wandered. He liked Noah well enough, but mostly he wanted to ingratiate himself to his superiors. In his most private, illuminating thoughts, Gio admitted to himself that he was probably the most accomplished apple polisher in the entire galaxy, always working angles to worm his way into the affections of his superiors. His own advancement was paramount in his mind.

  On the reconnaissance mission, Gio took along an electronic device provided by Thinker. From the river bank opposite the stony, monolithic prison, he concealed himself behind bushes and scanned the outside of the jail. The walls were too thick to be penetrated, but he had a stroke of luck. Passing the infrared light over a wall, he saw a prisoner looking out the window of an illuminated cell, toward the water.

  Unmistakably, it was Anton Glavine, the young friend of Noah Watanabe … and perhaps more than that. According to rumors in Guardian ranks, Glavine was actually Noah’s nephew, but that opened up intriguing questions. It meant Francella must be Glavine’s mother, and conjecture had been flying about who might be the father, even Lorenzo del Velli himself. In any event, Glavine’s presence was a good sign. He and Noah were probably kept in the same facility, for ease in interrogating them.

  Gio kept scanning, but did not learn anything more from that section of wall. Presently, Anton moved away from the window.

  Now the scanner penetrated the water of the river, and looking just below the nearest visible wall of the prison, Gio was able to pick up startling details of the underwater portion of the wall.

  He made out the outline of what appeared to be an underwater door, and at first he wondered why it was there. Then he realized it had probably been designed as a secret escape route—though not for prisoners. This structure had once been the castle of a nobleman, so it might have been his secret way out if he ever came under attack. There might even be an airlock on the other side of the door.

  * * * * *

  In ensuing weeks, Subi Danvar and Giovanni Nehr developed an ambitious and ingenious assault plan to get into the prison, not knowing that Noah had already been moved.…

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  I have often thought that the wild Aopoddae are too beautiful to be captured. Once, long ago, it was not necessary. We worked in harmony with them, and they came willingly.

  —A Tulyan Storyteller

  At the pod station over the Tulyan Starcloud, First Elder Kre’n stood with the rest of the robed Elders, awaiting the arrival of a most unusual podship, one that was guided by a rebellious Parvii. Eshaz was scheduled to return this morning on that vessel, and had sent word to the Council—by telepathic transmission through Timeweb—that he had a matter of utmost urgency to discuss with them.

  Nearby, the Human teenagers Acey and Dux sat at a bench on the docking platform, with a guard posted to keep them in line. Since their unauthorized use of emergency escape capsules a few days ago, the pair had been monitored closely. The Elders were dismayed that the young men would behave so rudely and with such utter disregard for decorum, diverting equipment that might have been needed in a real emergency. Under the circumstances, the boys were not really welcome at the starcloud, but they were Eshaz’s responsibility as his invited guests, and the Elders wanted to show him the proper respect.

  The dignified Elders conversed in low tones, wishing Eshaz had never taken the boys under his wing when he had so many critically important duties that needed attention. But they knew Eshaz had done it out of a sense of honor, since they were Noah Watanabe’s Guardians and he felt responsible for their welfare. Even in times of crisis, a Tulyan could not ignore honor.

  “This is a most unfortunate situation,” Kre’n said.

  “But that is to be expected when timeseers are involved,” noted the tallest of the Elders, Dabiggio, “especially this one who has worked with Humans so closely.” Dabiggio, thus far the only member of the Council to become ill from what was being called the “web sickness,” looked better to

  Kre’n than he had previously, with less redness, and healing skin lesions. The treatments were taking hold. But there were constant breakouts among the populace that needed to be dealt with on a priority basis. Fortunately, the long-lived Tulyans were a tough breed, and had strong adaptive genetics.

  “He does tend toward eccentricity,” the First Elder said.

  “An understatement if I’ve ever heard one,” Dabiggio said with a cough. He was not one of Eshaz’s supporters on the Council.

  * * * * *

  As a podship pulled into one of the docking stations, arriving without the customary hieroglyphic destination sign on its side, Acey and Dux rose to their feet. They’d never seen one come in like this, and the boys approached it, intrigued. The big reptilian guard followed them closely, but made no effort to stop them.

  A hatch opened in the mottled gray-and-black skin of the sentient craft, and a familiar alien stepped through the airlock onto the platform, a biped with a large head, scaly skin and slitted eyes. He was accompanied by Tesh, whom the teenagers had seen earlier with Noah Watanabe. She was one of the Guardians, and had seemed to be a member of Noah’s inner circle, along with Eshaz.

  “Good to see you boys,” Eshaz said. “Excuse me for a moment.” He hurried by.

  Showing no surprise, Tesh nodded to the perplexed young men.

  Dux didn’t know what to say. Why were those two together? And what sort of a podship was this, with no other passengers? He’d never heard of chartered podships. The boys inched closer to the others, positioning themselves to listen in.

  After greeting the elegant, robed Elders and introducing them to the attractive brunette woman, Eshaz asked to speak privately with the Council about a matter of “utmost importance.” The group of Tulyans moved off to one side.

