I think I get it, Cyrus said quickly. You’re not alive, but your memories are. Somehow, you’re using the me of me to pretend you’re alive. But if you say that you’re dead, say it to your memory, you might disappear.
You’ll find that you have many . . . personalities in you now.
Because of the transfer? Cyrus asked.
Precisely.
Did you go through this?
Everyone who has received a full transfer has gone through it.
So, Jana, Yang, and the others don’t know about this.
They do not know, the memory of Klane said.
I think I’m starting to understand.
Good, because we don’t have much time.
This talking back and forth between you and me is really a schizophrenic thing. Niens could be right in one way. I am insane.
No, the memory of Klane told him. You are very sane. You must rest a moment and I will instruct you in using our powers. Because we didn’t have time to transfer properly, I’ll now have to teach you what you would have learned instantly if we could have done this the right way.
Wait a minute, Cyrus said. You’re implying that I inherited your Anointed One psionic powers?
I am saying exactly that.
Do the Bo Taw know about this?
They do not, Klane said.
So the trick here is to learn how you did stuff and then hit them from out of the blue.
This is like a raid, Klane said. We must strike hard and fast. Kill them. Help the others kill everyone else. Then kill the Kresh.
I can’t kill the Kresh with my psi-power?
No, Klane told him. The Kresh keep mechanical mind shields on their persons. That and the love conditioning keep them safe from their Bo Taw slaves.
Cyrus had forgotten about the mind shields. Okay. After we do this, we capture another spaceship?
Afterward, the memory of Klane said, we will head to High Station 3.
To pick up my old friends?
We need the Teleship. With it, we will escape to Earth.
Cyrus raised his head. He could feel the others watching him while trying not to stare. Did they realize he could use Klane’s powers? Well, he couldn’t yet. Frankly, he didn’t see how it was possible to transfer psionic strength from one person to another. But it was worth a try. Otherwise . . . humanity was screwed.
Yet there was a different being in him, the alien entity, the Eich. What was that? The Eich had known about a ship, something found elsewhere in the star system. Apparently, this ship could have a profound impact on the coming war.
Can I convince the Eich to tell me about the lost ship? Cyrus asked.
It’s dangerous to bargain with the singing god, Klane said. I tried that once, and in the end he controlled me.
He didn’t control you all the time, though, Cyrus said.
I still fought him, you’re right.
But now you’re free of his influence.
Cyrus could almost hear a chuckle in his mind.
I am the memory of Klane. The Eich has no hold over my memories. You must keep him separate. That is my advice to you.
What is he? What is a singing god?
I don’t know exactly, Klane said. I think the entity is a psi-parasite. The Eich hid much from me. For eons, I think, it’s lived in the metal tube under the mountain. Why it chose now to come out—it must have something to do with the ship I sensed in the asteroid.
Cyrus nodded. He’d keep the Eich separate as he tried to escape from within the belly of the beast. The Kresh had them. The Anointed One had died, and nothing stood against the dinosaurs gaining Discovery’s star-drive. How soon would it be until Bo Taw–powered, discontinuity-window technology allowed a massive Kresh fleet into the solar system?
You must regain your freedom, Klane said.
I know. But what do we do once we’re free?
As I’ve always suggested. You must fix the Teleship and escape back to Earth.
Do you think the Kresh have been rebuilding a new AI system for the Teleship?
I think that’s extremely likely.
Cyrus turned away from the others and studied the nearest bulkhead. How could he learn to do what Klane did without the Bo Taw mind watchers knowing everything? He didn’t feel any stronger than before. How did he know the memory of Klane spoke the truth about new psionic powers?
I urge caution, Klane said. If you practice before you’re ready, the Bo Taw will know and put you in a mind lock. Since they know you’re here, you can’t use a null to shield yourself.
Okay. This sounds like a problem. How do I get better if I don’t practice?
First, you must let me outline what to do.
Go for it, Cyrus said.
Sit down. Close your eyes and compose yourself.
