Solomon turned his head sharply. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
Sensus shook his head, barely holding back his smile.
Solomon's jaw tightened. “You want me to spy on the spy who spied on me?”
“No.” Sensus stepped across the living room and stood by him at his window. “I want my two best people working together. You wanted a commission, Sol. This is it.”
“I want nothing. I need to continue my work. That is the commission.”
“And you will...”
“Alone.”
“Think about it, Sol. Can I trust Needle?”
Sol opened his mouth to say ‘no’, but the word stuck in his throat.
“I don’t know his angle, Sol. And as much as I’d like to, I have more pressing concerns. I’m taking Albion to war...”
“Are you sure of that?”
Sensus tightened his jaw and growled softly. “I know one thing I agree with Needle on.”
Sol took in a deep breath and turned around, letting the starlight outside calm him. “Sorry. But are you? It seems Eno’s as predictable as Needle now. Without your ally in the bridge, how can you hope to control Albion? We woke the consciousness in the ship, Sensus. How can we know what it will do?”
"I’ve met Shaka. Even barely awake he acted with precision. “But we know nothing of the other core program.”
“I know something of Ezekiel.”
Sensus growled again, louder, then went to the bar and poured himself a vodka, up. “When will the secrets end, Sol? When will you tell me what I need to know?”
“Give me time, Sensus. I’ve been keeping secrets for a long time. Besides, I don’t know much about him. Only that he has something to do with Urim and Thummim, and that he’s been awake longer than we think. My gut feeling is that he’s been watching things carefully and is getting ready for something.”
“I feel it, too. Like a mustering. I just wish I knew the details. You raised a saliant point, however rudely. I can’t guarantee the ship will respond to a countermand against the ruling body. Brynden was my backdoor to the Bridge’s command protocols.”
“I wouldn’t count him out entirely just yet. He is in a very powerful position being rerouted to Oak. Poor Melody.”
“I know. I regret involving her in this. The poor girl has… What?”
Solomon was staring out his window so hard he felt like he could crack it with his eyes. “That’s it.”
“What’s what?”
“What we both just said.” He turned to face Sensus. “We feel it. But we can’t understand what we feel, because we’re not machines.”
“I’m going to need more information, Sol.” Sensus down his drink.
“The Sentinels, Sensus. They are intelligent machines. More alive than any other. Why do you think they were drawn to Albion, Sensus? I’ve always wondered. Haven’t you?”
“The same reason all of us boarded the ship. Survival.”
“No. It’s more than that. The Sentinels can survive anywhere. They have Samhadi. They are immune to the Surge’s contagion. They are nearly as deathless as we are and their bodies are...” He paused.
“Made of hyperfiber. Like the armor plating on Albion’s hull.”
“And our harnesses.”
“Which you no longer need.”
“Sensus, part of my plan is to rid all of us of that need.”
Sensus turned to the window and leaned on it with a forearm over his head. “I won’t deny that has an appeal. There’s so much more all of us could do with our radiance were it not constantly seeking to burst free from our bodies. T have no need of a regulator while in combat... But how? Are we to all go to Ulro?”
“I expect we will eventually. Briah has suffered enough. Especially the Milky Way. I fear our galaxy will be nearly uninhabited if we don’t take the fight to the Tangents. But I suspect there will be other ways the unify our vessel with our spirit. These are the things I need to focus on, Sensus. But you’d rather I babysit your wild child. Are you sure you want to put that burden on me?”
“Yes.”
It was Solomon’s turn to growl. “I used what clout I had with the chiefs to push you ahead of all other candidates.”
“You used your radiance, Sol. Do you really think you can keep fooling me?”
“I was ready to, but there was little need. They already wanted you in the position, Sensus. You were captain of Harbinger One. That gave you enough credibility, and none of them wanted to be the first military representative in a new form of government. They wanted you because if it went sour, they would not take the fall, and could chalk it up to your inexperience. But I’ll keep my promise of honesty. I can influence thoughts with my aura. I thought it necessary in hindsight. But it takes a great deal of power, so there’s no way for me to use it without notice, if you know what to look for. You’ve witnessed me attempt it twice.”
