I scrolled down the notifications idly.
I had risked Prophet’s Roulette the previous night, despite the headache. The skill didn’t throw up useful information most nights - often repeating what I already knew - but the time immediately after learning a new skill was when it actually tended to help.
TEST OF LUCK: PASSED.
TEST OF INTELLIGENCE: PASSED.
YOU CAN INITIATE MINDSPEECH CHANNELS WITH THOSE WHO HAVE TRAINING IN HOW TO RECEIVE THEM, AND COMMUNICATE VIA THE CHANNEL. 1 CP/SECOND COST OF OPERATION, ACTIVATION COST VARIES. YOU CANNOT INITIATE MINDSPEECH CHANNELS WITH HUMANS AS THEY DO NOT HAVE APPROPRIATE NEURAL LINKS EMBEDDED IN THEIR BRAINS.
There were also mundane notifications:
HIERARCHY LORE INCREASED TO LEVEL 8. YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE ALIENS IS AT PAR WITH THE MOST INFORMED OF HUMANS, AND YOU HAVE BEGUN TO SCRATCH THE SURFACE OF THEIR MOTIVATIONS.
NEW CLUE REVEALED: INTERROGATE THE RAPTOR CAPTAIN TO GAIN DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE PLAYED BY THE MIND, SPINE AND BONES OF THE HIERARCHY.
Whatever I’d expected to learn in England, these insights into the nature of the Hierarchy hadn’t been amongst them.
All things considered, even if I died fighting Agni, what we’d learnt yesterday would change the world.
Hopefully I could repeat the feat today.
I slid my helmet into place. “Coming out now,” I announced.
The door slid open, with Avi Goldman waiting for me. “Belessar. Ready for the big one?”
“As ready as I can be, considering. I’m not sure I can get through to this one, so we’ll have to be aware of the possibility.” Truthfully, I didn’t know if the Raptor Captain would be Intimidated.
“We can always start with words if it doesn’t work,” replied Goldman. “Think positive. Might help.”
“Sure,” I replied, as we made our way to the second prisoner’s containment cell.
The Raptor Captain’s facilities were much the same as the Guard’s. There was one major difference, though.
Where the Raptor Guard had shown his fear and uncertainty at being caged, the Raptor Captain seemed relaxed and utterly at ease.
RAPTOR CAPTAIN
LEVEL 20
HP 800/800
A CAPTAIN OF THE RAPTOR CLANS AND A SCION OF CLAN GUTHNAR.
CONDITIONS: BORED, MEDITATING.
….The Raptors could meditate?
No intimated condition, so Compulsion was out. I’d still try to connect a Mindspeech channel and see if it worked.
Cameras and speakers had been set up, as well as a chair for me in front of the cell. I gently walked up and sat down.
Impressions were important.
I sat.
The Raptor Captain looked up.
INTUITIVE LEAP: RAPTOR CAPTAIN IS MILDLY AMUSED.
Great.
I pressed a key. “Hello.”
A computer automatically picked the Raptor phrasing learnt from Aisindrahas. Above the Raptor Captain’s head, a speaker rumbled as the word ‘hello’ was translated into Raptor speech.
The Raptor Captain flinched.
Maybe that wasn’t the best idea. I decided to try a different tack. “Mindspeech,” I said.
Another, different sound rumbled over the Captain’s head. This time, however, the Captain seemed more interested.
YOU CAN NOW INITIATE A COMMUNICATION CHANNEL WITH THE RAPTOR CAPTAIN USING MINDSPEECH. HE MAY NOT ACCEPT, HOWEVER.
INITIATION COST: 200 CP.
ACTIVATE CHANNEL?
I chose Yes.
RAPTOR CAPTAIN HAS ACCEPTED THE CHANNEL. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: Hello. I am Belessar.
: Ah, so you do have mindspeech. I was wondering.
: An inefficient version, I’m afraid. I can only speak for a minute at a time, and then I need a break.
