Of Fire and Night - Kevin J. Anderson [182]
For the first time, he actually saw a spark of old Talbun, his devoted mentor from Corvus Landing. Long ago Talbun had asked Beneto to be his apprentice, to watch over the colonists and tend the worldtree grove there. In dying, the old green priest had let his flesh be absorbed into the forest; Talbun was here, too, inside the verdani battleship, inside all of the great trees. Beneto would not lack for company. With wooden lips, he smiled. He felt strong, confident, at home.
With the battleship as a conduit, amplified by the wental-infused wood around him, a thousand telink messages streamed through him. Beneto listened everywhere.
Thus, instantly and unexpectedly, he became aware of the long-lost green priest Nira Khali.
Beneto remembered the enthusiastic young green priest who had gone to Ildira with Ambassador Otema to experience the Saga of Seven Suns. But their treelings had been destroyed, cutting both of them off. After the former Mage-Imperator sent word that Nira was dead, no one, including Beneto, had found any reason to think otherwise.
Now the terrible truth swept over him with the speed and devastation of a forest fire. Nira's thoughts and memories were unstoppable. Even the towering worldtrees in the thick Theron forests swayed and reeled with the revelations.
All at once, the scattered green priests received her experiences, the treachery, the breeding program, the secrets that Ildirans had kept. This sudden, shocking knowledge changed everything the green priests--and all other humans--had ever assumed about the Ildirans.
And there was more.
Because Mage-Imperator Jora'h had revealed it to Nira, her urgent message told of the forced alliance with the hydrogues and the impending attack on Earth. From within the huge battleship, Beneto comprehended what the Ildirans hoped to do, and how he must respond. Twists within twists. The hydrogues were going to Earth! The birthplace of humanity would be wiped out, unless someone else fought on their behalf.
This war was everywhere at once.
Around the Spiral Arm, green priests rushed the news to human settlers, but, abandoned by the EDF, the former Hansa colonists could do nothing to help Earth. And the Hansa military would never be sufficient to stand against the flood of warglobes that would soon bombard them.
Understanding what was at stake, Beneto imposed another command, drawing upon his human existence more than the wishes of the worldforest. "We will take twenty of the new battleships, including the one that I captain, and go immediately to help defend Earth."
He felt a response ripple from the trees. They considered Earth a small part of the overall battle and didn't want to expend part of their seedship force on a target they did not consider vital. But Beneto was adamant. "In spite of what its current government has done, that planet is humanity's home. The seeds of our race came from there. Our roots go deep. Our hearts still remember the forests and jungles." A flood of images rushed through telink, reminding the verdani of what was at stake. "We must save it."
The affirmation of the other green priests resounded through telink, and the worldtrees capitulated. In his mind he also received a swift burst of information and a caution from Nahton in the Whisper Palace. The last intact ships from the Earth Defense Forces were prepared to face any attackers, and they would no doubt be trigger-happy. What would the EDF do upon seeing the ominous and unexpected verdani battleships? Beneto needed a way to communicate directly with them.
Seeing something he could do, Solimar hurried to the fungus-reef city to gather the components Beneto needed. In rebuilding the settlement, the good-hearted Roamers had installed new communications systems, traditional transmitters and beaming devices. While the hundreds of verdani battleships shifted and rustled impatiently, he dismantled one of the comm systems and brought it