Scattered Suns (22 page)

Chapter 42—DOBRO DESIGNATE UDRU’H

An unannounced warliner appeared in the skies over Dobro. Comm systems and orbital alarms lit up in the Ildiran settlement near the breeding camps. As soon as the first transmission came from the looming battleship, Designate Udru’h understood that this was no legitimate Solar Navy mission.

Lanky, sharp-featured Thor’h stood in the warliner’s command nucleus. “Uncle, I have come on behalf of Imperator Rusa’h to celebrate your inclusion in our cause against the false Mage-Imperator.”

Udru’h crossed his arms over his chest, but did not otherwise react. He struggled to find the right words with which to navigate this peculiar situation. Having just returned from delivering Osira’h to the Mage-Imperator, he knew of the troubles brewing on Hyrillka, but did not understand them. A cause against the false Mage-Imperator? Out-and-out rebellion?

He decided the situation called for noncommittal language that could elicit the reasons that this warship had arrived displaying threatening plumage. It appeared to be one of the war vessels formerly commanded by Adar Zan’nh. Very strange.

“You are always welcome here, Thor’h—”

“You will address me as Prime Designate!”

Udru’h bowed his head slightly, wisely choosing not to point out that Thor’h had been stripped of his title. “As you wish.” The young man had been raised in luxury and was an amateur at political intrigues, secrets, and schemes. The Designate was sure he would have no trouble manipulating his nephew. Still, Thor’h commanded the battleship overhead. “But why do you come here with an armed warliner and threaten my colony?”

“I have made no threats—yet. I hope I can convince you without violence.”

“Good, then we have a common goal.” The Dobro Designate smiled blandly at his nephew. “However, if you intend to convince me to join you in outright rebellion, do not hide your meanings or lie to me.”

The young man’s voice was sharp. “Jora’h is the one who lies, as did Mage-Imperator Cyroc’h before him. The
thism
is tangled and ragged, but Rusa’h has seen the true path. He will lead the Ildiran people to the plane of the Lightsource.”

“So you say.” Udru’h remained coolly skeptical, but not confrontational. “Are you aware that one of the seven suns is in peril? Durris-B has become a battleground for the hydrogues and faeros and is sure to be smothered soon.”

Thor’h obviously did not know, but he covered his surprise quickly with a haughty expression. “More evidence that the Lightsource has turned against my father. He must step down. Imperator Rusa’h can bring all Ildirans back to the proper path.”

Designate-in-waiting Daro’h—Thor’h’s brother—stood nearby in the colony’s communications chamber, striving to mask his anxiety. He observed the interaction without interrupting, learning from the Designate. But his star-sapphire eyes flashed from Udru’h, to the image of the warliner, to Thor’h’s mocking face.

From the moment Daro’h came to this planet, saw the breeding camps and learned of the hitherto unsuspected long-term mission to save the Ildiran race, he had struggled to understand and to accept. Making matters worse for Udru’h was that the Mage-Imperator had had such an open dispute with him over the Dobro scheme. However, the young Designate-in-waiting, to his credit, had tried his best to absorb details and fulfill his duty.

Unfortunately, the young man had never been prepared for such an unbelievable situation as this. And neither had Udru’h, but if he did not handle it, no one here would survive.

“I can see why Rusa’h believes I might be willing to join his cause. It’s no secret that I disagree with many of Jora’h’s decisions. He breaks with long-established traditions for his own convenience and has a personal grudge against my long-standing work here on Dobro.”

“Merely a symptom of the decay in his Empire.”

“That may be, nephew, but you are not making a very convincing argument for me to join your rebellion. How far has Rusa’h’s movement spread?”

“Hyrillka has been entirely converted, and we have forty-six warliners at our command. The Adar himself is our prisoner. By now, Dzelluria will have joined us, and either the Designate or his successor has accepted the new
thism
willingly.” Thor’h leaned closer in the imaging field. “The Imperator dispatched me here to see if you would do the same. An alliance would be most beneficial for all of us.”

“An alliance must be voluntary.” Udru’h did not allow himself to be intimidated. “Will Imperator Rusa’h force me if I refuse?”

“Because of your bloodline, Uncle, we cannot force you—not with all the shiing on Hyrillka.” Thor’h flashed a hungry grin. “But perhaps I can make my case to your satisfaction. We do have much in common.”

