Initially, she had decided to do this for public relations reasons. But now that the wheels were in motion, the former Chairman did not regret the effort one bit.

Chapter 63-ADAR ZAN'NH.

In his pampered life, Prime Designate Thor'h had received little military or tactical training. He was out of place-a poseur, and he did not even know it. In the sporadic moments of clear thought during his thismless confinement, Zan'nh resented the way his brother relished his position in the warliner's command nucleus.

Once the forty-six stolen battleships reassembled at Hyrillka from their respective missions to Dzelluria and Dobro, the traitorous Thor'h was ready to continue spreading Rusa'h's twisted rebellion throughout the Horizon Cluster. The Hyrillka Designate, meanwhile, remained behind at the center of his new thism thism web. Zan'nh felt more isolated than ever. web. Zan'nh felt more isolated than ever.

As he had already been warned, the Adar was "invited" to accompany his own maniple as the ships continued their conquests. The murderous pleasure mates and armored Solar Navy guards brusquely escorted Zan'nh from the citadel palace and marched him onto his former flagship. They forced him into a chair just inside the command nucleus as a smiling Thor'h launched the ships toward another system, where he would prosecute his uncle's crusade.

Though the Ildiran rebels did not bind him to his seat or clamp his wrists with restraints, Zan'nh still felt helpless. The mere fact that his captors saw no need to restrain him sent an insulting message: Now they considered the Adar of the Solar Navy to be no threat at all.

The subsumed crewmembers formed an impenetrable bastion against any effort he might make to resume control of his former crew. He could see them all around him, but he could not feel feel them in the them in the thism thism. The Adar felt as if he had gone deaf in his heart and mind, and he struggled to maintain his courage.

Every moment dragged out, increasing his edginess, no matter how much he strove to hold on to his judgment. How long would it be before the sense of abandonment turned to outright panic, before he decided to do anything-even join Rusa'h-in order to be back inside the comforting fabric of thism thism?

He seethed in silence, still searching for any opportunity to break Rusa'h's control. But the entire crew had been ensnared by the Hyrillka Designate, turned to his cause; they would stand against their own Adar if he tried to enlist their aid. Unless he could do something alone...

Standing in the flagship's command nucleus, Thor'h looked down at his captive brother with a superior smile. "You seem troubled, Zan'nh. Once you witness how assured our continued victory is, perhaps you will change your mind. One Ildiran colony after another will join us, because the Lightsource itself illuminates our path."

"Don't be so confident, Thor'h," Zan'nh said, denying him any title at all. "The Mage-Imperator has not yet discovered the extent of your treachery. He will respond soon enough."

Seeking an anchor, he fixed his mind on his clearest memory of the Mage-Imperator in his chrysalis chair at the dazzling Prism Palace, in the warming presence of many other Ildirans. As an exercise to keep his concentration strong, he attempted to count his brothers and sisters: lovely and athletic Yazra'h who acted as their father's personal guard, quiet and intense Daro'h who had gone off to Dobro, studious yet brave Pery'h who had been assassinated as part of this rebellion, treacherous Thor'h who had betrayed his own father and the whole Empire- The Prime Designate chuckled. "And how will our father respond, Zan'nh? Will he send a massive military force against other Ildirans? Against us? I think not. He would find it impossible to attack his own people-just as you did."

The Adar's eyes flashed. "Yet you you will kill as many as necessary? And you scorn the Mage-Imperator for breaking a few traditions!" will kill as many as necessary? And you scorn the Mage-Imperator for breaking a few traditions!"

"The Lightsource says it is necessary. Just look around you."

In dismay, Zan'nh observed how unified and cooperative the bridge crew was with every instruction the disgraced Prime Designate issued. Thor'h was right: The Mage-Imperator would resist taking drastic, violent action against them, probably until it was too late. Zan'nh had already made that mistake.

The star systems in the Horizon Cluster were closely packed. If worlds fell rapidly before Jora'h acted, the mad Designate might indeed gather a strong enough force to withstand any retaliation from the legitimate Solar Navy. If only Zan'nh could send a clear thism thism message to warn his father...But all around him there was too much static, too much mental noise, too much emptiness. message to warn his father...But all around him there was too much static, too much mental noise, too much emptiness.

He tried to remain strong by thinking of Adar Kori'nh. Zan'nh's predecessor had never wavered in his resolve though he had been faced with an enemy more terrible than the worst nemesis chronicled in the Saga of Seven Suns. Saga of Seven Suns. Adar Kori'nh had never surrendered, even knowing the Solar Navy was no match for the planet-killing might of the hydrogues. Adar Kori'nh had never surrendered, even knowing the Solar Navy was no match for the planet-killing might of the hydrogues.

