The Shadow of the Moon-Lydia's Tale

Chapter Nine

'She did what!' Commander Waite-Kidd hit the table so hard his Qluoor jumped out of the glass and sent small trail of hot liquid streaming across the table and onto the floor. 

'She stood there and asked them to rebuild the temple.' 

'We have our men up here trying to repair the damage to the fleet. We need the Axi's help. They haven't got time to be off on some half arsed temple building project. Do you think they're going to do it?' 

Faulke shrugged his shoulders. 'I spoke to the Headman, he's sent riders out to the outlying towns. They were around long enough to hear Lydia's speech. A couple of days from now we'll know what message got through -our appeal for help or Lydia's plea to rebuild the temple.' 

'You'd better tell me what happened.' The Commander looked at his Qluoor pooling on the floor and went to refill his cup. He bought two cups back to the table, sat down with Faulke and slid a cup in front of him.  

They looked at each other, the towering form of the Geron and the earnest old man in pale blue uniform across the table from him. Faulke stirred his Qluoor and considered the importance Waite-Kidd had put on the help of the Axi. Outside, outside in the space beyond the confines of the Revenge's Commanders cabin, the fleet was undergoing frantic repairs. Not one crew member had shirked from the work, they all knew their lives depended upon it. They needed all the help the planet below could offer and they needed it urgently. 

Faulke looked up. 'She took her helmet off and spoke to them in their own language without a translator, she certainly got their attention.' 

'So she held her breath and banged out of couple of words. So what!' snapped the Commander impatiently. 

'It was pretty convincing.' 

'To a bunch of gullible fools.' Waite-Kidd looked up sharply. And then threw his head back in his hands and stretched. 'I'm sorry Faulke that was unfair. Does she really believe in this god what- its name?' 

'The Nergalrhod, yes I think she does. In truth Aiexsky I find her difficult to read, one moment her mind is completely closed to me, in another I find there are so many avenues to go down I can't make sense of it all. I've not encountered that in a human before. Her mind is terribly complex.' 

'She's a teenager Faulke, we all had minds like that once.' 

Faulke spread his broad hands until his fingers spanned the width of the table and studied the markings across his fingers. 'I'm used to teenagers, I was one as well - it's not that that is stopping me seeing into her mind. She is the youngest one of the team, the one that was with the leader of the dig when he died. I think something happened down there in the temple but she does not want to tell me about it.' 

'Well you get down there and tell those kids if they don't fall into line they'll be spending the rest of this war locked in a cell on this ship.' 

'How are the repairs going?' Faulke curled up his fingers and transferred his attention to Aiexsky. 

'Slowly. I've requisitioned every transporter, passenger ship and clapped out mining ship I can get my hands on to bring us materials. They are having to bring them round the Wvelter Quadrant for fear of being spotted by Swarm scout ships. You know that route, it's a long haul. And I've no idea when it is the Swarm will move on Earth. When they do we'll have to engage with them whatever state we're in.' 

'Any word from Outremer or any of the others?'  

'The Kingdom planets of Outremer sit on the edge of space like starving hyenas waiting for the lions left overs. They will not help us. They'll see who prevails and then try to side with the victor, especially if it means they can take their revenge on Earth and the colonies?'  

'The Assassins could help us. If they joined with us the rest of Outremer might come over to us.' Faulke observed. 

'The Old Man of Alamut? If he's still alive. Myth or reality, no one's heard of him for years. He skulks around on his fortress planet and never leaves. That line of wretched individuals has probably long gone, made extinct by their own interbreeding.' 

'Still shouldn't we consider an approach?' 

'The Assassins are a spent force Faulke. They have no visible leadership, the last few of their serviceable ships range up and down the Elsiolt Belt robbing and pillaging pilgrim ships on the route to Vanderum. Forget them, forget Outremer and forget any of the other races that you think might come to our aid. They are going to stand by and watch us tear each other apart and when it's too late they'll realise that without us they are too weak to stand up to the Swarm. When their planets are on fire, and the burnt out hulks of their ships are spinning off uselessly into the void then they'll see their mistake.'  

'The rumours from Outremer has it that the Assassins have been building a fleet that could lead them in a new war against the humans.' 

'That's what the Kingdoms would have us believe Faulke. It says something that even they don't know what goes in on Alamut. If you're thinking there's a hope of help from that quarter think again.' 

Faulke stood, 'I better get going, I have things to do. I'm back in Kar'rak tomorrow with the Headman Tekinon to see if our bargain's held.'  

'Good luck, we need some. It's about time the tide turns in our favour.' Waite-Kidd leaned forward and patted Faulke on the arm. 'You're a good man Faulke. Thank you for sticking with us.'

.

As I left I looked back at the Commander hunched over the table. I could see the apprehension in his eyes, the state of the fleet weighed heavily on him. He was an inquisitive man, in another time the incident with the girl would have intrigued him, but these we're not other times. As I walked back to my cabin I could see the crew members of the Revenge hurrying to and fro, looking at me as they passed in the hope that I had bought good news of support from the inhabitants of Ax and words of comfort from their Commander. I had little to offer. Tomorrow I would return to Kar'rak to see Tekinon and I resolved to stop by the temple and visit Lydia to see if I could ascertain more about the Nergalrhod and Lydia's sibylline request to rebuild the gods home.