Spirit of Empire 4: Sky Knights (33 page)

Galborae looked to his wife, then to the rest of Havlock’s crew. His eyes settled on his queen, deeply troubled.

She stood up and went to him. “I cannot speak to the virtues of these visions, but this I know: someone from Tranxte will eventually have to lead. We already lean on you, and you’re already a legend among our people. Lady Krys asked me if I might one day become the person who unites Tranxte under one voice. It might be me, but it might not—I actually see myself following a path that will make that difficult. If it’s you, I ask as your Queen that you to stay the course, at least until we know.”

“Your calling I understand and accept, Your Majesty. You can always count on me. The rest of this . . . ”

Atiana reached out and placed a hand on his cheek. “Our people will not stand behind any one person in our lifetime, but I can see you speaking for us as our voice to the Empire.” She turned and looked to Tarn, inviting him to get on with it.

Hawke stood up and spoke up before Tarn had the chance. “Sire, Lady Krys told us there are visions of warning, visions of instruction, and visions of hope. Clearly, this one warns, but I personally would not want to think it ends there. It could be a vision of instruction and hope, as well. It infers that we all need to work together, and I think it also infers that if we do, Tranxte will come out on the other end the way we hope it will.”

Tarn grinned. “Well said, Teacher. That’s a lesson I will keep in mind with any future visions, provided there are any.”

“Actually,” Krys said, “the Leaf People gave us advice on these very issues. They said,
‘The future is not preordained. Many paths, many outcomes are possible. Choices are yours to make, and the consequences of those choices are yours to shoulder.
’
But they did not leave it at that. They gave us one more piece of advice that I have clung to all these years, not least of all the years during which I struggled with visions I did not understand.”

Her blind eyes shifted to Havlock and stayed on him for a time. “Tell me, Governor—knowing what you know now, would you secure yourself in the armory again?”

The silence in the room stretched out painfully as he considered. When he answered, he seemed surprised. “I would, My Lady, but I would take my men with me.”

She nodded. “As the Leaf People told us, the choices are our to make, and the consequences of those choices are ours to shoulder. They spoke to us of heavy burdens, and they knew what they were talking about. We’re constantly juggling lives and the futures of civilizations. But they left us with the means to shoulder those burdens. They said,
‘Listen to your heart . . . always. If you do, you will know what is right. You will never be asked to do more.’”

She gave them time to consider those important words that had meant so much to her over the years, then she spoke to Atiana. “Your Majesty, yours was the second vision I received today. You might want to sit.”

Atiana squeezed Galborae’s shoulder, then returned to her place beside Havlock on the couch.

“As Teacher just said, I’ve had visions of hope, visions of instruction, and visions of warning,” Krys said. “Yours might also be a combination of all three. In most cases I see things through someone else’s eyes, but in your case I did not, probably because your eyes were closed. You were in a tank, and beside you stood a row of tanks, two of them holding other individuals. I believe I now know what you, Governor Havlock, and Sir Galborae look like.”

Atiana had been sitting very erect, completely focused on this Great One, but as the meaning of the vision sank in and what that meaning meant, a sudden sense of unreality washed through her. She knew what tanks meant. Her vision narrowed until Krys became a vague shape at the far end of a tunnel.

Krys’ voice came to her distantly. “Several medical people were standing in a group talking. I did not hear them, but their body language gave me the impression they believed there was no hope for any of you.”

Havlock put an arm around Atiana’s shoulders, then his eyes sought out Galborae. “Did we fail?” he wondered aloud.

Galborae’s lips thinned and his eyes glared as his arm went around Milae. “Soldiers like us don’t go easily, My Lady,” he said to Krys. “Where were we?”

“I don’t know. A modern facility with tanks. Maybe a cruiser?”

“That’s a ship?”

She started to smile, then cut it off. “It’s our largest ship. I have no idea where the ship is.”

Tarn interrupted. “Did the vision come with words?”

