Her gaze swept the hall, almost as if daring anyone to challenge her. No one did.
"It is said that nothing can be forever hidden, if it wishes to be found; that lessons not learned the first time they appear will come again until we accept them. So it is with this situation now. The lesson craves to be understood and embraced; and the secret once unspoken strains to be shared. Those who knew it kept their silence, truly believing that it would serve nothing and harm much to speak of it. At the time, that might have been true—but no longer. Hierarch, I will tell them."
Everyone in the room strained forward. Mental murmurs of surprise pattered softly on Rosemary's brain. She'd already had a profound shock in discovering that the Hierarchy, at least, knew about Ulrezaj and she braced herself for another. What kind of bomb was Selendis about to drop?
Judging from Artanis's reaction and the sudden stillness that meant they were communicating privately, it was a big one. Artanis sat back, looking unhappy but resigned, and Selendis turned to address the hall.
"The attack on Shakuras," she said solemnly, "was not the first time we had encountered Ulrezaj. We found him and his cohorts shortly before then.. .when we sent a small fleet of protoss on a rescue mission to Aiur."
Rosemary gritted her teeth and clutched her head at the mental pain this revelation caused.
"You knew there were survivors on Aiur?"
"Why did we not send a larger fleet?"
"So many could have been saved!"
Selendis held up a hand. "We were investigating what we thought was a slim chance to recover a handful of individuals," she said. "We came expecting to find only the three templar who had survived because they were in stasis cells. When we saw the reality on Aiur..."
"Zeratul and I agreed that it would serve us nothing to mount a larger rescue mission," Artanis interrupted. Selendis turned to him. "In the end, it was my decision, Selendis. To not rescue our brethren.. .and to keep word of it silent."
Rosemary stared. "Why, you heartless—"
Urun let out a mental roar so intense Rosemary almost passed out. Vartanil reached to steady her, doing what he could to shield her from the telepathic bombardment, even though he himself was reeling from the news that he could have been rescued four years ago.
"Our people are Crying there!" Urun thundered. "You have told us that we did not have the strength to fight the zerg, to recover our world.... You let us believe that there were no survivors to save!"
"We expected only to find those who had been in the stasis cells," Artanis repeated. "We were shocked and stunned to discover more had survived on the planet. And yet even while we were there, we could see that the zerg were still rampaging across Aiur, overwhelming them... slaughtering even as we watched, too few in number to save them. Even if we had sent a rescue mission, we had no reason to believe that by the time it reached Aiur, there would be anyone left to rescue."
"It is true," said Vartanil unexpectedly. All eyes turned to him. "No one could have known that the zerg would stop targeting us....
No one could have known that we would find a Benefactor." He lifted his head and looked at Artanis.
"To discover that there were so many left, and that they had endured so much these four years—I do not think there is one among us who was unmoved by that. Particularly those of us who had known some survived, and believed you to simply be walking dead," said Selendis. Her emotion was obvious.
Vartanil nodded. "I.. .understand your decision, Hierarch."
Others still did not, Urun among them, but they could not continue protesting when Vartanil, the one among them most wronged by the choice, was willing to forgive.
Artanis rose and bowed deeply to the young Furinax, who suddenly looked rather endearingly embarrassed.
"We must focus on the present, for the past cannot be changed," Selendis said. "Though I greatly wish it could be. Ulrezaj has resurfaced, to prey upon the remnants of those left behind on Aiur. But to what end? And what does he want with a preserver? What does she know that has shaken so vastly powerful a being? Our only clue so far is what Vartanil and Rosemary can tell us. And that, my fellow protoss, is insufficient. It is as clear to me as the stars were when glimpsed from Aiur on a cloudless night what we must do. Ulrezaj may have indeed fallen upon Aiur, under the combined attack of the Dominion, the protoss, and the zerg. Or, he may not have, and he may continue to hunt Zamara and every other protoss down, to silence them forever."
