Jorah sat by himself in his brightly lit quarters, clenching his hands, concentrating. He was the Mage-Imperator. He had to master his fear. Though the connection grew fainter with every moment, he could not allow his people to sense his anxiety through thethism. They needed to be strong now stronger than ever.
When Admiral Diente engaged the stardrive and the warliner leaped into the emptiness of space, Jorah felt those last strands snap like the strings of a delicate musical instrument played by rough and violent hands.
Gone.
He collapsed onto the comfortable bed, where he and Nira had shared their thoughts and hopes, where theyd had such quiet contentment. He felt as if he couldnt breathe, as if all the oxygen in the warliner had been sucked out into the frigid, unforgiving vacuum. He had never imagined such incredible emptiness.
Jorah closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. He spread his arms, concentrated, and threw his mind out into the void as far as he could. He searched for anyone, but he felt only cold madness clamoring at him.
Iam the Mage-Imperator! he cried through clenched teeth. His search continued for any friendly thought to help anchor him. But the universe was a vast and empty place.
To his horror, Jorah realized that only a few seconds had passed.
22
Sirix
In the ruins of the Roamer outpost of Forreys Folly, Sirix and his black robots marched down the stone tunnels, penetrating deeper into the fortress asteroid. All of the weak human inhabitants were dead, and bodies lay strewn about.
Though the honeycombed asteroid was protected by erratically orbiting chunks of rock, it had been a trivial operation for Sirixs robots to plan and carry out an invasion of the outpost. In one swift operation, they had collapsed the atmospheric domes, opened bulkheads to space, and broken through blast doors and into cargo bays. Some of the Roamers had tried to flee; others had attempted to defend the installation. Either way, they had been slaughtered. Per Sirixs instructions, no one would be allowed to survive.
His two compy proteges, PD and QT, followed with brisk footsteps. At an access port to the bases central computers, QT worked to connect to the systems. Roamers often have fail-safes rigged to their computers. We must be cautious. He paused. Yes, an electrical and radiation pulse is poised to erase all stored information in the event of a security breach.
Sirix spun his flat head plate. Can you deactivate it to allow a scan of the database?
Yes. The compies sounded anxious to please.
Then do so.
Because both compies were familiar with Roamer systems from previous conquests, PD and QT worked together until they had deactivated the automatic purging protocols. We now have access to the data summaries, inventories, and lists of known facilities.
While robot squads continued to explore the asteroid tunnels, rooting out the last few frantic survivors and killing them, the two compies took turns rattling off statistics about how many ships came and went to the asteroid outpost, how many metric tons of various ores were shipped away annually, how much raw metal the processing plants produced.
PD asked brightly, Is this place acceptable, Sirix?
No, it is not. He was very disappointed. His crimson optical sensors glowed a deep ruby shade in contrast to the still-flashing scarlet emergency lights. This is a bulk-processing plant designed to produce large sheets of alloys, heavy girders, construction ingots. This facility does not have the technological sophistication we require.
With each disappointing result, he grew more desperate. Circumstances beyond Sirixs control had led to defeat after defeat, and most of the original black robots had been annihilated in recent battles. Very little of his massive army and only a few dozen of the stolen EDF battleships remained intact. His options had seemed quite limited until the two naive compies had suggested their bold and previously unthinkable scheme.
Given facilities with proper technical sophistication, they could build more black robots,new ones, to replace the ranks of those that had fallen. Even though the new-generation robots would not have the vital memories and experiences of the lost originals, they would still replenish his army. Sirix could use them to complete his plans.
However, manufacturing new Klikiss robots was not as simple as constructing a spacecraft or a clumsy habitation dome. The fabrication process required extreme sophistication. Forreys Folly was inadequate. This entire operation had been a waste of Sirixs time.
Flexing his fingerlike leg clusters, Sirix stepped over two human bodies that blocked the rough floor of the deep tunnel. He turned back to the two compies. Search all the information in their databases for any other outposts and assess their capabilities in advance. Find me a place to manufacture my robots.
Yes, Sirix, PD and QT said in unison.
The Roamers themselves will point us to our next target.
When the two compies came to report to him on the bridge of his ship, Sirix could tell they were pleased. Have you found an acceptable alternative?
PD presented a datapad, and QT spoke up. We suggest Relleker. It is a former Hansa world with a very desirable climate. Hydrogues destroyed the settlement and killed every colonist. Roamers recently returned there to establish an extensive base, now that they are safe from the hydrogues.
They are not safe from my robots, Sirix said. Why do you believe this place will be satisfactory?
The Roamers have installed a new industrial grid with many capable workers and cutting-edge technology, PD said. The data indicates that their fabrication plants are excellent.
So they believe, Sirix said. Let us see Relleker for ourselves. If it proves adequate, we will seize it and begin our work. He studied the report. According to the records the compies had downloaded, the planet did have everything necessary for the construction of new robots. The existing facilities could be converted into a proper assembly plant without difficulty. And with no significant defenses, Relleker would easily be subsumed.
If the human colonists are technologically proficient, perhaps they will assist us in creating more robots, QT suggested. After all, the current fabrication lines are designed for human hands.
And we could use the help, PD said. We should keep them alive.
Sirix grudgingly agreed. Some of them, perhaps if it serves our purposes. He contacted his ships to inform them of the mission priorities. The robot fleet altered course and flew off toward their new destination.