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react to any developments out here, and& and what am I babbling
about? Arduin told us your father didn t die as is generally believed,
but by now we had become certain that all of you were dead!
Suddenly, she could barely suppress a giggle as she quoted a saying
of Eric s people. The rumors of our death have been greatly
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exaggerated. Then she remembered herself, and glanced at the holo
tank in which the Free Raehaniv ships were springing into life as
the fleets computers began to talk to each other. Please continue
to match vectors with us and the Korvaasha, Yarvann. We still have
a battle to fight. We ll explain everything later. But, she added,
beckoning to Rosen, first of all, there s someone you should meet.
* * *
Grashkul stared fixedly at the tactical display and knew the ashen
taste of hopelessness.
When the feral humans of the asteroids had set upon his
battlecruisers he had ordered the battleships to alter course and
attempt to reach Raehan. But the oncoming unknowns had
followed, remorselessly continuing to close the range, and a missile
duel had erupted that had soon exhausted his depleted magazines.
And the victorious Raehaniv ahead had decelerated so as to cross
his course, so that now the surviving battleships were about to come
into range of their energy weapons. Missiles were still arriving from
astern, but he hardly noticed the buffeting of near-misses.
This could not be happening. The Acceptable Knowledge, which
had never failed the Unity before, did not allow for it. A universe
without the solid and immovable foundation of the Acceptable
Knowledges infallibility was a universe of unimaginable chaos,
from which his mind shied away too quickly even to consciously
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reject it.
And yet it was happening.
Kaathgor approached slowly, dragging a leg that had been injured
by a falling structural member, threading his way through the
damage-control workers. Scanning reports another incoming
spread of missiles, Effectuator. What are your orders?
For a moment that stretched and stretched, Grashkul was silent, eye
staring unseeingly ahead. Kaathgor was about to repeat the question
when the Effectuator of Expansion spoke almost inaudibly, to no
one in particular.
Lies. All lies. Nothing but lies.
Before Kaathgor could ask him what he meant, a war-god s mace
smote the flagship, and noise and flame became all the universe that
was or could be.
* * *
But are you quite certain that this is the way I should put it?
Varien sounded very dubious.
They stood in the midst of frantic activity as specialists established
contact with their opposite numbers in the Free Raehaniv Fleet
through specially-installed banks of communicators, coordinating
the mop-up of the Korvaash remnants.
But Varien had the main console all to himself as he prepared,
before they even rendezvoused with Aelanni, to broadcast a
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message that would blanket the Tareil system.
They had hastily cobbled the message together, and DiFalco had
come into the discussion with the advantage of a man with a clear
idea, and so had placed a strong imprint on the sheet of hard copy
Varien now held before him, reading over once again with unabated
skepticism.
I suppose, Eric, he continued hesitantly, if you re quite sure&
Trust me. I know what I m doing. DiFalco shot a glance at the
chronometer. You re on!
Varien cleared his throat and took a breath. People of Raehan: I
have returned&
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Daeliuv regarded Yakov Rosen and tried once again to overcome a
sense of unreality. It wan t that the man across the table was
particularly strange-looking short and stocky on Raehaniv
standards, looking older than Daeliuv now knew he was, features
and coloring faintly exotic, but overall nothing alarming. It was his
very ordinariness which seemed wrong, even though Daeliuv had
known about the Landaeniv for some time.
The Free Raehaniv had rendezvoused with Aelanni first, before
Varien and his new allies had arrived. By now they had seen other
Landaeniv, in all their surprising variety. But Rosen had been the
first one they had set eyes on, and to all of them who had been
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present for that first visual pickup from Aelanni s control room he
remained the quintessential Landaeniv, imprinted on their minds
with the strength of first impressions.
No, not Landaeniv, Daeliuv scolded himself. Terran. Must
remember that.
He dragged his mind back to the subject at hand. So you found this
abandoned base just after entering the system you call Terranova ?
Yes, Rosen replied in his fluent Raehaniv. It was purely by
chance a wildly improbable chance, as I ve often reflected in the
years since. He frowned and sipped his wine. (The Free Raehaniv
had been able to keep limited supply channels open, and the
reception the two of them had gotten away from had been an
occasion to warrant the breaking out of long-hoarded stocks.) I
gather it was the same with the asteroid Turanau? that you Free
Raehaniv discovered.
Precisely. It was only by sheer chance that we learned of this dead
civilization that was operating in our part of the galaxy at the time
humans appeared on Raehan. Daeliuv paused, then spoke almost
plaintively. And your scientists are quite certain that your
ancestors evolved on Earth?
Oh, yes. That s been established for a long time. There s no break
in our worlds evolutionary history as there is in yours. Rosen was
silent for a long, thoughtful moment, stroking the beard he had
grown on Terranova it was thicker than any Raehaniv could have
managed, Daeliuv noted. But you spoke of a dead civilization,
Daeliuv. Are you absolutely certain its dead?
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What?! Well& there certainly doesn t seem to be any evidence
that it s presently active.
No. Not unless you count the fact that we ve both been making
these highly unlikely discoveries at the same time which also
happens to be the time at which we re coming into contact with
each other. Can you imagine what the odds against that must be?
Daeliuv gave him a long, hard look. Then he smiled. Don t tell me
you Lan& Terrans believe in ghosts, Yakov!
Rosen s intense expression dissolved into a wry grin. Oh, no. Not
to worry. I can t really believe we re all going through the motions
as actors in somebody else s& He stumbled to a halt. The
Raehaniv for psychodrama was beyond him.
At any rate, Daeliuv said briskly, we can t let it concern us now.
The freeing of Raehan has to take first priority. Speaking of which,
it s almost time for the conference.
So it is. Rosen drained his wine and stood up. Someday, after all
this is over, I want very much to see Turanau. We need to do some
very hard thinking about these matters.
We do, Daeliuv agreed.
Arduin had come out from the asteroids to join the combined fleets,
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