Selendis's eyes glowed fiercely. "We must not let him succeed. He has murdered many protoss, used them for his own unknown ends. Shall we sit idly by and let him do the same to a preserver? Put an end to a line that has existed since the arrival of the xel'naga? Permit that song to be forever silenced, all that knowledge eternally lost?"
That hit home with Zekrath. Out of the corner of her eye, Rosemary saw him physically jerk as if struck. His thoughts, however, were tightly lidded.
"And perhaps worse still—shall we permit a terran male, who did not ask for this burden, and yet who has done all that he could to support the preserver, to die alone and in pain because we are too afraid to go to his aid?"
"The protoss are afraid of nothing!" The angry retort came from Urun, who had actually leaped to his feet and fairly bristled with offense. "You know as well as I that the Auriga have stood and stand ready to mount an assault to reclaim our world." Rosemary had thought he disliked her, but apparently when it came to showing that the protoss, and particularly the Auriga, could kick serious ass, Rosemary and Urun were on the same side. She guessed she'd take it.
"This is not a question of fear or of pride, but of practicality," said Tabrenus. Vartanil, still so very young, gave his tribal leader a wounded look. "Even if we were to agree that this Jacob Ramsey and the preserver he hosts are to be rescued, how would we find them? What horrors would we risk loosing upon this world by opening doors and searching? I admire your courage, Selendis, and your enthusiasm, Urun. And Vartanil, your thoughts shine only with the purest of intentions. But Aiur is in ruins, and Shakuras almost became so, through trusting terrans."
Back to that damn Kerrigan again. Rosemary vowed if she ever met the woman, she'd get in at least one blow that hurt like hell before she went down.
"I agree with Tabrenus," said Nahaan, his mental voice deep. "There is too much at stake. And we only have this human's belief that Zamara's secret is so important. For all we know, Zamara could have gone mad and this entire thing is some insane rambling."
"You did not touch Zamara's mind, as I did," Vartanil blurted. "Otherwise, you would not say such a thing."
Disapproval lowered from almost all the alcoves at Vartanil's outburst.
"Vartanil, you were not in the Khala when you touched Zamara's mind," Tabrenus reminded the younger protoss gently. "You could have been fooled. And humans are not protoss. Rosemary could easily have been duped."
Embarrassment wafted from Vartanil, and even Rosemary, though she was annoyed at the comment, had to concede that Nahaan had a point.
Selendis, however, seemed completely unruffled. "If this were madness, then surely so powerful a being as Ulrezaj would pay it no credence."
Aha! thought Rosemary, almost gleefully. You tell him, sister.
Selendis granted Rosemary a brief, baffled thought, then returned her attention to the protoss tribal leaders.
Artanis called for calm, and turned to those who had not yet spoken. "The decision is mine, but I have always striven for unity among our people. Mohandar, Zekrath—do you wish to speak?"
Zekrath inclined his head. "I yield to what our hierarch chooses. There are points to be argued on both sides. The Shelak, in the end, attend to the past, not the present or future."
It was a curious thing to say, though Rosemary suspected it was true, as far as it went. She was a little disappointed; she had thought the Shelak would be more anxious to help something that was so linked to the past.
"Duly noted," Artanis replied. "Mohandar? What say you?"
> For a moment, the leader of the Nerazim did not speak. Rosemary felt her brain all but being bored into, her thoughts analyzed, sifted, then discarded. She had to admit, that if this guy was a typical example of the dark templar, she could understand why they unnerved the Aiur protoss.
"Curiously enough, I agree with my esteemed colleague Zekrath," said Mohandar. "I would know what the hierarch would do."
Selendis was silent, but her gaze was locked with that of Artanis. Rosemary knew that she was the hierarch's protegee and as such might be expected to be shown a bit of favoritism. But Rosemary also got the feeling that although it was clear that Artanis was fond of, and proud of, his pupil, he was also smarter than to let his personal feelings get in the way of so important a decision.
Artanis lifted his gaze from Selendis to Rosemary. She felt his thoughts, for her alone.
"Rosemary Dahl, Selendis, whose judgment I have learned to respect, sides openly with your cause. Let me ask you this, and I will know if the answer conies from your heart or your head: Do you truly believe that this quest is worth the deaths of more of my people? For such I fear it may come to."
