by Lisa Eskra
Aliane had known Tiyuri for over a century now and had not been able to broach the topic of their relationship. She sensed it was a painful subject for him.
Valera's unique position made it rare to leave the General Secretary's side so necessity required Aliane to come to her. The Asian might not go along with the heinous act she'd been plotting. Before they left Superbia, Tiyuri assured her Valera would, but Aliane wasn't sure the woman stood ready to betray her government and all of humanity.
"When did you meet Valera?" She turned toward him, leaving it clear he had no choice but to answer.
"I didn't leave Vilcabamba under the best circumstances. I stole a ship and was chased out of the system relentlessly for days. If I headed into AC space, I'd be turned back over to the government of Meru, likely for execution. The other ships knew better than to follow me into PAU territory, and my vessel was seized not long after I crossed into their space.
"To their credit, the crew was competent. They were able to get out a distress call before I commandeered their warship. Fearing I was some kind of AC spy, the PAU sent Valera to secure the safe return of their vessel. I'd never had my mind dominated before, and the next thing I remember is waking up chained to the wall in a cell sedated to suppress my powers."
Aliane leaned toward him with her hand under her chin. "What happened?"
"Valera was there everyday while they tested me, to see what sort of a psion I really was. The government decided I could be useful, so she persuaded me to stay on Kashtivone. She touched my heart in a way no one ever had. But it wasn't meant to be."
"Why not?"
"I wanted to get serious and she didn't." His lingering silence told her that was all he planned to say on the subject so she let the matter drop without contest.
His calculating and patient nature might have paid off with Valera if he never stumbled upon Aliane that fateful day. Part of her regretted using him as a tool of her own devices, for depriving him of any semblance of a normal life. But he'd lost that on Meru, where psions were exploited and forced to fight each other to the death for sport. If he'd become a monster, it was by their hand, not hers.
Few people nowadays would label him a victim for his horrible deeds, but they didn't see his softer side: a student of human nature, an artist of superlative quality. He didn't take any joy in causing others to suffer; he used it as a means to an end. That was his duty—the only life he'd ever known.
Amoral, yes, but hardly evil in her eyes.
She'd been troubled since meeting back up with Tiyuri in regards to Magnius. He'd managed to get away from her assassin not just once but twice. The experience had humbled Tiyuri before Aliane, and she could clearly see he wanted to kill Magnius because of it. "Once our task on Kashtivone is finished, I want you to continue looking for Magnius."
"To what end? He has no intentions of joining you of his own accord. As far as I'm concerned, you should either leave him be or let me kill him."
"Perhaps," she said. "And perhaps it was my own failings with Magnius that led us to this point. I should've had you hunt him down as soon as he left. But I didn't because I felt like he'd already failed us. I figured he'd learn a valuable lesson about how it felt to not fit in out there in the real world and come running back. But he didn't. And then I'd learned he died in a transport accident…" She closed her eyes and recalled the moment like a fresh memory. "It made me regret giving him any reason to run away in the first place."
"The decision was his," Tiyuri said, returning his stony gaze to the large window at the front of the ship.
"I was much too hard on him. He was just a boy, confused and frustrated. Trying to make us happy but never succeeding."
He was the closest thing she'd ever had to a son. When he ran away, the last shred of humanity in her heart withered to dust. She didn't have a good reason for wanting him to return aside from selfish possessiveness.
"You cannot change the past," he reminded her. "What's done is done. I do not think he presents any risk to us."
She put her hand on Tiyuri's muscular shoulder. "You're right. But this is not a time to be complacent. If he's not under my control, he can be used against us, and I will not allow that to happen. After the incident, you will return to New England and continue your search."
"After I lost him, it seemed like he disappeared. I don't know where he's hiding, but I think the task would be better suited to a telepath."
"Who? Zingeri? Your talents in going unnoticed exceed his. I'd prefer Magnius brought to us alive, after all. He must've found someone willing to help him. Find him before he decides to leave the planet."
