by Paul Chafe
Pouncer raised his arms. And now is my moment. “Wait! Pridemates!” He waited until he had their attention again. “You sent me from here, and I have traveled to Mrrsel Pride on my namequest. The Tzaatz have killed them all.”
Snarls rose, angry this time, and he raised his paws to quell them. “They used rapsari, and came in force. This means they have tracked the migration, and they are searching out the prides of the czrav. Honored V'rli has taught me of the Telepath War and the story of the line of Vda. Mrrsel Pride's fate will be all of ours, unless we stop the Tzaatz — not just Ztrak Pride but every pride of the czrav. The Tzaatz who have stolen my birthright are the Tzaatz who will end the Vda line, our line. My mother's blood is your blood. My son's blood will be your blood, and my son will be Patriarch. My war is your war. Fight it with me. The day of the line of Vda has come.”
He caught C'mell's eye across the fire, saw her support there. I am an adult now, accepted into this pride. My place here is secure. If they do not follow me I could accept this as enough. Even as the thought went through his mind he knew it would not be enough. Tradition demanded that the First-Son-of-the-Rrit should ascend to be Patriarch. Honor demanded that his father be avenged. If I must fight alone, I will, but I will only win with allies, and everything hangs on this moment. There was silence as he met the gazes of the assembled pride.
It is easy to draw the sword, harder to sheathe it.
— Si-Rrit
“What do you mean, destroyed?” There were storm clouds over the Plain of Stgrat, distant lightning flaring in the windows of the Patriarch's tower. The storm they would bring was nothing compared to the rage of Kchula-Tzaatz.
“The kz'eerkti must have had eight-cubed ships at K'Shai, sire.” Stkaa-Emissary performed the ritual cringe. “Our Heroes fought bravely, but we weren't prepared for such a force.”
“Survivors?”
“A few managed to make it out of the system. Cvail Pride…”
“Give me no excuses based on the failings of Cvail!” Kchula rounded on the hapless Emissary, roaring. “I gave you everything you asked for. K'Shai is the gateway to their homeworld. Every Great Pride in the Patriarchy is leaping at your heels and you have failed me!”
“Patriarch. We need your help…”
“Enough! Leave my sight!” Kchula-Tzaatz raked his claws in the air, his tail stiff with anger, while Emissary scampered out.
“Calm, brother.” Ftzaal-Tzaatz spoke from his prrstet where he had watched the whole exchange.
“Calm.” Kchula turned to face his brother, still angry. “What do you suggest I do, Black Priest?”
“Evaluate. Why did the humans have so many ships at K'Shai? Did they anticipate our attack?”
“If there is a traitor…” Kchula's tail lashed.
Ftzaal turned a paw over. “I tracked First-Son-of-Meerz-Rrit by having Telepath follow the mind of the kz'eerkti. Perhaps it is this kz'eerkti that informs our enemies.”
“How could it have access to our plans? How could it transmit them?”
“I merely suggest the possibility.”
“You are obsessed with this kz'eerkti, and with First-Son.”
“You underestimate these czrav. I started my search in the eastern jungles, and when we found them they vanished. We searched for moons and found nothing. The savannah primitives told me the czrav vanished every dry season. Finally I thought to track the tuskvor migration. We found a den in the high western forests and attacked in force. We outnumbered them eight to one, and they killed half my force! Not one of them surrendered, even the kzinretti screamed and leapt. Kittens barely past suckling fought to the death! I wanted prisoners, they gave me only bodies. There are more of them than we know, brother, and they hold deep secrets.”
“They are nothing! It is K'Shai that matters! Give me conquest of the kz'eerkti and First-Son becomes an irrelevancy. Eight-cubed ships! How did they know we were coming?”
“They did not know we were coming. They plan to launch an attack. I believe for the first time they plan conquest.”
Kchula stopped pacing to look at his brother. “How do you know that?”
“Because of what happened on Warhead.”
“Warhead? What is that?”
“A minor base, a small garrison world. It belonged to Cvail Pride.”
