Iron Gray Sea: Destroyermen (53 page)

“They think they will annihilate you,” Toryu answered softly. Nig-Taak laughed.

“Do they, now? They have had long enough to try in the past—we have guarded against each other for over three hundred years! How can they now do—while threatened elsewhere!—what they have never dared attempt in the past?”

“With respect, Lord, they do not like this land; it can be too cold for them. They have never considered it a worthy place to conquer. As for daring . . . My lord, you must believe me! If you do not join them, they
will
come—unless they are more sorely pressed elsewhere than they are at present.”

“Let them come!” Von Melhausen snapped. “We can meet them anywhere they strike with fifteen, perhaps twenty thousand, disciplined troops!”

Toryu paled. “Kapitan, Your Majesty, I beg you to hear! I will not counsel you to agree to their demands, but you must know I watched them assemble perhaps half a
million
warriors for an
oversea
campaign! That force was hurled back, but it pales to insignificance compared to what they now prepare! They have built a thousand ships in only the past year, and they have learned much from their enemies—and, yes, those of my people who aid them. They have artillery, aircraft . . . and just imagine what they could bring against you this close to their major population centers! I am sure your troops are excellent, but it is not that they have not dared to come against you. They have not
cared
to!” He paused.

“Maybe they will not come immediately. The Alliance against them has grown amazingly and assembled powerful forces of its own, qualitatively better than the Grik.” He shook his head. “But, honestly, I fear they are taunting a giant in the dark! They cannot truly know what they face! I have
seen
their multitudes, how quickly they can breed if they desire. I have seen the scope of their preparations, and it is not a . . . natural thing. Even now their population nears the maximum they can even feed! I fear they will destroy the Alliance in time, and even if they wait until then to come, they will bring more warriors than they will
want
to survive!”

Toryu heard Doocy gasp and saw Von Melhausen pale. Nig-Taak did not appear to react beyond a rapid blinking. Toryu knew almost nothing of Lemurians, and had no idea what it meant.

“I cannot believe it!” Von Melhausen snorted when he gathered himself. “And why
should
we believe it, my kaiser?” He gestured at Toryu. “This man just wanders in out of the wilderness with this wild tale . . .”

“
I
believe it, Kap-i-taan,” Nig-Taak said resignedly. “All at once, it is perfectly clear. We always wondered, but now it makes flawless sense! Do you not see? They never attacked us here in force because they did not
want
our land, but now they cannot afford a threat to their rear! That is the source of this offer! Then, whether we help them or not, they will merely use us to stabilize their numbers once more!”

He turned back to Toryu. “You say we must not help them and I agree. They are monsters and enemies of my race since before the beginning of time, but . . . what else can we do?”

To Toryu, it was suddenly obvious. “They will likely think I have perished, with all the others with me. We were sent at a poor time of year. Suspecting my envoy did not survive, they might send another. If it arrives, perhaps under the direction of a more . . . committed ambassador, you must stall them and prepare.”

“Prepare for what?” Von Melhausen asked grudgingly, almost hopelessly, as the enormity and probable veracity of Toryu’s revelation sank in.

“To fight them!” Toryu insisted. “Build more weapons, grow your armies, and somehow contact your
natural
allies! The ones who fight them already!”

“We still have the transmitter aboard here, though it is never used,” mused Becher. Then he shrugged at Miyata. “It is a dangerous world, and we never know what we might attract! We do listen. . . .” He paused. “We might send them a message!”

“That you must
not
do!” Toryu warned. “Though he never told the Grik, my former commander, Captain Kurokawa—he styles himself General of the Sea now—has retained communication devices. He will probably hear any message you send, and warn his masters!”

“Then how can we contact these natural allies you speak of?” Nig-Taak asked, frustrated.

Toryu looked at him. “Your Highness, you must go and meet them.”

“How?” Doocy demanded. “As we’ve told you, no sailing vessel nor the few seagoing steamers we have can round the cape. They are just too small to survive those seas!”

Toryu gazed almost helplessly around. There was only one answer, and it was obvious to him.

“What?” challenged Von Melhausen. “You cannot mean . . . ! But
Amerika
’s hull has grown as thin as an egg! I could knock a hole in it with a hammer in the shaft alleys!”

“But an egg is still very strong,” Kaiser Nig-Taak reminded quietly. “And I am sure you will avoid any hostile hammers.”

“It will take months to prepare,” Von Melhausen objected, his mind already shifting to embrace the inevitable. “Some repairs are essential. This ship has not been to sea for twenty years—and neither have I!”

“Then begin your repairs at once,
mein
Kap-i-taan,” Nig-Taak advised. “You do not have
unlimited
months. One or two, you may have, if God permits.”

THE
DESTROYERMEN
SERIES

Into the Storm

Crusade

Maelstrom

Distant Thunders

Rising Tides

Firestorm