by Power, P. S.
"The mathematics of the situation are clear. Beings that bother to travel such distances either do not need resources to do so, or are seeking them. If it is the later kind of situation, odds are that most groups would be hostile if they encounter a more primitive society. We've chosen to hold our technological levels on Earth to a low point over all. We cannot at present resist a hostile attack from space."
Brown agreed. Loudly.
"Right. We need to prepare for war as fast as possible. I don't understand how it works, but the Noram magical system has advanced in recent years to the point that I think it's our best bet for such a defense. To that end I think we need a vote to place the treaty in suspension until after the danger is known or disproved. After that point, if it isn't a real situation, it should go back into play, of course."
He seemed to have the others right up until he said that, then they all started arguing. Tor slowly walked to the dining room, hoping that some of the dinner meal would be salvageable. It was still in the kitchen and was cold now, but he'd eaten worse. He'd made worse and thought it was good, so didn't complain, even as his nose ached and his arm throbbed. Everyone else had followed along, and ate, though not a lot. It wasn't the food though, just nerves and confusion, he figured. That along with the dead bodies in the outer entrance.
The bickering about things didn't stop, Denno insisting that they needed the freedom to act without rules for a while, in case the answer required higher technology, but Gray and Orange thought it might be the start of a power grab, if for different reasons. Gray openly wondered if Denno had control of his own mind, or if someone had taken it from him and was using him as a puppet.
They went off on a tangent, for a long while. Several of them in fact. To make it more entertaining few were simply bizarre. Like Alice suggesting that they try to enlist the entire world into a single military to fight the alien menace. It wasn't practical at all in her vision. It left no room for farmers, mothers or even children. She wanted them all it seemed.
Gray argued for dropping the population numbers for some reason. She didn't explain it clearly, but the idea was to make it look like Earth was a dead world and not worth going to.
"Stupid idea Grandmother Gray." Timon said, his eyes on her alone, as if expecting an outburst.
"We have water and air. Minerals and building materials. Any group coming here wouldn't be after the people and wouldn't be scared off by disease. All your plan would accomplish is death for a lot of people." Tim held his ground on the matter, even if she did look like a younger version of their mother, even when the woman started screaming at him. She got so angry seeming that Laurie finally stood up, something cupped in the palm of her right hand. A force lance it looked like to Tor.
"I suggest you treat my child with a bit more respect madam." The whole thing looked ridiculous to Tor, but Lara just nodded stiffly and shut up about her plan then.
Tor could kind of see what Brown had meant earlier, about not all the Ancients always seeing eye to eye. It was clear Lara thought she was right. It seemed a real and workable plan to her, make the world seem unattractive by killing most of it.
Then they went back to arguing about the treaty at least.
It didn't seem like a huge problem to Tor and fighting about it was just people wasting time as far as he could tell.
He mentioned it, several times, but no one listened to him. This was their way after all, it was clear. Finally Burks called for a vote, seeming slightly annoyed with the whole thing too.
"Yes means you want the treaty suspended as Denno suggested, no means that you want it held to as always. I vote no." It was a strong statement, which clearly ticked Denno off.
Gray and Orange voted that way too.
Tor shrugged.
"As long as it's not part of a power grab, then I vote yes. They're just rules, it's not like we're voting away knowledge of right and wrong, or can't call someone on their mistakes if they start to make them."
That got the Blues to all vote yes, as well as his mother. Denno voted yes as well, but that wasn't surprising, it being his idea.
Tiera, for some reason voted no, and Timon rolled his eyes at her.
"Yes. I agree with Brown on this one. If it's a real enough problem to be worried about, then we need to treat it seriously and not let a set of largely broken rules guide us." The words made him sound a lot older than he was.
The final vote was set at four against to eight for, with only Red abstaining. She didn't say why.
Denno grinned, looking happier than he had a right to, given they were discussing an invasion fleet.
"Good. I think we need to start a push for this Noram technology then. We have the Noram builders... I mean, Tor, do we have them? I believe you're in charge of that for your Kingdom?" He looked at him closely, eyes focused on him as if he might just pull out or something, even having voted for what Brown wanted already.
