JULIEN
II
Chapter 50
If you know your enemies...
Tannder's patience and stubbornness eventually paid dividends. He had kept his attack dogs on a very short leash, forbidding them from taking any action unless he authorised it first. This hadn't proved popular: some of his best intelligence officers suspected that he was holding them back so that he could take the glory of finally capturing their prey himself. But he had dug his heels in. Only when he judged that they would be unable to make any further progress without interrogating the enemy did he allow his men to launch their operation.
There were casualties: men who had not hesitated to attack the Emperor and his associates were certainly not squeamish about shooting down a number of Warriors who were unlucky enough to cross their line of fire. Others, either out of loyalty to their cause or through fear of what they might have to endure if captured, chose to commit suicide. Tannder's men had originally targeted twenty people, and fourteen of them were eventually taken alive and subsequently probed, giving a fragmented but nonetheless useful idea of what they were up against.
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These people, Subadar told Julien, come from an alien culture that is entirely dedicated towards the conquest of other worlds. Dvβrinn, in this case. Their own planet is running out of resources. Indeed, it was never intended as a permanent home: right from the start it was a last resort, an uncomfortable place that simply offered them temporary shelter while they looked for something better.
I'm not sure that I follow you. Are you saying that they actually came from some other place, and that they didn't really belong where they attacked us from?
Sorry, I'll try to be more clear. In the beginning these people lived somewhere that was probably quite like the Nine Worlds. We don't know very much about it because the people we captured aren't historians, or even scientists. The only knowledge they possess is what they needed to allow them to carry out their mission. Maybe one day we'll find someone who can answer all our questions, but for now we can only use what we've got. Anyway, at some point in the past they were forced to leave their original world because it had been fatally poisoned by their enemies.
Where did those enemies come from?
We don't know. They might have been off-worlders, or possibly a different nation on the same world. Either way they decided that they had to leave the planet. They possessed, and still possess to a large degree, a very advanced technology and the capacity to build ships capable of travelling at enormous speeds. However, travelling between worlds takes a considerable time, far longer than a human lifetime. But they had no choice. Their astronomers had identified a few stars that had at least one planet which appeared to be suitable for human life and close enough to be reached in around a thousand cycles. So they built, in space, gigantic island-ships which were designed to support whole colonies of people until they reached their destination in the hope, of course, that when they finally reached the system they were heading for they would be able to find at least one planet there capable of supporting life.
Didn't they know before setting out?
Even with the most powerful instruments it's impossible to say whether or not a planet can support life. The best you can do is to take an educated guess. So they chose five destinations, drew lots to decide which ship would head for which destination and then sent them on their way. They were limited to five ships because that was all they were able to build before the resources ran out and conditions became intolerable.
Obviously a vast number of people were left behind, and so they threw all that was left of their resources into one final project, which was an enormous no-field generator. The benefit was that once the system was more or less fully operational it did become possible to send exploratory probes, although it took a colossal amount of energy. The big problem, which is the same one that our Guides face, is that they had no idea of where the places they found are in real space. They had to rely on luck and, contrary to what you might think, there are very few places out there that can sustain life. They had tried to aim at the planetary systems they had already sent their ships towards, but even their best mathematicians were unable to translate the spatial co-ordinates used by the ships into instructions that would get them through no-space.
I can well believe it!
But they kept trying after all, by this stage they had nothing to lose. They were living in underground bunkers and they had no way of knowing whether or not their ships would ever reach their destinations and found new colonies. All that was left of their civilisation was devoted to their search for a new planet. And eventually they found Dalann. It wasn't exactly Paradise, but it was a place where they could live in the open air while they pursued their quest for a better world. But the quest just to get to Dalann hadn't been easy: the no-field generators devoured colossal amounts of energy and could only send limited amounts of mass. Eventually only a tiny proportion of their population had been able to make the move. Stories from that period are confused, and were probably distorted intentionally as time passed, but there are clues to suggest that terrible fights took place for the privilege of being among those sent to Dalann. Their descendants see them as heroes, but probably only the most rapacious, violent and unscrupulous would have been able to survive. Between the departure of the island ships and the final escape into exile through the Outside some two or three hundred cycles must have passed, during which a society that had been aggressive and stupid enough to wreck its own world had probably broken up into factions which tore at each other to get a seat on the lifeboat.
And when they finally got to their new planet, what did they do?
We don't know the details. All of what I've just told you about took place a few thousand cycles ago and, as I said, the people we've been probing are not historians. But it seems that after a long period of regression they refer to as 'The Dark Age' they once again developed into a technological civilisation. About five hundred cycles ago they developed the capacity for space travel, and after that they more or less converted a satellite of a gas giant into a research base whose aim was to develop a powerful new no-field generator.
