The Ascendant Stars (46 page)

‘Kao Chih,’ he said in a low voice, ‘there is a slight problem. I’m picking up the approach and navigational beacons from the Roug world, the gas giant V’Hrant, but there’s no sign of the Agmedra’a orbital. In fact, I’m not detecting anything on the usual commercial and open channels. Now, I’ve checked and rechecked our location, and although the Shyntanil sensors are a heap of rudimentary junk they should still be able to find active
comm channels and automatically go into transceiver mode.’ He shook his head. ‘Nothing.’

Neither said anything for a long moment full of dark imaginings.

‘They couldn’t have got here before us, could they?’ Kao Chih said.

‘We musn’t jump to conclusions,’ Robert said, turning to the controls. ‘I’m going to execute a microjump to get us closer, then we’ll know for … ’

He was interrupted by a sharp pinging from the pilot console. ‘Something huge has just … ’

The assault craft lurched sideways, provoking gasps and cries from the
Heracles
survivors. A curved expanse of pitted greyness that was clearly part of something larger swung in close to cover the viewport, then there was a sudden surge of acceleration that threatened serious discomfort until the inertial dampeners cut in. Robert lunged forward to the console.

‘A huge ship has us in a grappler field,’ he said. ‘Well, Kao Chih, you’re from around these parts – is this a Roug vessel?’

On an angled, grimy screen protruding from the console was the wireframe image of a big, V-shaped vessel. Kao Chih nodded.

‘It’s a system-defence ship,’ he said. ‘The Roug tend to keep them out of sight – I hadn’t even seen one until quite recently.’

‘Interesting.’ Robert consulted the console readouts. ‘Hmph. According to these pathetic instruments we are being carried at something close to a third of the speed of light towards the gas giant V’Hrant. We’ll be there in less than twenty minutes.’ He frowned. ‘But it seems unusual that there’s been no attempt to contact us.’

‘This isn’t the usual protocol,’ Kao Chih said, recalling the last time he returned to the Buzrul system. ‘However, we are still alive, so they do not perceive us as a threat. Perhaps we should transmit a message stating who we are, who we have escaped from and telling them about the asteroid-weapon.’

Robert nodded. ‘Even if they don’t reply they will have heard our explanation for why we came here in a Shyntanil combat
craft. Also, it would make more sense if you delivered it, given your personal connections with them.’

Kao Chih agreed – it was sensible, so after clarifying his thoughts he spoke into the console’s audio pickup, a small circular grille. In his summary he detailed who they all were, who they had escaped from, and what they had come to warn the Roug about. After which he sat back, exchanging the odd glance with Robert, but the comm channel remained silent. Some of the
Heracles
crew had gathered round but when it became clear that no reply was forthcoming they went back to their seats, cradling their stomachs or trying to relax. Robert surveyed them all for a moment then leaned back, face unreadable as he stared at the obscuring greyness. Dejected, Kao Chih followed suit.

They didn’t have long to wait. Some minutes later they were assailed by unannounced shifts in momentum, some quite sharp. Then the curved grey surface lifted away to reveal a staggering sight.

The gas giant V’Hrant was a swirled and muddy immensity in the lower left, but the rest of that wide-open vista of high-orbit space was filled with an endless cloud of wreckage and debris. The full, undimmed horror of it confirmed his worst fears. The massive orbital city of Agmedra’a had been destroyed.

‘ … gone, it’s … gone … ’ he whispered.

It was a panorama of ruin, of torn structures, of pulverised detritus. Some of the nearer, larger fragments were almost shocking in their familiarity – the decorative trim from the edge of one of the docking platforms, or a distinctive M-pointed archway from one of the underdock doorways …

‘So is our main thruster control,’ muttered Robert. ‘Disabled, so they want to keep us on a short leash … ’

Deeper into the zone of destruction were patches where the debris was denser, and a couple that were slightly foggy, hazy. And here and there were huge jagged sections around which small craft darted and hovered, spot beams stabbing and wavering, scenes of ongoing rescue attempts.

