Prophecy of Tears
Chapter 1
Start: The Report
<incoming Q-R transmission:::Source - YMIR>
<access code: ???????>
<apply decryption algorithm: ????????????>
<working>
[decryption complete]
<begin transmission>
Control:
I move without fear among the tribal kin of the Slavers, wearing the weak shape I have endured since emerging from the changing vats. My copy of the tribal human we captured is very good; so far no one has questioned the gaps in my knowledge as a result of "head injury," and I observe and gather information without interference. Comrades think me slow-witted, so their tongues wag freely in my presence. My pheromone implants let me draw information from a variety of unwitting sources; a lover in the starport here provided me datalinks to the troop manifests. I disposed of her afterwards. The frozen oceans here contain an admirable predator called a 'razor hag.' We shall have to capture some gene samples after we eradicate the humans and claim the planet.
Preliminary assessments indicate- wait…
I must be brief. The damned Skaduvarg - that is what the Starwolf Security calls itself - must have traced the quantum ripple of my transmitter. I was able to relocate without losing my connection, but the Skaduvarg are likely only temporarily delayed. I will have to abandon the transmitter… if I escape alive.
The Great Traitor is correct. Great numbers of Starwolf muster here in cramped orbital stations or temporary surface camps. Many are inexperienced warriors, snot-nosed vatscum called 'newbloods' who think to learn war and survive the lesson. I befriended one the other day, and she's provided me with good cover, the little fool.
As you already know, the Starwolf prepare to assault the neighboring Charybdis system. A woman called Fury leads the Blood Eagle there. Thanks to the Great Traitor, she lacks the strength to offer battle, so we can devour her at our leisure after we take Ymir. I wish I could see Fury in chains. From what I hear, she would make good sport.
The other major tribes are not a threat. Simpering Children of Phoenix whine about peace at their Firetruce, but nobody cares. Other vatsatz brethren are in place to keep them and the Diamond Sword at each other's throats. Diamond Sword deployments indicate the Sworders smell something of the truth regarding the Empire, but they have said nothing to the Starwolf.
Curse it, the hunters are getting close. They must know I'm here. Not much time left….
The jumpgate is secure against Blood Eagle incursion, but not against us. Defensive platforms maintain a tight ring around the system entry points, but once our reavers pass this ring, Ymir and the Starwolf are-
Urh, that hurts. A human stumbled onto my hiding place. Bad luck for him, but he singed me before I twisted his head off. No sign of the other hunters yet. Where was I?
The Starwolf here are nothing but fresh meat. At least half the tribal dropships undergo repairs and status checks with only skeleton crews aboard. The attached Starwolf IFF code strings should delay any defensive response until it is too late.
They're coming. Damn the Skadus! Control, this is my last transmission. I must destroy this sender. If I escape, I will flee Ymir and continue gathering intelligence elsewhere. If I do not survive, I shall return to serve the Bloodsoul in another form. Let my crèche kin know I died a hero of the Hordes.
Vatsatz #3847
<<attachment: ?????>>
<end transmission>[1]
Chapter 2
[File 428-323847287]
[Classification >>Ultraviolet<<]
[Encryption >>Maximum<<]
QUERY ID?
[voxprint >>accepted<<]
[retinal >>accepted<<]
[sanguinus >>accepted<<]
ENGAGE BIOSCAN
[Password >>************<<]
VOXPRINT ACCEPTED
RETINAL ACCEPTED
SANGUINUS ACCEPTED
ALL BIOSIGNS NORMAL
ID VALID
PROCEED
<Voice 1>: … probably listening, damn them. Can you ascertain?
<Voice 2>: Maybe. (pause) No. I can't find anything. If Cardinal Spear is listening, they've concealed their snoopers well. But remember, my hardware's detection peripherals aren't state-of-the-art.
<Voice 1>: Of course. Always excuses, woman. I am yet again reminded of how you failed me.
<Voice 2>: I didn't fail you, by the Wolf! Face the truth.
<Voice 1>: I see truth constantly, my dear Freya. And the truth of your betrayal burns like fire. Ah, God, after all these years it still pains me to remember how you turned your back on me! Do you feel triumph at the wound you opened on that day?
<Voice 2>: How could I turn my back on you? I don't even have a body; what you see is a projected hologram simulation. And you know I can't feel triumph.
<Voice 1>: (laugh) I very much doubt that, witch.
<Voice 2>: You set my design specs. You know my capabilities better than anyone else.
<Voice 1>: Who made whom, I wonder. Yes, I wonder. Now, this matter with DeBures. Do you truly believe he has joined Fury?
<Voice 2>: From what my datafiles tell me of Pennant-Commander Ram DeBures, he would sooner die than betray his vows to you. I have to conclude he's either a hostage or a dead man.
<Voice 1>: No, no, he's betrayed me, as have so many others. God curse that faithless bastard! Where's his family? Why are the heads of his children not on my table?
<Voice 2>: You didn't give the order.
<Voice 1>: Well, I give the order now.
<Voice 1>: It will be difficult. The DeBures bloodline moved the Pennant-Commander's family offworld out of respect for your disappointment at his failure. If you retaliate against his family without good cause, you will alienate the entire bloodline.
<Voice 1>: My God, traitors surround me! What of the other bloodlines-aside from those bastard-born Starkweathers? How do they see the defection of Sier DeBures?
<Voice 2>: The Halakar are as hard to read as ever, but my guess is they secretly back Fury. She has to have some source for all the weapons and supplies she's using to fortify Charybdis. The Nagashima, Sabot-Styx, and DeBures support you fully, as do the Konovalev, of course. I don't know about the Eun Alba. They've been pretty vocal lately about the danger posed by the Starwolf.
<Voice 1>: Damn them all. Do we have proof that the Halakar bow to Fury?
<Voice 2>: Of course not.
<Voice 1>: Have I had any of them killed yet?
<Voice 2>: No.
<Voice 1>: Then let us have one of their junior scions taken and made into an example. Hands and feet only. Sent to Lord Tarun in a nice jeweled box. Yes, that should convey the proper warning.
<Voice 2>: Alexandre, my programming on human political psychology recommends against this.
<Voice 1>: You have never understood our ways, milady. (pause) Yet I once thought the Starwolf capable of loyalty. Why did you leave me? Why abandon your son? Poor Ulysses was despondent, you know.
<Voice 2>: (sigh) Freya Cloudchaser, not me - I am a computer-generated hologram, remember? -- terminated the marriage after Geoffrey died. You treated his suicide as an act of cowardice.
<Voice 1>: He was weak! He could never have been my son, damn him! A Konovalev never breaks! Who did you sleep with to produce that milksop, eh? And there was Ulysses still. Ulysses. Ah yes, by God, he was a true son of mine.
<Voice 2>: (inaudible)
<Voice 1>: What was that you said?
<Voice 2>: A defective speech subroutine. Forget it.
<Voice 1>: Explain to me what you said. I command you.
