Scattered Suns - Kevin J. Anderson [55]
The compy and the Klikiss robot stood in front of the geometrical, angular robotic ship. Sirix’s eye sensors blazed like the fires of a dragon. “Therefore, DD, you understand why we have accelerated our efforts to deactivate your compy programming. When we achieve our aims and destroy the biologicals, we will free all compies like yourself. Afterward, DD, you will thank us.”
Sirix commanded the Friendly compy to board the ship, then he sealed the hatch and installed his body and his manipulators into the control systems. Within moments, they flew away from the hijacked EDF battle group to revive one of the last caches of frozen Klikiss robots.
Chapter 24—ADAR ZAN’NH
After being delivered into the command nucleus of the captured flagship, the mad Designate wasted no time consolidating his control. Though Zan’nh had already surrendered in order to save his crew, Rusa’h’s brainwashed guards still held the Adar captive, their sharp blades threatening him. The blood spatters on their body armor, the crimson stains on the weapons, reminded Zan’nh that the bodies of the dead hostages were still strewn on the deck of the docking bay.
Glassy-eyed Hyrillkan guards continued to stare at the Adar as if he were a mortal threat to them. Zan’nh vowed that he would be a threat—as soon as he could develop a plan. He would find a way. Adar Kori’nh had once explained to him, “The Saga tells us that war is seldom won on the basis of a single initial victory. Look at the overall strategy.”
The former Adar had frequently scolded his Solar Navy officers for showing no imagination, for following only standard routines the Ildiran military had practiced for thousands of years. Zan’nh had been the old Adar’s greatest hope. What would his mentor think of him now, a prisoner in the command nucleus of his own flagship?
Zan’nh would have to push his mind in new directions to come up with alternatives. This struggle was different from any the Empire had ever witnessed. Rehearsed techniques and documented strategies would never work.
With the forty-six warliners ordered to stand down, more troops from Hyrillka streamed up from the surface, one transport sent to each warliner to secure their hold on the whole maniple. As the rebels kept coming, Zan’nh couldn’t believe how many followers Rusa’h had. After slaying Pery’h, the Hyrillka Designate must have converted the entire population to his cause.
Over the next two days, the maniple’s seven septars and forty-six warliner captains were brought together aboard the flagship. Tightly bound to prevent him from moving, Zan’nh was forced to watch while the Designate gave all of the subcommanders heavy doses of shiing, disoriented them, weakened the bonds of thism that joined them to the Mage-Imperator and all other Ildirans, and made them pliable.
Once the drug took effect, Rusa’h had the attenders carry him in his chrysalis chair into a small private chamber, then ordered the hostage subcommanders to come into the room with him, five at a time. When rebel guards led them back out of the chamber, Zan’nh was stunned to see that his own officers had been subsumed, torn from the rest of the Empire and converted to the bizarre insurrection.
“You see, we make progress with each step.” Rusa’h regarded the Adar from his chrysalis chair. “It is inevitable. You would be wise to join us of your own free will.”
“Of my own free will? Like my officers did?”
The Hyrillka Designate puffed his cheeks. “You have the blood of the Mage-Imperator’s line, and