As if he could.
"I can do some there, if the King agrees with it. I can put in my personal effort and have some friends that might help regardless. I'll ask. We should also put all our efforts into helping Lyn start as large a building infrastructure here in Vagus as possible, even if she did just dodge out on that last vote. Do we need to vote on that? It seems pretty common sense to me." It turned out they did. The Ancients had to vote on almost anything it seemed. It was a rule.
Everyone agreed to it though. Even Cynthia Blue. She didn't make eye contact with Lyn as she did it though. She may not understand the social aspects of things clearly, but she could tell that Lyn was angry with her about things. She also seemed to know her well enough not to want to provoke her now, even when she was getting her way.
They still needed to get with Black, but he wasn't needed as a tie breaker on either of those votes, so it didn't matter as far as that went. The voting took hours to get through, but the sticking point was actually who should pay for it all. Burks looked at Tor with a meaningful stare after everyone gave reasons why it would be hard for them to foot the bill, but he shrugged.
"In case you didn't notice, I gave almost everything I have to Denno earlier, he's the rich one now. I'm just hoping he doesn't take it all at once and break Noram. We could use it to build up both the building programs in Noram and Vagus though, if we can talk him into it." That got all the Kingdom people to stare at Brown, who blinked several times.
"I... assumed that my own apology wiped that away. Besides, it was just a gesture right? Like offering your life knowing that I couldn't take it?"
It was slightly odd, but it was Carlos the spy who'd lived in Noram for years that answered, looking at his own Ancient as if the man had lost his mind.
"It wasn't a gesture, it was a... surrender. Or maybe a judgment really. Tor was saying that to his own mind he'd done something so wrong and bad that he was leveling a fine against himself and left himself destitute. Not just his coins either, he gave you everything, but a bit to keep his wife alive and well. He... Technically you own the clothes on his back right now. All the magics he's made to this point and his titles. That doesn't mean you get them, of course, just that he no longer has them. If you decided to take it all he wouldn't be a Knight or a Counselor from the second you spoke the words. Be daft of you to do that though, sir. He has real power in Noram right now as Magics Counselor and a Knight, not to mention actually being popular. The thing is, if you tell him to strip and walk off into the wilderness nude and covered only in ashes, he'd do it and never come back. Having his life could also mean having all the product of his work forever too. My suggestion is that you absolve him of all that as soon as you can. We might actually need his help. Especially since if you do send him off like that I probably have to make myself go with him, since I was part of the cause of the whole thing. That kind of honor is hard to keep up with and I'd much rather just set to cooking rather than trying to figure out which insects are edible here."
Burks leveled a look at his brother and gave a single nod, as if he'd know
n about it all along. It was clear that he'd figured that Browns apology had settled the matter too though.
"Sorry Den, thought you caught all that. Figured you were just stringing it all out to get back at him for that ambush. That or you were going to grab the funds for yourself. It's enough to make a good start on what we'll need."
Brown smiled and spread his hands.
"Well, that solves that! We'll just use that to pay for things. What a relief." He looked away then, grinning, but Tor just nodded once. It was only gold after all and didn't seem like he was demanding the businesses at all. Didn't even take his personal amulets to embarrass him, which it would, leaving him naked like that. Finally Denno shook his head and laughed.
"Just teasing Tor, I absolve you of all that you mentioned earlier, fully and in all ways, even if I don't know what they are. I don't want to break you just for making a youthful mistake. Next time though, would you at least ask if I've actually done whatever it is you plan to thrash me for first? Anyway Austra will do its part financially. I'm sure Green and you can get Noram around as well. Julie? Do we have your support?"
"Always brother. Besides, I'll need to be around to keep an eye on the rest of you. This situation still seems wrong to me somehow. I never trusted Cordes. He scared me even in life. The idea of thousands of him coming back frankly makes me feel weak. I want to vomit and can't. No offense Tor, or to you Cordes Blue. I don't find you personally objectionable. You aren't giants."