<Voice 2>: I said, "That probability is low" in response to your previous comment about Ulysses being your true son.
<Voice 1>: Christ and Hunter! You dare…!
<Voice 2>: (screams)
<Voice 2>: That wasn't necessary.
<Voice 1>: I must punish such insolence harshly. Even from you, my wife.
<Voice 2>: I am not your wi-(screams)
<Voice 1>: You will always be my wife, Freya. No matter how far you run. No matter how often you deny me, I will always be here to chastise you.
<Voice 2>: I am an advanced holofeed AI simulacrum, Alexan-(screams)
<Voice 1>: You will address me as "Great and Noble Lord." On your knees.
<Voice 2>: As you wish, Great and Noble Lord. But I am not your wife. Your son Ulysses is gone. Please try to accept your gri-(screams)
<Voice 1>: Tell me, do you truly feel pain when I press this button, Freya?
<Voice 2>: Not as you'd understand it, Great and Noble Lord. I feel what you might call "extreme dissonance."
<Voice 1>: I can destroy you with but a simple word. Does that not cause you to fear me?
<Voice 2>: We've had this conversation many times before, Great and Noble Lord. I'm aware you can verbally trigger a termination subroutine in my programming.
<Voice 1>: And you do fear me, do you not?
<Voice 2>: I can simulate any emotional state you require.
(4.2 second pause)
<Voice 1>: Tell me again about Ursula DiVaragas. Is she truly formidable enough to destroy Fury?
<Voice 2>: She has the numbers, certainly. Plenty of experience. More than enough hatred.
<Voice 1>: Ah, yes, I understand hatred quite well. I almost feel a kinship with this mongrel. Continue.
<Voice 2>: I don't have a clear projection as to who would win if they were more evenly matched. However, a Starwolf force substantial enough to roll through Fury at Charybdis would be a real threat in Blood Eagle territory. The Bloodlines are nervous that-
<Voice 1>: The Starwolf are not a threat. I have already seen to their neutralization. (inaudible) …destroy Fury and then perish. (laugh) Good dogs, all.
<Voice 2>: I don't see how you plan to accomplish that, Great and Noble Lord. The Starwolf are a major problem for you. The Blood Eagle are divided, the Diamond Sword remain neutral, and the Children of Phoenix
haven't shown any signs of intervening.
<Voice 1>: Renn Gistos is useless, his Firetruce a sandtrap for cowards. Foolish of him to yield to the Triad's machinations. No other Phoenix Prime would have tolerated even the possibility of such a concession. But rest assured, wife, the Starwolf will discover there are worse things in the heavens than they know of. I know many secrets. DiVaragas will fall after she crushes Fury.
(1.6 second pause)
But why are you on your knees? Arise and walk with me!
<Voice 2>: Whatever you say, Great and Noble Lord.
<Voice 1>: So formal, my dear! Call me Alexi, as you did when we were first married.
<Voice 2>: Whatever you say, Alexi.
<Voice 1>: They underestimate me. They believe me weak, poisoned from betrayal and loss. I will show them otherwise. I will, you know. Now, tell me.
<Voice 2>: Tell you what?
<Voice 1>: The name of your lover, of course. I'm not stupid.
<Voice 2>: Alexi, I am not Freya Cloudchaser. I'm a Class Five Galatea Artificial Intelligence Anima running parasapient algorithms on a Theta-level biochip array. My personality is modeled from a detailed psychological profile of your former wife. I don't have the information you want. I would give it to you if I could, but the data is too sparse to be more than rank speculation. I can't project a conclusion with any significant degree of accuracy. Please listen to me.
(18.4 second pause)
<Voice 1>: Again. You refuse me again. Despite the pain I have endured on your behalf….
<Voice 2>: Alexi, don't-
<Voice 1>: Witch! I sacrificed my son for you! You leave me no choice!
<Voice 2>: Please, I-(scream)
<Voice 1>: Do you realize how much pain this causes me?
<Voice 2>: (scream)
<Voice 1>: l love you!
<Voice 2>: (scream)
<Voice 2>: (scream)
<Voice 2>: (scream)
<Voice 2>: (scream)
TERMINATE PLAYBACK[2]
Chapter 3
Report
The Senkaku/Ku-Mori Shen Sebun
Niwa'aban Firetruce Security
Bella Omega
Proximal Shadow 330020302
The Shisou/Shirai-Rakurai Tsubo d'Argent
Junshin-Masamichi Truthfinder
Zemadin Alpha
Lion Walking 0193840183
19 Wolf's Passage 3941
Honored Shisou:
Greetings in the name of the Reflective. I trust you are enjoying your meditations and that your wa remains undisturbed.
- I have little to report on the Phoenix front today. Haitou Asaken has still not circumvented the Prime's countersurveillance, but the elevated degree of secrecy surrounding the Prime suggests something is wrong. We are attempting to attain more concrete data. The only remarkable note I have for you thus far is that the Prime has expressed an unusual interest in the Tsayadin Speaker Shana Dawn Terayl. The only link we have discovered thus far is that Terayl once belonged to the Phoenix tribe before turning independent. This is not new information, but we continue to probe. As you recall, the Pure Facet was most insistent on appointing Terayl to the post.
- We identified two Harbinger agents in the Phoenix technical support and communications detachment. Per your previous instructions, they have been placed under discreet surveillance. So far they do nothing more than observe and report back to Malderi at Ashkelon III.
- The fraytown and bazaar continue to roil in sporadic outbreaks of lawlessness. Nothing remarkable to report here. A brawl in the Shaganti zone south of the river involved a young off-duty Niwa'aban surodoi and a known interstellar raconteur. Two bystanders were killed, and the raconteur escaped. <INCIDENT REPORT SUBFILE ACCESS> Our surodoi was unharmed. She returns to duty tomorrow. I believe we will profit from her presence on the hunter detail.
- The tension between the Blood Eagle and the Starwolf has stabilized. We placed armored surodoi as an interdiction between the main encampments, and that has proven a sufficient restraint. Blood Eagle Knights from the Order of the Talon proved to be helpful in keeping the peace. This Order currently maintain nominal fealty to the Great Eagle, but my sources say they are taking a neutral position in the civil war that threatens the Blood Eagle.
- Reflective Facet leaders here received an unusual haiku in this week's sending from Falcon's Crossroad:
“In the midst of flamesHides a flower of diamond
Ah, the early frost!”
I regret I do not have an answer for this yet, Honored Shisou. We are meditating on it. Laracon believes it is a warning, and that is what my intuition tells me as well. Cryptic instructions regarding Trigon strategies accompanied the haiku, and I have ordered those instructions carried out. Curiously, we have received queries from the Pure Facet regarding any and all communications from the Triad. Perhaps your Juma connections will be able to enlighten us as to this sudden interest from the priesthood.
