The Web and the Stars

by Brian Herbert

  “It is terrible to see what has happened to my brethren,” Tesh said. She nodded toward an uncovered window, where bodies floated in space.

  Woldn nodded, then continued. He said he withdrew all of his people into the Parvii Fold, along with every podship still in their control… more than one hundred thousand of them. But in what had become known as “the Tulyan Incident,” at least eighty percent of the Parvii people had died. It was the greatest catastrophe in their history.

  She stood and listened sympathetically while Woldn lamented at length, wondering how the tragedy could have possibly occurred when he and his followers had worked so hard, the way his people always had. Parviis had swarmed the perimeter of the Tulyan Starcloud many times before and had dealt with Tulyan defensive measures, always getting through eventually to recapture podships—but never in the past had Parviis been injured or killed by Tulyans. It used to be easy to blockade the Tulyans for punishment, driving them crazy by confining them to their impenetrable starcloud, but it was much different now.

  “If I survive this,” Woldn said, “I don’t want to risk going back there for a long time.” He swung out of bed and paced around slowly, in his robe.

  “The Tulyans have developed a weapon we never expected,” Tesh said, “but our troubles go beyond anything they did to us. Our plight is another symptom of the deterioration of Timeweb. We Parviis can no longer go our own selfish way as we have in the past. We must cooperate with other galactic races from now on … and especially with the Tulyans, whom we have always sought to dominate and humiliate.”

  “We have never charged for galactic transportation services,” Woldn said indignantly, “and have provided them faithfully for millions of years.”

  “With the exception of charging Tulyans for their limited travel rights,” she said, “by making them timesee for us.”

  “Well, yes,” he admitted, folding his arms across his chest. “But that’s so minor in the overall scheme of things that it’s hardly worth mentioning.”

  Tesh knew that the historical currency of her people was not money or precious jewels; it was the thrill of mastering the magnificent podships … the supreme ecstasy of piloting them across vast distances, while keeping other galactic races from doing so. But Woldn’s impassioned argument was making no headway with her at all. It didn’t alter, in the least, what needed to be done.

  In a firm voice she said to him, “Your morphic field is weakened and might never recover. Forgive me for saying so, but you might die. Have you appointed a replacement?”

  He stopped pacing. His shoulders sagged. His entire body sagged. “My heir apparent is dead, along with three backups. The entire order of succession that I established.” Gazing sadly at her, he said, “Once I considered you a candidate, with your strong will and intelligence. But you went too far in your defiance, and disappointed me.”

  Her eyes twinkled softly. “I never would have guessed how much you liked me.”

  “I have never liked you. I have only observed you carefully, and have discussed you at length with my top advisers.”

  “And now?” she said, grasping at possibilities. “Is there still a chance for me? You have seen the loyalty in my heart, the great vision I have for the galaxy.”

  He shook his head stubbornly. “Because of your rebelliousness I would never teach you the way of the morphic field, no matter the situation. But the secret will not die with me. I will heal, and so will my people.” He looked away from her, as if uncertain of his words.

  Going closer to him, Tesh said, “But if you die without a successor, there will be no Eye of the Swarm. With no one to take your place and establish a Timeweb-spanning morphic field, our people can no longer pilot the fleet of podships across the galaxy. I think you should make all of the podships available to the Tulyans immediately, so that they can accelerate their critical work. Do it with them: Parvii pilots to transport Tulyans, so that they can do the web caretaking tasks.”

  “Their critical work? What about our critical work? Without the podships, we would be nothing.”

  “I’m not suggesting that you turn the ships over to them. As I said, we can maintain Parvii pilots.”

  “It’s a trick. I don’t trust them.”

  “Then put a small swarm into each podship, enough telepathic power to defend it.”

  “No. We are weakened, we are ill.”

  “We need to get beyond this discussion,” she said. “The Tulyans must maintain and repair the galaxy the way they used to, long before you or I were born.”