Tor shook his head.
"Oohh... You don't like giants? Too bad, Prince Alphonse of Noram was going to go and visit with you. I'll have to warn him off then. He's pretty big." Tor meant it as a joke, but she agreed with that readily.
"Anyone over seven feet tall tends to send shivers of fear down my spine." Then she cradled herself as if cold, illustrating the point.
That would make a difference as to who they sent as an ambassador, wouldn't it? He'd have to tell the King about that. It would go over wonderfully no doubt, since it meant either sending a child or the shortest noble ever. One that would remember to wear a shield all the time, unlike the royal family and their loose and lazy habits in that regard. Tor thought for a minute and shrugged. He could suggest they send in a woman. Trice could do it maybe, or Nita. Both should be good that way. Though Trice's mom might make the cut too. She was only about six-eight. It was a thought.
He shrugged though.
"The Larval are all short enough then. So it's just their insanity and desire to kill us all that's off-putting. I'd send a note suggesting they look into changing that part of things, but I don't think they'll listen for some reason. Who does what and when? If nothing else we should see to the rites of those that have died here and make certain their families don't suffer from the loss. It wasn't their fault we set up this close to their city." Nor did they insist the people hang around, but it was a curiosity, so why shouldn't they?
No one had sent them away. Then no one would have known there would be an attack of that nature. Except possibly Gray. She was pretty quick to put it all together, wasn't she? Tor had a sudden urge to force an amulet around her neck again, but if he was wrong that would start a fight. Except that with Box he'd failed to even read the man more than casually, trying to leave everyone the sanctity of their own minds, and that hadn't worked out well at all, had it? A half dozen women lost their lives because of that failure.
He sighed and retrieved the amulet Ali had from her with a smile.
"Gray, would you put this back on? I have more questions and it will take a lot less time if I know I can trust you. Not that you aren't trustworthy, but you know... all you old people freak me out. I just don't have a good handle on how you think, so it would be helpful to me, being so young and inexperienced. You understand, don't you?" He held the pink glowing amulet out to her, already activated, a white nimbus around him. Everything he said was simply the truth, which everyone could see easily. She took the device without comment and held it in her right hand, sighing back at him, clearly bored with the whole thing.
"Why did you think that Cordes the Larval hive or whatever it's called was behind this?"
It was as simple enough question, but the answer wasn't what he expected at all. He figured it would be a lucky guess or that she'd just been expecting it to happen for a long time, or some combination of something she'd seen while traveling and what they said.
It wasn't that.
"Oh. I sent an activation code to the Larvals through Glost Serge. It should have had them going after the worst threat to Austra, but they seem to think that's us, instead of Serge himself. I didn't see that happening, since he's such a horrible leader, but it makes sense, if Cordes is involved. He wouldn't have taken Glost as a real threat, would he? Not even being in control of one of the largest militaries in the world. You remember boy, I sent you with a letter to him? That's what it was. I told him it was a Larval command code, which it is. One that Brown had in place as a failsafe. Meant to be given if more advanced commands couldn't, say if he were held prisoner or something like that." She waved her hands in the air, as if to say it all didn't matter.
Maybe it didn't? Tor looked at Denno who seemed to be considering something and finally grunted softly.
"Yes. That would do it. If it's the one I'm thinking of. I didn't know anyone else had it. I would have made an effort to change it if I did. They probably decided that someone here, or all of us, are the biggest danger to them, thanks to the influence on them of a man we all helped kill. I know that would be enough to make me leery of a group like this in his place. We..." Denno spun and started pacing, a rapid thing that would have had Tor falling down at the moment if he tried it. His leg throbbed a little just imagining it.
"We need to do something about them. I agree. We can't reset any codes if they've been imprinted with another intelligence first, like what happened to Tor. They have protections against that to prevent someone from co-opting them. This time that seems to be working against us. We'll... have to do what Tor suggested earlier." It was clear that the man was miserable when he spoke, his light brown jumpsuit heaving a little from the soft panting that was going on.
