The Dragon Never Sleeps

— 116 —

WarAvocat quietly attended the business of a ruthless, efficient, merciless conquest. Deified criticism faded.

He shared his thoughts with no one but Aleas. Aleas did not criticize when she disagreed. She argued, but did not carp or collude or try to rally the opinions of others, as the Deified had become accustomed to do since Makarska Vis introduced the spirit of divisiveness.

He had thoughts he reserved from his best friend. Perhaps Gemina knew them. Gemina knew so much. But Gemina did not betray him.

Long months after VII Gemina crossed the Rim, during a quiet interval, he tested the waters. "Something dramatic has happened on the other side, Aleas. Have you noticed?"

"They're getting harder to find and it's harder to get them to stand still when we find them. And they're more clever than they were."

"Uhm?"

"Maybe they're adopting some of our tactics?"

He slipped a sheet of hard copy out of a stack. "Read this."

Three Guardship assault, Objective Sixty-Nine, sector capital, four orbital fortresses. Point Guardship, magnum launch, object, forcing fortresses to raise screens. Enemy fighters launched. Standard. Nonstandard, attack upon fighters rather than Guardships.

Present insystem, twelve methane breather heavies, at distance, never before seen in concentration. Remained passive till time to recover and rearm fighters.

Warship fighters launched. Guardships forced to raise screens. Guardship secondaries decimated. Fortress-based and ship-based fighters alternate waves. Outsiders gain total secondary supremacy.

Point Guardship surprised at point of attack, Hellspinner funnel flooded with counterbarrage of self-shielded CT projectiles. Point Guardship disabled. Support Guardships destroy fortresses. Outsider secondaries destroy disabled Guardship. Support Guardships attempt close engagement with methane breathers, which remain at distance, employing secondaries.

WarAvocats consult, elect to return to Starbase. Methane breathers block path to Web strand, intentionally collide with one Guardship. Remaining Guardship retires at speed through starspace, catching strand after shaking pursuit.

This warning four months old.

Aleas read it twice. WarAvocat said, "That's not out of my fevered imagination. Gemina analyzed the action at Objectives Sixty through Seventy-Five. There's been a shakeup in the enemy high command. Chicken or egg, dramatically different goals have been adopted. They're preserving their best and maximizing our losses. To me that says they're preparing something they think will rock Canon and galvanize its enemies. They're getting ready to bet everything on one pass of the dice."

"I can't contradict you." Aleas was troubled. She looked at him oddly, decided to speak her mind. "You think the Ku is directing them."

"That's possible. It's also possible they've learned how to run a war."

She did not bite at the disclaimer. "And you're sure he'll take a shot at Starbase."

"That's a possibility, too. But not the only one. There's the operation he was planning when he got the rug yanked by the Ku Surrender."

"I'm no student of the times. Illuminate me."

"He was going to try Capitola Primagenia."

Aleas frowned.

"It's an easier target. Imagine the impact Outside. Imagine the civil chaos. He might prefer Starbase but he's a realist. He doesn't try to do something when he doesn't have the resources."

"You might suggest that an attack on Capitola Primagenia could be coming, but don't mention the Ku. Some of the Deified think you're as screwy about him as Makarska Vis."

WarAvocat snorted. When the hour came, he would bet his immortality on his intuition. He would use all his power to do what had to be done.

Meantime, there were worlds to conquer.