Seeing his only legitimate response, aware that even the one warliner could level his settlement and destroy the breeding camps and generations of work, the Dobro Designate nodded. “I will listen if I must. Give me evidence of Jora’h’s crimes and errors, and tell me what Rusa’h will do differently.”

Young Daro’h looked at his mentor in horror. “What are you doing? We cannot surrender—”

Udru’h answered as much for Thor’h’s benefit as for the trainee’s: “One does not make decisions without first gathering all the information.” He turned back to the screen. “First, Prime Designate, I suggest you shut down your weaponry and return to orbit, where you will be less provocative. We all know how much devastation your weapons can cause; there’s no need to further intimidate the people here.”

“Why should I weaken my position?” Thor’h demanded.

Udru’h smiled at him, treating him as a child. “Because once your warliner stands down from its threatening posture, I will be happy to come up there and speak with you face-to-face. Is that not what you want?”

The Prime Designate gave a mean little smile. “Excellent.”

While the warliner withdrew to space and gave Dobro a little breathing room, the Designate-in-waiting continued to protest, as Udru’h had known he would.

“You saw that warliner, Daro’h. We know that Rusa’h has already attempted to assassinate the Mage-Imperator, and he did kill Designate-in-waiting Pery’h. If the Hyrillka Designate has seized a maniple of ships and is already attacking Dzelluria, then I doubt he would hesitate to do the same here. He has demonstrated a certain...bloody resolve. I will not treat this as an empty threat. I needed to buy time. We must play our roles carefully, and our only chance now is through negotiation and delay.”

The younger man paced the floor, frowning, his eyes confused and hurt, but he heard the wisdom in his mentor’s voice.

Within an hour, the threatening warliner dispatched a shuttle, which carried the Dobro Designate up into the maw of the ship. Udru’h rode in silence, studying the seven clearly brainwashed soldier kithmen, all of whom wore Solar Navy uniforms. How had Rusa’h managed to capture so many warliners? If Adar Zan’nh was being held hostage, was he being converted as well?

He sifted through his thoughts, trying to formulate a strategy. He doubted the revolt could ever succeed, but if he saw indications of unexpected strength from the Hyrillka Designate, perhaps it would be best to keep his loyalties vague, just in case. He would wait and hear what the rebels had to offer.

Clinging to the key fact Thor’h had unwittingly let slip—that a Designate’s cooperation could not be forced—Udru’h stepped out of the shuttle when it landed, and straightened his uniform shirt. He had little use for formal attire or fine designs, but knowing how much Thor’h enjoyed pomp and ceremony, he had intentionally worn formal dress. More soldiers ushered him up to the command nucleus. There on the dais that had been reserved for the Adar, Thor’h stood preening himself.

Udru’h stepped casually close to his lanky nephew. “A rebellion against the Empire does not seem to be a wise course of action. Perhaps you had best explain yourself?”

Thor’h quickly and passionately repeated what Rusa’h claimed to have seen in visions during his sub-
thism
sleep. “We are not rising up against the Ildiran Empire—only against the Mage-Imperator, whose leadership is deeply flawed.”

“Your father.”

“You know he is weak. Imperator Rusa’h will be a stronger ruler.”

Udru’h shrugged. “That may be so, but whatever his flaws, Jora’h is the rightful Mage-Imperator.”

“Is he?” The Prime Designate produced a stack of diamondfilm documents that displayed detailed scientific results. “The previous Mage-Imperator died suddenly and unexpectedly at the height of this crisis. We were able to obtain a cellular sample from the handler kithmen who prepared Cyroc’h’s body. This tissue analysis proves that the Mage-Imperator died from a massive dose of poison. Jora’h then eagerly ascended to become our leader.”

Udru’h glanced curiously at the diamondfilm sheets as Thor’h continued: “Mere moments after Cyroc’h’s death, his loyal bodyguard Bron’n was found dead, his crystal spear thrust through his heart. Jora’h was the only person present. You may draw only one conclusion from this.”

Even the Dobro Designate could not believe these implications. “This is...astounding. Are you saying that Jora’h murdered our father in order to become Mage-Imperator?”

Thor’h nodded toward the diamondfilm sheets. “The evidence states as much. We have already brought Hyrillka and Dzelluria into our fold, and now we wish Dobro to join this uprising. It is a revolution, for Rusa’h has seen the truth. Jora’h is fundamentally corrupted. Therefore he cannot accurately read the
thism
.”

