Antagonist - Childe Cycle 11 (137 page)

The
unholy
peoples
of
Old
Earth
say
they
will
come
against
us. Let
them
come,
then,
if
they
are
that
foolish.
Let
us
lay
this
demon once
and
for
all.
How
little
they
suspect
it
will
be
the
beginning
of the
end,
for
them!

Signed,
Bleys
Ahrens.

Toni,
after
reading
the
announcement,
was
silent
for
a
long
moment.

"For
immediate
release
to
the
media
on
all
the
Younger
Worlds," Bleys
said.

"Just
your
name,
no
title?"
she
said
at
last.

"No,"
he
said.
"No
title
would
have
any
meaning
here.
And
it's psychologically
more
effective
this
way—it's
meant
to
tell
people that
we're
at
war,
and
that
I'm
just
another
human
being
in
it
with them."

"Why
do
this
at
all?"

"I
have
to
get
out
in
front,"
he
said.
"Mayne
stole
a
march
on
me, and
to
maintain
my
credibility
as
the
leader
of
the
Others,
as
well
as of
the
Younger
Worlds,
I
can't
let
it
be
seen
that
I've
been
surprised."

"This
letter
does
more
than
that,"
she
said.

"You
mean
it's
deliberately
inflammatory,"
he
said.
He
nodded without
waiting
for
her
reply.

"It
is
that.
But
that's
necessary—people
have
to
be
pumped
up for
a
war;
they
wouldn't
want
to
do
it,
otherwise.
Give
it
to
Many Colors
and
send
her
on
her
way—I
want
my
letter
published
on
all the
Younger
Worlds
before
the
Dorsais'
movement
becomes
public knowledge."

Chapter
44

Favored of God had
been
at
the
new
rendezvous
point
for
just
under half
a
Standard
day
when
the
in-system
communications
its
technicians
had
been
monitoring
began
to
carry
reports
of
the
arrivals
of the
first
of
the
Dorsai
ships.
It
was
most
likely,
the
captain
explained, that
they
had
come
out
of
shift
on
the
fringes
of
the
system,
before recalculating
and
shifting
inward;
and
they
were
all
coming
out
of their
final
shifts
well
in-system
from
where
Favored
lay
quietly
in Mars'
orbital
plane.

For
the
next
half-day
the
arrival
of
the
Dorsai
was
a
media
sensation,
and
Bleys'
people
were
able
to
relay
to
him
broadcast
coverage as
the
Dorsai
ships
were
passed
through
irises
opened
in
the
shield-wall
and
assigned
orbital
parking
slots
just
inside
the
wall.
But
as the
process
continued
it
quickly
became
old
news,
and
the
media turned
to
other
interests.

"It's
time
to
go
in,"
Bleys
said
to
Toni.
"Mayne's
had
time
to
digest
the
press
of
events,
so
he'll
be
able
to
meet
me."

"Why
would
he
meet
you?"
she
asked.
"For
that
matter,
why
do you
want
to
meet
with
him—again?"

"You
don't
think
I
should?"

"I
don't
think
it's
good
for
you,"
she
said.

"What
do
you
mean?"

"I
mean
.
.
.
well,
I've
never
been
there
when
you've
talked
to him,
but
it's
always
seemed
to
me
as
if
you
come
back
from
those meetings—different."

"'Different'?"

"For
a
while.
...
I
mean,
you're
usually—distracted.
And
unhappy."

"I
though
you
said
I
was
sad
a
lot,
anyway?"

"Yes,
but
this
is
different.
I
mean—"
She
stopped,
thinking.
"It's different
from
that....
You're
more
...
stirred
up—"

"I'm
not
sure
exactly
what
you're
trying
to
say,"
he
said,
"but
it seems
to
me
you're
talking
about
some
effects
Hal
Mayne
has
on
me personally."

"Well,
yes,"
she
said.

"That
doesn't
really
matter,
then,"
he
said,
nodding
to
himself. "It
doesn't
matter?"

"If
it's
only
me,
it
doesn't
matter,"
he
said.
"As
long
as
meeting him
doesn't
harm
my
mission." She
remained
silent.

Favored of God
was
less
than
an
hour
from
Old
Earth
when
the
listeners
in
her
communications
room
alerted
Bleys
that
an
announcement
had
been
made:
the
new
Director
of
the
Final
Encyclopedia was
going
to
address
the
planet
shortly.

"Well,
he
won't
be
able
to
talk
with
you
for
a
while
yet,
then," Toni
said.
Her
look
said
she
was
asking
what
he
wanted
to
do.

"Have
the
captain
slow
our
approach
a
little,"
Bleys
said.
"And have
Mayne's
speech
piped
in
here."
As
she
reached
for
the
control pad
on
her
desk,
he
stopped
her.

"And
would
you,
please,
contact
Jeamus
Walters
yourself?"

"The
Final
Encyclopedia's—what
did
he
call
himself?—
Chief Engineer?
’

'That's
right,
we
were
told
to
contact
him
personally
to
set up
this
meeting."

"Yes,"
Bleys
said.
"I
think
by
the
time
you
and
he
make
the
necessary
arrangements,
Hal
Mayne
will
be
done
speaking."

"It
sounds
as
if
you
don't
expect
him
to
make
a
long
speech."

"Not
him,"
Bleys
said.
"It's
like
pulling
teeth
to
get
him
to
talk, usually."

"All
right,"
Toni
said.
"I'll
review
what
we
were
told
before,
and be
ready."

"Thank
you,"
he
said;
and
turned
his
attention
to
the
screen, which
was
set
to
pick
up
a
broadcast
channel.
The
time
lag
in
the signal
from
Old
Earth
was
irrelevant,
at
this
point.