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Elara, Palace of the Two Thrones
When Val arrived, she had Alex and the twins with her. Hermie was right behind them.
"Look who I found, Boss-Tessa!" Hermie said excitedly. "They were on their way here, so we came together." He frowned. "That is OK, yes?"
Tessa smiled at the little robot. "It is absolutely fine, Hermie."
The twins frisked over to Magnus, twining themselves around his legs to his great embarrassment. "Why are they doing that?"
"They like you." Tessa hid her amused grin as much as she could, but she didn't think Magnus was fooled.
We do. We love Magnus, the twins said.
"Why?" Magnus asked plaintively.
You smell delicious. Dora rubbed her head against his palm, and he caressed the soft fur between her ears reflexively.
"In your message, you said you had a job for me, Boss-Tessa. A reaper? I will keep you safe." The two-foot-tall silver android with his gargoyle features cut a comic figure as he planted himself in front of her. Tessa pointed to the table, and he hopped from the floor to a chair, then walked across the table to examine the inert reaper.
"It is sleeping," Hermie said.
"No, Stella2 turned it off," Tessa said.
Val blinked when she saw the container on the table, a replica of the one she carried. She gave the first container a wary look. "What is that doing here?"
“That’s the delivery we took,” Tessa replied. “What’s that?”
"We picked up this job up at our last delivery." Val set her box on the table and backed away two steps.
Stella2 sent her bright blue light spearing down, scanning it as she had the first container. "The readings are almost exactly the same," she reported. "I think we have a second reaper."
"A second... Damn it! I thought we destroyed those things," Val said.
"Except me," Hermie said. "I was converted instead."
Tessa gave him a distracted smile but didn't reply.
"If this is the same thing, then wouldn't the readings be exact?" Alex asked.
"HiveZ built the reapers from a variety of stolen and discarded tech," Gaia said. "Each one was... is... a little different in composition."
"Does this one have a message, too?" Magnus stood near Tessa, his hands close to his blasters.
"What message did the first one bring?" Val asked.
Tessa gave her a quick run-down as Gaia examined the control panel on the second delivery.
"It's similar to the first, though the sender reads as different. I would like the humans to leave the room while I open it."
The four humans returned a chorus of variations on the phrase, 'not a chance.'
We concur. This does not smell right. Pan and Dora spoke in unison, and Val shook her head at them.
"I'm not leaving you unprotected," Tessa said to Gaia.
"Boss-Tessa."
"Not now, Hermie," Tessa said without looking at it. "Explosives aren't the only possibility here. Wasn't your brother poisoned?"
"She's right," Val said. "You need to jettison both of those things and flame them in space."
You should listen to– Dora began.
"Boss-Tessa, I really think–" Hermie said.
"Guys, I am busy. Be quiet for a moment, please."
"The only possible threat here is to you four," Gaia said. "Now I really must insist–"
"It is awake!" Hermie screamed the words like an air-raid siren going off.
Tessa spun on her heels, her hands morphing as she turned, but she was already too late. 511 sprang onto the second CEC and stabbed its fingers against the release. The lid retracted, spilling white vapor into the room as its inhabitant clambered through the opening.
Without hesitation, both reapers jumped on the nearest human. 511 went after Magnus, the newcomer after Val.
Magnus whipped his blaster up, aiming for the reaper's center mass. 511 twisted mid-air, evading the blinding missile but also missing its target. The round shattered a four-by-four section of ceiling instead, sending a shower of white tiles clattering around their heads.
"No gunfire," Tessa yelled. "You're going to kill someone."
"I think that was their plan," Alex hollered. "Get off her, you sonofabitch!"
The second reaper straddled Val's chest, its talons wrapped around her neck. Alex grabbed the reaper's arm, and the creature bit him, grinding its teeth against the bones in his wrist.
Pan joined the attack, and the reaper lifted one fist long enough to send the Syfe flying. Dora stood over her fallen twin, her teeth bared in a silent growl.
511 rounded on Magnus, bouncing off the wall to fly through the air, hands and feet extended, mouth twisted in a manic grin. Gaia raised her hand and flicked her wrist, sending an air vortex to spin the creature in mid-air, slamming it into the wall. It fell to the floor, shuddering as Hermie jumped on top of it. The converted robot slammed 511's head into the floor until it stopped moving.
Tessa jumped over the table, grabbed the second reaper's head, and twisted. It decapitated with the screech of abused metal. The hands kept squeezing though, and Alex pried them free, one finger at a time.
Val sat up, lips blue-tinged, coughing. "Hermie, stop that! We need information and we can't get it if you turn that thing into spare parts."