He bowed his head. "Of course, Mistress. Your wish is my will."
The voyage to Sirius took several days, but they made it in good time. With any luck the return trip to Superbia would take less than a week. Tiyuri might be loyal, but his poor conversational skills made for long periods of insidious silence. At least it gave her time to work on her memoirs.
As the ship descended through the thick stratus clouds of Kashtivone over a large island continent, Aliane felt fortunate the two of them wouldn't need to get through the tight security around the palace. The PAU was notoriously paranoid about psions and employed psions of their own to seek out intruders. Valera was head of the government's psionic defense system, but she wouldn't commit treason and let them inside. Instead, she agreed to meet them in the great desert of Algiers where they could talk unseen.
Monsoon season had come to the desert early. When they neared the surface, a dark shade of taupe covered the sandy ground and the arroyos spilled over with fresh water. Large rain droplets rolled across the window obscuring the view while she landed and taxied over to another small ship, at which point they stopped and climbed out.
Valera waited for them under a wiry desert tree that stood alone in the scrub grass. They headed through the humid air toward her, wary that the sky would open up and produce another deluge any moment. Its thick trunk and dense branches made her seem tiny by comparison. Valera's long black hair cascaded over her shoulders down to her waist. Her skin gleamed in bronzed olive, and her short black dress showed off as much skin as it could.
When they approached her, Aliane saw that Valera wasn't the perfect doll seemed from afar. Her eyes had a strong slant, and her over-plucked eyebrows had been drawn on her face. The skin on her body looked speckled and uneven as though she had goose bumps that never went away.
"Hello, Tiyuri," she said. "I never thought I would see you again. But here we are." Her flirtatious advances were quite the opposite of his reserved nature.
The fact she'd spoken to him before acknowledging Aliane annoyed her, but she bit her tongue. The mission was far too important to be swept aside by meaningless tripe. "How much do you know about the Xuranians, Valera?"
"Enough."
"They've denied a request I made to them for an alliance with psions. One of their delegates took the request back to their homeworld, but they decided we weren't different enough from humans or persecuted enough to bother saving."
She furrowed her brow and glanced between Aliane and Tiyuri. "What does this have to do with me?"
"No matter how good their intentions are, somebody's going to draw first blood eventually. And what do you think's going to happen when they attack? They are superior to humans in every single way. There's no reason for them to keep us around as slaves when they have mechanoids to do their bidding. They could kill us all with something simple, like poisoning our water supply. We wouldn't even know and there would be no way to fight back. What if there was a way to keep my people and your people safe from the Xuranian's wrath?"
Aliane already knew Valera didn't sympathize with the plight of psions. She'd always been treated like royalty by the government for her contributions to their security so she had little incentive to help. Servants waited on her hand and foot in the Imperial Palace. When she spoke to the General Secretary, he listened. She feasted upon prisoners at will. An alliance bet
ween the Xuranians and the psions would not improve her life in any way.
There was only one reason she would put her life on the line for such a foolish endeavor: Tiyuri. As the only man Valera respected or even feared, he held a certain sway over her. She felt a rush knowing he could kill her at any time—because all humans and most psions easily fell prey to her strong domination skills. That danger seduced her.
Valera narrowed her eyes at Aliane. "What are you planning?"
"I plan to get psions the respect they deserve for once and for all," Aliane said. "And the Pan-Asian Union could finally take control of Astra, sharing in the bounty of advances and technology from Xur, given freely to their allies in order to eliminate the Allied Confederacy."
Her stare turned towards Tiyuri. "I'm listening."
"We'd be lying if we told you what we're asking is going to be easy," he told her, "but it is necessary."
Large drops of water began to fall from the sky. "As you know in one week, a delegation of humans will arrive on Xur. I know you will be a member of the PAU's assembly. There is a small but vocal minority of American citizens who oppose an alliance with the Xuranian people. There's bound to be someone in attendance who sympathizes with their cause. With a little prodding it should be possible to persuade them to commit acts of violence against the Xuranians. If it's terrible enough, it should incite war.