Cyrus picked a spot, leaning against a bulkhead. He could feel the ship’s thrum against his back. They traveled back to High Station 3. It seemed like a lifetime ago that he’d slipped away from it.
Closing his eyes, Cyrus listened as the memory of Klane instructed him in high-level psionics. He observed as the Anointed One took him to places in his mind, showing him what he’d have to do. Finally, Cyrus asked the memory how he could possibly have the power or strength of the Anointed One.
I altered your brain, Klane said. In my last minutes of life, I stamped much of myself upon you.
How does that work?
I cannot show you what I don’t understand. An older seeker’s thoughts guided me then. I do not know where his memory lies in your mind.
The information made Cyrus nervous. The Eich could have tricked you and shown you what to do. In fact, maybe the singing god did something like that to you in the caves.
Ah . . . yes, I think you could be right. That would explain much.
I doubt the psi-parasite would go to the trouble of showing you all that if he didn’t build a few fail-safes for himself in the altered mind.
That is more than likely. Still, you are stubborn. You proved too difficult an adversary for him. He may have underestimated you.
Or it means he’s simply looking for another way to get what he wants.
What do you suggest? Klane asked.
Seems as if I should be asking you that, Cyrus said. You’re the memory and I’m the real thing. He pondered the problem, but didn’t have an immediate solution. Okay. We’ll continue the training in lieu of anything else for now.
The memory of Klane showed him more. Time passed. Finally, after several hours, the regular noises in the vault intruded upon Cyrus’s concentration.
You’re tired, Klane said. You need to rest. Afterward, you can attempt the first live practice.
Cyrus’s eyelids were drooping. The psi-training was far more exhausting than he would have thought from his days at the institute. He yawned. Sliding onto his side, he laid his head on his folded hands. Ah, this felt so good. His mind felt numb. A long sleep would help him recuperate. Likely, it would also help him sort out these memories.
Cyrus slid into unconsciousness. Then shouts woke him, he didn’t know how much later. He sat up, groggy. “What’s going on?” he asked.
A large door opened. Seven Vomags with drawn guns entered. The soldiers forced the others against the far wall.
With a grunt, Cyrus rose to join the others.
“No,” a Bo Taw said. A thin human with the tallest cranium Cyrus had ever seen stood at the entrance. Behind the Bo Taw were more of his kind with baans circling their foreheads.
The first telepath pointed a thin finger at Cyrus. “He’s the one we want. Now that he is weak, the Revered One wants to begin the interrogation.”
Three of the Vomags aimed their guns at Cyrus. He squinted at them. If the Bo Taw knew he was tired, did that mean they’d been using telepathy to spy on him? And if that w
as so, just how much did they know of what went on inside his head?
This was bad.
17
Compared to the Attack Talon, the Battle Fang had narrow corridors and worse vibrations when the engines ran strongly. A recycler in the wall clattered as Cyrus passed it. The vent blew oily fumes into the air. Was something wrong with the ship? Maybe entering Pulsar’s immense gravity had strained the vessel.
The Vomags leading the way ignored the fouled air. They were too busy marching, letting their boots crash against the deck plates.
Cyrus had never felt more helpless. Fenris humanity’s great hope was dead. Only the memory of Klane lived on, and in this instance, that had a strange truth to it. Now, Cyrus Gant was supposed to fill the Anointed One’s place. Maybe the memory of Klane had shown him how to do it—if he had the psionic strength to go head-to-head against the Bo Taw.
The problem is that I’m a Special Fourth Class. I can shift a Teleship a measly 1.8 light-years. My psi-strength is a joke. Now, I’m suddenly supposed to rise up like a superhero. No, I don’t think so. And yet, what do I lose by trying?
As he followed the modified soldiers, Cyrus wondered how Jasper had died. It had been a long time since he’d thought about his friend from Earth. Good old Jasper—he hadn’t much liked the man when he’d lived, had he?
The Vomags halted at a bulkhead. It vanished.
