‘There is a level of deep knowledge in every quint brain,’ Immanueel said. ‘A racial memory, similar to us learning critical points of our history. It is a way of best understanding ourselves.’
‘They’re dead,’ Ainsley said. ‘They got to the enclave star system on the Salvation of Life and made a break for it in the Avenging Heretic when they realized they would be discovered. But they managed to take out some Deliverance ships before they got hit. Imagine that! They set out using the most primitive technology – the best we had at the time, but nothing compared to what we have now. It was a fucking miracle they even got on board the arkship to start with! Yet they made it all the way to the Olyix enclave system, the first humans to see it. It was sheer ballpower that got them that far. And they sent the Signal, too. They did everything we tasked them to do, against the most ridiculous odds in the universe. It takes something to impress me, but those guys were genuinely the best of the best. They really were Saints. I’m proud I knew them.’
Dellian’s databud played the one file that was available. He watched a fuzzy vision of a Signal transmitter blazing away in front of a massive radio telescope. It was a weird visual inversion of natural astronomy, as if a star were orbiting a planet.
‘So the original Signal is on its way to us,’ Yirella said reverentially.
‘Yes,’ Immanueel said. ‘It will reach this part of the galaxy in about thirty thousand years’ time.’
‘I wonder if it will be strong enough to detect?’ she pondered.
‘It should be.’
‘We should keep watch. We owe them that much.’
‘If humans are still free, I expect we will build quite a creed of expectation around the arrival of the Saints’ Signal. It is a truly magnificent symbol of our fortitude and spirit.’
Dellian played the file once again. Thank you, he told the Saints silently. You’ve shown me we can prevail even in the bleakest of times.
After a moment of respect, he drew a breath and started to concentrate on the layout of the enclave star system with its multitude of ships and industrial hubs. ‘So now what?’
‘Now every corpus aspect will convene to formulate our assault strategy,’ Immanueel said. ‘We invite you to join us in a determinative congress.’
Sure, like we can contribute, Dellian thought sullenly.
‘Thank you,’ Yirella said. ‘Our priority has to be reaching the Salvation of Life and all the other ships holding human cocoons.’
‘The scale of the enclave star system, and its resources, is at the upper end of our projections. We understand the primacy of liberating the cocooned. However, if that proves unobtainable, our fallback position must be the successful elimination of the Olyix ability to continue their crusade. Humans can resume a more normal existence if this nemesis is destroyed.’
‘No,’ Yirella said. ‘I can’t countenance this. We exist to liberate our cocooned cousins.’
‘And every effort will be made to achieve this. But, genesis human, please consider the nature of the weapons that are going to be deployed – by both sides. Somewhere in the gateway system are mechanisms for breaking apart entire planets.’
‘In the past,’ Dellian said.
‘Yes. But we cannot ignore the possibility that they still exist. The sheer number of Deliverance and Resolution ships available to deploy against our armada means that the destructive energies to be unleashed are phenomenal. And that is just on the Olyix side. We are bringing a neutron star to this battlefield to fire into their star. There will be a nova – probably a supernova. Our losses will be significant. You must prepare yourself for casualties.’
‘Casualties, yes. Failure, no.’
‘We will develop the best possible strategy. There are still too many unknowns to guarantee victory. I’m sorry, but this is not a war that will result in absolutes. Like the Saints, we will endeavour all we have to accomplish the mission. That is all our ancestors can ask of us: that we tried our best. And this is the best, our omega.’
‘We know,’ Dellian said before Yirella could start arguing. He knew her. ‘And we stand with you. All the squads do.’
‘Appreciate that, Dellian,’ Ainsley said. ‘So let’s get that new congress of determination started, shall we?’
Saints
Olyix Enclave
Callum took the bowl of salmon and asparagus risotto out of the food printer’s base slot and put it in the microwave that he set for ninety seconds. While that was heating up he waited for the printer to finish conjuring up his garlic bread. The microwave pinged, and he opened the door to inhale the meal’s aroma. Faint traces of vapour were rising off the glistening rice. It smelt wonderful –
Bloody hell!
‘Hey, those sensing cells on the pipe trunk leaves outside, are they olfactory along with everything else?’ he asked urgently.
Jessika and Yuri were slouched on their rock shelves, receiving the dream that was the onemind’s thoughtstream. Kandara and Alik were sitting together, he with a beer, she sipping a white wine. They all looked at Callum.
‘Well?’ he asked, one hand gesturing to the steaming bowl. ‘Does the onemind have a sense of smell inside the Salvation?’
Jessika glanced at the risotto and frowned. ‘There are some leaves budding off the trunks that are sensitive to atmospheric composition. I wouldn’t call it smell, exactly. The ability is used to detect if there’s an imbalance in the gas mix – too much carbon dioxide building up, that kind of thing.’
Callum stared down at his risotto suspiciously. ‘Yeah, but the molecules this is giving off have a terrestrial signature, right? The onemind must have a record of them.’
Now everyone was looking at Jessika. ‘Possibly,’ she admitted. ‘I’m not sure about the sensitivity levels, mind.’
‘If we’re cooking food in here for a couple of years, there’s damn
