Extremis (49 page)

“You are quite right. Please continue.”

“The next meeting was to have been last week—but five hours before it was to be convened, the two attacks began. So, with respect, Honored First Councilor, I did try to present these results earlier, but fate decreed otherwise—possibly aided by those who do not want us to further consider the issue of human intelligence.”

Amunherh’peshef raised and lowered two tentacle tips. “Yes, I remember thinking how unusual the timing was. Now, Torhok, I wonder if you could explain your reason for accusing Ankaht of treachery.”

“With respect, Esteemed Amunherh’peshef, I did not make that accusation. That was—”

“
Holodah’kri
Urkhot, yes—but you baited the hook, asked the Elder Ankaht if she or her cluster had abetted the humans, and while you set it in the guise of a facetious jest, there was purpose in it, as well. So I will hear this from you, Torhok. Why do you suspect the
shaxzhu
Elder of treason?”

Ankaht could feel Torhok tighten: he had not thought he would be pinned down on this, but rather that he would be able to redirect the inquiry to the ever-intemperate Urkhot. Amunherh’peshef was shrewd, but if he wasn’t careful, Ankaht wondered if he might also be visited by a cohort of Death-Vowed.

But Torhok was not easily rattled and turned the moment to his own advantage. “Since the Eldest of the Council asks, I have no choice but to share my full mind on this matter, with no implication of having contemplated or undertaken actions which would follow from these thoughts.”

Amunherh’peshef closed his eyes slowly and accepted the ancient rite of legal immunity from suspicion simply based on a revelation of one’s deepest passion and motivations. Which meant that Torhok had maneuvered himself to get a pulpit from which he could say anything without fear of retribution or accusation. Shrewd indeed. Had this been his objective all along?

The senior admiral stood. “From before we entered this system, Elder Ankaht has shown marked sympathies for the
griarfeksh
. The numerous times, reasons, and methods she sought to limit, constrain, or end my war against them is on the record. There are no less than thirty such interferences with Council-decreed military policy or initiatives. She also sought—and was granted—Council approval to research the
griarfeksh
. What has she produced? A ‘vocoder’—a talking box which converts their subcognitive screechings into sensible speech. Or so we are told.”

“She has been trying to present it to us for analysis, Senior Admiral.”

“Nonetheless, we have no evidence in hand. And I must point out that those claims are not only highly suspect, but quite frankly heretical. She tells us that there are intelligences in this universe which have no knowledge of Illudor. These intelligences also lack
selnarm
, or any hint of
shaxzhutok
. Yet they are sentient, we are told. I find it nothing less than astounding that Elder Ankaht sees fit to not only be a voting member of this Council, but also to revise holy writ autonomously. These definitions of soul and selfhood—knowledge of Illudor,
selnarm
, and
shaxzhutok
—are not folklore, not conjectures. They are oft-proven theological and cosmological facts that have been the bedrock of our race for dozens of millennia.

“And let us not overlook her behavior during the
griarfeksh
attack, which we have by her own report. She abandoned the research workers of her own cluster to the savage attacks of the human warriors, only to protect one
griarfeksh
female from harm. And that
griarfeksh
female is the one who is mated to the human war captain who led the infiltration of our city and the slaughter of our brothers and sisters. These events make Elder Ankaht’s motivations clear: she promised the
griarfeksh
that she would liberate the female artist into the custody of her mate. She has sold her birthright in this race for a passing alliance with the patch-furred murderers indigenous to this world.”

The Council chamber was utterly without sending; no one dared express anything lest a deluge be released.

Ankaht stood slowly. “Your lies mark you as an orphan from Illudor’s love and estranged from his face.”

Several of the Councilors gasped and looked nervously at Torhok. Ankaht knew they were wondering if he would now challenge her, given the depth and severity of so public a rebuke. Only by calling him a
zheteksh
could she have made the insult any worse.