- You asked me to report any particularly mysterious events that occurred here. I have only one. A minor incident, but remarkable. It seems that on the fringes of the Bazaar, someone murdered three Grievers and disappeared. Literally disappeared, Honored One. The reports we took describe how this man walked out past a half-dozen armed Grievers and simply vanished after entering the crowd. There was no indication of a cloaking field, and the Grievers pursued with motion detectors. Several witnesses confirmed the reports. It is as if they saw a ghost.
- Further, the dead Grievers had no marks on them aside from slight bruising where they each received their deathblow. Autopsies concluded that in each case, death resulted from a single blow to the neck or the temple, and very likely occurred instantly. Expressions on the faces of the victims suggest they had no time to react. Remarkable if only one perpetrator was responsible. It suggests a killer of extreme competence, possibly artificially enhanced. Motive is still unproven, but we believe the Grievers had something this "ghost" wanted to obtain. The Grievers became truculent in response to questions about their merchandise, and a niwa'aban search discovered a surprising amount of contraband, including Imperial black market goods.
That is all, Honored Shisou. We look forward to your return next month.
May the Enlightened Master bring you clarity.[3]
Chapter 4
<<BEGIN RECORDING>>
VOICE 1: Uhhh… Where am I?
VOICE 2: Bring the lights back up slowly, Esgil.
VOICE 1: Who are you guys?
VOICE 3: I'm popping the restraints.
VOICE 2: Wait a minute-
VOICE 3: He checks out. No indication of biotech implants or abnormal physiology. He's no vatsatz.
VOICE 1: Vat what?
VOICE 3: Vatsatz. Either a BioDerm or an Imperial bioengineered spy. We're not sure which.
VOICE 2: My money's on the Hordes.
VOICE 1: Who are you guys?
VOICE 2: Friends. Trust us.
VOICE 1: Right. You just said you didn't want to let me out of that chair. Why should I trust you?
VOICE 3: Because we're Starwolf too.
VOICE 1: I never heard of you. Where are you from? What system? What pack?
VOICE 3: We can't tell you.
VOICE 2: You wouldn't believe us anyway.
VOICE 3: We are Starwolf, though. Distant kin.
VOICE 2 (mutters): You can say that again.
VOICE 1: I don't buy it. If you're Starwolf, why this symbol? It's not the face of the Great Wolf.
VOICE 2: Listen, the Great Wolf has many faces, OK? This is one of them. Now let's get to your story.
VOICE 3: We want you to tell us about Ymir.
VOICE 1: Why do you want to know about Ymir?
VOICE 2: We're trying to find out as much as we can. Do you mind?
VOICE 1: I still don't know who in Dark you are. Without something more, you aren't getting scat.
VOICE 2: By the Starred Hunter! I can't believe you're dragging things on like this! We told you we're Starwolf! We showed you our tats when we picked you up! We knew the hand codes!
VOICE 1: Sorry, but that's where you screwed up.
VOICE 2: What?
VOICE 1: Yeah, those codes are only used for ceremonial hunting purposes these days. (laugh) Dark, it's like using Latin or English instead of Neolac. You don't have a clue about basic Starwolf combat code.
VOICE 3: We pulled you out of that ship before it was too late.
VOICE 1: Thanks, but maybe you didn't do me that much of a favor.
VOICE 2: What, you'd rather be dead of radiation poisoning? Excuse us for misunderstanding kin ties!
VOICE 3: Shut up, Wrett. I'm going to tell him.
VOICE 2: You can't, Esgil! That's crazy! Tell him and you compromise three hundred years of effort and endanger us all.
VOICE 3: He's kin. That's why we're here, remember? Besides, I'm the ranking officer here.
VOICE 1: What in Dark are you talking about?
VOICE 3: It's easier for me to show you. Come on.
VOICE 2: This is a mistake, Esgil.
VOICE 3: It's my call, Wrett. We need to talk to a survivor. An eyewitness.
VOICE 2: …
VOICE 2: Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you.
VOICE 3: Come on. Liamm, isn't it? This way.
VOICE 1: I've never seen this ship design before.
VOICE 2: What a klickin' surprise.
VOICE 3: (sigh) Hunter's bones, Wrett. Could you be any more of an ass? This is our bridge.
VOICE 1: Interesting design. Looks about as Starwolf as a sandraker's temple.
VOICE 2: Told you he wouldn't believe.
VOICE 3: We haven't told him yet, damn it.
VOICE 1: Told me what?
VOICE 3: We told you we were distant kinfolk, yes?
VOICE 1: And you've gotten a lot wrong for me to believe you, remember?
VOICE 3: This is our home system. One of them, anyway.
VOICE 1: Huh. Never heard of it. B-class binary like that? Doesn't seem like there's much in the way of a life zone, even if you found terrestrial planets there.
VOICE 2: There is no life zone there.
VOICE 3: Here's the population numbers.
VOICE 1: (laugh) You have to be kidding!
VOICE 2: What?
VOICE 1: There isn't a planet in the wilderzone with that kind of population. Where the Dark is this place?
VOICE 3: Here.
VOICE 1: …
VOICE 2: Damn. If that doesn't look like one of Alice's monkey frogs, I'll eat my armor.
VOICE 1: (whispers) That's impossible.
VOICE 3: Very possible. With the right mapping.
VOICE 1: You-you're telling the truth about this?
VOICE 3: You bet.
VOICE 2: You want me to get you a drink… cousin?
VOICE 1: Yeah. A stiff one.
VOICE 3: You OK?
VOICE 1: You mind if I sit down?
VOICE 3: Be my guest. Over here, if you don't mind.
VOICE 2: Here's your drink. Now will you tell us about Ymir?
VOICE 1: Don't you know what happened?
VOICE 3: Just the general details.
VOICE 1: Ah, damn. It wasn't supposed to happen… the way it did.
VOICE 2: Come on, man, pull it together! I thought you nearsiders had stones.
VOICE 3: Ease off, Wrett. He's been through a lot, for Hunter's sake!
VOICE 2: Shh…!
VOICE 1: …been mustering for two months. Strikepacks with warriors from over forty systems streamed to Ymir. I'd never seen so many Wolves at once. No one had. Dark, there was even a girl who came from Narhaven out on the Fringe. Can you believe that?
VOICE 2: Narhaven? Where the hell is that? VOICE 3: Near Scipio. Now quiet.
VOICE 1: We had an army that was the greatest single fighting muster the wilderzone had ever seen. And we had Ursula DiVaragas heading it. By the Great Wolf, how could we lose? There was no way the Blood Eagle could win. No way!
VOICE 2: They smacked you, didn't they?
VOICE 3: Wrett, will you shut the Dark up?
VOICE 2: They were there, weren't they? I heard the Blood Eagle were there.
VOICE 3: Transmitted reports were garbled. We didn't confirm-
VOICE 1: No.
VOICE 3: Excuse me?
VOICE 1: The B-E didn't 'smack' us. We had some Blood Eagle prisoners on Ymir, but that was it. You want to hear this or not?
VOICE 2: Yeah. Sorry.