Just thinking of the old Adar made Zan'nh straighten against the burden of his own situation. When the hydrogues had continued to prey upon Ildiran settlements, when the former Mage-Imperator had died and left the Empire in turmoil, Kori'nh had seized a desperate chance, flying his warliners in suicide missions that-though they had cost the Adar his life-had dealt the most serious blow to the enemy thus far.

Now, as he sat in the command nucleus of this stolen warliner feeling weak, Zan'nh imagined the last few seconds of Kori'nh's life. The older Adar must have gripped the rails, staring ahead as his warliners hurled themselves against the diamond-hulled hydrogue ships. On that glorious day, warglobe after warglobe had shattered in the clouds of Qronha 3, and the hydrogues had learned that Ildirans possessed the mettle and the resolve to fight as necessary.

At the time, the old Mage-Imperator was dead but Jora'h had not yet taken on his role, leaving Adar Kori'nh adrift from the thism thism. That had given him the necessary independence to make such a bold move. He had turned the loss of the mental network to his advantage.

If only Zan'nh could do the same. All around him, he could sense the rebel Designate's alternate network. The new thism, thism, despite its wrongness, rushed past him like a fast-flowing river, and Zan'nh, like a man dying of thirst, yearned for that river, yet was cut off from it by an invisible wall. despite its wrongness, rushed past him like a fast-flowing river, and Zan'nh, like a man dying of thirst, yearned for that river, yet was cut off from it by an invisible wall.

Reeling, he could not drive away the thought that he could easily have what he needed, if only he would succumb. Despite the knots in his stomach, Zan'nh was very, very tempted.

He forced himself to think of Adar Kori'nh, who would be remembered forever as a hero in the Saga Saga. Zan'nh would not allow his own story to be anything less. He could not disappoint his mentor, or the Mage-Imperator. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the dark mental silence all around him.

"We are approaching Alturas, Prime Designate," the navigator announced.

Zan'nh looked sharply at him, recalling that this crewman had flown warliners to Hrel-oro and faced off against the hydrogues, then had guided the ships to quash the uprising at Hyrillka. Now the navigator would not even look at his Adar.

"And why are we going to Alturas?" Zan'nh asked.

Thor'h smiled beatifically at him. "They will be the next planet to join our cause."

"I doubt they will agree so easily."

"Whether or not they agree, they will still concede."

The young Adar was appalled at how swiftly the insurrection was gaining momentum. Within days, the Dobro Designate was expected to come to Hyrillka and announce his decision whether or not to join them. Zan'nh feared that Udru'h might choose to throw his own support to the spreading rebellion-not because the arguments were convincing, but for his own reasons.

Rusa'h's converted lens kithmen had been sent to newly conquered Dzelluria to guide the populace after their conversion. Though the Ildirans there had already been prepared with massive doses of shiing and drawn into the corrupted mental web, the lens kithmen reinforced the rebellion. They spread the heretical word about how Jora'h had poisoned his father, how he had blatantly broken with tradition by stepping out of the chrysalis chair, by appointing his daughter as his private guard, by stripping his eldest noble-born son of his title. The self-proclaimed Imperator Rusa'h was not only brainwashing his new converts, but rewriting history to justify his actions. No doubt, he would be willing to revise portions of the Saga of Seven Suns Saga of Seven Suns to reflect reality as he wanted it remembered. to reflect reality as he wanted it remembered.

Now the screens in the flagship's command nucleus showed the jeweled tiara of stars in the Horizon Cluster, and nearby Alturas. Zan'nh had never been to this minor planet, whose name was barely even mentioned in the Saga Saga. After today, he hoped Alturas would not become known for a tragedy worthy of inclusion in the Ildiran epic.

Thor'h instructed the communications officer to begin transmitting their ultimatum. "I am your Prime Designate, serving the true Imperator Rusa'h. We invite the Alturas Designate and his Designate-in-waiting to join us."

A long silence followed his message, enough that Thor'h began to scowl.

After the execution of Pery'h, the hijacking of a maniple of warliners, and the attack on Dzelluria, word must have traveled, at least to the nearby systems in the Horizon Cluster. Rusa'h could not snare all Ildirans so easily or efficiently.

Zan'nh looked at his overconfident brother. "Do you believe the Alturas Designate hasn't heard about your insurrection?"

"It is not insurrection, it is enlightenment," Thor'h said in a clipped voice, then stepped into the transmission field again. "Imperator Rusa'h will gladly embrace you, if you join his benevolent rule."

Now the Alturas Designate's face appeared on the screens, showing familiar features that revealed him to be a brother of Jora'h and Rusa'h. "We choose not to participate in your rebellion. Please depart from our system. You are not welcome here. Alturas remains loyal to the Mage-Imperator."

