Of Fire and Night - Kevin J. Anderson [157]
"All of my children must come," Nira said, indicating the other four wide-eyed half-breeds. Jora'h nodded.
Udru'h's voice was a croak. "I would go, too, Liege, to assist you."
"No. You will stay here. Humans and Ildirans will rebuild Dobro in whatever way they see fit. You are part of this process. I cannot punish you. But they can." The former Designate stiffened, but did not argue. Jora'h raised his voice to the human settlers and made his pronouncement. "For generations, you have been told what to do. Now you will decide for yourselves."
The human listeners looked more uneasy than the former Designate. Udru'h did not stand defiantly, nor did he make excuses. He accepted his fate without fear. "I will not beg for mercy, Liege." He looked coolly at Nira, and his face fell when he turned to Osira'h. "I know what these people think of me, and I know exactly what I did to you. But I am not repentant, for I did only what our Mage-Imperators deemed necessary for our survival."
Daro'h said to the people, "I suggest we allow the former Designate to recover from his injuries while we finish putting out the fires and clearing the wreckage. It will give us time to make a reasoned consideration of whether there has been enough vengeance and bloodshed."
Jora'h said in a low voice, speaking only to Osira'h and Nira, "It is time for me to offer you a promise instead of a lie. I will not give up, and I will not sacrifice your race in order to save mine. It is not acceptable." A sparkle of tears mixed with the reflections in his eyes. He drew a breath, as if fighting with himself about what he had to say. He knew what would happen if he defied the hydrogues. He also realized that worse things could happen if he did not.
"Help me find a way out of this trap I have built for myself."
93
KING PETER
I cannot help you harm another human being," OX insisted. A mist of oxygenated water drifted around them from the white-noise fountain. "I am precluded from such actions."
"But it's self-defense. He has already tried to kill us, more than once," Estarra said. Since the incident with the miscarriage-inducing drug, they had eaten nothing but packaged food smuggled into their private chambers. "And he's going to try again."
They had not been allowed out of their quarters for days. The edgy populace assumed their royal leaders were busy working to save humanity.
Peter tried a different approach. "OX, consider how many people are going to die because the Chairman has abandoned all of the Hansa colonies. He is not acting in the best interests of the Terran Hanseatic League or the human race. Isn't that your priority?"
"I have several priorities, which now appear to be in conflict. The Soldier compies slaughtered so many people that I dare not question my programming." OX was not being stubborn, just firm in his orders. "Also, especially now, any compy bringing a deadly item into the presence of the King would certainly be stopped and destroyed." Peter quietly cursed, knowing OX was right.
The Teacher compy offered a story: "Over the years I have had to delete many memories due to space limitations, but I retained this one, because it is instructive. It is my purpose to teach.
"At one point during the Peary's long journey, several crewmen planned a mutiny against the captain. Fifty-eight years had passed, and the ship had not yet sighted a habitable star system. The mutineers tried to convince me to access the weapons lockers, but I would not. Though they promised to harm no one, events grew out of their control. The mutineers killed seven men and women before they were stopped. I am sure they did not intend for such violence to occur.
"I have already expressed my loyalty to