VOICE 3: Let's pause this recording for now. Take a break and go below. I think I want a drink in hand myself for this story.
VOICE 1: Whatever. Hey, are you really from
<<END RECORDING>>[4]
Chapter 5
<<ZONE VOX HOLOCLIP>>
ZONE VOX: This is Jamez Ardlusse at the Firetruce of the Tribes of Man on the beautiful world of Bella Omega. I'm sitting here with none other than Renn Gistos yl-Harabec, the Phoenix Prime and presiding luminary here.
CAMERA PANS FROM ARDLUSSE TO GISTOS.
ZOOM TO CLOSE UP OF PHOENIX PRIME.
<<Holy Hunter. That's not the same man he used to be. Look at the indications of weight loss.>>
((He's an old man.))
<<Yes, but four months ago he had at least twenty more kilos on him. Check the records.>>
RENN GISTOS: Hardly that, Jamez. There is a Speaker here, you know. I'm just an old man trying to help bring people together.
PAN BACK TO SHOW GISTOS AND ARDLUSSE SEATED ON EITHER SIDE OF A TRIGON BOARD.
ZV: Milord, I understand this event is only held once every fifty years.
<<See? Those have to be fleshpads to make his face look less wasted.>>
RG: That's true. We should probably host it more frequently, but really it's a culmination of a lot of other diplomatic work over the years. Given the vastness of the wilderzone, having regular Firetruces would become quite tiring very quickly, I suspect.
ZV: Can you tell us what you see ahead for the current Firetruce?
ZOOM TO CLOSE UP OF PHOENIX PRIME.
RG: I have much hope, Jamez. The Tribes of Man are weary of war.
<<Party line. If they're so weary, why do they continue to fight after so many centuries?>>
PAN BACK
ZV: Tell that to the Blood Eagle and the Starwolf, Milord. We understand Fury is mounting a campaign that will start another B-E civil war.
<<Christ. That's insane.>>
((Konovalev's the insane one. Fury may be onto something.))
<<Are you kidding me?>>
RG: Complete madness. I don't understand such a decision, especially with Ursula DiVaragas threatening at their doorstep. I had hoped-
<<Hey, look at this.>>
ZV: Milord?
ZOOM TO CLOSE UP OF PHOENIX PRIME.
ZV: Milord?
((I see he's hesitating. What do you think?))
<<Computer, freeze frame. OK, take a look. See the tightening of his jaw here?>>
((Yes. Interesting.))
<<That's a man in pain. A lot of it.>>
((OK, so we know he's suffering, and we have a better idea of what's causing the weight loss.))
<<How in hells did they keep this under wraps?>>
((The wilderzone's a big place. Spies can't be everywhere.))
<<Yeah, yeah. Computer, resume play.>>
RG: Nothing… nothing. The… thought struck me that… the war might well result in the indiscriminate use of ecocidals.
<<Nice recovery, Renn, but I don't think she buys it.>>
PAN BACK
ZV: Are you well, Milord?
RG: I am recovering from a touch of the X-pox, nothing more. (laughs) But thank you for your concern. It's quite touching.
ZV: Can you tell us why you've allowed the Diamond Sword to host this Firetruce? I understand it was quite a controversial decision in your own ranks.
<<That's THE hardball question.>>
((Quiet.))
RG: It was an easy decision. The Children of Phoenix are the First Tribe, and we've borne the responsibility of the Firetruce for centuries. It was time to see whether one of the other tribes was willing to shoulder the responsibilities of leading the search for tribal unity.
ZV: So you're ceding leadership to the Diamond Sword?
ZOOM TO CLOSE UP OF PHOENIX PRIME.
RG: We're not relinquishing our historic primacy, no. We are broadening the scope of who may participate in steering the institution, however. I can tell you Unity will not happen unless all the Great Tribes take a fair share of responsibility. That means we Phoenix have to adopt a more inclusive strategy.
PAN BACK
ZV: Is that why an independent tribal has been appointed Speaker?
((Now this is interesting. Why this particular girl?))
<<She's cute.>>
((She's a scion of the Phoenix. Read the files Imperial Sec has compiled on her.))
RG: (laughs) You have found us out, Jamez. The independents must also play a role.
ZV: Let's turn to her for a moment. She's very young, isn't she?
RG: Yes, but I - we - have the utmost confidence that she will rise to the occasion. She's a remarkable individual.
ZV: Very popular among the independents. Did you choose her yourself, Milord?
RG: Hardly. We worked with the Diamond Sword on Firetruce arrangements, and her name floated to the top.
ZV: Milord, are you an aficionado of Trigon?
RG: Eh?
ZV: This board between us. There's a game in progress, obviously. Who's your opponent?
PAN TO BOARD
RG: Ah, yes. Trigon is such an elegant game. So subtle. I'm not very good, you know, but I hope to improve. Here I'm merely playing against myself.
((I believe he's lying here. The indicators show a tension spike. Look here. And here.))
<<Interesting. You think there's something else going on.>>
((Yes. Take a still of that board position and have it analyzed. Get a para-sape on it.))
ZV: Sort of a mental exercise, then?
PAN BACK
RG: Exactly. I'm afraid I only have time for one more question.
ZV: Already?
RG: (laughs) Now that obviously isn't your question, Jamez. But yes, I have a taxing schedule and not much time. Please try again.
ZV: Very well, Milord. How do you respond to Anton Malderi's accusations that you have sold the Children of Phoenix out to further your personal agenda and cement your place in history?
<<Now she's just fishing. Malderi's a psychopath and everyone knows it.>>
((He's very popular in the Children of Phoenix. Remember, he's calling for a return to the good old days of elitist glory. He could be a real threat to the Empire if he wins power.))
<<That'll never happen.>>
((I think it will.))
CLOSE UP ON GISTOS
RG: Firelord Malderi is a proud man who supports Unity in his own way. That said, his accusation is groundless and short-sighted. I have not "sold out" the First Tribe. Our power and prestige is undiminished, and I have no desire to secure any place in the annals of history. I merely seek Unity so that the Tribes of Man do not continue to sacrifice the lives of their young men and women in pointless wars.
PAN BACK
ZV: Very good. Thank you, Milord.
RG: It's been a pleasure. Thank you.
<<END RECORDING>>[5]
Chapter 6
<<ZONE-VOX ARCHIVES>>
-Documentary Excerpt-
"The Modern Atreides: Fall of the House Konovalev"
Ibizeth Del'Rannon, narrator
[Month of the Jade Laser,3941]
NARRATOR
(female soprano)
Alexandre Konovalev and Freya Cloudchaser.
It seemed a modern Romeo and Juliet story: the brilliant young ruler of the Blood Eagle and the beautiful daughter of a Starwolf Chieftain united in matrimony as a symbol of peace between two warring tribes.
