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The Central Exchange was huge by any reasonable standard.
We found ourselves in an open-air plaza with hundreds of gates on each side, swarmed by tens of thousands of people moving back and forth. The set up was a mix of advanced technology and landscaped greeneries as if someone decided to build the world’s biggest transit station in the middle of a garden.
Our arrival was obviously announced, as a couple of official-looking Haillar were waiting for us. The woman looked young but quite stern and severely dressed, unlike the Aldeean ladies we were accustomed to. As in the case of the Haillar military, the contrast between her natural soft features and the uncompromising attitude was somehow hilarious, like children playing dress up for a historical drama. The man was older and looked much more relaxed.
“Greetings humans and welcome to Tao Bellona. I’m Legate Faurist, and my colleague is Deputy Solana representing the Haillar Diplomatic Corps.”
The presence of the Dominion diplomats gave our visit an official spin. Despite our continuing denial, we seemed to be regarded as humanity’s representatives, a new race introducing themselves to the alien confederation.
Christine assumed the role of impromptu ambassador, stepping forward.
“We are delighted to be here in the Dominion’s Capital. My colleagues and I look forward to learning more about your culture, about the Haillar and other associated races.”
While having this exchange of formalities, I noticed at a casual glance at least three other alien species represented in the crowd. It seemed we had come to the right place to encounter races from all over the Dominion. I couldn’t help thinking how much Liz would have liked to be here, see these amazing views and meet new alien races.
With no further ado Deputy Solana waved us forward, and our procession set itself in motion heading to the other side of the plaza, presumably to a different gate. To my surprise, Serruin had attached himself to our group. I gave him a puzzled look, and he felt compelled to clarify.
“My cousin works with the Diplomatic Corps. I’ll stay with him while on Tao Bellona and spend some time visiting our relatives all over the planet.”
The Haillar escorts brought us in front of a different gate, very similar to the one we just arrived through. It was one of the most crowded portals, and we had to patiently wait for our turn. I noticed several new alien races, two or three avian types, a reptile and a being looking like a giant sloth.
“These birds are driang and elisaar,” volunteered Serrruin, who seemed to enjoy his role as a guide.
“The short-beaked ones, the driang, are founding members of the dominion, together with the Haillar and the sloth-like kaverra”, continued the cat pointing at the large arboreal creature. “Kaverra are very reclusive, you are lucky to see one today.”
We finally arrived at the gate and stepped through to the other side. Immediately I had a feeling of vertigo. The destination portal was on a terrace suspended at least one thousand feet in the air. For the first time since encountering the Haillar, I found myself in a place technologically advanced by Earth standards, surrounded by impossible structures.
Our destination was located on a huge cantilevered platform the size of two or three football fields, projecting outwards from an enormous skyscraper at least one thousand feet tall. The place was large enough to accommodate an entire garden, complete with statues and artesian fountains. Behind us, the entire wall raised into a four stories high edifice following the curved contour of the rim. The vast building continued at its furthest end, bridging the gap to a mirroring platform anchored to yet another gigantic tower. The middle part of the arched construction was literally hanging over a chasm down to the waters below.
“The Diplomatic Bureau is that way,” said Solana, pointing to the building. We followed her up the path between manicured lawns, elegant flowerbeds and pink-flowered shrubs trimmed to artistic perfection.
The path levelled towards the middle of the platform. We stopped to admire an artesian decorated with statues of mythological beings.
“These are the twenty-five Dominion races,” pointed out Legate Faurist.
Oops, my mistake. I belatedly recognised a kalan and immediately after the delicate frame of a Haillar woman.
We took a short alley towards the nearest doors, nested into a tall archway reminding me of the entrance into a gothic cathedral. By contrast, the inside was a large but rather utilitarian lobby, looking very much like the atrium of a corporate building on Earth.
