137
Margaret Colicos
Margaret knew she was the only one with any hope of understanding the Klikiss. I need to contact Chairman Wenceslas. He has no idea what hes up against.
Anton let out a sarcastic snort. He rarely does. She had moved into Antons small apartment, and they had spent a fine few days together, catching up, recovering.
But now the enormous insect vessels had arrived with enough firepower to eliminate what remained of the Earth Defense Forces and all the Confederation ships. And after the gigantic fissioning that had been about to occur on Llaro, Margaret doubted anything remained of Davlin Lotze inside that great, teeming hive mind. And yet the oncoming swarmships had known to ask specifically for Chairman Wenceslas. That gave her a flicker of hope. The One Breedex retained some memories. but memories could be turned against the human race, as well.
She also recalled that Davlin Lotze had abandoned the Hansa and gone to live in obscurity on Llaro. Davlin had severed ties with the Chairman, strongly disagreeing with some of the mans policies and activities. If some hint of his subsumed memories had percolated to the surface of the great hive mind, including a possible animosity against Chairman Wenceslas, then humanity might be in even graver trouble.
No, the Chairman had no idea what he was up against.
Using Antons private comm, Margaret got to work penetrating the Hansa bureaucracy with a dogged insistence. Years earlier, when she and Louis demonstrated the Klikiss Torch, Margaret had been granted direct access to the Chairman, and she still had some of those contact codes.
Everyone was in crisis mode, but no one seemed to want to do anything. She spoke sharply with one person after another, drilling her way deeper into the system. Most people didnt recognize her name, and those who did were dubious, since they had assumed her dead for years.
Always helpful, Anton brought her a cup of tea. She took a sip. Earl Grey. She couldnt remember the last time shed had a good cup of Earl Grey. Anton had made no secret of the Chairmans ham-handed actions against the Mage-Imperator, and how the Chairman had forced Anton to watch over Rememberer Vaosh on the university campus so that scholars could ply him for information, and how Vaosh had died from neglect. He was not at all impressed with the man.
Abruptly, Chairman Wenceslass face appeared on the screen, startling her. Margaret Colicos a ghost from the past. He paused for just a moment, then got down to business without any preliminaries. You claim you have some specialized knowledge that can assist me with the Klikiss? I have not yet decided how to respond.
She met him with an implacable expression. How to respond? Mr. Chairman, you are going to do exactly as the breedex demands. Get on a shuttle and go to the central swarmship, as the Klikiss requested and take me with you. Perhaps I can help.
He seemed to resent the very idea. I am still considering options.
They can wipe out every living thing on Earth. Speak with the breedex. Its the only way to prevent your extermination.
His voice was brittle. How do you know so much about them?
She gave the man the bare bones of what had happened to her among the Klikiss. You need me with you. as well as my son, Anton. The two of us will help guide you in these delicate conversations. Out of range of the comm screen, Anton stared at his mother in surprise, since he was barely able to stifle his antipathy toward the Chairman.
Basil Wenceslas stared coldly at her from the screen and finally nodded. Its a relief to see someone actually willing to meet their obligations. I will have a team retrieve you promptly. Without a farewell, the Chairman severed the link.
Within minutes an astonishingly short time, considering the distance from the Palace District to Antons private apartment an abrupt and insistent pounding came at the door. Colonel Andez and four men stood there in cleanup-crew uniforms.
How did you get here so fast? Anton said. When Vaosh had been dying of isolation, Margaret knew he had tried for days to get any help whatsoever.
Andez answered with a supercilious scowl. Your persistent demands to speak with the Chairman raised a red flag, and we had already been dispatched to observe and investigate the possible threat. While we were inbound, the Chairman changed our objective.
Wasting no time, Margaret strode out into the hall to head toward their vehicle. Of course he did.
Chairman Wenceslas was already aboard his refueled diplomatic shuttle, impatient to go. As she and Anton rushed through the hatch, he looked at her sourly. Without giving them any chance to settle, he said, So tell me what the Klikiss want, Dr. Colicos. Why did the hive mind ask to speak to me by name?
I dont know. Her answer startled him.
You are not instilling me with confidence.
It is not my intention to. I want you prepared. Realistically. Margaret chose a seat across from him, as if she did this every day.
Buckling in beside her, Anton grumbled, The Hansa knew the Klikiss were a danger, that they had wiped out numerous colony worlds. You received reports, Mr. Chairman, but you didnt take the threat seriously.
The Chairman twitched as if hed been stung by invisible bees. I take all threats seriously, but there are so many. Margaret could tell he was nervous about the upcoming encounter. This situation was entirely out of his control, and Chairman Wenceslas obviously knew it. General Lanyan and Admiral Diente were both killed by the Klikiss. From the presence of those swarmships, Id say their aggressive intentions are pretty clear.
Margaret felt the rumble of vibrations through the deck as the shuttles engines powered up. Then you must reach some sort of rapprochement. I suggest you comport yourself well with the breedex.
I cant wait to see what happens when they find out about your partnership with the black robots, Anton muttered.
That worries me more than anything, Margaret said, and she meant it. The Chairman had no grasp of the sheer animosity the Klikiss held toward their robots. She would guide him as best she could, getting him up to speed as they traveled to the swarmships.
I can handle it, he said, as if it were no more than a difficult board meeting. He leaned back as the shuttle launched.
138
Chairman Basil Wenceslas
Basil would have flown the diplomatic shuttle himself if he could, just so he didnt need to worry about the pilot balking or overreacting. The man had been competent enough flying out to the Confederation flagship, but these jaw-dropping alien vessels were something else entirely.
The fate of the planet hung in the balance again. Alas, he could not do everything himself. He had left King Rory behind and brought along Margaret and Anton Colicos, in the hope that their insights would be useful. He listened as Margaret told him as much as she knew about the insect race, about the breedex, the subhive wars, how she had been stranded among them for years, and how they had massacred and incorporated most of the colonists from Llaro. Basil wasnt sure how much all this information would help. He didnt need any help.