With a resigned sigh, Cyrus entered a spacious room. He stopped short. Instead of a Bo Taw to question him like last time, a Kresh regarded him.
Shifting a boot, Cyrus found sand underfoot. That was odd, right? Hot, dry air cycled through the vents, making Cyrus sweat. What kind of room was this anyway? He noticed alien murals of sharp angles and dark colors on the walls. A post rose in the center of the chamber. A glowing red crystal pulsated on top.
“Fall on your face before the Revered One, Mingal Cham the 3012th,” the tallest Bo Taw said in a sonorous voice.
The Kresh lashed its tail. “We will forgo the ceremonies,” the dinosaur said. Cyrus had to strain to make out its words. “Time is pressing upon us.”
Cyrus shivered. Watching the Kresh talk was so odd. It had a large, pink crocodile tongue and sharp teeth. How could it form words with those jaws? If he walked into a zoo and heard a polar bear greet him, it would have felt as surreal. He’d had little direct contact with any raptor-like alien. This one was big: twice his height. The Kresh looked as if it could lean forward and bite off his head. According to everything he’d learned, the creature was incredibly smart.
Mingal Cham wore metallic silver streamers. They fluttered in the hot air, tinkling like giant Christmas tinsel. Various devices hung on a leathery belt. His horse-sized eyes were the worst, so dark and round, filled with reptilian intelligence.
“Attend me, Bo Taw,” the Kresh said. “What is the Earther thinking?”
Cyrus straightened from his listening to Mingal Cham. He barely strengthened his block in time. The mind probes struck. Like needles pricking a balloon, each threatened to pop his defenses. With a technique taught him by Klane, he hardened his block. Their telepathic pressure grew.
“He resists us, Revered One,” the chief Bo Taw said.
It was then Cyrus got a whiff of the reptilian reek. Mingal Cham the 3012th smelled like a crocodile that had eaten too much gamy meat. Cyrus noticed that the creature panted. The Kresh’s breath struck him in the face.
Cyrus turned his head away sharply.
“What does his action signify?” Mingal Cham asked.
None of the Bo Taw spoke up.
“Are you lacking in ability?” Mingal Cham asked his servants.
The Bo Taw closed their eyes. The attack on Cyrus’s mind intensified and his psi-block weakened.
Did they attempt to discover the extent of his strength? Or did they suspect he could do more than before? If he summoned the memory of Klane to help him now, what would that mean for later? Yet, if he let them probe his thoughts, wouldn’t they know everything?
For the briefest flicker of an instant, Cyrus could have sworn he felt the Eich offer his aid. Cyrus rejected it. Either he would rule his own mind or nothing else mattered.
We shall see if you always feel that way, the Eich whispered.
Then the memory of Klane surged to the forefront. With his help, Cyrus strengthened his block.
The chief Bo Taw’s eyes snapped open. “Revered One, something happened in his mind. It weakened under our combined assault. Then it strengthened by several factors.”
The Kresh lashed his tail. “Dagon Dar has proven correct concerning the subject. He predicted this would happen. This is most interesting. Intensify your efforts. Break open his mind.”
The chief Bo Taw bowed with exaggerated reverence. Then he peered at each of his fellows. In their long gowns, with folded hands and serene countenances, they bent their elongated heads toward Cyrus. The gene-warped humans surrounded him, and their power surged at his mind.
Cyrus grunted as waves of psionic strength struck against his mind. He was already weary, and it made his eyes water as he resisted them.
“Vomag, strike a blow against him,” the Kresh instructed.
A squat soldier marched to Cyrus. The man raised a hand and swung in a controlled fashion. Cyrus ducked. As he did, he tried to grab the Vomag’s hatchet, the one dangling on the belt next to his pistol.
The soldier knocked Cyrus’s hand away. It was clear the Vomag was stronger and faster. With speed, the soldier slapped Cyrus across the face.
Pain flared. His eyes watered and Cyrus’s mind shield slipped.
