 
Aos Whey-ki, Sibyl of Doom

A Tale In The Encircling Belts Of Tirano Saga

by Shawn B. Thompson

Copyright 2013 Shawn B. Thompson

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Prologue

A cycle after Sini's defeat of the Tamok I stumbled across the truth about the Archonan. After a lifetime of being tormented by Archonan bigots, imagine how deliciously sweet the discovery of the truth tasted. I know where they came from and whose scions they are. What will the Archonan purists think when I tell them about Aos Whey-ki? They won't feel so high and mighty then.

If any of the Archonan ever knew the truth, they buried it long ago so that it would be forgotten. I wonder if the secretive Sibyls have known all along and have concealed it for their own purposes. One never knows what knowledge lies in the bowels of Vision and unknown to the rest of Tirano until its disclosure serves some devious Sibyl purpose.

-1-

Rwohn Compound

Planet Tirano

Being Queen of Tirano didn't exempt Siniastra from the emotionally wrenching task of going through her dead parents' personal belongings. She'd asked me to help because I was the closest thing to family she had left. I agreed willingly, because I felt exactly the same about her.

Sini and I had undertaken the task of sifting through Zhun'Mar's personal portfolios of historical archives. The Vhirko guard assigned to assist us lifted a portfolio off the top shelf in the library alcove and set it on the muhrwood conference table. "The last one," Sini said. "It's awfully thin, and from all the dust on it, it hasn't been opened in dekas."

I hoped it was the last portfolio. We'd been at this chore for what seemed like an eternity, and Sini looked awful. Instead of her blond hair being tied back as normal in a tight bun, it hung loose and stringy. The black shadows sagging under her eyes evidenced mourning and a lack of sleep.

"Even if it's not," I said, "we should take a break. We've been at this for five spins and you look exhausted. You need to get some sleep and then pay some attention to all the official duties you've neglected since we started this."

Sini shook her head. "I can't."

"Sure you can. Nothing says we have to go through all your parents' belongings in one stretch."

With her long, slender forefinger, Sini brushed away a tear. "I wish it were only that."

She turned to the Vhirko. "Please stand outside the door. I wish to talk privately with Lord Chancellor Kuinsi."

The Vhirko nodded and stepped out the door.

Sini waited until the door closed before speaking. "The only good thing that's happened in cycles is your lifting the requirement that a Vhirko keep me in sight at all times. If they were still hovering in my bedroom all night, I'd have totally cracked up by now."

I cringed with the memories of those untiring Vhirko eyes that never deviated. I'd been under constant Vhirko watch after the Tamok coup de main that killed Zhun'Mar and Mirae. No one could be comfortable with a Vhirko's constant lurking. "What's the problem."

Sini plopped in the chair at the head of the table. "The nightmares are back and they're worse than ever. I can't close my eyes without the Kings screaming 'Usurper' at me. Grandfather Mhikhel says he personally will drive me insane unless I abdicate in favor of Zhun'Mar's true heir."

"I thought we'd fixed that," I said softly. "Take the Golden Vine Ring off when you want to sleep."

Her eyes tightened. She pointed a finger at me. "Don't treat me like a child and use that tone with me," she said through clenched teeth.

My head jerked as if her finger had shoved my head back. "I didn't --"

She waived her hand to cut me off. She stared at me for a moment. I could see her struggling to regain her composure. "I'm sorry." She wiped another tear from the corner of her eye. "I take it off, but it doesn't help. I've even tried sitting the cursed thing on the mantle in the bathroom. Nothing works anymore. I feel like my head's going to explode if I don't get some rest soon. Maybe the legend is true, and I'm not the rightful heir. Maybe the heir must Archonan."

I prided myself on understanding Sini's emotional state, but I'd mistaken her mood as depression from sorting through her parents' belongings. It never occurred to me that the nightmares had returned. My fingers dug into my palms. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I thought that was under control and that you were depressed because of," I pointed at all the containers stuffed with portfolios that littered the floor, "all of this."

She took the Golden Vine Ring off her finger and stared at it. "I wish I could just throw this damn ring away."

I wished she could too. But she had to wear it all times in public. According to legend, only the true Sovereign can wear the Golden Vine Ring and receive its blessing. If anyone else tries, it will drive the wearer insane, just as Pretender Han and Usurper Rhamos were. If Sini were to be seen without the Ring, it would be disastrous. She wouldn't be regarded as the rightful heir. I couldn't permit that happen. "I'll do some more research and figure out what to do next. Hang in there. I'll find a solution. I promise."

She gave me a steely smile, one that reminded me of her iron-willed mother. "Let's finish this last portfolio and then start tomorrow on Father's wine cellar."

She stood and bent over the last portfolio. "Father was a pack rat about never disposing of any of his historical archives." She blew dust off its label. "This has to be the oldest one. It's marked 'Retrieved from damaged drive - early Tirano'."

"Sounds interesting to me," I said.

Sini laughed cheerily for the first time today. "Of course it would to a legist who thinks nothing is more sacred than precedent. In some ways, you're as much as a historian as Father was. You both believed the older a record was the more accurate it had to be."

She shoved the portfolio to me. "Take it. Ghaeah knows I'll never read any of these. And something tells me Father would appreciate you having them."

I didn't think it would be appropriate for me to take the portfolio or any of the archives. Zhun'Mar had always been so proud of his collection that I didn't want to be the person who broke it up. "Thanks, but keep it with the rest of your father's portfolios."

She clenched her fist and banged it against the table. "Damn you to the blackest Cavity." She glared at me. "I try to give you something so that you can have a piece of him and you act like it's trash."

I'd never seen Sini lose her temper so easily and so often, not even when the Archonan tried to have her married off to Fiotr of Tamok. Given her fragile emotional state, the last thing I wanted to do was upset her further. "I didn't mean it that way. Of course, I want it. I just didn't want you to regret later that you gave it to me."

She lowered her head and rubbed her forehead with her fingers. "Oh, Kuinsi, Kuinsi. Get out of here and find that solution you promised me."

I grabbed the portfolio. "I'll pick you up here in the morning. We can walk to the wine cellar together."

She continued to rub her forehead.

-2-

Rwohn Compound

Planet Tirano

I entered my quarters and set the portfolio on the dining table. I glanced out my dormer window. The orange glow of sunset that creased the horizon of the Rwohn Steppes reminded me that I hadn't eaten since first meal, five deci ago. I'd probably be up most of the night researching for the solution I'd promised Sini. I needed a filling meal to sustain me.

I didn't want to take the time to fix a meal, so I grabbed a loaf of my favorite crusty bread and a round of creamy bovid cheese.

In less that ten milli I was sitting at the table, munching on a slice of bread and cheese and drinking a glass of my spicy zin. As I ate, my thoughts turned to Sini's problem. I remained convinced that the Golden Vine Ring caused her nightmares; that the Ring emitted some kind of signal that played havoc with her Arvor neuroimplant. For a while, it had been enough for her to take the Ring off her finger while she slept.

I carried my dishes to the sanitizer, grabbed my archive reader off my desk, and returned to the table. I called up my notes from two cycles ago when Sini first started having the nightmares and re-read them.

Sini complained of nightmares. Whenever she falls asleep, all the Arvor Kings, except her father, appear. They call her "Usurper" and scream she has no right to sit on the Golden Vine Throne. She complained that her implant burned and felt as if it would explode.

Her mention of the implant caused me to recall the origin of the Arvor implant. Arvor the Great had modified the standard memory implant and created a variant that he decreed only an Arvor may wear. Sini had worn an Arvor implant since childhood. I asked if her implant had ever bothered her before she wore the Ring and she said no.

I convinced her to let me hold the Ring. I ran my finger over the sides of the solid-gold ring's etched grape vines. The vines felt inert. I examined the purple cluster of grapes set atop the Ring. At each Sovereign's coronation, he would add a grape to the cluster. I ran my forefinger over the cluster. I felt each grape. As I'd suspected, the deep purple grapes were sculpted from a rare color of precious opal. Precious opal can be manipulated to transmit on a low intensity frequency, but because of its density, it can't transmit more than a few mikra.

I didn't know why, but somehow the Ring was transmitting a signal that interfered with Sini's implant. As I suspected, if the Ring was removed a short distance from Sini, it would be out of its transmission range. She fell asleep while I held the Ring. Problem solved. She'd be able to sleep as long as she didn't wear the Ring. When I have time, I'll look into what could cause the Ring to transmit that signal.

I'd procrastinated and never taken the time, and my inattention caused Sini, not me, to suffer. The only logical hypothesis I could come up with was that the Ring had adjusted the strength of its signal. I had to figure out how and why.

Because of the great distance that a properly manipulated fire opal can transmit, Sibyls use fire opal pendants for wireless access from anywhere on Tirano to Vision, their vast computer network. If the answer to Sini's problem existed, Vision's search engines would find it.

For two deci, I searched Vision for every variant of "opal" and "transmission" that I could think of, but I kept coming up with the same result. Every variety of precious opal was too dense to transmit more than a few mikra. I'd reached a dead end on precious opal. The only thing I could think of was that at least one of the grapes on the Ring's cluster was a different type of opal that could transmit a further distance. Tomorrow, I'd have to convince Sini to let me examine the Ring's cluster, grape by grape.

With my mind wound so tight from frustration, I knew I wouldn't be able to fall asleep. Zhun'Mar's portfolio caught my eye. His historical archives were notoriously dull reading guaranteed to act as a soporific. I could accomplish two things at once. After viewing a few milli of an archive I'd be anaesthetized, and I could later tell Sini that I'd found the archives useful.

I opened the portfolio. It didn't contain as many archives as I thought it would. I flipped through the archive inserts. All but one of the labels were written in a language I couldn't decipher. The one I could read, an archaic cursive style of Ahngléa, sounded rather bland, "Aos Whey-ki Journal: Terra New."

I slipped the archive in the reader. "Unknown format," the reader responded, "attempting conversion."

The last time the reader converted an archive, it created a spectacular holo display of dancing lights. I never did figure out how the dancing lights related to an archive entitled "Vineyard Micro Management - 0492." I wondered if the result would be any better this time.

"Archive conversion complete," the reader sounded.

"Play archive," I responded.

A rainbow of colors swirled on top of table. I sighed, another light show. That typified the night, another dead end. I reached to turn the reader off. The colors coalesced. A female face confronted me. If not for the depth of the crow's feet around her eyes and her gray-streaked black hair, the image could have been Mom. In fact, if I had a maternal grandmother instead of a maternal genome chart, that's how I always imagined she'd look.

"It's been a long, arduous voyage to Terra New," the holo said in a lilting accent I didn't recognize. "Along the way I've been forced to make decisions I regret, but they were necessary for our survival. But I get ahead of myself." She paused, her eyes seemed to focus on me as if measuring me. "I am Aos Whey-ki. My story begins decades ago on Terra with my projection of the effects of the Precession of the Equinoxes Cataclysm."

I'd never heard of the Precession of the Equinoxes Cataclysm. "Pause," I said. The image froze. This must be a novel archive instead of historical data. I hadn't viewed a good novel in ages and a good old-fashioned cataclysm always hooks me.

Even though I was intrigued, the effect of the long spin overpowered my urge to stay up all night reading. I needed some sleep if I was to help Sini. Instead, I'd view a little of the novel each night before going to bed, beginning tomorrow. At the time, I thought it would be a relaxing diversion from the stress of trying to solve Sini's nightmares. Little did I realize the significance of what I would learn!

-3-

Rwohn Compound

Planet Tirano

Sorting through Zhun'Mar's archives had been a tedious task; inventorying his personal wine cellar would be a delight. It reputedly contained a treasure trove of vintages from the Arvor Rwohn Vineyard before the Radani poxxra wiped out all of Tirano's original vineyards. Sini's love of wine matched mine, so hopefully she'd enjoy the day even though I hadn't solved her nightmare problem.

A Vhirko opened the door to Sini's quarters and I entered. Sini sat alone at the alcove's conference table. The bags under her eyes had deepened overnight. She poured herself a cup of tea. "How you feeling?" I asked.

"I'm going to need a few more cups to get going." She lowered her head and rubbed her temples. "I sure hope you figured this out?"

"No. But I've got an idea I'd like to test."

She drained the cup in one gulp. I couldn't imagine how she kept from scalding her throat. She poured another cup. "Please stand outside and close the door, Corporal," she said to the Vhirko standing in the open doorway. "I'll call you when Master Kuinsi and I are ready to go to the wine cellar."

The door thudded shut. "Okay, tell me," Sini said.

"When I inspected the Ring before, I examined several of the grape inserts closely. They were made of the same type of precious opal. The other grapes looked the same, so I assumed they were precious opal too. I'm not so certain now."

"Why?" she replied.

"It would take a different kind of opal to transmit any greater range."

Sini pulled on her ear lobe. After a few lacti, she spoke. "If that's so, taking the Ring off would never have worked."

"According to my research, it's possible to program a feedback mechanism that indicates whether transmissions are received. The other opal might have programmed not to begin transmission until the feedback indicated the precious opal's signals weren't received."

Sini shook her head. "I don't know, Kuinsi. Who would anyone go to all that trouble, and why?"

"I don't have an answer for that. But one step at a time. First, we see if there's a different opal hidden in the cluster. Then, we figure out why." I held out my hand. "Now let me see the Ring."

Sini extended her hand. As I reached for the Ring, Sini's private vid-console beeped. She pulled her hand back. "By the Belts. They haven't left me alone all morning. Can't I have a moment's rest?"

The vid-con beeped again. "I'm going to ignore it."

"You'd better answer," I said. "The Vhirko wouldn't have let the call through if it wasn't important. If you don't answer, the Vhirko will think something's wrong and storm full force through the door. I don't want that when I'm examining the Ring."

Sini grimaced. I handed her the Ring and she slipped it on her finger. "Commence transmission," she said.

The holo of a plump, balding man appeared. "Your Highness." The man dipped his head.

"Make it brief, Count Nhoth," Sini said sharply.

The Count raised his head. "Ah, good. I see Lord Chancellor Kuinsi is present." His smirk showed he didn't mean it. For reasons I never comprehended, Rheginahld Nhoth had served as Speaker of the Archonan Assembly for more than a deka even though his father was the disgraced (and thankfully dead) Colonel Ohlav Nhoth who tried to usurp the Throne and kill Tarnlot. And now he was next in line for the Golden Vine Throne if Sini died without producing an heir.

"The Assembly has been waiting for nearly a cycle for your approval of its budget." He stroked his double chin. "We've been able to keep critical departments functioning by using our discretionary funds. If you don't approve our budget soon, all Assembly functions will be forced to close. That would be a calamitous occurrence, indeed."

Sini shrugged her shoulders. "I fail to see any calamity."

I thought Nhoth would pull his double chin so hard he'd choke. I bit my lip to keep from smiling. "I wouldn't be so flippant," he drawled. "Perhaps, Master Kuinsi will remind you that failure to fund the Archonan Assembly violates Article V of the Founding Compact."

Sini bolted out of her chair and, with clenched fists, leaned over Nhoth's holo. He was so surprised, he took a step back. "You know as well as I do that Article V was intended to permit the Assembly to function as a governmental legislative body, not to enrich its members. Or didn't you think I'd take the time to read and notice those details."

Nhoth raised his hands, palms up. "I have no idea what you could possibly be referring to. After all, this is the first budget you've ever had to review. It's a complex document. It takes loops of experience to truly comprehend its intricacies," he said unctuously.

"Don't treat me like an idiot child," Sini shouted. "Even I know that no budget has ever required the Royal Treasury to pay all of the expenses to maintain Assembly members' estates while the Assembly is in session. And that's only the most obvious misappropriation. Now go back in session and don't bother me again until you send me a budget that I can sign. Transmission terminated."

Nhoth's jaw hadn't completed dropping when the image melted. I broke out in laughter. Sini glared at me. "I don't see anything funny," she said. "They're trying to take advantage of me."

"I know," I said. "But the look on his face was priceless. It'll be interesting to see what he and the Assembly do next. Nhoth and his cronies won't take this lying down."

"As far as I'm concerned, they can take a one-way ride to the deepest pit in the blackest Cavity."

"Ah, but will you pay for it out of the Treasury?"

Sini burst out in laughter. I hadn't heard her laugh so hard since her parents deaths. She didn't stop until her vid-con beeped again. She grimaced. "What toady has Count Nhoth conned into calling to lecture me on why I should reconsider."

"Take it," I said, "and then tell the Vhirko to hold all calls for a deci."

She nodded. "Commence transmission."

My mother's holo appeared. She stood in what looked like an amphitheater and wore her ceremonial Sibyl attire: the single-shouldered vermilion trumpet gown of Tirano's High Sibyl. With her shoulder-length, glossy black hair, ivory-yellow skin, and gown, she looked like a child's holo-doll.

Sini glanced at me and arched her eyebrows. "I have no idea," I mouthed.

"Good morning, your Highness." Mom curtsied to Sini. Mom had to be on her portable commpad because I didn't recognize the amphitheater. "And to you too, Kuinsi."

"High Sibyl Caykondra," Sini replied. "I just terminated Count Nhoth's call. Surely, you're not calling to support the Assembly's ridiculous budget."

Mom's nose wrinkled. "Of course not, dear. You know the Count's family and I aren't on the best of terms. I have something more important to discuss with the two of you. Something I should have done long before this." Mom pulled her fire opal pendant from underneath her gown. "Please signal your Vhirko not to disturb you for a deci."

"I intended to do so anyway." Sini pushed the do not disturb icon on her vid-con.

I gritted my teeth. "Mom, did it ever occur to you that we might be in the middle of something important. If you've waited until now, surely you can wait a while longer."

She pointed her pendant away from her. "Look at the wall underneath Mhikhel's portrait."

Despite my annoyance, I turned toward the portrait. A bright flash of light erupted and Mom stepped out of the light, her pendant still in her hand. The light evaporated. "Mom, we don't have time for any new holo tricks," I said not trying to hide my irritation.

She gave me her all-knowing smile and walked to me. She simultaneously kissed me on the cheek and grabbed my hand. I felt solid skin. This wasn't a holo. "How?"

She turned to Sini and grabbed her hand. Sini's pupils widened. "What are you doing?" Sini snapped at her. "Trying to show me how easy it is to breach my security?"

"Oh, Sini. I didn't mean to upset you." Mom released her hand. "I'm the only one left who can show you what your father would have. Something to increase your security; something that the Vhirko must not be aware of."

I shared Sini's irritation. "Mom, you've made your dramatic entrance and have our attention. Now, tell us what this is all about."

"I'm trying." She pointed at the conference table. "This will take some time and some of the memories may not be pleasant, so perhaps we should sit."

Sini sat in her vine etched muhrwood chair. Mom sat next to her and motioned for me to sit beside Sini. "It started when your grandfather was assassinated in these very quarters. You've heard how the Sisterhood sheltered your mother and father immediately afterwards."

"Of course, we have, Mother. You've told us hundreds of times. Colonel Nhoth declared martial law and wanted to appoint a regency. You had then Captain Kiptani's chopter transport Zhun'Mar, Mirae, and Tarnlot to the middle of the Rwohn Steppes, where you whisked them away to safety. Then, the Sibyls sheltered Zhun'Mar while you helped Tarnlot destroy the Radani Armada during Phargon and the Blitz at Tirgot III."

Mom giggled. "That's a little short on the harrowing details, but isn't a bad summary." Her fingers rubbed her pendant and she fixed her eyes on Sini. "Haven't you ever wondered how I managed to snatch your parents and your Uncle Tarnlot from the middle of the Rwohn Steppes without Colonel Nhoth's troops being able to find any trace of us despite their intensive search?"

I wondered if she intended to waste our time with a history lesson. "Mom, everyone knows Kiptani brought you time by staging a fake crash. They were searching for dead bodies, not live ones."

Mom didn't take her eyes off Sini. "That made a good cover-up. Neither the Koah nor Vhirko Command wanted to acknowledge that the Sisterhood had somehow managed to make Zhun'Mar vanish without a trace and then transport him undetected over 1,500 kilometers.

"Sini, your father knew immediately what had happened. That he'd traveled from the middle of the Steppes to the Sisterhood's Gathering Dome using hyperspace."

Sini shoulders moved up and down. She was silent for a moment. "I can't believe he never told me?"

"He, like the Sisterhood, understood what would happen if the ability to manipulate hyperspace fell into the wrong hands. He agreed, and made the others agree, that they would never reveal what had happened."