Agmedra’a’s residential population was nearly a quarter of a
million
, he thought,
and the transient population could have been as high as 50,000. The death toll must be
…

He shook his head but couldn’t tear his gaze away.

‘Still no communication,’ Robert said, studying the instruments. ‘That system-defence ship has moved off some distance. However, there is some odd activity going on down in that gas giant.’ He glanced up. ‘Aren’t the Roug supposed to have cities down there?’

‘So we are taught as children,’ Kao Chih said. ‘I worked down there, piloting a gravity tug, shifting ore cargos up to orbit and to … Agmedra’a. We heard tales of the Roug cities that drifted through the deep but I never saw one.’

‘That could be about to change,’ said Robert. ‘Going by these utterly inadequate sensors, something very big is ascending from the gas giant’s depths.’

The pilot console’s solitary monitor was focused on a segment of V’Hrant, a magnified square of the swirling face. The muddy haze resolved itself into swirls and undulations of rust red, mustard yellow and ash grey, coiling eddies of atmospheric air streams that now appeared threadlike. Then a white speck became visible amid a darker braid of flows and minute by minute grew steadily larger. After five minutes it was taking on a strange non-linear shape while the whiteness began to look more like pale grey.

After ten minutes the non-linearity of it seemed asymmetrical yet oddly suggestive of something. When it reached low orbit its nose angled upwards and as it turned Kao Chih finally understood what he was seeing. The Roug ship was shaped like a gigantic creature, a bizarre chimera with a wide torso, three clawed forelimbs and three back limbs, frozen in a pouncing motion. The head was broad, as were its parted jaws, and above fierce, blank eyes, halfway back between raised, pointed ears, there nestled a second, smaller head. Kao Chih was startled to realise that this was none other than the Roug ship
Vyrk
, the vessel from which he and Ajegil had carried out that hyperspace rescue.

‘Seeing something familiar, Kao Chih?’ said Robert.

He nodded and explained his voyage aboard the
Vyrk
. ‘But I
knew nothing about this. It’s huge – it must be nearly a mile long

‘Nearly a mile and a half, actually,’ Robert said. ‘And it’s heading straight for us.’

Its course was undeviating. With the lateral manoeuvring jets Robert was able to turn the assault craft to face the oncoming leviathan. The Shyntanil vessel was soon dwarfed by the Roug ship’s immensity. As the grey curves of its beastlike exterior expanded to fill the viewport it slowed and a rectangular opening appeared in its chest. A slight jolt passed through the smaller craft and Robert looked up from the readouts.

‘Their grappler fields have us, pulling us into that bay.’

The docking bay entrance seemed small at first but quickly grew. Before long the assault craft passed into a docking area provided with all sizes of berths and cradles spread out over a huge interior space. Ambient sources cast a shadowless light into every corner, while crew members down on its deck looked minuscule.

A big pale yellow platform swung out from one of the vacant berths and the Shyntanil vessel was guided in to make a perfect landing next to a second ship, a large, rectilinear, square-hulled transport. Then the rear hatch unsealed and began to lower.

‘Nothing to do with me,’ Robert said. ‘Our hosts have taken complete control.’

Much to Kao Chih’s surprise, four Humans wearing shoulder panniers walked up the ramp. They were dressed in Human Sept work suits, although their faces were not familiar. Three of them approached the
Heracles
’ survivors and began to distribute food and drink, while the fourth, a woman, approached Kao Chih and introduced herself as Mu Liang, explaining that they had been piloting gravity tugs when the attack took place.

‘We were only picked up an hour ago,’ she said in Mandarin. ‘Then we were told we would have to help some injured Humans with medication and food, never thinking that they would be from … Earth-Home!’ She paused to look at the crew. ‘Are there any serious wounds, Kao Chih?’

‘Only hunger and thirst,’ he said. ‘They were starved and several dosed with sedatives, so there is also dehydration.’

‘We shall start with small amounts and watch their progress.’ She turned and waved to someone outside. ‘There is a person here who wishes to speak with you, honourable pilot.’