She couldn't shut out her personal feelings for Jake, and didn't even bother. She wanted him back, alive, happy, wanted to hear that unique combination of brilliance and goofiness that was his alone as he spoke and thought and acted. So she let Artanis see all that, and then let him see the urgency in Zamara's words. The single-mindedness of Ulrezaj, who was somehow bound up in all this. And what he'd done to the Forged.
Artanis nodded, once, and respectfully withdrew. He got to his feet. "I have listened to all sides. I have touched this human's mind, and that of young Vartanil. Even before Rosemary came here today, I had been listening to the evidence gathered by Selendis. After all this, it is my decision that we do everything we can to locate and retrieve the terran, Jacob Jefferson Ramsey, and Zamara, the preserver."
Rosemary closed her eyes and almost sagged in relief.
"Further, we shall immediately attempt to extract Zamara from Jacob's mind, so that what she knows may be safely kept, and that he may survive once he is no longer carrying her. We will do all in our power to save them both."
It had to be exhaustion that stung Rosemary's eyes at this announcement. She blinked hard and glanced over at Selendis.
"Thanks," she said.
"I did not do it for you," Selendis replied. "I did it because I believe it is what is best for the protoss." She hesitated. "Nonetheless, if we can indeed save your friend who has endured so much for our people...That is good."
"Rosemary, I am so very pleased!" It was Vartanil, and his delight was palpable. "Your truth was heard today. Surely we will recover Jacob and Zamara quickly now that all understand how important it is!"
Rosemary smiled and impulsively squeezed Vartanil's arm. She was glad someone was enthusiastic about this. While she was pleased that the decision had been made in her favor, there still remained the problem—how were they going to find him?
"That is the challenge," Artanis said in response to her unvoiced question. "I will speak with those who attended the gate when you came through. We will see if there is a record of where Jacob was sent."
"Even if that is the case, we may not find him there," Selendis warned. "He and Zamara may have left whatever world they ended up on, in an effort to continue their quest. They may well be trying on their own to link up with dark templar, to extract Zamara's essence from Jacob's mind. The need seems to be immediate, rather than something that can be delayed indefinitely."
Damn right, Rosemary thought fiercely. "We need to move soon."
Those who had opposed the idea were now silent, settled in their chairs, cloaked in their displeasure like something physical. But thankfully it didn't look as though they were going to undermine the attempt.
"Perhaps those left on Aiur had some idea of where Zamara wished to go," said Urun. "We could send our forces there and rescue those who yet remain."
"Urun," said Selendis, bowing deeply, "if only it were that easy. But you will recall that Zamara wanted to come here—and that if anyone knew of a secondary place where she intended to go, it would doubtless be Rosemary Dahl rather than one of our people. If she does not know, they would not."
"Then perhaps Jacob Ramsey is still on Aiur, awaiting rescue," Urun persisted. Rosemary felt for him. She'd seen what Aiur was like, had heard about what it had been before. Urun and others
would take any excuse to return and try to heal that wound. She felt Selendis yearning to agree with him, but the executor gave the protoss equivalent of a sigh as she spoke.
"He was redirected. We have confirmed that much. I suppose the best place to start is to determine where they went, and from there... make our best guess."
Selendis didn't like guessing. Selendis liked facts, things that were concrete, things that one could move on immediately. Despitetheir clash, Rosemary found herself realizing she and the executor had a lot in common.
"And what might that be?" asked Nahaan. "I think I need not explain to you, Executor, that every gate opens onto every other gate, unless it is blocked."
That was for my benefit. Got it, bud.
"There are thousands of worlds this Jacob might have fled to, and each place is vast. It could take us months—years—to find him, and waste valuable resources doing so. Hierarch, you need a better plan than this!"
This guy really seemed to enjoy pushing Artanis's buttons. If Urun had his own agenda, then clearly all the others did too. Urun simply seemed less inclined to hide his—and why should he? It was a noble one. Rosemary wasn't so sure about Nahaan's. Come to think of it, she wasn't sure about anyone's except for her own. And maybe Selendis's. Maybe.