My mind raced at the concept of instant transfer to any place on the planet through another dimension. "Awesome. That means you Sibyls can transport any place you want at any time."

Mom finally took her eyes off Sini and turned towards me. "It's not that simple. To travel through hyperspace involves two variables: existence of two portals, one to enter and one to exit, and the knowledge of the oscillation factor between those two portals. It takes several cycles of uninterrupted continuous work to create a portal, and just as long to ascertain the oscillation factor to determine when transport between the portals is possible."

Sini pulled on her ear. "Then, how were you able to construct a portal in this room?"

"You never knew your Uncle Tarnlot," Mom said softly, "but he was a determined man who couldn't be stopped once he set his mind to something. After Tarnlot and I returned from Tirgot III, he insisted that I create a hyperportal here and one at Arvor Castel. Tarnlot didn't want Zhun'Mar to be trapped in his quarters and assassinated the way their father had been. He wanted Zhun'Mar to have an escape route in such a situation.

"The Sisterhood debated for over a loop, and Tarnlot hounded me constantly to begin. Finally, we consented to the creation of two portals, one here and one at the Castel. Outside the Sisterhood, only Zhun'Mar, Mirae, and Tarnlot knew of their existence. The plan was that Zhun'Mar would tell you after your investiture." A tear formed in Mom's eye. "Unfortunately, the Tamok kept that from happening."

Sini closed her eyes and her lips quivered. Mom took her in her arms. Sini began to sob. "It's okay," Mom said softly.

"Cayko," Sini said between sobs. "Without Father's wisdom and Mother's strength, I don't think I can bear it any longer. I am so afraid. You and Kuinsi are all I have left."

The two of them stood there embracing with tears flowing and Mom murmuring, "Go ahead, dear one, let it out."

I knew Mom was right, that a good cry on Mom's shoulder would help Sini. While Sini sobbed, I reflected on Mom's revelations. Some key questions remained. How could Sini access the portals? Where was the exit portal? What happened if the entry and exit portals' oscillation factors weren't in synch, would Sini be trapped?

After a few milli, Sini stood back, and with the back of her hand, wiped her cheeks. "Mom would never have let her emotions overwhelm her like that. If only I could be iron-willed like her."

Mom grabbed both of Sini's hands. "There is nothing wrong with acknowledging your emotions in private with those you trust."

Sini sobbed again. "I'm afraid I've let my temper get the best of me in public a couple times recently. Ask Kuinsi."

Mom tilted her head. Sini and I hadn't told her previously about the nightmares, and knowing my mother, if I told her, she'd spend the remainder of the spin quizzing me about my research. I wanted to keep the discussion on the portals. "She's had a tiring few spins and has been a little irritable."

"You do look exhausted." Mom patted Sini's hand. "Make sure you get a good sleep tonight."

"I'm trying," Sini replied in a monotone.

Sini's lip quivered and I was afraid she'd bring up nightmares. "Mom, you haven't explained how Sini can access the escape portal."

Mom glanced at her chronometer. "There's no time. The Vhirko will check on Sini at any moment. I'll be back at the same time tomorrow."

She pointed her pendant at Mhikhel's portrait. Bright light flashed on the wall. Mom stepped into the light and disappeared. The light evaporated.

Before I could say anything, the chamber door swung open. Two Vhirko crouched at battle ready stood in the doorway. They split, each circling half the chamber's great room, heads pivoting to scan every minim of the room. They met in front of the bedroom door. They nodded at each other. One placed her back against the wall, the other darted into the bedroom. The bedroom was on the other side of the wall where Mhikhel's picture hung. My breath lightened. Had Mom ended up in the bedroom?

Footsteps crossed the bedroom's muhrwood floor. What would happen when the Vhirko saw the High Sibyl in Sini's bedroom? How could we explain that? The Vhirko reappeared at the doorway. "It is secure," the Vhirko in the bedroom shouted. She stepped out and the two Vhirko marched out of the chamber. The door closed.

I took a couple deep breaths to calm my thumping heart. "Was that a coincidence or did they suspect something? They looked dreadfully serious."

Sini shook her head. "You know better. You've seen it before, and it's the same every time. They're always so stone-faced that not even Ghaeah could tell what they're thinking."

I shivered. "Well, it gives me the willies."

Sini pointed a finger at me. "You wonder why I'm cracking up? On top of not being able to sleep, I have someone bursting into my room every deci."

"We've another deci, so let me see the Ring."

-4-

Rwohn Compound

Planet Tirano

I stood at the window and tried to stand still and look at the vineyard that cascaded down the hillside. I couldn't. For at least the hundredth time, I paced back and forth between the window and my desk. The day had been one of the most frustrating of my life. Mom leaves all of the important aspects of the hyperspace portals unanswered. I inspected every grape on the Golden Vine Ring's cluster, and each was composed of the same precious opal stone. Then to top it all off, Cellar Master Moheix was ill and Sini and I had to postpone inventorying Zhun'Mar's wines. When I said goodbye to Sini, she'd never looked so miserable. I felt responsible because I couldn't figure out what was causing the nightmares.

Because I was wound so tight, I knew the only way I could calm down and begin to think straight was to prepare what Dad called "the honorary fifth P," risotto. Not only is it a soothing form of comfort food, its preparation let me take advantage of my hyperactivity. I grabbed an onion, chopped it into fine pieces, dumped the pieces in a sauce pan, and sautéed them in oil. When the onion became limp, I added a cup of short grain rice and stirred to coat the rice with oil. After a couple milli, I poured a small amount of white wine and listened to the sizzle. After the wine was absorbed, I poured in enough chicken stock to barely cover the rice and onions. The key to good risotto is to stir continually and as the rice absorbs the stock to add just enough stock to keep the rice barely covered. After twenty or so milli, the risotto started to become creamy. I added some finely grated hard cheese and continued to stir for a few more milli. I tasted, the risotto was the way I liked it, slightly past al dente.

The risotto, some crusty bread, and a glass of a white vehoner wine performed their usual magic. My muddled mind could concentrate again. Because the Golden Vine Ring's cluster contained only precious opal and Sini slept with the Ring off, then only one viable explanation existed. Something else was transmitting the nightmares to Sini's implant.

Since the nightmares had begun, Sini had only slept in two places: her private chambers at Arvor Castel or Rwohn Compound. What would happen if she slept somewhere else? If no nightmares, that meant something in her rooms had been rigged to transmit. I'd have Sini find a reason to change sleeping quarters. If that worked, she wouldn't sleep in her rooms again until I'd torn them apart and found the culprit.

I looked at my chron. Even though I wanted to race to Sini's quarters and get started, I couldn't. Given the late deci, unless there was a state emergency, the Vhirko wouldn't let me pass, and unfortunately, I couldn't access the hyperportal. I did, though, have the secret way of contacting Sini by semaphore.

I crossed to my desk, actuated my companel, and hoped Sini hadn't turned off her vid-con. I typed in my code name, "Zinfandel," and then Sini's, "Warrior Princess." In the message block, I typed: "I've got an idea. Send a Vhirko to get me. Zinfandel." I pushed the transmit icon.

If Sini's vid-con was activated, she'd see the message immediately. After a quarter deci, I realized she must have turned it off. Hopefully, that meant she was resting. I couldn't do anything more until morning.

If I couldn't see Sini, at least I could view a chapter or two of the novel. I grabbed the archive, my reader, and headed into my bedroom. I laid back on my pillow and activated the reader. A rainbow of colors swirled until Aos Whey-ki's image formed. "Rewind to two lacti before where I stopped last night," I said.

A slight blur and then her eyes focused on me. "I am Aos Whey-ki. My story begins decades ago on Terra prior to the onset of the Precession of the Equinoxes Cataclysm. I'd been summoned to the Royal Palace at Amphora."

-5-

Royal Palace

Amphora, Gondwana

The prestigious academic journals refused to publish my article, Precession of the Equinoxes Cataclysm. They called it unverifiable speculation, not empirical research. One rejection even referred to me as the Sibyl of Doom and suggested I would have better luck if I submitted my work to the Soothsayer Journal. Out of frustration, I posted the article on the Gondwana National University Open Forum.

The article was posted for two weeks before anyone opened its site, and then no more activity. Imagine my surprise when a week later the Imperatora of Gondwana, Mari Khang, invited me and my two children to Gondwana Castle the next day to discuss my "research." She also suggested that I pull the article off the Forum. I did so immediately. One does not refuse the Imperatora's invitation or suggestion.

I didn't sleep all night. The Imperatora of Gondwana didn't invite university professors to the Castle to socialize. And why would she insist that my children accompany me? I didn't know the answer, but my gut told me to expect the worst.

Gondwana Castle sat on the peak of Mt. Erebus. Surrounded by the greenery of Mt. Erebus' virgin alder forest, the ivory castle seemed to float above the encircling plains. From the lookout of its central turret, the Imperatora enjoyed a 360 degree view of sprawling Gondwana City with its ten million inhabitants.

No roads or trails for ground transport traversed the Mt. Erebus forest. Gondwana Castle could only be accessed via air skimmer. The Imperatora ordered us to wait at the forest's southern taxi-port for one of her personal skimmers. While I paced on the tarmac, Kwenerra and Ahrtzor sat on the bench playing a compchess. The petite Kwenerra looked like a child but was 16 going on 40, while the lanky Ahrtzor was just 12 and still possessed the joy of childhood. Their composure surprised me. I hadn't said anything, but they were intelligent enough to understand as well as I did why Khang ordered them to accompany me. They were the pawns she would use to force me to accept whatever she intended.

The whine of a skimmer engine descending broke the silence. I stepped next to the bench. The skimmer floated into view. "Look Mom," Ahrtzor screamed over the whine, "the Imperatora's skimmer really is made of gold."

Kwenerra wrinkled her nose. "Do you know how many years the cost of that skimmer could support research to find ways to survive the Cataclysm."

"I don't care," Ahrtzor replied. "I want one just like it when I grow up."

The skimmer touched down and the side door flung open. Kwenerra and Ahrtzor rose and we held hands. A chubby-faced man in an ivory robe lowered a ramp and waddled toward us.

"I've never see a eunuch before," Kwenerra whispered in my ear. "They really are chubby midgets."

The man stopped in front of us and dipped his head. "Professora Whey-ki, I am Grand Eunuch Rohfek." He pointed toward the skimmer. "I am to pilot you and your children. Please follow me."

When I entered the skimmer, the opulence overwhelmed me. I'd never seen so much silk and gold etching in my life. The goose-down seats were as big as my bed, and softer.

"Please be seated," Rohfek said as he waddled to the pilot's seat.

"A eunuch has no use for such a bed," Ahrtzor said with a wink. "Give me a bed and I'd put it to good use."

Kwenerra looked horrified. "Get your mind out of the gutter," she hissed.

We didn't have enough time to enjoy the luxury. The flight to the Castle's rooftop port lasted only a couple minutes. When the skimmer's engine stopped humming, the eunuch waddled to the door and lowered the ramp. "Follow me. The Imperatora awaits."

I stopped at the end of the ramp to marvel at the view from the Castle's rooftop; a view that an ordinary citizen like me normally could only see on vids. White marble houses with terra-cotta rooftops lining palm-lined boulevards of Amphora City spread below for as far as I could see. After the awe wore off, I wondered why the Imperatora would not at least try to prevent the destruction of a civilization that produced such grandeur?

She would try; she had to, I thought. She'd realized my conclusions were irrefutable and had summoned me in order to find out what could be done. She'd put all of Gondwana's resources into finding a way to salvage as much of Gondwana as possible.

My jaw dropped when I saw the Imperatora herself waiting at the Central Turret door. Her henna-tinted hair and single-shouldered vermillion gown heightened her elegant olive complexion and hazel eyes. The effect was even more stunning in person than in her vids, which I had always assumed had been edited to make her look so beautiful.

The eunuch opened the turret door and bowed. The Imperatora nodded and the eunuch stepped aside. She stepped forward and extended her hand. I grabbed her hand and curtsied; marveling at the silky texture of her skin. "Please stand, Professora Whey-ki," she said in her husky alto tone.

She stepped by me to stand in front of Kwenerra and Ahrtzor. "So these are your children." Even though she towered over them both and her eyes scanned them from head to toe, her demeanor displayed only friendship. "As I have heard, you, Kwenerra, are the image of your mother. And you, young Ahrtzor, you possess the Gondwana features of your deceased father. Your parents did indeed unite to combine the best of Gondwana and Owyhee."

I had no doubt that the Imperatora's flattery was intended to remind me that I was a foreigner, legally permitted to remain in Gondwana after my husband's death only because of my children. I forced myself to maintain a bland expression.

She turned back to me. "Professora, if you will come with me, we have much to discuss."

She nodded to the eunuch. "Grand Eunuch Rohfek will give the children a tour of the Castle while I talk with the Professora."

Ahrtzor smiled, "Awesome." Kwenerra stiffened; her eyes darted toward me. I reflexively bit my lip.

The Imperatora tilted her head. "Professora, that is not why I called you here. They will be well taken care of. You have my word no harm will come of them."

I nodded to Kwenerra. She took a deep breath and followed the eunuch. They walked to the end of the hallway and down the staircase.

The Imperatora reached to the neckline of her gown and pulled out a trine necklace with an opal pendant. "I wish to talk to you where we will not be disturbed." She pointed the pendant at the wall. A flash of bright light burst from her pendant and blurred my vision. I shut my eyes and turned my head. She grabbed my hand and pulled me forward.

A freezing coldness enveloped me and sucked me forward. "No," I screamed. Frigid air chafed my face. Penetrating cold bit into my fingers and climbed up my arms. My legs became numb. The Imperatora had bamboozled me. She intended to flash-freeze me to keep my silence. I prayed for Kwenerra and Ahrtzor's safety.

The Imperatora's hand clamped my frigid fingers and pulled. "Step toward me," she said.

I didn't know if this was more of the Imperatora's trickery, but at that moment anything seemed preferable to freezing to death. I shivered and stepped forward. Warm air caressed me. I blinked my eyes into focus. The Imperator had a mocking smile on her face. "The first time in hyper is always the worst," she said.

I glanced around. The Imperatora stood next to me; her eyes fixed on me like a cat's on a cornered mouse. We were in a white paneled room with no windows or doors. The room's only furniture consisted of a single desk with an egg-shaped monitor out of which emerged a single thin wire.

"Am I being imprisoned?"

The Imperatora's eyes twinkled as if she enjoyed my discomfort. "I'd hoped my dramatic presentation of hyperspace manipulation would have resulted in a different reaction."

It took a moment to sink in. "Hyperspace," I mumbled. "Travel through another dimension. Impossible." I stepped to the nearest wall and ran my hands along its surface, searching for a hidden entrance.

The Imperatora looked at me as if I were an errant child. "Go ahead. Search the whole room. You will find no doorways in or out. My private study can only be accessed through a hyperportal."

I lowered my hands. "Hyperspace transport remains a theoretical concept. If it had been discovered, it would have been published in every journal. All the world would know."

"Oh come now, Professora. Surely, you're not that naive."

I didn't know how to respond and stood silently.

She came and stood in front of me. She lowered her head and locked eyes with me. "Certain knowledge should not be shared with the general populace - for its own good. One is hyperspace." She placed her hand on my shoulder. "Another is the Precession Cataclysm. The public must think of both are fantasies."

I shook my head. "I disagree, Imperatora. Everyone needs to know so they can prepare for the Cataclysm."

"And what are they to prepare for but certain death? Have you considered the panic and despair that would create? Lawless violence would destroy Gondwana long before the Cataclysm."

I stiffened my back. "You sell your people short. With strong leadership, they would support a massive effort to insure that some survive and that civilization's scientific knowledge is preserved."

She walked to the desk and grabbed a sheet of paper. "Listen to your own words:

I have run the projections over and over, hoping each time that they are wrong. To my regret, the result is always the same. The world's lithosphere, the thin outer crust of our planet, will soon slip thirty degrees. The effects of this displacement will be horrendous: unceasing volcanic eruptions as seismic faults split open on every mountain range, massive earthquakes on the ocean floors creating unimaginable tidal waves that will obliterate coastal regions, and skies darkened from volcanic ash turning the climate everywhere into an ice age. Unless appropriate steps are started immediately, only a handful will survive this cataclysm, and they will be the unlucky ones. They will be blasted back to a stone age where their lives will consumed by a day-to-day struggle merely to exist. It will take at least 12,000 years for civilization to rise again.

She laid the sheet back on the desk. "Thank the Goddess that the rest of your article consists of so much scientific gibberish and esoteric equations that it's incomprehensible. Otherwise, if anyone other than my people had stumbled on to it, panic would already have overtaken Gondwana and no one would be safe, including you and your lovely children."

Me eyes tightened. "If you think I'm a crackpot," my voice wavered, "you didn't need to summon me here to ridicule my work."

She laughed softly. "My dear Professora, you wouldn't be here if I thought you were a crackpot. You're here because you're one of those I wish to help escape the Cataclysm."

-6-

Rwohn Compound

Planet Tirano

The risotto and Aos Whey-ki's fantasy tale had their desired effect. My mind had been wound so tight the night before that the obvious had blown past me. The cause of Sini's nightmares should have been obvious if I had been thinking straight. I'd been on the right track with the concept that Sini only slept in two places: her private chambers at Arvor Castel and at Rwohn Compound. I hadn't, however, connected the dots to the obvious connection. Those were the same two places that the Sibyls had constructed hyperportals. Somehow, the portals were interfering with Sini's implant. I'd interrogate Mom until I found out why and how.

When the time to go to Sini's chambers finally arrive, I stomped through the hallways. My determination must have shown because the Vhirko opened the door and said, "The Queen is waiting."

Sini sat at the head of the alcove's conference table, two pots of tea in front of her. Her sunken eyes told me she'd had another sleepless night. She gulped a cup of tea before she nodded at the Vhirko to close the door.

"I just activated my vid-con and saw your message. You've figured it out?"

"You bet you. You only sleep two places, right?"

She nodded.

"And in both places, the Sibyls constructed a hyperportal. I don't know how yet, but those portals are interfering with your implant. And you can also be that I'm going to get the answer out of Mom."

Sini pulled on her earlobe. "Why would the Sibyls want to drive me insane?"

I reflected for a moment. "I don't think it's intentional. They don't know programming for your implant. Their portals are creating some cellular interference they probably aren't even aware of. When Mom arrives, I'll try to determine how to neutralize the interference."

Sini pulled on her ear lobe. "Father never complained about lack of sleep and was never irritable like I've been. Why didn't father experience the interference?"

I hoped Sini wouldn't take wrong what I was about to say. "My guess is because you're female. Your implant interacts slightly different because of the female chromosome."

Before Sini could respond her vid-con buzzed. "It's the blasted guard again," she said. "Can't I have a few moments without them bothering me?"

I shared her exasperation. We'd get nothing accomplished if the Vhirko interrupted us every time some one wanted to talk to Sini. "See what it is," I said. "Mom will be here any minute and we don't want any interruptions."

Sini pushed the vid-con reply icon. "Yes, Corporal."

"The High Sibyl requests an immediate audience."

What, in Ghaeah's name, was Mom up to now, I wondered?

"Tell her she may see me as soon as she arrives."

"She's here now," the Vhirko replied.

Sini's back stiffened and the vein in her neck pulsed. She glared at me.

"I didn't know," I mouthed.

Sini stood. "Admit the High Sibyl."

Compared to yesterday's ceremonial dress, Mom's red Sibyl frock looked sedate. She dipped her head to Sini. "Your Highness."

"High Sibyl," Sini replied. She turned to the Vhirko. "You may leave, and no more interruptions unless it's an emergency. Understood?"

"Yes, your Highness."

No one said a word until the door closed.

"By the Belts, Mom, what are you up to?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked in her rhetorical tone.

Mom can be so frustrating. "Only to you."

"Well, then, I'll say it slowly so you can understand. There will be less to worry about if the Vhirko know I'm supposed to be here. I don't have to transport every time they conduct their patrols."

I glared at her the way Sini had earlier at me. "You should have told us."

"Don't be so petulant, dear. You knew when I was supposed to arrive, and here I am. So let's get to work."

As usual, Mom was right, but that didn't stop my irritation with her Sibyl secretiveness of not telling us her plans in advance. I hoped she'd drop the Sibyl veil of secrecy long enough to help me figure the reason for the portal's interference with Sini's implant. Otherwise, I might never be able to do so.

