The IX (49 page)

Angule flared.
How is such a thing possible? A Kresh of his stature should have easily coped with the presence of bane-metal. It is an ability we acquire in ascendancy from ignorance. And
he
was Unium.

Human ingenuity, I’m afraid. The quantum weapons they have devised were dropped in considerable quantities. Several landed on or near Jahi himself as he attempted to initialize the vext. The doorway became warped, and added its potency to the yield of the singularity vortexes manifesting about him. Zuul tells me Jahi’s threshold was torn into several pieces before combustion took place. He caused quite a blast.

Realization struck Angule.
This could work to our advantage, brother.
 
For does this not mean our numbers are more evenly matched?

Alas, it does not. So outraged were Foroon and To’pesh by the affront to our honor that they have pledged their support to Vetis. Although new to our ranks, the addition of two Lega’trexii to his cause tips the balance in his favor.

Nevertheless, I must not allow such recklessness to continue,
Angule retorted.
An age of strategy and patient nurture comes to fruition. It cannot be thwarted this close to the end by a lack of courage.

A new plan of action began forming in Angule’s mind. He said:
Saffir, I perceive a way this fiasco may be turned to our advantage. Am I not the Prime Catalyct of the Unium? Should I not be seen to support Vetis in promoting his vendetta?
Lowering the tone of his thoughts, he added slyly
: Of course, these latest developments require an embellishment or two of my own
.
After all, we don’t want the final exhalation of fatal provenance consuming the wrong side now, do we?

Enraptured, Saffir bristled in delight:
Your orders?

It is obvious both Unium and Duarium require further training. The devices now employed by the humans are capable of disrupting our enhanced integrity with alarming ease. Therefore, I must devise a defense and share it with the entire cabal, for this will please our Imperator greatly. Of course, I appreciate our more aggressive brethren will be otherwise engaged for the next seven cycles as they mourn for our lost ones. And in this, Vetis must set an example. Therefore, it is essential we use this time wisely. An important aspect of what I have to share is for our faction’s eyes only. You’ll all see why.

Saffir’s eyes glowered and steamed in approval.

Angule wasn’t finished.
Then, I require the services of Lega’trix Caym, Tribunus Raum, and Praefactors Mamone’sh and Orias. Each has shown themselves sensitive to the quintessential nature of emerging Kresh. The children of the Trianium are being roused as we speak. I want to ensure we have our own people there as each innocent is invested with consciousness. If we can distinguish even the slightest potential among the emergent, we must ensure they are assigned to one of our pods.

It will be done, Angule.

Excellent. We will convene at first matins tonight. As the brethren begin to moon-phase with the Cataract, we will disassociate our essences and begin our preparations.

*

Mark Stevens closed his eyes, bowed his head, and allowed the ambience of his surroundings to overtake him. In moments, he was floating in a sea of golden light, and reminiscing about better times.

During the months they had been here, Mark had begun to look on Boleni Heights as his new home. Although vastly smaller than Rhomane, the astrometrics facility had all the creature comforts you could wish for. This was because it was much bigger than appearances first suggested.

The array itself occupied the first three of six levels. Two were above ground, while the rest burrowed deep into the mountain. The parabolic dishes, telescopes, passive and reactive antenna clusters, imaging trains, and targeting scanners filled the top floor with an Aladdin’s cave of hi-Tec material and equipment. Looking like a giant version of a mad scientist’s crown, the edifice was linked to the multitude of computers and workstations on the ground floor below it by literally miles of cables, wires, and photonic relays.

Beneath them, on sub-level one, were the backup generators, scientific labs, and standby stations that allowed for continual research and development to be conducted on site.

Next came the habitat module. A self-contained environment of pastel shades, restful holograms, activity halls, relaxation rooms, and gymnasium that helped the days breeze past without boredom.

