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opportunity to at least try.
They'd be no worse off, and at least would have identified where the Hive were
not.
A second contingent, six fast ships from each fleet, had set out in pursuit of
the marauding Hivers. It was as critical to know their destinations as to
discover their origins. And possibly come to the assistance of whatever planet
was the target of Hive attentions.
No-one yet, of either species, had suggested the Way to destroy the Hive
culture. Or, at least, contain it. Another ethical point on which Mrdini and
human were agreed: neither found it morally acceptable to undertake the total
annihilation of another sentient species, even one as inimical to both their
life forms as the Hivers.
`That's because they haven't been physically threatened,' Jeff
Raven had said grimly in the privacy of his mother's home on Deneb.
`One can indulge in such moral stands at several removes.
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`There must be some humane way to remove the threat of Hive invasions,' his
oldest son, Jeran, had replied.
`We're working on it, though I'll argue the point that "humane"
applies to the Hivers. Seemingly they have only one method of colonizing and
that 5
fatal to any other life form inhabiting the planet they choose.'
`It'd be very difficult to change the goals of a species you can't even talk
to,' Isthia said.
`I don't even want to talk to them,' the Rowan had said, giving a shudder as
she vividly remembered the moment she, as focus of the merged female Talents,
had briefly touched the Many Mind of the Hive queens. `There was nothing there
to talk to!' she added, after a moment's thought.
`We could just pick off each ship that's found using the same methods,
couldn't we?' Cera RavenHilk asked.
`We could,' Jeff replied. `But that would be a life's work in itself `Besides
tying up Primes and whole bunches of Talent, quite likely at the most
inconvenient times,' the Rowan added, with a little sniff. `I certainly
wouldn't like to have to keep doing it, time after time. The `Dinis' estimate
of how many Hive ships there could be is unnerving.' `How many is that?' Jeran
asked diffidently.
Classified, said both parents at once.
Oh, well, you can't blame me for trying, Jeran said.
`At least we do now have a great many more Talents to call on than we did when
you had to execute the first one,' Cera said, placidly.
Her parents gave her such a long look that she blinked, wondering
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why she had incurred their disapproval. `The Two-Level mass mind-merges didn't
take very long, after all.' `It took more than you think,' the Rowan said,
remembering that Cera had been affected in utero during that brief, but
exceedingly intense, assault.
Maybe that was why she came out with such peculiar sentiments.
The human ships following the ion trail were now far beyond any friendly
system. The traces remained strong, indicating excesses of speed which made
the ion trail so easy to follow. The human flagship, the Va dim, and her
consorts, the Solidarity, the Reliant and the
Beijing were experiencing supply shortages which must be remedied if they were
expected to continue. Captain Ashiant of the Vadim made it very plain that he
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and the other human captains insisted on continuing towards the Hive homeworld
no matter how long it took. To transport such long distances, the Towers
involved - Deneb and Callisto - were also going to need reinforcements. There
was even the hint that a
Prime Talent would be required on the pursuit flagship, to facilitate future
transportations and communications over the immense distances now involved.
`All the old military commanders say it's wrong to have too long a supply
line,' Thian said when the subject of Tower augmentations came up.
`This is the twenty-four century, Thian,' Roddie said, dismissing that
concern. `We have skills and abilities those ancients never thought of. And,'
he added pompously, `we haven't had a land-war in generations.
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`Thian's point is well taken,' Afra said at his most mild and
Roddie flushed, hearing the subtle rebuke. `Neither spdes has explored the
areas through which they've been passing. There've been no yellow stars, which
are systems the Hivers seek, or where our folk could land and replenish
supplies from natural materials. Naval hydroponics can only supply so much to
augment frozen, dried and canned comestibles.
Water's been recycled far too often for it to be potable. That's actually the
main problem, though fuel supplies are also dwindling and must be
replenished.' `Ice planet? Ice asteroids?' Roddie suggested.
`Requires detours from the course into a system with an expense of fuel that
might not be justified by results,' Afra said. Roddie's face fell. `But it is
an alternative that's being considered.
`But that's not a viable one, is it?' Thian said thoughtfully.
`If yellow stars generate the kind of planets that the Hive wants and that
we'd need to find drinkable water. There'd be the possibility of a
confrontation.' Afra nodded solemnly and Thian sighed at the complexity of it
all.
`We'll think of something,' Roddie said proudly.
`The `Dinis might beat us to it,' and Laria's grin was mischievous. `They're
very clever.
Roddie decided he had other things to do than argue with cousins.
`Is it being a Denebian that makes him like that, or being just a
T-3?' Laria asked her brother in a low voice.
`Deneb does inculcate certain characteristics in its children,'
Afra said, rising, `just as Aurigae instils others, not necessarily exemplary
ones, in hers!' `Whooops!' Laria said, grinning at the subtle
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rebuke. `A few years in a Tower and he'll probably turn into a quite bearable
young man.' At that both her father and brother laughed and moved off to
mingle with other guests.
Several days later, Damia and Afra sent Thian a telepathic call to join them
in the Tower room.
Family matters were generally dealt with in the house, so Thian was instantly
aware that this was an unusual summons. With some trepidation and a quick
inventory of recent misdemeanours, Thian
`ported himself the short distance into the upper Chamber where his parents
conducted all FT&T business.
He didn't dare probe his own parents but he could, and did, establish their
mental tone: Damia was sad and worried, and his father seemed coloured by
regret and reluctance but was also containing pride, being more apprehensive
than worried.
`Thian, his mother began, pausing to fingercomb over her shoulder the silver
tress that even her son knew misbehaved when she was upset, `we've had a
request... ` She glanced for assistance to Afra.
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