“The Battered Hierophant,” Tschetter helpfully supplied.
“I don’t give two fucks what it’s called. You want us to attack this ship, whereupon every single Jelly stationed there at Cordova is going to descend upon us with furious hellfire, and we won’t stand a damn chance. Not a single chance.”
Tschetter seemed unsurprised by his reaction. “The Knot of Minds promises they will do everything they can to protect the Wallfish once you launch your Casaba-Howitzers toward the Battered Hierophant. They seem fairly confident of their ability to do so.”
A mocking laugh escaped Falconi. “Bullshit. You know as well as I do it’s impossible to guarantee anything once the shooting starts.”
“If you’re looking for guarantees in life, you’re going to be sorely disappointed,” said Tschetter. She drew herself up, no mean feat in zero-g. “Once Ctein is dead, the Knot of Minds claims—”
“Wait,” said Kira, as an unpleasant thought occurred to her. “What about the Nest of Transference?”
A flicker of confusion appeared on Tschetter’s face. “The what?”
“Yeah,” said Falconi. “What?”
Dismayed, Kira said, “Didn’t you read my write-up about the conversation I had with Itari on the way out from Bughunt?”
Falconi opened his mouth and then shook his head. “I—Shit. Guess I missed it. There’s been a lot going on.”
“And Gregorovich didn’t tell you?”
“It didn’t come up.”
Tschetter snapped her fingers. “Navárez, fill me in.”
So Kira explained what she knew about the Nest of Transference.
“Un-fucking-believable,” said Falconi.
Sparrow popped a stick of gum into her mouth. “So you’re saying the Jellies can resurrect themselves?”
“In a way,” said Kira.
“Lemme get this straight: we shoot ’em, and they pop back out of their birthing pods, fresh as daisies and knowing everything that just happened? Like where and how they got killed?”
“Pretty much.”
“Christ-on-a-stick.”
Kira looked back at Tschetter. “They didn’t tell you?”
The major shook her head, appearing displeased with herself. “No. I guess I never asked the right questions, but … it explains a lot.”
Falconi tapped the grip of his blaster in a distracted way. “Shit. If the Jellies can store backups of themselves, how are we supposed to kill this Ctein? Kill it for good, that is.” He glanced at Kira. “That was your question, wasn’t it?”
She nodded.
Nearscent of understanding flooded the air, and Kira remembered that the Jellies had been listening the whole time.
[[Lphet here: Your concern is reasonable, Idealis, but in this case it is unfounded.]]
[[Kira here: How so?]]
[[Lphet here: Because no copy exists of the great and mighty Ctein’s pattern.]]
“How can that be?” Nielsen asked as Kira translated. Kira was wondering that herself.
[[Lphet here: In the cycles since the Sundering, Ctein has indulged the worst excesses of its hunger, and it has grown beyond all normal bounds of Wranaui flesh. This indulgence prevents the proud and cunning Ctein from using the Nest of Transference. The Nest cannot be built large enough to copy Ctein’s pattern. The currents will not hold at that size.]]
Sparrow popped her gum. “So Ctein is a fatass. Got it.”
[[Lphet here: You would do well to be cautious of the strength of Ctein, two-form. It is unique among Wranaui, and none there are among the Arms that can match it. This is why the great and terrible Ctein has grown complacent in its supremacy.]]
Sparrow made a dismissive noise.
[[Kira here: To be clear, if we kill Ctein, that will be the end of it? Ctein will die a true death?]]
A distressed nearscent, and the Jelly flushed a sickly color. [[Lphet here: That is correct, Idealis.]]
When Kira finished translating, Tschetter said, “Going back to what I was saying … Once Ctein is dead, the Knot of Minds will be able to assume control over the ships at Cordova. You wouldn’t have to worry about anyone blowing up your precious ship then, Captain.”
A grunt from Falconi. “I’m more worried about us getting blown up.”
Irritation pinched Tschetter’s face. “Don’t be dense. You wouldn’t have to be on the Wallfish. Your pseudo-intelligence could fly it in. The Jellies can give you room on their ships, and after Ctein is dead, they can transport the lot of you back to the League.”
Hwa-jung cleared her throat. “Gregorovich.”
“Yeah,” said Falconi. “There’s that.” He returned his gaze to Tschetter. “If you didn’t realize, we’ve got a ship mind on board.”
The major’s eyes widened. “What?”
“Long story. But he’s here, he’s big, and we’d have to disassemble half of B-deck in order to remove him from the ship. It would take at least two days’ work in dock.”
A crack appeared in Tschetter’s self-control. “That’s … not ideal.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, the corners of her eyes wrinkled as if she were fighting off a headache. “Would Gregorovich agree to pilot the Wallfish alone?” She looked toward the ceiling. “Ship mind, you must have an opinion on all this.”
“He can’t hear you,” Falconi said shortly. “Also a long story.”
“Back up a moment,” said Sparrow. “If taking out the Battered Hierophant is the objective, why not just tell the Seventh? Admiral Klein is a hard-ass, but he’s not stupid.”
Tschetter made a sharp motion with her chin. “The Jellies won’t let the Seventh get anywhere near the Hierophant. Even if they could, the Hierophant will just fly Ctein out of the system, and there isn’t a ship in the League that can keep up with the Jellies’ drives.” It was true, and they all knew it. “In any case, I think you might be overly optimistic about Admiral Klein’s willingness to listen to anything I have to say at this point.”
[[Lphet here: Because of our compulsion, the Wranaui will protect the great and mighty Ctein with every last bit of our strength. Believe me on this, Idealis, for it is true. Even if it costs us all our lives, so it would be.]]
At the word compulsion, a shiver wormed its way down Kira’s back. If what the Jellies felt was in any way similar to the yearning ache that had driven the Soft Blade to respond to the ancient summons of the Vanished … she could understand why deposing Ctein was so difficult for them.
“We need to talk about this among ourselves,” Kira said to Tschetter. She glanced at Falconi for confirmation, and he indicated agreement with a tilt of his head.
“Of course.”
Along with the rest of the crew, Kira retreated into the hall outside the airlock antechamber. Itari stayed behind.
As the pressure door clicked shut, Falconi said, “Gregorovich is in no shape to be piloting the Wallfish. Even if he were, there’s no way I’d send him off on a suicide mission.”
“Would it be, though? Really?” said Nielsen.
Falconi snorted. “You can’t tell me you think this crazy plan is a good idea.”
The first officer smoothed back a lock of hair that had sprung free of her bun. She still looked as if she was wrestling with a certain amount of pain, but her eyes and voice were clear. “I’m just saying that space is big. If the Wallfish could kill this Ctein, it would take the Jellies time to react. Time that the Knot of Minds could use to keep them from attacking the ship.”