Hidden Empire - Kevin J. Anderson [237]
"It was a war, Louis," Margaret said. "An incredibly destructive war between titanic forces. The Klikiss race was a powerful empire, yet they were insignificant players on such an immense battleground. Their robots took part in some manner, though the details are unclear."
Louis was fascinated. "But what kind of war? Who were the Klikiss fighting against?"
She drew a deep breath. "The hydrogues, Louis! The deep-core aliens. This isn't the first time they've attacked."
Louis gasped, his astonishment melting into a boyish grin. "That's incredible, Margaret. First, the portal wall discovery and now this ancient war between the Klikiss and the hydrogues—not even the Klikiss Torch can match such a breakthrough!" He hugged her again. "We have to send news right away. Everybody needs to know."
Margaret grabbed her husband by the shoulders, squeezing hard enough that his smile faded. "Louis, don't you understand? The hydrogues completely wiped out the Klikiss. They caused the race's extinction across the Spiral Arm." She looked hard at him, but he still didn't seem to see. "And now they've begun to attack humans!"
Margaret glanced into the other word-filled tunnels where the Klikiss ideographs were messier and harder to decipher, as if someone had scribbled them in a rush. "DD, go string lights back in the deep passages. I think I can unravel the last of those records now."
"We need to get back to Arcas," Louis said. "He can send the details to everyone in the Hansa."
"I will be happy to do the work here while you return to camp, Margaret and Louis," DD said.
Leaving the compy behind, the two xeno-archaeologists descended the scaffolding stairs along the canyon wall. They could write more detailed reports later, but because of their new understanding of the hydrogue threat they wanted to send an immediate summary of their discovery via the green priest.
In Rheindic Co's night, the desert heat had dissipated after sunset. The breezes that whistled across the barren ground carried a chill. When they arrived at the encampment, their tents and huts were dim.
Margaret saw no sign of the green priest. The mechanical water pump hummed in the stillness. An automatic light had switched on inside Margaret and Louis's tent, and another one shone dimly within Arcas's dwelling, but she could see no shadow of the green priest inside.
"Arcas!" Louis called. "Boy, do we have news for you. We need to send a telink message right away."
But no answer came to him in the night. The camp remained silent and brooding. Nothing stirred. Uneasy, Margaret looked around, peering into the shadows.
As always, Louis remained optimistic. "He's probably over by his trees, and that's where we need to go anyway to send our message." But when Margaret followed her husband to the stand of treelings, she stopped short. She saw the details in the moonlight even before Louis switched on his handlight to verify what she had feared.
All of the worldtrees were destroyed.
Each one had been uprooted, its trunk severed. Some had been chopped off neatly, as if with shears; others had been ripped apart, leaving ragged ends that still dripped sap like golden blood. The dead fronds drooped into the dust.
"What-what..."
Margaret turned, her face set. "Arcas," she said, not calling his name as much as uttering her fear.
She ran back toward the camp where she still saw the faint glow inside the green priest's tent. Louis followed her.
Margaret was already terrified, her stomach queasy. She reached the tent first, yanked open the door flaps, and stared. Louis followed her, then stopped abruptly.
Inside, Arcas lay brutally murdered on the floor of his tent. His green-skinned body had been broken, lacerated, pummeled, and