console, crystals lighting in their wake. The black image reappeared, and he stared at it, as did Rayne and Rawn. This time he had slowed down the replay, and a haze of gold covered the blackness for an instant, then the stars returned.
'That's impossible,' Tallyn muttered.
'What?' Rawn asked.
'It's a Net ship! It used the transfer Net.'
Rawn glanced at Rayne. 'So?'
'It went into the Net.' Tallyn turned to face them. 'It used an energy shell and went into the Net. That's impossible. It went into the energy dimension. Nothing that big could go into the energy dimension and survive. The shell it would have to generate would be monstrous.'
'But it did it.'
'Yes. Which means its technology is far more advanced than ours. By the Olban. That ship has instantaneous travel.'
Tallyn stared at the screen for several minutes, apparently deep in unpleasant thoughts, then replayed the recording again before turning to Rayne. He studied her with disconcerting intensity, making her uncomfortable until he ran a hand over his hair and forced a strained smile.
'So, you are the Golden Child. I was right.'
She glanced at Rawn. 'I don't find it a very appealing prospect, somehow. I'd rather be nobody, given a choice.'
Tallyn sighed. 'I understand. Your being special is what saved you, but such things cut both ways. There's always a price to pay for being different. And Rawn, although he's not the Golden Child, was also saved because of you, so you shouldn't curse it too much.'
'So what happens next? Am I put out as bait, like a sacrifice to a dragon?'
'No, nothing like that. Fate will take its course, that's all.'
Chapter Nine
Tallyn traversed the long, pillared hall to the council's chamber, his footsteps echoing. The council building was intended to intimidate, but Tallyn had been here many times, and its grandeur had lost its effect. He hated meetings with the council, which demanded detailed explanations and endless reports. The novelty of discussing his work with such august persons had worn off when he had become aware of their weaknesses.
A quartet of Draycon guards waited outside the doors, dressed in blood-red uniforms and horned helmets that concealed their features. He frowned, wishing his audience did not coincide with the Draycons' visit, for he had a particular disliking for the much-despised race. The council often did this to impress such visitors with its busy schedule and important meetings, when, in truth, it had little to occupy its time, and its members spent most of it bickering amongst themselves. Atlan's efficient civil service made the council all but obsolete, yet the grizzled oldsters who comprised it refused to allow a modern government to replace them. This, Tallyn reflected, was one of the disadvantages of Atlanteans' lengthy lifespans; it slowed down progress.
The guards stood aside for him, and he stopped just inside the doorway. Two people addressed Vargon, their backs to the doors. After a few minutes, Vargon looked up and signalled Tallyn to approach. As he did so, the aliens turned to face him. Hiding the shock of recognition behind a bland mask, he inclined his head and spoke the required words of greeting.
The tall, thin woman nodded in reply. Her bright green eyes spat venom in a narrow, angular face. Ridges of raised grey scales ran down the bridge of her nose, along her brows and around the edge of her jaw. Her rough grey skin resembled sharkskin, and the long, feather-like scales atop her head rattled when she moved. Although her form was similar to an Atlantean's, her hands, which rested on a pair of curved daggers in her belt, were more like claws; three long fingers flanked by a short thumb and a vestigial fourth finger above the wrist. A suit of finely woven red metallic cloth, rather like chain mail, sheathed her mannish figure. A gold chain encircled her waist and more were looped under her armpits, attached to the beading on her broad shoulders. Her coat hung to mid-thigh, and thick-soled black boots shod her feet. The male who stood beside her was almost identical in appearance and dress, but a little shorter and less imposing.
Tallyn met the woman's cold eyes. 'Drevina, how nice of you to visit. We're always pleased to see you. At least that way we know what you're up to.'
Drevina's lips drew back to reveal pink teeth. 'Tallyn, your wits are as sharp as ever. Pity you don't put them to better use.'
He bowed mockingly. 'I can think of no greater challenge than to pit them against yours, and your delightful brother, of course. Is he potty trained yet? Mertar, it's good to see you.'
Mertar snarled. Drevina raised a claw, and he subsided. 'You've always thrived on petty insults. They must be your speciality.'
'Never as good as yours. I always bow to your superiority.'
Drevina ignored the jibe. 'You've been visiting the Chandra system a lot recently. Any particular reason?'
'Chandra? Oh, Ellath Three, you mean. Well, it's undergoing some interesting changes, not that it's any of your business.'
'You chased four of my ships from there, four years ago, that's my business.'
'They had no right to be there. Picking over the bones of fallen civilisations may be your speciality, but that system falls within our territory.'
She showed her teeth again. 'The Chandra system has never been disputed, yet I fail to see why you protect such a useless planet. My ships did not change its fate. We did nothing to interfere, only took a few materials.'
'Well, you can go there as much as you wish now. The atmosphere would fry even you.'
'Empress Drevina, you have yet to state your business before the council,' Vargon interrupted, his voice deceptively mild. 'Fascinating though your discourse with Commander Tallyn may be, we really should get to the point, don't you think?'
Drevina glared at Tallyn before facing the council again. 'We're here to lay claim to a new solar system in the Vega nebula. We discovered it several weeks ago. Naturally, it's uninhabited, but we brought a recording of it for you.'
'How kind,' Vargon muttered rather sarcastically as Mertar pulled a black box from his belt. He detached two metal discs and placed them on the floor, one on top of the other. He then aimed the black box at the two discs, and the topmost one rose some five feet into the air. Between the two, a holographic field sprang into existence. The images were dull and rather hazy, but sufficiently clear to make out a white dwarf and an aged orange sun in a binary system. Five planets and a debris ring orbited the orange sun at widely spaced intervals.
Drevina gestured at the image. 'Four of the planets are useless. The two farthest are frozen mud and ammonia, the third planet is a gas giant, and the one nearest the sun is extremely hot; a barren rock. We're interested in the second planet.' The hologram zoomed in on a yellow world, the rest of the solar system vanishing. 'It has sulphur clouds and an ammonia-based atmosphere, but we can make it habitable. Its orbit is good.'
'I see.' Vargon nodded as the hologram vanished, then glanced around at the rest of the council members. 'I see no basis for objection. It's in your territory and looks sufficiently hostile. Do you have an observation, Commander Tallyn?'
'Yes, I'd like to know the real reason for the Empress' visit. All this could have been done on the space line; there was no need for a meeting.'
Drevina said, 'We came here out of courtesy. There is no reason to accuse us of lying.'
'Courtesy! You're not just here to flaunt your unsavoury goodies. You never have before. Every other such agreement was achieved on a space line, but now suddenly you're here in person. Are you perhaps spying on us at the same time?'
'You never did have any manners, but why would I want to spy on the Atlanteans? You seldom do anything of interest, and when you do, you always tell everyone about it first.'
'Empress, please,' Vargon soothed. 'Commander Tallyn's suspicions are his own, kindly ignore him. We don't wish to start a dispute about it. I'm sure your reasons for coming here are spawned purely by a righteous wish to
