He knew—logic dictated—that the little man walking toward Drake had emerged from stasis. He knew that the midget was a real enemy from the past.
Codrus locked his gaze on the little man’s companion—the soldier-hunter, the one called Gillian—and for a moment, his troubles receded and he found himself utterly fascinated by the man’s delicate movements; the casual way his arms swung at his sides and the way his calm gray eyes slowly panned the chamber, seeing everyone and looking at no one, as if the eyes were under the control of some remote scanning machine inside his brain. And Codrus understood why Reemul had twice been unable to kill this man, though he knew he could not bend his thoughts into words. There was an aspect to this Gillian that defied description. Codrus had never before seen such a human.
* * *
With a mad grin, Nick hopped up on the empty chair next to Drake. He stood on the seat’s plush fabric, hands on hips, surveying the Council.
“Well now, I hope you don’t mind my shoes on your furniture, but it’s a little hard to see what’s going on from way down there.” He pointed to the floor.
Drake spoke coldly. “You are here to provide information. Please provide it. The Council has much business to attend to.”
Nick chuckled. “I’ll just bet it does, yes, sir! Well, the truth of the matter is, Gillian and I came here to do a little more than just provide information. I’m afraid by the time we’re finished, we’re going to have upset the whole apple cart, if you catch my drift.”
Rome observed the women. A faint grin expanded Nu-Lin’s shallow cheeks. Lady Bonneville frowned; the age lines on her forehead stood out sharply.
Nick said, “I suppose we better start at the beginning.”
He told them about his own history as an E-Tech programmer during the final days, and about the special team that had been assembled to hunt down the Paratwa assassins. He told them about the three Ash Ock who had never died and who possessed life spans measured in centuries. He told them about how the Royal Caste had recruited Reemul, the liege-killer, and he told them about the process of sapient supersedure and how the Ash Ock had assumed the identities of Earth leaders, in the days of pre-Apocalypse. And he told them what the Earth had been like in the midst of such madness.
When he finished, Drake shook his head. “Six-hundred-year life spans? This is nonsense.”
“El-e-gant-ly put.”
Lady Bonneville chuckled. “Dear Mr. Nicholas, you do tell stories.”
Artwhiler frowned and said nothing.
Undaunted, Nick grinned. “All that I’ve told you is just background, you understand. The real story begins during the final days, in the last decade of the twenty-first century, when the Ash Ock began to realize that their dream of conquest was about to be brought to a jarring conclusion.
“Now, they were of the Royal Caste, and they were not going to let a little thing like the Apocalypse interfere with their plans. So they got together, studied the options, and concluded that humanity was going in two directions, both of which were up, away from the planet.
“The two great hopes for the survival of the human race were the Colonies and the starships, and under the circumstances, both options must have looked pretty good to the Ash Ock. But option one—life in the Colonies—had some severe disadvantages. The major problem was E-Tech and their rigid tests for colonial immigration. Now the Ash Ock knew they could pass those tests and make it up to the Colonies, but they also must have realized there was no way that they were going to get their army of Paratwa up to the cylinders. It was just not feasible that thousands of assassins would be able to slip by E-Tech’s security precautions.
“But the starships—ahh, there was a more viable option. The Star-Edge project was not under the direct control of E-Tech; it was ruled by the remnants of what had once been the planet’s respected scientific community. The scientists and engineers who were building the starships needed funding for their colossal project and with the growing worldwide distrust of technology, money was tight.”
Rome listened, fascinated. He saw that the others were listening with equal attention, except for Gillian, who had not taken a seat and who was slowly circling the perimeter of the huge table, his eyes facing the center, observing them all.
Nick continued. “The Star-Edge scientists went public, offering salvation among the stars—a chance for those who could afford the price. For exorbitant fees, Star-Edge sold berths on the great starships. Thousands of wealthy citizens who had been denied immigration to the Colonies snatched up this chance to get away from the doomed planet. And in that way, Star-Edge made enough money to complete the construction of the great ships, in Earth orbit.”
