Michael Cobley - Humanity's Fire book 1

by Seeds of Earth

  much to do. Look, thanks for letting me know - could

  you pass that on to the other teams, tell them to get

  ready?'

  As the intern headed off, Greg looked at his uncle,

  black suspicion in his thoughts.

  'If this has anything to do with you,' he said, Lyou

  should tell me now.'

  Theo sighed, then beckoned forward the man in the

  long robe, who had been hanging back.

  'Greg, let me introduce you to the Earthsphere

  ambassador to Darien, Robert Horst. Mr Horst, this is

  my nephew, Gregory Cameron.'

  Up close he recognised the grey-haired man from the

  news reports, while feeling a slight sense of unreality as

  he shook his hand.

  'So, er, Mr Horst, what do the Brolturans want with

  you?'

  The ambassador looked tired and haggard yet he

  managed a smile. 'Mr Cameron, I assure you that I had

  nothing to do with the murders at the airport yesterday,

  or any other terrorist acts. I was there, I saw it, I could

  have been killed myself! . . .' Horst's anger ebbed as

  quickly as it had surged. 'The Brolturans usually do

  what the Hegemony tells them, so Ihave to assume that

  it is all Kuros's doing. Mr Cameron, until I can make

  contact with the captain of the Heracles I must appeal to

  you and Major Karlsson and his friends for help. I have

  no wish to end up in a Brolturan interrogation cham-

  ber!'

  'Greg, those Brolturans will be here soon,' Theo said.

  'We need to find somewhere safe to hide, like in the

  forest back there. Are there any caves up behind that

  ridge?'

  'I don't know, I think so,' said Greg. 'Some of the

  Uvovo scholars would know, but it would take time to

  reach the nearest, and wouldn't these troops have some

  kind of nightvision tracking technology?'

  Theo nodded. 'They're bound to.'

  Greg ran a hand through his hair. 'Right. Fine. Then

  there's only one place you can go - follow me.'

  Once everyone was down in the entrance corridor, he

  told the Uvovo scholars Teso and Kolum (whom he had

  woken earlier) to dismantle the winch and the canopy

  and stow them in the storage hut. They were then to

  reassemble them about an hour after the intruders had

  left. As he watched the empty body harnesses rise up

  and out of sight, he muttered a prayer that his instruc-

  tions had been clear enough, then turned to take stock

  of the situation. At least everyone had a blanket, and

  there was a satchel filled with whatever food had been

  in his cupboard, along with a couple of hand torches.

  Which should keep them from getting too cold and

  hungry for a while.

  'Never heard o' this place,' Rory said, glancing

  around. 'You scientists been keepin' it secret, aye?'

  'Didn't know about it myself until a coupla days ago,

  Rory,' he said, and launched into a brief summary while

  omitting the bit about it having been built as a weapon,

  as well as any mention of an ancient, intelligent

  guardian, not wanting to have to deal with alarm, much

  less disbelief. His audience was nevertheless silently

  astonished as they followed him along the corridor and

  down into the icy room of pillars.

  'This is incredible,' Ambassador Horst said, peering by

  torchlight at the carved walls. 'Could this be the work of

  the Forerunners?'

  'Going by Uvovo histories and the few datings I've

  done so far, the time period seems to be about 100,000

  years ago,' Greg said. 'Which apparently puts it near the

  end of the Forerunner era, going by what I've learned

  from offworld sources. But if you come through here

  you'll see the main attraction . . .'

  Warming to his tourist-guide role, he led them into

  the well chamber, torchbeams lighting the way through

  the heavy, cold darkness. Two figures were visible off

  around the boundary wall, Chel and Weynl huddled

  over something in the lamplight. Then one of them must

  have heard the clatter of footsteps, straightened and

  looked round. Greg waved and the Uvovo stood and

  started towards them. As he drew near Greg saw it was

  Chel.