: Oh, you are young indeed. My name is Sarvenimazarus of the Guthnar, Third Scion to Clanlord Daemoras. Though I doubt that means anything to you.
: Thank you for sharing your name. I’d like to know more about your species.
: Certainly, if it does not affect our military secrets, I’m happy to converse. It is quite dull in here.
: If I may ask - are the Raptors part of the Spine of the Hierarchy?
: Of course. Surely you knew that.
: I’m afraid I am quite young, so I do not understand all this politics yet. I was wondering if we could have a chat about some things I’d like to gain a deeper insight on.
: Is that so? Considering your role in the battle, I would wager that you are quite accomplished under that armor. Let us spare each other the dissimulation, shall we? Ask what you wish, and I will answer if it does not conflict with my oaths.
TIME REMAINING 00:00:31
: Thank you for being understanding. I would like to know about the Mind and the Spine. What role do species of the Spine have in matters of policy?
: Matters of policy? Very little. The Archons decide policy, the Xeranai, advise, and the Puppetmasters float around giving angry looks at the others. The rest of us just do what we are told.
: I see. Do Clans get to send representatives to the Archons? Lobby for the right decisions, for example?
: My, you are naive. Those of the Spine decide nothing.
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
I turned to Lieutenant-Commander Sinclair. “I got through. And I can do sixty-four seconds of conversation at a time instead of fourteen.”
“That’s… good news.” Veda Sinclair looked happy. “Any idea why the increase?”
“Different mechanisms,” I said hastily. “It’s complicated. The important thing is, he’s willing to talk. I’ll keep speaking and see how it goes.”
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: Sorry, we got interrupted.
: Think nothing of it. Non-Xeranai Mindspeech equipment has a tendency to break down easily. Yours is adequate.
: What kind of equipment is required for a Mindspeech device?
: Ah, seeking my technological knowledge? I’m sorry I can’t help you. I am no technician, much less Xeranai.
: Can you tell me more about the Xeranai?
: Why not? What would you want to know?
: How many are there? How many worlds?
: That I don’t know. Hundreds of thousands, surely. Much less in number than a single Raptor clan, of course, but then individual Clansmen don’t command battleships.
: … The Xeranai each command a battleship?
: Of course. Each Xeranai has a homeship with their main line experiments, and a battleship to deploy in combat. Each homeship is usually stuffed with Tasaduk, those poor creatures, and the battleships are usually crewed by Vautari and Lynxians.
: What about Raptors? Do you have your own battleships?
: Oh, no. The Xeranai would never offer a Spine species anything larger than a freighter to command. We can, of course, rent ships for our own needs - if we can afford them. Or so the Xeranai claim, anyway.
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
Eighteen minutes later….
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: Welcome back.
: Sorry. Thank you for your patience.
: You are quite polite for a jailor.
: How do you work with the Puppetmasters?
: Very, very carefully. Offend one and you get roped into their entourage. It’s a fate I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
: And the Archons?
: Even more carefully. You want to be careful that you don’t offend the Archons even unintentionally, unless you want your clan to become soup.
: I’m sorry?
: Well, the clans that offend the Puppetmasters end up trapped in their own minds, while the clans that offend an Archon get pounded into paste by invincible flying engines of destruction.
: I see.
: The species of the Spine serve, human. They do not rule themselves, much less the Hierarchy. Do not make the same mistakes the Grizzeloids did. Or that we did.
: What?
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
HIERARCHY LORE INCREASES TO LEVEL 9.
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: Welcome back again.
: What did you mean by the mistakes of the Grizzeloids and the Raptors?
: I see that you are completely unfamiliar with recent history.
: Please. It’s important.
: Doubtless it is, to you. And there are things that are important to me. Can you help me get them?
: I don’t have the authority to set you free or anything.
: I would never expect that. I do, however, hope that you can provide me a few small comforts. Things that would make my time here easier.
: What do you want, exactly?
: Minor things. Something to write with, better food and drink, and a view of the sky once in a while
: Let me see what I can do.
: And when you have done that, I will see what I can share with you.
