Scattered Suns - Kevin J. Anderson [211]
His eldest son, the Adar and acting Prime Designate, was in the command nucleus of the rebel warliner. He had believed everything was lost, but now that the Mage-Imperator had recaptured the minds and hearts of all the corrupted soldiers, he was confident the Adar could unify them into a single crew again.
Jora’h opened his smoky topaz eyes and took a deep breath. When the communications channel opened, Zan’nh’s gaunt visage appeared before him. “Liege, we are in your debt. I despaired of ever being so close to the thism again. I feel as if I have been falling for many days, and now you’ve caught me.”
Behind his son, the soldiers at their stations looked dazed, but their thoughts were returning. From his own warliner, Jora’h could feel them like tiny lights winking back on in the thism after a long and uncomfortable darkness. He could guide them, strengthen the bonds that tied them to the correct mental safety net. But he did not want any of these people to forget their loss and recovery, not for a long time.
The Dobro Designate stood beside Zan’nh in the command nucleus of the rebel warliner, wearing a secretive smile behind the breathing film. “Thank you, Liege. We are already purging the shiing gas from the ship’s ventilation systems. Before long, order will be completely restored.”
“As it should be,” Jora’h transmitted. “This crew is yours again, Adar Zan’nh. They have tasted the poison of Designate Rusa’h. Now use them to help me regain control of what my brother has corrupted.”
Zan’nh placed his fist against the center of his chest in a formal salute, then lowered his gaze as he answered. “Liege, Thor’h has taken the rest of my warliners to conquer other worlds, while Rusa’h sits in his facsimile chrysalis chair on Hyrillka and extends his web.” Now he looked up and his eyes shone. “However, without the warliners, Hyrillka itself is militarily vulnerable.”
Jora’h nodded. “Adar Zan’nh, I will personally accompany you, but this cohort is yours to command. We go to Hyrillka immediately. And we finish this.”
Chapter 107—DD
The damaged black ship spun out of control, spiraling away from the system. The reactor explosion had knocked out their engines, and the robotic vessel careened into empty space without guidance or propulsion.
DD thought they might drift forever, cut off from any hope of rescue. Unfortunately, even with Sirix out of commission, and even after so many reanimated machines had been vaporized in the intense reactor meltdown, the little compy was certain the Klikiss robots’ plans would proceed unhindered. The human race was about to encounter an unexpected enemy that intended to cause far more death and destruction than the hydrogues had inflicted so far.
As the ship drifted dizzily, DD adjusted his balance and reacquired his perspective. Beside him, a stunned Sirix came active again, tested the controls of his ship, and assessed the damage. The black robot refused to communicate with DD as he completed his evaluation.
Finished, he turned his optical sensors toward the Friendly compy. “You will accompany me outside the ship, DD. Together, we will complete the necessary repairs on the hull.”
“Is that possible? Do we have the required spare parts?”
“We will fabricate whatever we need.”
DD couldn’t imagine how they could perform any complex reconstruction while the ship spun and tumbled far from the sun. But Sirix had commanded him, and he had no choice but to follow the black robot to a damaged doorway.
From a sealed container, Sirix produced a cluster of tools, metal patchwork, and repair epoxies. “These should be sufficient for your portion of the labors. I will provide you with simple instructions. Your compy programming does not extend to intricate tasks, but I will guide you where necessary.”
Sirix used brute force to pry open the damaged hatch so they could emerge into the empty vacuum. DD dutifully followed, keeping his balance on the scarred hull of the Klikiss ship. His reinforced compy body had endured great extremes,