"Where do we start?" Sini asked.

I rushed to speak first. "Mom's going to explain how you can access the hyperportals. Before she does, though, I've got a few questions."

Mom gave Sini her "all-knowing" smile. "I'd be shocked if he didn't."

Sini smiled back. "Oh, I'm sure he has several." She pointed at the wingback leather chairs in the sitting area next to the conference alcove. "You'll be more comfortable in a soft seat."

Mom perched herself on a chair, her feet dangling above the ivory tiled-floor. "Now, son, what is it you want to know?"

I exhaled. "You left so many things unexplained that I'm not certain where to start."

Mom snorted. "I doubt that. You were probably up all night making a list."

She shook her head at Sini. "And I bet you did too. I told you to get a good night's sleep and you clearly didn't."

"What you told me yesterday made it difficult to sleep." Sini chewed on her lip. "Why did you wait so long to tell me?"

"Until two spins ago, I couldn't be certain that your father hadn't told you. After the portals were created, we set up a procedure where Zhun'Mar tested them once each cycle. Because the Vhirko watched you constantly for the first three cycles, I knew you couldn't test the portals and there was no way I could show you. When you missed the test date this cycle, it confirmed you didn't know. Thus, yesterday's dramatics."

"But Mom, you said Zhun'Mar wasn't to tell Sini until her investiture. How could she know?"

Mom rolled her eyes. "Kuinsi, you studied Sibyl history to know that the Arvors never feel obligated to obey the Sisterhood."

"I guess, one of them" Sini's voice cracked, "did this time."

"I know it's difficult, but you need to know." Mom reached out for Sini's hand. "He would have wanted you to."

Sini pulled her hand back. "Then he should have told me." Her shoulders tensed.

I needed to calm Sini and keep her temper from flaring again. "If your father promised the Sisterhood that he wouldn't tell you until your investiture, end of story. You know as well as I do, that he would never break a pledge. That's why we all loved him and followed him."

Sini lowered he head and wiped away a tear. "It's all so unfair."

Mom reached for Sini's hand, and this time Sini didn't pull it away.

"Mom," I said, "do the portals emit cellular transmissions detectable outside of hyperspace?"

"I can't believe you asked that. Of course not. The portals wouldn't be secret if they transmitted any energy detectable in normal space."

That answer didn't support my hypothesis, but I wasn't convinced. "If the portals can't be detected, then how is Sini supposed to access them?"

Mom patted Sini's hand. "That's what I'm here to explain, dear."

Sini nodded at me. "Let your mother explain. Perhaps, that will answer some of your questions."

Sini was right. My questions hadn't gotten anywhere. "Okay, Mom, tell us."

Mom reached for her pendant. "The Sisterhood has mapped the location of every portal we've created. Anyone with the proper access codes can use a pendant to obtain their locations and their oscillation factors."

My eyes widened. "You're going to give Sini a pendant?"

"She doesn't need it. The Golden Vine Ring will open her portals".

Sini held out her hand and stared at the Ring. "Show me," she said.

This wasn't going at all like I wanted. None of my concerns had been addressed and Sini was ready to launch into learning how to use the Ring. But sometimes when you've lost control, especially to two brilliant females, it's best to stand back and hope you learn something.

"Do you know which grape your father inserted on the cluster?" Mom asked.

Sini shook her head.

"Then, I'll show you," Mom said.

Sini's vid-console beeped. Her finger punched the reply icon so hard I thought it would crack. "This better be important, Corporal."

The Vhirko maintained a stone-faced look. "Count Nhoth and a delegation from the Assembly demand an immediate holo-conference."

Sini's face reddened. "They demand?"

"Yes, your Highness."

"Open channel," Sini's voice quivered with anger, "so I can tell them exactly what they can demand."

I recognized that tone; Sini's temper had snapped. Before I could say a word to calm her, the holos appeared. Count Nhoth stood in front surrounded by three other members of the Archonan Assembly. "Your High-" was as much as Nhoth could utter before Sini cut him off.

"Don't say one more word, Count," Sini's eyes hardened as they slid over Nhoth and the others. "No one demands a meeting with the Sovereign. If you want a meeting, I suggest that you contact my staff and request a meeting. Do you understand?"

To my surprise, Nhoth gave Sini a challenging stare. "If I failed observe proper protocol, I beg forgiveness," he said unctuously. "However, we must speak. The Assembly is in an uproar over your refusal to approve the budget. A minority has proposed holding a hearing." He paused and pinched his double chin, "Regarding the legitimacy of your succession. I have used my influence to avert such a hearing, but I may not be able to hold them off for long."

Sini's face turned redder than Mom's gown. "I may be young and a woman, but I will not be intimidated into agreeing to your obscene budget. If you wish to hold any hearings, that is your business. Mine is to rule in the manner I believe is in this planet's best interest, even if you and your cronies don't like it. Now get out of my sight and don't even think of contacting me again unless you have a budget that my father and my grandfather would have accepted."

The holos evaporated. Sini clenched her fists. "Why do they continue to treat me like a child?" she asked Mom.

"Because you sit on the Golden Vine Throne," Mom looked at me, "and your closest advisor is only half-Tiranoan." She turned back to Sini. "The two of you threaten the very thing they hold dearest: their special privileges merely because they were born Archonan. Your father and I hoped we would have had more time to prepare you, and them. Unfortunately, life never follows a script."

Sini's shoulders slumped. "Then, what am I to do?"

Mom smiled. "You know the answer to that; you've already said it. What your father and your grandfather would have done. Do what is best for Tirano, not what appeases some Archonan reactionaries like Rohfek. The KaNoa already adore you both for what you represent and for who you are. The Archonan will come around eventually."

Sini hugged Mom. "Cayko, you make it sound so easy."

"It's never easy," Mom said, "and who knows what perils lie ahead, emotional and physical. Which is why I need to show you the portals."

"Are you trying to scare me?" Sini said softly.

"No. To prepare you. As strong as your father and grandfather were, they met untimely ends. I want to protect you as much as I can."

Sini nodded. "Let's continue then before the Vhirko intrude."

Mom touched one of the grapes with her forefinger. "Your father's grape is the icon that opens the portal."

"How's it do that," I asked.

"If pointed at the portal and tapped rapidly three times, it emits a particle wave that activates the portal for five lacti."

Mom looked at Sini. "Ready to try?"

Sini nodded hesitantly. She turned her hand so that the Ring's grape cluster pointed towards the wall where Mhikhel's portrait hung. She tapped the Ring. Nothing happened.

"Try again," Mom said. "You have to be careful only to tap your father's grape."

"Wouldn't it be easier with a stylus?" Sini asked.

"The cluster must recognize Arvor genetics to activate, and that requires a skin cell to read."

Sini tapped again. The effulgent circle appeared. Sini's eyes widened. "It worked," she whispered.

The light dissolved.

"This time open the portal and we'll transport through," Mom said.

"Is it dangerous?" Sini asked.

"Not to worry," Mom said. "Follow me and do exactly as I do. Step into the portal, take another step, and you're out the exit portal. Don't dawdle. The exit portal closes in fifteen lacti."

That bothered me. "Isn't that dangerous? Couldn't Sini could get trapped?"

"Don't be silly, Kuinsi," Sini said. "If I can't take two steps in fifteen lacti, I deserve to be trapped. What worries me is where the exit portal will take me."

That was my second worry.

"This portal and the one at Arvor Castel access the same exit portal," Mom said. "It leads to a place you'll always be safe. Follow me and see."

Sini glanced in the direction of the chamber door. "What if the Vhirko come in while we're gone?"

"We're only been gone a few lacti. Once we're on the other side, you can open the portal on that side and return here. The whole thing should last no more than sixty lacti."

I wasn't going to miss out and stepped behind Sini. "I'm coming too."

"That's Sini's decision, not mine," Mom replied.

"Of course he can. I have no secrets from him," Sini said without hesitation.

"Sini, first, then Kuinsi. I'll come last to make sure you move quickly."

Sini took a deep breath. She stared at Mhikhel's portrait. "I've heard so many stories that Grandfather's favorite saying was that he only trusted what his gut told him. Wouldn't he be shocked to know I aim at his gut to open a hyperportal."

"And I was the one he usually said it to," Mom said softly. She looked at Sini. "You ready?"

Sini walked closer to the wall with me and then Mom in her wake. She tapped the Ring. The portal glowed. Sini stepped forward and disappeared. Mom shoved me in the back and I stepped forward. A bitter cold enveloped me. The cold bit into my fingers and toes and climbed up my legs. I stopped to shiver. Mom's hand pushed me in the back and I remembered to step forward. A warm hand clamped my frigid fingers.

"Step toward me," a feminine voice said.

Warm air caressed me, and I blinked his eyes into focus. A young Sibyl in a hooded red robe stood in front of me, a smile on her face. "Lord Chancellor, welcome," she said.

The Sibyl reached out her hand and Mom stepped out of nothingness. "I told you not to stop. Always keep moving."

Mom didn't have to say the rest. If the portal had closed I would have been trapped in hyperspace.

Chastised, I glanced around. Sini stood next to the young Sibyl. We stood in a vast domed chamber that appeared to be carved out of black granite. "What is this place?" I asked.

"The Gathering Dome," Mom replied. "It can only be accessed via hyperspace."

Mom turned to Sini. "There is always a Sister on duty to help anyone who comes through. Sini, if you ever need refuge, you'll be safe here for as longs as necessary."

Sini glanced at the Golden Vine Ring and nodded. "How do I get back to the Castel?"

"The same process you used to get here." Mom pointed at a small red square painted on the wall we stepped out of. "Point the Ring there and activate it."

Sini pointed the Ring.

"Okay," Mom said, "Let's return."

-7-

Kuinsi's Chamber

Rwohn Compound

Planet Tirano

The hyperspace travel seemed to peel away Sini's fatigue. Her complexion showed some color for the first time in weeks and the bags under her eyes evaporated. Perhaps, her improved spirits would beat off the nightmares for one night, and with luck, hyperspace may have somehow magically effected a cure. I prayed so, because I didn't want to face the alternative. If I couldn't find any physical cause for her nightmares, I'd have to consider that the cause might be psychological.

I didn't want to explore that prospect tonight. Instead, I focused on Aos Whey-ki. Her description of hyperspace was identical to what I'd experienced today. I wondered how could an ancient archive be so accurate. It had to be a coincidence, but it heightened my curiosity to see what else the archive contained.

The archive remained in my reader on the table next to my bed. I stretched out on the bed and activated the reader. "Continue from where I stopped last night."

The rainbow coalesced. Aos Whey-ki's image appeared and she spoke in her lilting accent.

-8-

Royal Palace

Amphora, Gondwana

Imagine my shock - and elation. We would be saved from the cataclysm. The Imperatora wanted me and my children to be on the mother ship, the Gaea, to a new planet where we would help establish New Amphora.

The Imperatora had cleverly managed to keep the prodigious project from public disclosure. The Imperatorial Armada's probes had located a planet in orbit around Eridani that would support human life. At a space station in synchronous orbit with the dark side of the moon, the Armada constructed a ship the size of Mt. Erebus. The Starship Gaea contained everything needed to establish the colony: building materials, foodstuffs, animals, seeds and plants, and of course, dormant rootstock and grafts from Gondwana's finest vineyards.

The Gaea's crew consisted of Armada personnel, officer and enlisted; a handful of civilian scientists, which included me; and the Imperatora's most-trusted eunuchs, Grand Eunuchs Rohfek and Nhoth, who shared command of the Gaea as the Imperatora's voices. Each crew member was permitted to bring along his or her immediate family, even the eunuchs, who to my surprise each had a clone child.

After the Precession Cataclysm commenced, the Imperatora and her retinue would follow in a transport ship. Because of her transport's faster speed, she would catch up with us and assume personal command before we arrived in Eridani.

I was honored when the Imperatora asked me to create the computer research network on both the Gaea and Terra New. The Gaea would depart on the summer solstice, a mere two months away. Kwenerra, Ahrtzor, and I were transported to the Gaea where I spent the two months selecting and categorizing archives to download to the ship's computers. Kwenerra became my valued assistant while Ahrtzor attached himself to Rohfek and Nhoth's cloned sons, who he called the Dittos. I was glad he found friends who would some day assume important positions on Terra New.

Our departure was uneventful; the Imperatora didn't even attend so as to maintain the tight secrecy. We launched and for weeks I watched blue-and-white streaked Terra shrink as it grew more distant. Terra had become a glistening pinhole of light when catastrophe struck.

Kwenerra, Ahrtzor, and I were in our cabin eating our evening rations. "Cabin" and "rations" do not adequately express the quality of life on the Gaea prior to the catastrophe. Because of my position as head of computer archiving, our cabin was in the Archons Quarters on the upper most deck of the Gaea. In comparison to this cabin, our Amphora home seemed like a hovel. The cabin consisted of a spacious great room, a combined living room, dining room, and kitchen; and a separate bedroom and bath for each of us. Our rations were plentiful and consisted of fresh produce grown in the ship solarium and fish farmed in the ship's artificial lake. Ahrtzor had even began to gain some weight. We also received a monthly ration of wine from Gondwana's finest vineyards so we would have a supply of the sulfenols to prevent an outbreak of bubo-plague.

The Gaea's vid-communicator announced that Admiral Tani would address all ship personnel. The Admiral communicated ship-wide periodically to keep everyone informed of our progress. I assumed this would be the same. Unconcerned, we continued to eat.

The video-communication screen brightened and the Admiral's lanky image appeared. He stood at attention in the center of the command deck. Behind him several flight officers huddled next to the rear wall's semi-circular control panels. The Admiral appeared calm, but several of the officers rocked back and forth on their heels and one waved his arms in the air.

"Thirty minutes ago our scans detected a previously undetected object that lies directly in our path," the Admiral said. "The object has not moved since it was detected. However, our probe waves pass through the its location, indicating no corporeal object is there. The consensus is that the object is a blind pinpoint on the scanner terminals caused by a scanning malfunction.

"In order to continue our progress to Eridani, Imperatora's Voices Rohfek and Nhoth have ordered us not to delay while we run diagnostics on the scanning equipment. Even though we will continue on our present course, prudence dictates caution. If the diagnostics have not succeeded in determining whether a malfunction exists, we will deviate from our path long enough to avoid the area the scanners indicate for the object.

"If we need to detour, we will commence our course change at," the Admiral glanced over his shoulder. Before he could turn his head back, the Gaea wobbled and began to spin. The Admiral's legs flew out from under him. He landed on his back. Our video screen blackened.

The spin picked up more and more speed and the Gaea seemed to sink as if it were sucked down a drain. I looked at Kwenerra and Ahrtzor. He pushed Kwenerra under the table. "Get under," he screamed at me.

I crawled under the table and huddled next to Kwenerra. She started to sob and I held her tight. Ahrtzor joined us, a defiant look on his face. "That idiot Voice Rohfek," he said through clenched teeth. "If we survive, he'll pay for this."

The further the descent, the faster the Gaea rotated. Every particle of the Gaea wailed in an effort to hold together. I fought the overwhelming vertigo. Our dishes flew off the table and ceiling tiles crashed. I counted the seconds and wondered how long until the ship broke apart and we would be sucked into the vacuum of space.

The Gaea's engine boosters began to reverberate. The spinning stopped, but our plummet continued unabated. The boosters reverberation turned into a groan that increased to a roar. The Gaea shuddered. The plummet slowed, then stopped. The Gaea wobbled, then listed to the rear.

I lowered my head. Silence had never sounded so wonderful.

"Do you think it's safe to get up?" I asked.

"Wait," Ahrtzor said. "Hopefully, the all-clear signal will sound."

The vid-comm crackled. We peered out from under the table. The Admiral's face appeared. Blood dripped from a gash on the side of his face. "The flight deck crew has managed to stabilize the ship." He grimaced. "We are unable, however, to engage thrust from the booster engines and cannot propel the Gaea. A crew has been detailed to inspect them. Please keep your vid-comms open. We will report to you as soon as we know more."

We crawled out from the table. Broken tiles littered the floor.

"Will they be able to repair the engines?" Ahrtzor asked.

"Oh, I'm sure they can," I said with more conviction than I felt.

"That was scary. I thought we'd never stop that awful descent," Kwenerra said. She walked over to her computer port. "I wonder how far off course we are."

"Me too," Ahrtzor said.

I picked up the shards of broken tiles and dishes. I headed toward the wasterator. "By the Goddess," Kwenerra shrieked.

I thought she must have cut herself on one of the broken tiles. I turned around. Kwenerra stood in front of the terminal, an ashen look on her face. Ahrtzor was clenching his fists.

"What is it?" I asked. "Did you cut yourself?"

"Mom," Ahrtzor said glaring at the terminal. "Come look at this."

I tiptoed over the shards. The screen contained two star maps, side-by-side. I recognized the one on the left. It showed our progress towards Eridani. I had no idea what the second was; I didn't recognize a single galaxy. Kwenerra pointed at the second. I leaned closer. Gaea's icon blinked in the center of the right map.

"Those idiots Rohfek and Nhoth," Ahrtzor said. "I knew they'd do something stupid just to earn the early arrival bonus. And they did. Now we're lost."

The hairs on my neck raised. "Early arrival bonus? They endangered us all for money?"

Ahrtzor snorted. "Something more important than money. The Imperatora promised them a drug that would re-grow their, their, ah," Ahrtzor paused, "you know."

Kwenerra's face reddened. "We're lost because a couple of eunuchs want to regrow their gonads. Men, with or without gonads, are so despicable. If we survive this, I swear by the Goddess that no man's genitalia will ever so much as touch me."

At that moment, I felt exactly the same.

-9-

Rwohn Compound

Planet Tirano

I stopped the archive and chuckled. Whoever wrote this archive had a great sense of humor (and courage) to write a story that made such a parody of the Rohfeks and the Nhoths. The Sibyls would also be offended by such a blasphemous use of the name Kwenerra. No wonder I'd ever heard of "Aos Whey-ki Journal: Terra New." The Archonan or the Sibyls probably managed to suppress any public release by paying off the author. Very interesting that Zhun'Mar had a copy. Knowing him, he probably found it as humorous as I have.

I fell asleep thinking about Kwenerra's vow of abstinence. I wondered if I was destined to be celibate even if I didn't make such a vow. The women I knew were either not to my liking (Archonan snobs) or Sibyls (who were sworn to a life of chastity).

I had no desire (prurient or intellectual) for any Archonan women, even if one of them would deign to have a relationship with a half-breed alien like me. They were uniformly dull-minded, and very few even approached being comely. On the other hand, the Sibyls were cute and intelligent (genetic engineering succeeded on that level), and I could always hope. After all, Mom broke her vow or else I wouldn't be here creating this archive. I'd really love to meet my dad and learn how he managed it; I could use some pointers.

I woke up clueless, both about any prospects on the female front and about any physical cause for Sini's nightmares. I doubted I'd solve the former soon, but I hoped for the best on the latter. Mom and I were to meet again with Sini this morning to practice accessing the hyperportals, and if Sini's nightmares had returned, I'd have to broach the subject of a psychological cause.

When the Vhirko opened the door to Sini's quarters, the familiar aroma of Mom's favorite green tea greeted me. Sini and Mom sat at the alcove table, each holding a glass of tea. Mom held her cup daintily with her thumb and forefinger and took a sip. Sini's back faced me, but I could see that her hand strangled her cup in a death grip. She raised it to her lips and gulped the cup dry.

Sini reached for the pot and refilled her cup before she looked at me. "That's the last drop. I'll send for another pot."

Her sunken and bloodshot eyes told me she'd spent another sleepless night. "No need. I've had some," I replied.

"I'm going to need more anyway. This tea is the only thing that jolts me alert in the morning and sustains me during the day."

Mom set her cup on its saucer. "Sini, do you think it's good to drink so much tea? Excessive tea alkaloid causes insomnia. Perhaps, that's why you're having trouble sleeping and are so irritable."

Sini's head jerked as if she'd been slapped.

"You shouldn't act surprised, Sini," Mom said gently. "With those bags under your eyes, your lack of sleep is obvious to anyone who's around you."

Mom raised her cup to her lips and blew on it. "And you, son," she said in a less gentle tone. "You're either oblivious or you're trying to hide from the problem. We both know you're not oblivious. So, do you want to tell me what's going on?"

Sini rose and stood next to me. "Have you figured anything out?"