SARVENIMAZARUS HAS CLOSED THE CHANNEL.
“That’s a thing?” I asked aloud. “I didn’t even know that was a thing.”
“What thing?” asked Sinclair.
“The Raptor captain closed the mindspeech channel.”
“Why?”
“He wants some things. Writing instruments, paper, some better food and drink, and fresh air. When I said I’d look into it, he cut the channel.”
“Huh,” Sinclair grinned. “Sounds like you got schooled.”
“It’s not funny.”
“Perhaps a little. Let’s plan what you can give him and what you can’t.”
Eighteen minutes later, I reopened the channel.
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: Welcome back again.
: I spoke to the base commander. She says she can authorize paper and pencil, and if you let us know what you can - and can’t - safely eat, we’ll arrange it. No outside visits, though.
: A prudent decision, if a little disappointing for me. When will you arrange these things?
: The pencil and the paper are being made available to you now.
A click of the hatch opening led to the Raptor looking upwards. From above, a notebook fluttered down, with a pencil attached to the cover.
The Raptor picked it up.
: Interesting. And this marks the paper of yours?
: You can write entire books with this.
: Thank you. It is quite dreary in here with little to do. In return, I shall tell you of the Grizzeloids and how they became part of the Hierarchy.
: The Grizzeloids were an honourable people. A culture of steel and iron, riding animals, castles and chivalry. A culture that gave their word and kept it.
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
: They were not prepared for the Hierarchy when it came to their world.
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: Sorry, this keeps happening.
: It is understandable. And the pencil works well, thank you.
: I shall continue the story of the Grizzeloids, if it suits you.
: Please.
: When the Liraeans placed their shield above the Grizzeloid homeworld….
: Are the Liraeans another Hierarchy species?
: Do you not know who the Liraeans are?
: Well, no.
: But your world is guarded by a Liraean heartfortress. One that your people occupy. You field soldiers from it. And you say that you have no knowledge of the Liraeans?
: You mean Fortress Skyguard?
: Is that what you have named it? It seems a fitting name. We named ours ‘Summer Star’.
: You had a Skyguard in your sky before the Hierarchy came?
: Of course. Every species does.
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: Tell us about the Liraeans, please.
: I am tempted to ask for more in return, but I shall pass. Without understanding the Liraeans, you could hardly understand the failure of the Grizzeloids. Or us.
: The Liraeans send their test-ships to many species. When a test-ship is sent to a world, they encase it in a protective shield and test the species within, to see what ability suits them most.
: … What ability?
: It is called the Test of Inclusion. The Liraean testship dematerializes into a self-sustaining planetary shield, with the exception being the heartfortress. The heartfortress chooses those who might be the best representatives of the species and brings them within. These best are tested by various circumstances, and the most suited is elevated to Exemplar.
: What is an Exemplar?
: An Exemplar represents the best a species has to offer. It is the true synchronization of the native character of a species and the gifts of the Liraeans. The perfect combination. Once that is found, the nature of the species is changed.
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
I rattled off the revelations to Veda Sinclair. “This Exemplar he’s talking about - Fortress Skyguard will pick humanity’s.”
“Ask him about the tests,” prompted Pemberley over the intercom. “Keep going. We’re getting all of this analyzed - we’ll get our analysts working on the right questions for you to ask.”
“I’ll keep him talking.”
“And find out more about the Liraeans.”
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: What do you mean by saying the nature of the species is changed?
: Ah, my abrupt friend.
: Sorry.
: No matter. The Liraeans do not expect a species to have every trait, nor does it make sense. Their gifts are intended to complete a species, to make them whole. When a species finds the gift that is most suited for it, an Exemplar of the species is created.
: The Hierarchy tests the species, to ensure that it - and its Exemplar - are suited to the Great Struggle.
: What Great Struggle?
: Now that is a question for another time.
: I see… Are the Liraeans part of the Hierarchy?
: Of course not. No-one has spoken to a living Liraean.