"But it's not enough to give the Xuranians reason to attack. They need to have a reason to align themselves with the PAU. What if Oleg Straikovsky was assassinated? Such an event would cause the PAU to declare war against the AC as well. An alliance is only natural. They have the firepower and you have the right location to launch attacks. By that point, the Xuranians will want as many psions as they can get their hands on to deal with humans, and I'll be there to pick up the slack."
Valera shook her head. "The plan's too ambitious. It would never succeed."
When she turned to leave, Tiyuri caught her shoulder and held her in place. "Have you read the prophecies?"
"You know I don't believe in that nonsense."
"The prophecy states that a year of darkness will consume the valley of eagles," he said, his eyes smoldering with sincerity. "Make that happen and assure your place in history. Joining with the Xuranians will bring us more power than we ever dreamed. Think of it, Valera: Astra at our fingertips and the Allied Confederacy on its knees. All thanks to you."
Using Tiyuri's distraction, Aliane closed her eyes and put her powers of mental manipulation to use. <
Valera's face softened, her apparent weakness for his lack of charm surfacing. "Do you really believe in this plan?"
"I would not be a part of it if I thought there was no chance to succeed." The pace of the rain quickened until it poured from the sky.
She leaned toward him and pressed her lips passionately against his. Aliane averted her eyes, taking shelter under a dense part of the canopy to avoid the downpour. When Valera began to moan, Aliane cleared her throat. "Will you help us?"
Valera licked her lips and nodded. "And just so I have this straight, you want me to go to Xur and have AC citizens commit violent acts before coming home, killing General Secretary Straikovsky, and making it look like an assassination by the AC."
"Yes. I wish Tiyuri and I could be a part of it, but it's extremely important we have a solid alibi. The first thing the AC will try to do is blame us for this incident. You are the perfect person for this job. And remember, it must be completely convincing."
She smirked. "You don't need to worry about that. I've arranged assassinations before. I know what I'm doing." Valera glanced back toward Tiyuri. "When will I get to see you again?"
"Soon," he said and moved toward Aliane. "Soon."
"All the more reason for my mission to be a success," she said. "And trust me—I will succeed. I always succeed."
The three of them raced back to their ships through the rain and quickly climbed inside. Aliane grabbed a towel from the bathroom in a futile attempt to dry herself off. With her hair still dripping and her clothes soaked through, she sat down at the helm and headed for the stars.
She didn't have much faith in Valera to get the job done. The only person Aliane could trust was herself. And Tiyuri. She didn't believe in miracles, but if her plan reached fruition, she just may start.
***
The day of the Allied Fleet's departure from Chara bound for Xur arrived at long last. Throughout Northampton, very few people slept well. Magnius found himself tossing and turning all night long before he drifted off for a few hours. As the unfiltered morning sunlight poured into the room, he jumped out of bed and bolted toward the window. Three large ships sat on the landing pad at the end of the street, waiting to embark on their historic journey.
He sighed before heading into the shower. Since his release from the hospital, he stayed in the East Annex of the Westwood Estate, where high-ranking government officials roomed during their visit to New England. The modern suites contained every amenity one could ask for, from the daily room service to the restaurant-quality food available at any time. It was a life he almost allowed himself to get used to. Almost.
The peace summit had been a success. Very few concessions had to be made on either side of the negotiation table. Pisa was abdicated by the PAU and turned over to the UE. The PAU imposed a reasonable tariff on all AC imports. Territory lines had been redrawn with the Americans claiming the lion's share of star systems in Astra. Once the alliance with the Xuranians was settled, humans would enjoy free access throughout Astra.
