Flinx Transcendent (21 page)

“Jirasst
, human! Before uss sstandss the Beloved, the Wisse, the
Clear-thinking and Ssharp-of-wit, Highesst Prince-of-the-Circle Navvur W, Emperor of all the AAnn.” Breathy reverence was absent from Lord Eiipul's voice. In its place there was a wealth of genuine respect. “In hiss persson iss embodied all the hisstory of my kind and all itss hopess for a bountiful and prossperouss future. We sstand here at the heart of the Empire.” Once more he glanced over at Flinx, his voice low. “No human hass ever sstood sso near to the Imperial Pressence. Whatever happenss from now on, whatever your fate, know that you are the recipient of a ssingular honor.”

“I don't feel honored,” Flinx replied in his usual self-possessed tone. “I feel hot and itchy. No matter how hard it tries to keep me comfortable and how much I work with the interior lining, some part of this simsuit always grates.”

Lord Eiipul gestured second-degree exasperation. “Truly, you are an unclassifiable example of your ssad, ill-fated sspeciess. Desspite having sshared the dreadful experience you promissed and having thereby become convinced of the truth of your outrageouss assertionss, a part of me sstill findss you to be afflicted with a deep and dissturbing madness.”

“That makes two of us,” Flinx told him.

Eiipul looked up sharply. “Thiss iss not the time or place to tell me ssuch a thing.”

Flinx had to smile. Recognizing the expression as one that had no proper AAnn analog, the simsuit's programming and mouth-servos did not try to reproduce it.

“I'm waxing sarcastic.” He hastened to reassure his already nervous host. “Madness would be too easy an excuse for my actions and some of the things I've done in my life. Repeated excursions into idiosyncrasy and the inexplicable sometimes mark me as eccentric but—I'm not mad. It would be too painless an excuse.”

His host relaxed—slightly. “Pleasse remember if you would,
trazzakk
, that more than jusst your expendable ssoftsskin life iss at sstake here.”

“That's true,” Flinx agreed. “The lives of everyone are at stake here.” Able to see over the heads of the majority of swarming, deliberating AAnn, he strained for a better view of the Emperor. “How do we present ourselves?”

A much-relieved Eiipul was able to turn thoughtful again. “We are very near, truly. From here on we musst take our time and proceed with caution. Every etiquette musst be obsserved. Converssations cannot be ignored.” He nodded forward. “As iss normal, otherss will try to engage uss in debate with an eye toward denying uss access. Attemptss will be made to divert uss from our preferred coursse. I will do my besst to facilitate our final approach, employing all of my sskillss at missdirection and evassion. With time and patience we will be able to …” He broke off to gape at the visitor.
“What are you doing?”

“Saving time,” Flinx told him calmly. “Mother Mastiff always did scold me about never having any patience.”

In the center of The Eye of the Nye, within shouting range of the greatly beloved and most exalted Emperor Navvur W and surrounded by hundreds of the most eminent representatives of the AAnn Empire, any one of whom would be eager to acquire immediate status by tearing a presumptuous softskin to pieces, Flinx systematically began to disrobe….

While it was a certainty that in the course of its belligerent history and aggressive expansion the Empire of the AAnn had suffered shocks greater and more debilitating, surely none were more intimate than the one that rippled through the great hall called The Eye of the Nye on that fine third-season morning. A horrified Lord Eiipul IX edged away from Flinx, though he was all too aware that no matter what he did, in such close confines and subject to such intense scrutiny he did not have time or distance to edge far enough away. Halting in his retreat, eyes flashing, he drew himself up to his full height. He had cast in his lot with this softskin no matter what the creature did and no matter how outrageous its behavior.

Flinx's straightforward strip accomplished its intended purpose. As he exposed himself he quickly drew the attention of every double-lidded eye within range of his naked, incontestably human form. It required barely a moment longer for his presence to become known to every one of the hundreds of notable nye circulating in the chamber, as his image was flashed to every individual's personal information device.