I grimaced. "No."

Sini's hands grabbed mine. Her fingers were frigid. "Then, don't you think we'd better ask for some help from the only other person either of us trust?"

Mom hadn't lowered her tea cup and her eyes peeked at me over it. As much as I hadn't wanted Mom involved, I hadn't solved anything, and Sini was right. Mom was the only person we could trust. Better to eat some pride than to have Sini driven insane.

Still holding my hand, Sini sat back in her chair. She pulled me into the chair next to her. I'd no sooner sat than the vid-con beeped.

Sini gritted her teeth. "By the Belts! Does this have to happen every time I want privacy?"

She punched the answer icon. "Corporal, I told you. . ." Count Nhoth's pudgy face appeared. Sini's jaw dropped for a moment, replaced quickly by the reddening of anger. "How, how did you access my private line?"

He didn't reply immediately. His smug expression told me that Sini had reacted as he'd hoped.

"You've underestimated once again what the Assembly is capable of when you choose to challenge its prerogatives. You would have been much better off spending your time soliciting our advice," he glanced at me, "rather than closeting yourself with those who do not understand Tirano's heritage. Unless this budgetary impasse is resolved by close of session tomorrow, the Assembly will commence public hearings regarding the legality of your succession."

Sini laughed.

Nhoth pinched his double chin. "I assure you, this is no laughing matter."

Sini's laugh turned into a sneer. "Hold your hearings. We will see who's laughing when I publicly expose your budget during my response." She pushed the terminate icon and Nhoth evaporated.

"If only I felt as confidant as I talk." Sini's lip quivered. "People may care more about Mom's heritage and my gender than what Nhoth will portray as perqs of office."

Sini's words numbed me. All Tiranoan children, Archonan and KaNoa, were taught from the first day of school that the Sovereign's heritage had always been traced solely back to the leaders of the original ship, the Archonan. No prior Sovereign's genes had ever contained a drop of non-Archonan blood. Nor had a woman ever assumed the Golden Vine Throne.

"Do you really believe that?" Mom said softly. "Only a few Archonan reactionaries still care about the Sovereign being pure Archonan. Your Uncle Tarnlot changed all that when he defeated the Radani, and you reinforced it when you avenged your father's death by routing the Tamok. What's important now is that you're an Arvor."

A tear formed in the corner of her eye. "The Golden Vine Ring agrees with Nhoth."

Mom ran her hand through her hair. "What are you talking about?"

"I think you'd better sit down, Mom. This will take some time to explain."

Sini remained distraught, so I did most of the talking. For once, Mom listened without interrupting. I finished with an admission that I had wanted to avoid. "I've tried everything I can think of, but I haven't found anything on the Ring capable of transmitting Sini's nightmares. I, Sini and I, need your help."

Mom wrapped her fingers around her pendant and didn't say a word. "Let me see the Ring."

Sini started to remove the Ring.

"No, leave it on," Mom said. "I want to examine it while it's on your finger."

"By the Belts, Mom! Don't you ever pay attention to what I say. I told you, Sini has nightmares even when she takes the Ring off her finger."

Mom took Sini's hand. "I heard every word you said, dear, and I agree with your hypothesis. Something in the Ring is transmitting signals to Sini's implant. But if you couldn't find anything with the Ring off her finger, perhaps I can sense something while the Ring's on her finger."

I refused to say so, but I had to admit that was logical.

Mom stared at the Ring for several myria. She began to rub her fingers across the cluster the same as she did with her pendant when she contacted Vision. She stopped rubbing the clusters and set Sini's hand on the table. "Sini, I'm afraid I'm at the same place as Kuinsi." She tapped the cluster. "Stumped."

Sini's jaw tightened. "Why must this wretched thing curse me?" She jabbed the cluster with her forefinger and pushed until the tip of her finger turned red.

She pulled her finger back and looked at the tip. "It does hate me. It burned me."

""It was probably only you pushing so hard," I said.

Sini extended her hand. "Look."

I shook my head to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me. The clusters had turned pink. Sini's hand shook back and forth. "I can't stop it. What's happening to me?"

A white light arched from the Ring to the floor. It shimmered and turned into a rainbow. Each of the seven colors separated from the rainbow, straightened, and morphed into several human shapes. Each shape wore an ivory robe with Golden Vines embroidered in gold thread on its right front side. Slowly the faces formed.

I recognized three faces. One was King Mhikhel; another Mhikhel's father, King Pierre; and the third, Arvor the Great. I assumed the other four were also Kings. To my surprise, the figures walked toward each other and formed a huddle. They seemed to talk among themselves. "Mom, do you know what is happening?"

Mom's head rotated to view each figure. "By Ghaeah, the Arvors will never cease to amaze me. They somehow created interactive holos."

"I thought only the Sisterhood had perfected that," I whispered in Mom's ear.

"I did too," she said.

The burliest figure, King Mhikhel, stepped out of the huddle and walked to Mom. His bearded head moved up and down as if examining her. "I remember you. You're older, but still a cute little thing. You're, Caykondra, the High Sibyl that Tarnlot had the hots for."

He turned to Sini, looked at the Ring. His face turned red. He spun back towards Mom. "It's worse than I imagined. Not only did Tarnlot usurp his brother's birthright and wear the Ring, the two of you spawned this female that wears the Ring. That is why you are in this room when you shouldn't be. You broke your vows in order to place someone on the Throne that the Sisterhood could control."

Mom's back stiffened. "Mhikhel, even as an interactive holo, you're a stubborn old coot who's blind to the obvious. I had a child -- but not with Tarnlot. She is not my child." Mom pointed to me. "That is my son."

Mhikhel glanced at me as if I didn't exist. "Then, who is this young lady who wears the Golden Vine Ring?"

Sini stepped forward. Even though she was as tall as Mhikhel, she looked like a stick next to his brawny frame. "I am Siniastra Arvor, Queen of Tirano. I am the child of King Zhun'Mar. And I am your granddaughter."

Mhikhel rubbed his beard. "But the readings say you are part KaNoa."

Sini nodded. "My mother was Mirae, the Vhirko clone of the child who helped save, Sini pointed to the figure of Mhikhel, "your life."

Mhikhel broke out into laughter. "My granddaughter the child of a clone; a Sibyl with a son. This is going to take some explaining. Perhaps, the world did go crazy after I died."

I stepped forward and pointed a finger at Mhikhel. "I think you'd better explain first. Whatever this program is that created," I waved my hand in the direction of the Kings, "these holos, it has almost driven Sini insane."

He looked down at me as if examining me for the first time. His lip curled. Even though I knew a holographic figure couldn't physically harm me, I nonetheless yanked my hand back.

"You little son of a Sibyl, that's what it was supposed to do. But if she's still standing, she's definitely an Arvor."

He continued to stare at me. It took all of my effort to maintain his eye contact. "With that curly red hair, you don't look like a Sibyl's child, but at least have your Mother's spunk. Yes, we will tell her all. But only to her. You and your mother must leave."

He turned to Mom. "Caykondra, I know you will share what you have seen with Vision. We ask only that you keep it classified, as you have kept other of our secrets classified."

Mom nodded. "It will be so. But my son is not Sibyl. He is not bound by my pledge. You will have to make your own pact with him."

Mhikhel arched his eyebrows. "Very interesting. If not Sibyl, what are you?"

I asked myself that same question all the time and never came up with a satisfactory answer. Before I could respond, Sini spoke: "He is Kuinsi, son of High Sibyl Caykondra and the restorer Burrows. He is my Lord Chancellor."

"Then, he is bound by your command." He pointed a finger at Sini. "Child of my son, order his silence so we may be done with this."

Sini's face turned red. "I am no child that you can command. I shall not order his silence."

To my surprise, Mhikhel smiled. "Spoken like a true Arvor."

He took a deep breath and returned his gaze to me. "Lord Chancellor Kuinsi, we ask that you never reveal what you have seen here today."

Sini's firm stance with Mhikhel had emboldened me. "Why should I agree? How do I know you won't harm Sini? You've already tried to drive her insane."

Mhikhel threw his hands in the air. "If only I were flesh and bone. I would personally dispatch you to the deepest pit in the blackest Cavity."

"But you're not. So, I will do what I think is in Sini's best interest."

"Then, young Kuinsi, think long and hard before you act. Except for Zhun'Mar, the Council of Kings has advised each sitting Sovereign for a two millennia. Our counsel has helped the Arvors maintain control over the Archonan intrigues. The Council would lose its effectiveness if its existence is revealed. Do you want to risk ruining her reign as Sovereign?"

"Why couldn't you advise Father?" Sini asked before I could respond. "And why is he not here?"

Mhikhel lowered his eyes. "I did not expect to die when I did. Even though I had stressed to both Zhun'Mar and Tarnlot that only Zhun'Mar as my successor could wear the Golden Vine Ring, I hadn't disclosed the Council of Kings. Needless to say, I hadn't instructed Zhun'Mar how to manipulate the Ring's Cluster to activate the Council."

He paused, looked down at the floor. "After my death, the Ring initially sensed Zhun'Mar's implant, then the link crashed, and the contact switched to Tarnlot. I was livid, thinking that Tarnlot had shunted Zhun'Mar aside and usurped the Throne. I could not bring myself to reward such perfidy. The Council shut down the program until the Ring sensed a new generation."

He paused, swallowed hard, and laid his hand on Sini's shoulder. "As a result, the Ring did not assimilate either Zhun'Mar's or Tarnlot's being into the Council. I am afraid your father is lost to us."

Sini stepped back from Mhikhel's hand and stared blankly. She blinked to fight back tears.

Mhikhel continued. "When we sensed you wore the Ring and had KaNoa and Arvor genetics, we assumed you were Tarnlot's child. My gut told me Tarnlot didn't kill Zhun'Mar. Instead, I believed he convinced Zhun'Mar that the pressure of my death was too much for Zhun'Mar to handle and that Zhun'Mar should step down in his favor. We hoped to force you to abdicate in favor of Zhun'Mar's descendants.

"In the name of Ghaeah, Mhikhel," Mom shouted. "Your fallacious assumptions almost cost you the thing you wanted: Zhun'Mar's heir on the Throne. You owe her one huge apology."

"Which she will get if you two will leave," Mhikhel said.

He lowered a piercing gaze to me. I understood how his menacing stature would have intimidated so many while he lived. "Do we have your word?"

I didn't want to make a choice that could deprive Sini of what could be an incredible asset. On the other hand, the only thing the Council had accomplished so far was to almost drive Sini insane. I couldn't give them an unqualified answer. "Only as long as no harm comes to Sini."

Mhikhel smiled as if we had become friends. "You have need have no fear on that account." Behind him the other Kings nodded.

One doesn't question the word of seven Kings, even if they were only interactive holos. I nodded goodbye to Sini, and Mom and I left.

-10-

Rwohn Compound

Planet Tirano

What an incredible revelation! The Sibyls had assumed that only they had created interactive holos, which they regarded as their most significant accomplishment. It was also their most closely-held secret. I knew interactive holos existed only because Mom told me she'd downloaded her interactive memory program to Dad's neuroimplant before she left Earth. I, of course, had been sworn to the utmost secrecy; I couldn't even tell any Sibyl that I knew about interactive holos.

Yet, somehow the Arvors had gained access to an interactive program. Without telling them why, Mom had probably ordered a whole Sibyl convent to commence an immediate and thorough search for any indication someone had somehow bootlegged a copy of their program. Another convent was probably ordered to begin inquiries into whether another interactive program existed any where in the galaxy.

I guarded my zinfandel vineyard's harvest like a rhenard, but I'd bet a year's harvest that the Sibyls could search all they wanted and would find nothing. If the Arvors had maintained their secret for at least a millennia, they would have erased any traces of its genesis long ago. Instead of wasting my time looking for that pinhole in time, I decided to do something that would have positive results. I'd fix myself something to eat. I didn't have the time or desire for anything elaborate, so I prepared what Dad called "hash."

I grabbed some potatoes from my pantry, cut them into small cubes, scattered them in a cast iron skillet, drizzled them with olive oil, sprinkled some salt and pepper, and popped them in the oven to roast until browned. Next I grabbed some leftover leg of bovid roast and some goat cheese from the cooler cabinet. I picked off a handful of meat and crumbled the cheese. When the potatoes had bronzed, I mixed the meat in with the potatoes and covered with the cheese.

In fifteen milli, I was sitting at the table with a glass of zinfandel and a hearty helping of Dad's hash. I'd set my archive reader on the table so I could view Aos Whey-ki while I ate. "Commence where I stopped last night," I said.

The rainbow swirled until it fused into Aos's image. "Stop," I said and Aos's image disappeared.

"Begin again," I said.

The rainbow swirled again until the seven colors merged into Aos's image. "Pause," I said.

The Council of Kings also coalesced out of a rainbow. Until a few days ago, I had never seen a rainbow activation technique. Then, it's used in two different programs, both of which were at least a millennia old. I made a mental note to see if I could find any historical records on the technique.

"Begin for real this time," I told the reader.

-11-

Starship Gaea

Location Unknown

A week later, Admiral Tani called a mandatory briefing for all Archon Quarters denizens. Kwenerra, Ahrtzor, and I entered the packed amphitheater and took our assigned seats on the second level. Kwenerra sat on one side of me and Ahrtzor on the other. On the stage, Admiral Tani stood stiffly behind a lectern and waited for everyone to enter. Eunuchs Rohfek and Nhoth sat at a table to his right; neither looked up. After everyone had entered, the Admiral tapped the lectern for silence.

"With our vid-comm still offline, I called this meeting so everyone would hear the same thing at the same time," the Admiral said. "As I'm sure all of you suspect, we are lost. The Gaea somehow transported to an unknown galaxy. We've tried to determine our location by matching the visible constellations with the computer's star charts. There's not one familiar star. Nor is there any record of the spiral of black objects behind us."

The Admiral didn't need to call for a mandatory briefing to tell us the obvious. There had to be another reason for this meeting, and the Admiral's undisguised grimness.

"Before I continue, are there any questions?" The Admiral lowered his face to look at his notes as if he didn't expect any questions.

A few people coughed, but no one spoke. When the Admiral raised his head, Ahrtzor rose. I tensed, wondering what he would say.

"Sir," he said with an authoritative tone I'd never heard from him, "I can accept that we're in an unknown galaxy. However, I find it difficult to believe we are 'lost'," he said somewhat sarcastically. "The computers can easily trace our flight path. All that needs to be done is to reverse that course and we return to where we started."

"Hear, hear," sounded several voices.

"Why couldn't you and the Eunuchs come up with such ideas?" shouted someone in the rear.

The Admiral raised his hand for silence. Ahrtzor remained standing. The Admiral looked at Ahrtzor as if assessing him for the first time. "For the benefit of everyone here, might I ask you to identify yourself?"

I would have crumbled at the pressure of responding to the Admiral in front of the entire population of the Archon Quarters. I slunk into my seat, wishing I was invisible. Perhaps, it was because we were seated on the second level, but Ahrtzor seemed to look down his nose at the Admiral. "I am Ahrtzor Whey-ki."

The Admiral craned his neck. "Well, Master Ahrtzor, I applaud your ingenuity and wish you were correct. Unfortunately, you bring me to the main purpose of this meeting."

"Perhaps, you should answer my question first," Ahrtzor said loudly.

The Admiral's eyes tightened. "If I may continue without interruption, I will."

"Then, proceed," Ahrtzor replied as if he were in charge of the meeting.

"Thank you," the Admiral said. "The ship's flight path recorder shows our location when we encountered the object. It records the Gaea's path to the object. Unfortunately, it then blacks out during our transit and records nothing again until it shows our new location. As a result, we have no record of our flight path, and thus, no way of reversing our course."

He paused as if waiting for questions. When no one spoke, he continued. "But even if we knew the flight path, we would be unable to return. The Gaea and our supplies were intended only for the 11 light-year trip to Eridani. We are in an unknown galaxy, which means the distance to Eridani is millions, if not billions, of light years. We could never make it back."

A cold pit formed in my stomach. Admiral Tani had confirmed my worst fears. We were doomed to spend the rest of our lives on the Gaea until we all starved to death. I looked around and saw nothing but blank looks on faces, except one.

Ahrtzor had remained standing and again spoke. "Even if your distances are correct, Admiral, your conclusion is not. We transported herein a few minutes. We should be able to return in the same amount of time. We need to discover what it was that brought us here. Then we return the same way."

A surge of pride shot through me. While I and others were wallowing in pity of our situation, Ahrtzor stood strong and asked the questions that needed to answered. The Admiral didn't look as proud, and Rohfek and Nhoth were ashen-faced.

"I suggest," Ahrtzor continued, "that we appoint new leadership with new ideas. We need someone who is not beholden to the Imperatora and her Eunuch Voices. Someone who has the scientific and technical knowledge and ability to solve this question."

The woman behind me gasped. Admiral Tani stood silent. A man in the rear shouted, "I agree with the young man." A roar of "me too's" followed.

Rohfek jumped out of his seat, his face crimson. "Such impertinence! I suggest Master Ahrtzor that you leave these matters to your elders who are wiser and more experienced in dealing with perilous situations."

"I would be happy to, if any such person were sitting at that table. Instead, I see two eunuchs whose wise decisions placed us in our current situation because any delay would have cost them their early arrival bonus." Ahrtzor paused and looked around the auditorium. "A new pair of gonads."

Laugher erupted in the auditorium.

Ahrtzor held up his hand. "Stop. This is no laughing matter. Those two chose not to proceed cautiously when we encountered the object. Instead of detouring around it, they ordered us to proceed. I say they have forfeited their right to lead and must be replaced."

Nhoth bolted from his chair. He pointed a finger at Ahrtzor. "I'm warning you. One more word and I'll order you locked up, even if you are a child."

I grabbed Ahrtzor's arm and tried to pull him into his seat. He pulled his arm loose and glared at Nhoth.

The auditorium remained silent as Nhoth and Ahrtzor glared at each other. Finally, Admiral Tani spoke: "Imperatora Voice Nhoth, no one will be locked up. Master Ahrtzor may be young, but under our laws he has a right to express himself. And I for one am intrigued by his suggestions and believe they should be examined more closely."

Nhoth's jaw dropped. He slumped back in his chair.

"Master Ahrtzor," the Admiral said, "who do you believe should assume a leadership role?"

"I have given it a great deal of thought," Ahrtzor said in a moderate tone. Unlike me, he seemed totally in control of the situation, as if it was going exactly as he'd planned. I marveled that my awkward teenager acted like a seasoned leader. "We need someone who is a respected researcher and who is independent of the military command and the Imperatora Voices. I have reviewed the dossiers of everyone residing on the Archon Quarters. There is only one person who acquired a position on the Gaea due to independent research, not due to the Imperatora's patronage. That same person is an outstanding scientific researcher."

No, I wanted to shout at the top of my lungs, I am a researcher not a leader. But I didn't. I sat silently, too timid to speak in front of such a huge crowd.

Ahrtzor pointed at me. "My mother, Aos Whey-ki."

I lowered my head, expecting a roar of disapproval. Instead, there was a murmuring as people whispered to each other. I thought they were asking each other who I was. I self-consciously raised my head.

A man in the first level's front row rose. I didn't recognize him, but he had to be someone important to be in the front row. He turned to face the auditorium. "I have not met Professora Whey-ki, but I am familiar with her impressive dossier and her insightful research regarding the Precession Cataclysm. I am even more impressed tonight. If she could raise a son who can say what the rest of us have been too afraid even to whisper, she deserves our admiration."

Out of the corner of my eyes, I glanced at Kwenerra and raised my eyebrows. "Master Amphora Moheix," she whispered.

He was indeed an important person. He was in charge of arguably Gaea's most important cargo. Moheix was head vigneron, responsible for insuring that the survival of our vines. Without wine from the vines, we wouldn't have a source for the sulfenols that provide bubo-plague immunity. Without immunity, it wouldn't matter if we discovered the way back. We'd all die a painful death.

"However, I do not believe it would be appropriate at this time to remove the Imperatora Voices from their leadership position. They alone know more than any of us on the necessary administration of the Gaea's cargo and crew. We need their knowledge too."

A wave of relief washed over me. I could breathe again. Sanity had prevailed. Master Moheix recognized that I knew nothing about managing the Gaea.

