by Barry Kirwan
Pierre’s analysis told him something about Ukrull’s body language, and it stunned him further. “You know where she is, don’t you? But how? You couldn’t conceal such knowledge from the Tla Beth for long.”
Ukrull nudged a panel with his tail, and a small hatch opened. Pierre stared in disbelief at an ancient-looking Hohash, its fractured, mirror-like surface surging with purple and blue swirls. Pierre guessed it was showing a highly unusual nebula. A location, he guessed, unique in the galaxy. As if on cue, Ukrull whacked a control that produced a holo-display of the nebula’s position on an outer galactic spiral.
“Can she do battle against Qorall?”
“Female of species tougher than male.” Ukrull grunted, grinning, as far as Pierre could tell.
Pierre considered the distances, the timescales, weighing up the most recent reports from the progress of the Kalaheii. The nebula was on the opposite edge of the galaxy, so the female was not yet in danger. But one Kalarash against a legion of Kalaheii… Still, they had some time. Qorall’s strategy appeared to be slow but firm progression. He did the calculations, and the coincidence surprised him: fifteen years. Qorall would reach this sector of the galaxy shortly after the quarantine had ended. So he, Ukrull and the female Kalarash had that long to mount a defence, and then he must return to Ourshiwann. For an instant, he factored a background variable – his daughter, Petra – into the equation; she would be fifteen by then. An emotion flickered inside him, like a ghost in the data-core. He immediately suppressed it. He could not allow himself to be distracted by such things. That was why he’d programmed the Transpar to record everything, particularly Petra’s development. At least that way he’d have a record of her life, even if a fragmented one.
He was about to say “I am ready,” when he realised it was not necessary, since he’d already thought it.
“You learn fast,” Ukrull said. He kicked a control with his lower left claw, and their small ship disappeared.
* * *
Louise watched the Hohash’s mirror surface relax back to its oil-film state. She weighed her options, straddling Micah’s chair on the bridge of the Hunter-Seeker vessel she had reclaimed. “So,” she said, having gotten used to talking to the Hohash – it had mastered understanding English some time ago, whether by sound or lip-reading, she wasn’t sure which, and didn’t care. “I’m pretty much persona non grata with the Alicians and the Q’Roth: Sister Esma would find a way to get rid of me sooner or later, last thing she needs is a hero around cramping her style, and the Q’Roth are giving Alicians the cold shoulder right now. Micah’s untouchable for a while, and the other two parties of interest are betting on the Kalarash.” She still wasn’t sure why the Hohash had shown her so much. She assumed these artefacts were like dogs – despite their intelligence – needing a master or a mistress.
“What would you do?” she said, addressing the metal sculpture of her and Vince she’d stolen from Ourshiwann an hour before the planet-shroud energized. She nodded. “My thoughts exactly, we should check out the likely winner.” This was going to test the Hohash’s loyalty to the limit; she was interested to see if it would go along with it or fight her again. She turned to her companion, as she now thought of it. “We should go see Qorall, offer him information, don’t you think?”
The Hohash vibrated, sparks splashing across its surface.
“Really, I’m serious.” She walked to Zack’s console and called up the Galactic Nav chart, pointing as she spoke. “We’ll enter the Grid here, run right around to the other side, disembark here, then head out on this spiral. Might take a few years.” She folded her arms. “I’m sure Qorall will be interested in you, in any case.”
The Hohash surface was transparent, its frame stilled.
“Hmm. You know I can’t decide whether you are very dumb, or way smarter than me. Only one way to find out.” She turned her back on the Hohash as she entered the flight plan.
As she dropped the ankh key into the slot, engaging the engines, an ivory and emerald eye opened on the surface of the Hohash, watching her. The jump initiated. Everything on the bridge, including Louise, turned quicksilver. Everything except the eye.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Part One – Attack on Ourshiwann
Part Two – The Grid
Part Three – Trial