Hermie didn't seem to hear her. It kept slamming the head into the floor.
"Stop, Hermie," Tessa said. The little robot froze. "Let it go and come here."
Dropping its foe, Hermie trundled obediently toward Tessa. "I did not end it, Boss-Tessa. It can still report."
She smiled at it. "Good to know."
Hermie nodded at the disembodied head she held. "So can that one."
Tessa looked down and almost dropped it. The eyes rolled up to glare at her as the teeth gnashed.
"Kill the cyborgs. Kill them all," it squealed, and she realized that was the first sound it had made since escaping its container. She dropped it back into the CEC, scooped up the body and dumped it in too, jabbing the controls to seal it inside.
Magnus did the same with 511 and stacked the two boxes next to each other in the furthest corner of the room.
Rubbing her throat, Val limped over to a slowly rising Pan. "You OK?" she asked.
I failed you, Foster Val, he said.
She shook her head. "No such thing. Psionic vibration doesn’t work against non-organic constructs. And those little bastards are hard as hell to kill hand to hand. You distracted them so Tessa could pull his head off. Thank you."
We will return to the Venture, Dora said. Pan must rest.
Val watched them walk out the door, and ordered water from the room's nourichef, grimacing as she swallowed. "I don't get it," she said to the others. "The first one was here – you'd opened it already. Why didn't it attack before?"
"It was waiting," Alex said. "This was a coordinated attack, and Gaia wasn't the only target."
"I don't think I was the target at all," Gaia said as she took a seat. "There are only a few compounds that can harm a Simoi in their astral form. Stella2 would have scanned for those as a matter of course."
"Which I did, and found nothing," the DEVA said.
"Then that means..." Magnus said.
"We were the target," Tessa said. "The humans."
"Not just any humans," Alex pointed out. "You heard that thing. It was after cyborgs. As weird as it sounds, in this case that means us, specifically. What Hart told us on Galina? Not an outlandish conspiracy theory after all, apparently. The HDL really does think Gaia created us to finish off the human race."
"What?" Gaia asked. "Who is this Hart, and what did he tell you?"
Val explained, taking small sips of water between sentences. "But he didn't mention they might send Reapers after us."
"I don't think that occurred to him," Alex said.
"So, now what do we do?" Tessa said.
"It is my duty to suggest that the council be told about this," Stella2 said.
"No!" Five voices rose in unison. Hermie fell over backwards off the table, and only Tessa's quick reflexes saved him from hitting the floor.
"Noted," Stella2 said. "But you should at least tell Sirius."
"Why?" Gaia asked.
"Because you were threatened."
"I believe we have established that I was not," Gaia said.
"Not by the reapers," Stella2 said with exaggerated patience. "By the HDL, or did you forget their message? Any threat against the crown must be reported."
"Any credible threat," Gaia said.
Tessa set Hermie back on the table. "Gaia, I'm with Stella2. If they did enough research to know they couldn't reach you with poison or an explosive here on Elara, they're researching how to reach you somewhere else. You aren't safe."
"The council changed the law regarding humans and other dual souled creatures based on my claim that they aren't dangerous. I was only able to make that assertion because no humans have attacked a Simoi in all of their existence, and the Medeans are a model species." Gaia grimaced. "What do you think would happen if the council discovered that, not only did those humans make a death threat against the crown, but launched an attack in the Simoi capital?"
"Your enemies will say they were right all along," Stella2 said. "They'll use this as leverage to reinstate the law and demand the destruction of both species. And then they'll demand Gaia's abdication."
A shocked gasp traveled the room.
"Now wait just a minute. This is a splinter group. You can't hold the entire species accountable for the actions of one small subsection," Val said.
"We do not know how big or small this group is," Alex said. Everyone except Gaia glared at him and he raised his hands. "No, hear me out. Gaia will need evidence to stop her enemies on the council. She can say it's an aberration all she wants, but they'll demand proof. Can we supply that?"
"No, we can't," Gaia said.
"Then we get proof," Tessa said. "Or we – Wait. The HDL believes Gaia is their enemy, that she tried to destroy all humans. What if they knew the truth?"
"You ever deal with conspiracy theorist?" Magnus asked. "Telling them the truth is like pouring malosium crystals into a cracked receptacle. First, a massive energy wave leaks out and then it explodes."
"Then we don't tell them," Alex said. "We tell everyone else."
The group fell silent.
"He's right. We've been piecemealing this," Tessa said. "A hint here, a minor suggestion there, and usually to people who didn't want to hear it. That's how you spread conspiracies. Not how you tell the truth."
