Of Fire and Night

by Kevin J. Anderson

  Two guards escorted him, but he did not lean on them, coming forward in a slow, laborious gait. The former Designate did not want help, did not want to show his weakness. Nor did he want to avoid facing the Mage-Imperator. He struggled to make the formal salute. “Liege, I accept whatever consequences you choose to impose upon me.” He looked around as if he still could not believe that the camp he had so lovingly tended was now burned wreckage. “The seeds of this turmoil were planted long before Daro’h became Designate. It is not his fault.”

  Nira stiffened like a statue, and Jora’h could feel her cold anger toward Udru’h, as if she found his very presence repulsive. Osira’h, oddly, just smiled at him. The Mage-Imperator knew what his brother had done to Nira as part of the breeding experiments. He could not fault her reaction.

  And yet . . . hadn’t the Dobro Designate been trapped by the schemes of his predecessors—just as Jora’h had been? When he’d first learned of the old Mage-Imperator’s plans and how Udru’h willingly went along with them, Jora’h had despised both men. He had wanted to halt the experiments immediately, but when he became Mage-Imperator himself, that proved impossible. Udru’h would have found it impossible as well.

  “The crimes on Dobro were set in motion centuries ago,” Jora’h said, loudly enough for all to hear. “I could not stop them. My father could not stop them. Designate Udru’h could not stop them. Now they are finally over, and I am left to deal with the consequences of all those generations of planning. The hydrogues gave me an impossible choice, and I must still find an answer. Nira, Osira’h, please, return with me to Mijistra and we will try to work this out.”

  “All of my children must come,” Nira said, indicating the other four wide-eyed half-breeds. Jora’h nodded.

  Udru’h’s voice was a croak. “I would go, too, Liege, to assist you.”

  “No. You will stay here. Humans and Ildirans will rebuild Dobro in whatever way they see fit. You are part of this process. I cannot punish you. But they can.” The former Designate stiffened, but did not argue. Jora’h raised his voice to the human settlers and made his pronouncement. “For generations, you have been told what to do. Now you will decide for yourselves.”

  The human listeners looked more uneasy than the former Designate. Udru’h did not stand defiantly, nor did he make excuses. He accepted his fate without fear. “I will not beg for mercy, Liege.” He looked coolly at Nira, and his face fell when he turned to Osira’h. “I know what these people think of me, and I know exactly what I did to you. But I am not repentant, for I did only what our Mage-Imperators deemed necessary for our survival.”

  Daro’h said to the people, “I suggest we allow the former Designate to recover from his injuries while we finish putting out the fires and clearing the wreckage. It will give us time to make a reasoned consideration of whether there has been enough vengeance and bloodshed.”

  Jora’h said in a low voice, speaking only to Osira’h and Nira, “It is time for me to offer you a promise instead of a lie. I will not give up, and I will not sacrifice your race in order to save mine. It is not acceptable.” A sparkle of tears mixed with the reflections in his eyes. He drew a breath, as if fighting with himself about what he had to say. He knew what would happen if he defied the hydrogues. He also realized that worse things could happen if he did not.

  “Help me find a way out of this trap I have built for myself.”

  93

  KING PETER

  I cannot help you harm another human being,” OX insisted. A mist of oxygenated water drifted around them from the white-noise fountain. “I am precluded from such actions.”

  “But it’s self-defense. He has already tried to kill us, more than once,” Estarra said. Since the incident with the miscarriage-inducing drug, they had eaten nothing but packaged food smuggled into their private chambers. “And he’s going to try again.”

  They had not been allowed out of their quarters for days. The edgy populace assumed their royal leaders were busy working to save humanity.

  Peter tried a different approach. “OX, consider how many people are going to die because the Chairman has abandoned all of the Hansa colonies. He is not acting in the best interests of the Terran Hanseatic League or the human race. Isn’t that your priority?”

  “I have several priorities, which now appear to be in conflict. The Soldier compies slaughtered so many people that I dare not question my programming.” OX was not being stubborn, just firm in his orders. “Also, especially now, any compy bringing a deadly item into the presence of the King would certainly be stopped and destroyed.” Peter quietly cursed, knowing OX was right.

