up until the moment the Jiju cityships appear in our skies,’ Charlotte Villiers said.
‘It seems I’m forced into an alliance with your Order,’ Ibrim Hoj Kerrim said. ‘But I cannot commit any more Earth 2 soldiers.’
‘We use my own people,’ Charlotte Villiers said. She pulled her coat collar closer around her.
‘On two conditions,’ Ibrim Hoj Kerrim said. ‘First, if they fail, I inform the Praesidium.’
‘Of course. The security of the Known Worlds is paramount. But they won’t fail.’
‘My second condition: your soldiers have never been off their own world. Until a few months ago they had no idea there were other worlds. They lack inter-plane experience.’
‘What is it you want, Ibrim?’
‘You lead them.’
And you are a very clever man
, Charlotte Villiers thought.
I can’t refuse. If I succeed, no one will ever know. If I fail, you will have removed your rival. But I will not fail, and war is openly declared between us, and when I return I shall have dealings with you, Ibrim Hoj Kerrim
.
‘I’ll require proper equipment. Heavy weapons. Access to a military jump-gate. And a recall relay. If things go wrong, I want my people out of there.’
‘You will be carrying the recall relay?’
‘I am everything you think I am, Ibrim, and worse, but I do not needlessly waste human life.’
‘So glad you said “needlessly”.’ Ibrim Hoj Kerrim pushed his bowl and saucer away from him and stood up. ‘Of course, you won’t want to delay. Every second that passes puts the Plenitude in peril.’
‘The Plenitude will not find me wanting,’ Charlotte Villiers said. She watched Ibrim Hoj Kerrim vanish into the swirling snow. She left some shillings in a saucer andcrossed Sant Omerhauplass to the Nenin Bridge. The snow was sharp on her cheeks and lips, and the bells of the Cathedral of the Brothers Christ chimed the half hour. Behind her the twin waiters took in the chairs and pulled the shutters over the Blond Bear Cafe.
13
Everett would never understand people. A real, genuine alien – a living dinosaur – and not one member of the crew was excited.
Mchynlyth was dismissive.
‘How many “Ka”s?’ He shook his head as Everett repeated the name. Kakakakaxa squatted on one of the branches number-two impeller had brought down in its fall through the canopy. It looked up at the sound of its name, a very human reaction. It blinked its eye-membranes. A very inhuman reaction. ‘Buggerello to that. Kax.’ Mchynlyth went back to examining his engine, running his fingers over the casing and alternately hissing in horror and cooing in love. Kakakakaxa – Kax – studied him, head cocked first to one side then the other.
Captain Anastasia was suspicious. ‘What do we knowabout this creature … person? How did it learn our language? What is that thing around its head? What’s it doing here? Where did it come from?’
She left no room for answers, for which Everett was glad because he realised that in the time he had spent waiting for the crew to arrive with shifting gear, Kax – the name was stuck now – had found out a lot about him, and he had found out almost nothing about Kax, except that its people called themselves the Jiju, a two-tone bird-whistle. And the thing around Kax’s head – the Jiju name was three descending trills – was some kind of swarm of micro-robots that could take any shape Kax willed. And could affect minds, including the carnosaur’s, and read minds – including his. The heat in the forest clearing was incredible, but Everett felt a stab of cold in his stomach. What else, other than his languages, had Kax taken from his mind?
Sen was hostile.
‘Is it a boy or a girl?’
Kax turned a blade of its halo into a little robot-fly and sent it buzzing around Sen’s head.
‘What? I don’t know. Does it matter?’ Everett said. ‘It saved me from getting bitten in half by some kind of T-Rex. That’s what matters.’
‘Matters a lot more than that,’
‘It seems I’m forced into an alliance with your Order,’ Ibrim Hoj Kerrim said. ‘But I cannot commit any more Earth 2 soldiers.’
‘We use my own people,’ Charlotte Villiers said. She pulled her coat collar closer around her.
‘On two conditions,’ Ibrim Hoj Kerrim said. ‘First, if they fail, I inform the Praesidium.’
‘Of course. The security of the Known Worlds is paramount. But they won’t fail.’
‘My second condition: your soldiers have never been off their own world. Until a few months ago they had no idea there were other worlds. They lack inter-plane experience.’
‘What is it you want, Ibrim?’
‘You lead them.’
And you are a very clever man
, Charlotte Villiers thought.
I can’t refuse. If I succeed, no one will ever know. If I fail, you will have removed your rival. But I will not fail, and war is openly declared between us, and when I return I shall have dealings with you, Ibrim Hoj Kerrim
.
‘I’ll require proper equipment. Heavy weapons. Access to a military jump-gate. And a recall relay. If things go wrong, I want my people out of there.’
‘You will be carrying the recall relay?’
‘I am everything you think I am, Ibrim, and worse, but I do not needlessly waste human life.’
‘So glad you said “needlessly”.’ Ibrim Hoj Kerrim pushed his bowl and saucer away from him and stood up. ‘Of course, you won’t want to delay. Every second that passes puts the Plenitude in peril.’
‘The Plenitude will not find me wanting,’ Charlotte Villiers said. She watched Ibrim Hoj Kerrim vanish into the swirling snow. She left some shillings in a saucer andcrossed Sant Omerhauplass to the Nenin Bridge. The snow was sharp on her cheeks and lips, and the bells of the Cathedral of the Brothers Christ chimed the half hour. Behind her the twin waiters took in the chairs and pulled the shutters over the Blond Bear Cafe.
13
Everett would never understand people. A real, genuine alien – a living dinosaur – and not one member of the crew was excited.
Mchynlyth was dismissive.
‘How many “Ka”s?’ He shook his head as Everett repeated the name. Kakakakaxa squatted on one of the branches number-two impeller had brought down in its fall through the canopy. It looked up at the sound of its name, a very human reaction. It blinked its eye-membranes. A very inhuman reaction. ‘Buggerello to that. Kax.’ Mchynlyth went back to examining his engine, running his fingers over the casing and alternately hissing in horror and cooing in love. Kakakakaxa – Kax – studied him, head cocked first to one side then the other.
Captain Anastasia was suspicious. ‘What do we knowabout this creature … person? How did it learn our language? What is that thing around its head? What’s it doing here? Where did it come from?’
She left no room for answers, for which Everett was glad because he realised that in the time he had spent waiting for the crew to arrive with shifting gear, Kax – the name was stuck now – had found out a lot about him, and he had found out almost nothing about Kax, except that its people called themselves the Jiju, a two-tone bird-whistle. And the thing around Kax’s head – the Jiju name was three descending trills – was some kind of swarm of micro-robots that could take any shape Kax willed. And could affect minds, including the carnosaur’s, and read minds – including his. The heat in the forest clearing was incredible, but Everett felt a stab of cold in his stomach. What else, other than his languages, had Kax taken from his mind?
Sen was hostile.
‘Is it a boy or a girl?’
Kax turned a blade of its halo into a little robot-fly and sent it buzzing around Sen’s head.
‘What? I don’t know. Does it matter?’ Everett said. ‘It saved me from getting bitten in half by some kind of T-Rex. That’s what matters.’
‘Matters a lot more than that,’
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