  “If we lose the podships,” he said with a glare, “what is our purpose? We will go extinct.”

  “Our prospects are not good now. Besides, every race in the galaxy will go extinct if you don’t cooperate.”

  He stood speechless for only a moment. “In time my people will heal,” he insisted, “and everything will be back to normal again.”

  “There’s nothing more I can say to you then,” Tesh said, angrily.

  “Everything will be back to normal again,” he repeated, with a far-away look in his eyes, as if his mind had slipped out of gear.

  Frustrated at her inability to sway him, Tesh departed with her two friends. Before getting the podship underway she stood in the passenger compartment and told them, “I can’t tell you how disappointed I am at Woldn’s selfishness. I hate to say it, but if all of my people die, maybe that would be the best thing that could happen.”

  “Maybe he’ll change his mind,” Acey said. His wide face was etched with concern.

  “I don’t think he ever will,” she said.

  “Why don’t we go see Noah and consult with him?” Acey asked. “We know he escaped from his sister’s laboratory, so he’s probably back at Guardian headquarters now.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” Tesh said, brightening a little. “I’d like to see him, and with any luck it shouldn’t take us long to get there.”

  “One thing though, Acey,” Dux said. “We’d better steer clear of Giovanni Nehr, or we’ll do something we’ll regret.”

  “Guess you’re right.” Acey looked dark, then grinned disarmingly. “Hey, we should thank him. If he hadn’t boxed us up and shipped us into space, we wouldn’t have gone on the wild pod hunts, or ever seen the Parvii Fold.”

  “Just stay away from him,” Dux said. “No threats, no nothing.”

  “All right.” Acey thought for a moment, and asked Tesh, “What about the Doge’s electronic surveillance system around Canopa? We can’t just swagger back into the pod station and take a shuttle down to the planet.”

  “There is a way of taking the podship directly to Canopa,” she said, “circumventing the pod station and the most advanced scanner nets. It’s a tricky landing maneuver, but I can do it.”

  “Is it dangerous?” Acey asked.

  “You bet.” Then she squinted at him and added, “But that only makes it more appealing to you, doesn’t it?”

  Chapter Sixty-Six

  We believe that the Aopoddae may have evolved from something quite different, and that they did not always look like the podships they are today. We have long known that they are shapeshifters, for they can adjust their cabins, cargo areas, and other on-board components. It has been assumed that they are not Mutatis, but if this assumption is incorrect, our enemies have plans we cannot possibly fathom.

  —Doge Anton del Velli

  After crossing space, Tesh took her podship down to the surface of the planet Canopa, avoiding the orbital pod station and landing in a wooded clearing near the concealed entrance to Guardian headquarters.

  To accomplish this, she had taken a circuitous, multi-speed route that enabled her to pass undetected through the electronic surveillance net in Canopa’s skies, using skills she had learned from one of the most talented of all Parvii pilots, Ado. Centuries ago, under his very special tutelage, she had been taught that there were instances of pod stations being damaged or destroyed, so that Aopoddae vessels occasionally had to take alternate l
anding measures. Ado had taught her how to elude electronic security and virtually anything else in her path, from tumbling rocks in the Asteroid Funnel to objects floating through the atmospheric envelopes of planets.…

  A squadron of robots entered the clearing as she and the teenagers disembarked. Noting green -and-brown Guardian colors on the machines, Tesh sighed in relief.

  “I’m Jimu,” a small, patched-together robot announced in a formal voice. “I have identified each of you by your spectral characteristics. Please follow me.”

  The three visitors followed, though they knew the way.

  Just inside the entrance to the subterranean headquarters, Noah greeted them stiffly.

  “They landed a podship out there in the meadow,” Jimu said. “My robots are putting an electronic net over it to prevent detection.”

  “We saw it all on a security screen,” Noah said, shaking his head in disapproval.

  “It was a bit tricky getting through the planet’s security net,” Tesh said, “but I can do it again to get out of here. The way I do it, they don’t even know I’m getting through.”