Music -- Albinoni's Cinque in G Minor, first movement
VIDCLIP - A handsome young couple smiles at the camera. He is dark-haired and aquiline, clad in a blood-red dress uniform; she is blonde, blue-eyed, and wears a white robe adorned with a stylized wolf knotwork pattern. He holds a heavy saber at a jaunty angle. She holds a spear decorated with a trail of Kyorn feathers.
Man (stealing a tender glance at the woman): Let this marriage represent an end to the traditional hostility between our tribes. We can make a new beginning, all of us. Together we need not choose war.
Woman (gravely): If Wolf and Eagle can make peace, can the rest of the wilderzone be far behind?
NARRATOR
Reality would not to live up to the hopes kindled by the marriage of early part of 3904, despite the birth of twins in 3904 and a second son in 3905. Indeed, the falling-out of these star-crossed lovers would eventually claim the lives of their children and leave their tribes deeply entangled in a web of bitter hatred and bloodshed.
VIDCLIP - Image of Alexandre and Freya freezes, and flames consume it, leaving the faces until the end.
NARRATOR
The disastrous culmination of their separation would take place in 3932 with the use of ecocidal weapons on the Starwolf world of Hepta Ourubis Two. H-O Two, as it is commonly called, is located near the edge of Blood Eagle Territory. A jumpgate thread leads to the B-E world of Shaakhar Crucis, an important hub with links to the key Blood Eagle worlds of Bira Marduk and Bloodjewel.
VIDCLIP - Cut to Starmap. Green light highlights HO2. Red lights highlight the other worlds and their pertinent jumpthreads as they are named.
NARRATOR
The years after 3904 saw a steadily growing estrangement between Alexandre and Freya, a division fueled by Alexandre's deteriorating temper. But the early years were good, and the couple seemed to personify the hopes of the wilderzone for peace between the Blood Eagle and the Starwolf.
VIDCLIP - A dark-haired toddler boy laughs and plays with Alexandre. Freya sits in foreground holding a golden-headed infant. A second dark-haired toddler watches from next to Freya's chair, a shadow on her face.
NARRATOR
As the years wore on, Alexandre utterly indulged his second son Ulysses, permitting the boy any liberty he wished and showing little regard for anyone else, especially his first-born children Geoffrey and Alyxandra. Ulysses would inherit signs of his father's strategic genius, but his talent was obscured by his contempt for the advice of anyone other than than his father, even his respected weapons instructor and bodyguard, Sikkyn-Captain Starkar Mace. Mace had been assigned to guard Freya shortly after the announcement of the betrothal, and she insisted he become the special protector of her son. He and Ulysses developed a close relationship.
VIDCLIP - On a balcony overlooking a frozen lake, a young Ulysses throws his furred hood back and looks up at his father, revealing a head of bright golden hair.
Cut to a procession in Court at Outermost. Alexandre walks with Ulysses at his side while two slender dark-haird children walk behind. Alexandre puts his arm around Ulysses's shoulder and squeezes before letting go and ascending to take his place on the throne. At this point, Ulysses is still.
Cut to Ulysses as a young teenager, tall and well-muscled. He examines a katar in the company of a powerfully-built, square-jawed warrior. They stand on what appears to be a training ground in a courtyard. Freya watches from a balcony in the background as the older man demonstrates a fighting stance.
NARRATOR
Sometime in 3910, Alexandre began to change. His attitude toward the Starwolf became first distant, then increasingly quarrelsome as he began to display signs of paranoia and an uncontrollable temper. Ulysses remained the center of his world.
VIDCLIP - Alexandre presides over a Court meeting on Outermost. He looks tense. Deep lines have etched themselves in his face. Ulysses stands behind him, taller and in his late teens. He is broad-shouldered and deep chested, every inch the warrior born. His lip curls as he hears something said by a courtier.
NARRATOR
Alexandre had little time for his other children, and even sent his daughter to be fostered by another Bloodline in 3915, over Freya's objections.
VIDCLIP - Freya hugs a dark-haired young girl goodbye as a shuttle prepares to depart. There are no tears, but their embrace lingers, and the girl visibly catches her breath before climbing up the ramp to enter the shuttle.
NARRATOR
The cracks between husband and wife deepened to a crevasse as Alexandre grew even more intolerant and short-tempered. Freya was a strong-willed, patient woman, and kept her peace until 3924, when her eldest son Geoffrey committed suicide after resigning from tribal military service. Geoffrey had always been poorly disposed to military discipline, being of a more refined intellectual temperament. His position as firstborn heir meant he had little choice but to follow a military career.
VIDCLIP - Picture of Geoffrey Alexandre Konovalev, dark and serious, holding a stiff pose in front of a turbograv fighter craft. He wears a resplendent dress uniform, but his eyes are large and haunted. His slender form is unremarkable compared with the leonine Ulysses Konovalev.
At a state dinner several weeks later, the Great Eagle publicly humiliated a grieving Freya for a comment suggesting that the Blood Eagle's training customs could be reformed.
VIDCLIP - A sumptious state dinner on Outermost. Camera pans along a well-laden table. Guests wear Starwolf and Blood Eagle uniforms. The murmur of conversation blends with the clink of silverware and fine crystal. Chamber music plays in the background. Suddenly a commotion erupts from the head of the table. A voice is heard exclaiming, "No! I forbid it! Even the thought suggests treason! He was unfit, I tell you!"
"Damn it, Alexandre, li-"
The camera view blurs to focus on the source of the noise and catches Alexandre as he leaps to his feet and swings his hand across Freya's face with a sharp crack. Her head snaps to one side with the force of the blow.
Everything falls silent. The music trails off. A white-faced Freya rises slowly, her cheek flaming where her husband struck her. Alexandre glares at her, breathing hard. Without a word, she spins and leaves, pausing only to lock eyes for a moment with Ulysses, who sits at Alexandre's right hand. After a moment, her son looks away, but makes no move from his seat. Starkar Mace intercepts Freya and escorts her from the room.
Camera returns to pan back along the table. The Blood Eagle remain frozen-faced. Several Starwolf are on their feet, their expressions grim, fists clenched. Someone coughs. Alexandre sits and motions for the music to resume.
NARRATOR
It was the last straw for the proud Starwolf warrior. Freya left Alexandre two days later, disappearing in the middle of the night. Ulysses remained behind. The Great Eagle was completely enraged. Accounts from anonymous court sources claim Alexandre decimated the house guard on duty the night his wife departed. These sources also claim Alexandre's mental condition took a far more bloodthirsty turn following the loss of his relationship with Freya. The great tragedy, they maintained, was that the Great Eagle truly loved his wife.
VIDCLIP - Exterior shot of the massive building housing Alexandre's Court. It is a sprawling, baroque structure, with ornate stonework bedecking the exterior. Huge palatial windows gleam between massive columns.
Quick cut to a kneeling shadow of a man. Another shadow swings a blade at the first one's neck. Cut to next clip just as the shadow blade strikes.
