The court buzzed. The Empress did not sway in her seat and she did not turn pale on her throne. She did, however, stop listening. The Prism Conglomerate had turned her down. That was the only important thing. Without the Conglomerate’s support, the impending Unity war would be difficult, if not impossible, to win.
When the message ended, Kan maja Kalii dismissed slave and court. Alone in the echoing, empty room, she allowed herself to slump a bit. It felt like the weight of many worlds was pressing her down. She was so tired. She couldn’t remember the last time she had slept for more than four hours at a time, and her arms and legs were heavy with fatigue. What if she just walked away? What if she just left the palace, the guards, the court, the decisions, and the bloodshed behind? What if she just told everyone they were on their own, that they would have to make their own decisions and take care of themselves?
Kalii stroked the smooth arm of the Imperial throne, the one her father had used for so many decades, and allowed herself a heavy sigh. It was pure fancy, abdicating and running away. If she did it, someone would take her place, and there was no way to know if that person would be kind or cruel, humane or inhuman. Kalii had no heirs, no one she knew well enough to put on the throne in her place. Not since her nephew had been murdered.
And how many of her subjects would see their own loved ones die in the war with the Unity?
Her Imperial Majesty Kan maja Kalli I, Empress of the Indepence Confederation, forced herself to sit straight on her throne and think hard about the problems of a galaxy.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
THE DREAM
More people die from the cure than the sickness.
First Bellerophon landing party
“We were right,” Dr. Say said. Her smile was uncharacteristic and small. “Sejal was still carrying the retrovirus. There was plenty in the blood sample Garinn took. He used it as a template for the new one and we injected it into the next set of children last night.”
Padric clacked his beak and settled brown feathers. His talons gripped the perch in the stone room he had called up. Dr. Say sat on her backless stool, hands folded neatly in her lap. Only the slight flush and tiny smile indicated her great excitement. Padric, however, refused to share in it. He would not celebrate until the project reached its culmination. The window beside Padric displayed, as always, the roiling blackness, and the usual whispering in the Dream was all but silent now.
“We estimate,” Dr. Say concluded, “that the children will begin entering the Dream sometime within the hour.”
“Good,” he said, the word issuing oddly from his beak. “The Dream is growing worse. Fewer Silent are using it. Not even Dreamers, Inc. employees enter lightly. Most of the traffic is military. The Unity will officially declare war on the Independence Confederation in less than a day, and they’re trying to drag five or six other governments into the morass.”
“They won’t succeed,” Dr. Say said coolly. “The project will-”
Dr. Say never finished her sentence. With a yelp, she vanished from the Dream. Padric blinked in surprise, then reached cautiously out of the Dream, feeling for her mind in the real world. He couldn’t find it. Padric clacked his beak, uncertain if he should be worried or not. Reaching real world minds was not one of his better talents, especially when the minds in question were human, so the fact that he couldn’t find her didn’t mean much. The problem was probably completely mundane. Dr. Say’s drugs may have worn off unexpectedly, or someone from the lab may have awoken her so she could deal with some laboratory emergency.
After several minutes, Padric reluctantly concluded that she wasn’t coming back. He would have to check with her later. No doubt she was fine, and the explanation was perfectly innocent.
Dr. Jillias Say stared at the rod Vidya was leveling at her. Vidya put a note of steel in her voice.
“If you fail to do exactly as I tell you,” Vidya said, “I will give you another jolt, a stronger one. It will stun you and it will hurt.”
“What-” Dr. Say’s voice squeaked and she cleared her throat. “What do you want? How did you get into my office?”
“Get up,” Vidya replied. “Come with me.”
Say slowly got to her feet. Vidya kept the cattle prod pointed steadily at her. They were in Say’s office, a spare place with only desk, chair, computer terminal, and couch. Say had been lying “asleep” on the latter when Vidya came in. It had been simple enough to use the cattle prod to short out the lock. One look at the dermo-spray on the cushion beside Say was all Vidya needed. Say was indeed Silent, and she had been in the Dream.
Vidya ushered Say out into the genetics lab. Stainless steel glistened, machines hummed. The walls were a spotless white tile. Adrenaline hummed through Vidya’s veins and she had to work to keep her hands from shaking. Dr. Kri, Max Garinn, and all eleven slaves sat motionless on the floor against one wall. The wrists, mouths, and ankles of two of the slaves were bound with silver tape. Katsu was busy taping up a third. None of them resisted. Sejal, perched on a stool, stared at them with glassy eyes. Prasad, meanwhile, was muttering to a computer terminal in the corner.
“What did you learn?” Vidya asked him.
Prasad’s mouth was tight. “We’re too late. They did it last night.”
A pang went through Vidya’s stomach and she almost dropped the cattle prod.
“You’re trying to stop the project?” Say said incredulously. “Why?”
“Your project, whatever it is, will destroy the Dream.” Vidya let some of her anger slip into her voice. “Don’t you know what that would do?”
“Of course I know.” Two spots of angry color appeared on Say’s pale cheeks. “Destroying the Dream is the whole point!”
Vidya’s hand tightened on the prod. “We’d guessed that.”
Prasad came over to join them. His face was grave. In the background, Katsu continued plying her roll of tape. “What exactly do you think destroying the Dream would accomplish?” he asked in his quiet voice.
“It would end war!” Say almost shouted.
Prasad shook his head so calmly Vidya irrationally wanted to slap him. Then she realized he was only trying to keep her talking so Katsu could finish her work.
“I do not understand,” Prasad said. “Please explain.”
“The Dream allows instant communication between planets and governments.” Say leaned back against one of the stone worktables. Vidya kept the cattle prod pointed at her. “Empires and armies are based on instantaneous communication. Without it, they’d fall apart. Don’t you see? The Dream allows interplanetary rule and interplanetary warfare. Without the Dream, communication would be slowed to the speed and availability of courier ships. The governments-all of them-aren’t used to that. Without the Dream, admirals couldn’t communicate between ships and relay orders. Heads of government couldn’t communicate with satellite planets. Once the Dream is destroyed, war will end.”
Vidya’s temper rose again. “You are foolish to think so.”
“It will end the war between the Unity and the Independence Confederation,” Say shot back.
That stopped Vidya cold. “What?”
“Didn’t you know?” Say said almost sweetly. “The Unity just declared war on the Confederation. Troups and ships are already moving. Allies on both sides are gearing up as well. Billions of lives are at stake. I can-the project can-save them.”
“No,” Prasad said firmly. “The project won’t save billions. It will destroy trillions. Perhaps more.”
Now it was Say’s turn to look confused. “I don’t understand.”