The fifth level was heavily armored, for it housed the main computer core, hospital, armory, flyer squadron, and vehicle bay. Hermetically sealed, the sterile environs were connected to the surface by an independent runway and localized transporter pad.

Finally, more than four hundred feet down, lurked the power room. A shielded cavern of titanic energies, kept in check by the arcane contrivance of super-advanced physics.

It had taken Mark considerable time to check out all the nooks and crannies, and every maintenance shaft and service-way the facility had to offer. But he was like that. Meticulous. Thorough. Patient. It came with the job. And where security was concerned, he never compromised. That had its perks, for being methodical had allowed him to discover the most amazing locations over the years.

He was in such a place now, on an overhead gantry near the junction of sub-levels three and four. The cave wall in this area was covered by a phosphorescent form of algae. Under normal circumstances it glowed brightly in the dark, and Mark found the blue-green iridescence enthralling. However, not two weeks ago he had been in the chamber as the sun came up outside. To his amazement, the lichen colony began smoldering with a rich amber radiance that filled the cave with light and warmth. Not only that, he was then astonished to hear the moss issuing an audible tone of such sweetness, it wrung his heart. The symbiotic association of the fragile life form blended so intimately with its environment that it appeared as if the algae were serenading the dawn of each new day. He was enchanted from the word go, and had been drawn here most mornings since.

Word had inevitably spread within the confines of such a small community, and now Mark found himself sharing the wonders of this phenomenon with a growing number of his colleagues.

The chorus ended. Mark breathed a huge sigh of contentment, blinked his eyes open, and thought,
God, I’m going to miss this place.

The Horde attack of the previous week had spurred Commander Cameron into revising his schedule. Only yesterday, they had received fresh orders from Rhomane.

Ten days. Ten lousy days, and then we have to begin all over again.
He snorted.
Still, I shouldn’t complain. At least
I
get to make a fresh start.

His mind was drawn back to the memorial service they had shared online. Saying goodbye was never easy. All the more so when it included friends and acquaintances that were gentle-natured and had just wanted to be left alone.

Thirty-seven lives wasted by those soul-sucking bastards. Thirty-seven! And it would have been far worse if not for Jake’s hunch.

He was about to fill the air with curses when he noticed he wasn’t alone. Bob Neville was among those who had come to listen to the ‘sun-song,’ as it had been dubbed, and he had declined to leave with the rest.

“Something I can help you with, Bob?”

“Er, there might be, if you don’t mind?”

Although coming along in leaps and bounds, Bob was always subdued in Mark’s company. And with the rest of the team, come to that. Mark realized it was probably due to the scientist’s remorse over Jumper’s death. While everyone else now appreciated it had been an unfortunate accident, Bob never seemed quite able to forgive himself.

Edging tentatively forward, Bob continued, “It’s just that I’ve been mulling over one of the directives in the removal order . . . and . . . well, I had an idea.”

“Which one?”

Bob produced his ever present computer pad and scrolled down to an active page. Highlighting a passage, he pointed. “This directive here. See, where it says:

. . . and all equipment and ancillary materials that prove too cumbersome or impractical for relocation are to be left in situ. While this may appear wasteful, the solution is nevertheless practical. Space will be limited onboard, and a selective approach will assist the community as a whole. While the
Arch of Winter
is . . .

“Do you remember the specifics of the passage?”

“I most certainly do,” Mark said, “I lived by it for years. In my line of work we tend to live out of a suitcase and never get the chance to call one place home for long. A few paragraphs on from that, it starts itemizing a list of
approved
and
inappropriate
items. Talk about insulting.”

“Yes, well, I was wondering. Why don’t we use the occasion for a bit of payback?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Commander Cameron has clearly directed that whatever we can’t take has to be discarded and left here, correct?”

“That’s right. Go on.”

“Well, instead of simply dumping it, why don’t we make a
gift
of it?”

“What do you mean by
gift
?”

