Tan’s eyes opened. She regarded Euthyphro as he studied the screen.
“Attend me,” she said.
The bearded Advocate turned around.
“We cannot afford to send more meteor-ships out-system,” she said. “We have too few as it is and building more takes too much time and energy. If we send meteor-ships to Neptune and the cyborgs reappear here, it might mean the end of Jovian Civilization.”
“We do nothing then?” Euthyphro asked.
“We do not send warships,” Tan said. “Instead, we send knowledge, information.”
“I will alert the communications—”
“You will listen to me,” Tan said. “We will not use tight-beam communication. Instead, I will send a representative to Marten Kluge. I will strengthen his hand and increase the Jovian presence on Earth by giving him critical data to use as a bargaining chip.”
“Marten Kluge is not noted for his savant-like behavior. He is a soldier.”
“He is a killer,” Tan said. “At the moment, he is our killer. He has proven himself on more than one occasion. We aid him with what we can spare—knowledge, data. The question is: who should go?”
Euthyphro stepped back in alarm. “Firstly, I must protest. The data is time-urgent. The Alliance must launch the attack sooner rather than later. A Jovian vessel heading to Earth will take at least two months to arrive, and that would be under stringent conditions. Secondly, I hope you are not thinking of sending me. I am unsuited to space travel. I have—”
“Calm yourself,” Tan said. “I need you here. Besides, perhaps you are right. The knowledge might spur the Highborn and possibly spur Social Unity into sending everything they can to Neptune now. The hope of acquiring the Fuhl Mechanism—”
“We must ensure that neither side gains an FTL drive.”
“And how do we do that?” Tan asked.
“We would have to send Jovian warships with the armada.”
“And leave ourselves defenseless here?” Tan asked. “I already told you my decision in that regard.”
“It is an interesting quandary,” Euthyphro said, as he plucked at his beard. “Do we risk sending our warships to Neptune in the hope of acquiring a fantastic technology? Or do we keep ourselves guarded and hope that neither the Highborn nor Social Unity gains the device?”
“It may be that we should remain silent on the subject,” Tan said, “thus lessening the chance that either of them acquires the FTL drive.
“What if because of that the Alliance Fleet dallies and gives the cyborgs time to refine the Fuhl Mechanism, thereby winning the war with it?”
Tan rubbed her forehead. “I must think more deeply on the subject. It is unwise to make a hasty decision.”
“Time is our enemy,” Euthyphro said.
Tan nodded absently.
“If you desire my recommendation…”
Tan looked up. “No. You will continue to study the data. I want conclusive proof. Until you can give me more evidence, I must weigh the options and make a carefully reasoned choice.”
Euthyphro plucked at his beard, with a troubled look on his thick features.
“I do not want to hear about a Jovian leak,” Tan said.
“I assure you, Chief Strategist—”
“Such a leak would mean your death, and in an extremely unpleasant manner,” Tan added.
Euthyphro paled. “I am a philosopher of Callisto. Threats are meaningless to me. My given word is more certain than sunlight. I shall tell no one about this and allow no outside communications until further notice.”
“See that you do,” said Tan. “Now go. I have much to consider.”
Euthyphro bowed his head and departed. He left the Chief Strategist staring at the screen. It replayed the flash in slow motion, cycling through the colors.
Do the cyborgs possess an FTL drive? Tan asked herself. The Dictates help us if they do.
-8-
Far away from Jupiter on Earth, Marten, Nadia and Osadar rode a magnetic-rail train to Athens. The train sped over two hundred and fifty km/h through Lebanon Sector, with the Mediterranean Sea only a few kilometers away. Outside, the wind howled, at times rocking the reinforced cars as snowy particles swirled in the air. Above, dark clouds raced across the sky.
Marten and Nadia sat together, staring out a window. She kept pointing at trees, bleak snowscapes and old houses.
“I used to watch videos of Earth,” Nadia said. “I never thought it would be anything like this. It’s beautiful.”
“And cold,” Marten said. He sat closest to the window and felt the blasts seeping through.
The train-car rocked gently as snow batted against the window.
“I do not like this,” Osadar said. She was taller than Marten and wore heavy garments. They had nothing to do with the cold, but concealed her skeletal cyborg body. It was thin, with particles of flesh and too much graphite bones, titanium and plasti-flesh. She wore a senso-mask, giving her the simulation and look of real flesh, eyes and hair. To finish the disguise, she wore a hat.
A reading device rested in her lap. The latest title was Outbreak of Violence in Syrian Sector. Osadar had spoken about the article. Political Harmony Corps personnel had risen to prominence and taken up arms again. They backed Director Backus of Kurdistan Sector, who had gained a following in the last few days.
Many of the directors pledged Backus service in the interest of Social Unity. The Army, Navy and Space Arm followed Cone, with Manteuffel of the Cybernetic Corps as her second-in-command. Even now, the former Security Specialist was on the car’s holo-screen, broadcasting a message to the many billions of citizens. She urged calm and spoke about the need for a military alliance. They must band with the Highborn against the dreaded cyborgs. Humanity’s existence was at stake. This was a time for stern measures. It was not the time for the ordinary political maneuverings that had brought about the war in the first place.
“Social Unity is unraveling,” Osadar said.
“It’s been a difficult war,” Marten said.
“The planet-wrecker’s destruction of South American Sector a year ago preys upon people,” Osadar said. “The arctic-like weather outside is proof that the cyborgs are fated to win. Now this civil war—”
Marten shook his head. “It isn’t civil war. This is what happens in a dictatorship when the dictator steps aside. Now his lieutenants scramble to fill his shoes. If I were a betting man, I’d place my money on Cone. She has the guns and is willing to use them.”
“Are the soldiers willing to use the guns on the people?” Osadar asked.
“If not, Cone can call out her cybertanks.”
“More cyborgs,” Osadar said. “I think that could backfire against Cone.”
“That’s another reason why I want to get off Earth,” Marten said. “This war will be decided in space, and we need to get back up there before we’re stranded here forever.”
“Look!” Nadia cried, pointing.
Marten looked outside. Nadia pointed at a reddish-yellow flash in the distance. The rail-line curved gently and went to the point of the flash—an explosion. At that moment, the train lurched violently, throwing them against the seats ahead. There were only a few other passengers in the car, and those people sat at the front. One of the men up there screamed.
Speakers crackled into life as one of the train authorities spoke. “We have an emergency stop. Please, do not be alarmed. This should only take us a few moments to sort out.”
Marten helped Nadia off the floor.
“Why would anyone want to stop this train?” Osadar asked. With her amazing reflexes, she had caught herself and already sat normally in her chair.
“Could they be terrorists?” asked Marten, as he dusted the knees of his pants.