And they found us.
Yes, they discovered Dvβrinn.
But why didn't they simply establish contact with us?
They might have been stupid enough to destroy their original world but they are still very intelligent. They wanted to find out about the place they had discovered first, and so they studied our language and customs. They soon realised that they weren't dealing with a primitive civilisation that would be easy to dominate and exploit. The Emperor and his Mirrors presented them with a particular problem, because he creates a unity that spreads far beyond mere local loyalties. So recently all their efforts have gone into trying to destabilise this system. And the Guides were another major source of irritation to them: they had hoped to use them and to force them to work for them, but they quickly discovered that was impossible. And of course the Guides make possible instant contact between different people and cultures, thus strengthening considerably the cohesion and unity they dislike so much.
All right, but, once again, why didn't they just simply announce themselves, saying something like 'Hello! We're your neighbours is there any chance that you could give us a bit of a hand?'
Mainly because they don't want 'a bit of a hand,' as you put it. They want to own a world and do whatever they want with it. And they know perfectly well that we'll never give them carte blanche to use any part of the Nine Worlds like that.
Obviously not, but couldn't we help them to find a world that would suit them? We've got the Guides, so that must be a lot easier for us than it is for them, surely?
True, but I don't think you realise quite how hard it is to find a world like this one. There are certainly innumerable stars, but if they are to allow life to develop in their systems they have to emit a certain type of light and their planets have to be in a certain place, neither too near the star nor too far from it. The sort of planet we are looking for needs at least one moon big enough to regulate its rotation, and the planet's heart must be hot enough to generate a protective field against certain types of light that come from space. It must also possess water and a breathable atmosphere. And for the atmosphere to be breathable life must have existed in the oceans for long enough for certain transformations to take place. Finally, the planet has to have survived all the possible catastrophes that are likely to destroy such an equilibrium. A single chunk of rock crashing into Nόngen would be all it would take to destroy all life on the planet if the rock was big enough.
I didn't know that.
It's true that there are trillions of stars in our galaxy, and the galaxies themselves are probably as numerous. But the odds against finding a world with the sort of ideal conditions we enjoy here are astronomically long. We now know of ten planets like that, which is almost unbelievable. Those worlds are infinitely precious to us. Would you truly entrust such a treasure to the Dalannis?
I admit that I think they'd probably ruin such a planet if they found one, just like they did with their own original planet. - and possibly with Dalann, too.
They knew perfectly well that would be our position. They know we'll never help them in their search, so if they want a world like that they'll have to find it themselves. The original agents who turned themselves in to us were very much aware of it, and the same goes for the ones we've just captured. And their leaders knew it from the start.
All the same, I'm not sure what they wanted to do. They didn't really think they could fight against the whole of the R'hinz, surely?
We still don't know exactly what their plan was, but we do know that they wanted to destabilise our society by attacking you.
They could have killed me instead of trying to capture me. Wouldn't that have been a more efficient way to get rid of me?
Not from their point of view. They've known all along that it's useless to kill the Emperor because he is instantly replaced by a clone. And, of course, that tells us that they don't know your Sleeping Bodies are all dead.
So they can't have been the ones who killed them.
Quite. Either that, or the ones we hold now weren't told about it. They do seem to like compartmentalising their forces, so I suppose it's by no means impossible.
There's something else, too: when they attacked us on my very first day on Nόngen, when I was in the flybubble over the lake, they were definitely trying to kill me. They even sent ghorrs in to finish the job!
That's true, and we have no answer to that. Furthermore, the use of ghorrs implies knowledge and techniques which are purely of the R'hinz and which would certainly not be available to outsiders at least, that's what we think.
Let's face it: we really don't know very much, do we?
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Chapter 51
The Destroyer of Worlds
Niil was trying to decide whether to remain on the Ksantiri First Trankenn or to go back to Nόngen. He didn't really need to stay on Dvβrinn: with the help of Lord Tahlil he had made a few key decisions that would set in motion a large program of reform, simplifying the administration to such an extent that most of the opportunities for corruption would disappear.
Any number of apparently well-meaning souls had visited during the previous weeks to suggest, always obliquely, that he was quite mature enough to make his own decisions, rather than relying on the advice of what seemed to be an outsider who was probably far more concerned with what was in the interests of the Emperor, rather than the welfare of the people who were under the administration of the Ksantiris. Niil hadn't bothered Lord Tahlil by mentioning these innuendoes to him, but he had asked his Minister of Finance, the Honourable Lord Medjoung, to take a discreet but thorough interest in the businesses and revenues of each of these benevolent souls.