Thor'h looked as if he had swallowed a morsel of rotten fruit. Zan'nh felt stronger again just to be so close to another world that shared the uncorrupted thism thism. He narrowed his eyes at his brother. "There, you have your answer. Shall we turn the maniple about now and go back to Hyrillka?"

"Surely he can see all of our warliners? How does the Alturas Designate plan to keep us from our holy mission?" Angered, Thor'h gestured to the station operators. "Power up all attack weapons. Kinetic missiles and high-energy cutting beams."

As the forty-six warliners closed in, their scanners detected launch traces from the spaceports dotted around Alturas. "Several vessels rising toward us, Prime Designate. Military models-cutters, streamers, and one warliner."

"He means to attack us?" Thor'h chuckled.

Adar Zan'nh felt anger coil like a venomous serpent in his stomach. His mind, revived by the Alturas thism, thism, felt sharp and steady. felt sharp and steady.

As soon as the local ships rose toward the approaching maniple, the Alturas Designate transmitted again. "We are prepared to defend ourselves, Prime Designate. Take your warliners and depart immediately."

Thor'h gave a pleased smile. "Imperator Rusa'h will gladly add your warships to our fleet. We will do our best not to damage them irreparably, but such efforts cannot be guaranteed if you insist on defying us." He turned his derision toward Zan'nh. "A pathetically small fleet to stand against a maniple of warliners!"

The Adar admired their bravery. "They are willing to die to resist you. They may destroy some of your rebels before they are all killed."

Thor'h dismissed him. "The Alturas Designate is bluffing. He knows I am aboard. Would they dare fire upon their own Prime Designate? His threat has no teeth." Choosing the least significant targets, he turned to the weapons officer. "Obliterate all seven of the cutters, just to emphasize our point. I would like to capture the warliner intact, if possible."

"To make up for the one you destroyed?" Zan'nh said bitterly.

Without waiting for confirmation, the weapons officer launched a volley of high-energy beams. His aim was precise, the weapons accurate-and deadly. Zan'nh was hit by another blinding storm of needle-sharp pains, the stings of distant deaths. Seven Alturas cutters exploded in the sky; the remaining defenders, in panic, began to scatter.

Like a stampede of angry pack animals, Thor'h's warliners descended through the remnants of the Alturas defenders toward the planet's primary city. In the streets below, swarms of Ildirans moved about in stunned disbelief. All faces were turned toward the sky.

"I could level the whole city, you know," Thor'h said. "That would teach them a lesson for resisting."

Zan'nh could barely contain his rage. "A very enlightened solution. Is that what the Lightsource tells you to do-massacre unarmed and innocent Ildiran citizens?"

Thor'h shrugged. "Perhaps you are right, brother. Once we convert them, they will become loyal followers of Imperator Rusa'h. Right now they are victims of their own doubts." He nodded to himself again. "Yes, I believe it is best to vaporize only the palace and not the rest of the metropolis."

The big warliners dropped over the skyline and converged above the Alturas palace. The desperate local Designate signaled again. "What have you done? Seven cutters obliterated! You are insane. You are murderers. You-"

"And you you are completely uninteresting." Thor'h gestured to the weapons officer. are completely uninteresting." Thor'h gestured to the weapons officer.

Bombarded with a flurry of kinetic-energy projectiles, the Alturas palace erupted in multiple detonations. Smoke, flames, and debris flew into the sky like the fireworks displays the Hyrillka Designate had at one time enjoyed so well.

Zan'nh reeled from the cold-blooded and unnecessary action he had just witnessed. The jolt through the thism thism pierced him like a crystal spear in his side. Along with many other people in the palace, his brother and uncle had just been murdered. Thor'h did not seem to feel it. pierced him like a crystal spear in his side. Along with many other people in the palace, his brother and uncle had just been murdered. Thor'h did not seem to feel it.

If he ever got the chance, despite all of his training, his honor, and his cultural bias, the Adar knew he would kill Thor'h-with his bare hands if necessary.

Now that the Alturas palace was nothing more than a smoking crater filled with rubble, and the Designates dead, the warliners made swift work of another world. Shiing was forcibly distributed among the populace in preparation for the triumphant arrival of Imperator Rusa'h-who was on his way.

Now Thor'h taunted his brother. "You see how simple this is, Zan'nh? Yet another world has joined our cause. Some people may resist down there, some may refuse to take the shiing, but as the rest of the population comes over to our way, they will soon be disconnected, barely able to function. They will change their minds and beg to be part of the web again. This rebellion is like a rapidly spreading flame, a bright blaze that will burn away all corruption. Are you certain you do not wish to join us of your own free will?"

