by Stel Pavlou
It was a stunning idea. The perfect defense. “Destroy them before they are born,” Daniel realized.
Torin took a moment to let the full importance of that sink in. “Yes,” he said.
A horrifying thought suddenly reared up at Daniel. “The Sinja,” he said. “If they gained control of this information . . .”
“They would become the most powerful force in the galaxy. Able to turn whole worlds against one another, purely on the off chance that what they pronounce might be the truth.”
Torin stepped away, taking in the sight of his chambers as though it were to be the last time.
“The Destronomers realized their folly. That was why they dissembled their code and hid the parts throughout the galaxy. But millions of years passed, new civilizations emerged, the secret was learned, and every known intelligent race throughout the galaxy wiped themselves out of existence. Now here we are, and the Sinja want to repeat that conflict and bring about our own downfall . . . believing, as the Achorint did, that the Destronomers had discovered a fundamental truth, that everything that has happened, and everything that will happen, has been written into the very fabric of space itself. Like a blueprint. The Sinja realized that if they could find all the missing pieces, they wouldn’t just read that blueprint, they could physically rewrite it. Whole civilizations could simply cease to have been, on the whim of a Sinja. They could quite easily erase all of history as if it never happened. It has been my contention for some time that the Book of Planets is one such missing piece,” Torin said. “We are the only ones with the power to stand in their way.”
Daniel was still trying to wrap his mind around the whole idea. “How many other missing pieces are there?”
Torin threw up his arms. “Who knows?”
Torin drew closer. “A hundred years ago,” he explained, “the Sinja thought they had found another piece of the Destronomers’s legacy on a remote planet. The Achorint convinced the people of that world that the key to their power and prosperity lay right beneath their feet, hidden in the dirt. All they had to do was dig. And that’s what they did, day after day, deeper and deeper, until slowly the entire planet was plundered. Even when the air was no longer breathable, and there wasn’t enough vegetation to feed them, still they dug. We tried to warn them. We showed them the truth, that even if they did find what they had been promised, the Sinja were never going to let them keep it. They were being used. Exploited. But their minds were so willfully filled with mindless lies and endless propaganda that they didn’t want to see the truth. They constructed enemies out of us, convincing themselves that we were the ones plotting their downfall by trying to stop them from unearthing their birthright.”
Torin took a moment to steady his nerves, the raw emotion of his memory too much to bear.
“Indigo Cort,” he said, “in a last-ditch effort to save them from themselves, took on a lone crusade, vowing to deny them access to whatever it was they thought they had found, hoping that would end it.”
Daniel couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What happened?”
“They destroyed themselves anyway. One of the most verdant lands in all the galaxy, destroyed by greed and selfishness. All that’s left now is a graveyard, a few rocks floating in space and five suns.”
Five suns?
All this time Torin had been talking about the very planet Daniel had been imprisoned on in the relic mines. He glanced up at the Keeper. “The Sinja are still digging,” he said. “And I was there . . . wasn’t I?”
“The name of the planet was Musa Degh,” Torin said, rubbing his furrowed brow in the seeming hope that he would ease his troubled mind.
Musa Degh? That couldn’t be right. He’d seen the star charts, the trade routes. Hex told him that planet no longer existed. Everything indicated that there was just no way that the mines had been on that planet. Had the WaKeenee’s star charts been faked?
Ionica’s wisdom rang in his ears: you can’t find the truth by plugging your brain into a databank and being told what to think!
The sudden clatter of someone or something stumbling around outside the door to Torin’s chambers drew their attention. Torin stepped immediately in front of Daniel as the door slid open.
But it was just Hex. The anatom hurried inside.
“Have you been out there this whole time?” said Daniel.
Hex made sure the door had closed behind him before clicking urgently.
“What do you mean? I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
“Yes, yes,” Torin interjected, a little irritated. “Would you mind translating? I’m afraid I don’t speak creature.”
“He wants to know if you brought the Book of Planets up here.”
“Why would I do that, when there’s a perfectly good . . .” Torin’s voice trailed off as he grappled with the implication. “Wait. Why is he asking?”
“Because it’s gone from its chamber,” he said.
Daniel watched as the blood drained from Torin’s face.
They raced back to the Vault, but there had been no misunderstanding. The podium upon which the Book of Planets usually sat was bare.
“This is all my fault,” said Daniel.
“Unless there’s something you’re not telling me, never blame yourself for the motives and actions of others.”
“But what are we going to do?” Daniel implored.
“We will do nothing. You will return to your studies and mention this to no one,” said Torin, his eyes darting from one corner of the Vault to the next, thinking, always thinking. “While I pursue the book’s return, silence is our strongest ally now,” he said, gently. “If the Guild of Truth cannot keep such a powerful artifact as the Book of Planets under lock and key, how can we protect whole worlds? The Sinja need chaos for their advantage. We will not give it to them.”
But the secret was not theirs to keep, and the chaos was not theirs to control.
37
CRISIS OF TRUST
“All rise! All rise!”
