Metal Swarm - Kevin J. Anderson [70]
'He was an enemy of the Terran Hanseatic League. His presence here confirms that. He was caught in the act. What these men did was for the benefit of everyone in the Spiral Arm.'
'For the benefit of the Hansa, you mean.'
'They are one and the same - and if you think otherwise, my dear Sarein, then I have greatly misjudged you.' Basil addressed the guards who still held their weapons. 'Please tell me you got here in time.'
The men looked away sheepishly. 'Sorry, sir. The green priest was holding the treeling before we arrived. We don't know what report he made.'
A thunderstorm crossed Basil's face. 'So King Peter and the Therons have been warned.' The news buoyed Sarein only slightly.
Basil gave all of them a withering glare, then gazed down at Nahton's body, as if the slain green priest had also disappointed him. 'I despise it when simple instructions are not followed.' He tapped his fingers together, composed himself with a visible effort. 'We can recover from this debacle. Admiral Willis's Mantas are ready to depart in less than a week. There's nothing Peter can possibly do in time - except write an eloquent surrender speech. And he's going to need one.'
Sarein could no longer control herself. 'Basil, this isn't right and you know it! He was a green priest.' But she knew nothing would change. 'Do you realize that we're completely blind? Earth has no way to communicate. Nahton could always have changed his mind, but now you've removed the possibility entirely. You've cut yourself off.'
He whirled on her and said icily, 'We were already cut off, and now so is everyone else.'
A cleanup detail arrived, and orderlies moved to pick up the dead green priest. Sarein could only stare at the stain on the floor as the limp man was carried off. In normal times, Nahton should have been returned to Theroc for burial under a worldtree. In normal times, an aging green priest would allow himself to fall into the verdani mind and surrender his flesh as fertilizer for the forest. In normal times …
Without saying another word, Basil motioned for the cleanup crew to carry on. Through narrowed eyes, McCammon studied his intractable men, who appeared satisfied with their actions. Sarein worried for him. If push came to shove, the Chairman could easily strip McCammon of his rank and replace him. Or simply make him disappear.
In normal times… Sarein shook her head as she left the devastated conservatory. There was nothing left for her here. Nothing at all.
Forty-one
Queen Estarra
Sitting on the curved roof of the fungus-reef with her sister reminded Estarra of younger, carefree days. She missed those times. A sapphire-winged condorfiy buzzed past her face, startling Estarra and almost knocking her off balance. Celli caught her arm with swift and easy reflexes, just before a scarlet condorfiy swept after the blue one, and the two pirouetted away, either in aerial combat or in a mating dance.
Scars across the fungus-reef showed where Theron children had cut swatches of the rubbery outer membrane. They would wear spikes on their shoes and climb around the outside to fill sacks with the soft fungus. Now that she was greatly pregnant, Estarra no longer had the agility or balance to brave the uncertain surface, so she sat close to the tree trunk.
She and her sister sat next to each other in comfortable silence. Finally, Celli said, 'It's good to have you back home. I missed you when you were on Earth.' She gave a teasing grin. 'Nobody to pick on.'
'You used to be such a brat, Celli.'
Celli chuckled. 'You used to treat me like a little child.'
'You were a little child.'
Her sister lounged back against the gold-barked trunk. 'And now look at us. You're married, you're pregnant - and oh, yes, you're the Queen of the Confederation as well as Mother of Theroc' :
'Some would consider that