“Cvail Pride again. Perhaps this is why they fail to support Stkaa.”
“Perhaps. It is irrelevant now. The kz'eerkti raided it and destroyed it.”
“Hrrr. They will pay in blood.”
“Let me be clear, brother. They did not stop at destroying Cvail Pride's base. They sterilized the world.”
“Impossible!”
“Shall I show you the imagery?”
“Don't waste my time. Tell me how they did it.”
“I don't know how they did it.” Ftzaal turned a paw over. “The weapon they used gashed the crust halfway through to the mantle.”
“Impossible!”
“You overuse that word, brother.”
“Not even conversion weapons could—”
“And yet something did.”
Kchula slashed the air with his claws. “They fight without honor.”
“They are animals, what do they know of honor?” Ftzaal twitched his whiskers. “It is what they are capable of that concerns me.”
Kchula waved a paw dismissively. “I know how it was done. They used near-lightspeed kinetic missiles, clumsy tools. They did it to K'Shai when we held it, two wars ago, and killed more kz'eerkti than kzinti.”
“I take no reassurance in the fact that they will slaughter millions of their own just to ensure our destruction.” Ftzaal turned a paw over. “In any event, that does not fit the profile of the attack. They had perhaps eight-squared warships, two battleships and support, enough to deal with the light forces Cvail had there. They fought their way into the system, into close orbit. Kinetic missiles would have to be launched from deep space, and there would be no need to penetrate the system with ships. And again, a scout pilot who escaped said one of the battleships did the damage.”
“If they possess such power, why waste it on an insignificant outpost like Warhead?”
“Hrrr.” Ftzaal turned a paw over, extended his claws to contemplate them. “This attack was a test run, carried out against an isolated target for the purpose of battle evaluation of this new weapon while their main fleet gathered at K'Shai. The kz'eerkti have not yet put it into mass production. It is experimental, radically so, and therefore expensive, therefore they will have only a few constructed so far, perhaps only the single capital ship. Nevertheless, their test was successful. Cvail Pride, and by extension the Patriarchy, have been dealt a serious blow. We have been given a warning. This will not be the last attack.”
“No ship could carry such a weapon.”
“And yet it seems one does.” The door had slid open before Kchula could reply, revealing a familiar face.
Kchula whirled to face the interloper. “Rrit-Conserver. I thought you'd fled with your tail between your legs. Get out until I send for you.”
“I am no longer Rrit-Conserver.” The dark-robed kzin hopped onto a prrstet and made himself comfortable. “I left because Scrral-Rrit had violated his honor and not through any fear of you, Kchula-Tzaatz. I have returned because I am Kzin-Conserver now, and I will come and go as is my right, and my obligation to the species.” The new Kzin-Conserver fanned one ear up. “Or does Tzaatz Pride no longer hold with the traditions?”
He has become Kzin-Conserver! Kchula stood looking at his erstwhile adversary, stunned. How could I have allowed an enemy to attain such power? He caught Ftzaal's gaze and knew what he was thinking. We should have killed him when we had the chance. “We hold with the traditions of course, Honored Conserver.” The words came out late and unconvincing. Across the room, Ftzaal turned to look out the window.
“I heard the last of your conversation.” Kzin-Conserver ignored Kchula's sudden discomfiture. “Eight-cubed ships at K'Shai, t
his new weapon — there will be more bad news from the monkeys. You have stalked the tuskvor, Kchula-Tzaatz, and now you have caught the herd-charge. May the Fanged God preserve our species from your folly.”
Kchula forced himself to be calm. “If you are Kzin-Conserver, your role is to advise the Patriarch. What advice do you have for me?”
Kzin-Conserver twitched his lips over his fangs. “You are still not Patriarch, Kchula, but I will not waste time pretending that Scrral-Rrit is. There may be a countermeasure to this weapon. First we must learn what it is, in detail. A team must be sent to investigate its effects, to take measurements in this newly melted canyon, and find the wreckage of our own ships to evaluate its function.”
Kchula snorted derisively. “This is obvious. Is this the best you can do?”