Four sentences of very, very weighty fines for active and passive corruption and two sentences of exile for piracy later, the flow of well-meaning suggestions had dried to a trickle: now they were only coming from a few individuals who were too stupid to realise that a sea-change had taken place, or from innocents who sincerely believed what they were saying. That was not of course a crime, but they were asked, politely but firmly, to either bring proof of their allegations or to stop spreading what could then be clearly defined as baseless, and probably slanderous, rumours.
Tahlil, who knew exactly what was going on, had watched Niil's first steps along the dangerous path of local politics with both interest and a certain amount of affection: he viewed the boy as at least partly his disciple, and he considered that so far Niil's behaviour had been exemplary. He made no overt comment, though he did throw the weight of his authority behind Niil's decision to give Lord Medjoung the much sought-after status of Privy Councillor as well as Minister of Finance. He thought it was a good thing that the First Lord of the Ksantiris was starting to assemble a team of loyal co-workers though he also decided that he would keep a close eye on Lord Medjoung for a while, just to make sure that the honour and power he had received didn't start to undermine his integrity.
The ship was now heading for the final stop on the journey, its home port of Ksantir, capital of the Island of Djannak and Niil's birthplace. They weren't due to reach it until the following afternoon, and since they were in one of the rare periods when the local time of the trankenn corresponded with that of Aleth Niil was wondering whether he could go and spend the evening with Julien and, with a bit of luck, the night with Karik. Alternatively he could stay on board and perhaps respond to the clear signs which had been aimed at him, somewhat persistently, by Garael, a young cadet who was on board for a period of training and whose duty, whenever he wasn't studying navigation in a classroom, consisted of running from one end of the ship to the other and, where necessary, launching himself up into the rigging to carry messages on behalf of the ship's officers and boatswains. Niil felt that he could accept the cadet's invitation because he himself had no influence over the day-to-day running of the ship and so couldn't be accused of any sort of favouritism. Garael knew that, of course, and so did his colleagues and officers, which meant that a little relationship would be taken by everyone in the right way just a chance for two healthy boys to give each other some pleasure, as well as offering the First Lord a chance to escape for a while from the burden of his duties.
Behind them the sun was almost touching the horizon, bathing the swell that ran with the ship in a coppery light and rendering the ocean a strange purple colour, strewn with golden specks of foam. Niil made his decision and called the duty runner, who was waiting nearby.
Please inform the captain that I wish to take leave of the ship.
The young man saluted and went to inform the captain, who was God on his own vessel, that a mere mortal would like to set foot on the command deck in order to offer his respects.
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But if Niil had hoped to spend a quiet evening with his friends he was disappointed. As the sky started to darken to the east, almost directly ahead of the ship, a glow similar to that which precedes dawn appeared for a few seconds and then went out. It was as if a second sun had been about to rise and had then thought better of it.
Over the previous year Niil had been forced to learn a lot more than he had wanted about the wars and weapons of the past, and his own brothers' misguided attempt in particular had made him to some extent familiar with the terrible consequences of nuclear weapons. He didn't need to be psychic to realise that someone had just detonated one of the most appalling weapons devised by men. And the horror of that realisation was doubled by his near-certainty of the target of the terrible attack. He rushed to the command deck and pushed his way in, shoving the sentry aside as he did so.
Honourable Heng Dawan! he said. Did you see what I just saw?
Yes, My Lord, said the captain, and I think I probably came to the same conclusion that you did. I've already sent for the duty Guide.
Waο Haοn, a young Guide with almost black fur, arrived a few seconds later.
Your Honour, said Niil to him, getting in before the captain could speak, something very serious just happened on or near Djannak. I need you to take me on reconnaissance.
My Lord! exclaimed Heng Dawan. I can't let you take such a risk!
I don't have time to argue, Captain, said Julien. I must see for myself what has happened so that I can report on it to the Emperor. In the meantime, I need the other two Guides on board to go and inform Lord Tahlil and the Emperor, so that he can summon his council ready to hear my report when I get there. I'll send you a messenger with more instructions as soon as I can, but until you hear from me, please continue to make for Djannak with all speed, and order any ship you meet to accompany you and to be prepared to answer any call for help.
Yes, My Lord.
Then Niil put his hand on the Guide's neck.