  As Eshaz spoke with them, out of earshot of the teenagers, Dux noticed that the Elders looked even more troubled than before, especially a tall male whom he had never seen smile. They stared disapprovingly at Tesh, then at Acey and Dux.

  Presently, the Council members conferred among themselves, huddling together and speaking in low, urgent tones. Unknown to the boys, Eshaz had made a most unusual proposal to his superiors. It was something he wanted Tesh to help them with, but he had not yet mentioned it to her, not wanting to do so until he had the necessary approval.

  * * * * *

  While the Council deliberated over his astounding proposal, Eshaz glanced over at Dux and Acey, and nodded to them stiffly. From staying in touch with the starcloud by Timeweb-enhanced telepathy, he knew the boys had been restless in his absence, and had caused a considerable amount of commotion. The Elders should be glad to get rid of them.

  And Tesh, too, even though they had barely met her. Eshaz knew that his superiors had even more antipathetic feelings toward Tesh, since he had told them of her true identity as a Parvii, a member of the race that had been mortal enemies of the Tulyans since time immemorial. This revelation had especially disturbed Dabiggio, but Eshaz had neutralized him somewhat and had garnered the support of the majority of the Council by convincing them that Tesh was an outcast from her people, and that she possessed special talents that could be beneficial to the entire Tulyan race, and to the future of the crumbling galaxy.

  By touching hands with all of the Council—the ancient
truthing touch process that opened the gateways of the mind—Eshaz had convinced them of the utter truthfulness of what he was telling them. Now, as he looked on, Dabiggio went to Tesh and performed this lie-detection process on her by touching her face without telling her what he was doing. She knew anyway, since it had long been one of the pieces of information that the two races knew about each other. For Parviis, it was one of the inexplicable processes that Tulyans could do, just as the Parvii system of personal magnification was known to Tulyans, but not anything about how it worked.…

  As the tall Elder completed the test and returned to his peers, Eshaz knew that Dabiggio and some of the Elders had other concerns. With his Council minority of supporters nodding in agreement, Dabiggio had debated it with Eshaz at some length. Eshaz had taken the position with him that all Parviis could not possibly be bad, and that one Parvii had never proven to be a threat, since they were only dangerous in swarms.…

  * * * * *

  “Even so,” Dabiggio had said in a harsh tone, “they are a hive mentality, with a morphic field that compels them to behave in certain ways. We have never understood how far their telepathic fields range, so for all we know this Tesh could still be under the direct control of the Eye of the Swarm.”

  His slitted eyes burning with intensity, Eshaz had countered, “You’re looking at an exception with her. In each race there are individuals who go beyond the range of any type of control.” He grinned, and added, “Many of my people consider me something of a maverick, since I go about things in a different way.”

  First Elder Kre’n and most of the others laughed.

  In sharp and dark contrast, Dabiggio kept a stern face, like a mask glued tightly onto the skin. “Add this episode to your maverick ways,” he said. “But you must realize that there are reasons for the precautions of our people and for the traditions we have followed for millions of years. You can’t just go out and bring an enemy into our midst.”

  “She is not an enemy, and these are not ordinary times. Tesh Kori is, like myself and Master Noah Watanabe, a member of the Guardians.”

  “It seems your loyalties are split, then.”

  “Not at all. The Guardians and Tulyans have similar goals, both wishing to preserve and enhance the integrity of the galaxy. As you well know, Dabiggio, I have remained loyal to the traditions of our race.”

  “But Tesh Kori has not remained true to the traditions and goals of her own people! She is a traitor to her own kind, and you want us to trust her?”

  “So in your eyes, she can’t do anything to gain your acceptance? I personally witnessed the animosity and vitriol in her dispute with Woldn, and I have performed the truthing touch on her.”

  “We have never questioned your integrity,” Dabiggio said, in a softer tone. But he had spent much of his two-million year lifetime being surly, and his voice became harsh again. “I must say, though, that your judgment is another matter entirely. I’m thinking of the time you connected that Human to the web, to heal him.”

  “We’ve already been over the matter of Noah Watanabe,” First Elder Kre’n said, “and it has no bearing on the discussion at hand. There is no pattern of bad judgments on Eshaz’s part, only a pattern of independent thinking. Perhaps we need more of his kind in order to rise above the galactic crisis. Perhaps we need to think out of the box, as Humans like to say. All information indicates that Noah Watanabe is in fact an extraordinary person, better even than many of our own people.”

  Scowling, Dabiggio had muttered something, but kept it under his breath.

  Daring to make another, broader point, Eshaz had said, “I think we should take steps to end the age-old animosity between Tulyans and Parviis.”

  “A heretical statement if I have ever heard one,” Dabiggio said.

  “What good has the Tulyan-Parvii conflict done for the galaxy?” Eshaz asked. “Each race has important talents that could help heal the galaxy, if we could only find a way to work together.”

  “Careful, Dabiggio,” one of the other Elders said, “or Eshaz here will have your job. He’s making sense.”

