The Book of Ominiue: Starborn (30 page)

‘You better be right about this Forrester.’ Hanniver’s good mood evaporated; replaced with the firmness of a leader with much at stake.

‘Every nation will beg us to settle in their lands, and the lionmen nations will agree to our offers if we only offered them education and health, displaying our power will encourage them to locate us near their civilised heart, near the lionmen.’

‘How can you be sure of that? How can any of us be sure of that? Aren’t you afraid that you are basing entire countries on just the few we’ve met?’

‘The few are enough, as are those we’ve passed along the way. Everyone is educated in these lands, everyone can write and they’re all taught the sciences. They have a desire to learn things, where we struggle to find enough people to fill the gaps in health and engineering they are willing to take it and pay for it. They also pride themselves on peace, they will want to hold a firm grip upon us, stand so close that we will struggle to breathe. We’ve done everything to push our relations closer to them.’

‘I don’t know,’ Hanniver looked concerned as he looked around the hall, at the few natives eating their food, some of which occasionally glanced in their direction. ‘They seem well militarised to me.’

‘Primitive necessity and nothing else; Kérith-Árim is proof of that. They hold guards, not soldiers, they defend not attack. They value peace not war.’

‘They hold the power to tell other nations armies to attack.’

‘Sort of,’

‘How did they even survive? It defies evolution. If people are here; humans I mean, then surely the lionmen would’ve gone the way of the Neanderthal.’

‘I’m not too sure, history has a way of being twisted, but I can guess that they’re natural defenders and their sheer size would be very imposing in an uncivilised setting. From the stories of their hero king; Tain, they were once tribal and barbaric in nature. Perhaps they survived by guerrilla warfare?’

‘It still seems unlikely to me,’

‘They were also helped a lot by that other race.’

‘You mean the god-like humans who are now extinct?’ Hanniver mocked.

‘That’s what they think now, maybe then too, but you saw that room in Keema; the items inside. There is no way a primitive race could make those kinds of things.’

‘Yeap, that was one impressive collection.’ Hanniver lifted a glass of water and leaned back on his chair as he sipped it. ‘Too bad we’re not allowed to loot, hey?’ he half laughed. ‘I’d go straight to that room.’ Shayne turned his head towards the Brigadier with his expressionless stare.

‘Oh, come on Forrester,’ Hanniver said frustrated. ‘It was only a joke. Gees, if you’re only going to be half a Starborn then the other half may-as-well be human.’ Shayne continued to watch him without any change in expression.

‘You know Forrester; nobody likes a humourless git. It might pay to see the lighter side of life occasionally.’ He looked down awkwardly at his cup as the silence fell between them, Hanniver shifted uneasily. ‘So what is your exact plan for this mess?’

‘Let them argue it out,’ he instantly replied.

‘That’s it?’ the Brigadier’s voice rose slightly in dismay.

‘They know the dangers and they know the benefits. I believe the council will keep my threat to themselves. They’ll instigate a scenario that will benefit them.’

‘And if they don’t?’

‘Then the arguments will become more — interesting,’ Shayne gave the Brigadier a sideways glance; a slight smile broke out across his face. Hanniver shivered involuntarily as the cold expression penetrated him. 

‘And if that doesn’t work?’ he finally and weakly said.

Shayne sat there for a moment; scratching his beard as he thought about his response. ‘Then I’ve underestimated the lionmen race. Then they are no more than dogs, their understanding an illusion, their science and culture a mask. If I am wrong, they’re nothing more than an aggressive people who would not reason with a greater intelligence, even for benefit of superior warfare. Their position as guardians would not exist and their tolerance of humans would be minimal at best and they —’

‘— I get the point,’ Hanniver interrupted, ‘but if you are wrong Starborn, then this would be your last adventure. You’d be nothing more than a lab rat.’ Shayne stared coldly at his superior. He was nothing more than an experiment here, what would be the difference except for a prison of four walls.