“These are the Diplomatic Corps headquarters. It hosts representatives of all Dominion worlds, both offices and guest accommodations. The Warden of Aldeea instructed us to lodge you in their section. Of course, in time your race would have their own wing here.”
The Legate seemed to be under the impression that Earth joining the Dominion was a foregone conclusion and that we were humanity’s advance party. I would have expected Commander Koslowsky to repeat the message we only came as individuals, but Christine’s question came first.
“Is there a Dorien section of the building?”
“Of course,” responded the Legate. “It only holds offices though, as House Dorien maintain their own compound on Tao Bellona. I’m aware of your affiliation with Order and Chaos, and I’ll expect you’ll meet their officials during the following days.”
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Our first visitor was not a Sen’Dorien though, but a Sen’Diessa.
Legate Faurist came to our rooms later that evening, together with a middle-aged Haillar with a ready smile and sunny demeanour.
“I have the pleasure to introduce Maurien Sen’Diessa, welcoming you on behalf of the Council,” said the elderly official.
It didn’t take long for the ruling Council to notice our presence. My earlier fears about the ever-present benevolent government resurfaced.
“Greetings, Dominion guests!”, said the newcomer stepping in. “I’m here both as a Council envoy but also as Ashar Sen’Dorien’s long-standing friend and ally. And, to be fair, to satisfy a personal curiosity of mine, meeting a race that looks so similar to us. So, allow me to be the first Sen’Haillar to welcome you on Tao Bellona.”
“Thank you for your kind words, Sir”, responded Christine. “We arrived here at Sen’Dorien’s queen invitation, aiming to learn more about the Dominion and your race. We met and befriended Ellandra during the initial contact, but otherwise we are in no way empowered by our race to represent Earth in front of the Council.”
Our group had agreed earlier that Christine, rather than Commander Koslowski, should represent us in front of the Haillar authorities. We had to reinforce the message that we were not an Earth sanctioned embassy, but rather a group of civilians visiting Tao Bellona on our own.
“I greet you then as Ashar’s guests. I met the Chaos Queen just before the Conclave, and she only had good words about your valour in defence of Aldeea.”
A puzzling statement if I ever heard one. The very idea that we had become a discussion topic between the Haillar government and Ellandra’s heir was worrisome in itself. On top of this, our main contribution to the siege was evacuating Endeavour and thus making way for the queen to spring her magical trap. Hardly staff worth receiving lofty accolades on the Haillar corridors of power.
We were again caught in a plot we didn’t quite understand, with potential consequences escaping us altogether and I increasingly appreciated Captain Holt’s initial reluctance to our voyage. We were getting ourselves entangled in Haillar politics, involving humanity in the process. If only Navy’s greed for information hadn’t overcome their common sense.
Maurien saw our confusion and felt the need to clarify. Or further obfuscate the matter, depending on one’s perspective.
“The Council had approved Ashar’s petition to bring your planet under the Haillar Shield. Conveying this message is the very reason I’m here, besides my curiosity. My own Queen learned of your arrival on a Sen’Diessa vessel and wasted no time welcoming you o
n behalf of the Council.”
“Your own queen …?”
“Darian’ Faun Sen’Diessa. Lady of Spirit and one of the three queens standing in the current Haillar Council.”
In between Ashar Sen’Dorien and this new and apparently even more powerful queen, our low-profile visit seemed to have drawn quite a bit of attention.
“Council greetings aside”, continued our guest, “I’m curious to learn more about you, as people. About your world, your beliefs, your culture. And in turn, I’m here to respond any question you may have about the Dominion and my race, the Haillar.”
The next couple of hours were intense. Maurien Sen’Diessa proved to be a keen interlocutor eager to learn about each and every facet of our society, while at the same time staying relaxed and occasionally funny. In return, compared to Aleen and Ellandra who sometimes could be annoyingly cryptic, the male was a veritable fountain of information concerning the Haillar themselves. Unlike the early days, by now we knew enough to ask the right questions and place the answers in their proper context.