: The Liraeans were the first to identify the Great Struggle and recognize it was coming. They sent the testships to different species to prepare them.
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: Prepare them how?
: By finding the best in each species. By protecting them against the dangers of the unknown, until the species had found the best form for themselves.
: So what happens when an Exemplar is found?
: Every species tested by the Liraeans, once it identifies its Exemplar, is invited to join the Hierarchy.
: … By being invaded?
: You misunderstand. It is the selection pressure of constant attack that drives a species forward in the hunt for its Exemplar. Conflict and struggle. Thus does the Exemplar emerge.
: Surely there are less brutal ways.
: Spoken like one from the Spine or the Bones. Those of the Mind think this way is best. Therefore, the rest of us obey.
: What happens to the rest of the species after the Exemplar is chosen?
: It depends on how well you pass the Test of Inclusion. Once the Exemplar is chosen, the Hierarchy tests you with the full force of its power. How well you bear up under the assault determines whether you are placed in the Bones, the Spine, or the Mind.
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: You said the Hierarchy tests us to see where we fit. Bones, Spine or Mind.
: Yes.
: Have species ever been chosen for the Mind?
: Yes. The Xeranai were the first of the Hierarchy. The Archons were the first tested by the Xeranai, and they passed. The Puppetmasters, too, passed and were chosen for the Mind.
: The Raptors barely passed, and so those of the Mind placed us in the Spine.
: Is there no other way than war? Can we not negotiate a peaceful joining?
: That is the mistake the Grizzeloids made.
: What do you mean?
: The Grizzeloids fought well at first. Their warriors were fierce and strong, and their Exemplar had the gift of strategy. He could evolve the finest tactics, and judge the outcome of any battle perfectly. Thirty times the Grizzeloid cavalry charged the Xeranai tanks, and thirty times they won, lance against cannon.
: That’s… amazing.
: But not without cost. Thirty times the flower of Grizzeloid chivalry bled out on the dirt fields of Hilbernath. The Exemplar buried his sons, his daughters, his grandsons and granddaughters.
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: Sorry… what happened to the Grizzeloids?
: The Exemplar had grown weary of the losses of his kin. So had those who served him most loyally. Finally, they pressed the Exemplar to seek a peace treaty. Seeking honourable terms of unification.
: Surely the Hierarchy must have negotiated.
: Yes. They sent the Puppetmasters as their negotiators.
: Oh.
: The trap was subtle. They first bound the Exemplar in a web of mindtraps, and then offered a deal to his barons. Unlimited hunting grounds on three worlds for their kin, in return for service for three generations of an Archon’s lifetime by all those who were not of the Exemplar’s clansmen or bannermen.
: That doesn’t sound too bad.
: The Archons are immortal.
: That’s … a problem.
: So far, the Grizzeloids have served ten thousand cycles within the Bones of the Hierarchy. If every Archon were to die tomorrow, they would be honour-bound to serve another twenty thousand.
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: Surely the Exemplar and his kinsmen must have complained afterwards.
: The Exemplar, his kinsmen and clansmen who benefited were perhaps five hundred in number. Since that day, the number of Grizzeloids who have been bred in slavery has risen to the millions. And the clansmen of the Exemplar have died out.
: Are the Grizzeloids being bred artificially? Genetically engineered?
: Yes.
: They still have lords and clans?
: They do. They are of the Bones of the Hierarchy, though. Entire clans are owned by a single Archon, and live or die at his whim.
: The Archons - own the Grizzeloids as slaves?
: A being of the Mind may own slaves. A being of the Bones must be owned as a slave. Bone cannot function without Mind to guide it.
: And Spine?
: Spine is not owned, but it serves nonetheless. Spine is reflex, it is autonomous action in response to predefined stimuli. It serves the Mind, but can also act on its own.
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
A notification appeared in my field of view:
HIERARCHY LORE ADVANCES TO LEVEL 10. YOU HAVE NOW GAINED A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURE OF THE HIERARCHY.