“This is the only advice I have that you will take. I have other advice, but you will not follow it.”
“Don't try my patience, Kzin-Conserver.” A note of warning crept into Kchula's voice.
“I tire of your threats, Kchula-Tzaatz. Leap if you mean them, abandon them if you do not. Nevertheless I will advise you as I advised Meerz-Rrit, and you may evaluate for yourself the acceptability of my preferred course of action.”
“Out with it!”
“It is simple. Seek peace with the kz'eerkti, while you still can.”
“Seek peace! Out of the question.”
“I see my judgment was not incorrect.”
“Pah! You are a bigger fool that I thought, Conserver. My grip on the Patriarchy depends upon conquest. What will I now tell Stkaa-Emissary? What will I tell the warriors of Cvail? These prides would be locked in skalazaal even now had I not grabbed the Patriarchy by the scruff!”
“There are worse fates than skalazaal among the Great Prides. Do you remember Meerz-Rrit's speech before the Great Pride Circle? 'We shall not incite other species to our extermination in their own self-defense.' ” Kzin-Conserver laid his ears flat. “We have not seen the last of this new kz'eerkti weapon, and they have not advanced nearly half their strength to Wunderland on a whim. Perhaps even now their fleet is in hyperspace to the edge of our singularity. Kzinhome itself may yet share Warhead's fate.”
Kchula turned to his brother. “Ftzaal, tell him what you told me. The weapon is expensive and experimental. They needed a fleet to protect it. They would not dare bring it here.”
The Black Priest turned back from the window. “That is my assessment, Kzin-Conserver.” He paused. “Still, brother, there is wisdom in what Conserver advises.”
Kzin-Conserver raised his tail. “Today the weapon is experimental, but the monkeys will not leave it that way. I made the mistake myself of underestimating their industrial potential. I will not make that mistake again. When we met them they had left war abandoned for generations. Why were we unable to defeat them then? Two reasons. First, because they are tremendously good at turning other systems into weapons — communications lasers, fusion drives, conversion plants; we learned those lessons the hard way. The second is because there are so many of them. What one innovates eight-to-the-eighth can then produce.”
“We have slaves, technology and worlds at our command. I will be the one who finally subjugates the monkeys.”
“And if you are? We will meet another race more formidable than humans. Did you know the Puppeteers' ships are invulnerable?”
“No ship is invulnerable.”
“Nevertheless, they are. The Puppeteers can manipulate the hull to admit any segment of the spectrum they like, or deny them all. The hull material itself does not ablate at stellar temperatures. Perhaps there is a weakness they keep secret, but does it matter? The Outsiders gifted the kz'eerkti with hyperdrive. What if the Puppeteers give them invulnerable ships too?”
“The kz'eerkti will be our slaves. I swear it by the Fanged God.”
“And yet Warhead is destroyed. Stkaa Pride's fleet is in ruins. What will the other Great Prides do when they learn these things?”
“You mock my honor!”
“I state a fact.”
“And we will have vengeance for it. We will fight this war in kz'eerkti style. Earth will burn for its temerity and its colonies will be helpless. We will make the survivors of the race our slaves.”
“You will violate the traditions!” Kzin-Conserver's voice was stern.
“The conquest of slave races is our oldest tradition.”
“So is honor in warfare. How will you burn Earth save with untrammeled use of conversion weapons?”
Kchula's tail lashed angrily. “You have seen the evidence. The monkeys do not trouble themselves with such concerns.”
“They are animals, what do they know of the Hero's Way, or of honor? Will you lower yourself to be like them?”
“Bah. We are speaking of the survival of the Patriarchy here. The monkeys must be subjugated.”
“You will conquer nothing but ashes. Of what worth are sterile worlds?”
“Do not obstruct my path, Kzin-Conserver. I will do whatever it takes to forge the whole Patriarchy into my sword, and I will strike down any who stand in my way.”
“If you violate tradition, I will declare you honorless. The Great Circle will hound you from this fortress and your conquest war will go nowhere.”
“Your threat is empty. The Great Circle are behind me in conquest leap.”