We're going to Djannak, he said. I'm afraid Ksantir has been destroyed. I'm sure it was one of the illegal weapons developed by our ancestors. We mustn't get too close without protective equipment. I just need to get an idea of the situation, so I want you to take us the summit of Mount Gyalri that'll be close enough for me to see what's happening. But you need to get us away again in a hurry if I tell you to.
The Guide acknowledged him and the next moment they were standing on top of a small mountain that overlooked the capital. But the city and its harbour were undamaged. Niil gave himself a moment to savour his relief and then had himself transported to the First House, where a panicked steward told him they had seen A great glow in the sky in the direction of the Nyatchoung Ling archipelago, and then a moment later we heard a great rumble, louder than a thousand thunderclaps, and nobody had the least idea what...
Thank you, Your Honour, Niil interrupted. I'll go and see what has happened. Tell the Commander of the garrison to keep his troops on alert and to wait for my instructions.
Now, Master Waο Haοn, he added to the Guide, take us out to somewhere near the Nyatchoung Lings, please.
This was a group of very small islands about a hundred and fifty kilometres east of Ksantir which were uninhabited except during the season in which the wengdenn sea-weed was harvested. The Guide, whose job required him to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the geography of Dvβrinn, chose first to take them to an atoll which stood only a few metres above sea-level, around thirty kilometres from the closest of the Nyatchoung Ling islands.
We're still too far away, said Niil. We need to get closer and higher up. Can you do that? We haven't got time to go and come back with a flybubble.
I can take you closer and higher, but we'll start to fall as soon as we re-enter normal space. If you let go of me I probably won't be able to re-establish contact with you in time.
I won't let go of you. Let's do it.
They re-materialised about three thousand metres up and immediately started to fall towards the ocean below. Niil kept a firm grip on the Guide's neck and managed to twist his head far enough to see, a few kilometres away, against a bruise-coloured dusk, the dreadful mushroom of fire and dust which was just starting to collapse. Beneath it half of one of the islands smouldered and, in places, flowed in rivers of fire towards the sea.
I've seen enough, said Niil. Take me to Nόngen.
Waο Haοn had also seen enough and was only too glad to be able to return to the immutable calm of the Orientation Table.
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An atomic explosion!? Julien's incredulous horror was obvious.
Well, it certainly looks like the pictures I've seen. It's an abomination. Half of the island has been completely destroyed, and I didn't hang about to look at the rest. That pillar of fire and ash... it's the most dreadful thing I've ever seen.
Yes. I've only seen it in films, but I agree with you. I can't understand why some people at home think it's beautiful! I hope you didn't get too close.
I don't think we were. Anyway, we only stayed for a few ketchiks.
I still want you both to go and see the Health Masters straight away. They know you're coming. They'll make sure you're not contaminated.
There's no need, I assure...
You don't get to choose. Go right now and get back here as soon as you can. We need you.
Julien tried to remember what he had learned about the subject in his Science and Life classes in school. He was fairly sure from what they had said that Niil and his companion had arrived after the initial flood of gamma rays, and they had obviously missed the flash of detonation, but he wouldn't be able to consider them completely safe for a few days. In the meantime he was determined not to let Niil expose himself to further risk, although he thought that might not be easy to achieve.
Tahlil, he said, it is absolutely essential that nobody go anywhere near the site without a protective suit like the one I wore when I went to meet the Neh Kyong of Tchiwa Ri Kor. Round up every Health Master you can find who has any knowledge at all of contamination by that sort of thing and sent them to deal with anyone who was unlucky enough to be near the Nyatchoung Lings. Tannder, have you any idea about how this happened?
I can only see two possibilities, said Tannder. Either some idiot found another cache of hidden weapons and blew himself up investigating them, or the Dalannis are behind it. I suspect that's the more likely case.
I think I agree, but I can't see how they managed to transport a bomb here when they don't have their machine any longer.
If it was them we can only assume that they had already moved the bomb here before we cut them off from their home world.
Yes, but what do they gain from doing this? They must know they're stranded here, and they have to realise that now they've done something like this we're not going to go on treating them with leniency.
That's what bothers me. This looks a bit like the start of an all-out war.
But that's insane! There are too few of them and they won't get any more reinforcements! How the hell do they think they can win?
Well, maybe they have some more resources that we don't know about yet. Or...
Or, maybe one of them is feeling particularly vindictive and has decided to do everything he can to hurt us.
I don't think that can be it. If someone was looking to damage us he wouldn't have chosen to blow up an uninhabited island.
I suppose that's true. In any case I'd like you to do some more probing of the more co-operative of the Dalannis. We must have more information...
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