  Noah motioned to Thinker, and told the boys to go with the cerebral machine. They walked away slowly, but lingered to eavesdrop.

  Scowling at Tesh, Noah then said, “You were undetected by the planetary net, but we picked you up on our system?”

  “Different systems, different results. I came in fully aware of both systems. Look, Noah, I could explain it to you in detail, but there are other matters we need to discuss first.”

  “We don’t know if you consider us Guardians anymore,” Acey said. “But we want to stay with Tesh wherever she goes.”

  “Just go with Thinker right now,” Noah said in a firm voice. “I also have some things to discuss with Tesh.” Frowning, he watched the flat-bodied robot walk away with Acey and Dux.

  As the boys entered a burrow tunnel, Acey told Thinker excitedly how he and Dux went on two podship hunts, and rounded up almost four hundred sentient spaceships. The boys provided some of the most colorful details.

  To Thinker, this was entirely new information, beyond anything in his data banks. He asked for more specifics, and found himself intrigued and astounded by what he heard.

  Somberly, Noah turned to Tesh. “I’ll decide the priorities here,” he said, “and I don’t like your daredevil flying. If you brought a podship in, that means the Mutatis might do the same, and use one of their doomsday weapons against Canopa … or against another Human-ruled planet.”

  “I don’t think that could possibly.…”

  Noah cut her off. “If the Mutatis learn what you have done, a new avenue of attack could be opened. If they can land without a pod station, it becomes a lot harder to prevent attacks.”

  “I am among the elite of all Parvii pilots, and hardly anyone can match my skills. Besides, all of the Mutatis that we saw in merchant schooners have been denied access to space travel… just as Humans have been cut off. The shapeshifters don’t have their own podships, and neither do your people.”

  “You shouldn’t have come without calling,” Noah said. “You put all of us in danger.”

  A silence fell between them. Noah shot a hard stare at her, and when she gave him a hostile look in return, he wondered if she could see beyond his veneer to the attraction he felt for her. Now that Tesh was no longer with his nephew Anton, there was nothing to keep her and Noah away from each other. Nothing except for the tension that constantly existed between them. Now something sparkled in her eyes, like a little dance of light. A glint of attraction for him? But it only lasted for a moment, before her own veneer replaced it.

  Noticing that she was beginning to shake slightly, Noah placed a hand on her shoulder and said, “I wish … I wish for so much, but there have always been complications surrounding us.”

  Her eyes flashed. “What are you trying to say?”

  “That we should understand one another better, that we should.…” He looked away, and instantly regretted letting his guard down with her.

  Upset, she pushed his hand away and said, “I’m a Guardian, and that’s all.” He had trouble reading her. Previously she had pursued him physically, but now he wondered if that had only been a ploy on her part, to manipulate him for her own purposes. Still, he couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to make love to her, this woman of a different race. She certainly was attractive, especially when angry. Feeling a slight flush, he took a deep breath and struggled to suppress his emotions.

  “We have certain feelings for each other,” Noah said, choosing his words carefully. He felt awkward, though. “Or should I say, toward each other. In any event, the emotions are there, and we both know it. But whatever those feelings are, and wherever they could take us, I have always known that we need to set them aside. Whether it is affection or loathing, we cannot let them get in the way of our duties. Our priorities must lie elsewhere.”

  “Nothing else occurred to me,” she huffed.

  He said bitterly, “Then we agree on something after all.”

  “I have important information to tell you,” she said. “I just came from the Parvii Fold, and.…”

  This elevated Noah’s anger, reminding him of the way she brought her podship in. “Yeah, you flew through the security net and imperiled us all. I told you how I feel about that. Listen, I have other things to do now, so we’ll have to talk later.” Before she could respond, he whirled and stalked off.

  To Noah Watanabe, problems were piling on top of problems, big ones coming in so quickly that he was feeling overwhelmed by them. Tesh’s unapproved podship landing would require some thought. For the time being, he notified his security force to put her and the boys on lockdown. They would not be allowed to leave the headquarters without his express permission.

