Metal Swarm - Kevin J. Anderson [191]
The wentals are part of the whole fabric of the universe, you know,‘ he continued, as if their conversation had never stopped, and indeed it hadn't. He never ceased looking for excuses to bring their talk around to the subject that fascinated him. The wentals and the verdani are different sides of the same coin. The green priests' telink is like Jess and Cesca's ability to communicate with the wentals. Now with this union of telink and , even our own human abilities - whatever they are… oh, Caleb, you just can't understand.'
The old man gave him a wry frown. ‘I'm not convinced you're feeling all right, Denn. You keep jabbering.'
Denn decided that a pragmatic argument might work on Caleb. ‘Just think about the commercial possibilities. If all Roamers could connect with each other like green priests, imagine how much more efficient our traders could be. We could discover untapped markets, cooperate in ways we never imagined.'
‘Oh? And how do you negotiate if you can't bluff?'
‘We wouldn't need to rely on that. We could understand fluctuations, supply and demand. We could cooperate with unprecedented efficiency, form a large and powerful trading company.'
‘Large and powerful,' Caleb said. ‘Two words guaranteed to get my interest. Throw in “lucrative”, and you've got my undying devotion.' Nevertheless, he remained sceptical as they entered the Jonah system. ‘Next you're going to try to sell me an ice mine on a lava planet. We clans have been doing well enough for ourselves over the years by following the Guiding Star.'
Denn grinned. ‘The Guiding Star is part of it, too.' Caleb rolled his eyes.
Moments later, the faeros attack cut off all further discussion.
Fifteen blazing fireballs streaked in around them like crashing meteors. In his heart and mind, connected peripherally to the sentience of the wentals in the cargo hold, Denn experienced a sudden wash of panic.
‘What the hell?'Caleb said.
Filters cut across the viewing screens as the fiery ships hovered in front of the cumbersome tanker. Sweat burst out on Denn's forehead, as if the temperature inside the cockpit had soared, though the ship's systems fought against the thermal flux. Even so, Denn felt wonder as well as a fear. If the wentals and worldtrees were connected with the , then the faeros must be part of it as well.
Denn sensed danger, chaos. Something terrible. ‘Caleb…-. I think we're in trouble.'
In the tanker's hold, the wentals swelled and throbbed. The frenzied elemental creatures pounded on Denn's mind. He could sense them, but not understand them through the new threads that connected him with everything.
‘What the hell do they want?' Caleb bent forward and shouted into the comm system, ‘Hello, faeros - whatever you are. We mean you no harm. Please leave us alone.' He looked stupidly at Denn, not sure what else to say.
The wentals became turbulent, agitated, knowing they were too few to stand against these fiery entities. The faeros had come for them, for the tanker, and - because he was connected to them in a way that Caleb couldn't understand - Denn knew that he, too, was vulnerable.
‘Caleb, get to the evacuation pod.'
‘Shizz, what's that going to do? They could melt the pod like an ice chip in a furnace!'
‘They don't want you. They want the wentals.'
‘What did the wentals do to them? We're just minding our own business here.'
Denn rose to his feet, grabbed the other man with unexpected force, and dragged him out of his seat. He sent Caleb stumbling toward the small evacuation pod, and the old man caught his balance at the hatch. ‘All right, all right! Come on, then!'
‘I can't go. They'd follow, somehow.'
‘I'm not flying alone out here in the middle of nowhere!'
‘Go to Jonah 12. It's your only chance.'
‘Jonah 12! There's nothing left--'
‘If I survive, I'll come back and rescue you. If I don't survive, then you would have been killed anyway.'