The Ashes of Worlds - Kevin J. Anderson [236]
With King Peter’s blessing, Roamer skymines delivered shipments of ekti at a heavily discounted rate, providing all the stardrive fuel the Solar Navy needed for their operations; in exchange, the Mage-Imperator promised commercial concessions for centuries to come.
Now Zan’nh assessed the operations in the ruins of Maratha Prime, the first Ildiran city that had been taken over by the deceitful Klikiss robots. After months of darkness, the dawn sun hung low and bright on the horizon, and he knew that over the next week the colors of the long sunrise would fill the sky.
Maratha Secda had been heavily damaged during the Solar Navy and Klikiss bombardment, and Ildiran surveyors had combed over the wreckage to determine what could be salvaged. Administrative kithmen worked diligently to develop a reconstruction plan for Secda; during the months of darkness in the opposite hemisphere, they would determine the most efficient way to complete the monumental task and be ready to go as soon as the slow day arrived on that side of the world.
Zan’nh thought of the human engineer Tabitha Huck, who would have found better ways to guide the Ildiran crews if the faeros had not killed her along with so many others. Sullivan Gold would be a welcome addition to the crew here, but the man and his family had gone elsewhere to help both Ildirans and humans.
That meant he would have to encourage innovation from his own people. It was a task that filled him with a mixture of nervousness and exhilaration. He was certain they could do it.
The Adar stood at the doorway of his temporary command post, watching heavily laden troop transports disgorge workers, engineers, diggers, attender kithmen, and more bureaucrats. At one time, Adar Kori’nh had expressed disappointment that he was forced to devote so much of his career to civil engineering projects and rescue missions; Kori’nh had wanted to experience military glory in order to earn a place in the Saga of Seven Suns.
Now Zan’nh found himself in the opposite position. He’d had his fill of space battles and destruction, of losing ships and uncounted crewmen, of constant tragedies and atrocities. He was perfectly content to devote the capabilities of the Solar Navy to the rejuvenation of the Empire.
He savored the simple act of watching the golden light of Maratha’s protracted sunrise grow slowly brighter across the broad construction site.
* * *
165
Queen Estarra
Estarra took great pleasure in being home on Theroc and holding her baby again. Not surprisingly, Father Idriss and Mother Alexa had doted on little Reynald while his parents were gone.
“What have you been feeding him?” she asked. “He looks like he’s doubled in weight!”
Her mother’s expression puckered. “Is there something wrong with that? He’s a growing baby.”
Estarra cradled her son and looked into his bright eyes. They were brown, the natural color of Peter’s eyes, as well as her own. The child’s dark hair was already unruly.
She looked up at the magnificent worldtrees, some of which showed deep scorch wounds from the faeros flames. Now Theroc was abustle with Confederation representatives, Roamer workers, and visitors from Earth. Green priests sent excited messages back and forth to the interconnected colony worlds, disseminating news of all the positive changes. With the outpouring of support, much progress had been made in erecting a new ruling house — a combination of Roamer structure, fungus reef, and sturdy yet ornate Hansa architecture. The King and Queen felt it was important to show that the new Confederation was a synthesis of all parts of humanity.
Beside her, watching Estarra’s wistful expression as she surveyed the thick forest and the people,