But she had decided upon almost as severe an approach. “I call Torhok a liar before all gathered here and insist that he refute what now I call to your attention.” Now it was her turn to play an ancient legal card, since refuting any challenge to a Councilor’s veracity was also an activity that was free of constraints.
“Torhok’s first lie is that he characterized my actions of last week thusly: ‘She abandoned the research workers of her own cluster to the savage attacks of the human warriors.’ Ah, but it was not the humans who killed—or even attacked—them. We found only two pair of our workers dead of wounds inflicted by the human weapons. In both cases, the implicit combat scenarios involved surprise, not intent.”

“But you cannot prove that.”

“Oh, but I can. Firstly, there is the after-action forensics report of the event.”

Torhok almost preened. “You can hardly reference a document that does not exist. As I informed the Council earlier this week, a computer failure—ultimately a residual glitch caused by one of the human rockets’ aftereffects—blanked that report out in its entirety.”

“Yes, so you did inform us. Most unfortunate. However, with Esteemed Amunherh’peshef’s permission, I took the precaution of requesting that another, contemporaneous analysis of the attack be conducted.”

“By your researchers, Elder Ankaht?” His sneering contempt for non-
Destoshaz
methods was palpable.

“No, Senior Admiral. I requested the military-intelligence group—and Group Commander Mretlak—to conduct an independent analysis. After all, they are trying to learn how the enemy operates, and the aftermath of the human attack at our facility was an extraordinary research opportunity. While the focus of his investigation was not predominantly forensic, happily his methods and sampling were similar enough that he was able to compile a separate post-action report.”

Torhok’s
selnarm
shut fast, and his color went from gold to a glowing, jaundiced yellow. Ankaht wondered: Would the challenge come now? She continued.

“Mretlak discovered the following: that it was the Death-Vowed who slew all but four of my researchers. This was not something Torhok’s forensic report could have missed. The wounds were all inflicted by
skeerba
and claw, and many of the death strikes were ritual—and derogatory—in nature. Even if the humans had wished to imitate our general weapons, they would have no way of knowing these death strikes and their meaning.

“Mretlak also determined that the humans could have shot many, many more of my support staff when the first wave of workers fled the building initially. Only two were killed, at which point the lead human—Jennifer Peitchkov’s mate—evidently gave an order that prevented an attack upon the rest. The humans
were
responsible for killing one group of Arduans, however.”

“Oh, which?”

“The Death-Vowed. They killed almost all of them.”

“And the others?”

“I killed. In self-defense. It is also worth noting that when the humans—again led by Jennifer Peitchkov’s mate—found two of my researchers and six humans hiding in a secret room in the library complex, the human called Alessandro McGee restrained his men from killing the two Arduans, compelling them to be bound instead. An interesting behavior for a race that—since the attacks—Torhok and Urkhot have been publicly and loudly decrying as ‘irreclaimable savages that show no sign of mercy, quarter, or intelligence.’ But my researchers did forward our ongoing reports of the humans’ true natures to Torhok’s staff investigators—”

“Reports which were never received.”

“No, Senior Admiral. They were registered as delivered by the special trace I had put on them. This trace indicated that each one was delivered, read, and erased. All within the same five-minute interval. So your most recent claim is yet another lie, Torhok. Now: rebut or recant. It is my right to hear—this instant—which you will do.”

The eyes in the room turned upon Torhok. “If you are saying I sent the Death-Vowed, I deny it,” he jetted out through his
selnarm
.

Amunherh’peshef brushed that indignant outburst away. “You have not been asked about the Death-Vowed, Torhok. And although I doubt you recruited them yourself, I suspect you were anything but surprised by their appearance. However—for now—our interest is restricted to hearing your response to what the Elder
shaxzhu
has lawfully requested regarding your accusations of her treason and disloyalty. Rebut or recant.”

It looked, for a moment, as though Torhok’s skin was going to rupture, explode into a fuming, acidic yellow spray. But then he said—in
selnarm
and aloud, as the ancient custom required—“I recant.”

Amunherh’peshef tipped two tentacles aloft for a brief second. “Interesting.”

Ankaht could feel the suppressed rage of the slight
Destoshaz
majority simmering higher: a little more irritation and a
coup d’etat
was not out of the question.