As if on cue, Selendis spoke. "It is indeed a daunting task, but when have the protoss ever shirked such?" She turned to Artanis and to Rosemary's surprise, knelt. "With the hierarch's permission, and that of the Hierarchy, I will lead the search for Jacob Jefferson Ramsey and Zamara."
Artanis blinked. "I—yes. I trust you as I trust myself, Executor, and you have earned the respect of all here."
Rosemary realized that was true. Even those who were clearly opposing Artanis and the plan did not raise objections.
Selendis rose and nodded. "I will begin by determining where the human and the preserver went first. After that, I will begin winnowing down our options. I will try to think like a preserver—a daunting task, no doubt, but I will do my best. Rosemary will doubtless be able to assist me in this, as she knows both Jacob and Zamara."
"I believe," came the raspy mental voice of the ancient Mohandar, "I can save you a little time, Executor."
Startled, Rosemary turned to the dark templar. His eyes crinkled slightly, and she realized he was amused.
"I think I know exactly where Zamara wishes to go. And I can tell you how to get there."
CHAPTER 15
ULREZAJ WAS MORE THAN FLESH NOW. HE WAS energy, powerful and strong, unable to be wounded by such simple things as bullets or spears. But other creations of energy, mental or physical, could and had wounded him. And had done so more severely than he had anticipated.
He had come close to victory over Shakuras, over the despised Aiur protoss and the inexplicably passive dark templar he had once called his "people." He could not fathom why they had embraced the very beings who would have slain them, who drove them to exile. Zeratul—once a brother, now a more despised foe than even the weakling hierarch they had put in charge. He expected the Aiur protoss to be dishonorable and vile; he had not expected so respected a dark templar as Prelate Zeratul to be a traitor.
They had come to embattled Aiur, to rescue so-called "heroes." Ulrezaj and his allies had slain two of the three, but had been captured. But Ulrezaj had had allies; and Ulrezaj had had plans upon plans. He had escaped, taking with him a precious khaydarin crystal, creating five twisted copies of it. He had used ancient knowledge to become not just a dark archon, but the mightiest dark archon the universe had s
een by combining his essence with those of his three comrades. He had taken the fight and the five warped crystals to Shakuras, where he planned to use an extraordinarily powerful electromagnetic pulse generator to create chaos and drive out the despised refugees. Let them know the terror of being hunted; let them perish as they should have on Aiur, ripped to pieces by zerg.
But he had been defeated...temporarily. He had withdrawn to the hidden place where he replenished his unheard-of power, and where he thought how best he could retaliate. He had drawn to him others willing to subsume themselves into the glory that was Ulrezaj, in order to be on the side that would eventually triumph.
And so his path had led him back to Aiur. It became clear that the protoss were too cowardly to save their embattled brethren, even though they now did not have the excuse of ignorance. Heartless, pathetic fools. They would turn their back on their homeworld, the world that the dark templar had mourned with their very souls whenforced to leave it. Those that were forsaken deserved no kindness.
It had seemed to him so very easy to gather to himself the worried, frightened refugees who had been abandoned on their devastated homeworld. To convince them to follow him, to soothe and control them with the fabricated drug that penetrated their skins and bloodstreams and freed them from the invasiveness of the Khala.
He had not expected them to turn against him, even when confronted with the truth—or at least part of it—of what their benefactor truly was. Curse the terrans. The male, strong enough to bear for at least a while the vastness of what it meant to be a preserver. The female, strong enough to resist the drug and by doing so, demonstrate that it could be done. The ingratitude and betrayal stunned him. He had rescued them, and they had repaid him with hatred, loathing, and rebellion.
Ulrezaj was slightly mollified as he recollected how vastly he had been outnumbered. The onslaught of the Dominion vessels and the zerg, combined with the psionic storms the protoss had somehow pulled themselves together sufficiently to create—there was no shame in retreating from that. Wisdom often necessitated retreat, regrouping, and planning.
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