‘I hold nothing against you,’ Hanniver corrected as he raised his glass to his mouth again to take a sip. ‘But this is a serious risk you’re taking. Even I’d be reprimanded for such an act and I expect that after this is over you will be up for an inquisition, regardless of outcome. Hendingson’s not happy.’

‘That man is never happy.’

Hanniver gave half a laugh, ‘See that was a joke.’

‘That was a fact,’ Shayne corrected.

‘What on Earth are we doing today?’ Hanniver half wondered and yawned as well. ‘I kind of wish I went home with the others.’ After that the two sat silently for over an hour before Pan’arden and another guard came and retrieved them. In the High Captain’s hands were two folded fur cloaks; the Dikean-Wolf hides. She smiled broadly as they both stood before her.

‘A present from the council, they wish you to wear them into the meeting, and while you are staying under the UeVarda’s protection.’ The Brigadier stepped forward first and retrieved his from her open hands; it unfolded as he took it and he lifted it to admire the striped patterns of the beast. Both the hides had been inlaid with a black woollen cloth, the top half was all fur hide of the creature, smooth and silky to the touch, while the bottom flared out into the cloak, long enough to reach the back of their calves. They smelled pleasantly of smoke and faint perfume. Shayne also took his, he raised the heavy item and flung it around his back, the eyeless head rested on his right shoulder. It was a strange sight, but it made them appear heroic in a barbaric sort of way, along with Shayne’s uniform decorations he looked like a man caught between worlds. Pan’arden stepped forward and attached the fox fasteners to either end, with a heavy steal chain connecting them together. The other solider helped Hanniver, with his golden Lion clasps.

‘I look ridiculous,’ Hanniver said, looking down at himself.

‘You look more like one of us now.’ Pan’arden spoke as if she understood what the Brigadier said. She cast her eyes upon the both of them with a hint of pride in her yellow gaze. Shayne lifted his hand and touched the head; he could not deny that he enjoyed the feel of the fur upon his fingers as he traced one of the stripes. Hanniver was red in the face from embarrassment as he strode a few paces, imagining the jokes that will eventually dominate the Earthmen settlement when they finally see them. ‘We should not let the stewards wait.’ Pan’arden announced, gesturing towards the doors.

They were taken to the same boardroom as before. The Chancellors were standing by their seats as they entered, except for the Blacksmith whose seat still remained empty. Pan’arden bowed before retreating from the room, leaving the two humans alone with the Board of Stewards. Red Rocket made her way under Hanniver’s seat, where she lay down sniffing at his new attire.

‘Good morning,’ Far’galanmír greeted them. She then bowed to Shayne, ‘Afra’hama.’ Shayne returned the slight bow before they all sat down. ‘The honour of the cloak sits well upon you, I am pleased to see you both donning that which you are worthy of.’ she motioned another complex hand gesture before she turned her attention to the android who stood beside the Brigadier.

‘I thought we had dismissed all but the two of you for these meetings?’ She stared at the metallic machine curiously.

‘The scemscar is not a man,’ Shayne interjected. ‘It is not even a creature. It was created by our hands and is used as a servant. The
Brigadier
requires it to be able to talk with you.’

‘We have you for that,’ the Imperial Guard commander pointed to Shayne.

‘The
robot
will always be by his side as it’s assigned to him. I am not always present with the
Brigadier
either; he may need to communicate without me. It also has the advantage of communicating directly to him, without interrupting you. It makes for smoother communication.’ the board looked curiously at the machine.

‘I know our Varda is greatly interested in these things. You say they are not alive?’ she looked sceptical as her gaze moved between the Earthmen.

‘We have made many kinds; some are considered alive, but the ones we have with us are not. They are designed to a specific purpose, such as a horse for ploughing or a dog for hunting. It thinks but it cannot reason outside what it has been created to do.’

‘Which is?’

‘This one,’ Shayne turned to look at the machine, which watched on impassively; translating the conversation silently to an earpiece for Hanniver. ‘Its primary purpose is to serve the army. It does all the heavy lifting and carrying, but it also is specialised. It is a communications droid, designed to be able to talk to you on an almost natural level. If you spoke to it you would perceive an independent and intelligent creature, and in a way it is, but it is also highly restricted.’