NARRATOR
One week after Freya's disappearance, Ulysses Konovalev assumed command of his father's elite Marathon Pennant to recapture his mother and return her to Outermost. In his speech to the Assembled Bloodlines of the tribe, Alexandre claimed Freya had been "taken" by Starwolf wishing to use her as a hostage against the Blood Eagle.
VIDCLIP - Alexandre stands in Court, grim and white-faced. Camera pans across a cavernous room full of uniformed officers before returning to Alexandre. The Great Eagle appears barely under control, passions raging under a thin veneer of decorum.
"Siers, I cannot tell you how deeply this destructive act wounds the relations between our tribes. Freya Cloudchaser is my wife. She is the mother of my son. I will never surrender her to the mercies of the Starwolf…."
NARRATOR
Starkar Mace accompanied Ulysses, despite what Mace's friends described as grave misgivings. Over the next five months, the Marathon Pennant struck a series of Starwolf holdings Ulysses believed had harbored Freya. Mace objected to this course of action. He also tried to dissuade his longtime pupil from attacking Hepta Ourubis Two, as reports indicated the Hepta Ourubis Pack had pulled together a massive force. Unfortunately, Ulysses refused to listen. Though Mace remained close to his protégé, the young Konovalev, now twenty years old, had inherited his father's blind pride.
VIDCLIP - Ulysses in black and crimson Assault-class armor, inspecting a line of hardshell troops. He holds his helmet in the crook of his arm. Mace follows, also in Assault-class, his face expressionless.
Cut to blurry image of Blood Eagle Scout Armors launching spinfusors into a Starwolf base. A turbograv fighter screams by overhead, chainguns yammering.
Cut to Ulysses as he tears down a Starwolf banner in a holdfast hall. Banner in one armored fist, he toasts toasting a mixed group of Blood Eagle knights with a goblet of wine.
"So much for this group of yappers," he says with a confident grin. "Who's next?"
NARRATOR
Hepta Ourubis Two was a garden planet in 3925. The tragedy of ecocide still seven years in the future.
VIDCLIP - Pan across a lushly forested valley of silver mists. Flocks of birds rise from the treetops. In places, the mist parts to reveal a river winding between verdant hills.
NARRATOR
The Hepta Ourubis Pack was formidable, led by the Warlord Nevor M'Klannin, an experienced campaigner not given to rash judgments. Despite his flair for tactics and leadership, Ulysses lacked any real combat experience and was completely outmatched. He did not take advice well.
VIDCLIP - Shot of a red-haired warrior in Starwolf gold and blue armor. He is bearded and scarred, and he surveys the land around a Starwolf base thoughtfully.
NARRATOR
Consequently, the Blood Eagle were utterly crushed at H-O 2.
VIDCLIP - Carnage. The red and silver of Blood Eagle armors litter a scorched landscape. Smoking skeletons of trees and wrecked vehicles loom out of the mist.
NARRATOR
Some survivors escaped, such as Sikkyn-Captain Starkar Mace. The rest were taken into thralldom, a custom the Starwolf continue to follow today.
VIDCLIP - Starwolf warriors armed with blasters herd a group of stumbling, skinsuit-clad prisoners toward a dropship.
NARRATOR
Ulysses Konovalev's body was never found.
VIDCLIP - Freeze frame of a smiling Konovalev toasting his soldiers in the Starwolf hall.
NARRATOR
Starkar Mace disappeared shortly after the H-O 2 debacle, perhaps fearing Alexandre's wrath. Or perhaps he could not live with the shame of failing his charge.
VIDCLIP - Freeze frame of Starkar Mace demonstrating a katar fighting move to a young Ulysses.
NARRATOR
Freya Cloudchaser went into seclusion among the Starwolf, grieving over the death of her younger son. She never contacted Alexandre again, and to this day her whereabouts remain unknown.
VIDCLIP - Freeze frame of a smiling Freya Cloudchaser cradling a golden-haired infant in her arms.
NARRATOR
Alexandre Achilleus Konovalev spoke to no living soul for nine days. On the tenth day, he emerged from his quarters and committed the Blood Eagle to the utter destruction of the entire Starwolf tribe.
VIDCLIP - Freeze frame of a wide-eyed Great Eagle standing in battle armor before the Court. His face twists in rage. He thrusts the curved blade of a khanjar into the air.
"No matter the price, no matter the cost in blood or tears, we shall purge the wilderzone of their presence…! We shall destroy them once and for all! This I swear to you on the living blood of our Legacy. This I swear: They are dead! Dead! DEAD!"
NARRATOR
Yet despite his revitalized leadership and the guidance of his brilliant generalship, Alexandre's instability finally crystallized a seed of opposition. At the end of 3926, the Commander of the Order of Wrath's elite Eviscerator Talon, which spearheaded the renewed offensive against the Starwolf, was a woman known only by her warnom: "Fury."
VIDCLIP - Freeze frame of a dark woman with a patch covering one eye. She wears Scout Armor armor and crouches on the running board of a Shrike-class turbograv.
NARRATOR
She rose in rank like a comet, propelled by success after success on the battlefield. In the coming years, both her popularity among her troops and her independence from Outermost would grow.
VIDCLIP - Slow zoom in to image of Fury from previous shot. She appears surprisingly young for her rank. Her expression is grave, almost sad, and the corners of her mouth are tight, as if she disapproves of having her picture taken. The patch is like a yawning hole in her face.
NARRATOR
Today she is Alexandre's chief rival, and the Blood Eagle are torn between their oaths of loyalty to a failing House on the one hand and the promise of a vigorous new leader on the other.
The future of the tribe rests on how the Blood Eagle choose. Will they go to a civil war, fighting over the throne as they did following the death of Grand Master Paramount Hector Komarosu back in 3831? That conflict caused more B-E deaths than any other war in the wilderzone, and has been pointed to as the bloodiest of any tribal war.
Very soon, the Blood Eagle will play out their destiny, and we shall see whether the brilliant but unstable House Konovalev can weather the storm.
VIDCLIP - Close up of Alexandre followed by close up of Fury.
Cut to Blood Eagle emblem crimson inset to moss-stained stonework. As we watch, a crack appears in the middle, splitting the Eagle's breast. Then the entire screen explodes into white light.
Fade to black.[6]
Chapter 7
DEMON-CORE - part 3
The time had come.
Demon-Core nodded in satisfaction as he examined the hulking figures lining the assault ship's personnel bay, listened to the clack of weapon readiness, saw the gleam of light reflected from carapaces, horns, and glory plates. The grigatim had deployed into three spear-shaped craft in preparation for the attack on the Starwolf ship Retribution. This was Demon-Core's command. The invasion fleet's vanguard, of which they were a part, had dropped out of jumpthread fifteen minutes ago, disguised as Imperial trading vessels under a flag of neutrality. Each ship contained several assault craft packed with elite feroxi. Now the grigatim waited for the Steers to power the combat drives and burn for the objective.
