Kelly’s didactic memory didn’t have any reference to a Tyrathcan religion. A more comprehensive search program running through her neural nanonics said the Tyrathca didn’t have a religion, and there was no explanation for the disc, either.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say they were at prayer,” Reza datavised.
“Could be the local version of the town meeting,” Ariadne suggested. “Trying to decide what to do about us wild humans.”
“They’re not talking about anything,” Kelly said. “It’s more like a song.”
“The Tyrathca don’t sing,” Reza replied.
“What’s that disc for? There’s no way in at the bottom of the cone pillar, not from this side, but it’s definitely hollow. Nothing solid like that would be able to stand up, it’s almost like a mock-up. I can’t find any record of them ever building anything like it before. And why build it now for Christ’s sake, when they need all the builder caste to construct defences? Something that size has taken a hell of a lot of effort to put up.”
He put his hand on her shoulder. “Looks as if you’ll be able to ask in a minute.”
The soldiers halted when they came level with the innermost ring of house towers. All of the buildings had been sealed up, black lids capping the windows, cement slabs erected over the door arches. Colourful flowering plants swamped their gardens.
A lone breeder was walking towards them from the park. Male or female, Kelly couldn’t tell, not even comparing it to the images stored in a memory cell—females were supposed to be slightly larger. It was bigger than the soldiers by about half a metre, the scale hide several shades lighter, dorsal mane neatly trimmed. Apart from its stumpy black antennae, the one physiological aspect which most distinguished it from the vassal castes was a row of small chemical program teats dangling flaccidly from its throat like empty leather pouches, although the long supple fingers intimated it was a sophisticated tool user.
She saw an almost subliminal hazy film twinkling briefly on the road behind it. Superfine bronze powder, similar to the dusting on a terrestrial moth, was sprinkling down from its flanks.
The Tyrathca breeder stopped beside the soldier carrying the processor block. Its outer mouth hinged back, allowing it to whistle a long tune.
Flute music, Kelly thought.
“I am Waboto-YAU,” the processor block voice translated. “I will mediate with you on behalf of Coastuc-RT.”
“I’m Reza Malin, combat scout team leader, under contract to the LDC.”
“Are you able to assist in our defence?”
“You’ll have to tell me what happened, first, give us some idea of what we’re up against.”
“Starship Santa Clara arrived yesterday. Spaceplane landed, bringing new Tyrathca, new equipment. Much needed. Collect rygar crop. Amok elemental humans attacked; stole spaceplane. No provocation. No reason. Twenty-three breeder-caste killed. One hundred and ninety vassal castes killed. Extensive damage. You can see this.”
Reza wondered how he would react if it was xenocs who had attacked a human village in a similar fashion. Allow a group of those same xenocs in afterwards to talk? Oh no, no way. The human response would be far more basic.
He felt mortally humbled as the breeder’s glassy hazel eyes stared at him. “How many humans took part in this attack?” he asked.
“Numbers not known with accuracy.”
“Roughly, how many?”
“No more than forty.”
“Forty people did all this?” Ariadne muttered.
Reza waved her quiet. “Did they use a kind of white fire?”
“White fire. Yes. Not true fire. Elemental fire. Tyrathca have not been told of human elemental ability before. Many times witnessed delusion of form on attacking humans. Elemental changes of colour and shape confused soldier caste. Some amok humans stole Tyrathca hunter-caste form. Much damage before repelled.”
“On behalf of the LDC I apologize profoundly.”
“What use apology? Why not told of human elemental ability? Breeder ambassador family assigned to Confederation Assembly will be informed. Denouncement of humans in Assembly. Tyrathca would never have joined Confederation if had known.”
“I’m sorry. But these humans have been taken over by an invading force. We don’t normally possess this ability. It’s as foreign to us as it is to you.”
“Lalonde Development Company must remove all elemental humans from planet. Tyrathca will not inhabit same planet.”
“We’d love to. But right now it’s all we can do just to stay alive. These elemental humans now control the entire Juliffe basin. We need somewhere to stay until a starship can lift us off and we can inform the Confederation what is happening.”
“Starships battle in orbit this day. Double sun in sky. No starships left.”
“One is coming back for us.”
“When?”
“In a few days.”
“Does starship have the power to kill elemental cloud? Tyrathca scared of cloud over rivers. We cannot defeat it.”
“No,” Reza said forlornly. “The starship can’t kill the cloud.” Especially if Shaun Wallace is telling the truth. The thought was one he had been firmly suppressing. The implications were too frightening. Just how would we actually go about fighting them?
The Tyrathca let out a clamorous hoot, almost a wail. “Cloud will come here. Cloud will devour us; breeders, children, vassals. All.”
“You could leave,” Kelly said. “Keep ahead of the cloud.”
“Nowhere is ahead of the cloud for long.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked, raising her arm to point at the park, the congregation of breeders. “What is that structure you have built?
“We are not strong. We have no elemental s among us. Only one can now save us from elemental humans. We call to our Sleeping God. We show our belief by our homage. We call and call, but the Sleeping God does not yet awake.”
“I didn’t know you had a God.”
“The family of Sireth-AFL is a custodian of the memory from the days of voyage on flightship Tanjuntic-RI. He shared the memory with us all after attack by elemental humans. Now we are united in prayer. The Sleeping God is our hope for salvation from elemental humans. We build its idol to show our faith.”
“This is it?” she asked. “This is what the Sleeping God looks like?”
“Yes. This is the memory of shape. This is our Sleeping God.”
“You mean the Tyrathca on the Tanjuntic-RI actually saw a God?”
“No. Another flightship passed the Sleeping God. Not Tanjuntic-RI.”
“The Sleeping God was in space, then?”
“Why you want to know?”
“I want to know if the Sleeping God can save us from the elemental s,” she said smoothly. “Or will it only help Tyrathca?” Christ, this was beautiful, the story to end all stories; human dead and secrets the Tyrathca had kept since before Earth’s ice age. How long had their arkships been in flight? Thousands of years at least.
“It will help us because we ask,” Waboto-YAU said.
“Do your legends specifically say it will return to save you?”
“Not legend!” the breeder hooted angrily. “Truth. Humans have legends. Humans lie. Humans become elemental . The Sleeping God is stronger than your race. Stronger than all living things.”
“Why do you call it “ ‘Sleeping’?”
“Tyrathca say what is. Humans lie.”
“So it was Sleeping when your flightship found it?”
“Yes.”
“Then how do you know it is strong enough to ward off the elemental s?”