Michael Cobley - Humanity's Fire book 1

by Seeds of Earth

  to say on behalf of all our citizens - Ambassador

  Horst, welcome to Darien!

  Video (variable functionality) Even louder

  applause breaks out again and the president moves

  his wheelchair back a few feet. The ambassador

  smiles and as he steps forward the crowd quietens

  down to an expectant hush.

  AMBASSADOR HORST:

  From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for this

  warm and generous reception. It is a privilege and

  an honour to stand here before you as the per-

  sonal representative of Erica Castiglione, president

  of Earthsphere, for the colony you have made here

  in the face of such hardship is proof of the

  indomitable spirit of Humanity!

  [Applause]

  The discovery of Darien Colony is of great impor-

  tance to all the peoples of Earth, not least because

  the fate of the three colonyships has been an unre-

  solved enigma since the defeat of the Swarm a

  century and a half ago. We know that each ship

  was under orders to flee the Solar System by

  taking random hyperspace jumps, which is why

  the destinations or whereabouts of the other two

  ships, the Forrestal and the Tenebrosa, remain a

  mystery.

  Of course, the original colonisation plan con-

  sisted of fifteen ships, most of which were partially

  complete when the Swarm invaded the Solar

  System. Those first unprovoked attacks slaugh-

  tered millions across our world and destroyed

  many of those vessels, which is why your fore-

  bears became the first to depart Humanity's home

  on such a desperate mission.

  It would be difficult to overstate the intensity of

  interest in Darien that is gripping Earth and all

  the Human communities across Earthsphere.

  Indeed, both the Migratory Service and the

  Diplomacy Office have been inundated with

  requests from Russia, Scotland and Scandinavia

  from those wishing to make contact with long-lost

  branches of their families. This will involve a con-

  siderable amount of work, matching records and

  DNA, but we'll begin this as soon as possible.

  I feel I should at this point give you an outline

  of the wider interstellar situation and Darien's

  place in it. Your world is very far from Earth,

  almost 15,000 lightyears, and in your immediate

  vicinity are a host of civilisations with which

  Earthsphere has had little or no regular contact.

  Fortunately, the dominant power in the area is one

  of Earthsphere's allies, the Sendruka Hegemony,

  which has promised to maintain peace and stabil-

  ity in the region, thereby safeguarding Darien's

  independence and sovereignty. And in order to

  establish good relations without delay, a very

  senior representative of the Hegemony - High

  Monitor the Exalted Utavess Kuros - is on board

  the Heracles and will be coming down to meet

  you all tomorrow.

  Yet despite the great distances involved, there

  will be many opportunities for aid and trade

  between Darien and Earthsphere, as well as other

  markets in the area. In addition, your contact with

  the Uvovo and the subsequent cooperation is

  bound to be a source of fascination for xeno-spe-

  cialists and other scientists across civilised space.

  You may not be aware of it yet, but Human com-

  munities enjoy excellent relations with many

  different sentient races, an experience you will

  soon be able to share as friendly civilisations in the

  vicinity apply to open embassies here.

  That is all that I have to say for now. I know

  many of you have hundreds of questions to put to

  me, but I intend to provide answers at a full press

  briefing to be held tomorrow afternoon in

  Hammergard. So let me once again thank you for

  your heartwarming welcome and I look forward

  to speaking with you tomorrow.

  8

  KUROS

  High Monitor the Exalted Utavess Kuros watched as

  Horst and the Darien president left the platform to a

  chorus of futile shouted questions. There were others

  studying the screen in the Heracles's lowlit lecture theatre,

  his personal bodyguard of eight Ezgara commandos.

  Quad-armed forms in dark blue body-armour, they sat in

  the front row, silent in close-fitting helmets, faceless,

  motionless.

  And one other, visible only to Kuros.

  '7 mislike these Humans,"1 the General said. 'They are

  a disrespectful and undisciplined rabble riddled with

  dissidents who spread poisonous speculation through

  their media, which is lamentably unguided. Even after

  an alliance lasting nearly eighty velanns, they still have

  not learned their place, or shown any devotional

  progress, and these colonists are sure to be even worseV

  Kuros smiled at his lifelong companion and AI mind-

  brother, General Gratach.

  'Then you agree that they present something ot a

  challenge?' he said in his thoughts.

  The General folded his muscular arms and Kuros

  heard the metallic rustle of armour platelets. In keeping

  with the real, historical Gratach, the AI was attired in

  the battledress of a senior Abrogator officer of the Three

  Revolutions War, an ornate harness of gleaming gold

  and red, with powershield spikes studding his arms and

  shoulders, each one bearing a small votive pennon, silver

  lettering on black. His helmet had a bronze sheen and

  was plainer, its moulded circlet of chusken skulls offset

  by the tactical eyepieces that sat poised at eyebrow level,

  ready to swivel down.