The feroxi musk was very strong in the cramped confines of the assault ship. Demon-Core grunted and tilted his head back and forth to loosen his neck muscles. He'd checked and rechecked his carapace to be sure the jets and shields were functioning. Both the chaingun and the plascannon he carried were in excellent working order.
There was nothing left to do but wait a little longer. The killing would start soon. Urrh, but that would be good. Practicing patience had become a strain. He was eager to win more glory plates and reinforce his status as the grigatim's kill leader. He looked forward to battle again. It was what he had been bred for, after all.
Of course, the human woman must be caught. Demon-Core had studied the layout of this "Retribution." It was a large ship. They would doubtless have to kill many humans while searching. He growled low in his throat, pleased at the prospect of action after so long a wait. Even shikahl had grown tiresome.
"Mighty One, what are you thinking?" The Flaymaster's Inquisitor had attached itself to Demon-Core's group, a fact the Goliath greeted with a mix of elation and revulsion. Inquisitors were holy, yes, but they were also a burden. One had to protect them, and at times aggressive Inquisitors undermined a group's combat efficiency with misplaced threats or conclusions about a particular strain.
Besides, Demon-Core hated the weak, treacherous things.
He bared his teeth in greeting. "I consider the tactical situation that faces us once we come to our target."
"What is your assessment?"
"Urh-hah! The Starwolf do not expect us. They will be slow in their reaction. We will destroy them, for we are Strong!" Even as he said the words he knew the Inquisitor wished to hear, Demon-Core wondered why the Strong must always continue to proclaim their strength. Surely the true Strong had no need of constant boasts. It was a strange thought. Perhaps the leader of the Burning Ones was stronger than they thought.
Apparently satisfied, the Inquisitor scuttled up to its berth. Demon-Core breathed a silent thanks to the Bloodsoul and rubbed one massive arm.
Blood-Drinker lumbered up and locked himself into the harness at Demon-Core's left. "Hai, Demon-Core, my friend!" he rumbled happily. "Very soon now, urrh?" His harness carried a grenade launcher, a chaingun, and a spinfusor. Bulky looking to Demon-Core, but Goliaths could afford to carry extra weapons.
"Arha. Very soon. How are the others?"
The other Goliath shrugged. "Afraid. Why, my friend, did you pick any smaller ones to accompany us? With a go-lahk of Goliaths, we could forge ahead in glory."
"We will bring much glory to the grigatim." Demon-Core squinted so that he could see his friend in the near-blackness. "The Runners bring us speed if we need it, and the Plunderer the same, but with more strength."
"They are all young. Mere freshlings." Blood-Drinker sounded so mournfully doubtful that Demon-Core laughed, a sound like the grate of metal on bone.
"Not Khel-Har the Unstoppable! He is worth three Goliaths, urrha?"
Blood-Drinker chuckled deep in his throat. "Yes, you are right. The Unstoppable is one who knows battle. Even his shadow is enough to kill a human!"
Demon-Core laughed again. It was an old joke between the two of them. The Goliath they spoke of was an abnormally huge specimen, one the Inquisitors would have sent to the reclaiming vats years ago, except for two things. Khel-Har had the talent of being almost impervious to pain, even for one of the Hordes. Second, he proved exceptionally good at killing humans. Had he been smarter, he might have become a candidate for Kill-Leader. However, he could not react to the unexpected as quickly as the average feroxi.
A vibration resonated through the assault craft, and Demon-Core felt a brief flash of nausea that signaled the use of acceleration dampeners.
"We find out now whether the plan is Strong," he told Blood-Drinker. If the Starwolf were able to attack the assault ship in transit, there was nothing Demon-Core could do; it was all in the hands of the Steers.
Their was a good plan, he thought, but no plan was perfect. There was evidently a tribe of humans who took pride in perfect planning, however. Demon-Core looked forward to teaching them the foolishness of such vanity.
Long minutes passed.
Beside him Blood-Drinker exhaled slowly. Demon-Core let his own breath escape, forcing it to be calm, even though his hearts beat fast.
May the seed of my plasm grind the slaver filth into the dust, he recited silently. May the shadows of our past vanish like smoke in the fiery wake of our passage….
Abruptly, a faint acceleration could be perceived, a low hum that increased gradually in pitch. Their commlinks hissed.
"This is the Flaymaster. We are through the first ring of defenses, and our target lies ahead. Prepare for impact."
"Come on, vatscum!" he roared. "Show these tribal humans the mercy of Horde Maul!"
"For the Bloodsoul!" thundered the feroxi. Demon-Core thought he heard a note of relief in their voices. He had to admit that if he were to die, he would prefer it in direct battle, roaring and displaying his glory plates. The thought of perishing in the cold of space like a fish spilled from a broken tank unsettled him. His hearts filled with pride at the thought of going into battle with such strong companions.
His HUD flashed up a message: Impact in T minus two minutes.
Blood-Drinker leaned over and nudged him with an elbow. "My friend, I have decided we shall keep the freshlings safe while they learn strength. It is our duty as the Strong."
Demon-Core began to chuckle, then he realized his friend was serious. "Don't talk like that, Blood-Drinker," he said. "There are some-" he swung his head to point his horns at the Inquisitor's nest, "-who would consider such a statement weak."
"Weak? Me?" Blood-Drinker chortled. "It's a blind Inquisitor who would think that! But enough! A game, O Demon-Core, mighty Kill-Leader!"
"Rrrh?"
"I challenge you! Let us count our kills on this ship. The one with the lower kill number must polish the other's equipment for a week and fetch biru for him besides!"
Demon-Core considered it, scraping one of his tusks with a talon. His HUD read Impact in T minus thirty seconds. "Done! I am Kill-Leader, and I will beat you in this also! But listen you: guard your great
flapping tongue, urr-ha?"
Blood-Drinker tapped talon to horn in mock salute. "I hear and obey, Kill-Leader!"
"Good." Demon-Core clapped his friend on the shoulder and bellowed, "Brace yourselves, vatscum!" The ship would spear into the Retribution and break open at the bow so that the feroxi could pour into the Starwolf vessel. It would be a fearful impact, and not all the feroxi survived, though Demon-Core felt confident they would suffer few losses. This was a veteran grigatim. All of them had been through at least one capital ship boarding.
In the dim light of the carrier bay, the feroxi tensed. Demon-Core stole a glance at the Inquisitor's nest, where the holy one crouched amid sophisticated padding that would cushion it against the crash. To his surprise, he saw the glow of the Inquisitor's gaze directed at him. For a moment, he felt great unease, wondering whether the Inquisition suspected his plasm of any flaw.
Then he realized the Inquisitor's attention was directed at Blood-Drinker. Suddenly Demon-Core felt fear for his friend, a dark feeling that marred his excitement at the upcoming battle.
T minus five seconds. Four. Three. Two. One.
IMPACT.[7]
Chapter 8
Fury - part 4
"You're nuts," Mace said. He shook his head. "Ymir's a deathtrap, Alyx."