“I feel we finally had our breakthrough”, concluded Christine. “We have a clear idea of the Dominion size, their political structure, their impressive history and tradition.”
“We have the Haillars’ own perspective on their history and tradition”, corrected Charles. “Which may or may not be entirely accurate. After all, those samun guys are no longer around to defend their own point of view.”
“Having seen the Scourge attack, I can’t say I’m sorry.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Maurien story is necessarily flawed. We simply don’t have the means to separate historical facts and exaggerations. Yet, leaving aside the obvious myths built around the immortal Haillar queens, their ancient overlords eventually went extinct. And that’s a fact.”
“I’m more interested in verifiable information,” intervened Koslowsky. “If our guest was correct, and this can be verified easily, the Dominion consists of close to three thousand planets, grouped in six administrative districts, each governed by two queens. So Ellandra, or Ashar to be more precise, was the Suzerain queen of roughly five hundred planets.”
I remember having tea with her and Liz in Ellandra’s homely residence. Or flipping through pictures and teaching her chess in a rustic Aldeean tavern. Damn it, Liz nearly convinced her to dance glow together. Two extraordinary women, both gone in a blink of an eye…
“It’s more complicated than this”, responded Christine. “Some of these planets are not Haillar but belong to other Dominion species. Those worlds are not ruled by the queens, yet they fall under their protection.”
“I think this clarifies Maurien’s initial message about Council’s willingness to bring Earth under the Haillar Shield.”
Haillar Shield as opposed to Dominion’s Shield. The entire concept sounded so anachronic, so medieval. Ellandra’s initial analogy between the Sen’Haillar and Earth’s religious orders was making a bit more sense. Except there was nothing religious about the Great Houses, if we excluded the myths about queens’ eternal reincarnation. They did not honour a higher god, they honoured instead the Dominion accords, a feudal contract demanding fealty to the suzerain in exchange for protection.
Was the Scourge threat real enough for Earth to enter such a relationship? Were we ready to give up our freedom for Haillars’ protection? Or was there any other way, a path leading to Earth’s future as an independent star faring nation in its own right?
CHAPTER 9 (ELIZABETH)
“The Scourge will arrive at Tao Bellona in three days time.”
Favriel’s opening statement is a total surprise. We take seats facing each other, two overdressed guests of the high-end tea parlour located at the top of the Council’s tower. At least I feel uncomfortable and overdressed, while Favriel looks at ease in her elaborate Frost Queen regalia, as calm and composed as ever. She’s such a far cry from the gangly youth who joined our crew straight from the Academy aeons ago, at the start of the samun wars. Millenia have passed, yet I remember her as it was yesterday, enthusiastic yet timid, eager to fight yet unsure of her prowess. We were fast friends then and are still friends today, a bond of camaraderie unbroken for seventy thousand cycles.
I’m meeting the Frost Queen at her request, the evening following the Formal Conclave. We need to define our strategy for the negotiations to come. I’m representing the entire House Dorien, while Favriel only represents herself. Frost, Order and Chaos, a long-standing alliance accounting for a quarter of the Conclave Votes. The Queen of Fire Tourin Sen’Galahad occasionally joins us, but Favriel’s partner is too much of a wilful woman to commit herself to a permanent coalition, so we can count on her support as often as not.
“I didn’t expect meeting the Scourge warlord’s representatives so soon” I respond. In truth, I thought we had half a cycle or more before such discussions can be arranged, after millennia of silence and intermittent warfare. “For their embassy to arrive on Tao Bellona three days after the Conclave vote it means they were lying in wait somewhere close to Dominion’s border.”
“They were indeed stationed with the kreussa, few light cycles away from Caldeor. The snakes were the ones who contacted the Council about this peace offer.”
