L Modesitt - Empress of Eternity

Before long, he had lost track of all the questions posed by the silver-eyed keeper, but he did notice that she often glanced at the silver-shadowed figure that always seemed to follow her.

Much, much later, the keeper finally said, Thank you. We must think of the best way todeal with your problem.

Then she vanished.

Eltyn used the back of his sleeve to blot away the dampness on his forehead.

"She asked a lot of questions about The Twenty and Hururia," said Rhyana.

"She asked as many about what people believe," mused Faelyna. "And about traditions."

"And why the questions about the rainbow?" Rhyana wrinkled her brow.

Eltyn had to admit that he?d been puzzled about the keeper?s inquiry about legends dealing with the rainbow. Then, he?d also been puzzled about her questions about what she had called politics. Even after her explanation of the term, it hadn?t made that much sense.

Duhyle required less than an hour to rig capacitor-jolt detonators for the biotherm. Then he reshaped the explosive into ten makeshift grenades around which he formed thin metal/composite fragments, wrapped in another metal sheath. For the detonators and the casings, he cannibalized much of his own equipment, since he had no doubts that, one way or another, it would be unnecessary in the future. He was finishing sealing the last grenade when Helkyria walked up from the lower level.

"Are those…?"

"Grenades of a primitive sort. They?ve got impact/timer detonators. They should go through most impact-resistant uniforms. Even if they don?t, there are likely to be broken bones and other injuries." He completed the last seal and looked up. "How are the techs and troopers taking it?"

"They?re more than ready." Her smile was crooked and rueful. "They don?t like being cooped up."

"It hasn?t been that long. It only seems that way. Think of what it must have been like when the ancients sent military forces to Mars and the Belt. Or farther."

"Farther? We don?t know that. In any case, that?s old, old history. You might as well ask them about using spears."

"What about the officers?"

"Valakyr doesn?t trust the keeper, not surprisingly, and Symra worries that we?re being double-crossed."

"And you?"

"We?re not being double-crossed, but we?re likely to be very expendable. The keeper doesn?t want the Aesyr to use the Hammer any more than we do. Much less, in fact. I?d judge that she-or it-is more worried about Baeldura than we are." Blackish purple light glowed from the tips of her hair and was reflected in her silver irises before fading into a faint blue.

"We?re the handy tool to take care of the problem," replied Duhyle. "Do we really have any choice?"

"That was the point I had to make to Valakyr. It didn?t seem to occur to her that, if the universe collapses, even the canal-the Bridge-will go with it. That doesn?t benefit the keeper. Symra at least understood that."

Duhyle frowned. "I might be wrong, but I think there?s more at stake than that for this…keeper."

"More than what?"

"Survival, either of her or the Bridge."

"I?d have to agree, but I don?t think we can count on finding out."

Duhyle stood and stretched. "You might ask her. You?re the only one who has a chance of understanding the answers."

"You might be better than I am at that," she replied.

"I doubt it, but that doesn?t matter. The keeper and the officers are both more likely to listen to you."

Helkyria sat on the stool facing Duhyle. "Kavn…what do you think the keeper is after?

You?ve had a chance to watch her."

"I think she?s new at her job. Or she hasn?t done it for a long time, and she?s faced with something she didn?t anticipate."

"I had a thought or two along those lines, but…some of the technical jargon…she speaks it without hesitation. Expert systems, you think?"

"Very expert systems. That?s another problem. I worry that she may be a captive of those systems."

"What do you suggest we do about it?"

"We can?t do anything about the systems. We?ve already tried."

"So you want me to try to find out more from her?"

Duhyle shrugged. "What else can we do? Except prepare to wreak whatever havoc we can on the Aesyr."

"Grenades or no grenades, you aren?t going in first."

"No…but there?s no point in my being behind everyone, and I know how they?ll work. I?ll follow the spec-ops types."

"Kavn…"

"…and some of the security troopers."

She looked at him.

"Mimyra, if we don?t stop them, we don?t have a future. And I was combat-trained first."

She nodded slowly. "I don?t have to like it."

"Neither do I."

She reached out and took his hand. They sat in the ever-changing light, waiting…

Maertyn set the platter of cool casserole in front of Maarlyna, then seated himself across from her at the lower-level table next to the kitchen area. "What are the Gaerda troops doing outside?"

"Trying to stay warm. The wind has picked up, and it?s bitter out there." She looked at the sprig of greenery and then replaced it in the side pocket of the singlesuit. "Hardly what we expected for the holidays."

"I don?t know that we expected anything, except being together."

"I?m so sorry, Maertyn. You?ve tried so hard…and now…"

"You couldn?t let everything end…" he said softly.

"I could have. Perhaps I should have. Everything will end, sooner or later." She shook her head. "Except so many people would never have the chance to laugh…love…live…and…"

"…enjoy whatever holidays they might have?" Maertyn kept his voice light, hard as it was.

"I was looking forward to the holidays, spending them with you."

"We still can, can?t we? They?re more than a month away." He smiled. "All we have to do is save three civilizations. Oh…and find a way to remove our guards before we can save our own."

"Dearest…what do you think we should do about the Ruche people?"

Maertyn almost smiled at her avoidance of his indirect question. "If you can send them weapons, even a few of the ones I sent here, have them stage a counter-coup."

"With three people? Isn?t that unrealistic? Besides, I can?t send anything…" She paused.

"Nothing substantial."

"What do you mean…nothing substantial?"

"Just a moment." Her once-amber eyes turned an almost blank silver.

Realizing that she was "consulting" with the Bridge systems, or dredging the memories of past keepers, Maertyn hoped she might come up with something.

After a time, her eyes refocused on him. "If I used all the energy available for the event-congruency the Bridge touches and they leave, I might be able to send fifty grams to the Ruche, and a fifth of that to the Vanir."

"That little?" he asked. "For all the available energy? How much does the Bridge generate or hold?"

"The amount is so large it?s meaningless, but most of that is used to maintain it, as you put it, out of time. If the Bridge drops into time, more is available, but its mass is no longer shielded and the effects…that?s what happened the last time, when the moon fell…was dragged…toward Earth and was fragmented." She paused. "It was the only time the Bridge occupied a single specific event-point, and it was very brief. It also was almost the last time."

Maertyn let out a low whistle.

"That?s why the Bridge has been seeking a keeper. The systems can only monitor, not act. Things are stable, but the Aesyr have enough knowledge to make them very unstable if they get hold of the station. The Vanir don?t want to give up the station for that reason, but they know the Aesyr would rather bring the universe to a very premature death than allow the Vanir to remain in control of Earth."