In the throne room, the Empress sat in her stinking nest, quivering with excitement. When the nife arrived, the other Parents were all slithering up into their resin thrones and babbling amongst themselves.
“I’m positively famished!” the Empress announced. “It is high time you spared a thought for your mistress, commander.”
“I apologize profusely for the delay. I can only hope these beings provide the rich pleasure we’re all hoping for.” Internally, the nife was overjoyed. The Empress had switched off the military streaming the moment she’d heard there was fresh food to be sampled.
“Let me see, I’ve been thinking of this for a long time. I require a group of females for my first course. I’m hoping for a delicate flavor to wet my appetite for more.”
“As you say,” said the nife, signaling the idiot trachs and the surly hests to bring something suitable up from the hold. “It will only be a moment.”
“A further delay? If I could reduce your rank, I would do so on the instant.”
The nife almost retorted that he was not a mind-reader and could hardly be expected to know what type of creature she would request first. But he held back these words. “I apologize, Empress. I’ll arrange a variety of samples in a random order. Would that please your palate?”
“Hmm,” said the Empress thoughtfully. “Yes…I like that idea. The air of mystery would be added to the entire event. Your removal from command is postponed.”
The nife summoned graciousness from deep within. “So kind of you, Empress.”
At that point, there was a scuffle at the portal. A bloated individual dragged itself into the throne room, jostling aside a trach. It was the original Parent, and none of the higher beings present were glad to see her matronly form.
“I see there is still no throne for me to perch upon.”
“There is only so much room here,” said the Empress, waving a tentacle at the vast, mostly empty chamber. “I don’t like a cluttered appearance.”
“I see,” said the Parent bitterly. “I shall squat here then, for the duration of the feasting.”
The Empress hesitated. The nife winced, shortening his stalks, but no outburst came. He knew the Empress would just as soon not have this particular Parent as a guest at her feasting. But perhaps she couldn’t come up with a reasonable excuse to order her away. This was surprising, as reasonableness had never been one of the Empress’ strong points anyway.
The matter was soon dropped as a group of nude, terrified women arrived. They shrieked and struggled at the sight of the hulking figures on their lumpy thrones. This fearful reaction had a significant effect on the diners: their maws gushed with digestive juices.
A lengthy, live-food feasting began. Even the nife took part, nibbling on choice organs. The food creatures bleated and bled-it was magnificent.
Garth and Ornth were alone together inside one cramped skull. Externally, the body they shared was at least glad to be free of the endless, bone-chilling cold. The Great Machine, as Ornth called it, was a prolific generator of heat. After a long, harrowing climb down the access tube they reached a large pot-bellied chamber. Inside were incomprehensible pieces of equipment. The machines were primitive in aspect, hulking shapes festooned with valves, wheels and slowly churning metal pistons.
To ease communication, Ornth had allowed Garth use of his own voice.
“What is this place?” Garth asked Ornth for the hundredth time.
I have no name for it.
“What is its purpose, and why have you risked our joint lives to come here?”
This is a control node, part of a network that operates this station.
“Station?”
Yes. Did you believe this to be a natural world? I hadn’t accounted you as great a fool as the rest of your species. Sorrowfully, I realize now I was wrong.
Garth felt a growing sense of alarm. If Ignis Glace was a station-did that not imply weaponry? “We have come here then-to interfere with the Skaintz?”
Ah! You uplift your status in my estimation once again. Yes, that was the purpose of the skald mission from the start.
“You consider yourself a warrior then? I’d not thought there were warriors left amongst the Tulk.”
Ornth rankled. Not true warriors, perhaps. But there are those who are willing to ride a mount to war. I am a militiaman-one who has decided to act, rather than see the Skaintz return to power unopposed.
Garth wasn’t sure what to think. In a way, it was a positive thing. But it placed him personally in danger. He’d understood Fryx better. That rider had only been interested in self-preservation. This creature that rode in his head today was a breed apart from the rest. This Tulk had greater aspirations than mere survival-in Garth’s experience, such aspirations were often fatal. He felt a new sheen of sweat grow over his slick skin. This time it was not entirely due to the steamy heat of the place.
“I do not recognize these machines, or understand their purpose.”
Neither do I, entirely. Their operation has been forgotten purposefully by those that survived the last rise of the Skaintz. Unfortunately, burying the past does not prevent it from reoccurring-in fact, it arguably increases the odds. In any case, we shall have to puzzle it out.
“For what purpose?”
There was a bubbling sensation inside Garth’s skull. It was odd and unpleasant, as if a vibrating device were buzzing inside. Garth knew from experience that the Tulk was laughing at him.
For what purpose? To destroy the enemy ship, of course!
Aldo, Nina, Sixty-Two and their combined armies raced across open land toward Lavender City. Along the way, their ranks swelled. Every fief sent what they could spare. Knots of knights, companies of perrupters, sometimes entire small armies joined them, dragging along ancestral artillery pieces that dated back to the early days of the colony. Aldo began to believe it might be enough-although really, there was no way of knowing until the battle was joined.
Nina had similar qualms. “Can this force evict these monsters from our planet, Aldo?”
“I have no idea.”
“You don’t? Why do you march with such confidence, then?”
Aldo shrugged. “Because it is my natural manner.”
Nina snorted and choked off a bitter laugh. “If you don’t know what their capabilities are, no one on this world does.”
“True enough.”
“Tell me your secret then, tell me why you aren’t running to hide right now?”
Aldo turned from guiding his mount to look at her. She had tired eyes from long days in the saddle and no doubt months of worry.
“Very well,” he said. “I shall attempt to explain my philosophies. I shall make no attempt to make them more palatable to you, however.”
“I’m listening.”
“I’ve spent my life judging combats, and playing games of chance. Both are helpful to me in making my choices in this situation.”
“I fail to see how-”
“Please, bear with me. The battle ahead is most likely preordained. If they have forces superior to the combined might of our armies, we will lose. On the other hand, if our numbers are significantly greater, we shall prevail. In either case, there’s nothing anyone can do. Events will unfold in a manner that is beyond the control of any of individual.”
Nina stared at him. “You’re right, I already don’t like your thoughts.”
“Should I stop?”
She sighed. “No, please finish.”
“The only interesting situation occurs when the balance is on a knife’s edge. Rarely in human history have two equal forces met in battle when the outcome was in question. In those few cases, individual commanders