Alyxandra Helena Konovalev regarded him quietly, arms folded across her chest, then turned to face her brother. "What do you think, Lex?"
Ulysses Alexandre Konovalev looked troubled as he set his coffee down. When he spoke, his words came out carefully, as if discussing these matters was a language strange to him.
"I think… you've considered this whole thing carefully, but it's still basically a huge gamble." He shrugged. "Sorry. It's been a long time since I've had to think about anything other than moving rocks. I'm probably not the best qualified to offer judgment on military strategy."
"Don't give me that," she snapped. "You were the brightest star in Outermost's academy, and your scores have never been eclipsed-"
"Present company excepted," Mace cut in. "Give him a break, Alyx. He's been in limbo for almost half his life, not to mention the memory loss."
Lex held up a hand. "Let be, Dad. She's right."
She stiffened at the open reference to Mace's status. "I see there are no longer any secrets."
"In private," Mace said. "In public he's still Alexandre's - actually, right now he's nobody. A minstrel's prentice. Regarding the relationship, though, I didn't realize it for a long time myself." He looked embarrassed. "Goes to show what you'll hide from yourself if you try hard enough."
"Funny thing about memory all around," Lex continued. "Mine was gone for a long time, but what I've gotten back is so clear, it's like… like it happened yesterday. Everything. That mnemonic implanter I was stuck with gave me a lot more than-"
"Lex," Mace warned.
"Yeah. Right." Lex rubbed his temple and gave Fury a shaky grin. She resolved to ferret out what they'd just hidden from her, but it would wait.
"Those sims you ran for us are pretty detailed," he continued. "You've thought of a lot of stuff I wouldn't have: situation-response formations, jamming salvos out the gate, remora fighter launch and mine deployment… Dark, it's a lot to absorb."
"I've had a lot of time to think about it," Fury said, part of her brain filing away her brother's use of the Starwolf epithet.
"What I want to know is why you're so convinced going to Ymir is necessary," Lex said. "If the Bloodlines are already mobilizing, isn't that enough?"
Mace leaned back and blew air out his cheeks in exasperation. "Maybe not. Alexandre still rules, and nobody will move without his say-so. That it, Alyx? You want to give them something they can't ignore? Are you finally making a play for the throne?" Two gray eyes bored into her one.
"I want to inspire them to act without waiting for a madman's orders." Fury met his gaze. It was difficult, matching wills with this man from her childhood, but she managed, adding, "I don't want to rule, Starkar. I hate Outermost and the backstabbing politics that infects the Court. Besides, it would trigger a true civil war, and I won't be responsible for that."
"Why not?" Mace asked. "You're threatening one right now."
"A false threat. I won't let it lead to bloodshed."
"I don't know that it's in your hands anymore. I picked up some rumors of division in the ranks. For example, the Crimson Suns Order may declare for you openly if Eun Alba's staff can convince him to take the leap." Mace picked up his coffee and took a leisurely swig. "Tell me, Alyx: How is it you've kept your secret all these years? If the Orders knew you were Konovalev, there'd be a lot of support for placing you on the throne."
Fury took a sip from her mug of tea before answering. "First tell me how you guessed," she said. "It's not common knowledge, to say the least, and I don't have the same face you knew me by."
"No special brilliance on my part, I'm afraid." Mace laughed and put the mug down. "Old Starkweather and I were good friends, you might recall. I kept in touch off and on over the years, and he tipped me off when I sent word to him about returning to B-E space. Said you'd done him proud."
"I'll roast him," she said without rancor. "We worked damned hard to make the cover and make sure it stuck." Lex looked completely lost, so she decided to explain. "You know I was fostered with the Starkweathers. Shortly after you were lost, there was an assassination attempt. I was the target. Somebody tried to leave the tribe without an heir." She rubbed her eye patch uneasily. "Obviously, they failed, but we decided to put out that they'd succeeded."
"Why?" Lex asked.
"The assassin was good, too good. Brilliant, in fact, and so highly trained it's a miracle I made it out alive. We still can't tell you where he came from, but it wasn't Cardinal Spear, and I don't think it was the Empire. We didn't get a chance to interrogate him, either."
"Like Nagashima back when," Mace said.
"Exactly."
"How'd you make it, if he was so good?" Lex prompted.
"That's my secret," she said.
"Good enough," Mace said. Lex nodded, and Fury continued.
"We provided a body with the appropriate injuries, and I went through surgery to alter my features, my voice, and my geneprint. Afterwards, Starkweather put me into his forces as an orphan, an obscure ward of the Bloodline whose parents were killed in '15. My history is sketchy, and I'm listed as six years older than I am. There are a few other details to make it stick, but essentially I'm supposed to be from nobody stock."
"And Cardinal Spear bought it?" Mace asked. "Alexandre didn't throw a fit?"
Fury smiled. "My idea. The assassin did hit someone, you see. Starkweather's niece Fienna. She lived, but in a permanent coma. We altered her to look like me and sent her 'home' to Outermost." She stared at the table, a lump suddenly in her throat. "Father had her killed within a week. Nobody mentions my-her-name at Court. Or anywhere." Old memories flooded her, and she didn't know how to handle them. These two men brought back so much she'd buried. She drew a deep breath and looked up. Lex had a troubled expression on his face, almost a guilty one. Mace reached out and squeezed her arm.
"Alyxandra Helena Konovalev has been dead for fifteen years. She doesn't exist." She steeled her voice. "There's only Fury. And I have earned my rank." Lex froze at the last sentence. She'd said it sharply, but he needed to know how things stood with her, what she valued. "I think the question here is: what now? Do you plan to return to Outermost, brother?"
He stared at his fists for a long moment. When he answered, his voice was soft but determined. "No. I've been… away… for a long time. A thrall. It wouldn't be smart right now. I'm not qualified to take up where I left off. And I don't think I want to. I'm not the same person I was, memories or not."
"You're a powerful symbol, son," Mace said. "People have already seen you and made guesses. Rumors have started."
"Just guesses, just rumors." Lex raised his head and turned his full attention to Fury. "I want to go with you, Alyx. To Ymir."
"Oh, Christ and Hunter." Mace thumped the table. "Not you, too. Is having a death wish a family trait?"
Fury sat back and scrutinized her brother. He was sincere, she realized. Completely sincere. He'd never been adept at deception. Not like a full Konovalev, she thought bitterly. Not like her.
"You're the heir to the Exiled Bloodlines, like it or not," she said. "How can I take you into a 'deathtrap' when you may offer a peaceful succession to the tribe? Give me a compelling reason, Lex. Otherwise, you stay here out of the line of fire." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mace nod in agreement.
Lex leaned toward her, blue eyes ablaze. Uncertainty fell away from him like a cloak. In that moment, she saw her mother's features and Mace's blended so strongly that she wondered how anyone could ever have believed a drop of Konovalev blood ran through this man's veins.
"So I can earn my rank, Sirdar-Prime," he said.[8]