Nick smiled. “Now if there was one thing the Ash Ock had, it was money, lots of it. And Star-Edge, desperate for funding, would not have looked too closely at many of their wealthy applicants, for they had to complete the project and they could not afford to turn away the richest offerings. And so, over the space of several years, a wealthy army of Paratwa assassins, under the direction of the Royal Caste, infiltrated the project and guaranteed themselves a trip to the stars.”
The starships! Rome thought. Is it truly possible? Had the Ash Ock and an army of Paratwa assassins escaped into space two centuries ago?
Nick went on. “Most of the passengers journeyed in stasis, of course; it was a long trip to the star systems they set out to colonize. But Sappho and Theophrastus remained awake. A hundred and seventy years ago, when the starships were well beyond our solar perimeter, the Ash Ock woke up their army and took control.
“The last messages to reach the Colonies hinted that fighting had broken out and that several of the vessels had been destroyed. I believe that was a ruse. I believe that the Paratwa overran those vessels with little resistance and then sent messages back to Earth indicating that turmoil and revolt threatened the destruction of the whole fleet.
“And then, with the Ash Ock—namely, Theophrastus and Sappho—in control, and with Paratwa assassins in command of every vessel, that fleet of ships continued their journey.
“Eventually the ships would have arrived at the targeted star systems. Perhaps the Paratwa even colonized planets according to the original Star-Edge plans. Who knows? But we do know that for over two centuries, Theophrastus and Sappho would have remained awake and free to continue their program of scientific advancement, going beyond the technology of the pre-Apocalyptics. Science without limits, out among the stars, unfettered by the restrictions of E-Tech.
“The Ash Ock’s long-range plan for the sublimation of humanity would have been carried out, in miniature, aboard those starships. The thousands of surviving humans would have been enslaved by the Paratwa, put to work, bred and domesticated and no doubt forced to carry out all menial tasks, leaving the Paratwa free to work on their primary goal—the advancement of technology to a point far beyond the level reached by the pre-Apocalyptics.
“Their overall goal, of course, was to return to Earth someday and, with their superior technology, accomplish what they had failed to do two centuries ago—conquer humanity.”
Drake shook his head. “If this bizarre tale of yours is true, which I have not been convinced of, then what does it have to do with Bishop Vokir and his Church temples?”
The midget grinned. “Ahh, we come to the most interesting part of all!
“The third Ash Ock who survived the Apocalypse—Codrus—remained in the Colonies. His job was to make sure that human civilization maintained tight scientific controls so that when the Paratwa returned from the stars, they would not be met by a culture as technologically advanced as their own.
“Codrus was to make sure that E-Tech remained the powerful guiding force that it was when the starships took flight over two hundred years ago.”
Nick nodded toward Rome. “In the E-Tech vaults, a short time ago, we discovered the evidence of Codrus’s manipulations. At least four times in the past, through sapient supersedure—killing a human and replacing him with a
tway—Codrus was able to rise to the top position at the ICN.”
Nick turned to Drake. “The ICN was the most logical choice for Codrus’s manipulations. There was no sense in infiltrating E-Tech; they already shared the Ash Ock goal, at least for human society. Besides, it was the ICN that always held the real power in the Colonies. It was the ICN that decided where most of the money was going to be spent.”
Rome could see Drake’s face tightening, as if invisible hands were slowly squeezing the black cheeks together.
“Four times,” continued Nick, “Codrus took control of the ICN and steered its course away from scientific and technological progress. Four times, over the space of two hundred years, Codrus managed to stem the inevitable tide we sometimes refer to as human advancement.
“But in our era, Codrus miscalculated. For whatever reason, he was not able to implement supersedure and assume a leadership role at the ICN. He was forced to acquire a lesser position.
“For Codrus and the Ash Ock, it was a big mistake. They underestimated Drake and the ICN. They failed to perceive, until it was too late, that the current leadership at the ICN—Drake, with the full support of his directors’ board—were determined to remove all limits on science and technology.” Nick stared calmly at the huge councilor. “It’s been Drake who’s been secretly supporting La Gloria de la Ciencia, funneling money to them, helping them to achieve widespread popular support, financing their rise to power. It’s been Drake and the ICN who’ve been secretly responsible for the decline of E-Tech.”
