“Huh,” O’Udas grunted, a little too loud.
“But the arithmetic seems comprehensive. The gue’la fleet is, how can I put this? Extensive. We are but a single — damaged — warship.”
“Then how,” O’Udas interjected, “do you propose to dissuade them from chasing us all the way back to the spacedock at Rann? A pleasant chat over a cup of j’hal nectar?”
“As it happens,” El’Yis’ten returned, “we have been attempting to contact the gue’la vessels. Is it not said that ‘no enemy is beyond the reason of the tau’va’?”
The Aun’el dipped his head in her direction, clearly gratified by her knowledge of the sio’t. “There are some who might disagree,” he said with a nod, “but the gue’la are not fools. They are, perhaps, ignorant — even shortsighted — but we must strive to forgive them their faults. They are the product of their history, not of their choice. We must attempt not to hate them.”
“Tell me, Por’el. Have your entreaties achieved any success?”
Yis’ten appeared to deflate, all of her cocksure confidence deserting her in the face of the ethereal’s attention.
“No, Aun’el. Our hails are either ignored or returned with viral data streams. Nothing threatening to our systems, of course, but hardly a diplomatic victory. I’m confident that if I can converse with ranking personnel rather than the machine constructs manning the comms I could make some headway.”
“Mm.” The Aun’el pursed his lips. “Ifs and buts, Por’el. Ifs and buts.” He swivelled in his spot again, turning to the Fio caste.
“El’Boran?” he invited. “Anything to report?”
The engineer took a final glance at his data wafer and stood, obviously uncomfortable at the attention. His voice was a characteristic earth caste burr.
“Yes...” he said, scratching at his chin. “The damage to the power stack seems minimal, despite everything. I’ve sent a crew down to find out what the gue’la were up to in there. Nothing major, we don’t think.”
“Full speed?” the Aun’el asked, tilting his head.
“Two decs. Maybe three. As for the ship... I’d say we’re probably structurally sound — no more breaches — provided we can dry dock in, oh, two rotaa, maximum?”
“Thank you, Fio’el.” The Aun’s honour blade tapped on the floor. He twisted to face Tyra.
“Kor’o. Please.”
Tyra unfolded himself from his seat and waved his first fingers in the customary air caste greeting. “T’au’fann,” he said, considering his words with care. “I must admit to being... bewildered, by the gue’la strategy. Initially I was convinced of their intention to destroy us, perhaps out of some Mont’au sense of revenge for our liberation of the Aun’el’s personage. Who amongst us could appreciate such things, but they are at least plausible. Then the boarding began.
“My duty... my place within the One Path, has never been to understand the ways of the alien. I leave such duties to my esteemed cousin.” He nodded respectfully at El’Yis’ten, who returned the gesture with a smile. “But these gue’la... To me it seemed clear they were intent upon capturing this vessel — a worthy prize for any race, enlightened or otherwise.
“But now it seems their attempts to slow us, to outwit us... it seems they are outdone in these things. As the noble shas’o opined, they came close, but we are stronger for it. They are defeated, then. We can evade their main weapons indefinitely and, provided we remain alert and mobile, their boarding assaults will consistently fail. The question, then, esteemed tau’fann, becomes this: Why do they persist in their pursuit?”
Ko’vash stared at him for a long time, bottomless wisdom filling him with light and acceptance.
“Your logic, Kor’o,” he sang, “is flawless.”
The Aun stepped into the very centre of the circle and stared at each face in turn, the light never leaving his long, thin features and the decorous i’helti cap disguising the scar upon his brow.
“It seems clear that the prize the gue’la pursue is not this vessel, nor the eradication of its crew. I rather suspect they want me.”
“That won’t happen, Aun’el,” O’Udas grunted, standing. “I won’t allow it.”
Ko’vash almost smiled. “Rash words, Shas’o, are the enemy of the One Path. My presence among you is the cause of this pursuit. I think the time has come to put an end to it.”
Figures at all sides of the table leaped to their feet, protesting. Tyra found himself amongst them, sickened by the idea of sacrificing the Aun.
“Nothing so dramatic,” Ko’vash said, waving the throng to silence with a half smile. “I have no intention of surrendering myself, or of losing my faculties to sentimentality and seeking a martyr’s death.
“No, what we face, tau’fann, is a simple decision. We can run with our tail between our legs, like an anxious ui’t, all the way to Rann. Perhaps the gue’la will catch us, perhaps not. Perhaps it won’t matter, either way. There are, to my knowledge, three Auns aboard the dry-dock station at this time — more than enough to render my presence entirely superfluous. We would, I think, be leading these humans to a greater prize than that which they currently pursue.
“Or...” He took a deep breath, ancient eyes narrowing. “We make a stand.”
Quiet murmurings erupted from all quarters of the room, delegates and aides discussing the disclosure animatedly. Shas’o Udas, Tyra couldn’t help noticing, wore a small smile — he’d get his retaliation after all. Even El’Yis’ten was nodding quietly.
“Aun’el,” Tyra said, standing. “Should I contact Rann? Perhaps they could spare us reinforcements?”
Ko’vash stared at him, again drowning him in perfect peace and calmness.
The ethereal smiled. “That won’t be necessary, Kor’o,” he trilled. “I summoned the flotilla two decs ago.”
The room fell into astonished silence. Every tau stared at the tall figure, wordlessly contemplating his revelation. El’Yis’ten recovered first.
“You... You had already decided, Aun’el?” she asked, confused.
“I had.”
“Then why this? Why the Aun’chia’gor?”
Ko’vash smiled, his long fingers forming a thoughtful cradle. He turned the warm expression upon each caste group in turn. “Understand, tau’fann. This course of action is in the best interests of the tau’va.
The gue’la grow more opportunistic with every rotaa. In the past tau’cyr alone there have been four sizeable breaches of the Dal’yth Treaty and countless smaller operations and incursions into our space. Until now the council within the Aun’t’au’retha has been reluctant to antagonise the gue’la, broadly tolerating these... infringements. The council places great importance upon good will. This episode, it would seem, has swung the balance.
“I contacted Aun’o T’au Kathl’an as soon as I was aboard the dropship that returned me from captivity...”
The mere mention of the prime ethereal, a figure of almost mythical status, was enough to leave Tyra and the other delegates around the table fighting to restrain their shock. Ko’vash allowed the pause to hang in the air before continuing.
“He is no longer prepared to allow these hostilities to go unanswered.
“A demonstration must be made, the council has decided. Oh, let us pity them, these gue’la. Let us not hate them for their ways, nor seek their extinction as they might seek ours. But hate or not, let them underestimate us no longer.”
Shas’o Udas led a chorus of consent, rapping his knuckles appreciatively against the tabletop. The other castes joined in with varying degrees of accordance. The ethereal bowed gratefully to each corner of the room, turning finally to Por’el Yis’ten.
“To answer your question, honoured cousin, I had no great need to conduct the Aun’chia’gor, it is true. My decision was made and I might have ordered you, in the name of the One Path, to conduct your duty as I commanded. Is that not so?”