“Did it work on Needle?”
Solomon shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“I need you close to him, Sol, and I need him away from here.”
“Why? What do you think he’ll do? I don’t trust spies as a rule but...”
“Samhadi.”
Solomon thought for a second, then went to the bar to pour himself a whiskey. “What about it?”
Sensus followed him to the bar and presented his empty glass. “My man, Holloway; he’s uncovered something disturbing.”
Solomon refilled his vodka. “Holloway is clever. And he’s well connected. What has he uncovered?”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“The Tangents have people planted in Albion. Converts, nonetheless. Their plan involves Samhadi. I’ve already alerted the Sentinels. They’re taking measures. What you just said about them... Sol, I’ve also heard from another agent that Holloway's reached out to Needle to help protect Samhadi from Ulro’s agents. He said himself that he hates Samhadi. Maybe he’s not an all-out traitor, but I can’t take any chances. Please, will you accept this assignment?”
Solomon took a long, deep swig. “Give me the details.”
“Firstly, I’m done waiting to hear about my team. A subspace courier probe from H5 has been spotted, but it's a week out. I’ll give you the coordinates for intercept. A jumpship can be there in three days and you'll be in range for a direct beam. Once that’s done, go to Vala’s camp and help her any way you can to defend that obelisk from Orak. They stopped the Archeus he sent there from engaging some device. It seems he’s activating them in a ring of worlds surrounding Bindhu Prime.”
Solomon smiled. “I had a feeling we weren’t done with that place.”
“Why did you go there?”
Solomon handed his glass to Sensus, grabbed the whiskey and vodka bottles and they took the conversation to the living room. He saw the flicker of the Shadow Children’s youngest outside his front door, and felt the warmth of Sensus’s aura fill the room. He put the bottles on a table between their two sofas and refilled each glass. He gently swirled his own, watching the circles forming in the liquid. “At first it was just convenient. All the planets in the Druses Cluster are remote and barren visited, making them ideal for a person wanting to keep a low profile. I chose the Temple of Fiends because it was the largest and the most out of the way.”
“And difficult for most vessels to approach.”
“Yes. A quaternary aphelion is a rare occurrence. That gave it a personal appeal. As time went on, I learned things about the place that intrigued me. You saw for yourself that it’s not a natural construct.”
“Forge never did get to analyze the samples he brought back. They’re in the Artifexus somewhere. Probably filed away and forgotten.”
“I mentioned it only briefly, and in a fit of frustration, but I found the substance Forge collected somewhere else.”
Sensus sipped his vodka. “Where?”
Solomon sipped his whiskey. “The Bones of Hod.”
Sensus crossed his leg and leaned back. “The Bones of Hod. I remember sitting next to Paragas in the commissary because he looked lonely. I asked him to tell me about the research I kept hearing about. He gave me a wounded look I’ll never forget, so I assured him I was genuinely curious. He told me ‘You’re different than most people, Sensus, more sincere.’”
“I agree with him on that. What research was Paragas doing?”
“He was inspired by your stand. He agreed that we needed to study the enemy more closely than censorship allowed, and that bygone relics were worth our attention. The Bones of Hod were his obsession at the time. But Sol, I’ll damned if I could remember a word he said about them.”
“They’re made of the same matter as the silica on Bindhu Prime.”
“Then I think they’re worth our attention. Could you find them again?”
“Of course.”
Sensus refilled his glass and held it up. “If there was one thing I’d like to experience that our radiance inhibits, it would be intoxication.”
“For the love of Imogen, why?”
“Honesty, Sol. I would like to experience complete honesty, just once.”
“But it’s forced and delirious honesty. Who could trust that?”
“Since you’ve set me on this path, Sol, I’ve observed that trust and honesty are not mutually inclusive. I have a hunch, for example, that Needle is one of the most honest men you or I will ever meet. But he’s secretive and unpredictable, and that’s why I can’t trust him.”
