“They are not legend,” Tak said. “I cannot believe I am saying this but it is necessary. And I think my time among… among humans has worn upon me. But this is the best chance I have ever heard of to destroy the Darhel monopoly. It must be taken. This is the truth. The Aldenata exist. They are as real as you or I. But they are ancient, old beyond belief. And… changed. They no longer exist as you or I but in another form. But they are the ultimate judges of all the actions of the Darhel as well as the Indowy and the Tchpht. We are the Children of the Aldenata. They are our masters. They can compel the Darhel to pay you, in cash if necessary. And if you place your plea before the Aldenata then it may be heard. It will be slow, though. And if you perish in the interim, the suit is closed.”
“So, what you’re telling me is that, A, the Darhel want me, not to mention my entire corps, dead because I know about their manipulation of humans from pre-history,” Mike said. “And, B, they want me dead because I’ve got the financial potential to destroy them in an instant. And my only chance of back-up is some sort of super-being that might or might not even bother to hear me? And if they manage to whack me in the meantime, that the suit is closed. Which effectively puts a several trillion credit… no, probably more than that, price on my head? Not to mention stuck in the ass end of the Galaxy with no ship home I can trust?”
“Whoa,” General Corval said. “I thought I was fucked, sir.”
“Okay, this is coming at me a little fast,” Cally said, shaking her head. “Forget the super-beings, although we’re going to have a talk later, Terool. Forget Daddy Dearest owning the Darhel and not the other way around. We’ve got a Corps about to get ‘losted’ if we don’t do something. Let’s just focus on that.”
“Even if we could intercept the orders, it would only be a stop-gap,” Terool said. “And it would reveal many of our most prized sources, the few we have left. When the Darhel realized the task force had not been destroyed they would be more thorough. And since they now realize the depth of our penetration they will undoubtedly send redundant messages to Tirs on distant worlds to ensure its destruction.”
“There has to be something we can do,” Cally said, desperately. Her faction had fought as hard as it could against the “accidents” with colony transports. But terrible as those were, the loss of an entire corps of ACS was… The horror was beyond fathoming.
“What about Michelle?” Cally continued.
“You can contact your sister, of course,” Terool said. “But I’m unsure she can do more than we are attempting. The Sohon have abilities sometimes beyond understanding. But they are not gods.”
“I’ll send her a message,” Cally said, her face hard. “But if we fail? If they destroy the Corps?”
“Destroying the Corps, indeed any killing of an acting service person, is a violation of the Compact,” Terool said.
“So you agree?” Cally said, her eyes lighting. “This is open season on Darhel?”
“Yes,” Terool said, sighing. “That time has come. Or is coming at least.”
“I can’t exactly be happy that it takes losing several thousand soldiers for that,” Cally said, rubbing her hands. “But… I’m gonna get to kill Darhelll… ” she started to sing, dancing and waving her hands in the air. “I’m gonna get to kill Darhelllll… ”
“Unless we need them,” Father O’Reilly said.
“What?!”
“We need them.”
Sixteen minds linked across four thousand light years. The youngest of the Queens was a bare thousand years old, the eldest had seen the near death of their race and the Long Flight. Each had lived long lives as other entities, scouts, workers, managers, scientists then warriors. Neuter, male and finally female, they were the best their race could offer to the vagaries of fate.
Between them, although they did not track every sparrow on every world, they knew the comings and goings, the machinations, plans, wars of every sentient race in the galaxy. Minds like cold computers watched those races, tended them like rose gardens, built alliances, often on both sides of mortal conflicts, built each of them as potential allies against the day that their race might once again face The Enemy.
And now was that day. Not The Enemy but another race fleeing them. A race equally as inimical, nearly as deadly. But… not quite.
Rheldlche was one of the youngest. Not headstrong — no Queen was — but far less cautious than, say, Shulkin, the Ancient One.
“The Hedren come. The Human ACS is the best weapon against the Hedren in my region.”
“We would have to Expose,” Larrghgha replied. The older Queen controlled the region the Humans called the Scutum-Crux. One of the first of the newer generation, She was Rheldlche’s mother, not that that meant anything between Queens. Genetic derivation meant little to the Himmit. Besides, they all were children of Skulkin in one way or another. “Such an action would be impossible to Hide.”
“Agreement.”
Shulkin rarely entered into discussions in the last hundred years. The Ancient One was nearing senescence. But her word was still law in the Galaxy.
“There is a replacement for the ACS,” the Ancient One said. “Emphasize increases among the Sohon. It is time to release the Humans from their thrall. And make contact with their former enemies.”
CHAPTER FOUR
“We cannot keep meeting like this,” Michelle said, taking a careful sip from the bulb of distilled water.
“Hey, you started this,” Cally replied, taking a less cautious sip from her beer. She wasn’t taking an anti-alcohol pill so it was not going to have much more effect than water. “And this is too important to use the chain. I take it we’re not being monitored.”
“Of course not,” Michelle said. “Nonetheless, you could have been followed.”
“In your dreams, God-girl,” Cally snapped.
“Important,” Michelle said, ignoring the jibe.
“It’s about… Dad,” Cally said, sighing.
“Father?” Michelle asked, raising an eyebrow.
Cally hated when she did that. It made her look just too damned much like a certain TV character. She was pretty sure her sister did it on purpose.
“Yes, ‘Father’,” Cally said. “He’s gotten himself in the deep cacky.”
She briefly and more or less coherently explained what had only recently been brought to her attention. Reading Michelle, except for the very few times she got angry, was difficult. But Cally was pretty sure something was starting to get her sister mighty pissed.
“The Bane Sidhe know about this?” Michelle asked. “The interference of the Darhel over centuries?”
“Well who do you think I got it from?” Cally asked. “The tooth fairy?”
“I find that simply fascinating,” Michelle said. “Because as far as I was aware, I had been brought in on all the great secrets held by the Clan masters and Sohon. And I surely was unaware. I wonder what else they failed to inform me of.”
“Does your pride really matter right now?” Cally said. “There is an entire corps of ACS on the line. And our father’s life!”