  But Eshaz had not shown—or felt—any satisfaction when he saw the reaction of extreme displeasure on Dabiggio’s face. This one could be a dangerous foe, one he should not galvanize into action. “With all respect that you deserve for your own integrity and service to our people,” Eshaz said to Dabiggio, “I am only suggesting that we explore new options. We can’t keep doing things the way we have for so long. We are at the eleventh hour in the galactic crisis and the clock is ticking.”

  “You are one for extending olive branches, aren’t you?” Dabiggio had said with a wry smile. “Both to me and to the Parviis.”

  Eshaz had returned the smile, with a deferential bow.…

  * * * * *

  Now he saw the Elders approaching him, with First Elder Kre’n ahead of the others. Eshaz held his breath.

  “All right,” First Elder Kre’n said, with a careful smile. “You have our permission to proceed.”

  “Fabulous, fabulous,” Eshaz said. He bowed, and excused himself from them.

  Strutting over to the boys, he patted them on the backs with tender care, then guided them over to Tesh. “If you will come with me,” he said to her, “I have a most interesting proposal for you.”

  The Tulyan did not provide specifics until the four of them were alone in Dux’s suite at the orbital Visitor’s Center, awaiting the delivery of supper. They all sat on large chairs at a diamondplax table, furnishings designed to accommodate the enormous bodies of Tulyans, who were the largest of the galactic races. Tesh, Acey, and Dux sat on high pillows.

  Leaning forward at the table, still dwarfing his companions, Eshaz looked at Tesh and said in a conspiratorial tone, “This is something I really didn’t want to say within the telepathic field of Woldn back at the Parvii Fold, and not even inside a podship, where your leader’s field presumably extends.”

  “No comment,” she said.

  Dux and Acey exchanged perplexed glances.

  Eshaz took a deep, excited breath. “I am about to tell you something that Woldn would not like.”

  He paused as Tulyan waiters brought in large plates of food, the aromatic vegetarian fare that this race favored. In their entire history, they had apparently never eaten meat, seafood, or anything that had once been alive—other than the special plants that they grew for their leaves and other foliage, and trimmed without ever killing the plants. According to one of the main dining room waitresses, the Tulyans even had religious ceremonies and rituals involving the plants. It was a very serious, very spiritual matter to them.

  Dux rather liked the dishes he’d been served here before, though Acey ate them only grudgingly, because he had no choice. As the waiters removed the lid from Dux’s plate, he inhaled the rich odor of a golden stew. He thought it might be something they called watilly, which had what the waitress had called “a rainbow of flavors.” Sampling it with a spoon, he wasn’t so sure. This tasted slightly different, with a cilantro aftertaste. Maybe it was still watilly, but seasoned in a different fashion.

  When the waiters were gone, Eshaz said, “I intend to hunt and capture wild podships, the way my people did in the early years of the galaxy.”

  Looking alarmed, Tesh protested, asserting that her people—and especially Woldn—would never permit it, and even if Eshaz was successful he would soon be swarmed and the pods would be taken away. This was the way it had always been when Tulyans obtained podships.

  “I don’t want any part of it,” Tesh said.

  “We seem to be missing some details here,” Dux said.

  “Wild podships?” Acey said, ignoring his cousin’s comment. “Row fantastic! We can go, too?”

  “I’ve got to keep you boys out of trouble, don’t I?” Eshaz wiped stew off his own chin, and grinned. “Of course, we will require transportation for such a grand adventure. That’s where our friend Tesh comes in.”

  While the wide-eyed boys listened, Eshaz
provided them with general information about Parviis and Tulyans, and their age-old battle for control of podships. He told them Tesh was not really Human, that she was a Parvii in disguise, and that she had piloted the podship that brought her and Eshaz here to the starcloud. Then he looked at Tesh and asked, “Do you want to add anything to that?”

  She shook her head, and her emerald eyes flashed. “Perhaps later.”

  Reaching across the table, Eshaz touched her hand. Despite the magnification system he knew she had, Eshaz was able to connect with her cellular structure and read her thoughts, her innermost wishes and dreams. Earlier, he had done this to the Parviis who were clustered around him at the Palace of Woldn, probing the neuron highways of their brains, picking up some of their innermost wishes and dreams. He knew that Tesh had disagreed with Woldn before, and so had others. Now she was one of the most outspoken ones, inciting the displeasure of the leader. He had seen that firsthand, and now he learned more about her reasons, her independent way of looking at things, her strong sense of personal integrity and morality. Woldn had murdered passengers on podships, and she hated him for it. The terrible act had made her ashamed to be a Parvii.

  She looked at him oddly, knowing that he was intruding on her thoughts, but letting him do it.

  “Well, are you a Parvii first or a citizen of the galaxy?” Eshaz demanded, taking a new tack. “Can’t you think of a situation where the health of the galaxy comes before the interests of your people? Noah’s Guardians have performed recovery operations on only a handful of planets—not nearly enough. All of us need to do more.” He paused. “Noah wants us to do more.”

  Now Eshaz found that her thoughts became troubled and murky, with flashes of near-decision that changed quickly and flitted off in other directions, some of which involved her personal feelings of attraction for Noah. In only a few moments, she explored too many ancillary considerations for him to follow. He didn’t like to connect with mental impulses that shot in several directions like that, since it invariably gave him terrible headaches.