  The Teacher compy offered a story: “Over the years I have had to delete many memories due to space limitations, but I retained this one, because it is instructive. It is my purpose to teach.

  “At one point during the Peary’s long journey, several crewmen planned a mutiny against the captain. Fifty-eight years had passed, and the ship had not yet sighted a habitable star system. The mutineers tried to convince me to access the weapons lockers, but I would not. Though they promised to harm no one, events grew out of their control. The mutineers killed seven men and women before they were stopped. I am sure they did not intend for such violence to occur.

  “I have already expressed my loyalty to you, King Peter. You have demonstrated that you have the best interests of all humans at heart, regardless of their politics. But I cannot perform any action that would harm a human.” He paused. “I could, however, carry messages to others, if you desire. Chairman Wenceslas does not watch me closely.”

  Estarra eased herself onto the lip of the fountain with a heavy sigh. She didn’t seem to mind that cool water splashed her back. “You’re our only ally in the Whisper Palace, OX, and we’re counting on you.”

  Peter’s brow furrowed. “You have already been a go-between with Deputy Cain.”

  “There’s also my sister Sarein, though I’m not sure she’d believe me,” Estarra said.

  “If we can trust her,” Peter said. “If we can trust Deputy Cain, or Captain McCammon. I’ve done a lot of soul-searching, but there aren’t many people we can rely on.”

  Estarra’s expression hardened. “What other choice do we have?”

  When she suddenly stiffened, Peter turned to see Basil Wenceslas striding through the door. Tart sarcasm clogged Peter’s throat like phlegm. Is this a social call, Basil? Come to share tea and cookies with us?

  “Don’t expect any more strategic briefings from Captain McCammon,” Basil said baldly. “That error has been corrected.”

  “I’m sure the captain of the royal guard could not understand why important information was being censored from the King,” Peter said.

  “Exactly what Deputy Cain said,” Basil replied. “He made the point that there’s no reason to keep information from you, since you are incapable of doing anything with it.”

  “And you don’t believe him? You think I’ll read a daily briefing and somehow figure out how to overthrow your government?”

  Instead of answering further, Basil glared at OX. “Why are you here? You should be with Daniel, not wasting time with these two. They no longer need your services.”

  “Yes, Mr. Chairman.” The Teacher compy dutifully departed.

  Basil’s expression of frustration and displeasure now carried an undercurrent of anger as well. Without speaking, Peter took Estarra’s hand and helped her stand up from the fountain’s edge. The King knew that silence was the best way to encourage conversation; Basil had taught him that.

  Scowling, Basil said, “Today, I have no choice but to let you out in public. Briefly.” As if he were being forced to do something he could barely stomach, he explained, “The Adar of the Ildiran Solar Navy just arrived on Earth, unannounced. For some inexplicable reason, he’s requested to see the King and Queen. I offered to meet with him, but the Adar has explicit orders to speak directly to you two. He is very inflexible.”

  Peter smoothed an imaginary wrinkle
on his shirt and tugged his cuffs straight. He knew what a momentous event this was. Ildirans rarely came to the Hansa. “Then we’re ready to meet him. We shouldn’t keep the commander of the Solar Navy waiting.”

  Despite Peter’s quick cooperation, the Chairman couldn’t resist a petulant jab. “I have already informed him that he is likely to be dealing with a new King from now on. Perhaps I will introduce him to Prince Daniel. As a professional military leader, the Adar has no choice but to accept our chain of command.”

  Peter looked the Chairman squarely in the eyes. “You taunt and provoke us, letting us know your plans. That’s a hazardous strategy, Basil, according to what you taught me.”

  The Chairman rolled a condescending look down his nose. “You apparently missed many of my lessons. You’ve already done irreparable damage. Now you will face the consequences.”

  The Ildiran warliner landed in front of the Whisper Palace in a flurry of stabilizing jets, unfurled reflective sails, and flamboyant panels and fins. The gigantic battleship inspired awe—exactly as the Ildirans intended, Peter was sure.