Listening to the news about this prospective alliance had his mind spinning. The pace concerned him. No one had any idea what sort of race the Xuranians were other than what the Xuranians themselves chose to share, and proceeding ahead on those facts alone seemed like a huge mistake.
The human language was filled with clichés about not rushing a potentially good thing, yet it seemed like the government wanted everything done now. According to a recent ANN poll, sixty-eight percent of AC citizens opposed an alliance. To complicate matters the anti-Xuranian Centrist movement continued to pick up momentum. While an alliance right now would be enlightening, it wasn't popular. Establishing a positive relationship for several years would go a long way toward improving perception of Xuranians.
But Magnius didn't influence politics on Chara. The progressives did, and a big part of their agenda embraced peaceful relations. Conservative feelings on the subject in the AC Council were mixed, only agreeing because a Xuranian/Pan-Asian alliance constituted a grave security risk they weren't willing to take.
The fate of Superbia had yet to be determined. Magnius got the strong feeling the Xuranians planned to push a higher degree of integration between normals and psions. He worried normals might be forced to capitulate too much to Aliane. A message she broadcast three days ago welcomed the forthcoming alliance. She hoped it would renew the bonds of humanity and bring forth a prosperous era for all the people of Astra. He knew her far too well to take her words at face value. She wanted something, and she was just the sort of person who wouldn't think twice about strangling Chairman Dodd with an olive branch.
After dressing, he spent little time fussing over his outward appearance. His salted hair had been cut short again, combed forward as an afterthought. Five days ago he'd shaved his face and had only now reached the amount of bristle he'd grown accustomed to in his attempt to blend in with the human crowd. It had taken a great deal of work to cultivate convincing wrinkles over the years that would age him enough to project the illusion of being normal. All of the effort had been exhausting, but it mattered to him.
Without another thought, he headed downstairs to the dining room. Even though the sun had risen just an hour ago, most tables had already filled. Representatives from all over the AC stood ready to embark on the voyage to Xur but not on an empty stomach.
The host showed Magnius to h
is usual table in the back corner of the room. From there he stayed out of direct sight with much of the dining area. He gestured a waiter over to him and ordered a steak and cheese omelet. After the waiter left the table, Magnius saw Nadine round the corner and slip into the opposite side of his booth. She'd joined him for breakfast every single day he'd been here, as though checking to make sure he hadn't somehow fallen off the wagon.
In spite of the early hour, she already looked perfect. She wore a yellow sheath dress and would've been the only splash of color in the room had it not been for Magnius' maroon blazer. He didn't quite recall how he let her talk him into accompanying her to Xur—only that she did.
"Good morning," he said as he leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table. "I hope you slept better than I did."
"A little. Not much. I know you're not looking forward to the trip to Xur so I won't even bother asking. But other than that, how are you doing?"
"Better. Not completely better, but I'm getting there. Slowly. I just wish…"
She pinched her brow. "What?"
"I wish I'd never been foolish enough to fall in love with Lyneea. I know your relationship worked out great for you, but I think most psions are better off alone." He stared at the table and turned his glass of water. "I think I'm better off alone."
"There's nothing wrong with being single."
"I don't like being single. After my second marriage ended, I just felt lost. Three times now, and I have yet to get things right. Lyneea meant the world to me, and I lost her because of a stupid lie. And I keep lying about it because I've done it for so long I have to."
Nadine offered a comforting smile. "But it's who you are."
"I don't think I've ever known who I am." He picked up the glass and took a long drink of the icy water. The cold condensation on the outside of the glass drained the heat from his fingers and the sensation lingered after he put it back on the table. "I've never really been a psion, and I'll never be normal no matter how hard I try. I should've just bought a ship a long time ago and headed beyond Astra to find some planet I could live on by myself because that's how alone I've felt my whole life…Greta knew. Not right away, but she figured out I was a psion and was okay with that. When she died, I didn't know how I would ever go on with my life. I let myself be lonely for a long time. But one day I met Lyneea, and things changed for the better."