NEW CLUE REVEALED: ASK ABOUT WHAT POWERS THE RAPTORS HAVE.
Veda Sinclair handed me a list of questions. “We need to know more about this slavery thing. Is it notional, or actual? Can you find out?”
“What’s notional slavery?”
“Well, notionally we’re all subjects of the King and can be executed at his pleasure. Actually His Majesty doesn’t go around chopping people’s heads off, and we elect our own leaders and have courts and rights and everything.”
“Gotcha.”
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: So if a species is placed in the Bones, they are effectively slaves.
: There is no ‘effectively’ about it. The Mind owns them, body and soul. If a Xeranai wants to vivisect a Sarnak child in front of its parents, the parents will hand the child over. Or be forced to do so by other Sarnak.
: And if they disobey?
: The Xeranai fill their air with killing gases. Or, if they are in space, vent the atmosphere in the Sarnak living chambers.
: And the Archons and Puppetmasters?
: The Archons don’t bother with killing gases - they like to do their smashing up close and personal. And the Puppetmasters, well, mind control has its advantages.
: How did the Archons and Puppetmasters get placed in the Mind?
: That information is known only to the Archons and Puppetmasters.
: Understood. You said that the Raptors made a mistake in joining the Hierarchy.
: No. We made mistakes in how we joined.
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: Tell me about your joining the Hierarchy.
: That is a brutal, bloody story indeed.
: We were once a noble people. The clans roamed the surface of our world, wandering where they wished, farming and hunting in equal measure. We built fortresses on the steppes, sang songs of our wanderings, and forged towers of glass and steel for those who were past their wandering years.
: Then the Liraean testship came. It circled our world, found it suited, and wove a shield around us to protect us.
: It came first to us in the endless summer, so we named it the Summer Star. Our scientists saw its true shape, a black creation with seven spikes. We thought it was a sign from the gods.
: Then what happened?
: Our people began to show new gifts. Gifts of speed, gifts of grace, gifts of foresight and wisdom.
: With what we learnt, we built new things and forged alliances amongst our clans. Our Clanlords were no longer the fossils of old, but those blessed by the gifts of the gods.
: Sadly, this did not last.
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
“It sounds like they had a lot more time than we did,” said Heath. “They made major technological and social changes.”
“Maybe their lifespan was a lot shorter than ours,” murmured Sinclair. “A year for us might be a generation for them.”
“I’ll check,” I replied. “But it seems pretty certain that they also went through a stage where they had ultrahuman - well, ultra-alien - powers.”
“And if that’s the case, then we should be asking why we haven’t seen their ultras yet,” said Pemberley. “Or if we have, and we just didn’t recognize them.”
I nodded. “All good questions. I’ll keep asking.”
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: How long did you have powers before the Hierarchy arrived?
: Three generations of our people.
: Er… how many is that in human years?
: What do you mean by human years?
: Well, the Hierarchy has been besieging our world for about twenty years. How long is that for you? How many generations?
: Less than one. Ten cycles. The average Raptor, even in those days, lived for at least thirty cycles. The Summer Star had graced our skies for seventy-five cycles before the Hierarchy arrived.
I did a quick calculation. The Hierarchy had reached the Raptor homeworld… one and a half centuries after they gained powers?
: Something concerns you?
: The Hierarchy’s arrival at Earth was far sooner….
: Yes. You have had the least time of any species between the Liraeans and the Hierarchy.
: In fairness, though, you were far more advanced than we. We were still riding animals when the Summer Star arrived. In the time we had, our wisest learnt how to harness steam, fire, and electricity, and discovered the secrets of the atom. Our strongest built cities and factories the likes of which we had never seen. And our bravest fought to create a society that all could seek pride in.
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
“They had a century and a half?” exclaimed Pemberley.
“Yeah, and we got a year.”
“Well, we sure drew the short end of the stick… He said they went from horse power to atomic energy in a hundred and fifty years, huh?”
“In fairness, we did the same in two hundred without superpowers.”
