The Android's face was completely neutral, in contrast with its voice, which was both excited and hesitant:
- "Uh, aren't you the Wau?"
- "Obviously not," said Ravzan, discreetly covering the stars on his uniform with his hand.
- "What are you then, his secretary?"
- "How about you introduce yourself first?" yelled Tohil, turning the camera toward him, not bothering to hide his admiral's uniform.
- "Oh shit, you're with the HS?"
The Android turned toward an invisible interlocutor who was feeding it instructions. Behind it, one could see a marble temple that wouldn't have looked out of place on Mythical Earth. The admirals recognized the description of the Royal Planet.
- "Let me make things clear," said Ravzan, setting the rhythm of his voice. "We're a resistance group fighting against the Aleph, and thus against the HS as it currently defines itself. You were contacted by the Wau Order, who offered you to join this resistance. The Wau couldn't respond to your call because he's currently busy, but he gave us instructions to intercept and handle these types of requests."
- "Uh…"
The Android was receiving external instructions but looked rather dimwitted. Its invisible interlocutor grew tired and pushed it aside.
An ancient humanoid appeared on the screen-maybe two hundred years old, if he had received standard HS care. Numerous IV lines seemed to be keeping him alive, along with a device inspired by starship gravity manipulation and drones to help him move. The graceful hand of a woman adjusted the camera.
- "Is this communication secure?"
- "We cannot guarantee it, so: let's hope. But if you followed the Wau's instructions, you should be on a private Drift network. Then again, the Aleph is supposedly capable of anything."
- "What a pathetic resistance. I am Huan, sovereign of the Royal Planet and its thousand colonies."
- "We're honored to meet you, Your Highness," said Ravzan humbly.
- "We are NOT meeting yet. The HS has launched an assault on Babylon and is sweeping Booz. They claim we attacked them, and I know that's false."
He let a silence settle.
- "Was it you who attacked them?"
- "And then blame His Majesty?" asked Ravzan, glancing at Tohil. "That seems like a rather convoluted plan."
- "Just say yes, it'll be faster than your ridiculous formulas."
- "No," declared Tohil. "It wasn't us. But I wish it had been. The HS needs to be pressured, and fear needs to change sides."
- "At last, an interesting interlocutor. You-I want to speak with you. So I am to believe you are sincere and that this is a stratagem by the HS… which, conveniently enough, would benefit from it… well… let's imagine that the HS, carried away by its blind rage, tracks us to the Royal Planet… His Majesty and his Court… and some of the inhabitants here… could they find refuge somewhere, out of the HS's sight?"
- "Well, we have a planet here. The climate's hotter than yours, but if your subjects know how to farm, no one will starve," affirmed Ravzan.
- "And do you have Drift coordinates for this planet?"
Tohil cut the communication, apologizing. He said to Ravzan:
- "And he'd give our coordinates to the Aleph in exchange for his peace?"
- "The guy has a thousand planets," replied Ravzan. "The Aleph will leave alone someone with that kind of territory and a fleet of thousands of ships before going after a resistance that looks like a retirement home."
- "Let's verify that he really has all those ships," said Tohil.
Resuming the communication, he declared:
- "What are we talking about in terms of population and ships?"
- "Several thousand of each."
- "Thousands of Endymions?"
- "Spare me your stupid jabs. If that were the case, our palace would be on Mythical Earth and we wouldn't have let the situation degenerate as miserably as you have."
- "Alright, we'll send you that. Welcome to the Resistance, Your Highness."
He transmitted the Drift coordinates of Camerone, and His Highness gave his excuses. Tohil summoned all the officers and requested a comm with Andreï to brief him on the situation, and sent a memo to the Wau. Nevertheless, he ended his briefing, addressed to Andreï, with these words:
- "This Huan is cooperating because he has no choice. But if he did, he'd crucify us. He could very well get the urge to seize Camerone with those thousands of Ozy. We'll load our Endymions with rocks to counter-attack… just in case."
- "Maybe we should prepare to move to another planet? I'll send you instructions."
- "Andreï, we turned this ungrateful rock into a paradise of tomatoes and eggplants with the sweat of sailors who lost father and mother, and now you want to scurry off?"
- "Keep a plan B handy, Admiral. I'll send Drift coordinates to all ships except yours in case something goes wrong. You'll be the last line of defense to protect those fleeing Camerone in the other ships."
- "I will not flee Camerone."
- "I hope so, but let's be ready."
- "Andreï, if he shows up with his Ozys, I swear before the Blind Gods I'll destroy them all one by one."
- "And if he doesn't come with Ozys, but something else?"
Tohil sighed, but Andreï had already cut the communication, which defused the atmosphere. He concluded by saying:
- "Guys, don't listen to the voice of doom. With the right bowing and scraping, our Fleet will soon count thousands more ships."
On the Royal Planet, servants, bent low to avoid raising their eyes toward His Majesty, were removing the communication device near the grand staircase. Huan remained silent, and no one dared comment.
- "What do you think of all this, Lucky?" asked Huan.
- "Well, they're quick to say yes."
- "Exactly. They are weak-in every sense of the word. A true leader would have played the balance of power. They deserve to die. They disgust me. I will never make a pact with those insects. But I was wondering, Lucky-if they weren't the ones who launched the assault on the HS, then who was?"
- "Well, I don't know."
- "The way you speak is unworthy of your status. Lord of the Far Throne! My ambassador to our enemies of the HS! 'Well, I don't know.' Pathetic. You have a small brain. And, in fact, I believe it was you, Lucky, who launched the assault."
- "But NO, Your Highness!"
- "Oh yes, that's quite obvious. The HS is hunting the Brotherhood, and you rightly fear my power. Caught between a rock and a hard place, you decided to pit one against the other. Worst case, you lose one of your problems."
- "Your Majesty! Not at all!"
Huan merely sighed, and Toyvo drew his weapon, placing his gleaming blade against the Android's synthetic skin.
- "I've wanted to get rid of you ever since you let that Wau come here-without even trying to stop him, say, with your body and your life. You reek of disgrace-it stinks in this palace that's otherwise open to the four winds. But I think I know that Androids don't feel pain, or they have backups… I don't believe in life after death… I want to live long and enjoy my real life. To me, you're a pathetic ghost. I've spoken to my chief scientist here, and we're not going to kill you. We're going to isolate your brain and place it in a dark, empty virtual space where each second will feel like years. And then, just as you're about to go insane, we'll simulate tortures on you. You'll have been so bored that you'll be glad to be mutilated and torn apart. Then you'll long for your prison of solitude and void, and so on, until you're utterly broken. That's what awaits you, Lucky…"
The Android struck Toyvo in the stomach, causing him to falter for a second. Grabbing a royal dagger with a molecular blade, Lucky lunged-too slowly-at Huan. To protect his master, Toyvo brought down his blade and sliced the Android clean in two. Immediately, its psyche shut down and transmitted to nearby Drifts-via the immense Entangled Gate-the order to restore its personality in the After.
Huan gazed at the lifeless body of the Android… and looked at Toyvo with disdain. He would have liked to punish him with death, but Toyvo was his best asset. Tonight, he would ask him to cut open his own belly in front of him-then pardon him at the last second. That would reinforce everyone's loyalty.
He summoned his other servants, for he still had a communication to make.