  'Challenge,' grunted Gratach. 'Only in terms of the

  Hegemony's immediate interests - militarily, the colony is

  insignificant.'

  Kuros nodded, thinking back to his audience with

  the Fifth Tri-Advocate just hours before leaving Iseri, the

  Sendrukan homeworld. Clad in austere grey, the Fifth

  had been sitting in a high-backed overpod, flanked by

  holograms of his mindbrother advocates, against a

  backdrop of translucent curtains. He had questioned

  Kuros on the Darien task dossier which he had received

  less than a day before. Satisfied with Kuros's grasp of

  the essentials, the Fifth had then offered his observa-

  tions.

  'We note that the bulk of your record is divided

  between Boundary Sector 12, where you held the post of

  Second Suppressor, and the Pothiwa Conformation,

  where you led several trade delegations. Hopefully, you

  will only need to draw upon the latter experience in this

  assignment. You will find that Humans are sentimental,

  especially about military events and achievements: help-

  fully, their governments routinely employ such

  sentimentality to mask historical details and to maintain

  doctrinal integrity as well as popular support.

  'You should make frequent reference to the friendship

  between the Hegemony and Humans, mutual coopera

  t
ion and shared values, even though these things an

  largely illusory And be aware of media surveillance at

  all times: take no action and make no disclosure that

  may betray our interest in the ruins of the Ancients.

  Devise spectacles to divert the attention of both the

  media agents and the colonists . . .'

  Then one of the AI advocates had turned in Kuros's

  direction - its image was that of the Avulser Hegemon

  Moardis, a gaunt, golden-eyed figure attired in a rich

  red robe whose collar supported an array of black ver-

  tical spikes that curved round the back of the head.

  Moardis was the Hegemon who, 400 years ago, had

  fought off the clandestine invasions of the Ghaw para-

  sites and eventually eradicated them and th i

  neighbouring civilisations that they had subverted. Onlv

  the most powerful of AIs were allowed to adopt the

  image of such an illustrious Hegemon.

  'Much depends on this mission, Utavess Kuros. If

  you succeed, the future security and glory of the

  Hegemony will be safeguarded in Voloasti's name for

  generations to come, such is the nature of the power

  that awaits us - do you know what it is called?'

  'A warpwell, Your Immanence.'

  'This is not the first we have investigated, but it

  may be the first to be found still functioning. If so, the

  Hegemony will have a gateway into the lower

  domains of hyperspace. When we control them, we

  can deny any foreseeable adversary the strategic scope

  to become a threat. Peace and glory shall be our

  legacy'

  The Fifth had spoken again. 'Prepare yourself thor-

  oughly, Kuros. Pray to Voloasti for protection and

  guidance. Plan for all eventualities. Let nothing be a

  surprise to you. Use the media agents against your

  adversaries or even against themselves. Ensure a tri-

  umphant outcome, and fame, honour and riches will be

  your reward. The Hegemon himself has promised.'

  And all through the audience, the second AI advocate

  had kept silent, its form that of a coiled, iron-scaled

  ocean mohoro, a mighty yet enigmatic creature from

  ancient Sendrukan mythology. While the other advo-

  cates had talked of glory and honour, the mohoro had

  simply stared at him, red-jewelled eyes fathomless, jaws

  parted to show triple rows of silver fangs.

  Now, as he stood in the dimness of the lecture the-

  atre, he reflected upon that encounter and knew that the

  mohoro's relentless gaze had spoken of the retribution

  he would suffer if he failed.

  But there will be no humiliating blunders, he thought.

  Nor any bitter bones of defeat. I shall steer events,

  rather than be steered by them.

  He considered the images on the screen, segments

  showing the Earth ambassador's answers to certain

  questions and switching back to the studio commenta-

  tors, all sound muted. He smiled faintly as his purpose

  became a little clearer and glanced at the General.

  'While the full glare of media interest is focused here,

  we cannot afford the luxury of deploying overt force to

  secure our objectives. We must apply a certain subtlety.'

  General Gratach sneered. 'Subtlety! These media

  insects may buzz and chatter but their stings can still be

  a threat.''

  'Of course,' Kuros said. 'In every circle of life there

  are ruthless adepts, thus in our dealings with them it

  will pay to be subtle, especially since we Sendrukans .

  have a reputation for directness.' He gazed thought -

  fully at his Ezgara bodyguards. 'And if we steer the

  correct events, we shall gain indirect control by creating

  a situation in which our direct actions would appear

  normal. From there it is a short step to neutralising

  them altogether.'