I couldn’t resist a grimace. The reptiloid kreussa were pirates and smugglers, and one of the few races immune to the Scourge mind control. That made them natural intermediaries between the warring sides, despite being sometimes active participants on either side of the conflict. The snakes’ only creed was their profit, so various kreussa bands were as likely to ally with the Scourge as to betray them. Or be betrayed in turn, the Scourge themselves being masters of double-crossing.
On top of my general dislike for the race, I came across the kreussa branch located next to Caldeor twelve cycles ago, soon after my Ellandra avatar ascended as the Chaos Queen. I’m pretty sure the snakes who survived our encounter have no reason to nurture warm feelings for the Haillar in general, or me in particular. Any diplomatic mission staged with their support can be expected to be a big fat lie. Not that we didn’t suspect the Scourge reasons from the very beginning.
“When did this happen?”
“Not ten days ago” responded Favriel apologetically. As Council member and Mistress of the Fleets, she was in the loop from the very beginning, but Council rules prevented her from sharing details in advance of a formal Conclave vote. No such restrictions apply now, after the vote came and went against us.
“Based on all information the Council has, what do we believe is the real reason for these peace talks?”
“We honestly don’t know much more than was shared during the Conclave. The one thing we know for sure is that the Scourge are now united behind this Son of Jael, who allegedly wants to end our protracted war.”
“Does the Council really trust him?”
“No, no more than you do. Yet both Faun and Asturien are confident that we only stand to gain by entering these talks. The Scourge themselves went to great lengths to look unthreatening, being scheduled to arrive on a kreussa courier frigate.”
A kreussa courier could not accommodate more than twenty-five people, including the crew, so the enemy delegation must be very small indeed. Yet, over millennia the Scourge have gained a well-deserved reputation for deviousness, and I did not expect Xandor the Son of Jael to be any different.
“A single Scourge lord on Tao Bellona is more than enough to sow trouble.”
“That’s a given”, agreed Favriel. “I was against these talks from the very beginning, at least in their current form, but as long as a frontal Scourge attack doesn’t seem possible, the Queen of Spirit believes the location is irrelevant. Faun is actually convinced that on Tao Bellona we’ll have the upper hand, and she’s actively involved in preparations.”
Makes sense. With Favriel opposed and Asturien directly affected by Nadellonia’s loss, Faun Sen’ Diessa was the Council’s logical choice to supervise the arrangements.
�
�I would assume the fleet does not remain idle waiting for these peace talks to end the war” I probe.
“Admiral Eporien Sen’Aisir plans to double our shipyard capacity over the coming cycles. His aim is to build twelve new swarm carriers by the end of this cycle, and twelve new ones every half cycle after this.”
“It won’t be enough to protect all Dominion worlds against wanton destruction.”
“Nothing will be enough, as we can’t station a fleet in each and every system. Yet, despite of these talks or precisely because of them, I believe we need all the ships we can get in the coming decades. Sen’Aisir intends to double the fleet in fifty cycles, and I tend to agree. It’s a terrible drain of resources, and I’ll need your support in the coming Conclave in this matter.”
Favriel is right. The Great Houses will bear the bulk of the costs, not just resources but especially people. We’ll need to double the current shipyard engineering crews in order to build the carriers as well as train millions of adepts to fly these ships. I can see some of us being reluctant, especially since it’s unclear how exactly the newly built fleets can prevent something like Nadellonia ever happening again.
“Reith and I will stay by your side. I know my sister, and she agrees the war is about to get worse and we’ll need more ships in the cycles to come.” Yet more fleets are not the answer, at least not all of it. We need to take the initiative and turn the tables against the Scourge. As much as I dislike the talks, now that they happen maybe there is an opportunity in them.
“I assume you will receive the Scourge envoy in the Council chambers.” According to Dominion law, initial negotiations with an alien race will involve the acting Council, not the Conclave as a whole. Any interested queen could follow the proceedings, though it was almost unheard for one of us to be actively involved, as we usually trust the Council to do their job. This time around though it will be different, and I expect all of us to stay close to the talks.
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