Drake’s face rippled with suppressed anger. He refused to meet Rome’s eyes.
“The dam was about to break—science and technology were about to run rampant throughout the Colonies. The hi-tech spiral was about to begin again, and Codrus was not in a position to stop it. But the dam had to be shored up. E-Tech had to remain strong. Drastic measures were called for.
“Enter Reemul—the Jeek assassin—put into stasis by the Royal Caste before the Apocalypse, left behind, probably along with a few other assassins, in case Codrus should ever need special assistance.
“We can all see the effects of Reemul’s murderous rampage. E-Tech is growing stronger again, and people are being retaught the same hard lesson they first learned two centuries ago—science and technology require limits.”
Rome glanced at the others, read looks of surprise, bewilderment, disbelief. Gillian continued to circle the perimeter of the chamber. A hungry carnivore, thought Rome, seeking its prey.
“Through a complex arrangement that made Bob Max a shareholder in the West Yemen Corporation, Codrus managed to bring disgrace to both the ICN and La Gloria de la Ciencia.” Nick turned to Artwhiler. “The Guardians, unable to stop Reemul, also suffered a loss of credibility.”
Artwhiler reddened.
“Codrus’s mission was almost accomplished. Through his actions, the pendulum was about to swing back again, toward more stringent social controls by E-Tech.”
Drake pressed. “And Bishop Vokir and the temples?”
“Bishop Vokir is one of the tways of Codrus. Beneath those three temples are faster-than-light transmitters, invented by Theophrastus, no doubt, well before the Apocalypse. Codrus and the Paratwa who journeyed to the stars have never lost touch with each other.”
Nick explained the nature of the evidence in E-Tech’s vaults that linked Vokir to Bob Max.
Drake shook his head angrily. “Have you actually seen these faster-than-light transmitters?”
“Two of them were booby-trapped and exploded as we tried to enter, killing the Alexanders.” A cold grin spread across the tiny face. “But we got into the third one. We activated the transmitter and had a rather interesting conversation with an Ash Ock lieutenant, a Jeek Elemental named Meridian.”
* * *
How? thought Codrus. How could they have gotten into the transmitter?
The safeguards, designed by Theophrastus himself, were faultless. Illegal entry would cause an explosion that would totally annihilate all evidence of the facility. Only an Ash Ock could penetrate those chambers. It made no sense.
* * *
Nick continued. “Through trickery, we were able to confirm most of our speculations. One tway of Codrus is, indeed, Bishop Vokir. The other tway is an Irryan councilor.”
Nu-Lin shook her head. “Ab-surd.”
“Is it?” Nick licked his lips and suddenly compressed his body. He leaped from his chair and landed at Lady Bonneville’s side. Startled, she jerked upright. A vicious smile distorted the midget’s face.
“Lady Bonneville, I have a question for you.”
Nervously, she folded her hands together and laid them on top of the polished table.
“Over two weeks ago, at the end of a Council meeting, you provided Rome Franco with information about the ICN’s involvement in the West Yemen Corporation—about how Drake was secretly funneling money through that corporation in order to finance La Gloria de la Ciencia.”
She nodded slowly. “Yes, I seem to remember doing that.”
“Why did you leak that information to Rome? After all, you’ve generally been fully supportive of La Gloria de la Ciencia yourself.”
The Lady spoke slowly.
“Contrary to this Council’s belief, I do not—nor have I ever—fully supported La Gloria de la Ciencia.”
Drake scowled.
“It’s true that I’ve been mainly opposed to E-Tech over the years. I’ve always wanted to see more scientific research and a gradual lessening of this cultural stranglehold that E-Tech has had us in for over two centuries.” She shook her head. “But there have to be some limits. I wish only to see a better balance between E-Tech and La Gloria de la Ciencia.”