  'So what is to be our strategy tomorrow}' the General

  said. 'Sing the insects and the savages to sleep}'

  'Yes - flattery, charm, a dose of anti-Swarm lag-

  waving, an appropriate measure of self-deprecating

  humour to encourage trust, and after that normalisation,'

  'And if that fails to work in the short term}'

  Kuros smiled. 'Voloasti will guide us, old friend.

  Indirect control is still control.'

  He turned to the Ezgara. Eight visored faces were

  looking his way, blue-armoured, still and waiting, all

  seemingly identical apart from the nearest, who wore an

  officer's flash on his temple, a small white triangle.

  Nothing about their posture betrayed any inner state of

  mind, but Kuros knew what lay hidden behind those

  masks.

  'Captain,' he said. 'I have a lengthy and demanding

  assignment that will require two of your most adaptable

  warriors.'

  'By your command, Exalted,' the Ezgara captain said

  in a flat voice, then pointed at two of the remaining

  seven; without a word they rose and moved out to stand

  before the High Monitor. They only came up to Kuros's

  shoulder, yet he knew that for ferocity and single-minded

  devotion to duty the Ezgara were unmatched. Then he

  began to explain the details of this special and undoubt-

  edly dangerous assignment, while off to one side,

  General Gratach smiled his approval.

  9

  LEGION

  On Yndyeri Duvo, the Kiskashin line-pirate was experi-

  encing a glow of pride in his mercantile skills. He had

  managed to resell the Human colony report (tagged

  with some Human cultural profiles) to a wandering

  Vusarkan academic, a Piraseri market haruspex and a

  Makhori scholar with an obsession for all things

  Human-related. There had been other interested par-

  ties, but he decided against further delay in relaying it o |

  Lord Mysterious. Besides, new merchandise was con

  tinually arriving: time might be a function of the

  space-entropy continuum but it was also money, thus

  money was intimately bound up with the structure of

  the universe. As he delighted in explaining to the client;

  and customers to whom he turned his attention as the

  Human colony report flashed away through the local

  systemnet to Duvo's sister planet.

  Off the western coast of Yndyeri Tetro's single massh e

  landmass, something stirred in the depths. The waters

  sparkled and teemed with life all the way from the

  shallow shoreline out to the continental shelf, until

  they plunged into descending gradations of shadow,

  increasingly turbid realms of oceanic gloom thinly pop-

  ulated by rare grotesque creatures. Only a meagre

  radiance reached the lower depths, reducing jutting

  features to vague, blurred outlines, yet a ragged trench

  gaped there, a sheer-sided fissure full of ancient, impen-

  etrable night. And down, further down, where the last

  vestiges of surface light died in the intense darkness,

  where a cold, crushing pressure threatened oblitera-

  tion, down there amongst unseen, undisturbed debris,

  an awareness stirred.

  But it was an awareness without consciou
sness, an

  awareness of the environment: sea temperature, tides,

  currents and the presence of threat-level objects passing

  above or below sea-level. Awareness of the subjective

  physical, the balance of mechanical and organic, and the

  entropic state of both, which was not good. Objective

  assessment of repair and regulation systems, and of over-

  all integrity, which was well below optimum. And

  awareness of the information that trickled in via its recep-

  tors from time to time, of the ancient biocrystalline

  matrices which deconstructed, analysed and searched for

  matches to an array of images in two, three and four

  dimensions as well as any linguistic equivalents. It was a

  search that the awareness had repeatedly and tirelessly

  undertaken for centuries upon centuries, without a single

  instance of success.

  Until now, when the memory buffer received a data

  packet detailing the discovery of a lost Human colony

  world called Darien.

  The awareness stripped the Darien report down to lists

  of phrases and words, and stacks of images: its analytic

  processes sorted them into levels of potential meaning,

  discarded the obviously trivial, then sorted through the

  visual data. When it came to the stills and motion images

  of some ruins which the Humans had uncovered near

  their settlements, additional processing capacity was

  quickly brought online as the images were examined

  down to extrapolated resolutions. The awareness devoted

  more resources to the analysis, and when it was finally

  certain it opened pathways in the biocrystalline matrices

  and let power from the duality core flood through then1.

  Tailored glands were stimulated, capillaries relaxed,

  and enzymes leaked into the heavily shielded organic

  cortex. Synaptic transfer spread through neural nets dor-

  mant for long ages, opening up level after level,

  augmenting the awareness, feeding a burgeoning bright-

  ness . . .

  And he awoke to the steel pains of his aged, wounded

  body, lying on a cold seabed on an alien world in an

  alien universe. He knew that his aeons-old purpose and

  duty must have come round at last, otherwise he would

  still be sleeping, and that was a joy which in some ways

  helped him to endure the torment of old, old injuries. But