Spear of Light (21 page)

Satyana drew in a long, slow breath. “Well, I suppose the Historian and the Futurist make sense. Will they add Leesha?”

“They would. But we're not allowed to have more than two of the High Council off the station at once.”

“I'd forgotten about that,” she murmured.

“It will be formal,” he said. “They've also invited one member from every station and ship that's joined the coalition to meet with them after we meet.”

Satyana leaned back, relief settling over her like a cloak. “So they are helping us.”

Neil looked lost in thought. “It will force the stations that have refused to choose to do so. If they attend this meeting, they're voting for the coalition.”

“For Independent Strength” Gunnar said.

“Yes, that.” Satyana laughed. She hadn't laughed all day. “We can record everyone who comes, and thus keep track of people who don't. They'll be curious, many of them, willing to send someone. The Shining Revolution will be shut out of this meeting, and anyone who refuses it will be signaling to the Next that they're with the Revolution.”

“Surely it's not that simple,” Gunnar said.

The Historian said, “Wars always find a way to sort people into sides.”

“But we're trying to be the middle way,” Gunnar said. “It's really the Next against the Shining Revolution, and we're telling people to stay out of that nonsense and stick with us—we'll keep them safe and keep their economies intact.”

Neil gave a long-suffering sigh. “The Next aren't at war with anyone. We are at war with ourselves.”

Once again, Satyana agreed more with Neil than with Gunnar. “The real enemy is fear. Fear deep enough to drive people mad. Why do you think I'm spending so much time on human alliances?”

“I've never met a Next,” Neil admitted. “Except Chrystal, and I don't know if she really counts.”

Gunnar said, “She doesn't. Not really. The Next are . . . the real ones, the Colorimas and the like—they're something.”

Satyana detected a note of awe in his voice. It worried her. Helping the Next wasn't supposed to make them part of a robot fan club. She didn't say that though. She merely looked up at him and smiled and told him, “It will be fun to have an adventure.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CHARLIE

Charlie walked away from Hope determined never to return. Cricket hopped beside him, and Yi and Manny flanked them both. Maybe he'd run into his enemies out here and die. But hiding made him twitchy. Besides, if he had to spend another hour drinking with hopeful would-be robots he might throw up. Most of them weren't any more socially capable than the soulbots he knew; many were less so. There was the periodic unappreciated super-genius who really was one, and a few people with heartbreaking stories that had to do with age or health. Those, he understood. But the others?

Soulbots and people who wanted to become soulbots watched them, curious. The town was busy in spite of its containment inside the dome, although it had started to smell like overripe human and metal instead of like the planet.

The keeper of the gates of Hope closed the huge gate behind them with a clang, and they stood in the Mixing Zone.

For the first time since the attack a week ago, Charlie was on the far side of the shield. The air smelled of sweat and grass and freedom.

He looked around for Nona, who had agreed to meet them here.

The Mixing Zone was bigger than Hope, and it was building up even faster. Like Hope, it hugged the Wall. The far side of it sprawled further out, and it wasn't walled. Roads bounded it. The biggest Mixing Zone building was an artsy plaza with open designs and lacework bridges and clever round windows that reminded him of the old and destroyed city of Neville. He asked, and Yi answered, “That's where the selected are educated and then changed. Katherine works there.”

Charlie suspected the Zone also contained the crematoria, where those who failed were disposed of. Or for that matter, where the bodies of the ones who succeeded were disposed of. He didn't spot it; they probably called it something with a sweet name that whispered of martyrs.

At least there were parks. Yi led them to one, to a group of three benches near some scrawny new-planted saplings that didn't throw any shade and a pretty sculpture of a tree that did. As they spread out across the benches, Charlie pointed at the tree sculpture. “At least the Next can't grow real life as fast as they can grow a wall.”

Yi gave him a puzzled look.

“You've gone native,” Charlie said.