“Think about it. Because of logistics, we’re going to have to abandon the new power core and backup aqua-drives intact, along with a great deal of other equipment that took us weeks to set up. So, if we have to dispense with them anyway, why don’t we do something useful, and arrange for a little housewarming party? You know as well as I do, as soon as we’re gone, the Horde will inevitably check things out. They’re always hungry. Let’s make certain that what we leave is more . . . 
appealing,
say, by moving three or four of the actuator cells into a more accessible position around the core. They won’t be able to resist them. When the rest of the crowd sees their more inquisitive friends feasting away unharmed, it’ll trigger a feeding frenzy.
That will pull a whole mob of them in. Now, if we rig things properly so we can ensure they’re nicely congregated around their meal . . .” Bob reversed his fist, and then flicked his fingers open, “boom!”

Mark grinned. “I like your thinking, and goodness knows we all want payback for what they did to the mining crew, but won’t that just prompt a whole new wave of spawning?”

“Good point,” Bob acknowledged, “but I wasn’t just thinking of using the core. I intend to pack the place out with quantum gravity mines.”

“Oh, really? How many?”

“Once we’re aboard the
Arch of Winter
, we’ll never need them again. So I was thinking . . . 
all
of them.”

Mark spluttered. “What? Bob, we have over a hundred full-sized mines in the magazine. And more than four times that amount of the micro variety.”

“Oh, I know. I believe the yield should be sufficient to completely crush this mountain and most of the starport out of existence. It will leave one hell of a crater and send quite a statement, don’t you think?”

Mark tried to visualize the devastation such an implosion would cause.

“Of course, to get the command staff to sign off on this,” Bob continued quietly, “I’d need your support. And that of anyone else someone of your influence could manage to get on side.”

Bob, I’m beginning to look at you in a whole new way.

Placing his arm around the other man’s shoulder, Mark steered him from the cave. “Let’s discuss this in greater depth over coffee.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

The Longest Wait

Mohammed’s office looked as if a bomb had hit it. Stacked boxes were everywhere. Filing cabinet drawers hung half-open. Virtually all the seats and worktops were covered in an assortment of equipment and personal items, and a sense of frantic disarray infested every corner of the room.

Amid this clutter, the Vice Commander was in the middle of a meeting.

“. . . and as you can see from the catalog, all relevant stores and administrative records are now in transit to the
Arch of Winter
.” Dr. Rosa Sophia shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve had to be ruthless, but that doesn’t really matter. The entire archive has been crystallized into pertinent categories and will be coming with us in storage.”

Mohammed nodded to her. “Thank you for that, Rosa. It’s great to see how on top of things you are.” He took a huge gulp of coffee before pressing on. “Right. Now we come to city defenses. Marcus? As your men will be protecting the wall and the arc, we’ll start with you.”

Marcus had been listening from a position by the window. Turning, he paced toward the center of the room, and took a seat on a box. “We of the Ninth Legion are well versed in siege preparations, Commander. You need not fear. The bulwark is secure. You are aware our enemy was strangely quiet for a week. That period of grace is now over, and for the past three days they have assailed the city with renewed vigor. As usual, they concentrate their efforts around the site of the
Shivan-Estre
disaster. However, this morning my spotters detected a fresh area where they appear to be congregating in numbers. Thus far, our efforts to determine what they’re up to have been frustrated.”

“Why is that? Too far away?”

“Not at all. The Masters have erected a barrier of some sort. It shimmers like a mirage and defies scrutiny, even from the scopes of the sniper rifles.”

“Hmm. We’ll need to keep an eye on that.”

“Already done. Cathal MacNoimhin departed an hour ago in a shielded skimmer with a contingent of his Iceni tribesmen. They will travel toward the Asterlan Lake for a distance of ten miles before looping round to the Sengennon Hills. The highlanders have sharp eyes, and will be using the filtered optic devices Lieutenant McDonald kindly made available.” He nodded toward Mac, opposite him. “If they see anything of value, they’ll radio in.”