They needed a plan and to move quickly. So the others decided to sleep on it, with only Orange agreeing with him that they should set a team to attack as rapidly as possible. Tor thought they should at least move locations, but no one else thought a new attack would come that night. After all, the Larval had limited military resources to work with. They'd probably had to steal the plane and missiles, Brown assured them all. Several times. It seemed to make the others feel better, but if they could take one, couldn't they get two?
Or six?
No one listened to him though, just taking off for their own spaces to sleep. He did the same, just hoping they were right. It would be annoying to wake up in the middle of the night being killed. He, for one, was sleeping with a shield on. He'd get Ali to do the same. Trice too. It shouldn't be too hard, since both of them were following along behind him, about ten paces back. He nearly missed them, as preoccupied as he was, which was silly of him.
They both wore guilty expressions on their faces. Still.
"Sharing a room with us tonight Trice? It would be good to have you. Obviously I'm not up to anything fun. You don't have any drugs do you? Say for pain?" Tor glanced at his arm and floated along, traveling backwards slowly so he could look at them.
"Not normally my thing, but short of a deep trance state I can't do a lot tonight for the discomfort. It's a bit intense."
She looked at him funny then, as if wondering if he was kidding or not.
"Yeah, I have some things that might help. Aren't you mad at us? For earlier? We shouldn't have gone along with your mother, I knew it was wrong, I told her not to do it, but... she's your mother. I don't have a right to tell her not to do anything at all. She even outranks me in almost every way imaginable. I... Really I didn't want to get between the two of you." He grabbed her left elbow, which made her wince, lookin
g down at the straightened arm. It looked real, and was totally fake, even though it was really hard to tell.
Tor had made it for her, the very first thing like it that anyone had ever heard of. More people had them now, but hers had been the very first. A thing that even the leader of Debris house had agreed to distribute for free, since almost no one in the world could afford to buy one at fair market price. She was clearly remembering that conversation, or something along those lines. Did she think he was going to demand it back? It wasn't her prank after all and she wasn't his mother. Neither was Ali.
"Yes. I'm a bit angry with you both and yes you should have said something to me at the time, before I turned into an idiot and nearly killed Brown. That part was my fault, but a bit of warning before that would have been useful. What did everyone think I was going to do, go off and feel responsible for it in the first place and feel miserable? What would any of you have done in the same place?"
Alyssa looked down first and then away, fighting a bit of a strange look from her face, it was fearful, but she also had a small smile.
"I would have asked for a copy? I'm still kind of curious to see the one of you and Denno. He's very attractive and so are you. We could make a lot of money selling it in Noram, to bored Countesses and rich merchant women. Except it wouldn't work, as the... Technologies aren't compatible? I think that's what he said when I asked." Then her face went blank again, clearly afraid he'd be very upset with her.
"Well, um, no. Let's not do any of that, OK? I love you both, but I can't take anything like that right now. I'm... I don't know if I can explain it properly. A week ago I was Tor, the way you all knew me the whole time, the strange guy that would work himself near death just because it was needed in some vague way and who seemed to always do the right thing, even if it was stupid at the time. Now... Almost all of that is gone. I mean, I have my own memories and desires, but before I didn't have a choice in what I did. I was constantly at war with myself, trying to just do what everyone else wanted. Fearing that I was failing everyone if they didn't get their way. Now I have to figure out how to be a person again. I never developed an actual moral center, because I had one that was there from my earliest childhood. It influenced everything. Now I'm free and not a slave anymore. I don't really know how to behave at all. Which... is kind of what happened earlier, with Denno. I thought he'd wronged me and that you wouldn't have said he had if it wasn't true, so I acted impulsively. Now I'm having to deal with real emotions for the first time. It's strange." He smiled though and let Trice get the door to the little cabin for him. It looked like a small hut made out of polished wood, about twenty feet by twenty, with a steeply pitched roof on the top that was colored deep red. It looked like tile made of clay, but fired so it had a glassy sheen. The door was red too.