"On the other hand, I believe other voices with different perspectives should be heard on matters that effect our survival in this uncertain environment. I move that a leadership council composed of four people be established: Eunuchs Nhoth and Rohfek; Admiral Tani, as military representative; and Professora Whey-ki, as the Archon voice."

The auditorium broke into spontaneous applause. I wanted to stand and tell them I wasn't the person to represent them, but my I didn't have the strength to stand.

Nhoth and Rohfek looked at each other. Nhoth took a deep breath and nodded. He scanned the auditorium. "In view of your desire, we welcome the Admiral's and the Professora's counsel. They will indeed be valuable counsel to help guide all of us through this uncharted territory."

Ahrtzor leaned closer to me. "Don't believe a word of it Mom," he said. "But you can depend on me, I'll see to it your back is protected."

-12-

Rwohn Compound

Planet Tirano

Even though I wanted to view more of Aos Whey-ki's spoof of Nhoth and Rohfek, I needed some sleep if I was to protect Sini's back from the current day's Nhoth. "Mark this as stopping point," I told the reader.

I traipsed into the bedroom and had no sooner laid down than I heard a pounding on the door. I bolted out of bed. The only people who insisted on pounding on doors were the Vhirko. I thought Sini must being have more nightmares and had sent for my help. I grabbed my dressing gown and slippers and trotted to the door.

The Commandant of the Vhirko, Konya, stood at the door. It had to worse than I'd expected. "Please tell me she's alright," I said.

"The Queen has disappeared from her quarters," the Commandant said in her inflection-less contralto.

"Are you sure?" I asked before I realized the Commandant herself wouldn't be standing in front of me otherwise.

She nodded slowly. "The Vhirko check two deci ago found the room empty. We have searched the Castel and have found no trace."

My breath became light. Sini must have accessed the hyperportal and be with the Sibyls.

"Come in." I pointed toward my reception chamber.

She didn't move. "We don't have time for such pleasantries. Please accompany me."

I tied the belt of my gown and put on my slippers. The Commandant had already turned and started down the hallway. When I caught up with her, she didn't say a word until we'd entered the Compound's concourse.

"I came to you personally because you were the last person to see her and I wanted to talk to you alone where no one could overhear," she said when I caught up with her. "You are the Queen's closest confidant. Her physical and mental well-being have deteriorated recently. Did she give you any indication that she might consider suicide?"

I chose my words carefully. I didn't want to divulge the hyperportals. "She's been having trouble sleeping. I think it's a delayed reaction to the Zhun'Mar and Mirae's deaths. But, no, she's not suicidal. She knows that would put Count Nhoth the Golden Vine Throne, and she'd do everything she could to prevent that."

"That was my thought also," Konya replied. "But others may feel she's unstable because she is the child of a clone. Do you have any idea of how she eluded detection and where she would have gone?"

I stopped walking. The Commandant turned to face me. To my surprise, her expression was one of concern, not anger. "As I suspected."

"I don't know for certain, but I have an idea. It's some place she may have gone to get away from," I paused, "from the constant intrusion of you Vhirko. Please, give me time to check it out without violating the secret the Queen has entrusted in me."

"I don't like the idea that the Queen could go anywhere without the Vhirko knowing and accompanying." Her shoulders rose as she took a deep breath. "I won't press you yet, but remember I'm here to help. I can buy some time, but she must return soon. If not, I will use all of my ability to make you reveal all you know."

I had no doubt she could. I bit my lower lip and nodded. "Thanks."

The Commandant escorted me back to my chamber. "I expect you to contact me personally at Konya1717 as soon as you know if your idea is correct."

She turned and strode down the hall. I ran to chamber. "Contact my mother. Now!" I shouted to my vid-com.

Mom's face appeared on the panel's screen. Even though I must have awakened her, not one strand of her hair was out of place. "Kuinsi, you look ashen. What is it?"

"Sini, she's missing."

"When? How?"

"According to Commandant Konya, two deci ago. There's only one thing I can think of that would permit her to disappear without Vhirko detection."

Mom's finger wrapped a curl of her hair behind her ear. "I would have been informed."

Had Sini tried to access the hyperportal and not exited in time? Was she trapped in hyperspace? My knees buckled. I thought I would pass out. "You have to check, she must be trapped."

"Immediately," Mom replied.

The screen went blank. I sat and stared at it for what seemed like a spin until Mom reappeared. "There is no indication that her portal had been opened since I left her."

My momentary relief was replaced by a greater fear. "Mom, what if the Sisterhood isn't the only ones capable of hyperspace travel? You didn't think anyone else possessed interactive holos, but we now know that was wrong. What if Sini was abducted via a hyperportal?"

Mom expression said everything. "I'll investigate."

-13-

Rwohn Compound

Planet Tirano

I was convinced that Sini wouldn't have run away. She would never have acted so recklessly and provided Rheghie and his Archonan cronies to argue she wasn't emotionally fit to be Queen and permit Rheghie to assume the Throne.

That meant Sini had been abducted. I needed to contact Commandant Konya. "Konya 1717," I told my companel.

Konya image appeared immediately. She was in Sini's quarters surrounded by two of her lieutenants. "Yes, Lord Chancellor," she said formally.

I shook my head. "She wasn't there."

Konya grimaced.

"I think she was abducted." I chose my next words carefully. "Somehow, someone was able to gain undetected access to her quarters."

Her eyes narrowed to slits. "Are you challenging the Vhirko ability to safeguard the Queen?"

I'm not sure why I hadn't made the connection earlier. I met her glare. "You know, as a matter of fact, I am. King Mhikhel was assassinated in that same room by someone who snuck in and out without Vhirko detection. And the Vhirko never ascertained what the hole in their security net was. Someone may have used the same hole to abduct Sini, and if you can't figure it out before anything happens to the Queen, I will see that the Vhirko are replaced by people who can."

Konya's face turned as red as one of Mom's gowns. If she could have, I think she would have reached through her commpad and strangled me. She let out a long hiss of breath, then raised her jaw. "The Vhirko will find her and the security breach. Konya out."

My companel turned black. I prayed to Ghaeah for Vhirko success. My pad beeped. Hopefully, Mom had figured something out. Instead, Rheghie Nhoth's obese face greeted me with a sneer.

"Master Kuinsi, you are hereby summonsed to Arvor Castel to appear before my Royal Council investigating the suicide of Queen Siniastra. A Koah chopter has been dispatched to pick you up and should arrive in a few milli. You will board it immediately and appear before us as soon as you arrive at the Castel."

His smirk grew broader so his face looked like a fat mer-toad. He licked his lips like he had just swallowed a fly, and I knew who the fly was. "Oh, how I and my family have waited for this day."

All I could do was stare blankly. Sini was dead.

-14-

Arvor Castel

Planet Tirano

I boarded the chopter at Rwohn Compound with all of my possessions. With Sini gone, I'd probably never return to the Compound. I'd never be included on any guest list that Nhoth invited.

The sun was shining when the chopter lifted off. As we flew over the Rwohn steps, the sky blackened and we encountered thunder clouds. Turbulence bounced the chopter like a small ball. After one gut wrenching drop and creaking of the engine, I thought Nhoth intended for the chopter to disintegrate with me on board.

In between prayers to Ghaeah to hold the chopter together, it dawned on me: like father like son. Just as Ohlav Nhoth seized power immediately upon Mhikhel's death, Rheghie was doing the same. I wished I could invoke like mother like son. Mom had resisted Ohlav's power play and played a key role in retaining the Golden Vine Throne for Zhun'Mar. Unfortunately, with Sini dead there were no Arvors I could fight for.

The chopter finally landed at the grand plaza surrounding Arvor Castle. I stepped down the chopter's stairway and glanced at Arvor Castel's turrets and spires. Ordinarily, the Castel's grandeur would have inspired me instead of creating a sense of doom. I trudged behind the Koahman who greeted me and told me he was to accompany me to the Royal Council Chamber, where I would have to face my worst fear: King Rheginahld Nhoth, Sovereign of Tirano.

The inside of the Castel resembled a mausoleum. The usual drone of hustle and bustle in the Great Concourse had been replaced by silence. The only sound of footsteps clicking on the marble floor was the Koahman's and mine.

To my surprise, no Vhirko guarded the doors leading to the Royal Council Chamber. A single Koahman, a private, stood at attention in front of the door. When we stood in front of him, he saluted. "The Council is expecting you Master Kuinsi. I will notify them you have arrived."

He lifted his wrist and whispered into a wrist com and awaited a response. He lowered his wrist. "You may enter." He pushed the door open.

I had never seen the Council Chamber looked so cluttered. Tables sat randomly around the room, each cluttered with half eaten food. I was amazed they could create such a mess in a few deci. Nhoth sat at a table in the middle of the room with Count Joh Keefohr, a Archonan toady related to Rheghie, standing on his left and Koah Colonel Zhorn Nhoth, Rheghie's first cousin, on his right.

"Meet my Royal Council," Nhoth said with a waggle of his head. "No need for any Vhirko, Sibyls, or the likes of you to clutter Tirano's affairs. The three of us can handle the affairs of state without their interference."

The Sovereign was free to choose his own Royal Council, but none had ever included only Archonan relatives. I doubted though that Rheghie wanted my advice, so I didn't respond.

"Vhirko Commandant Konya informed all members of the Assembly a deci ago of the Queen's mysterious disappearance. Given Siniastra's erratic behavior and genetic defects, it is reasonable to assume that she committed suicide and the Assembly decided to act accordingly. As legal heir to the Golden Vine Throne, I have assumed the powers of the Sovereign. And as Sovereign, I hereby remove you as Lord Chancellor." He pinched his double chin and smiled. "My trusted advisor, Count Keefohr, will assume the duties of the Lord Chancellor."

It took a myria to realize what he'd said. He _assumed_ Sini had committed suicide; he didn't yet have proof. I said nothing while my mind processed the implications.

He looked up Keefohr. "Look at poor little Earther boy. He's too sad to come back with one of his snide retorts."

All of the tedious hours of studying the Tiranoan law in order to be Lord Chancellor had finally paid off. It was my turn to smile. "Evidently, none of you bothered to consult a legist who, unlike Count Keefohr, actually studied the law. Under Tiranoan law, if a Sovereign disappears and has no heir of body, it takes an act of the Assembly to confirm a new Sovereign. And the Assembly can't act until the then existing Royal Council has investigated the disappearance and confirmed the Sovereign's death. So, I am still Lord Chancellor and I suggest you and your two cronies clean up this mess and get out of here before I call in the Vhirko to remove you by whatever force is necessary."

I moved my head from Zhorn to Keefohr, and back to Zhorn. "If either of you ever try to assist Rheghie in usurping power again, I will put each of you trial for treason. And you know the penalty for that: death."

"You, you can't blame mah, mah, me," Keefohr said. "It was all Rheghie's idea."

Rheghie's head swiveled up toward Keefohr. "Shut up, Joh. You always have been a spineless mer-toad."

He quickly spun his gaze back to me. "Make all the threats you want, but if I learn that a single word of what you said is false, I personally will hang you in Arvor Square."

-15-

Arvor Castel

Planet Tirano

As soon as Rheghie, with his toadies in tow, exited the Council chambers, I placed a holo conference with the other members of Sini's Royal Council: Admiral Kiptani, Commandant Konya, and Countess Nalena Rohfek. I also included Mom, who's help with Vision probably would be needed. As quickly as I could, I informed them of Rheghie's action and my response.

When I finished, I asked the obvious. "Commandant, please bring us up to date on the Vhirko activities?"

"We have scoured the Queen's chamber and have found no sign of forced entry or exit. We have extended our reconnaissance of the Castel for any clues as to the Queen's whereabouts. If we learn anything, I will inform each of you immediately."

"Thank you, Commandant," I said. "Mom, do you have any thoughts?"

Mom glanced at Admiral Kiptani. "Admiral, if I tell the whole truth, will you?"

The lanky Kiptani raised his eyebrows. "Caykondra, you know the answer, so I assume this is for the record. Yes, I will."

"And Countess, I must ask that what you hear you will hold confidential."

Countess Nalena's jerked her head. "High Sibyl, I'm not sure where you're going with this. You ask me to promise not to disclose what I do not yet know. What if you were to tell me that you assassinated the Queen? As a Council member, I would betray my oath to remain silent."

Nalena had only served on the Council for two cycles. Sini had wanted to appoint a young Archonan woman with whom she hoped to build a rapport and who could act as a liaison with younger Archonan. Because of Nalena's plain features and because she was a member of the Rohfek clan, I had assumed that she was a typical dull Archonan female. Evidently, I was wrong. She parried Mom's attempt to gain a blanket promise of confidentiality.

Mom gave Nalena a mother-approves smile. "Anyone who can respond so intelligently, will, I am certain, do what is best for Sini and Tirano. After you hear what I and the Admiral say, you'll understand why I made my request."

I expected Nalena would blush. Instead, she said, "Please continue High Sibyl."

I wondered how Sini had known to make such an inspired choice. Nalena's coolness would be needed if Sini didn't reappear soon.

"Admiral, has the military discovered how to manipulate hyperspace?" Mom asked.

Kiptani rocked on his heals. "Nothing has changed since the last time you asked that question. The answer remains no. How is that relevant?"

"I'm wondering the same thing," Nalena said.

"After we returned from Tirgot III, Prince Tarnlot convinced the Sisterhood to construct hyperspace portals in Zhun'Mar's private chambers in Arvor Castel and Rwohn Compound. Those portals permit travel to a safe refuge with the Sisterhood."

Konya jumped to her feet. "Why were the Vhirko not informed?" Her head spun to me. "Was that where you thought she was?"

Before I could respond, Mom spoke. "Tarnlot insisted and Zhun'Mar agreed that only they and the Sisterhood should be aware of the portals. Not even Mirae was informed."

Konya's face reddened. She sat down. "I assume there is more or you would not have revealed it now."

Mom nodded. "Sini was unaware of the portals until two spins ago when I informed her of the existence of the portals. I then taught her how to access the portals. My fear when she disappeared was that she had tried to access the portals and had become trapped in hyperspace. However, we have ascertained that she has not accessed the Rwohn portal since when she did so with me."

Mom had conveniently left out that I too had transported with Sini. I assumed she did so to deflect any of Konya's anger from me.

"No one ever solved how Mhikhel's assassin could have evaded Vhirko detection, and now Sini has disappeared from the same room. My fear is that someone other than the Sisterhood has also created hyperspace portals at Rwohn Compound. If we can determine who, then we may be able to determine what has happened to Sini."

Mom paused. "The Sisterhood has already begun its investigation. Admiral and Commandant, I ask that you use all of the resources available to you to do the same."

"Of course," the Admiral replied.

Konya crossed her arms over her chest. "Duty compels the Vhirko do so. You purposely enabled the Sovereign to avoid Vhirko protection. You have broken the bond of trust between the Vhirko and the Sisterhood."

"Do not talk to me of a broken bond of trust," Mom said in a chilling tone I had never heard before. "You have conveniently forgotten that your predecessor murder Fiotr and tried to murder Siniastra and my son. That is a breach of trust I may never be capable of putting behind me. Nonetheless, I chose to share one of the Sisterhood's greatest secrets in your presence in an effort to find Sini. Perhaps, I made a mistake."

A vein pulsed in Konya's neck. "The Vhirko have acknowledged Lydmila's transgression from her duty. Can you assure me that no Sibyl has similarly transgressed in Sini's disappearance?"

"That is preposterous," Mom said sharply.

"How can you be more certain than the Vhirko? If Lydmila could violate all her oaths, why not a Sibyl?"

"I will investigate your allegation," Mom replied. "And when you are proven wrong, I expect your apology in front of this Council."

"I pray to Ghaeah that I must provide that apology."

Nalena looked at me. "Lord Chancellor, I'd like to help. Because I'm the Archonan representative of the Council, perhaps I can discretely inquire whether any Archonan have expressed an interest in acquiring hyperspace access."

Impressive, I thought, Nalena smoothly moved the meeting past Mom and Konya's confrontation. "That would be perfect," I said. "Unless some one wants to meet earlier, we'll meet tomorrow at the same time."

-16-

Arvor Castel

Planet Tirano

One thought bounced around my mind as I strode through the hallways to my quarters: Could someone other than the Sibyls have created a hyperspace portal in Rwohn Compound? That would explain both Sini's disappearance and Mhikhel's assassination.

When I entered my quarters, I headed directly to my wine vault, grabbed bottle, and poured myself a glass of vehoner. I took a sip. The dry, flowery nectar hit my empty stomach. I needed to fix some food that would help clear my mind so I could focus. I pulled a bag of the third 'p' from my pantry: polenta.

Dad was a legist on Earth, and Mom's told me how when he had a tough issue that he wanted to spend time analyzing, he'd fix polenta. Edible polenta takes time to prepare, but because most of the time involves standing in front of a pot stirring, one's mind can concentrate on other things.

The basic recipe for polenta is simple. Pour two cups of water and a small amount of salt in a pan and bring the water to a boil. Then while stirring, slowly and evenly pour in a cup of polenta. To make soft, creamy polenta it's necessary to continually stir the polenta while it absorbs the water. Additional water should be added after the initial mixture has absorbed the liquid. Keep stirring and adding water until your spoon will stand upright in the polenta, which can take up to a half-deci. Then add some grated cheese of choice, spoon the polenta into a bowl, sprinkle with your favorite herb, and serve a glass of spicy zinfandel.

As I ate the last bite of polenta, my companel sounded that a new message had arrived. "Open message," I said.

Silence followed. It had to be a text message and only one person I knew sent text. In two strides I was at my desk.

Zinfandel, they have a hyperportal. I'm with them. I can't say more now without raising suspicion. WP

My relief that Sini was alive lasted less than a lacti. She'd confirmed my feat that someone had abducted her by using a hyperportal in her Rwohn Compound quarters. I needed to figure who, and the best way would be to figure out who would want both Mhikhel and Sini dead. One obvious choice: the Radani. Mhikhel's assassins had never been definitively identified and the Radani had been universally blamed. I'd always had doubts. The Radani aren't creative. They purchase, or take by brute force, any new technology that they acquire. Surely, if the Radani were attempting to acquire access to hyperspace, the Sibyls' sources would have informed them. Plus, if the Radani had access to murder Mhikhel, they would have sought revenge against Zhun'Mar too. The more I thought about it, the less credence I placed on the possibility that the Radani were behind Sini's disappearance.

The second possibility would be the Tamok. They were a cunning bunch and had a long history of duplicity against the Arvors. They'd used shroud technology that we still haven't perfected in the Caerwin Ambush that resulted in Mom, Zhun'Mar, Tarnlot, and Mirae being stranded on Earth. They'd suborned a member of the Royal Council and with his help instigated the unprovoked attack that killed Zhun'Mar. Most of all, they hated Sini. She'd destroyed their armada, and the Tamok probably blamed her for Petrella's committing suicide by flying into a Black Cavity.

Even though I'd never heard anyone implicate the Tamok in connection with Mhikhel's death, I wondered. To this day, no one knows the reasons behind the Caerwin ambush. But Mom, Zhun'Mar, and Mirae all confirm that Mhorg and Bhradvin Lok intended to make the ambush appear to have been an accident that wouldn't implicate the Tamok. Perhaps, the Tamok, or at least the Lok clan, have a longstanding grudge against the Arvors. The Caerwin ambush easily could have been their second attempt to kill an Arvor, and they returned to the tactic they'd used to kill Mhikhel to abduct Sini.

I knew why they'd abducted Sini instead of assassinating her: Loik Lok's obsession with Sini. His ogling of Sini in the Tamok charade that led to their coup-de-main that killed Zhun'Mar and Mirae turns my stomach every time I think about it. It sickened me to think what debauchery he'd planned.

I couldn't permit him to get away with it. Because Tamok was isolated on the far end of the galaxy, communications were normally transmitted to intermediaries who ship carried them to Tamok. It took spins for a communiqué to arrive; time I didn't have. Even though the cost would put a significant dent in the Treasury, I had no choice but to contact Loik directly by quan-com net so he'd know I'd uncovered his skullduggery. In no uncertain terms, I'd inform him the wrath Tirano would inflict if Sini wasn't returned unmolested.

I sat in front of my companel and purchased time on the galactic quan-comm net. To my surprise, within myria Loik's image, and not some functionary's, appeared on the quan-viewer. He wore a night gown and blinked his eyes as if he'd just woke. In the background, a nude female quickly pulled up the sheets on a bed. He ran his hand through his hair, and then stared at his companel. He arched his eyebrows. "The little Lord Chancellor of Tirano. Are you still trying to negotiate the Caerwin Accords?"