Udru’h crossed his arms over his uniformed chest again. “How can I be certain that Rusa’h’s visions are not delusions caused by his injuries? That seems a more likely explanation.”

Thor’h was growing more and more upset with his uncle’s continued questions and skepticism. The Solar Navy soldiers in the command nucleus glowered at him. Udru’h knew full well these people were willing to murder him if it seemed that Designate-in-waiting Daro’h might be easier to break.

Finally, Thor’h relaxed. “Imperator Rusa’h said that you would ask such a question. Therefore, he gave me proof to demonstrate that he knows how to follow the soul-threads to the wisdom of the Lightsource.”

“Parlor tricks will not convince me.”

“While he was in sub-
thism
sleep, Rusa’h had many revelations.” Thor’h’s voice turned strange and mysterious, and Udru’h’s skin began to crawl. “He knows the secret you are keeping, Uncle. A certain green priest...a woman, my father’s lover. The false Mage-Imperator believes she is dead, and he has already mourned her—but you know she is still alive. You are hiding her.”

A lance of ice shot down Udru’h’s spine. “How does he know this?”

“The same way he received all of his revelations. Do not doubt him.”

Udru’h scrambled to gain more time. “Thor’h, you are asking me to betray all the trust and loyalties I have developed during my life. If Rusa’h truly wishes me to join him voluntarily and not under duress, then you must give me time to consider what you have shown me, so that I may make my decision.”

“The answer is clear. Why do you hesitate?”

Udru’h stepped up to the command nucleus rail, standing immediately in front of Thor’h. “Maybe it’s clear to
you
, but as you have reminded me several times, the rest of us no longer see the truth as clearly.” His voice became biting. “You ask me to join you willingly, and yet you come here with a fully armed warliner to make your case. Since you yourself do not seem confident in the strength of your 'proof,' then I grow suspicious of your argument.”

Thor’h sniffed, obviously impatient that Udru’h had not buckled. “I bring this warliner because it encourages you to listen with an open mind.”

Udru’h remembered when the Prime Designate had been a spoiled boy who loved his golden life on Hyrillka. “My nephew does not need to issue threats before I will listen to him. And so I have listened. Now let me think about what you said.”

“Time is short.” Thor’h leaned to within a handsbreadth of his face, as if he could intimidate the Designate. “Why should I not just seize you as a hostage? I could forcibly take over this minor splinter colony.”

Inwardly growing more and more irritated, Udru’h gestured vaguely toward the warliner’s controls. “You could easily attack and destroy Dobro. Using brute force, Rusa’h could subdue the population, break them to his will. But unlike most splinter colonies, my settlement is full of half-breeds and human captives. Rusa’h could never control that population with shiing or with his new
thism
. You need me for that.”

Thor’h fidgeted, impatient and uncertain, but he could not argue with Udru’h. “So what do you propose? I have been ordered to convince you in any way possible. I will not disappoint the Imperator.”

Udru’h strung his young nephew along, making silent calculations in his mind. He drove a hard bargain. “Then this is how you will accomplish it. Let me consider what you offer and the consequences if I refuse. Within ten days I will present myself to Hyrillka willingly and deliver my answer.”

“Ten days is impossible.”

Udru’h barked, “I will not be treated like an attender kithman to be herded to his task! Do you want my cooperation or not? Once I have had time to consider, I will speak directly with Rusa’h—but only at the appointed time.”

Thor’h scowled. “You will never come. It is a trick.”

“I give you my word, Prime Designate. I am a son of a Mage-Imperator! Surely you could sense if I am lying?” Udru’h stood tall, his face stony. “Or are you unable, since you are no longer in touch with the same
thism
? A pity.”

Not knowing the extent of Thor’h’s strange new mental network, Udru’h focused his thoughts, brought forth all the mental discipline techniques he had developed. Over the past year, he had learned how to mask his feelings and his memories whenever he stood before Jora’h, and he had managed to hide certain secrets, especially about Nira.

“Five days,” Thor’h insisted. “You can have five days—and then you must be at Hyrillka, or else I will come back to destroy Dobro.”

The Prime Designate stared at him for a drawn-out moment, and Udru’h remained still, his expression firm. Finally Thor’h turned his sharp gaze away. “Yes, I can sense you are telling the truth. If I must make a minor concession in order to gain Dobro as a willing ally, then Imperator Rusa’h would agree.”