Темное, кривое зеркало. Том 5 : Средь звезд, подобно гигантам.
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"Thinking about you. Some of the time. For the rest of it, meeting old friends, seeing new places, fighting for my life. You know how it goes."
"Lucky you. Sometimes I think I'd trade everything to travel around the galaxy like that."
"You might still get your chance."
There was another long pause. Dexter was looking up at the ceiling, seeing the patterns formed by the cracks in the plaster. Little things he had never noticed before took on much greater significance now.
"Did you find him?" he asked eventually.
"Find who?"
"The man you were looking for. Your husband."
"Oh. No, I didn't. Well, sort of." She sighed. "It's complicated. I did find my daughter, though."
"How is she?"
"Older. A lot older. I've missed a lot."
"So why are you here?"
"I want to be with you."
"Flattered as I am, there's more to it, isn't there? You need my help with something."
"Yes."
"Good. I want to help you with it, whatever it is."
"Don't say that until you know what it is."
"It doesn't matter."
"No. I want you to be sure."
"So.... what is it?"
She snuggled up closer to him. "It can wait until the morning. Everything's spinning now."
"That's the alcohol."
"No. It's more than that."
"You could hold on tighter."
"I'm holding on as tight as I can."
"So I see."
That was when they started kissing.
The feeling of dread stopped the instant he stepped into the conference room. He was not quite the last to arrive, but he still felt his hearts skip a beat as he saw all those eyes looking at him.
Mi'Ra was not here. That was it. Marrago found himself looking at the only other real player here: Moreil. The Z'shailyl met his gaze calmly and dispassionately. Neither was quite sure of the other yet: friend or ally or tool or enemy. There was too much to be determined, too much still to be answered.
Marrago took his seat, not remotely worried about being alone. Some of the other captains had brought aides or assistants or bodyguards, but he had nothing to fear. He knew that should his true agenda ever be discovered then one or two bodyguards would do nothing but provide a half-second delay for Moreil's monsters. Plus, he wanted the other captains to recognise his confidence. They had to know he did not fear them, not even Moreil.
Not even Moreil's monsters.
The heat haze behind the Z'shailyl told him that the two Wykhheran were there, as ever. Since their last encounter, Marrago had studied the monsters as much as he could. He could now recognise the shimmering that revealed their presence. It was not easy, and his eyes were not as sharp as they had been.
Apart from Mi'Ra, the others did not matter. The Narn was playing some deeper game, and she would have to be watched. As for Rem Lanas and the Sniper and the Drazi, they were all easily led. When a power struggle for leadership finally emerged, it would be between him, Mi'Ra — probably working through G'Lorn — and Moreil.
Except that neither of the other two would want that. Both fancied themselves as the power behind the throne. If Moreil had wanted the leadership he could have had it by now. His Wykhheran gave him an advantage that the others could not match unless they all worked together, and Marrago doubted they were capable of that.
He sighed. The Brotherhood functioned only so long as they kept to their path of conquest. It had been too long since the assault on Gorash, and but for some minor raiding of shipping lanes they had not embarked on a military campaign in several months. They would have to act soon, or risk turning all their aggression and anger onto each other. He could see that. Moreil could surely see it as well, if he cared to.
And so could Mi'Ra.
She entered with G'Lorn while Marrago was still musing. Another alien was with them, one from a race Marrago did not recognise. He thought it was female, although it was incredibly thin. It wore no clothes as far as he could tell. At first he thought it was some sort of Narn animal, for it walked on four legs, but then it rose, muscles and joints shifting beneath its skin, and looked around at them. Marrago could see the careful intelligence in the creature's eyes, and silently rebuked himself for rash thinking.
As he looked closer, he was aware of something else there. Or rather, nothing else.
Not a thing. No conscience, no remorse, no mercy.
No soul.
"We have a new candidate for membership," G'Lorn announced. As ever, he spoke while Mi'Ra watched. "She provides resources greater than any of us thus far. An entire race of people, an entire planet to serve our goals.
"They wish to fight alongside us for a very.... specific goal, one that I am sure...." He looked at Marrago very closely as he said this. "One that I am sure none of us will object to pursuing. Her people have passion and resources, but they lack skilled generals, which they believe we can provide.
"I shall now let her introduce herself."
The alien stepped forward and looked around the circle. Marrago did not look at her, but at those she was looking at. The Sniper, the human, seemed uninterested. The Drazi snorted. Moreil.... Moreil sat forward in his chair, meeting her gaze. Something that might have been concern flickered across his alien features.
"Greeting to those who march without banners," the alien said in a harsh, staccato voice. Marrago frowned. The rhythm of her words was out of joint, out of synch. Even allowing for the fact that she was speaking a language not her own — the Trade dialect most people understood — there was no structure to her speech.
"I speak as noMir Ru, Silent One of the Songless. Some of you may know as us the Tuchanq."
Now Marrago knew who they were, and he sat up. The Tuchanq.... their world had been invaded by the Narn.... twenty years ago, at least. They had gained freedom of a sort and.... just dropped out of sight. With everything that was going on in the galaxy it was not hard to lose track of what was happening at the edges.
Or in the shadows.
"We go to war, to spread the silence of those who denied us our Song. We seek allies here, amongst those who are as lost as we are. All have pain. We will give pain to those who gave pain to us. We ask that you fight beside us, that we fight together.