I wasn't about to fall for this charade. "I know how you abducted her and I want her returned, now!" I shouted.

"You little twerp, what are you yapping about?" He glanced at the bed. "Jezzah has never left Tamok in her life, and since her father was killed at Caerwin, she'd kill herself before any Tiranoan touched her. Especially, you."

My face reddened. "Don't play dumb with me. You touch her with even one little finger and I'll obliterate Tamok with every laser blaster in our arsenal."

Loik's eyes widened. "Oh, I get it now. Some little Tiranoan tart jilted you. What'd she do to make you so jealous? Tell you she'd wanted me ever since she first laid eyes on me in Arvor Castel." He turned his profile to me. "Most of 'em do you know when they see me. And if the wench is comely enough, I accommodate her every fantasy."

I shook with rage. "Sini despises you, Loik. You touch her and I promise that you will regret it."

Loik's forehead wrinkled. "Siniastra and you?" He shook his head. "I thought she had better taste than that. I'm glad for her sake that she came to her senses and dumped you."

"Enough of your games," I said coldly. "I've told you the consequences if Sini is not returned immediately."

"You're serious, aren't you?"

I nodded.

"I hate to disappoint you, but I have no idea where she is, nor do I care." He winked at me. "Besides, I do have some morals, and one of them is never to sleep with a relative. It complicates matters too much."

"For all I care, sleep with any relative you want." I clenched my fists. "After you return Sini."

Loik's expression turned somber. "You really don't have a clue what I'm talking about, do you?"

He tilted his head and puckered his lips as if trying to decide something. "I'm going to tell you why we Loks hate the Arvors and everything Tiranoan. We're the Arvors' deepest secret, the one that they've tried to bury so deep it would never surface. Why? Because you Tiranoans regard anyone with Tamok blood as inferior."

Loik jutted his jaw. "Well, as far as I'm concerned, the dirty little secret's been buried for too long." He paused and locked eyes with me. "Tell this to your precious Siniastra when you find her. My grandfather Ghorn Lok was the son of Mhikhel Arvor and Nahtalie Lok. I'm as much of an Arvor as she is."

He touched some icons on his companel. "I've sent you an archive that documents everything I've said."

"You lie," I shouted. "If it was true, the Tamok would never have proposed that Fiotr marry Sini."

"My grandfather wasn't the only person with Tiranoan blood in our family," he said calmly. "Grandfather adopted Mhorg when he was a baby. A baby given to him by a Tiranoan noble. Evidently, you Tiranoans don't like keeping half-breed Archonan bastards and give them to the Loks."

I paused to look at Loik. There was no smirk. "Who were Mhorg's parents?"

"As far as I know Grandfather took that secret to his grave. But we've always suspected Tarnlot."

"By the Belts!" I shouted. "That still made Fiotr a cousin to Sini."

"The Arvors have married cousins before. One more inbreeding was no big deal if it enabled getting a Lok on the Golden Vine Throne." Loik reached toward the screen. "Now good riddance you pompous little twerp."

-17-

Arvor Castel

Planet Tirano

I viewed the archive that Loik sent. He could have sucker punched me in the stomach and it wouldn't have knocked the wind out of me any harder. After I recovered enough to breathe, I admitted that there could be no doubt. Everything he said was true.

Unfortunately, I hadn't got any closer to finding Sini. All I had accomplished was to aggravate two festering wounds that had afflicted the Arvors for generations: the Nhoths and the Loks. I felt like the Castel idiot and did what one always does when he wants comforted. I called Mom.

She greeted me with eyes tight with a fear that I would only call at this time of night with bad news about Sini. "She's alive," were my first words.

"Thank Ghaeah," Mom replied softly. "I hope a platoon of Vhirko is surrounding her."

I swallowed hard. "I only know she's alive. She's sent me a message that 'they' have hyperportal and that she's with them."

Mom's eyes widened. "Impossible. We've searched under every hidden file in the galaxy. No one else is even close to manipulating hyperspace. They must have tricked her."

"Either way, who ever "they" are, they still have her. I have no idea where she is."

"Have you told the Vhirko yet?"

"No. All I've accomplished is to eliminate Loik Lok as a suspect."

I quickly told Mom of my conversation with Loik. She turned pale. She stared at me for a long time. I assumed she was considering disowning me for being such a compulsive idiot.

She wrapped her fingers around her pendant and then spoke. "Oh Hobie. I don't know for certain that it's true. But just before we were stranded on Earth, Mhorg claimed in front of all of us that he was Tarnlot's son. When Zhun'Mar agreed to Sini's marrying Fiotr, I couldn't believe it. I talked to Mirae. She said Zhun'Mar said that even if it was true, the relationship was no closer than if Sini were to marry many of the Archonan. And that it could end the Tamok hatred for Tirano.

"Mirae and I couldn't have disagreed more. That's why Mirae talked to Fiotr before his death. She couldn't permit Sini to marry him and wanted to talk him out of the marriage."

My mind went numb. She knew all this and hadn't told me, even after I became Lord Chancellor and had a right to know. Anger replaced my numbness. "Why do you do you and your precious Sisterhood think you have the right to keep such things secret from me? How many other secrets are you hiding from me"

A tear fell from the corner of her eye. "Hobie, I didn't do it to hurt you. If known, some things can cause more harm than good."

I exploded. "What gives you the right to make that decisions. You and your secretive Sisterhood can hide in the blackest pit in the Cavities for all I care."

I terminated the call. "Block all calls from my mother," I told my companel, "and send a copy of Sini's message to Commandant Konya, Admiral Kiptani, and Countess Nalena. Tell them to keep up their efforts and that I will inform them if I receive any further messages."

I walked over to the windows and watched the Encircling Belts. I couldn't have messed up the hunt for Sini any worse than I had. I had no idea who abducted Sini and where they'd taken her. I'd alienated the Vhirko and Mom, and even though I didn't think it would have been possible, I'd managed to make Rheghie Nhoth even more of an enemy.

That was enough damage for one spin. I decided the best thing I could do was take a step back and do something that would refresh my mind and permit me to start afresh in the morning. I wasn't hungry, so I didn't want to fix any thing to eat. That left Aos Whey-ki's archive.

I plopped in my bed. "Commence where I last stopped," I said.

The rainbow swirled into Aos's image and she spoke.

-18-

Starship Gaea

Location Unknown

The succinct description of the next few months: boring. The crew worked night and day to repair the ship, and I worked feverishly to read every report filed with the leadership council regarding ship status. The new leadership council met daily to discuss the progress. Rohfek and Nhoth did most of the talking. I spoke only when asked a question, which was seldom because the Eunuchs didn't even try to hold their disdain. The Admiral at least treated me cordially, but he clearly regarded me as a leadership ingénue whom he didn't have the time or desire to train.

Kwenerra remained my right arm. In fact, because of I spent most of my time on council reports, she spent more time on computer recovery and working much more closely with the staff than I did. She'd formed her own inner cadre, all of whom were also young ladies, that performed all of the recovery and wrote the new programs.

Ahrtzor's physical growth matched the maturity he had shown at the Archon Quarters meeting. Overnight, he became the handsome, strapping man his father had been. He even let his curly, black hair grow over his ears as his father had. He also seemed to know everyone in the Archon Quarters, and had a knack for getting people to tell him their inner thoughts. He became a wealth of intelligence on what was going on in the Archon Quarters.

I slouched over my desk reading a tedious report on the sugar levels in the grape crop when Kwenerra burst into my chamber. "Mom, I just recovered something incredible. I need you to check it out. If it's for real, we need to decide what to do with it."

She shoved an archive disk in my computer and opened a file. I read the mathematical formulas on my screen. I read the first three a second time. "By the Goddess," I said. "How did you obtain this? It's supposed to be accessible only by the Imperatora."

"I was trying to recover some data on a damaged drive. I found a random cluster that had a damaged tip. I retrieved it and this opened up. Is it what I think it is?"

I nodded. "Gondwana's secret scientific knowledge. A formula for hyperspace access, a program for interactive holo creation, a code to permit entry into every computer, and things I'll have to study to determine what they are. No wonder she was able to control every aspect of Gondwana's life."

"Are you sure it's not all hypothetical research?"

I took my eyes off the screen and looked up at Kwenerra. "I've traveled through hyperspace with the Imperatora. My guess is that if the rest aren't perfected, they're very close."

My eyes returned to the screen. I had sat in too many council meeting where the Eunuchs cared only about using ship resources for their benefit and the Admiral insisted on priority for repair's to the ship's armaments. Instead of using this knowledge for the common good, they'd fight over who could use it solely for their purposes. I swore not to let that happen.

I entitled the file "Sibyl of Doom" so that if someone stumbled on it, they'd likely think it related to my precession research. I then encoded it with the password Kwenerra and I had created for documents that only we could access. "Kwenerra, I coded this so that only you or I can access it. Don't ever permit anyone else to access it."

Kwenerra looked puzzled. "But what about the Imperatora?"

I grabbed her hand. "Honey, no one on this ship will ever see or hear from the Imperatora again. We have to start taking care of ourselves, and as Ahrtzor has shown, the Eunuchs and the Admiral can't be trusted with something this important. They'd treat as their personal treasure trove. I can't let that happen. You and I have to do what's right for the ship: preserve this precious knowledge for use by those of us who would use it for good, not personal benefit. If they even knew of this file, let them think it was destroyed in the fall."

Kwenerra turned her head away and gasped. I turned to see what had startled her. Ahrtzor stood at the door, a broad smile on his face.

"You're right, Mom. If you want to control those parasites, you need your own arsenal. And make sure you don't ever let them know the full extent of your capabilities. If they don't know what you have, they won't strive to have it too."

Even though I doubted that he would understand the equations, I quickly closed the file. "How long have you been watching?"

"Oh, just long enough to overhear that you have some secret information that you're going to keep from the two fat toads and our would-be warlord." He winked. "Don't worry. I won't tell a soul about your and Kwenerra's secret file. Besides, I'm sure you two have it so tightly encoded that not even all of the Imperatora's cryptologists could break into it. Keep it that way." He turned and left the room.

"How much do you think he overheard?" I asked Kwenerra.

Kwenerra shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. But I believe him when he says he won't tell anyone. He'd never do anything to hurt either of us."

I smiled with a mother's pride. "The Goddess blessed me with the two best children I could have asked for. A son whose greatest goal in life is to protect me and a daughter whose knowledge of computer systems already exceeds mine.

"Kwenerra, if I'm truly to become a meaningful influence on the council, I have to stop trying to keep current on the computer system's repair and update. All I'm accomplishing now is slow you down. I want you to take charge and do what I don't have time to do. You and your staff have to keep the computers running at peak and keep them maintained."

"I will." Kwenerra smiled broadly for the first time in weeks. "Some of the workers have started calling me and my staff the 'Sibyl's girls.' They think they're teasing us, but I think it has a nice sound to it."

Kwenerra's expression grew serious. "Mom, you're right about Ahrtzor. My little brother has turned out pretty good. People constantly tell me how proud they were that he stood up and spoke at the meeting. He seems to know everyone and is developing quite a following among both the Archons and the enlisted personnel. Who would have thought someone who I quarreled with my whole life would turn out to be such a natural leader?"

I agreed. "He can go as far as he wants. I wouldn't be surprised if someday he's on the leadership council. He's much suited for it than I am."

Kwenerra giggled. "What would the Imperatora think if she knew that the last people she selected for the Gaea had become so influential in its affairs and have accessed her secret knowledge?"

I wondered too. The Imperatora was clever. Perhaps, she intended for us to be a wild card to counter her people. I'd never know.

-19-

Arvor Castel

Planet Tirano

I was eating breakfast when my companel sounded. "Urgent call from Countess Nalena."

I raced to the companel. "Put her through."

Nalena's face appeared on the screen. In the background I could see passing buildings and realized she was riding in her street vehicle. "Rheghie's outmaneuvered us. He's called an emergency session of the Assembly on the basis that you advised Siniastra to go into hiding in order to avoid his hearings on her fitness to rule. He wants both Siniastra and you removed. I'm on my way there. You'd better get there as fast as you can."

Before I could say anything she terminated the transmission. I took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. I hadn't anticipated how clever Rheghie could be. If I tried to assert that Sini was missing and the Royal Council had a duty to determine her status, he'd set it up so that I would appear to be doing exactly what he'd accused me of doing. I scurried to the bedroom to get dressed and prayed to Ghaeah that I could think of something to blunt Rheghie's maneuver.

*

The Grand Square surrounds the turreted Arvor Castle. An austere gray-stone building, Vhirko Compound, lines one side of the Square. On the opposite side of the Square sits the ostentatious Archonan Assembly with its granite facade and gilded entryways and windows. At ten stories, the Assembly is five stories shorter than Arvor Castel, but the Assembly's golden spires soar to the same height as the Castel's ivory marble turrets.

I sprinted across the cobbled Square to the Assembly. I reached the main entrance, which to my surprise was nearly deserted. Evidently, Rheghie's hearing hadn't been announced publicly -- another clever idea. That way Rheghie could assert announce the "findings" without the hearings having been subject to public scrutiny.

I placed my hand on the admission scanner. The Koahman glanced at the results and waved me through. I ran across the black marbled floor of the rotunda to the Assembly amphitheater. The doors were closed. I grimaced. The hearing was either about to start or had already started.

I didn't want to barge onto the Assembly floor with the hearing in progress, so I veered toward the door that led to the observation gallery. Not surprisingly, the gallery was nearly empty; only a handful of Archonan staff members were present. Because they were talking, I assumed the hearing hadn't started. I took a seat in the gallery's front row. The members of the Assembly were sitting at their desks and facing the rostrum. Nalena must have sensed my presence because she turned and looked up at the balcony. She nodded at me and turned back toward the rostrum.

Because he was the Assembly Speaker, Rheghie's desk was in the center of the front row. He rose from his chair with a palm-viewer in his hand and waddled to the rostrum. "This plenary session of the Archonan Assembly is hereby called to order."

He laid his viewer on the rostrum, looked down at it, and pinched his double chin. "As all of you know, the sitting Sovereign, Siniastra Arvor, has refused to approve the budget passed by this Assembly. Her refusal to fund the Archonan Assembly violates Article V of the Founding Compact."

He looked up and rotated his head to encompass all of the members. "I have tried to avert this impasse by meeting personally with her to negotiate an acceptable compromise. Even though each attempt has been futile, that was not what caused great alarm on my behalf. Her personal behavior in those meetings can best be described as erratic. Her mood swings were frequent and violent. Within a period of a few myria, she switched from being flippant, to trying to physically intimidate me, to unchecked anger. And that was only the first time I met with her.

"Our meetings only deteriorated thereafter. The next meeting she wouldn't even permit me to speak, and the last time I contacted her she laughed in my face. Each time, she refused to make even the slightest effort discuss the issues."

I had to admit to myself that his characterization of those meetings had some validity. What he failed to mention was Sini reacted as she did because the proposed budget was too obscene to justify good faith discussions.

"And now," Rheghie continued, "based upon the advice of the Lord Chancellor, she has gone into hiding. Why would the Lord Chancellor advise her to do so?"

It took all my self control to keep from shouting that Nhoth was lying. But I knew I'd have to wait before I would be permitted to speak.

"My friends I wish I could say that he did so merely as a tactic in trying to break our resolve on the budget. But sadly I can not. He did so because he knows first hand what many of us have feared since her father's unfortunate death."

He paused, took a deep breath as if in sorrow. "Like so many scions of clones, Siniastra has lost the ability to control her emotions. The proper term for her status is clone defect syndrome, which as we all know is untreatable and progresses rapidly following onset."

The Assembly members began talking to each other on the floor. From my seat I couldn't make out what was being said, but the tone intimated agreement with Rheghie's diagnosis.

Rheghie held up his hand. "I know I speak for all of us in wishing that this day had never come. We prayed that this malady would never attack Siniastra. But we can not hide our heads in the sand. We must recognize the truth.

"I for one will act as my ancestors would have. They never took the easy course when it came to acting in the best interests of Tirano. My grandfather died to save an Arvor, not a defective child of a clone. And my father who has been ostracized saw the consequences of the dangerous liaison between Zhun'Mar and Mirae and died trying to prevent it. They were both patriots and I shall follow in their footsteps and do the difficult thing. Therefore, I resolve that this Assembly vote to declare Siniastra unfit to sit on the Golden Vine Throne."

Several members jumped out of their seats and applauded. I watched toward Nalena. She remained seated and scribbled on her notepad.

Rheghie raised his arm and motioned for silence. "Please, please, sit down. Siniastra's condition is no reason for joy. She must be treated with dignity."

I almost threw up. What a lying hypocrite. First, he fabricates Sini having clone defect syndrome, and then because it would sound good for the record, he spouts false sympathy.

"Are there any on the floor who wish to speak before the vote is tallied?"

He looked around smugly, evidently expecting to pass his resolution by acclimation. His head drew back when Nalena stood. "Countess Rohfek, what a pleasant surprise. You haven't attended Assembly meetings since you were appointed to the Royal Council. Do you not have a conflict in interest that prohibits your participation in this vote?"

Nalena fixed her gaze at Rheghie. "No more than does the one who brings a resolution that would place him in line for the Golden Vine Throne." She looked to her left and then to her right. "Or those who support such a resolution and would benefit financially by its passage."

By Ghaeah, three spins ago I thought Nalena was a bland Archonan woman. I had never been so wrong.

"Countess," Rheghie said unctuously, "there is no need to denigrate motives of this Assembly. All here are sworn to act in the best interests of Tirano."

"Then," Nalena said in a loud, firm tone, "I suggest we begin to so act. You know as well as I do that there is nothing wrong with Siniastra. In fact, you know the truth; that she's been abducted. You concocted this farce for one purpose: to usurp power. You're no patriot, and neither was your father. The only difference between the two of you is that your power grab is even more abhorrent than your father's was. At least he knew that King Mhikhel was dead before he acted."

I don't think the Assembly has ever been so quiet. All heads turned to Rheghie. I have never seen a face turn so red so fast. He pointed a finger at Nalena. "My family's honor will not be impugned by a Rohfek. Unlike your family, my family has never conspired with foreigners to murder a King."

Pandemonium broke out on the Assembly floor. Shouts were followed by chairs being shoved back. Several Assembly members surrounded Nalena and screamed at her. I feared for her safety. I stood and headed for the door so I could get to the floor and help Nalena.

Before I reached the floor, a voice spoke over the din. "Please, all of you return to your seats. In my 50 loops as a member of this Assembly, I have never seen such boorish behavior. This Assembly is an ancient body that has always prided itself on its decorum."

I turned toward the rostrum. A gray-haired figure leaning on a cane hunched in front of the rostrum, Count Moheix. The Moheix clan was probably Tirano's most respected family. Since the founding of Tirano, the eldest child of each generation had been the planet's head oenologist, and the family tended Tirano's finest vineyards. Even though they were content being vintners with no political ambitions, few wanted to run the risk that they could use their considerable influence against them.

When the members saw who had spoken, they slowly headed to their seats. "My fellow Assembly members," he said, "I agree that we face a very serious situation. Count Nhoth asserts that Queen Siniastra has a degenerative mental disease from which there can be no recovery while Countess Rohfek asserts the Queen has been abducted. Both are serious allegations. We will not, however, ascertain which is correct by shouting at each other."

He looked up at me. "I see that the Lord Chancellor is in attendance. He seems to be at the center of this mystery. I respectfully request that he come down and testify before us and answer any questions we may ask."

I had no choice but to agree.

-17-

Archonan Assembly

Planet Tirano

I entered the Assembly floor with trepidation. Among my short list of things to avoid at all costs: testifying before the Assembly. Tradition dictated that who ever testified in front of the full Assembly did so standing at the rostrum while being peppered by simultaneous questions from several members. The raucous atmosphere served more to intimidate than to learn the truth.

I stood behind the rostrum, lowered the amplifier to my level. I took a deep breath before uttering the words that would subject me to the torture of Assembly testimony. "I, Kuinsi Burrows, Lord Chancellor of Tirano, am prepared to answer to the best of my ability your questions."

I think every Assembly member jumped out of his or her seat and shouted a question. In the din, I couldn't make out a single coherent phrase so I scanned the faces until I found Count Moheix. His request had put me in this positions and I figured he more than any of the others would ask a fair question. I pointed at Moheix and shouted, "Your question, sir."