“It did.
‘Forewarned is forearmed.’’’

Tarn nodded and stepped around Krys to crouch down in front of Atiana. He took her hands, hands that had become icy cold, in his
.
“Your Majesty?”

Her eyes slowly came into focus. She looked into Tarn’s eyes, then she looked to Havlock, her eyes betraying a great sadness.

Tarn waited patiently, eventually saying, “This is hard for you on several levels. I understand.”

She looked back into his eyes. “More hard than you can imagine.”

“You might be surprised.” His eyes darted toward Krys, then they returned to her. “There’s a message here, and I believe I know what that message is. We have successfully changed the outcome of several visions, including one of my own death. If we heed this vision, we might change the outcome again.”

She sat up straight, completely focused on him. “I’m listening.”

“Forewarned is forearmed.”
That’s the key here, I think. Tanks are wonderful things, but they can’t save everyone. We need to arm all of you with something more. A gleason mortally wounded me. I went into a tank, but our doctors and the tank could not save me. I would have died except for one thing: I had a Rider. The Rider is who saved me. I believe the three of you, perhaps all six of you, should be armed with Riders before going much farther down your roads.”

Atiana’s brow furrowed. Clearly, she had no idea what Tarn was talking about.

Havlock did. A look of awe came to his face. “You have a Rider, Sire?”

“I do, Governor. I’m not the only one here who does.”

Havlock blinked, not sure what to say. For all practical purposes, Riders were almost as rare as Knights.

Tarn stood up, knowing his next words were not only for Atiana. The vision included Sir Galborae in a tank, and he suspected Sir Galborae had never come across Riders either. He looked back and forth between Galborae and Atiana and said, “I have an alien living inside of me. He’s a person, he’s intelligent, we talk all the time, and we’re best friends. Because of him, I never get sick, and when I’m hurt, my Rider heals me. I believe the intent of this vision is to ensure you survive whatever wounded the three of you. You need Riders.”

Atiana stared at him in confusion. “I don’t understand, Sire. Another creature lives within you? How horrible.”

“No, Your Majesty. It’s wonderful. Let me show you.” Tarn’s fingers had just started darkening when Hawke jumped to his feet.

“Sire! No!”

Tarn dropped his hand and stared at Hawke with wide eyes.

Hawke backed away in horror. “My apologies, Sire.”

“You don’t think they should have Riders?” Tarn asked in surprise. “You’re probably in line for one as well.”

Hawke’s head jerked, but he pressed on. “It’s not that, Sire. I’m not sure everyone here is ready for things like cell structures, protoplasm, and all that stuff.” He turned to Atiana. “The creature he’s talking about is very different from us, but I’ve heard they’re really smart and that they make wonderful companions. They exist like water that has spread throughout your body. Your body doesn’t even know it’s there. Only your mind knows.”

Tarn stepped around the couch and placed a hand on Hawke’s shoulder. “Thank you, Teacher. I hear you.” He turned to Atiana and Galborae. “Let’s just say that my Rider and I are best friends. I’ll never give him up.”

“You talk to him, just as I talk to Limam?” Galborae asked guardedly.

“No. From what you’ve told us of melds, you converse mostly with feelings. My Rider is a real person, not a meld. He has a mind of his own. We speak, we argue, we disagree, and from time to time we actually agree. He’s a great advisor.”

“They're male?” Atiana asked in horror.

“No. They’re neither male or female. They tend to take on the traits of their host. You can think of your Rider as female.”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Sire, but you’ve crossed a line here. I’ve learned to accept aliens, sky ships, your weapons, and some of your ideas, but I cannot and will not let you violate my body in this manner.”

Galborae agreed. “Of everything I’ve seen and done since you picked me up that day, this I cannot accept.”

Havlock stood. “We need a little time to get used to the idea. I think we’re done for now.”

“Sire," Hawke wondered aloud, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he looked at Tarn
.
“I wonder if some time in the net might be enlightening.”