  'It is a remarkable edifice,' Horst said, approaching

  the boundary wall. 'And you say this circular area has a

  ritual function?'

  Greg nodded. 'There's also some kind of highly

  advanced Forerunner technology embedded in . . .'

  A shattering, stentorian drone blasted through the

  chamber as spears and swirling webs of brilliant radi-

  ance erupted from the surface of the well next to where

  Ambassador Horst was standing. Everyone reacted the

  same way, rearing away from the noise and the dazzle,

  except for the ambassador, who was trapped in a cage of

  light, quivering meshes interleaving. The roaring drone

  lessened in force, becoming a resonant, booming voice

  speaking incomprehensibly in a demanding tone.

  'What in hell is that, Greg?' yelled Theo. 'Is the

  ambassador in danger? Are we?'

  'The chamber . . . the well has a guardian . . .'

  But before he could continue, Chel came running up

  followed by Listener Weynl. Chel's forehead was bare

  and the outer pair of eyes were open.

  'Who is he, Greg?' said Chel, pointing at Horst. 'Who

  is this man?'

  'He's the Earthsphere ambassador.'

  At the same time, Listener Weynl was shouting at the

  coruscating maelstrom of light, responding to the

  immense voice that thundered forth from it.

  Chel stared at Horst, who was on his knees, looking

  terrified and hugging folds of his gown to his chest.

  'Does this man carry one of the thing you call AIs?'

  he said.

  'Yes, he does,' said Greg.

  Chel shook his head, teeth bared. 'A Dreamless . . .

  we will try to save him from the Sentinel, Greg, but you

  must trust me and not interfere.'

  Greg breathed in deep, trying to steady himself, then

  nodded and watched as Chel and Weynl bared their

  arms and crouched down near Horst. There was a

  moment of stillness, then they swiftly thrust their arms

  through the bright shifting mesh - Greg saw the short,

  dense fur on their arms begin to char and smoke - and

  touched the ambassador's head.

  And the ambassador cried out, the muscles on his

  neck taut as cables, his eyes wide with pleading.

  43

  CHEL

  When Greg and the other Humans appeared at the door,

  Chel and Listener Weynl were sitting cross-legged on

  the walkway floor with a blanket between them and the

  cold stone. By the lamp's golden glow they were exam-

  ining hand-drawn copies of several patterns recently

  uncovered in a very old stone tile archive on the forest

  moon. They were comparing the tile patterns with

  sketches they had made of portions of the well surface,

  looking for similarities. The tiles also contained com-

  mentaries, but they appeared to be written in some kind
r />   of abstruse cipher which no one had thus far solved.

  So it was over these that the two Uvovo were poring

  when Chel heard the hard, dry sound of footsteps and

  looked up. He had been using the outer pair of his new

  eyes to regard the well patterns, but now he saw a

  strange, spiked nimbus around one of Greg's compan-

  ions. At the same time, a faint amorphous radiance was

  gathering at the edge of the well nearest the newcomers.

  'Something is wrong, Listener,' Chel said, getting to

  his feet. 'The well is behaving strangely.'

  Without waiting for Weynl's reply he started round

  towards the group of Humans. He had gone a few paces

  when a bright column of energies erupted from the

  well's edge, near where the man with the disturbing aura

  was standing. A cacophonous, blaring drone accompa-

  nied the outburst of light, almost painful to Uvovo ears,

  yet he broke into a run. He could see that the man had

  been caught in a bright cage of well energy, and he could

  hear the blasting drone subsiding into speech, words in

  the Uvovo tongue.

  INTRUDER! ENEMY DETECTED! THE HIGH

  PATHMASTER MUST INSTRUCT ME ON THE

  MODE OF ERASURE.

  'No, Sentinel, wait,' Weynl cried out. 'This is a

  friend.'