I couldn't have shouted loud enough to be heard, but the din lessened as people saw to whom I'd pointed. Moheix leaned on his cane until it became quiet enough for him to speak. He looked around the Assembly floor. "Thank you," he said.

He turned his gaze to me. "Lord Chancellor and fellow Assembly members, before I ask my question, please indulge an old man's desire to bear his soul."

I nodded.

"In my entire life, I have never seen such a distressing state of affairs. Either our Queen is mentally unfit to rule or she has been abducted. If the former, this Assembly must do what it has never done before and remove the Sovereign. If the latter, it means our enemies can penetrate our security with impunity. I do not know which is worse for our future."

He leaned forward on his cane. "What I do know is that only one person in this chamber knows the truth. What I don't know is whether he will tell the truth.

"Why? Because of what a tradition-bound Archonan like me never dreamt possible. A Queen who is the daughter of a KaNoa clone and a Lord Chancellor who is not only the son of a High Sibyl but also a man from another galaxy who has never set foot on Tirano. To confound me further, neither the Queen nor the Lord Chancellor has passed the third deka of their lives. I, like many of my compatriots, do not know what to make of all of these changes to almost two millennia of stability."

A murmur of agreement spread through the Assembly floor.

"Accordingly, I have two questions for you, Lord Chancellor." He leaned so far forward on his cane that I thought he would fall. "First, what is the status of Queen Siniastra? Second, is your answer to the first question the truth?"

The only sound I could hear in the chamber was my breathing. I pressed my finger to my lips and stared straight ahead as I tried to decide how to answer without lying. I needed to reveal that Sini had been abducted, but I didn't want to reveal hyperspace

"It does not require such thought to tell the truth. I'm afraid I have the answer to my second question," he said softly. "So I do not need to hear your answer to the first."

Approval roared from the members. I dropped my hand. I'd taken the bait and fallen into the cagey old rhenard's trap. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

"Please escort the Lord Chancellor from the rostrum," Moheix said coldly.

The lower doors to the Chamber burst open. A squad of black clad Vhirko stormed in. The front row of the squad marched forward while the back row blocked the door. My mouth fell open. Sini stood between the squads and appeared like a statue in her ceremonial Golden Vines gown.

My eyes bulged as she strode to the rostrum. Where had she been and how had she escaped?

She motioned for me to step aside. She looked down at Rheghie. The steeliness in her blue eyes reminded me of her mother.

"Count Rheginahld Nhoth, if you wish to hold a hearing concerning my physical and mental capacities, why would you not ask me to appear? I can think of only one reason. You do not wish to ascertain the truth.

"In the future, if you wish to challenge my mental capacity, please feel free to ask me to appear at this rostrum. I would enjoy a duel of wits with you. And if you wish to ascertain my physical capacity, please join me in the palestra for a laser-knife bout. I promise to use a dummy knife. You may use a live knife if you wish."

Rheghie's jowls shook. I noticed that Keefohr and several others glared in Rheghie's direction. Nalena had a broad smile on her face.

Sini turned to Moheix. "Count Moheix, I have been following this hearing on the vids Countess Rohfek has been kind enough to stream to the Castel. I appreciate your concern about my personal well-being and the security of Tirano. I assure you that I was neither abducted nor that I suffer any physical or mental incapacity. I hope you will use your good graces with your Assembly colleagues to convince them to end this hearing and to proceed with the task that I have implored this Assembly to complete. A budget that I can approve."

She grabbed my arm, and with me at her side, regally walked out the chamber. A myriad of questions bounced in my mind, but I keep silent. As the chamber doors closed, the shouting began.

-18-

Siniastra's Quarters

Arvor Castel

Planet Tirano

**Even though it took all my self-control, I didn't speak until Sini and I were alone in her quarters and the Vhirko dismissed. "I'd really botched it in there. Believe me, I was never so happy to see anyone in my life when you stormed in. You were magnificent," I gave her a hug. "But by the Belts, what happened? Who abducted you and how'd you escape?"

Sini's lip quivered. "Oh, Kuinsi, I wasn't abducted. I ran away and hid."

I stepped back. "You what?"

"I couldn't cope with everything that'd happened. Before I could even recover from Mom and Dad's deaths, I'm bombarded by a Ring that tried to drive me crazy, hyperspace portals created by the Sibyls, the Council of Kings, and worst of all, people thinking I'm defective because my mother was a clone. Being Queen was not worth what it was doing to me. I had to get away."

"Mom said you didn't access the hyperportal. We were all convinced you'd been abducted, especially after you texted me that 'they have hyper.' So how'd you get away without the Vhirko knowing it?"

Sini's gave me the biggest smile I'd seen on her face in a loop. "The Sibyls aren't the only ones with hyperspace portals. The Arvors have them too."

My eyes must have bulged out of their sockets because Sini started laughing. "Grandfather showed me how to manipulate their portals. I texted you from the place where all of the Kings' holos can be accessed. We talked nonstop. It did me a world of good to know that they too had times where they didn't want to continue. That gave me the strength to go on."

I started to tell her about Loik Lok's claim, but decided to wait. She didn't need another kick in the stomach while she felt so good. Perhaps, Mom was right. There can be a time for secrets.

Her expression became serious. "When I returned, I quickly realized what a mess my sneaking off had created. Konya was raving that unless I took Vhirko protection whenever I accessed those wretched Sibyl portals that she'd destroy every portal if it was the last thing she did. Then your mom called to check on my status and told me what the Assembly was up to."

She pulled on her ear lobe. "You know, after spending time with the Kings, I enjoyed marching into the Assembly. I think that with the Kings' help, I'm going to like being Queen."

It was nice to her see her so upbeat. "Well, you were impressive. I don't think the Assembly is going to mess with you for awhile."

She scowled. "I'll have to see it to believe."

"Trust me," I said confidently. "You will."

-19-

Kuinsi's Quarters

Arvor Castel

Planet Tirano

Sini said she was looking forward to a good night's sleep, so I returned to my quarters. I was famished and wished I could have Dad's favorite "p" – pizza. Unfortunately, the key to a great pizza is time. Time to make fresh dough, a minimum of two deci to rise, and at least three deci to start a wood fire in my brick oven and heat the bricks so the pizza bakes in no more than three myria.

I didn't have that kind of time, so I opted for what would be the next best thing: the fourth "p" - panini. Panini is the simplest to prepare of the five p's. All that's required is a two-sided grill, two slices of bread (preferable a crusty sourdough), and cheese. Oh, and of course, a nice glass of wine. All of which I had on hand. Within five myria, I had a wonderful grilled cheese sandwich and a glass of zinfandel.

As I ate my sandwich, I grabbed my viewer to hear more from Aos Whey-ki. "Begin where I last marked," I said.

The rainbow swirled into Aos's image and she spoke.

*

I flung open the door and stormed into our quarters. "I've never been so upset in my life," I shouted.

Kwenerra almost dropped the dish she was sitting on the dinner table. At the other end of the table, Ahrtzor looked at me with a knowing smirk on his face. "Let me guess," he said placidly. "The two almost-men oppose leaving our current location. They think the Imperatora will send a ship to retrieve us."

My shock must have shown because Ahrtzor shook his head slowly as if I were a child. "Mom, everyone knows about the planet that's only five years away. The enlists have even started calling it Terra New. All of the gossip concerns why we haven't gotten underway yet, and it doesn't take much imagination to figure why. If we don't get going soon, those two won't be able to walk the corridors and survive."

My eyes widened in shock. The planet's discovery was supposed to be known only by the leadership council and the scientists who had discovered and analyzed the planet. Instead, the whole ship knew about it, and who was preventing our departure. I didn't know what to say and stared blankly.

Ahrtzor winked at me. "Thanks for the confirmation, Mom. I'll talk to a few people. It shouldn't be too long before you prevail at council." He stood and bustled out of our quarters.

Kwenerra looked at me with her lips drawn down. "Mom, you're so busy with council business that you don't realize. He probably has more influence with the ship's crew than the council. Some of them would do anything he tells them to do. I just worry that he's too young and will do something impulsive that causes trouble."

"Oh, Kwenerra," I said. "I'm sure people like him, but they're not going to follow a teenager."

"Mom, the majority of people on this ship are under 16. He's old and wise to them."

I looked at how Kwenerra had her hands on her hips. Over the past few months, she'd been more of a mother to Ahrtzor than I had. She was showing motherly concern, and I was the outsider who needed to comfort her. "Don't be such a worry wart, honey. He's a good child. He knows right from wrong. He won't do anything foolish."

Three days later . . .

The screen on my reader flashed red, then went black. I assumed it had crashed and pushed the reset button. "Begin where the last session ended."

The rainbow swirled into Aos's image and she spoke.

I flung open the door and stormed into our quarters. "I've never been so upset in my life," I shouted.

"Pause and skip forward until I say to stop," I said.

Aos' image stopped in the same place as before and the screen went black again. Frustrated, I stared at the screen. A gold cursive appeared on the screen.

Erased. A W-K.

I flipped the reader on the couch and headed into the bedroom. As I tried to fall asleep, one question roiled my mind. Why did Aos erase the rest of her journal?

-20-

Kuinsi's Quarters

Arvor Castel

Planet Tirano

I woke full of optimism. Even though Sini had been through a mentally rough period, I thought she was on the upswing. Then, my vid-con beeped.

Because I sat at my table in my morning rob and was sipping a cup of tea, I didn't feel like traipsing to the screen. "Show as holo," I said.

Sini's head was lowered toward her hand reader. She appeared to be chewing her lower lip. "I've never been so wrong about anyone before."

"What?" was all I could mutter.

She faced me, her lips drew back into a snarl. "Moheix is nothing but a rat in the barrel room."

Her venom stunned me. I shook my head.

"Don't believe me. Then, read this."

I stepped closer and looked at her reader. It displayed a message on Assembly stationary:

Your Highness;

Many of my fellow Assembly members believe the Lord Chancellor orchestrated your appearance yesterday to obscure your true condition. I do not, but I am only one man. You must convince all.

I personally request that you and the Lord Chancellor appear before the Assembly today at 4th deci to address any questions those with concerns may raise. To do otherwise would only increase the concerns of the Assembly and contradict your offer yesterday to appear before the Assembly when invited to discuss your condition.

Yours respectfully,

Count Dom Moheix

The Count was a cellar rat, but a clever one. "What are you going to do?" I asked. "If we don't appear, it looks like we have something to hide. If we appear, there's not any time to prepare. And who knows what they might have planned."

Sini clenched her fist. "I don't really have a choice. He's used my own words against me. I said I'd appear if invited. And I will."

"Before you decide," I said, "talk to Nalena. Get her take."

"Don't you think she would have contacted me if she knew anything?" Sini tossed her hand held on the couch. "Besides, after yesterday with the Kings, I know who and what I am. I can handle anything the Assembly and that rat Moheix throw at me."

I wasn't as certain about myself. I'd flopped last time.

*

In the fresh light of morning, government workers headed to their offices scurried across the Grand Square. From the moment I exited the Castel, I had no trouble spotting Sini. She stood straight-backed at her full height near the Archonan Assembly building. She was a head taller than any member of the Vhirko squad that encircled her. Her bearing had changed dramatically from a few days ago. No one in the Square would be uncertain who was the Queen of Tirano.

The Vhirko parted so I could stand next to Sini. "Don't look so nervous," she winked. "I'll do all the talking and you just nod sagely."

Whatever the Kings had told her had changed her. I couldn't remember her ever being so confident. I wouldn't want to be in Moheix's or Nhoth's shoes.

An eerie silence greeted us when we entered the Assembly floor. Most of the members had their heads lowered and appeared to be reading their viewers. I looked toward Nalena. When she saw me looking at her, she frowned. I glanced at Rheghie. His head was lowered as he looked at his viewer, but I could see his eyebrows were raised and his forehead wrinkled. Something was going on and I didn't have the slightest idea what. My stomach tightened.

Sini had reached the rostrum and adjusted the amplifier. "You have requested my presence. Please begin."

Moheix rose and leaned on his cane. "On behalf of all members of this Assembly, I would like to express our appreciation for your presence. However, since I requested your presence, new information has arisen."

He picked up his viewer. "We face an unexpected crisis. The Mhargrava Nhatalie Lok, the Tamok representative who signed Mhikhel's Great Alliance, has passed away. Her last will and testament required that an archive be released on the universal web. That archive was received while you were in transit from the Castel. I will holo it for your viewing."

An old, gray-haired lady sitting in a overstuffed chair appeared in holo. Her black dress contrasted with her creamy and unblemished skin. A golden neckband with a sapphire star-stone set accentuated her long neck. She looked straight into the camera and spoke. "If you are viewing this archive, it means I have died. I do not look forward to entering the eternal void of death, but have no choice. I do, however, have a choice whether to reveal the secret I have held since I was a young woman. I have decided my death is the time to start a new beginning for two worlds by revealing my long held secret. And to show that I am not some senile crone babbling senselessly, attached to this archive are detailed genetic records and analysis of my family that will support all you will hear."

She paused and pulled on the sleeves of her dress over her wrists. "When I was a young woman, I traveled to Tirano as the Tamok representative to the conference that established the Alliance that battled the Radani. There I met and fell in love with the handsomest man in the galaxy. We made love only one time, but a child resulted from it. Suffice to say that because of his and his world's bigotry against anyone not pure with their blood, I returned to Tamok where my son was born. I never told anyone who the father was. My son was a wonderful man and accepted his heritage without bitterness or rancor."

She took a deep breath as if to summon the strength to continue. "I cannot say the same for his two sons. His younger son was of his body, but the older was a child fostered to him by one of my lover's Tiranoan sons. I assume my lover's son had no idea of the relationship. No one could be that callous."

She lifted a finger to the corner of her eye and wiped away a tear. "My grandsons have brought Tamok to the brink of destruction by my lover's world. That world is Tirano and my lover was King Mhikhel."

Sini gasped.

"Imagine my horror when my idiot and unknowing daughter-in-law proposed as a way to create peace between Tamok and Tirano that my great grandson marry my lover's granddaughter. Inbreeding may not disturb Tirano's Archonan, but I abhor it. I would have had no choice to tell the galaxy then if not for his murder."

It took less than a lacti for me to realize she was referring to Sini's potential marriage to Fiotr Lok. I feared all of this would devastate Sini. Instead, to my surprise, she didn't look upset, just intrigued.

"I have decided to reveal my secret now to try to right the wrong Mhikhel and I created. We loved each other, but we were too young to be wise enough to know we could have challenged the bigotry and bring Tamok and Tirano closer. Instead, our weakness resulted in increasing animosity of two great worlds. Hopefully, those with goodwill and percipience can bring Tamok and Tirano together before the Radani again try to destroy all of us. I believe with all my heart that Mhikhel would request the same if he could."

The holo dissolved. All eyes in the chamber landed on Sini. She seemed not to notice and stared where the holo had played. Silence endured until Sini raised her head and spoke. "Well, Count Moheix, I believe that solves your problem," she said in a sarcastic tone. "If I am defective, there are still those of Arvor blood who can assume the Golden Vine Throne."

With a smirk on her face, she turned to look down at Rheghie. "And you Count Nhoth, I assume you would have no objections to recognizing the superiority of my Tamok relatives claim to the Throne to yours. After all, unlike you, they are direct descendants of a King of Tirano."

Rheghie's face turned red. "No descendent of a Tamok bastard will ever sit on the Golden Vine Throne."

Sini laughed. "I believe you have said similar things about the child of a clone. Nonetheless, I sit on the Throne."

Rheghie's double chin vibrated with rage.

"I will take my leave now and seek counsel on how to respond to the Mhargrava's archive. I suggest all of you return to what concerns you, your budget."

Sini took my arm, and surrounded by Vhirko, we marched out the Chamber.

-21-

Arvor Castel

Planet Tirano

Even though Sini didn't say a word while we walked to her chambers, she gritted her teeth so hard that I was afraid they'd snap. I'd have reacted exactly the same if I'd almost married my father's granddaughter.

When we reached the door to her chambers, she turned to the Vhirko squad. "I am not to be disturbed. No one comes through those doors until I say so." She palmed the door, then turned back to the Vhirko. "No interruptions or all of you will be permanently relieved from duty."

I started to walk away. Sini grabbed my arm. "You come with me. And make sure your palm-viewer is set to display that damn archive."

As soon as we were in the chamber, she kicked the door shut. "How could those sons of bitches hide this from me? They're going to hear exactly how I feel."

She held up her hand and pressed on the Golden Vine Ring. A white light arched from the Ring to the floor, shimmered, then turned into a rainbow. Each of the seven colors separated from the rainbow, straightened, and each morphed into several human shapes. Sini stomped over to Mhikhel and stood face to face with him. "How could you do such a thing?"

Mhikhel clenched his fists. "I suggest you get out of my face."

Sini leaned so that her nose penetrated his. "I suggest you tell me about the Mhargrava Nahtalie Lok of Tamok."

Mhikhel's head flinched. "What?"

Sini turned her head to me. "Play the archive for this deceitful old man."

I activated my viewer. The holo of the Mhargrava appeared. Mhikhel's eyes widened and he took a step back. His mouth opened, but neither he nor any of the Kings said a word while the archive played. As soon as it stopped, the Kings stood still as if stunned. Finally, Pierre stepped forward to where Sini and Mhikhel stood. "Mhikhel, is this true?"

Mhikhel continued staring at where the holo had appeared. "She chose not to reveal to the galaxy her last words to me. Words that still echo in my mind: 'Damn your ways. I lay this curse on you and your heirs. Tiranoan bigotry will haunt the Arvors through the ages. No Arvor will ever sit comfortably on the Golden Vine Throne.'"

Mhikhel grimaced. "I had hoped time would dull her hatred. But even after we're both dead, she continues to lay her curse on my rightful heirs."

His raised his head and his eyes bore into Pierre. "Yes. It is true. But I wouldn't change a thing. I also remember my exact thoughts when she walked out that day. 'I had a war to fight. If the Radani weren't driven out of the galaxy, nothing would matter. Especially a Tamok female and a half-breed child.'"

"Damn your arrogance," Sini screamed so hard that spit flew from her mouth. It passed through Mhikhel's holo and landed on the floor. "If you had at least acknowledged the child, my father would still be alive."

Mhikhel didn't flinch. "And if I had? Your father would not have been stranded on Earth with your mother, and you would not exist." His eyes softened. "No. I would not change a thing. You, child, are exactly what I always wanted as an heir."

Sini's lips quivered. "But," her voice cracked, "but, father died because of the hatred you created."

"No. The hatred she created by not counseling her scion while she lived. And now she is trying to create more hatred. Both on Tamok and on Tirano. She's given the Archonan hope that they can remove you and incited Tamok to believe a Lok belongs on the Golden Vine Throne." Mhikhel reached out and set his hands on Sini's shoulders. "You must not let her succeed. You are the one who must put an end to her curse."

Sini held out her ring hand and with the forefinger of her other hand touched the Ring's cluster. "You want me to end the curse. Fine. I'll abdicate. That'll end the curse. There'll be no Arvor sitting on the Throne then."

As Mhikhel's face reddened, Sini's finger pressed the Ring's cluster. The Kings evaporated.

-22-

Siniastra's Chamber

Arvor Castel

Planet Tirano

"Sini, you can't be serious," I said.

Sini turned to me. "You have a better idea?"

I thought for a moment. "Do you think that just because you abdicate, the Tamok and the Loks will suddenly morph their hatred into a love of Tirano?"

Sini's companel sounded. "I told them," she said as she glanced at the companel, "not to disturb-"

She raised her eyebrows. "It's Nalena on my private line."

"How she'd get access?"

"I gave it to her." Sini replied. "I also told her that if she ever used it for other than an emergency, she'd lose her Council seat. Let's see if she's as bad as the rest of the Archonan Assembly members.

"Open line," Sini said.

Nalena sat in the balcony of the Archonan Assembly. "Your Highness, I didn't want to wait until this session ends, so I came up here so no one could hear," she said softly. That conniving Rheghie. He's got the Assembly to agree to appoint him the chairman of a committee to determine if the Arvor right to the Throne was forfeited because Mhikhel's first born was half-Tamok and thus unqualified for succession."

I stepped in front of the companel's projector. "That's ridiculous," I said.