She turned to Drake. “Your way is wrong, Elliot. I don’t think we’ve acquired any great fountain of wisdom since the days of the Apocalypse, but we have learned some things. There must be a balance. It is our job to maintain it.”
Nick laid his hand on her shoulder. The Lady did not flinch.
“One more question, Lady Bonneville. Where did you get that information about the West Yemen Corporation?”
“My sources must remain confidential.”
Nick shrugged. “It really doesn’t matter. We know that the information was leaked by someone in the Commerce League.”
Gillian stopped his circling, halted directly behind Nu-Lin. Rome studied the woman; regal chin and pale white cheeks, the cold blue eyes dancing with amusement.
Nick pointed his finger at Nu-Lin. “Meridian gave away the fact that Codrus’s other tway was a woman. With Drake cleared, that left you as the only other real possibility. Lady Bonneville was never much of a suspect. Even if she didn’t grant her total loyalties, she’s been a consistently strong supporter of the ICN and La Gloria de la Ciencia. No Ash Ock would disguise itself that well.
“But you, Nu-Lin—you’ve been E-Tech’s vigilant friend on the Council all along. It was you who stood by E-Tech in their darkest days. It was you who engineered the political defeat, five years ago, of Councilor Artwhiler’s plan for a series of deep-space probes that would have served as a perimeter warning system—a system that might well have alerted the Colonies to the Ash Ock’s return from the stars.
“It was you, as head of the Commerce League, who have consistently pushed for a solution to the so-called Costeau problem, seeking to rid Sirak-Brath of their influence, seeking to keep the pirates far outside the mainstream of colonial life. For you know that when the starships return, when your conquering army of Paratwa assassins enter the Colonies, the pirates will have to be isolated and destroyed.”
Nick faced the other councilors. “The Ash Ock are shrewd. They will not conquer merely by raw force, which would only serve to unite people against them, but with the subtler tools of the vanquisher: bribes, promises, great rewards for those humans willing to cooperate. But the Costeaus today are an aloof subculture of colonial society—renegades living by their own harsh standards. An invading army of Paratwa assass
ins would only serve to infuriate the pirates, unite them even further. Under Ash Ock reign, the Costeaus, millions strong, would form the basis for a guerrilla army—fearless warriors planting the seeds of revolt throughout the Colonies, inspiring millions of other humans to join them.”
Nick shook his head. “The Ash Ock would have to deal harshly with the Costeaus. The pirates would have to be annihilated. And the more removed they were from mainstream culture, the easier such genocide would be.”
Nu-Lin arose. “I do not quite kno-w ho-w to re-act to these pre-pos-ter-ous ac-cu-sa-tions.”
“You can begin,” said Nick, “by giving us a date—the year that the Ash Ock starships will reenter our solar system.”
Nu-Lin turned to Drake. “These ri-dic-u-lous in-sults have gone far enough. I de-mand that these two men be re-moved from cham-bers.”
Gillian laughed. Rome started to speak but in one blinding motion, Gillian moved to Nu-Lin’s side and slid his Cohe wand up under her jaw. She gasped as the needle touched her flesh.
Artwhiler roared to his feet. “Let her go!”
“Sit down,” said Gillian, “or I’ll kill her.”
The words were spoken with such utter calm that even Artwhiler had no trouble reading Gillian’s intentions. Frowning, the Guardian commander resumed his seat.
“The date?” demanded Gillian, pushing the point of his needle into her neck until it almost punctured the skin.
Codrus raised his head, locked eyes with his tormentor, knew what he should have known ages ago; that no human hid behind those sharp gray eyes, that no human hand gripped the delicate Cohe with its sharp needle.
So simple. I should have seen. We all should have seen. The soldier-hunter was the tway of an assassin. Somehow, in defiance of all theory, E-Tech had found a way to keep a tway alive after the death of its other half.
Gillian met the cold blue eyes. “I’m going to ask you one more time. When are Sappho and Theophrastus scheduled to reenter our solar system?”
Nu-Lin remained silent.
Liege-Killer Page 44