  CAPTIVE IS IMPLANTED WITH A FABRICATED

  ENTITY - THIS ENTITY MAINTAINS A COHER-

  ENT CHANNEL INTO TFIE UNDERD OMAINS OF

  THE REAL. THIS CHANNEL MUST BE SHUT OFF

  OR ERASURE WILL BE ENACTED - YOU ARE NOT

  A PATHMASTER.

  Chel hurried up to Gregori, who was talking with his

  uncle.

  'Who is he, Greg?' he said, pointing at the man in the

  cage. 'Who is this man?'

  Gregori looked stricken by what was happening.

  'He's the Earthsphere ambassador . . .'

  Chel gazed at the ambassador, a terrified, grey-haired

  man who had slumped to his knees, holding the folds of

  his robe close to his chest for some reason.

  'Does this man carry one of the things you call AIs?'

  Chel gritted his teeth. 'A Dreamless ... we will try to

  save him from the Sentinel, Gregori, but you must trust

  me and not interfere.'

  Gregori hesitated, then nodded. Chel removed the

  sleeves of his body garment, as did Weynl next to him,

  then they knelt down on the stone floor on the other

  side of the energy cage from the Human ambassador

  He steeled himself, his outer eyes open, staring at the

  intervening, shifting bright meshes, saw how they moved

  and saw how to move between them. Then as one, he

  and Weynl raised their hands and struck through to take

  hold of the Dreamless's host. The spikes in that nimbus

  signified the Dreamless's presence and gave away th<

  nodes of its connection. Some instinct made his hand

  move, small, furred hands stroking the man's head, trac-

  ing out the contours beneath, applying a touch or a finely

  gauged pressure ... no, not an instinct, he realised, but

  skills of another agency, the Sentinel of the well.

  Both Uvovo withdrew their hands, and Chel noticed

  the band of crisped and smoking fur on his upper arms.

  There didn't seem to be any pain at the moment.

  'Chel, are you okay?' said Gregori as he helped him

  and Weynl to their feet.

  He felt dizzy and there was a hollowness in his stom-

  ach. He fumbled with unsteady fingers at his waist for

  the strip of heavy cloth, the blind for his husking eyes.

  Once they were covered, he inhaled deeply, held it for a

  moment then exhaled a long, shuddering breath.

  'Yes,' he said as the tension ebbed a little. 'I feel

  better.'

  Then he realised that the Human ambassador was

  still held prisoner. The Sentinel had fallen silent, for all

  that Listener Weynl kept calling out to it. And now the

  ambassador had recovered his composure sufficiently

  to stand and converse with Gregori in signs.

  'Chel,' Gregori said after a moment or two.

  'Ambassador Horst says that his AI is absent and making

  no contact - why won't the Sentinel release him?'

  'I confess I do not know, Gregori,' he said, turning to

  Weynl. 'Did it say anything before . . .'

  Suddenly the deep, overpowering voice spoke:

  THE DREAMLESS HAS BEEN CONFINED AND

  ITS TIES TO THE UNDERDOMAINS ABROGATED.

  HOWEVER, IT REMAINS A THREAT.

  Chel and Gregori exchanged a look of alarm.

  'Wait, Sentinel,' said Chel. 'There has to be a way to

  make it completely safe. If you release him to us, it may

  be possible to remove . . . the device . . .'

  NONE HERE ARE PATHMASTERS. NONE MAY

  COMMAND ME, THUS I MUST RESOLVE THIS IN

  THE LIGHT OF OTHER REQUIREMENTS. THE

  CONSTRUCT HAS ASKED FOR A HUMAN PROXY

  SO THIS ONE MAY SUFFICE.

  'No!' said Gregori. 'We need this man here - he can

  help get the Hegemony off this world . . .'

  'Certainty is not... immutable ...'

  The words came in a dry, sibilant whisper, not loud

  yet omnipresent, and Chel felt a surge of relief when he

  saw the outlines of the Pathmaster's hooded form

  emerging amid the energy meshes that enclosed the

  Earthsphere ambassador.