Emerging from the resting pouch of the collapsing simsuit, Pip unfurled her brilliantly hued wings and took to the air of The Eye, relieved as always to be free of the confines of the simsuit. The presence below of hundreds of gesticulating, pointing, shouting AAnn disturbed her not
in the least. As long as her master evinced no concern she was quite content, and the vast interior space of The Eye presented agreeable opportunities for soaring.

Though they were among the most honored and accomplished soldiers in the Imperial military, it still took the two tall AAnn flanking the Emperor more than a moment to draw their weapons. The idea that a human might suddenly appear unannounced in the midst of the Spiral at the center of The Eye was analogous to an AAnn abruptly materializing next to the President of the Commonwealth while he was enjoying breakfast with his family. As something that could not be imagined, the reality was difficult for even the most well trained to accept.

The impossibility went a long way toward explaining the absence of alarm. Since such a thing patently could not be, there had to be an alternative explanation. A clever prank of some kind, concocted by political allies to amuse the Emperor, or perhaps a test of a spectacularly convincing new projection device. Even those who found themselves standing close to the startling manifestation found themselves doubting its authenticity. In fact, of all those within striking distance of the revealed Flinx, only one exhibited any bona fide agitation. Lord Eiipul continued to stare at his guest in disbelief even as he struggled to decide what he could possibly do next.

Flinx saved him the trouble.

Naked, Flinx started toward the Emperor as Pip circled self-assuredly overhead. Rousing themselves, it occurred to both highly honored bodyguards that perhaps it might be a good idea to place themselves between the apparition and the Emperor, even if what they were confronting was nothing more than an ingenious projection. Coming to a halt, the projection proceeded to speak. Its clear, perfectly comprehensible speech only served to further underlie its unreality.

“My name is Flinx LLVVRXX. Though a softskin, I am a full member of the Tier of Ssaiinn. To my knowledge, I am the only human to have been so honored.” The Emperor Navvur W, he saw, was looking straight at him. The Imperial physique might be worn, but those dark blue eyes were not. They were penetrating. “I am not a holo, a tactile field, a simulation, or a mechanism. I am very real. I come to you without the knowledge of my government or my kind to share with you a
danger that threatens all living beings, including every citizen of the Empire.” He gestured to his nearby and presently paralyzed host. “I would spare you this knowledge, but my friend insists it must be made known to all in order to ensure my safe departure from Blasusarr and the continuation of my search for a possible means of dealing with this threat.”

At this explanation a great many eyes turned as one to focus on Lord Eiipul, who was not at all thankful for the massed attention. Hissing began to rise around him and around the softskin, a swelling sizzle like the foreshadowing of a thousand geysers about to erupt. Raising one hand sharply, Navvur W gestured for third-degree silence. Immediately, the dangerously escalating outrage ceased. The increasingly irate and angry glares, Flinx noted, remained locked on him and his host. In addition to the two honor guards, others nearby had also drawn weapons.

“A mosst imaginative disscoursse,” the Emperor murmured into the ensuing silence. “But then, your kind iss known for itss flightss of imagination. It iss to be expected that one sso brazen would think large. A danger that threatenss all living beingss'? Truly, I would expect no modessty from one who hass accomplisshed what you have done.” His attention flicked briefly in the direction of Flinx's host. “Albeit with an as yet to be determined modicum of outsside help.”

Under that unblinking Imperial gaze, Lord Eiipul seemed to shrink in upon himself.

Fearlessly approaching Flinx, the Emperor stepped between his anxious bodyguards. Murmurs of concern rose from the inner circle of advisers and nobles. A second time the Emperor gestured, and for a second time the center of The Eye was still.

“Can none of you ssee that the creature iss more than weaponless?” Navvur W looked back at Flinx. “Truly, ssoftsskin, what iss your purposse in coming to a place where none of your kind have sstood before? Iss it to kill me?” Stressed hisses rose from the assembled. The Emperor ignored them.

“I am no assassin.” Flinx stared down at the unruffled reptilian figure standing curiously before him. “I spoke the truth.” As he raised an arm to gesture, several dozen weapons drew down on his torso.

The Emperor irritably motioned them off.
“Crissandd
. If it wanted to kill me, the attempt would have been made sseveral time-partss ago.
The time for murder hass already passed.” Muzzles and other lethal focal points were lowered. Navvur W turned back to the visitor.

