Of Fire and Night - Kevin J. Anderson [61]
"I am sending the new Designate with a recovery team to Hyrillka to help rebuild the areas destroyed by the revolt. Accompany them, Rememberer Vao'sh. Learn anything you can."
Jora'h watched resolve harden on each of the faces before him. The scientist and engineer would develop weapons that might succeed against the deep-core aliens. Adar Zan'nh would guide the military applications and consider new tactics. The rememberer would dig through hidden history. For just a moment Jora'h felt confident. He briskly clapped his hands. "All of you, find me answers. Do whatever you deem necessary. I place my faith in you."
Jora'h once again resented the poor choices of his predecessors. Instead of gambling everything on a breeding program to create a telepathic negotiator, the Ildiran Empire could have spent ten thousand years creating better weapons. Now they had to do it all within a few days.
35
OSIRA'H
With her mission completed, Osira'h was obviously no longer needed on Ildira. Her father had sent her back to Dobro to get her out of the way while he continued to work his plans with the hydrogues.
The splinter colony looked no different from how she remembered it: the Ildiran town, the grassy hills, the fenced-in breeding camp. But she was different. She had met the hydrogues and come back, and she had watched the Mage-Imperator bow to their heinous demands. Osira'h felt that the whole universe had changed. As it had so many times before . . . and would again.
In the dust-hazed sunlight on Dobro, worker kithmen unloaded supplies from the shuttle. Disembarking guard kithmen walked around her as if she were a rock in a stream. The girl tracked her gaze from side to side and finally saw Designate Udru'h striding toward her. "Osira'h, I welcome you back to Dobro!"
When she saw him, her body and mind seemed torn in two. One part of her recalled the Designate warmly, as a father figure. He had cared for her, made her work hard to achieve her destiny. She'd wanted so badly to please him. Yet crystal-sharp memories from her mother made her want to recoil. Nira knew his cruel side, his hated touch, all the pain he had inflicted upon her mind and body.
As the Designate came closer, Osira'h wondered if he would show warmth, if he would embrace her. Would her skin crawl? But he stopped two steps in front of her. The words tumbled out of his mouth. "We received word that you had succeeded." His face showed satisfaction, contentment with his duty. "I want to hear about it."
Osira'h looked at him, feeling a swell of resentment, even hatred, burn deep inside her. She wanted to shout at him: I did what you trained me to do. I accomplished everything I was born for. I used my powers to communicate with the hydrogues. I opened my mind and formed a bridge, and I am now permanently connected to their alien thoughts. I can't get them out of my head!
And I dragged the hydrogues to Mijistra so the Mage-Imperator could speak to them. It was what I was supposed to do--and instead, my father, the leader of my people, could not bargain with them. He had nothing the hydrogues wanted. They threatened Ildira with destruction, and the Mage-Imperator crumbled. He agreed to a terrible bargain that will result in the damnation of Ildirans and the destruction of my mother's race!
But she could say none of that to the Dobro Designate. Instead, she simply answered, "I succeeded. What more is there to tell?" She knew she was a pawn, always a pawn, but she didn't have to play along.
He noticed the metal in her tone, and a flicker of a frown crossed his expression like a wisp of cloud passing in front of the sun. "Tell me what happened. Did Jora'h speak with the hydrogues?"
Succinctly and without unnecessary detail, Osira'h outlined the conversations between her father and the emissary, describing what he had agreed to do. Udru'h did not seem disturbed by the terms. In fact, he appeared relieved that the Ildirans might survive after all; that was his only concern.
He finally reached out to clasp her shoulder. "You have been