  'Venerable one,' he said, bowing along with Listener

  Weynl. Gregori was still standing nearby while Theo

  and the others retreated off towards the entrance.

  'Sentinel,' said the Pathmaster. 'The Human bears a

  Dreamless which has been restrained. Why do you still

  hold him?'

  THE ENTITY IS CAPABLE OF CONTROLLING

  ITS HOST, PATHMASTER. IT REMAINS A THREAT.

  I JUDGED THAT THE CONSTRUCT'S REQUEST

  FOR A HUMAN WOULD BE SATISFIED BY THIS

  ONE.

  'Yet this Human is a senior representative of the

  greater Human culture,' Chel said. 'Left here, he would

  be able to weaken the Hegemony's position and even

  force their withdrawal.'

  'Ah, young Seer Cheluvahar, the Hegemony

  Dreamless know this place exists - they will not loosen

  their grip, even if the Earth Humans were to turn

  against their Hegemony allies. No, the ambassador's

  presence will have little or no effect on the strife and

  conflict about to befall this world. The Hegemony will

  shortly control Umara and soon they will be walking in

  this very chamber.'

  Chel fell silent, shocked, but Gregori was clearly

  upset.

  'What does that mean for the ambassador?' he said to

  Chel in Noranglic. 'He's not sending him off to this

  Construct, whatever that is...'

  'Human, the Construct was the Great Ancients' most

  faithful ally,' the Pathmaster said in perfect whispered

  Noranglic. 'And it remains a steadfast guardian of their

  purpose - it has promised us help in our struggle against

  the occupiers, and its promises are never broken. Also, it

  will know how exactly to deal with the Dreamless

  locked up in the host's head, for that is why he has come

  here, Human, otherwise he would be elsewhere.'
<
br />   'No,' said Gregori. 'This man is our best chance of

  holding off the Hegemony . . .'

  'Damn it!' said Theo Karlsson. 'I didn't get him away

  from those Brolturans just to lose him like this!'

  'No, Human Karlsson,' whispered the Pathmaster.

  'That is precisely why you rescued him.'

  'Venerable one,' said Chel. 'Respectfully I ask, is your

  certainty immutable?'

  'No, Seer Chel, but my judgement must be - Sentinel,

  send the Human onwards to the Construct!'

  IT SHALL BE DONE.

  For a long, agonising moment Chel stared at the hor-

  rified Ambassador Horst as he pointed and begged in

  silence. Then a dense vortex of well energies engulfed

  him, a bright maelstrom swirling for a few seconds before

  it began to diminish back across the boundary wall. The

  Pathmaster still hovered amid the fading, dissolving flow

  of radiance, and in those dying instants it pointed at Chel,

  Gregori and the rest in a single, sweeping gesture.

  'Leave here - now!'

  Then the last threads and grains of energy were gone,

  leaving them in the gloom of torchlight, hopes crushed,

  plans scattered, and the future . . .

  The Humans wandered despondently away through

  the door, Gregori lingering, gazing at the darkened well.

  Chel went with Listener Weynl back to their small camp

  to gather together their sketches and papers. Yet Chel

  realised that, despite this dismal, dispiriting outcome,

  the future remained unwritten, as opaque and formless

  to the Dreamless as it was to themselves. Consoled by

  this, he followed Weynl, hastening after Gregori and the

  others.

  44

  KAO CHIH

  In his dream he was being chased by a long, winding fes-

  tival dragon whose head was the four-armed torso of an

  Ezgara commando, its four hands tipped with serrated

  claws, its featureless helmet splitting open to show rows

  of needle-like teeth, gleaming, snapping . . .

  He was jolted in his couch, waking once more to a

  sickly mouth and a nasty headache.

  'Back among the living, KC? - good. We're docking

  with my associates' mothership so it won't be long

  before you meet the leaders of the revolution!'

  Corazon Talavera, his beautiful and deadly captor, sat

  in the pilot couch, monitoring displays, making a few-