"The protoss are afraid of nothing!" The angry retort came from Urun, who had actually leaped to his feet and fairly bristled with offense. "You know as well as I that the Auriga have stood and stand ready to mount an assault to reclaim our world." Rosemary had thought he disliked her, but apparently when it came to showing that the protoss, and particularly the Auriga, could kick serious ass, Rosemary and Urun were on the same side. She guessed she'd take it.
"This is not a question of fear or of pride, but of practicality," said Tabrenus. Vartanil, still so very young, gave his tribal leader a wounded look. "Even if we were to agree that this Jacob Ramsey and the preserver he hosts are to be rescued, how would we find them? What horrors would we risk loosing upon this world by opening doors and searching? I admire your courage, Selendis, and your enthusiasm, Urun. And Vartanil, your thoughts shine only with the purest of intentions. But Aiur is in ruins, and Shakuras almost became so, through trusting terrans."
Back to that damn Kerrigan again. Rosemary vowed if she ever met the woman, she'd get in at least one blow that hurt like hell before she went down.
"I agree with Tabrenus," said Nahaan, his mental voice deep. "There is too much at stake. And we only have this human's belief that Zamara's secret is so important. For all we know, Zamara could have gone mad and this entire thing is some insane rambling."
"You did not touch Zamara's mind, as I did," Vartanil blurted. "Otherwise, you would not say such a thing."
Disapproval lowered from almost all the alcoves at Vartanil's outburst.
"Vartanil, you were not in the Khala when you touched Zamara's mind," Tabrenus reminded the younger protoss gently. "You could have been fooled. And humans are not protoss. Rosemary could easily have been duped."
Embarrassment wafted from Vartanil, and even Rosemary, though she was annoyed at the comment, had to concede that Nahaan had a point.
Selendis, however, seemed completely unruffled. "If this were madness, then surely so powerful a being as Ulrezaj would pay it no credence."
Aha! thought Rosemary, almost gleefully. You tell him, sister.
Selendis granted Rosemary a brief, baffled thought, then returned her attention to the protoss tribal leaders.
Artanis called for calm, and turned to those who had not yet spoken. "The decision is mine, but I have always striven for unity among our people. Mohandar, Zekrath—do you wish to speak?"
Zekrath inclined his head. "I yield to what our hierarch chooses. There are points to be argued on both sides. The Shelak, in the end, attend to the past, not the present or future."
It was a curious thing to say, though Rosemary suspected it was true, as far as it went. She was a little disappointed; she had thought the Shelak would be more anxious to help something that was so linked to the past.
"Duly noted," Artanis replied. "Mohandar? What say you?"
For a moment, the leader of the Nerazim did not speak. Rosemary felt her brain all but being bored into, her thoughts analyzed, sifted, then discarded. She had to admit, that if this guy was a typical example of the dark templar, she could understand why they unnerved the Aiur protoss.
"Curiously enough, I agree with my esteemed colleague Zekrath," said Mohandar. "I would know what the hierarch would do."
Selendis was silent, but her gaze was locked with that of Artanis. Rosemary knew that she was the hierarch's protegee and as such might be expected to be shown a bit of favoritism. But Rosemary also got the feeling that although it was clear that Artanis was fond of, and proud of, his pupil, he was also smarter than to let his personal feelings get in the way of so important a decision.
Artanis lifted his gaze from Selendis to Rosemary. She felt his thoughts, for her alone.
"Rosemary Dahl, Selendis, whose judgment I have learned to respect, sides openly with your cause. Let me ask you this, and I will know if the answer conies from your heart or your head: Do you truly believe that this quest is worth the deaths of more of my people? For such I fear it may come to."
She couldn't shut out her personal feelings for Jake, and didn't even bother. She wanted him back, alive, happy, wanted to hear that unique combination of brilliance and goofiness that was his alone as he spoke and thought and acted. So she let Artanis see all that, and then let him see the urgency in Zamara's words. The single-mindedness of Ulrezaj, who was somehow bound up in all this. And what he'd done to the Forged.
Artanis nodded, once, and respectfully withdrew. He got to his feet. "I have listened to all sides. I have touched this human's mind, and that of young Vartanil. Even before Rosemary came here today, I had been listening to the evidence gathered by Selendis. After all this, it is my decision that we do everything we can to locate and retrieve the terran, Jacob Jefferson Ramsey, and Zamara, the preserver."
Rosemary closed her eyes and almost sagged in relief.
"Further, we shall immediately attempt to extract Zamara from Jacob's mind, so that what she knows may be safely kept, and that he may survive once he is no longer carrying her. We will do all in our power to save them both."
It had to be exhaustion that stung Rosemary's eyes at this announcement. She blinked hard and glanced over at Selendis.
"Thanks," she said.
"I did not do it for you," Selendis replied. "I did it because I believe it is what is best for the protoss." She hesitated. "Nonetheless, if we can indeed save your friend who has endured so much for our people...That is good."
"Rosemary, I am so very pleased!" It was Vartanil, and his delight was palpable. "Your truth was heard today. Surely we will recover Jacob and Zamara quickly now that all understand how important it is!"
Rosemary smiled and impulsively squeezed Vartanil's arm. She was glad someone was enthusiastic about this. While she was pleased that the decision had been made in her favor, there still remained the problem—how were they going to find him?
"That is the challenge," Artanis said in response to her unvoiced question. "I will speak with those who attended the gate when you came through. We will see if there is a record of where Jacob was sent."
"Even if that is the case, we may not find him there," Selendis warned. "He and Zamara may have left whatever world they ended up on, in an effort to continue their quest. They may well be trying on their own to link up with dark templar, to extract Zamara's essence from Jacob's mind. The need seems to be immediate, rather than something that can be delayed indefinitely."
Damn right, Rosemary thought fiercely. "We need to move soon."
Those who had opposed the idea were now silent, settled in their chairs, cloaked in their displeasure like something physical. But thankfully it didn't look as though they were going to undermine the attempt.
"Perhaps those left on Aiur had some idea of where Zamara wished to go," said Urun. "We could send our forces there and rescue those who yet remain."
"Urun," said Selendis, bowing deeply, "if only it were that easy. But you will recall that Zamara wanted to come here—and that if anyone knew of a secondary place where she intended to go, it would doubtless be Rosemary Dahl rather than one of our people. If she does not know, they would not."
"Then perhaps Jacob Ramsey is still on Aiur, awaiting rescue," Urun persisted. Rosemary felt for him. She'd seen what Aiur was like, had heard about what it had been before. Urun and others
would take any excuse to return and try to heal that wound. She felt Selendis yearning to agree with him, but the executor gave the protoss equivalent of a sigh as she spoke.