With Truth Seekers and visitors crammed into every corner of the Forum, Daniel stood amid the crowd, blood draining from his face, his hands shaking, hoping that Ionica and Ben were too distracted with the proceedings to notice. In the weeks that had followed the theft, things had only gone from bad to worse. What started out as a murmur of frustration from Truth Seekers who had had their research with the Book of Planets interrupted grew into a cacophony of alarm as rumors began to surface on worlds many light-years away, rumors spread by the Sinja themselves, that it was they who now controlled that most powerful of relics.
Before long, swarms of delegates from a hundred different worlds began arriving to press the Guild of Truth for answers. So many different types of humans, some with such bizarre shapes that they didn’t look human at all. The Great Migration in all its glory, when humans had left a divided planet Earth and the planets that they chose to conquer followed those same loose alliances, based on language and culture. Add evolution to the mix and thousands of years, and here stood mankind, at the precipice of total divergence.
And the differences were only increasing.
Trust was a very fragile and precious thing in the galaxy, and with few assurances to give, eventually the only hope of maintaining it was to agree to a Truth Conference.
As the delegates made their way into the hall, the mood instantly began to change. Most Beacons had no idea why the delegates were coming here. They’d just started arriving, and they were angry. Tensions flared, and in no time at all the delegates began to argue with one another, with dignitaries from some worlds refusing to sit anywhere near the ambassadors of others.
Soon the atmosphere was so hostile that the Truth Watchmen began patrolling the aisles in order to keep the peace.
Ben looked like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Anyone want to tell me what the Fuse is going on?”
Guilt burned inside Daniel, but he kept quiet, relieved when Torin led a plethora of Guardians into the chamber
to start the proceedings.
“This Forum is now in emergency session!” the Sergeant-at-Arms cried.
Two Truth Watchmen appeared at each doorway and barred the exits so that the business of the Forum could begin.
When everyone sat down, the murmur from the assembled delegates was in stark contrast to a normal Forum of Truth Seekers. These were politicians for the most part, people who were used to being loud.
Down on the podium, Torin appeared entirely unruffled. He looked over his notes in silence and coughed to himself, refusing to speak until the delegates were each paying their due attention.
When he was satisfied, he gazed out at the assembled delegates. “Who calls this emergency session?” he asked simply.
An older-looking man near the front, strongly built and wearing full-body armor, stood to face the bench. “I do,” he declared loudly.
Torin nodded. “Let the record show General Tekez of the War Guild has called this emergency session.”
The reaction this time was not limited to just the visiting delegates. The rumble of surprise swept through the ranks of Truth Seekers and Beacons alike.
“How much do you want to bet—”
“Ben Quick, we’ll find out soon enough what this is all about. Now be quiet!” Astrid snapped.
A wave of disapproval swept down the rows of Beacons, but it wasn’t aimed at Ben. It was aimed at Astrid instead.
Shhh!
Ben looked very proud of himself. “Yeah, shut up, Astrid,” he said.
Astrid clenched her teeth shut before the overwhelming need to scream got the better of her.
Daniel had to fight not to laugh this time. Ionica just rolled her eyes.
When the small matter of procedure between a few delegates and the bench finally came to an end, General Tekez was asked to address the Forum directly.
The general’s imposing voice carried a great weight. “Over the past few days,” he announced, “the War Guild has been asked to supply troops to defend sixteen separate worlds. Planetary defenses have become compromised. Tactical information has leaked into the public domain. Rumors are rife—”
A Truth Seeker stepped forward at the back, raising his hand. “Point of Order, m’lords!”
“General Tekez,” Torin asked. “Do you yield the floor?”
The general bowed his head. “I yield,” he said.
The Truth Seeker, one Daniel didn’t recognize, got quickly to the point. “Supply of troops is the War Guild’s affair. There are strict protocols. Are we to believe that an emergency session was called on the basis of investigating a rumor?”
“It was not,” General Tekez barked, quickly losing patience. “I called this session on the basis of asking a question!”
Daniel knew what was coming. He felt sick. He glanced at his friends briefly. Their attention was entirely focused on the unfolding drama below and they were not prepared for what was about to come.
Torin looked over his documents, as though putting them in order, and drummed his fingers on the cold obsidian. He sighed.
Bracing himself, he said. “Ask your question, General.”
Daniel could tell by the general’s face that he’d rather not ask the question at all. But he was duty bound to do so.
However, just as he opened his mouth to speak, someone else jumped in and asked the question for him.
“Is it true,” Ambassador Huku demanded from the floor, “that the Guild of Truth is no longer in possession of the Book of Planets?”
The wave of astonishment that such a question could even be asked swept through the ranks of the Truth Seekers with far more disbelief than it did through the delegates.
“They’re crazy,” said Ben.
“That could never happen,” Ionica insisted. “It would spell chaos.”
Daniel hung his head in shame. He couldn’t watch.