Perhaps the chief Bo Taw indicated that the slap had helped.
“Strike the subject again,” Mingal Cham said.
Once more, the Vomag swung.
We’ll teach him, the memory of Klane said.
Cyrus squinted. With Klane’s help, he knew he could do this. The hand stopped an inch from his cheek. Cyrus reached out for the Vomag’s sidearm.
An angry hiss alerted Cyrus. He barely released the butt of the weapon in time, rolling as he was taught long ago in the Latin Kings. The Kresh’s swishing tail harmlessly passed where he’d been standing.
Cyrus’s back thudded against the bulkhead.
“Smash his mind shield,” Mingal Cham hissed. “We will put an end to this buffoonery.”
“He’s . . . strong,” the chief Bo Taw whispered.
“He is an Earther,” the Kresh said. “The records indicate he is a weak psionic.”
“Not . . . anymore,” the Bo Taw said.
Mingal Cham lashed his tail in agitation, studying Cyrus. “How did your psi-strength increase? You will tell me.”
Cyrus panted as he lay against the bulkhead, striving to keep the combined Bo Taw mind assaults at bay.
“He’s weakening, Revered One,” the chief Bo Taw said.
“We know something occurred to you,” the Kresh told Cyrus. “We have discovered your legends about an Anointed One.”
“Not mine,” Cyrus said.
The reptilian tail lashed. “The Fenris humans have a hope—the Humanity Ultimates do. It was a vain hope. The Anointed One came from Kresh labs. We gave them their savior. Now, we want to know what motivated us to do so.”
Cyrus cocked his head. “What . . .” he panted. “What kind of question is that?”
“I am Kresh,” Mingal Cham said. “I am the superior. You will answer my questions, not query your master.”
Cyrus laughed dryly. “I know what you’re after. I have the answer.”
No, the Eich said. You must not reveal me to the Kresh.
Yeah? Cyrus asked.
“He speaks to another,” the chief Bo Taw said. “I do not understand this.”
“What other?” Mingal Cham said. “How is that possible? Aren’t you shielding his mind from other telepaths?”
Cyrus finally got it. Maybe it was Klane in him. Maybe this particular knowledge came from other memories. The Kresh were the ultimate scientists. Mingal Cham had set up a laboratory situation in this chamber. In some manner, the Kresh knew more than they should about what had happened to Klane and now to him. These mustn’t be ordinary Bo Taw. These must be some of the strongest around. Why had they been concentrated in one Battle Fang? Easy. They were here to test him.
We have to do something now, Cyrus said.
I can help you, the Eich said.
Nope. Don’t want your help. The price is too stiff.
This once, I will give my help for free.
You’re a lousy liar, Cyrus said.
You must remain a free agent, the Eich said. The Kresh know too much. I distrust them.
What do you say, Klane? Cyrus asked. Can we fry these bastards?
Let me show you what to do, the alien psi-parasite said. Everything I know and am is under assault.
“Revered One,” the chief Bo Taw said. “I don’t understand what I’m sensing. We may all be in danger.”
“From a lone human?” Mingal Cham asked in doubt.
“There is wild power in him,” the Bo Taw said. “I have never sensed this before.”
“How can that be possible?” Mingal Cham asked. “You did not sense the psionic strength in him before.”
“Nevertheless, Revered One,” the Bo Taw said, “I respectfully request that you leave for your safety.”
“Negative,” Mingal Cham said. “The entire star system hangs in the balance.”
Cyrus’s head snapped up. This was the first he’d heard about that.
“Revered One,” the Bo Taw said. “Now, please.”
“I rule here,” Mingal Cham said. “I set the parameters. You are the strongest adepts in the Pulsar gravitational system. You will corral his mind.”
“Yes, Revered One.”
Do you hear? the Eich asked the memory of Klane.
Something in Cyrus seemed to nod.
Cyrus groaned, and he clutched his head. All the thoughts, memories, maybe minds bouncing around inside him—he must be going crazy.
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