“Not so much behind you as you might like to think. I have one more piece of news for you. Kdari Pride has just leapt on Vearow Pride.”
“What?” Kchula stood up, ears up and tail stiff.
“I thought you might not have heard. Skalazaal is still a game of stealth, and neither Pride has anything to gain by letting you know the situation. It seems your leadership hasn't prevented pride-war after all.”
“How long have you known about this?”
“Just a Traveler's Moon, since Kdari-Conserver asked me for a fine interpretation of the Dueling Traditions. Today Vearow-Conserver is asking me the same question of interpretation. That will be in response to an unpleasant surprise provided by Kdari Pride. The spoor is clear enough. I expect there will be more direct news of it shortly.”
“What was the point you ruled on? Am I vulnerable to it?”
“It is of little consequence now. Suffice to say the precedent set by your rapsari left me little choice but to allow Kdari Pride's interpretation.”
“Bah. Neither Kdari Pride nor Vearow are of any great consequence.”
“You think that is the end of it? There are more ripples in the grass. Another trip around the seasons and half the Patriarchy will be at each other's throats.”
“They sap our strength when we could be stripping the meat from the carcass of the kz'eerkti.”
“The Pride-Patriarchs listened more closely to Meerz-Rrit than you did, Kchula. They know the danger in attacking the monkeys. They see each other as easier prey now.”
“The monkeys are attacking anyway! They are fools.”
“Kchula, you are the fool. The monkeys came to negotiate peace, and with Meerz-Rrit they had it. You sent their emissaries fleeing into the night with your attack. What result did you expect?”
“How was I to know what negotiations Meerz-Rrit had underway?”
“There was nothing secret about Yiao-Rrit's journey to Earth. The kz'eerkti question was a primary item of discussion for the Great Pride Circle. Had you not been so intent on conquest you might have learned this.”
Kchula opened his mouth and closed it, then started pacing. “How the problem occurred is irrelevant. We need to face the kz'eerkti united.”
“It is up you to unite them, Kchula.”
“I am not Patriarch, Scrral-Rrit is.”
Kzin-Conserver rippled his ears. “How quickly we abandon our responsibilities when leadership becomes difficult. Scrral-Rrit remains a puppet. You are the one to make him dance.” Across the room Ftzaal-Tzaatz turned once more to look out the window in silence. His tail lashed once and was still.
“What do you sugge
st?”
“Immediate surrender.”
Kchula spat. “And you say I lack honor.”
“You do lack honor, which is why I recommend surrender to you. Had you the honor of Meerz-Rrit the Great Prides would leap at your command, and the kz'eerkti would be a slave species. Meerz-Rrit would die in battle before accepting defeat. You will merely watch others die in battle in the hopes they might buy you victory. The Great Prides are not following you, Kchula, because they have no faith you will lead them to triumph. They have easier spoils in each other than in a poorly led conquest war.”
“I will not surrender.”
“Then you must leap at once to avenge Cvail and Stkaa together. It is the only way open now.”
“With what? Eight-cubed ships! Not even the Rrit Fleet commands eight-cubed ships!”
“Honor doesn't count ships, Kchula.”
“And this new weapon? What do they hope to gain by razing the whole planet? Spoils of rubble and carbon. This makes no sense.”
Ftzaal-Tzaatz turned around from the window again. “I think they seek conquest, Conserver.”
“No.” Kzin-Conserver rose to leave. “We have fought five wars with the kz'eerkti. Each time it was we who leapt against them. This time they have leapt first.” He turned a paw over and then turned it back. “Perhaps this is a conquest leap, but I think it is more than that. This is something we have not seen before. They intend to exterminate us. This is total war.”
WISDOM OF THE CONSERVERS
Grasp all, seize nothing.
Plan with care, act with courage.
There is nothing impossible to a willing mind.
A scribe is judged by words, a warrior by deeds.
Fair weather follows the storm as night the day.
Rise with the Hunter's Moon and sleep with a full belly.
Hunger leads the hunt.
A poor craftsman carries poor tools.