When Daniel had faced the Book of Planets in the library, he had been intent on finding his friends in the Overseers’ mines. But what he hadn’t realized was that the device he was using was potentially devastating to the stability of the galaxy if it were to fall into the wrong hands. The Book of Planets could be used to give detailed insight into the weaknesses and strengths of every civilization.
The Guild of Truth had been a neutral keeper of the Book of Planets for generations, using it only for the love of knowledge and the disputes that knowledge could settle. But if the user had dark intentions, that same information gave the perfect blueprint from which to launch an invasion or sow lies and encourage conflict.
Whoever controlled the Book of Planets held sway over all worlds.
Without any warning, Ionica got to her feet. “Ambassador,” she asked pointedly, “has something happened in the Bantu Worlds to make you believe that the circumstances of the Book have changed?”
Huku took offense. “Must I take questions—from a Beacon?”
“You must,” Torin replied with conviction. “We are all Truth Seekers here.”
“Very well. Many things have happened,” Ambassador Huku exclaimed. “Where should I begin? With the Olmec forces building up on our Denebian border? Or the entire population that is missing on Skepsis?”
Another delegate shot up, pointing an accusing finger. “We are building up forces in that region, because you are building up forces!”
“That is a lie!”
A scuffle quickly broke out between the two delegations, stopping only when the closest Truth Watchmen jumped in to separate them.
“Delegates, please!” Juro the Doubting scolded from her seat at the bench. “Control yourselves! If you cannot conduct yourselves in a civil manner during these proceedings, we will have you removed from the chamber!”
It took a while longer for something resembling calm to return to the floor of the Forum, but when it did, Torin was keen to ask questions. Daniel could see that something about Ambassador Huku’s remarks had caught his attention.
“Ambassador,” Torin asked energetically, “did you say that everyone on Skepsis was missing?”
Ambassador Huku grew impatient. Drawing himself up to his full and considerable height, he said, “Thirty thousand minors completely vanished.”
“What do they mine?”
“Not miners. Minors. Children.”
Torin abruptly sat back in his chair, his face pale and haunted.
Ambassador Huku was surprised. “You’ve seen something like this before?”
“Yes, many years ago,” the Truth Keeper admitted darkly. “On Musa Degh during the War of Wills.”
The Forum quickly filled with the rumble of voices and panic. Daniel watched as Torin met the gaze of everyone who had been at the secret meeting. Including him.
It didn’t go unnoticed by Daniel’s friends. Ben turned to him. “What’s going on?” he asked.
Daniel wouldn’t look him in the eye.
“With respect, Keeper Torin,” General Tekez boomed over the din. “That is all well and good, but you have yet to answer our question. Is the Guild of Truth still keeper of the Book of Planets?”
“You must understand,” said Torin, “I did what I thought was best, to prevent the very panic we see here today—”
Ambassador Huku thrust an accusing finger at all the Guardians. “Since when did guarding the truth mean hiding it? That book should have been destroyed long ago! It was a mistake to keep it!”
Up in the gallery, Ionica and Ben couldn’t believe it. They turned on Daniel. “Did you know about this?”
“I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone.”
“For the last time, answer the question!” General Tekez roared. “Does the Fortress still hold the Book?”
A hush settled over the delegates and Truth Seekers alike as they waited for Torin’s answer.
The Truth Keeper slowly surveyed the crowd. Daniel could see how conflicted he was, but just as General Tekez was duty bound to ask the question, so Torin was duty bound to answer it. He closed his eyes.
“It does
not,” he said.
The Forum exploded in a deafening uproar. Delegates jumped to their feet, shaking their fists. How could the Truth Guild have kept this a secret? They had betrayed their sacred oath! How could the Guild ever be trusted again?
The din of raised voices grew so loud, it was clear for all to see that the Truth Seekers had completely lost control of the Forum.
38
LEGACY OF THE DESTRONOMERS
That night, Tor Torin called a meeting in his chambers.
The room was filled with senior Truth Seekers, one or two of who Daniel even knew by name: severe faces, etched with worry. Ionica, who had asked to come if only to keep Daniel out of trouble, stood nervously by the window, her arms folded tightly across her chest.
Daniel didn’t know what to make of it all.
“The Sinja,” Torin commented, “lie as much to themselves as they do to others. Usually by now they’re fighting among themselves for dominance.”
“So what changed?” a fellow Truth Seeker demanded.
“Obviously they’ve found something,” another one remarked; it was Raze Alioth, the tall, broad-shouldered Truth Guardian Daniel had seen arrest Darius Hun aboard the WaKeenee. “Mr. Coldstar, the mines that these—what did you call them, Overseers—had you working in? They had you searching for relics, correct?”
All eyes settled on Daniel.
“Yes, sir,” he replied, unsettled by all the attention.
“Do you remember what they had you looking for?”
How could he forget? “Everything. Anything,” Daniel explained. “There were a lot of diggers. A lot of relics.”
“But nothing in particular? Thought Detonators have been turning up all over the place recently. Do they look familiar to you?”
Daniel shook his head. “Only the one Keeper Torin had . . .”