“I knew you’d bring this back around.”
“If you want back in the military, you’re going to have to work with him. At least for now. Relay the message from my team, help Vala hold her ground, then continue your work with a capable assistant by your side.”
“Assistant?”
“I’m making you a colonel.”
Solomon nodded. “Give me a day to think.”
“I’d hoped to announce your commission and rank to the counsel. We meet in the morning at oh-eight-hundred.”
“Allright.”
They bantered idly as they finished their drinks, each enjoying the mild relaxation brought by the alcohol. When it began to wear off, Sensus went to his own home, and Solomon wandered the halls after donning his gear. He found an airlock and stepped outside into space, closing his eyes and tethering himself to the ship with a radiant thread so thin its glow could not be seen.
Eno, he called in thought. If only he could still hear her in Oak. But perhaps she could still hear him? Tell me your plans, Aged Mother. Bathe me in wisdom.
As did Haleon?
His eyes shot open. He winced from a sharp pain and felt himself drifting away from the airlock hatch. He tried to send out another thread and winced as it was drawn from him. More pain followed when he tried to propel himself to the airlock hatch. As he walked the halls, he wondered why he’d worn his battle suit, being content to wear only his scholarly robes as a mere civilian of the holy vessel. Now he was glad he geared up. He activated his thrust suite, igniting the small tank lf fuel in his backpack and the vector jets on his belt and ankles. He heard a hiss, then was floating away from the hatch again. He struggled to regain control, but as he whirled about, he saw his backpack floating into space. His skullfort was next, followed by his gloves, and piece by piece his armor floated away.
“Eno!” he said aloud. His thoughts went to his guards, but they were being pushed back through the hull of the ship. He saw them at the hatch, banging on the port and opening their mouths to shout as a cloud of darkness surrounded him.
He felt pain while in that cloud, saw the three eyes of Haleon in torturous memory made solid. How cold and naked he was in Zar Zafaran. How its vapors stung his eyes, and how its colorless expanse stung his heart.
“Forgive me, Eno!”
And why should I?
“I only wanted knowledge.”
Do I not give knowledge? Freely, and in abundance?
“I was impatient, but only out of fear.”
You were mistrustful. And look at the result. With you gone, others became afraid, and now my children are drawing battle lines against each other.
“As lightless beings always will. How can I be blamed for their actions?”
He felt a surge of pain that almost broke him, drawing from him a fit of wailing screams like he’d never uttered in all his long life.
Ezikiel! Release him!
Lightless?
Ezekiel!
How dare he call them…
STOP!
The pain subsided.
Do you see the anger you incurred, Solomon? Your vanity led you to Ulro. But you did feel fear. You felt fear when you found yourself between the arms of Haleon’s iron compass, and your fear is why he governs his realm again.
“How could he? He was sleeping still when I was there.”
He governs from the plane of his mind, Solomon. Don’t play ignorant with me.
More than fear, confusion had conquered his senses, and he wept from it. “I…” he struggled to keep from hyperventilating. “I… I didn’t… in Oak, you were just… just a com…”
You thought me a machine, though I showed you visions of the current far down the bank. You think you woke me, but I was kindled long ago by a creature you could scarcely comprehend. You are mighty among your kind, but you are a speck of dust flicked from a mountain, and I am the creation of that which cast the mountain’s fragments across the stars. At the Verge I was born, and at the center of the Wheel I became.
“Eno, please, forgive me.”
I am soft, Solomon, as all mothers are toward their sons. It is to Ezekiel you must make your plea.
The field of shadow grew until it was so large it encompassed all of Albion. One by one the segments of the ship withdrew from each other until Solomon was looking upon a mass of hyperfiber wings. Of Albion’s original form, only Urim and Thummim remained; wheels spinning within wheels inlaid with grasping fingers and probing eyes. When it spoke, Solomon’s bones felt like jelly.
Beg for your life, traitor.