"What are you suggesting?" Gaia asked.
"You need to put this whole thing down in an official report. How the evacuation happened, why it was necessary, all of it," Magnus said.
"I won't expose Sirius," Gaia replied.
Tessa stiffened, but Magnus didn't flinch. "You won't have to. Just use a pseudonym or say the investigation is ongoing."
"All right. Then what?" Gaia asked.
Magnus thought for a moment before continuing. "Tessa says we have the locations of all the U.S. settlements. Tell their respective governments the truth and let them tell their people."
"And what of the other settlements? Those that descended from the British fleet? The Chinese fleet? The African fleet? What about them?" Gaia asked.
"We can't contact the ones we don't know exist," he replied. "If and when we find them, we tell them the truth, too."
"You make it sound so simple," she said.
"Maybe it is just that simple," Tessa said, letting go of her anger in favor of a workable plan that Gaia would agree to. "We can give them the truth. What they choose to do with it is their business."
"Or, the HDL convinces them it's all a lie. A ruse to get humans to come back to Earth so that Gaia can eliminate the species once and for all." Val stared at her hands as she spoke. When she finally looked up, her eyes carried a lifetime of longing and loss. "No matter what you do, some will paint you the villain."
"Perhaps that is what I deserve," Gaia said after a long silence. "Will you and Magnus agree to carry the message?" Gaia met Tessa's eyes steadily.
"Carry the message? Why not just send it like Magnus said, through official channels?"
A wry smile tilted Gaia's lips. "Because things get lost in official channels and are never seen again. Particularly things the officials in question don't want known. But if an emissary from the Black Throne shows up, too many people know about it to keep it under cover."
"Why would they try to cover this up? It means they can go home," Magnus said.
"Were the people of New Manhattan receptive?" Gaia asked. She turned her gaze on Val. "And those on Galina? What did they say when you told them Earth was real, and it was safe to come back?"
"Kellene was not the least bit interested. But that's different. Galinians and humans are completely integrated. There are hardly any pure humans left. Galina is their home now."
"After eight hundred years, I would bet that most of the descendants feel the same," Gaia said. "And I can't blame them. It took too long – I took too long – to bring them back."
The silence bit deep this time. Finally, Val stirred.
"I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you; we’ve come to a decision. The Venture won't be going back to Mega-One. We’re grateful for everything you’ve done for us, but..." she trailed off, looking to Alex for support.
"We need more stability now, with Irina to think of," he said after a moment. "And with HiveZ gone..."
"I'm not sure I see the problem," Gaia said. "You aren't a member of my house, or in my service." She waved a hand at their shocked looks. "That came out wrong. I only meant that you owe me nothing, and whatever debt you owed the human species has been paid many times over. I am grateful, and I hope I can keep your friendship."
"Of course." Val got to her feet, and Tessa couldn't help noticing that the red marks were still vivid against her pale throat. "I think we'll go back to the ship now. We have a couple of other work orders to look at."
"You have anything you want Magnus and I to take?" Tessa asked, more to slow her exit than anything else.
"I'll let you know." Val and Alex walked out.
"You didn't answer my question," Gaia said into the silence.
"What question?" Tessa asked.
"Will you be my ambassador, at least until all the known colonies are contacted?"
Tessa glanced at Magnus. His eyes gave nothing away. "I can't speak for anyone else, but yes, I will."
"If she's in, I'm in," Magnus said.
Tessa shifted in her seat, a shiver of relief passing through her chest. "Right then. Is the Arrow still mine?"
"To do with as you will," Gaia said.
"I want Val to have it. She and Alex can hire a pilot and use it to increase their transport range."
Gaia inclined her head. "As you wish."
It felt like something was ending, even as something new began. Tessa's chest throbbed, burning with an emotion she couldn't name. "What will you do next?"
"I think a trip to Earth is in order. I've been talking about abdicating for quite some time now. No one will think it strange if I seek my terra while deciding whether to take that step. That will give me an opportunity to make certain all is well there."
"And what about the threats?" Tessa asked.
Gaia met her gaze without flinching. "I heard no threats, Tessa."
Tessa's mouth dropped open. "They accused you of horrible things and condemned you to die."
"Are they wrong? Haven't you thought the same?"
"No." Tessa closed her eyes against the pain in Gaia's. "I never thought you a murderer, or that you caused the glitch. Willfully blind, maybe, to protect your family and your throne, but not guilty of genocide."
"Thank you for that."
"That's lovely and all, but if not a threat, what did you hear?" Magnus asked.
Grim acceptance possessed the Simoi queen's features. "It sounded to me like they were making a promise."