Tarn stared solemnly at Hawke. “The governor named you well, Teacher.” His gaze went to his guests. “You need time to absorb what’s gone on here today, but we need to be away. Let me suggest that all of you come with us to Aldebaran. You have urgent business there, Governor, and because of the visions, it looks like all of you will be significant players in whatever develops in the future. You will all benefit from the trip.”

“You’re talking about taking me to another world?” Atiana asked in alarm. “No! I can’t be away for months.”

Havlock looked to Tarn and Stven. “I wouldn’t be much of a commander if I hadn’t prepared my second in command to fill my shoes. That’s not the case with queens. They’re sort of irreplaceable. They’re the foundation of everything within their kingdom, and in Atiana’s case, within her province of five kingdoms. Beyond that, I see her as the key to introducing us offworlders to the rest of her world. My marines are not idle down there. They need her to keep making introductions for them while I'm gone.”

Stven spoke up. “George, trip duration?”

“Eight days each way if we don’t make any side excursions.”

“Surely you can be gone for a month?” Stven asked Atiana.

“In the middle of a crisis?” she asked in disbelief.

“Well, there is that, I suppose. Give it some thought, Your Majesty. We’ll make it worth your while.”

“There’s nothing to think about,” Krys interjected. “Atiana, the events of the vision will come to pass if we do not heed the message. You’ll die, so will Governor Havlock and Sir Galborae, and your civilization will ignite. I shudder to think what that means. Will you risk your people’s future when a few weeks could make all the difference?”

Atiana’s facade turned to stone. When she spoke, the words dripped from her mouth. “You leave me no choice, My Lady, though I don't believe any of this.”

Krys’ voice softened. “But Governor Havlock does. That’s enough for you, isn’t it.”

Atiana turned to Havlock and tentatively reached out a hand. “What do you say?”

He ignored her hand. Instead, he reached out and took her face in both of his hands and leaned into her. “I have to go. It’s my duty. Come with me. Please.”

Atiana felt like her heart stopped beating. Awareness of anything besides those wonderful eyes evaporated. She stared into his eyes from inches away without breathing, wanting to ask just one word: “Forever?” Instead, she reached a hand up to his cheek, savored the roughness, then dropped her hand and stepped away. She turned to Krys.

“I need a day, two would be better, and I need transportation. I have to visit each of my kingdoms. The Empire has brought us instantaneous communications, and they’ll wonder if they don’t hear from me.”

Krys nodded. “Understood and agreed. Plan on being gone for at least a month, but make provisions for an extended absence. Our travels are never predictable. If it’s not inappropriate, we’ll be happy to provide transportation to your meetings down below.”

Atiana did not fully comprehend the offer, but Havlock did and his eyes lit up. He turned to Hawke. “What do you think?”

“You’ve turned the transporter into an offensive weapon. It’s been to each of her kingdoms, so
Resolve
will not overwhelm them.”

Atiana sighed. “Let’s just get it done so we can get back.” She turned to Stven. “Will you come with me to my meetings?”

Her words truly startled the dragon. “Won’t the ship be frightening enough?”

“Sire, my people have had little to delight them these past years. Your presence will remind them of better times.”

“Sire,” Havlock intervened, “it’s not an entirely safe environment.”

The room filled with George’s voice. “Your gleason sensors might not work, but mine do, and I’ll be watching over you.”

Havlock frowned and looked to Hawke. Hawke frowned back and shrugged. “I’ll look into it, sir. If we can make them work, the roads will be a lot safer for everyone.”

* * * * *

Havlock ordered three squads to secure the road in front of Tricor’s main gate. When
Resolve
settled to the road, the ship was surrounded by an extended perimeter of marines patrolling on gorlacs. The gates stood wide open, and the battlements crawled with soldiers and townsfolk looking out at the great, burnished saucer.
Resolve
was not as large as the transporter, but it dwarfed the more commonly seen shuttles.