  Despite Basil’s scolding, OX accompanied them as an adviser and recorder. “This is very similar to what happened one hundred eighty-six years ago, when Ildirans first made contact with Earth. I was aboard that warliner, chosen as an independent spokesman from the Peary.”

  The uniformed Adar stepped out into the sunlight. The encounter was transmitted to screens and pickups across the Royal Plaza and throughout communications networks. Zan’nh offered a formal bow, came forward to meet the King and Queen, then got immediately to business. “I bring greetings from the Ildiran Empire—and a warning. Our Mage-Imperator recently learned of a planned hydrogue strike against Earth.”

  In the background, Peter could hear gasps and groans of dismay. Conscious of the observers, the King wondered if they should meet in private, but to an Ildiran, the leader was the leader, and everyone else was beneath him. Speaking to King Peter, the Adar assumed he was addressing the Hansa’s only important representative; everyone else in earshot was superfluous. Peter also realized that if he moved this meeting into the Whisper Palace, Basil would take control of it.

  Peter stared into the military commander’s reflective eyes. “And how does the Mage-Imperator know what the hydrogues intend to do?”

  Zan’nh looked evasive, as if he hadn’t expected such a question. “He does not explain himself to me. I simply follow my father’s orders.” Then he returned to what sounded like a well-rehearsed speech. “I bring you a message of hope as well. Because humans have long been our friends and allies, the Solar Navy offers to station a full cohort of warliners—three hundred and forty-three armed battleships—here in your home solar system. We will stand with you when the hydrogues come.”

  Although the Adar looked entirely sincere, Peter could hardly believe what he was hearing. In the tiny microphone implanted in the King’s ear, Chairman Wenceslas snapped, “Agree to it! Agree!” But he didn’t need Basil to tell him what to do.

  Peter could not help but wonder, however, why the Adar looked so uncomfortable. Was the Ildiran commander hiding something? Would the Hansa have to pay an unpleasant price later for the Solar Navy’s assistance? “What do you require of us in exchange for this aid? You would not risk so many ships simply for the sake of friendship.”

  “Is friendship not payment enough?” The alien commander’s expression was unreadable. “Would you not remember our assistance if we ever asked anything of you?”

  That was exactly what worried King Peter. How would this come back to haunt them? However, if a hydrogue invasion force was on its way, he didn’t see that the Hansa had any real choice. Hundreds of Ildiran warliners might make all the difference.

  He nodded warmly. “For the safety of our people, of course we welcome Ildiran aid. Your assistance could not have come at a more opportune moment. How imminent is this invasion?”

  “Very soon.” The Adar was all business. “There is barely enough time to prepare.”

  94

  SAREIN

  Hansa duties and meetings kept Sarein so busy that she didn’t really notice how long it had been since she’d spoken with her sister. But as she watched Peter and Estarra meet with Adar Zan’nh, she began to wonder if the Chairman might subtly be arranging things that way. Keeping them apart.

  After the Ildiran commander promised to deliver hundreds of warliners as soon as they could be consolidated, he departed in his flagship. The great vessel rose into the sky like a gigantic fighting fish. Their purpose served, the King and Queen were whisked back to the royal quarters under an escort that looked suspiciously like prison guards.

  So Sarein went out of her way to see Estarra. Wearing her Theron ambassador’s robe, she stopped at the doorway to the royal apartments.

  “That’s strictly against the Chairman’s orders,” Captain McCammon said, then he smiled thinly. “However, I don’t see any harm in letting you two go to the Queen’s conservatory. She enjoys that place.”

  Indeed, Estarra was thrilled. At six months, with her pregnancy clearly showing, she covered her curved abdomen with loose cocoon-weave scarves and a skirt. She easily kept up with Sarein’s strides as they walked through the private greenhouse, escorted by three royal guards. Estarra was happy to be among the plants again, sniffing the exhibits of lush flowers, bushes, and herbs.