Disconcertingly, she then gave him a bow before moving away to distribute her own store of water and food. When Kao Chih looked round at the ramp a familiar tall figure was climbing towards him. Once more in the burly Human appearance that he employed during his stay on Pyre, it was the Roug Qabakri.

‘Good to see you again, my friend,’ he said.

‘Likewise with you, pilot Kao Chih, although the circumstances of this encounter could not be more calamitous.’

‘Do you know why we are here?’ Kao Chih said.

‘I have heard the message that you transmitted,’ the Roug said. ‘Action has been taken. Ships have been dispatched to waylay the second asteroid and its attendant vessels.’

‘Second asteroid?’ Kao Chih said, shaking his head. ‘So the one we delayed … ’

‘Was only the latter of a pair,’ Qabakri said. ‘Perhaps our enemies decided to factor in redundancy in the event that either was intercepted, a successful tactic, but they do not realise what they have called down upon themselves. Very shortly, further actions will be taken. This vessel, the great warvaunt
Vyrk-Zoshel
, will fly to battle for the first time in millennia.’

‘Will you be tracking down the Shyntanil or the Suneye Monoclan?’

Qabakri surveyed the
Heracles
survivors for a moment.

‘In time, both,’ said the Roug. ‘You should understand the sequence of events. Several hours before the catastrophe the incursioner craft
Syroga
appeared in our system, accompanied by three Vox Humana transports bearing the colonists from Pyre … ’

Kao Chih was struck by an agonising realisation.

‘That is why! – that’s what this destruction is for … ’ He put a hand to his head. ‘If you had not become involved in our … ’

‘No blame is or could be laid upon the Humans,’ Qabakri said.
‘The remaining supernals of the High Index have already ruled on this. Now, I must continue with my account.

‘Some hours after the colonist flotilla arrived, our hyperspace sensors detected a very large object approaching, rising through the tiers on a course that appeared to intersect with our orbital city. As a precaution we started evacuating while using Agmedra’a’s engines to shift its orbit. To our consternation the approaching object altered its course and kept doing so to remain on target. We tried to evacuate as many as possible but there were not enough vessels.’

Qabakri’s calm exterior was belied by a dark glitter in the eyes.

‘When it arrived we saw that it was a piece of something larger, while still possessing a sub-planetoid mass. No weaponsfire could deflect it from its course. It impacted Agmedra’a and the results are plain to see.’ The Roug’s eyes seemed full of anger. ‘Two Suneye vessels then arrived, clearly intending to seize the Vox Humana transports – the commander of the
Syroga
acted promptly such that it and the transports made the jump to hyperspace before the Suneye intruders got within weapon range.’

‘Where could they go? Where would be safe?’

‘Nowhere, which is why they are heading for Darien.’ The Roug nodded at Kao Chih’s amazement. ‘It has taken nearly four hours to gather and assemble the segments of the
Vyrk-Zoshel
, the only survivor from the great and mighty fleet of warvaunts that met their doom in the battles against the Dreamless a hundred centuries ago. Now the last warvaunt shall plunge through the levels and veils of hyperspace and hunt down the dreamless machine minds of the Suneye Monoclan.

‘And you must be on board, Kao Chih – your skills will be needed, and your advice and mere presence if you do eventually reach the Darien system. I will not lie to you – the hazards are great.’

Kao Chih felt resolute. ‘I am ready to go with you, Qabakri, wherever it leads.’

The Roug smiled with his Human face. ‘I shall not be accompanying you, Kao Chih – I need to use this Shyntanil vessel to get
to a place called the Great Hub. An old adversary of yours is about to bring another crisis to its climax, and I may be able to stop her … while mimicking you, as it happens.’

‘Talavera,’ Kao Chih guessed, knowing he was right. ‘Take care, my friend – she enjoys danger.’

The
Heracles
survivors were trooping off the assault craft and across to the square-hulled transport.

‘A couple of those Humans with the supplies are Roug able to speak Earth-Anglic,’ Qabakri said. ‘They’ll make sure they are returned to the nearest Earthsphere outpost. In the meantime I need to persuade your Construct companion to go with me to the Great Hub.’