Zan'nh looked away. "Absolutely certain."

Thor'h gave an exaggerated sigh of disappointment.

A few escapees fled to nearby systems, spreading word of Rusa'h's swift and bloody victory on Alturas. Some even made a desperate flight all the way to Ildira, where their urgent news only added to what the Mage-Imperator had already learned from the Dobro Designate.

When Thor'h took his warliners to Shonor-the next Ildiran colony in the Horizon Cluster-the forewarned and intimidated local Designate and his people simply surrendered without a fight.

Chapter 64-ANTON COLICOS.

Every step brought them closer to Maratha's dawn. When they finally crested a rise of rocky hills, turning toward the glorious pastel suffusing the sky, the abrupt daybreak was like a jolt of energy to the Ildiran survivors.

Anton stumbled ahead, hungry and weary beyond words. Their food and water supplies had run out a while ago, but he had stopped counting the amount of time that passed. Actual hours didn't matter anymore-only closing the gap between them and the sunlight. After that, they would still have to cross the landscape to the oasis of Secda, the planet's other domed city.

"We will survive," Designate Avi'h said, thrilled by the light. "Follow me, and I will lead us to our salvation." He strutted forward, exerting a semblance of authority, then hesitated as if expecting someone else to tell him which direction to go. Without his bureaucrat companion to attend to the details, his confidence came only in short bursts.

Anton knew that Ildirans needed dozens of their people together to keep themselves sane, to reinforce their mental needs, to feel the necessary thism thism connection. Now only four of them remained, plus himself, and he began to see the frayed edges of disoriented irrationality and unpredictable desperation. They would not recover unless they got back among others, and soon. connection. Now only four of them remained, plus himself, and he began to see the frayed edges of disoriented irrationality and unpredictable desperation. They would not recover unless they got back among others, and soon.

When the small group hiked into the brightening illumination, they spread their arms and turned their faces to the sunlight, as if drinking in nourishment. The landscape was flat and featureless, broken by cracked canyons turned into lines of deep shadow by the angled sunlight. They walked on and on.

Eventually, a sparkle shone on the horizon, a glitter of domes that caused engineer Nur'of and the burly digger Vik'k to cheer in unison. Designate Avi'h proclaimed, "Onward to Maratha Secda! We are no longer alone-the Klikiss robots will help us there."

Rememberer Vao'sh stopped next to Anton as they looked toward the far-off domes. "Previously we visited Secda only in darkness. Now I have never been so glad to see it."

"It's still many kilometers away, Vao'sh," Anton cautioned.

"Nevertheless, it is within sight. The end of our ordeal is at hand."

But Anton's true uneasiness stemmed from doubts about what they would find in the empty city. While ancient tales about the Shana Rei might have had some basis in fact, the true culprits were likely much more tangible. He recalled the labyrinth of tunnels Nur'of had discovered deep in the crust. In his mind, the Klikiss robots themselves were most probably the saboteurs, despite the fact that Ildirans had coexisted with them for many centuries. Who else was was there? there?

Though he couldn't shake his feeling of foreboding, they had no other choice. Secda was their only hope. They needed food, supplies, and a way off the planet.

"Hurry!" Designate Avi'h lurched ahead, somehow finding more strength. "We will be safe once we reach the city."

Sensing Anton's concerns, Vao'sh cautiously shook his head and kept his voice low. "Do not speak of it. We must not steal their hope. Now that we have escaped from the darkness, their worries about the Shana Rei have gone. Let them heal before you suggest other terrors."

Anton nodded reluctantly, though he decided to keep his eyes open.

As they approached the secondary city, the Ildirans went almost mad with relief. "We are free of the darkness!" The Designate's steps became lighter. He rushed forward, accompanied by Nur'of and the digger Vik'k. Only the old rememberer hung back with wary Anton. They all crossed the rolling ground, climbing a low rise to reach the edge of the city's construction perimeter.

With Vik'k and Nur'of beside him, the Designate stopped and stared. Anton helped Rememberer Vao'sh reach the vantage point; together, they all looked ahead to the domed city.

Formerly, the site had held only a handful of Klikiss robots working together. But now, Maratha Secda was swarming with the beetlelike machines. Thousands of them milled about like an army of ants.

"I did not think there were so many Klikiss robots in all of the Spiral Arm," Vao'sh said.

Throughout Maratha's night season, the enigmatic robots had worked in the dark, building structures, digging tunnels. Anton could see open pits and dark round openings into the crust-just like the tunnels Nur'of had discovered beneath Maratha Prime.

"They've certainly been very busy," Anton said, swallowing hard.

Chapter 65-CESCA PERONI.