  The evening before, Noah had been trying to deal with another big challenge, his continuing inability to enter Timeweb or control podships. Again, he had failed to make the necessary mental leap, and he’d been left wondering why. Noah had been sensing cosmic disturbances all around him.

  In addition, he’d been trying to improve another difficult situation. Recently he had made diplomatic overtures to Doge Anton, his nephew who had never formally resigned from the Guardians. So far Anton had not responded, but Noah wondered if it might be possible for the two of them, at long last, to reform the Merchant Prince Alliance into a more environmentally-aware entity. That would not be easy, because of the influence Francella seemed to have over her son, whom she had brought to power. Noah was sick of the politics, the constant small-minded maneuvering and jockeying for position when much larger issues were at stake.

  As he entered a dimly lit tunnel, Noah saw Thinker approaching.

  “The boys have given me important information,” the robot said. He described the successful wild podship hunts.

  “At least that’s some good news,” Noah said.

  “There’s more, Master Noah. As you know, the Parviis have a vast galactic network of pilots who are in control of podships, and they’re the ones who cut off podship travel to Human and Mutati worlds.”

  Noah nodded. He had learned this previously from Tesh.

  “Master, their transportation network is in complete disarray. At the Tulyan Starcloud, the Tulyans mounted a surprise attack against the Parvii swarms and scattered them into the galaxy. Many Parviis died, and the powerful morphic field that keeps their race together has fallen apart. Their leader withdrew the entire podship fleet to a secret place, the Parvii Fold.”

  “So that’s what Tesh wanted to tell me,” Noah said. He thought for a moment. “And Eshaz. Where is he?”

  “Still at the starcloud, with the podships they captured.”

  “The boys say that Tesh came here to discuss using diplomacy on the Parviis. She couldn’t convince Woldn on her own, and wants your help. Tesh thinks the entire podship fleet should be used to transport Timeweb repair teams around the galaxy.”

  “We’d better find her right
away,” Noah said.

  “Exactly what I was thinking,” the robot said.

  Chapter Sixty-Seven

  For every life form that is declining, another is in its ascension. It is one of the eternal balances of galactic ecology, and an engine by which the system continues to advance.

  —Master Noah Watanabe

  Acey Zelk lay awake in an agitated state, staring into the shadows of the barracks building, one of several inside the largest subterranean chamber. He heard Dux sleeping on the bunk just above his, and through a high window he saw a faint glow of indirect lighting on the ceiling of the natural cavern. Before retiring for the night, Acey had gone off on his own and asked a few questions of a pretty young woman, pretending to be Giovanni Nehr’s friend. Now he knew exactly where Gio was in another chamber, inside one of the robot-assembly buildings.

  Gio, wearing his foolish body armor, had his own private quarters there; he was receiving favorable treatment as if he were a general in Noah’s forces instead of a supervisor of robotic assemblies. Even that position irked Acey, because it showed that Gio was gaining undeserved respect in the Guardian organization.

  Acey knew he had given his word to Dux to stay away from the man, and that meant something. But other things were more important. He could not ignore what Gio had done to them.

  Silently, Acey slipped out of bed and grabbed his shoes and clothing, which he put on when he was outside the barracks. Like a shadow, he hurried through a tunnel toward the robot section, following the directions that the young woman had provided. On the way he passed sentient machines as they went about their sleepless work, carrying materials and blinking and beeping with their electronic communication systems. Acey felt a slight current of cool air in the passageway, which he attributed to all of the activity around him. The robots hardly gave him any notice.

  Reaching the designated structure, which had been painted Guardian colors, Acey opened a door and slipped inside. Just as the young woman had described, it was an assembly area and an inspection facility for former Red Beret robots, which were disassembled there and checked in detail. Robot parts lay in neat groupings, and work was continuing under the supervision of a small, blinking robot.