Scattered Suns - Kevin J. Anderson [107]
He was frank with her; she was thankful for that, at least. “Not really, but it’s a chance. The best we can do.” He leaned across his desk. “Tamblyn, this will give you a chance to strike a blow against the hydrogues—and you’ll have your command back. Isn’t that what you want?”
It was a war, after all. Nothing was guaranteed.
“Show me the dotted line and I’ll sign, sir. I’m your volunteer.”
Lanyan looked completely satisfied. “Excellent. I knew I could count on you, Tamblyn.”
She could tell that he left the rest of the sentence unsaid. Even though you are a Roamer. “When do we depart, General?”
“You start training immediately. Half of the fleet is finished, and we expect the rest to be ready within the next thirty-six hours.” Lanyan looked down at his reports again. “Then we’ll launch our rammers the moment the bastards show themselves again.”
Chapter 50—JESS TAMBLYN
Jess returned to the wandering wental comet to wait for the volunteer water bearers to join him. He also brought his own bittersweet memories. Here, unseen in the comet’s wispy tail, he and Cesca had had a romantic assignation. In this secret place the two of them had been able to drift for a while in their dreams, letting their love take them where they wanted to go. Those had been happy and heady times, before the universe itself had pulled them apart.
Now wental entities infused his soul, but they could never fill the loneliness that he felt without Cesca. The wentals could not fathom his need, nor could he explain it in concepts they would understand. Maybe the ache in his heart was strong enough that they could grasp his sadness, even if they did not comprehend love.
Though he missed Cesca terribly, the inner calling consumed him. Given his new understanding and his enhanced abilities, he had a mission to fight the hydrogues. That was the priority of the wentals—and Jess knew that a wental victory had the potential to save not just the Roamers but all humans. He had to balance his needs and obligations, and push forward.
This comet was one of his starting places. The elemental water beings had infiltrated the comet’s primordial ice. Even far from the warming light of a star, the gypsy comet shone with energy, an eerie landmark in open space, traveling under its own power. The lambent glow was unlike starshine.
This seemed an appropriate place for his water bearers to gather.
Like a tiny droplet next to a much larger globe, his exotic ship hovered beneath the rogue comet. While he waited, Jess’s heart smoldered with regret for everything he’d had to give up. He still thought of himself as a member of clan Tamblyn, and he knew that the EDF was preying upon the Roamers, but he could do nothing to help. The wentals made him see a larger picture, and his focus could not waver, no matter how angry he felt about the injustices...
Though the water bearers carried samples of living water aboard their ships, they did not have the inherent ability to communicate with each other easily, like green priests. Occasionally, the wentals might pass subtle messages if a person were particularly susceptible, but the water beings seemed very reticent to “taint” another human.
Thus, Jess needed a face-to-face discussion. He had arranged this gathering some time ago. News of the EDF attacks continued to spread across the outposts and facilities. Refugees from Rendezvous arrived at hidden bases and orbiting industrial colonies; clan representatives were still spread among the various gathering points.
Because of their prescribed wandering, Jess’s water bearers could be effective links in communication. In this quick convocation, all fourteen would share what they knew, trade coordinates of where they had already distributed the wentals, then disperse again.
One by one, the water bearers arrived in an assortment of vessels. Jess sent his greetings and let the volunteers decide which ship would serve as their meeting point. Though he could not stand