Nalena smiled at me. "Lord Chancellor, I'm glad you're there. I thought the same thing and said so. Unfortunately, Dom Moheix argued that with so much at risk we had to be absolutely certain, one way or the other."

Her shoulders rose up and down. "I beginning to wonder if where his loyalties actually lie. He sure seems overly sympathetic to Rheghie's manipulations."

"I was thinking the same thing," I said. "Perhaps, we should -"

Sini held up her hand to silence me. "Thanks, Nalena, for the alert. I'll get back to you later."

She pulled on her earlobe, deep in thought. "Kuinsi, play legist. Go research whether Rheghie's got any support for his position. Report to the Royal Council Chamber here in two deci."

-23-

Kuinsi's Chamber

Arvor Castel

Planet Tirano

I sat in my study and stared blankly at my viewer. My ability to manipulate a Sibyl pendant to access Vision's archives provides immediate access to precedent that most legists can't uncover for spins. Unfortunately, even after almost two deci of research, I didn't find any precedent that every Tiranoan above the age of four didn't already know. Until Sini, the eldest son had always assumed the Golden Vine Throne. There had never been an instance where a King was survived only by a daughter.

After Zhun'Mar's death, no one challenged Sini's assumption of the Throne. She had defeated the Tamok so soundly that neither her gender nor her being a child of a clone was ever mentioned. The honeymoon didn't last long. First, the whispers about clone defects, then the Mhargrava's bombshell, and suddenly Sini's right to rule became an open debate. The debate had to be quashed or it might never subside.

I looked at the time. I had only a few milli to return to Sini's quarters. As I scurried through the Castel's hallways, it occurred to me. The best source for determining what was intended in this situation would be to ask the Kings themselves.

I turned the corner to the Grand Concourse and stopped. The squad of Vhirko in front of the Royal Council Chamber's door stood at ready facing a platoon of Assembly Guardsmen. No weapons were drawn on either side, but tension sizzled.

I didn't know what was happening and approached slowly. The Vhirko squad leader saw me approach. "Make way for the Lord Chancellor," she ordered.

The Vhirko squad parted as did the troops. I walked through the center opening. "You are the last to arrive," the squad leader said. "The Queen and her invitees await your presence."

Invitees? The squad leader palmed the door open and my eyes bulged. Rheghie and Dom Moheix sat at on one side of the conference table facing Sini. If the tension outside the chamber sizzled, the alcove boiled.

"The Lord Chancellor has arrived," Sini said. She gestured for me to take the seat to her right, the ceremonial seat of the Lord Chancellor.

Rheghie never took his eyes of Sini, while at his side, Moheix held his head cocked as if perplexed. My emotion far exceeded perplexed. I had not the slightest idea of what was transpiring.

"I want to thank you two for agreeing to meet on such short notice,"" Sini said. She focused on Rheghie. "And even though it was not necessary, I understand your caution in bringing your Guardsmen to insure you would not be harmed."

"Your request stated you wish to resolve all issues between us. Well, I'm all ears." Rheghie leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms.

"Mistress Siniastra," Moheix said. He puckered his lips as if deciding what to say next.

Sini turned her head slowly toward Moheix. "Count Moheix, when you address me, you address me as your Highness, not as Mistress."

Moheix crossed his legs and tapped his foot in the air. "Young lady, until your claim to the throne is not supported --"

Sini bolted out of her chair. "I have all the support I need." She reached over the table and shoved the Golden Vine Ring in Moheix's face. "All who wore this ring support me."

Rheghie burst into laughter. "Dear, dear. Are you ever delusional. They're spinning in their graves at the thought of a daughter of a peasant clone touching the Ring."

Sini pressed on the Golden Vine Ring and white light arched from the Ring to the floor behind Rheghie. Everyone at the table followed the arc of the light and saw it shimmer, then turn into a rainbow. My pulse raced. I couldn't believe she was activating the Ring and revealing a secret the Arvors had kept for so long.

Rheghie's eyes widened as the seven colors separated from the rainbow, straightened, and each morphed into several human shapes. Sini pointed to where the Kings stood. "I suggest you ask them."

Rheghie's thumb and forefinger pinched his double chin. He looked at Moheix who sat unmoving with his finger on his upper lip. Rheghie's eyes darted toward Sini, who had a small smile on her face.

To my surprise, Rheghie returned her smile. "Ah, you thought you'd be a clever girl and try to intimidate me with a display of historical holos." He snorted. "I especially like the one of that arrogant Mhikhel. He treated my old man like steppe-sheep shit. What an ass. He'd never have been King if my grandfather hadn't saved his candy ass from the Radani."

The vein in Mhikhel's neck bulged and his faced turned a deeper shade of scarlet than I'd ever seen. His eyes narrowed eyes narrowed to slits and in two strides he stuck his face in Rheghie's. "Let me tell you the truth, mer-toad boy. I created the myth of your grandfather. He didn't die gallantly. He pushed me down as he panicked to board his ship. I would have died except for a KaNoa child named Mirae. She saved my candy ass, not him.

"But even though I was a mere teenager and was not yet privy to the Council of the Kings, I knew the value you Archonan sycophants would place on me if you believed one of your own died saving me. So I propagated the myth of his valiant death."

"Turn this slanderous holo off," Rheghie shouted.

"I am not finished boy lover," Mhikhel snarled. "It was the biggest error of my life. Because of the myth, I had to endure your dear father, the great warrior Ohlav Nhoth. He was even more of a fraud than his father. His whole life, I protected him from his incompetence. How did he repay me? He assassinated me, then tried to do the same thing to my son. No, you Nhoths are scum and the time to strip you of power has arrived."

Rheghie shook so in rage that he collapsed into his chair. "Count, surely you see the lunacy of this farce," he said to Moheix.

Moheix levered himself upright on his cane. His bobbed up and down at Mhikhel. "The body is indeed a perfect depiction of Mhikhel." He looked at Pierre and smiled. "And that one shows every detail of my old friend Pierre."

His feet shuffled so that he faced Sini. "But what have you programmed them to say."

Sini raised her head and looked down her nose at him as if her were a child. "I have programmed nothing. Each is an interactive holo of a king's memories that only the rightful wearer of the Golden Vine Ring may activate to receive the wisdom of the Council of Kings."

Moheix rocked on his cane. "Do you mind if I test your assertion."

"Please do," Sini replied.

Moheix hobbled over to King Pierre. "Oh, Pierre. We could indeed benefit from your wisdom. I am too old to know how to deal with all that has occurred. I never dreamed your great-grandchild would be the child of an KaNoa clone or that a High Sibyl would have the child of an extraterrestrial. What am I to do?"

Pierre nodded. "And I never thought I would see and converse with you again old friend. Yes, Dom, Siniastra represents changes neither of us ever dreamed possible. But then, remember the vintage of 47 when we forgot to pick that lot of shirnaz that over ripened and shriveled to raisins. Neither of us dreamed that it would be the greatest shirnaz we ever made. Of course, we told no one that we added water to dilute its high alcohol level. Addition of water was a change in wine making that was heretical. But it was for the better. Yes?" Pierre winked. "And I bet you still do it, only intentionally now."

Moheix fell to his knees and bowed from his waist. "Get up, Dom. You no longer bow to me. You bow to my great-granddaughter."

Moheix rotated on his cane, and while still on his knees, lowered his head. "My Queen. I am so sorry. Please forgive an impertinent old man."

In one blurring myria, Rheghie pulled a laser knife from his pocket and stuck it in Moheix's neck. He twisted the knife before pulling it out. Blood spurted and Moheix's hands slid down his cane and slumped to the floor.

Sini bounded over the table. She reached for Rheghie's arm, but he jumped back. "I have practiced since you offered to duel me." He bent in attack position. "One of us will not leave this room alive."

Sini sneered. "No. I will not kill you and create a martyr for future Archonan mischief. Unlike your father, you will live to see the consequences of your sedition. You will watch as the Archonan are stripped of power. But I offer you a choice. Do you want history to label you as a patriot like your grandfather or as a traitor like your father?"

"My father died trying to stop the pollution of the Golden Vine Throne. I can do no less."

"Lay your knife down ," Sini said calmly.

"Try to take it from me, bitch" Rheghie said.

Sini's arms struck with the speed of two lightning bolts. The palm of her right hand crashed into Rheghie's nose and her left hand encircled his wrist. The sound of bones snapping like twigs was followed by a piteous howl. Rheghie's knife fell to the floor next to Moheix. Blood spurted from Rheghie's nose. His right hand dangled limply at his wrist.

Sini bent down and picked up the knife. She stared at the knife before looking at me. "That's a little trick Mom taught me. It saved her, father, and your father' lives once."

Sini pressed the Ring and deactivated the Kings. She knelt over Moheix and pressed her fingers to his neck. "Get the medics," she shouted. "I think he's alive. Rheghie was as incompetent as a murderer as was in everything else."

-24-

Arvor Castel

Planet Tirano

Count Moheix was one tough old bird. While on a stretcher surrounded by medics administering sedatives, he defused a potential skirmish between the Vhirko and the Guardsmen. He calmly recounted Rheghie's attack and ordered the Guardsmen to return to their quarters. He'd survive, as would Rheghie. The medics had also patched up Rheghie before the Vhirko transported him to a cell at Vhirko Compound.

I returned to my chambers once again optimistic about the future. Due to Moheix's support and Rheghie's disgrace, Sini's right to the Throne had become unchallengeable. That result definitely required a celebration. So, I decided to open a bottle of my favorite vintage of zinfandel to celebrate. As soon as I pulled the cork, the peppery bouquet wafted out the bottle. I poured a glass and took a sip. The flavor exploded in my mouth, fruity raspberry mixed with white pepper. I swallowed and a chocolate aftertaste lingered. It never ceased to amaze me how grapes could create such a mélange of complex aromas and tastes.

I plopped in my club chair and laid my feet on the ottoman. I took another sip. The wine tasted too good to be drunk alone, especially in celebration. I picked up my companel and started to call Mom. I stopped. I had a better idea, but did I have the nerve?

"Contact Countess Nalena," I said.

Nalena's image appeared on the viewer. Her normally tightly bound brown hair fell in a curly wave to her shoulders. She wore no make up and her skin was a pure ivory that enhanced her hazel eyes and red-lips. She wore an informal gown that displayed a womanhood that her formal attire must have struggled to suppress. I was so entranced that I couldn't speak.

"Good evening, Lord Chancellor," she said. "Is something wrong?"

"Not at all. You look so, so . . ." I wanted to say stunning, but the word wouldn't come out.

She blushed. "I apologize. I thought I should take your call even though I'm not in my formal attire."

"I'm glad you did."

She lowered her eyes. "You're just being polite."

"No. I mean it. It's just that I'm accustomed to seeing you in your formal attire."

We both stared at each other for a moment. I was glad for the pause because it took me a minute to screw up my courage. "I've opened a bottle of my favorite zinfandel to celebrate Count Moheix's support of Sini. Would you like to join me for a glass?"

She grimaced, and my ego deflated. I should have known. She was Archonan and wouldn't socialize with me.

She must have seen how crestfallen I was. "Oh, I'd love to, but it'll take me too long to put my formal attire back on. And I can't be seen in public like this."

I knew a brush off when I heard one. "I understand. Maybe another time," I said even though I knew there wouldn't be. I started to disconnect.

"Wait," she said quickly. "I can't go traipsing through the Castel dressed like this, but that doesn't mean I don't want to celebrate with you. There's no reason why you can't come to my quarters is there?"

I picked up the bottle and was out the door so fast that I'm not certain I said goodbye.

*

When Nalena opened her door, a whiff of Antigan perfume welcomed me along with her pleasant smile. "Welcome," she said.

She took my arm and lead me out of vestibule, through a grand parlor that looked as if it could hold a hundred guests, and into a private dining room. "I thought it would be more relaxing here," she said.

A semi-circular table with a floral tablecloth sat in a bay window. Two bent-muhrwood chairs faced out the window with its night view of Arvor Square. Two balloon goblets, a round of crusty bread, and a small wheel of blue-veined cheese awaited at the table.

Nalena must have noticed me eying the bread and cheese. "I hope the cheese meets your approval. It's all that I had available."

"It's exactly what I'd have with this zinfandel."

I poured some zinfandel in each glass and handed one to Nalena. "I've never tasted zinfandel," she said.

"Then, a toast to your first taste," I said.

We clinked glasses. The chime told me that I was holding expensive crystal and had better not drop it.

She twirled the glass, then raised it to her nose and inhaled. "Oh, this is heavenly. What luscious raspberry and vanilla."

She took a small sip and could see her rolling it on her tongue. I almost dropped my glass. She was not a wine drinking novice. I became nervous that she might not like it.

"This is the most hedonistic wine I've ever tasted," she said. "A fruit bomb with a lingering aftertaste. Give my highest complements to your winemaker."

I blushed. "I made it myself."

She reached out and touched my hand. "I know."

We sat in the chairs and I asked how she came to know so much about wine. Her father had been estranged from his brother, the traitor Hoj Rohfek, and as a result her father and mother had served a semi-banishment at the family estate in the Rwohn foothills. Although the estate had no vineyards, her father maintained an extensive wine library of Tirano's finest vintages prior to the Radani poxxra devastation. From an early age, she been taught to appreciate wine as an essential part of a meal.

"Enough about me," she said. "What really happened today? The comm-net is rampant with rumors about Sini being a witch who can call forth the dead."

I hadn't bothered to read the net sites. My mouth dropped. "What?"

"Supposedly, the medics that attended Rheghie and Count Moheix claim that both Rheghie and Dom talked about Sini using the Golden Vine Ring to call forth dead kings. Count Moheix is said to have talked with Pierre who convinced him that Sini has the support of all of her predecessors."

I let out a long breath. "And what's been the reaction toward Sini, good or bad?"

"Pretty uniform. Awe mixed with fear."

That was better than I thought it might be. "Except for the witch part, it's pretty accurate. Sini can manipulate the Ring to create interactive holos of all the Kings. They call themselves the Council of Kings. And it's true, Pierre did convince Count Moheix that the holos are the memories of the Kings and that the Kings support Sini."

"All of the Kings. That must be an impressive sight."

I nodded, and in my mind's eye, I pictured all the Kings. "Mhikhel was easily the most physically intimidating, but they all have an imperial bearing. There's even one wrinkled old guy who sits in the background and occasionally looks up and nods --"

I stopped. Why hadn't I recognized him at the time? He had become gaunt with age. But it was him. "By the Belts. It was all true."

Nalena wrinkled her nose. "What?"

The implications were enormous. I could hardly breath. "Nalena, I know why and how Tirano was founded."

Nalena looked at me as if I'd drank too much wine.

"No, really, I do. All I have to do is get Sini to let me talk to him."

"Who?" she said softly.

"The old man. He's the answer to all of the ancient enigmas."

-25-

Royal Council Chamber

Arvor Castel

Planet Tirano

At my request, Sini called a Royal Council meeting, and my mother. She had also asked Count Moheix to join the Royal Council, which he accepted. Except for the bandage around his neck, he looked as dignified as ever. Mom sat next to Nalena, and I was happy to see that they were engaged in what appeared to be friendly conversation. Admiral Kiptani sat stiffly in his white uniform.

The chamber door swung open and Sini accompanied by Commandant Konya entered. We all stood while Sini took her seat at the Throne and Konya positioned herself two steps behind the Throne. "Be seated," Sini said.

"Thank you for rearranging your schedules in order to meet on such short notice." She nodded at me. "The Lord Chancellor has convinced me to call forth the Council of Kings. Due to the importance of the subject, I thought all of you should be present."

Sini raised her hand and pressed on the clusters of the Golden Vine Ring. White light arched from the Ring to the floor. The arc shimmered and turned into a rainbow. The seven colors separated from the rainbow, straightened, and each morphed into several human shapes.

The Kings looked at Sini. As they noticed the presence of the Council members, their expressions were that of surprise. Mhikhel stepped forward. "Siniastra, do you think it wise to continually reveal the Council's existence to others?"

"Grandfather, this is my Royal Council. If Lord Chancellor Kuinsi is correct, we will have to make a decision today that will affect the very fabric of Tiranoan society. I believe that this decision must not be made solely by Arvors."

Mhikhel's fingers plucked at his beard. "And what could be so important?"

"Lord Chancellor, please proceed," Sini said.

My pulse raced. I stood and approached one of the figures in the rear of the room. "Ahrtzor Whey-ki," I said.

He didn't respond. I took another step and stood directly in front of him. "Ahrtzor Whey-ki," I said softly.

The old man raised his brown-spotted bald head and smiled softly. "No one has called me that since my mother died. Did you know her? Such a sweet, innocent woman."

"I read her Terra New Journal. How you fled the Precession of the Equinoxes Cataclysm that would devastate Terra. How your ship was sucked through a Black Cavity and you became stranded in this galaxy."

The old man arched a gray eyebrow. "I thought I erased her journal after she died. Well, never mind. If you read it, then you know I have no regrets that I killed the Eunuchs to save her."

I stepped back, stunned. "You killed Grand Eunuchs Rohfek and Nhoth."

His head bobbed. "With the help of the Dittos. We flushed the Eunuchs out the ship's main garbage vent. They disappeared without a trace. Mom never suspected my involvement. Kwenerra was a different story. She confronted me and the Dittos. Said the Sibyls had evidence and would stream it on all the vids unless we agreed to grant them their own portion of the ship separate from the Archonan and KaNoa quarters. I didn't believe her, but I couldn't risk any further turmoil on the ship, so I agreed."

His tale was worse than I had imagined, especially if the Dittos were who I thought they were. "The Dittos. They were the clone children of the Grand Eunuchs Nhoth and Rohfek?"

"Yes, and I paid dearly for their help. I had to protect their precious privileges to ensure their silence." He shook his head slowly. "As prolific as those two were, you would never have known they were Eunuch clones. Of course, some of their sons were pretty weird."

I avoided looking at Nalena even though I wondered what she would think of being a descendant of a Eunuch. Instead, I had another question for Ahrtzor. "Did you have any children?"

"Yes, a son, Arvor, who followed in my footsteps. I gave him everything, even the code to the Imperatora's secrets from Earth." He chuckled. "Kwenerra never suspected that I saw the code and downloaded the file to my private archives." He waved his hand in a circle encompassing the Kings. "That's how we created this."

I was so focused on learning more about the Imperatora's scientific secrets that it almost slipped past me. "Earth? I thought you fled Terra."

"We did. Earth was the name for Terra in Mom's native tongue."

I wanted to be sure it was the same. "The third planet from the sun?"

Ahrtzor tilted his head. "How could you know? A virus destroyed all the records about Terra's location. Not that it matters. After Precession, Terra would have been uninhabitable."

Mom gasped. "You're wrong," she said. "I've been to Earth. It was habitable."

Ahrtzor turned toward Mom, titled his head. "Who are you? You look like my sister Kwenerra. And how could you have been to Earth without this Council knowing?"

King Mhikhel walked to Ahrtzor. "She is the High Sibyl." He turned to Mom. "And what is this nonsense that you have been to Earth?"

I sensed Mom's anger. "You'd know the whole story if you hadn't insisted in shutting down the Ring after your death. Now is not the time to tell it, though. Suffice it to say that Zhun'Mar, Tarnlot, Mirae, and I were sucked through the Black Cavities to Earth. Zhun'Mar, Mirae, and I made it back through the Cavities thanks to an Earther. An Earther who is my son's father."

Ahrtzor eyebrows arched. "Then the Precession did not decimate life on Earth?"

"I don't know whether it did or didn't. But current day Earth has life with an advanced technological society," Mom replied.

This meeting wasn't going as I planned, but an unexpectedly important points had been uncovered. I coughed to draw attention. "If I may, I'd like to explain why I asked for this meeting. And then recommend what should be done."

To my surprise, all eyes turned to me, even Mhikhel's. I looked at Sini; she nodded. "I had expected to discuss how much should be disclosed regarding the founding of Tirano, including that the Nhoths and Rohfeks are scions of clones. That seems unimportant in light of what Ahrtzor has disclosed. That Tirano was founded by Earthers."

I paused. "My mother has described the bountiful resources of Earth, including vast deposits of sihlcon. We could benefit from establishing trade with Earth and make Tirano no longer dependent on Tamok sihlcon. I propose we establish a taskforce that I would head. The taskforce would be charged with discovering how to safely traverse the Black Cavities to Earth and back."

Every head in the room nodded. Perhaps, some day I will be able to meet my father.