Yi simply smiled. The smile wasn't human, not exactly. It unnerved Charlie. Yi had saved Cricket and maybe all of them up at the Valley, but Charlie still thought of him as the most distant of the soulbots. Yi was so earnest and so serious and so . . . so thoughtful that it gave Charlie the willies. Chrystal had been almost as earnest, but she had also been naive and hurt, and thus more human. Jason was downright moody for a robot. Moody for a person, truth be told. Jason and Chrystal both felt like people. Yi had started feeling more like the true Next. He no longer made small talk. Charlie expected Yi to start talking to him from a different body any day, just like a Jhailing or a Colorima Kelm.

He could tell he was in a sour mood, so he tried to settle himself.

He spotted Nona coming up the walk. She was dressed smartly in a fitted gray jumpsuit, with a blue sash tied at the waist. So formal, so . . . professional. He got up and held a hand out in greeting. She took it, and he pulled her close to him, an instinctive move he hadn't planned. Feeling the weight of her, smelling her shampoo and soap, he murmured, “You look like an ambassador.”

She smiled softly, her face professional. “That's because I am. It's great to see you.”

He felt lighter for her presence.

She slid between him and Cricket on the bench.

“Is it working then,” he asked her. “Being an ambassador?”

She pursed her lips and shook her head ever so slightly before recovering. “Maybe. I'm meeting people, and sometimes they even come to me, now. But I'm pretty sure I haven't solved a single important problem between the Diamond Deep and Manna Springs.”

He smiled at that.

“How is the town?” Manny asked.

She sat back. “Frightened. Angry. Confused. I'm starting to hear calls to have you come back.”

Manny lost his smile and grew serious. “Who?”

“There's a man who runs a grocery store—Frank? He wants you running things again. The store is doing great business. Hotels aren't allowed to take anyone that isn't approved by a small council of townspeople, and the owners are unhappy about that. They want you, too.”

“Anybody else?” Manny asked.

“Probably. Some people aren't talking to me yet. People know I'm an outsider.”

Manny looked so pleased that Charlie intervened. “Those are your friends. You won't be safe there.”

Manny's smile insisted on sticking to his face. “Not yet. But someday I'll be back.”

Nona answered his smile with one of hers. “The town could use you.” She slid a hand into Charlie's. “It could use you, too.” She glanced at Yi, who sat quietly. He sensed there were things she might say if Yi weren't there. She did go on, but changed the subject. “The Port Authority is still throwing its weight around. But I don't know what would happen if you did come home with me. You might get thrown in jail.”

“I'm going to Wilding Station,” he said.

She looked surprised. “Is that smart?”

“I can't decorate the inside of a bubble anymore.”

She squeezed his hand. “I thought you might be going crazy. But you must be learning some things in Hope.”

“The robots don't come down and tell us about their plans. There could be more misbegotten mythology in Hope than there is Manna Springs.”

Yi stood up, drawing all of their attention to him. He looked . . . awkward. Like he wasn't entirely happy with what he was about to do. “I asked you to come here on behalf of one of the Jhailings. It will come to sit with us. Soon.”

Before anyone could ask what soon meant, a silvery robotic figure emerged from behind Charlie and sat next to Manny. It wore a reasonably human body, with a face almost as human as Yi's, although its hairless, smooth skull made it look more like a machine. This Jhailing's chosen body bulked bigger than any of them, as if it wanted to intimidate.

What could it want from them?

It didn't keep them waiting long. “Nona Hall.” Its voice sounded even more silvery than it looked, persuasive and full of honeyed overtones. “We have need of your communications capabilities back to the Diamond Deep.”

Surely the robots had better communication gear than Nona. She simply watched it, wary.

“You can reach Satyana Adams directly, without going through formal channels. We need to tell her some things. We'd like your help opening an accessible channel.”

Nona nodded sagely, looking diplomatic now instead of surprised. “I'll have to ask Satyana before I set up direct contact. Is there anything you want me to tell her now?”

“There are at least two other groups on Lym who plan to attack us. We received word of the assault from the sea on the day it happened. We will not allow ourselves to be surprised again.”

