Way of No Return (Champions of the Crystal Book 8)

Chapter 9.2

The shift back into phase was a little bumpy, but Cynthia was grateful, since she was engrossed in video footage Khediva had of Sabrina. She went out into the corridor, nearly colliding with Ford in his haste to get to the control deck and hug his mother. "Mother! We have to go home immediately. Sabrina's not well—she's in no shape to repel an invasion!"

Mara laid a hand on his shoulder as they parted. "Your brother the King of Praxatillus, however, is quite capable of doing so. Do not worry so. I have sensed no cataclysm."

"How can I not worry?" Ford said incredulously. "She wasn't well before this started, and when we left the Kyan were threatening to destroy Bathir if we didn't hand Seuréa over to them. I don't know what happened next, but I do know they didn't hand the Inheritor over!"

"I am no less concerned," Mara said. "But there are many trillions of people whose lives depend on what we do next, not only Sabrina and Seuréa and your other siblings. We must act wisely."

"If I may interrupt," Khediva said. "We have been joined by several other Wayships." She paused. "Indeed, a flotilla. Their Tirqwins are asking to come aboard and strategize."

"By all means," Tirqwin said.

Cynthia glanced at Lien, who moved a step closer to Ford as Asnefer arrived, followed by a dozen other people in identical ivory suits. They looked mostly like a diverse group of humans to Cynthia's eyes, but one of them had hair an unnaturally bright shade of red and another had bluish skin.

"Welcome to you all," Tirqwin said after they had all exchanged the formal bow. "I introduce Maratobia, the Guardian; our son Niavar, Prince of Bathir; his bodyguard Major Johurst Lien; and Doctor Cynthia Grayson of Earth."

Asnefer said, "I do not know whether all of us have met previously. I am High Tirqwin Asnefer aïé Shahina; this is Nllata aïé Madat; High Tirqwin Kashi aïé Shuran; Ghoshtur aïé Jenin; Araktunesht aïé Qadr; Hatar aïé Rametrashah; Bastara aïé Faroushtep; Husarparatha aïé Potepmaat; Falkruthshepar aïé Sennetarak; Moskepthamun aïé Khemdos;  Ptahthut aïé Khayuwy; Akhtesen aïé Khavaneferu; and Meryreferka aïé Teti."

"Thank you all for coming to our aid," Tirqwin said.

The red-haired one, whom Asnefer had introduced as Bastara, said, "This is not about aid. It is about a threat to our galaxy. I believe still more Wayships will arrive either here or at Praxatillus as they read the time-sealed report. We believe we should mount a coordinated attack on the Reissian forces here, while also engaging the Reissian Empire itself. Depriving the Kyan of their allies and ground troops will protect the populations of our planets and perhaps give us time and data to invent ways to combat the Kyan themselves."

Kashi, an elderly man whose hair had faded to white, said, "I would like to ask the Guardian why she has not dealt with this Reissian fleet as she did the one that threatened Praxatillus a century ago. Have they developed a countermeasure?"

Everyone looked at Mara, who seemed annoyed. "The Kyan attacks, both here and on Praxatillus, disrupted my connection to the Great Crystal and rendered many of my usual options unavailable. Since I could not mount a planetary-scale defense or counterattack, I chose to save as much of the population as I could manage, given my reduced resources. The results have been less than I wished, but perhaps now we can solve the larger problem and return those I have sent to safety. I gather from Khediva's ability to navigate Avestaran orbit that Wayships are better able to endure the disruption than I."

"Yes," Khediva said. "I was also able to navigate in Praxatillus' orbit immediately after the attack, though it was difficult."

Ford said, "A Wayship opening a deliberately miscalibrated Way would have enormous destructive potential within a limited spatial area."