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She plucked at her plain jacket. I ll dig out my uniform. Seeing two RSF
officers on their vidscreens might just make the Fav reconsider their actions.
Shame we can t also present them with a squadron of Raptors.
Actually, Lieutenant Tobias and I have been working on that as well. We just
need Izaak s help.
She shot him a questioning glance.
Parrots, he said.
The parrots? You re joking. They re harmless. They can t leave the confines
of the station.
Simon smiled. They won t have to.
Mack s team was already assembled in the conference room adjoining Ops Main
when Gillie stepped through the opening door. She headed for Mack s side out
of habit. When he rose from his seat and executed a small, respectful bow, she
halted abruptly. Only the slight pressure of Simon s hand on the small of her
back convinced her to move again.
She wanted to run away from the distant, reverent look in his eyes and on the
faces of those around the conference-room table. Rand regarded her with a
mixture of awe and hope. Pryor gave a small nod, then studied his hands,
folded on the tabletop. Josza Brogan wouldn t even look at her. Doc Janek s
smile was tense.
Only Tobias seemed unchanged, but then, his expression around her had always
held a large measure of adoration. That might disappear, once he heard what
she had to say.
She d already dampered her empathic and telepathic senses since the incident
in the shrine. She tightened her shields even more now. She needed to be in
control, not pounding her head on the nearest bulkhead in frustration.
She waved Mack back into his seat. She couldn t sit. She d only end up
swiveling the chair back and forth in her current state of agitation. She
needed to pace. The small conference room didn t look quite large enough to
burn off all her concerns, but what the hell, she d give it a try.
You all know Simon though, she added with a slight motion of her hand as
she strode down the length of the table, you haven t seen him before.
Only Tobias seemed startled by her introduction. But he knew more about the
Raheira than the others and probably understood how difficult it was for a
nanoessence energy field to manifest in human form.
He s about to explode with questions,Simon told her.I imagine once we ve
handled the Fav lhir, he won t give me a moment s peace.
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I ve never known you to complain about a willing audience for your talents.
Did I say I was complaining?
She challenged the other part of his comment.Are you positive we can handle
the Fav lhir?
Simon leaned his hands on the empty chair in front of him. What time
estimate have you received from your Fourth Fleet, Admiral?
They deployed shortly after acknowledging my request. A little less than
thirty-four hours, barring any unforeseen delays.
Gillie folded her hands behind her waist. Any reports of additional Fav lhir
activity from other quadrants?
Mack shook his head. The entire Fleet s on high alert, My Lady. Security
teams are following up on Commodore Trace s information of other Fav agents as
well.
They d find some, of that she had no doubt. But it would probably take longer
than thirty-six hours to receive any reports of success in that area. She
hoped she and Cirrus One would still be around to hear it.
That s something she had to explain to the Khalar. Something she had to make
Mack understand. She was here to help them, but she wasn t a goddess. She
wasn t immortal. She could fail. They could all fail.
She d have to destroy their long-held religious belief in order to make them
see that. But better to destroy their belief than their lives. She saw clearly
now how her attempts over the past weeks to protect them, to preserve their
cultural error, had almost resulted in getting them all killed.
She drew in breath, made sure her empathic shields were tightly in place,
paced off a few tense steps, then turned. I m not a goddess. She looked
directly at Mack. He needed to understand. He was Fleet. He was their
salvation almost more than she was. Before we go any further, you must hear
this. The truth. I can t save you. I can work with you, but I can t save you.
I can t say magic words and make the Fav lhir disappear.
Of course. Free will. Tobias was nodding. The gods are here to guide us,
but we must each learn our lessons
Damn it, Fitch, you re not listening! Gillie flung her arms wide in
exasperation. There are gods and goddesses. Tarkir, Ixari, Merkara but I am
not one of them. She stressed her words. I m Raheiran, yes. I bear the onus
of a Kiasidira. Yes. But there were dozens before me and, no doubt, have been
dozens since. Kiasidira is a title, a designation of ability, not a name. We
can do a few more tricks than the average Raheiran, but we re not gods or
goddesses.
Mack started to say something but stopped. He was afraid. She could feel that
from him. Afraid of her. He didn t understand what she was trying to tell him.
It broke her heart. Ask, she said to him softly.
My Lady, I
Gillie. My name s Gillie. Just Gillie. Now ask whatever it was you wanted to
know.
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Are you the same Lady Kiasidira who worked with us three hundred forty-two
years ago?
Yes.
Then you re immortal.
No.
But . . . ?
Gillie turned. Simon?
There was an accident in Riftspace. An explosion resulting from the
destruction of the Fav lhir ship. It caused a hole, if you will, in the normal
space time continuum. Lady Gillaine and I traveled three hundred forty-two
years in thirty-four minutes.
And I was flat on the floor unconscious for most of it, Gillie added.
A noticeable silence filled the room.
I m not a goddess, Gillie repeated, but more gently this time. I m, at
best, an accident. An unwitting time traveler. When I woke in your sick bay,
she nodded to Janek, Simon told me what had happened. I had no idea what to
do. Of all the things I d been trained for, discovering myself to be a goddess
wasn t one of them. I m an adviser. A military adviser. A captain in the
Raheiran Special Forces. That s all.
And a Kiasidira, Mack said.
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