Nona stared up at it. “Of course not. But surely the Deep isn't attacking you?”

“Of course not. The Deep is working to help us, exactly as they—as you—promised. Satyana and the Council, in particular, are keeping their word. But the Shining Revolution is planning a major offensive, something far larger and worse than the attack we turned away a few weeks ago. We don't believe the Deep's High Council know about it.”

“How do you know about it?” Manny asked.

The Jhailing faced Manny. “We anticipated this long ago, but lately we have . . . gotten details. A serious attack on us here could do a lot of damage to Lym.”

No one disagreed.

The Jhailing continued. “You should know that we will protect ourselves, even if we must kill humans to do so.”

So it did want to be intimidating. Charlie bit his tongue. Nona licked her lips and fidgeted, but didn't waver in her cool regard of the robot.

It continued. “In addition to the Shining Revolution's pending attack—which will not happen for some time—another offensive is starting here. Probably against one of our new cities, Shute or Next's Reach. We only have rumors so far, but we believe the rumors may be true.” It turned its attention to Charlie. “You might be able to stop it.”

Charlie shared a look with Manny. He appeared as surprised as Charlie that the Next were starting construction in Neville and Iron's Reach already. So fast. Everything was happening faster than he had imagined. It didn't seem as if they had finished Nexity yet. Streams of materials still flowed
into
the city.

Nona simply sat, waiting. Perhaps she
was
learning how to be a good diplomat. He wanted to spit out questions, but her path was wise. He waited with her, struggling not to fight, tensing calf muscles and forearms and relaxing them, trying to work the worry and anger from his system as invisibly as he could.

The Jhailing continued. “Human leaders everywhere need to know that we will not hesitate to kill. We will not be stopped or even slowed down. It is in our best interest—by far—to avoid a fight. It takes resources and attention to go to war.” The Jhailing was still clearly addressing Nona. “I want you—who are family to Satyana—to make sure that she understands this in a deep way. Make sure she
knows
. Failure will result in deaths.”

Nona's hands curled hard around the bench at her sides, the tendons in her wrists showing. “Are you threatening Satyana?”

“We're threatening whoever moves against us.”

Nona paled. “I'll do my best.”

The Jhailing continued. “It is because of our shared humanity that we offer this warning.”

“I understand.”

“The warning is also true for Manna Springs.”

“I'm not certain they listen to me yet,” she said.

“We can't help you with that.”

This didn't appear to be one of the Jhailings with a sense of humor.

Manny had leaned forward, paying close attention to the conversation. “What do you know about my people?”

The Jhailing paused. “Some of them would undo all of the good they've ever done here just to get rid of us. But they're being led on by outsiders who don't understand Lym's value, and who are underestimating the damage we might do.”

Charlie couldn't hold his tongue anymore. “You're threatening to destroy my home, over something someone who's only here because you are here might do. How is that fair?”

It fell silent. He suspected Yi and the machine were talking. “Talk out loud,” he snapped. “For us slow humans. Why did you come and what do you want?”

Nona slipped her hand out from his, giving him room.

He didn't care if people around them heard his voice rising. “The people in Manna Springs? The ones you just warned us about? They're angry for the same reasons that I'm angry. They're pissed off because you came back here and you
demanded
. You didn't ask anything,
you never have
. You treat us like what we think and feel and need doesn't matter and then you say shit like ‘you're warning us because of your shared humanity.'” He stood up. Some part of him thought he should stop, but that part was small and far away, buried by the voice that was tumbling out of him. “If you were ever human, it was so long ago that you don't remember a thing about it. You don't remember pain or anger or respect. You're after some fucking goal or thing or whatever that's so secret that Yi here doesn't even know it.” Charlie was on firm ground here. Yi had told him this just two days ago. “You tell me why Lym matters to you and how you're going to protect it. And you had better come up with something better than a promise to put a god-damned bubble over the whole thing.”