Metal Swarm - Kevin J. Anderson [171]
Young Osira'h nodded vigorously, grasping the Prime Designated hand as seven fast streamers whistled past overhead, still performing. ‘Send them to Dobro, Father. Let them join the other human settlers there. Isn't that right, Daro'h? Let them build their colony the way the Burton colonists were promised.'
He felt Nira's distinct shudder, but she nodded. ‘Make them that offer. It will help to heal the wound and begin to change their perceptions of you, and all Ildirans.'
Jora'h drew a deep breath. ‘Yes, the wound must be healed. Maybe Dobro can become a new beginning, a place where humans and Ildirans can live in harmony. These colonists can go there and be free, with all the support we can give them. That's the way it should have been all along.'
The smile that lit her face was genuine. ‘That is a good start, Jora'h.'
‘Unless the faeros come and destroy it,' Daro'h said. The scars on his face looked very red in the bright sunlight.
As the servant kithmen and bureaucrats guided the Cjeldre refugees away, Jora'h remained contemplative. He had been considering this move for a long time, and now could not ignore it any longer. He had to take control of the bad situation before the humans took matters into their own hands. In order to regain their trust, he would have to do more than just offer some land on Dobro for a few refugee colonists. The centuries of Ildiran deception would cost them much support, possibly even ruin any chance of a real alliance with the humans. He had to make amends, build bridges.
‘Dobro is only a first step, yet it is not enough. You know it is not. A token gesture such as this cannot make it right.' He looked into Nira's eyes, then glanced at Osira'h. ‘You already told the green priests about the breeding programme, Nira. You shared your story and part of your pain, but explanation is not atonement.
That is something I must do. We cannot ignore this and hope that humans will forget about it. They will not.‘
He did not hesitate, knowing he was doing this for her. What surprised him, however, was the contradictory fact that it felt good in his heart. ‘I must face their leadership and admit what the Ildirans did to your people over the generations. I will apologize -and only then will I hope we might find some sort of redemption. I will go to King Peter, or Chairman Wenceslas, whichever you think is more appropriate.'
The traders Rlinda Kett and Denn Peroni had already explained the confusing schism in the human government, the new Confederation, the old Terran Hanseatic League. Apparently, the Hansa had walled itself off, while the Confederation grew, accepting all the different ‘kiths' of humanity, from the colonists to the Roamer clans to Nira's beloved Therons. Jora'h had met Chairman Wenceslas and had also spent time with King Peter and Queen Estarra.
Nira's expression lit up even before he finished speaking. The Mage-Imperator made his announcement. ‘We will go to Theroc. That is the heart and soul of the human race.' He held Nira, sharing her joy simply through the physical contact. ‘We will leave as soon as possible.'
One hundred and five
King Peter
Every day, King Peter's hours were filled with discussions among representatives from Hansa colonies and Roamer clans. But for a short while late in the day - and only a short while - he and Estarra relished their time alone. After so many banquets and parties and celebrations, it felt good to have just a light meal together, sitting on the open balcony and staring out at the canyons of the forest and the great gap that showed the sky.
Even when he took time for himself and for his wife, Peter could not stop worrying about the Confederation. The government weighed heavily upon him. The formation of an entirely new system required so much discussion, so many agreements, and so many decisions. OX stood attentively