  But the armed men hovered too close for Sarein’s comfort. Here inside the King’s private wing of the Whisper Palace, who in the world were they protecting the Queen from? She maintained a firm, haughty expression as she shot a sidelong glance at the captain. “I don’t understand why it was so difficult to see you.”

  Estarra raised her eyebrows. “Because Peter and I are being held under house arrest. The Chairman doesn’t want us speaking to anyone.”

  Although her instinct to deny this statement was automatic, Sarein had seen the changes herself. Caught up with emergencies and disasters, Basil had been ignoring her, too, making excuses when she wanted to spend an evening with him or slip into his bedroom late at night. Always before, he had used her as a sounding board for advice. Now it seemed that the Chairman didn’t want to listen. From what Sarein had heard around the Hansa HQ, Basil had stopped listening to everyone.

  Estarra seemed deeply disturbed. She didn’t seem to care that the guards overheard. “Among other things, the Chairman feels that Peter overstepped his authority by ordering a swift response during the compy emergency.”

  Eavesdropping, Captain McCammon made a gruff noise. “King Peter saw the threat of the Soldier compies long before anybody else did. The Chairman should reward his foresight, not punish him.”

  Sarein was about to snap in annoyance. If guards had to be so close, they should at least pretend to be unobtrusive! Estarra, though, looked sweetly at McCammon. “Captain, I’d appreciate it if you could give my sister and me some privacy.”

  “We’ll keep our distance, Your Majesty.” He gallantly gestured for the Queen and Estarra to walk ahead along the rows of exotic flora. Sunlight warmed the mists rising from delicate irrigation systems that maintained the various plants.

  Estarra took her sister’s arm, and the royal guards waited well out of earshot. “Now, what is this about a house arrest?” Sarein hissed. “That’s ridiculous. You’re the Queen!”

  “And Peter is the King, but that doesn’t mean anything to the Chairman. You don’t understand how much he hates Peter—and me, because I had the poor judgment to get pregnant at an inconvenient time.”

  Sarein scowled. “Don’t be melodramatic, Estarra. The Hansa has never been faced with so many impossible situations. The Chairman is forced to make difficult decisions every day. Give him a bit more credit than that.”

  Estarra let out a long sigh. “You’re my older sister, and you’re politically savvy, but right now, you seem very naïve. You’re so close to Chairman Wenceslas that you’re blind to his faults. He’ll do whatever he can to destroy Peter and me.”


  Sarein spoke as if to a child. “Oh, Estarra! You’re isolated in the Palace and don’t realize how much is going on. I meet with Hansa representatives regularly. We’ve been betrayed by the Soldier compies and lost almost seventy percent of our Earth Defense Forces. Now the Ildirans say that hydrogues are coming to destroy Earth. What do you expect the Chairman to do?”

  “Maybe he should concentrate on real problems and stop wasting time on petty jealousies.” Estarra stopped in front of a reef plant from Rhejak, which looked like a cluster of fleshy blue fingers. When Sarein touched one, the whole cluster collapsed protectively into its hard stem.

  “Basil is searching for solutions. Since we lost so much of our military, he’s investigating the missing rammers at Qronha 3 again. If our scout can locate them, it will change the whole defensive equation.”

  Estarra’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe for Earth. But what about all the other Hansa colonies—and Theroc—that the Chairman abandoned like sacrificial lambs?” She paused at the fauldur plant from Theroc, studying the clump of bright but deadly berries. “Let me tell you something, Sarein. You can believe it or not—depending on how much the Hansa’s brainwashing affects you.”

  Sarein listened with an amused and slightly dismissive expression as Estarra repeated the story of how the Chairman had tried to kill them by hiding an incendiary bomb aboard the royal yacht.

  “He already explained that to me,” Sarein said. “It was just a bluff because Peter was being so intractable. He never would have harmed you.”

  “A bluff? You really believe that? The Chairman already had a Roamer trader held in administrative custody to be used as a scapegoat for the assassination. His name was Denn Peroni—look it up. The Chairman was setting up the Roamers so he could move against them. When Peter discovered the plan, he quietly issued an executive order to set the man free.”