Metal Swarm - Kevin J. Anderson [49]
They faced each other, palms held outward, touching. Wental liquid glistened on their skin, clothing them in sparkling splendour. She spoke the traditional words she had long ago memorized. 'I am pledged to you, Jess Tamblyn. I am meant for you. I give you my heart and my promise.'
Jess could not take his eyes from her. 'I am pledged to you, Cesca Peroni. I am meant for you. I give you my heart and my promise. Though the universe changes around us, we will always be together in our minds and in our souls.'
'Yes, in our minds and souls. The Guiding Star will show us the way.'
Pillars of water girdled with mist rose from the oceans, a whole congregation of wentals. The air hummed with static electricity. Fresh ozone filled their nostrils.
The clouds burst and cool, refreshing rain poured down. The wentals shed countless droplets of themselves, symbolizing not tears, but blessings for the seeds of all the wentals that Jess and his water-bearers had helped to spread.
Twenty-eight
King Peter
'Our major priority must be to defend ourselves, and our biggest concern is Chairman Basil Wenceslas,' Peter said in a discussion with several advisers. Such impromptu conferences were common now and included any experts he could gather at a moment's notice. Representatives came and went, bringing trade goods, offering support and suggestions, delivering Confederation delegates from colonies or clans.
'Now that the treeships are gone,' Estarra said, Theroc doesn't even have a hint of a space navy, and the Roamers don't have battleships.'
'If General Lanyan knew how unprotected we were, we'd be in deep trouble,' said Tasia Tamblyn, who had traded in her EDF uniform for a comfortable Roamer jumpsuit. Tasia and Robb Brindle intended to find passage back to Plumas, where they would assist her uncles in rebuilding the water mines. Since learning all the details of the political turmoil, Tasia had become quite outspoken in offering advice.
Robb sighed. 'Well he's bound to find out soon - thanks to my father, if nothing else.'
When flying away in his EDF transport, Lieutenant Commander Brindle had ignored orders to return to Theroc, but Peter hadn't been willing to order the ship shot down. As King, he hoped he hadn't made a terrible mistake.
'Fortunately for us, the compy revolt and the hydrogues severely weakened the EDF,' a very pregnant Queen Estarra said. 'They won't be launching military strikes anytime soon.'
Peter wasn't so sure. 'Don't expect Basil to let an opportunity slide by.'
'But we're traders, not soldiers,' Denn Peroni said. 'We're not equipped to fly military vessels.'
'But Roamers are adaptable,' Tasia said. 'That's our hallmark.'
Peter nodded. 'We've all got to change the way we do things, show ourselves to our enemies in a new light. Hide-and-seek isn't good enough anymore.'
Alarmed, Yarrod voiced reservations on behalf of many fellow green priests. 'Theroc has never needed a military before. We cooperated with the Hansa, and we stayed independent.'
'There's no more cooperating with the Hansa. And there's no more calm independence. You saw the Chairman declare war on innocent Roamer clans. He'll try to destroy the Confederation the moment he sees an opening.'
Robb, having clearly changed his mind about the EDF and the Hansa, said, 'I still can't believe all of us in the forces just followed orders that got crazier and crazier, day after day. That's not the EDF I signed up for.'
'We hoped that at least some members of the military would follow their King rather than the Chairman. Even a handful of defections would have given us some battleships.' Peter shook his head. 'But that hasn't happened.'
Estarra put her hand across her swollen belly, winced, then