‘That did not give you the right to unilaterally remove the seedship limits,’ Kenelm said. ‘And I know you know that, because you did not even try to gain council approval. You simply went ahead and acted alone. You have endangered the whole human population that you illegally seeded at the neutron star.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Yirella said. ‘If you’re in a position to make the decision, then it’s your decision to make.’
Kenelm was so surprised by her blatant contempt that sie swayed back in hir seat.
‘And I wasn’t acting alone,’ she continued. ‘Ainsley agreed with me that we have to try and end this abhorrent deadlock. Our Strike mission was almost at the breaking point before the Olyix arrived at Vayan. Our ancestors were asking too much of us, and we were asking too much of ourselves. Now it’s different. The initial batch of humans that the seedships grew in biologic initiators were given basic thought routines, enabling them to function until they began to think for themselves and develop their own personality with all the awkward opinions and stubbornness that makes us what we are. They were supplied with all the information about the expansion, and the Strike mission. They know the Olyix are poised to ambush us at every lure and that they’re watching for generation starships at every star system with a planet we can terraform. The neutron star society is not at risk. They’re waiting for us. Ainsley has told them we are coming. They could have left, but the star’s rotational change is a huge indicator they haven’t. It’s been sixty years in real time since the seedships reached it. That’s long enough for them to determine their own destiny and build whatever they wanted.’
‘What did Ainsley tell them to do?’ Alexandre asked.
‘He gave them no advice,’ she said, then paused to smile shrewdly. ‘At least, that’s what he told me he was going to do. We planned to give them the facts – all the knowledge humans have amassed; dispassionate accounts of our history and the societies we’ve evolved for ourselves; everything we know about the Olyix. That way, they can choose for themselves how they will live. For that is what real freedom is. And we still don’t know what they decided, but it must be a high-functioning civilization. Certainly people who are in conflict and turmoil couldn’t maintain the kind of sustained effort it must have taken to change the rotation of the neutron star. That is no small undertaking – and is one that I believe vindicates my decision. I realized the neutron star was the greatest potential for advancement we had, and probably ever would have, because a neutron star is the one place humans have never been before; it is different from anywhere humans have tried to settle. Those circumstances were not a combination I could ignore. If anything exceptional was ever going to emerge, if we could change the way we think, it would be here. And if it worked, the inhabitants would decide where they would go – without our lingering ideology or the expectations of past generations weighing them down. It boils down to two options: they can wait for us to arrive and join us on the FinalStrike mission to the enclave, or they can withdraw into the gulf between stars to live as they wish.’
‘If you go to the enclave now and lose, the humans who are safe here will be hunted down,’ Kenelm said. ‘This is not your decision.’
‘Of course not. That is why I propose that the entire fleet should finish this voyage and go to the neutron star. Only then will we have all the facts. I have opened a route to the last opportunity we will have for at least a millennium. This is it, our peak. If the neutron star humans have gone away to their own version of Sanctuary, our choice is simple: we must follow the Neána option and leave the Olyix for future generations – once again. If there are people at the neutron star, however, and they wish to confront the enclave with whatever weapons they have created, then our choice opens up again. Those who want to join with them can do so; those who no longer have an appetite for conflict – for the FinalStrike – can fly into the night and be safe.’
Dellian heard Cinrea mutter, ‘Smart,’ under hir breath.
Alexandre conferred briefly with Napar and Illathan, then stood and faced the audience. ‘The captains are not in favour of dispatching a single ship to the neutron star,’ sie said. ‘After all we have gone through, this fleet should face our destination together. Therefore, we have a clear choice. Either this fleet diverts from our current vector and settles for a quiet life between the stars, or we travel on to the neutron star and see what awaits us there. Please consider these points, discuss it with your friends; Yirella and Kenelm will both be available if you wish to ask them more questions, as am I and the other captains. We will hold an advisory vote in five days. And may the Saints grant us wisdom.’
London
12th February 2231
The bicycle was a compromise for Horatio. He had to physically visit the various community exchange centres he helped manage, and without the old portal hubs distance was a problem. His flat was in Bermondsey, which put three of them