Amunherh’peshef continued, apparently unruffled. “For now, I believe this business is concluded. We have a functional forensics report. We have cleared Ankaht of charges of treason. Torhok has recanted. If any wish to advance similar charges or others against Ankaht, based on the evidence Torhok claimed, you must do so now.” No response. “Then all questions pertaining to the relevant actions of Elder Ankaht are prohibited as the basis of, or precedent for, further charges or inquiries. Councilor Torhok, having lied and recanted, your vote is held null in this Council for a minimum of three months, the full period of which will be determined by this body at its next convocation. An investigation will be launched into the origins and mission of the Death-Vowed.”

Urkhot spread his beneficent
selnarm
out like a tablecloth. “I will pursue this inquiry with a vigor unlike any—”

“
Holodah’kri
, your zeal is noted. But since Death-Vows are, properly, religious in nature, we must exclude you and all other
’kri
from the investigatory board. And insofar as Admiral Torhok may or may not have knowingly and therefore perjuriously concealed the fact that the Death-Vowed, not the humans, were responsible for the deaths of most Arduans during the attack, I cannot have any of his personnel involved in the investigation.”

“Which leaves no one to investigate, Honored Amunherh’peshef,” observed Councilor Felnarmaht.

“Perhaps so. But I see a different solution. Senior Admiral Torhok, rather than order this, I will give you the opportunity to volunteer an accommodation to the Council as a matter of good faith. Will you consider a request from the Council that you release the military-intelligence group from your authority and place it at the sole service of, and reporting only to, the Council of Twenty, until such time as we deem it suitable to be returned to direct military authority?”

Torhok’s
selnarm
opened up a crack; Ankaht sensed the senior admiral’s relief at having been given such an inexpensive means to reinstate his good opinion in the Council. “Of course, Esteemed Amunherh’peshef.”

“Excellent. I shall inform Mretlak myself.”

And I shall dance for joy when I am alone in my misting chambers
, thought Ankaht as she maintained a thoroughly aloof and detached exterior,
both for having Mretlak in a position where we might work together more closely, and also for getting out of this meeting alive.
She hadn’t been sure whether she wanted Torhok to challenge her or not, but now that the heat of the moment was passed, and she reassessed his size and thews, she was glad that the moment had indeed passed.

* * *

That night, alone in her room, preparing for sleep, Ankaht tried one last time to stretch out her
selnarm
—beyond Punt, beyond Melantho, beyond the entirety of the continent of Icarus—reaching, probing, grasping to find the smallest tendril of what might be Jennifer’s mind. But no: her human equivalent of
selnarm
was too different to be detectable at greater ranges. In the days after the attack, Ankaht had requested a sled to fly in wide circles around the region, searching, searching. There had been a few indistinct readings here and there; none seemed likely to be her, and there were too many of these faint signs to check individually. Besides, having the admirable caution and canniness which their long experience with insurgencies had taught them, the humans would surely have anticipated such sweeps and—if Jennifer was still alive—would have moved her to a more distant locale.

Of course, even if—against all odds—she had survived the escape, Jennifer might not be having a very easy time of it. Her fellow humans had seen her save one of the leaders of the perfidious “Baldies”—at the risk of her own life.
Jennifer, Jennifer,
she thought,
becoming half-sisters has not made our respective peoples very happy with us.

* * *

The ride up to High City had been almost entirely without a single ripple in the
selnarm
that existed between Urkhot and Torhok.

As their shuttle sped away from the sun over New Ardu’s terminator, Urkhot sent out a tired surge. “This was unfortunate. Disastrous, even.”

“The meeting?”

“That, too—but more what Ankaht revealed to us. She actually did touch the mind of that
zheteksh griarfeksh
. And, even worse, it does seem intelligent.”

(Wry.) “Are you becoming a heretic in your own temple,
Holodah’kri
?”

(Impatient.) “Of course not. But the appearance of this seeming intelligence will confuse too many of our soft-hearted—and soft-headed—Star Wanderers. And we cannot afford that confusion…not when we are in the middle of a war where the outcome remains uncertain. And now Mretlak is being put at her disposal—”