“You will leave thiss chamber alive, but not thiss building. You know that, do you not? Bravery iss no guarantee of ssurvival. But before you die, quesstionss will be assked—and ansswered.” He started to turn away. “Thiss hass been a more interessting diverssion than mosst. Now it iss a matter for the Ssecurity Sservicess. I have a full sschedule today and I have already wassted too much time on thiss fasscinating but otherwisse irrelevant alien intrussion.”

As well as the two bodyguards, other armed AAnn started to surge forward. By simply springing toward Flinx, Lord Eiipul caused the closing crowd to pause. He knew the hiatus would not last and that he had to speak fast.

“Venerable Navvur! I am Lord Eiipul IX. It iss true I have abetted thiss intruding ssoftsskin. Know that he sspeakss the truth when he ssayss that he did not wissh to come here. He doess not wissh to sshare the reality of the danger to which he referss unless he iss given no choice. He sspeakss truly when he ssayss that I inssissted on it.” Turning a slow circle, his tail clearing the space behind him, Eiipul addressed himself to the tense assembly.

“Many of you know me. I am no wild thinker prone to flightss of fancy or mental aberrationss. Wild as it iss, I have come to believe thiss ssoftsskin'ss tale.” Throwing an arm skyward, he made an unmistakably powerful gesture indicative of first-degree peril. “There
iss
a danger out there, beyond the Empire, beyond the edge of thiss galaxy, that possess a threat to all living thingss. It cannot be sstopped by warsshipss. It cannot be sstopped by any conventional meanss.” He indicated the silent figure of Flinx.

“Thiss ssoftsskin ssayss that he iss a key to the only possibility of countering thiss threat.”

“Not only a ssoftsskin prophet, but a mad one!” someone in the crowd shouted. Hissing laughter followed the remark.

“No prophet,” Flinx responded quietly. “A little different from others of my kind, yes, but no prophet. Believe me, no one in the galaxy wishes it were otherwise more than myself.”

“He doess not look very much like a ssavior,” another onlooker commented. “To me, he lookss like meat.”

Pausing, the Emperor turned back. “Very much sso. Lord Eiipul, by your actionss today you have already forfeited your possition, your sstatuss, and the previoussly highly regarded hisstory of your formerly noble family. I do, however, believe you when you ssay that you are not addled. What could possibly have possessed you to do thiss thing on behalf of a ssingle intruding ssoftsskin?”

Breathing hard, Eiipul confronted the Imperial presence. “Becausse, venerable Navvur, he sshowed it to me.”

The Emperor gestured second-degree bemusement. “He sshowed you a threat to the entire galaxy? Tell me, Lord Eiipul, where iss thiss threat, that he could reveal it to you? Outsside the city, perhapss? Ssomewhere on the Quassquin Plain?”

Flinx stepped forward before his host could reply. “The threat comes from behind a region known as the Great Emptiness, an area of sky blocked by an immense gravitational lens that is impenetrable to the usual array of astronomical instruments.”

“Assikk,”
the Emperor murmured. “It iss invissible to telesscopess, to deep-sspace ssenssorss, to magnifying insstrumentation of all kindss—but, asstonisshingly, not to you.” He glanced disdainfully at the anxious Eiipul. “And evidently, not to certain sselected oness.”

“I can show it to you, too,” Flinx responded without hesitation. “That is, not
show
, exactly. It's far too big to show, or to try and comprehend visually. What I can offer is more in the nature of a shared experiencing. I didn't lie to Lord Eiipul about it and I won't lie to you. The sharing can be dangerous. Not every sentient can handle the experience.”

For a second time, Navvur W gestured amusement. “You will forgive me if I decline your generouss offer, ssoftsskin. There iss only one of me and I wass not raissed up to thiss ssupreme possition to wasste irreplaceable time ssharing ‘experiencess’ with crazed ssoftsskins, however bold they may be. I have little enough time each day in which to disscuss important experiencess with my own advisserss.” He started to turn away again, his tail barely in motion.