‘And can it fight?’

‘No,’ Shayne shook his head. ‘That contradicts its fundamental law for preservation of life.’

‘Laws can be broken.’

‘By
men
, yes but not by a
machine
.’

‘You are confident in this,’ The UeShádarn Dun’karter mused.

‘As sure as the rising of the sun,’ Shayne quoted one of Kíe’s many sayings. Far’galanmír leaned back on her chair, one arm extended on the table. She tapped on the wood a few times as she examined the robot. Many thoughts ran through her head, but she brought her attention back to Shayne.

Her nose twitched a moment as she shifted the direction of conversations, ‘Letters and couriers were sent last night while you slept. The drums roll and soon ambassadors and even Varda’s across the entire region will gather to discuss the terms of an agreement. If deemed too important, as I suspect will be the case, then the issue will be voted upon.’

‘Voted upon?’ Shayne inquired, his gaze darkening.

‘Firstly, if your people shall be granted new lands within the region,’ Far’galanmír carefully worded, ‘but I do not see too much opposition to that, provided you make a list of requirements: promises, payment, and any such affairs, clear and concise.’

‘We have such papers,’ the Brigadier spoke out, ‘but we don’t know your text, not enough to translate into your written language.’

‘If you can speak it, we can scribe,’ the UeShádarn Tal’dorfin spoke. As head of The Archives, she held the highest position for information and books. ‘I can organise a student to place your words to paper and in turn, we can teach you the characters of our language.’ She gave a weary and old smile, but her eyes glinted with enthusiasm.

‘Which is proposed in our offer,’ Hanniver smiled in return. ‘
Dendian,’
he replied in the common language, he held the few words and phrases he learnt off Kíe in the highest regard, and the approving smile that Tal’dorfin gave to him filled him with joy, but it soon faded with the thought of Shayne who was talking solely in that language and had a mastery that would take him years to equal.

‘And if there is satisfaction with our offer,’ Shayne brought the conversation back to the original point, ‘will there be a vote to see which nation will host us?’

‘Yes,’ Far’galanmír stated, ‘but, we have gone through the maps you made and we have marked off some regions which are also forbidden.’ Níurthan, the masked human reached for a roll of paper and rolled it out; Líol’flend the Trade Master took a hold of one end so it would not flick back on itself, Níurthan secured his corner by placing a cup upon it.

‘Stand up,’ Dun’karter gestured with his hand; both Shayne and Hanniver approached the main table and looked at the map. The regions they had shown were marked almost precisely from the computer image Shayne had shown them.

Hanniver looked up at Far’galanmír and with half a laugh he said, ‘You remembered exactly where our markers were?’ Hanniver marvelled at the lionmen in the room for a moment.

‘Not me,’ Far’galanmír corrected. ‘It was Níurthan who remembered and placed the points.’ Both Shayne and Hanniver looked at the masked man; Shayne had a sudden feeling of distrust towards him. ‘He has an incredible memory, amongst other skills.’

‘I’d say,’ Hanniver pondered. ‘There were over a hundred points.’

‘173,’ Shayne corrected.

‘Maybe you two can hold a freakish memory tournament,’ Hanniver joked as he leaned against the great table. Dun’karter grinned from ear-to-ear, while both Shayne and Níurthan silently examined each other.

‘I would like to see that,’ the old lionman said.

‘Enough for now,’ Far’galanmír interrupted. ‘The mathematical ability of these Ta’Orians can be debated later; first of all, business. We have tagged the areas you cannot access with black. These areas are non-negotiable.’ Shayne and Hanniver both leaned over the map. The text was unreadable but the landmarks easily distinguished. Many of the areas were predictable, in places the Earthmen would have avoided using in the first place, but there were also ideal areas barred from them, including the only large forest region in the west and much of the region surrounding it. Hanniver sighed as he looked upon the map; they had hoped to settle near that forest. It gave off odd readings, from both the
Pathfinder
scoutship and the colonyships and had very few inhabitants. Many wanted to investigate its strangeness.