“There is that. Find out how they fought the Hierarchy.”
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: What happened when the Hierarchy arrived?
: We were stunned. We had expected those from beyond the stars to be friendly.
: Did they carve a message on your moon, too?
: Yes. And in our language, too. The Xeranai are quick learners.
: Did they ever negotiate?
: Eventually. But first we had to fight them. Xeranai ships blasted their way through our shields, and the Sarnak landed on our world.
: We defeated them, of course. Then the Carnotaurs came. Those were a harder fight. We prevailed, though, and defeated them by the dozens. We thought we were winning.
: Then the first Archon came through the shield, and we realized how foolish we had been.
: What’s so special about the Archons?
: Indestructible. Immortal. Infinitely strong. The clan armies that had held against the Carnotaurs broke like rotten twigs. The greatest of our heroes could not match them in strength or speed.
: Only when our Exemplar arose did we have a chance.
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
“Ask him about the Exemplar.”
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: Tell me about the Raptor Exemplar
: Our Exemplar. Niotauros, once upon a time of Clan Avendhia. Niotauros All-Clan. The one who saved our people.
: Was he strong?
: Yes, but not in strength. He saw the future of our people. In battle, he was no stronger than any other Raptor; he had to wear armour built for him by our scientists, and take medicines from our healers to survive. Yet his mind was sharp, and his insight was unmatched. In battle, he could see where the enemy would strike from, and how.
: Battlecognition?
: Yes. His insights gave us the path to hold against even the Archons.
: Under his guidance, our people were able to drive off the Archons. For a while.
: Drive off? Not kill?
: You can, very rarely, see a Puppetmaster killed. You can kill a Xeranai, if you get on the bridge of their battleship. You cannot kill an Archon.
: That’s what indestructible and immortal means.
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: What happened to Niotauros?
: He fought the Hierarchy for a very long time. Then he grew tired. The clanlords were exhausted from years of war, millions of our people were dead, entire clans vanished from the face of the planet.
: What did he do?
: With the aid of our scientists, he sent a message to the Hierarchy. Invited them to honorable combat, one-against-one, for the freedom of our people. If he won, we would no longer be troubled by the Hierarchy, and there would be peace. If he lost, then our clansmen would serve the Hierarchy.
: What happened?
: The Hierarchy refused to talk to him at first. Claimed that our species had not cleared the Test of Inclusion.
: Niotauros grew desperate. His clan had been one of the first exterminated. Finally, with the aid of the original clanlords - Guthnar, Velaxa, Kanmar, Mudhvai, Aghorai - he persuaded the Hierarchy to test them anyway.
: What happened?
: Two ships breached the shield. A Puppetmaster war-barge and a Xeranai battleship. And one Archon.
: All the clans fought. Niotauros used his battlecognition to the fullest. By the end of the battle, the land was scorched for a thousand miles in every direction. And Niotauros….
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: What happened to Niotauros?
: He fell in battle. Against the Archon himself.
: Before he fell, though, we had destroyed the Puppetmaster’s war-barge. And killed the Puppetmaster.
: So you defeated one member of a Mind race.
: Yes. On the battlefield.
: When he had slain the Puppetmaster, the Archon showed up. Gave him the option to leave peacefully, or to die standing his ground.
: Niotauros challenged the Archon.
: What happened then?
: What usually happens when an insect tries to fight the sun. Niotauros died, brutally.
: For Niotauros’ valour, though, the Archon granted to us the right to be counted amongst the Spine. Provided we passed the final test.
: Which was?
: Only a hundred million of us were permitted to join the Spine. The weakest in our ranks would not be permitted to live.
: The Archon gave us a week to choose who lived and who died. If in a week we did not purge our ranks and choose those who were to be part of the Hierarchy, the Archon would make the decision for us.
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
“That’s insane,” Sinclair said. “Are the Archons a race of sociopaths?”
“Indestructible space Nazis,” Heath shook his head. “And they’re the ones who actually lead the Hierarchy?”
“Speaking as someone who really dislikes Nazis,” Goldman pointed out, “there was always a logic to their actions, even a twisted one. We need to understand that.”
“How did the Raptors choose?” asked Pemberley. “I’d like to know that. It might shed some light on the results.”
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: How did you choose?
: Nineteen clans were chosen. The strongest clans. The rest…
: We begged the Archons to spare our fellow Raptors. We begged mercy from the Xeranai. We had, unfortunately, a lot to learn.
: We were given an ultimatum by the Archons and the Xeranai. Our species would be split in two. Those who were to be of the Spine would be evacuated on ships, those who were not could remain on the world.
: We could choose to kill them ourselves. Or leave the task to the Xeranai.
: If we left it to others, we would forever be of the Spine. If we took undertook the task ourselves, showed ourselves to be responsible? Then in two hundred cycles we would be elevated to the Mind.
: What did you do?
: Nineteen clans chose to preserve themselves. They also chose not to lash out at the others. It would have been an insult to Niotauros All-Clan.
: Once we had chosen, the shield fell.
: What? What do you mean, it fell?
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
“Find out about the shield,” urged Pemberley. “If it’s going to collapse, we need to know.”
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: The shield around your planet just… fell?
: The Summer Star lowered its shields. The Vautari brought ten thousand ships to evacuate the chosen nineteen clans. Once they had left, the Xeranai battleships burnt out cities to ash, and Archon elites hunted down those who remained.
: When the last Raptor left on the planet was dead, the Summer Star collapsed within itself. Its power spent, it broke up into tiny pieces.
: And as it collapsed, our Clanlords woke, each with the power of the Exemplar. Every Clanlord could now see into the future and into the ways of battle as well as the great Niotauros.
: Our Scions and many others gained lesser versions of his power. Ever since that day, hundreds of our finest have borne the power of Niotauros All-Clan. The ability to sense the ebb and flow of battle, to find our way to victory in the most unlikely circumstances.
: You didn’t show this power in Liverpool.
: What makes you think I have it?
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
“So their ability is battlecognition,” mused Pemberley. “And once their Exemplar had proven himself, that power was selected to be distributed to most of the Raptors.”
“If they could choose, shouldn’t they have picked something better?” asked Sinclair. “Like flight, or inventor abilities?”
“I’d assume those options were already taken,” I pointed out. “The Xeranai Exemplar must have been an inventor, and I’m guessing the Archons and Puppetmasters had Herculeans and Masters as their Exemplars.”
“There’s no reason two species can’t have the same powers, right?” asked Heath.
“I’ll check that with him. Any progress on the other prisoner today?”
“Blythe and Shapiro have been working on expanding the list of words,” Goldman said. “They’re up to one hundred and fifty four and making some real progress now. Or so I’m told.”
“What was the mistake they made?” asked Pemberley. “Find that out.”
CHANNEL ACTIVATED. TIME REMAINING: 00:01:04.
: Thank you for being so patient.
: You’re welcome. And it’s not as if I have anything more to do in here. Although I would like to rest now.
: Just a few more questions, and we can take a break. Perhaps an hour?
: How long is that?
: We’ve been speaking for about seven hours now.
: Ah, I see. I’ll need at least as long again to rest, I’m afraid. We Raptors need our sleep.
: Just one more thing, if it’s not a problem. You said that the Raptors made a mistake with the Hierarchy. What was the mistake?
: Ah, that. When the Archons demanded that we slay our own, or they would do it for us. That was our mistake.
: You should have resisted. Got it.
: Oh, my naive friend. How foolish to think we could resist. Niotauros bought us a chance at survival with his gamble. To have refused would have seen the end of us.
: Then what?
: Had we purged our people on our own, we would have been elevated to the Mind in two hundred cycles. Instead, for the last thousand cycles, we have served the Spine of the Hierarchy. Our children are born, live, and die in servitude. We shall never escape that.
: If you are given the chance, do not make the same mistake.
CP EXHAUSTED. CHANNEL CLOSED.
