Kevin J. Anderson - Saga of Seven Suns 01 - Hidden Empire

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Hidden Empire

The Saga of Seven Suns - Book 01

Kevin J. Anderson

In our galaxy's far future, humans are one of three known intelligent races. We are the "new kids on the

block," having had star travel for only a few centuries. The other races consist of the Ildirans, ruled by

their Mage-Imperator, and the Klikiss, which seem to have vanished, but left behind worlds full of

artifacts and fabulous technology that humans are now beginning to find and exploit.

One such piece of technology is a device that can turn a useless gas supergiant planet into a small sun,

thereby creating new living space for humans. But when the device is tried for the first time, it awakens

the ire of a hitherto unsuspected fourth race, the Hydrogues-and a galaxy-spanning war that threatens all

life.

Set against this background are multiple subplots involving a large cast of fascinating characters: a

married couple whose archaeological discoveries can save humanity; a young man kidnapped to take

over the kingship of the vast Trade Federation; travelling communities of gypsy-like Roamers, one of

whom becomes humanity's champion against the Hydrogues; and many more.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's

imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons,living or dead,

is coincidental.

Aspect (r) name and logo are registered trademarks of Warner Books, Inc.

Warner Books, Inc., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

Visit our Web site at www.twbookmark.com.

An AOL Time Warner Company

First eBook Edition: July 2002

ISBN: 0-7595-8698-5

To IGOR KORDEY,

an imaginative, hardworking, and extremely talented artist. In the early conceptual stages ofThe Saga of

Seven Suns , he helped me to visualize and design many of the key elements of this universe. His

questions and ideas have fleshed out the series to a greater extent than anything I could have done alone.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

During the creation, writing, and editing of this series, many people have offered their advice and their

enthusiasm. In particular, I would like to thank Betsy Mitchell and Jaime Levine at Warner Aspect and

John Jarrold at Simon Schuster UK; Matt Bialer, Robert Gottlieb, Maya Perez, and Cheryl Capitani at

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the Trident Media Group; Larry Shapiro at Creative Artists Agency; Jeff Mariotte and John Nee at

Wildstorm/DC Comics; and artists Stephen Youll and Igor Kordey.

At WordFire, Inc., Catherine Sidor gave her usual 150 percent effort in transcribing all my tapes of the

chapters (and keeping up with me), as well as proofreading and offering general comments; Diane Jones

also helped out with insightful questions, suggestions, and brainstorming. Gregory Benford helped me

design the Klikiss Torch technology. Brian Herbert gave his support and help with the series from its

very beginning.

And of course my wife Rebecca Moesta helped out in a vast number of ways, both up front and behind

the scenes.

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

1 Margaret Colicos

2 Basil Wenceslas

3 Adar Kori'nh

4 Old King Frederick

5 Beneto Theron

6 Arcas

7 Margaret Colicos

8 Raymond Aguerra

9 Estarra

10 Prime Designate Jora'h

11 Adar Kori'nh

12 Rlinda Kett

13 Jess Tamblyn

14 Cesca Peroni

15 Nira Khali

16 Rlinda Kett

17 Basil Wenceslas

18 Raymond Aguerra

19 Jess Tamblyn

20 Cesca Peroni

21 Estarra

22 Margaret Colicos

23 Adar Kori'nh

24 Basil Wenceslas

25 Raymond Aguerra

26 Cesca Peroni

27 Berndt Okiah

28 Rlinda Kett

29 Arcas

30 Sarein

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31 Ambassador Otema

32 Nira

33 General Kurt Lanyan

34 Ross Tamblyn

35 Estarra

36 Raymond Aguerra

37 Jess Tamblyn

38 Rememberer Vao'sh

39 Davlin Lotze

40 Margaret Colicos

41 Sarein

42 Dr. Gerald Serizawa

43 King Frederick

44 Estarra

45 Nira

46 Jess Tamblyn

47 General Kurt Lanyan

48 Cesca Peroni

49 Tasia Tamblyn

50 Margaret Colicos

51 Nira

52 Rememberer Dio'sh

53 Prime Designate Jora'h

54 Jess Tamblyn

55 King Frederick

56 Raymond Aguerra

57 Talbun

58 Beneto

59 Nira

60 Rememberer Dio'sh

61 Davlin Lotze

62 DD

63 Basil Wenceslas

64 Tasia Tamblyn

65 Jorax

66 Berndt Okiah

67 Nira

68 Prime Designate Jora'h

69 OX

70 Margaret Colicos

71 Nira

72 Estarra

73 Rlinda Kett

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74 Tasia Tamblyn

75 Basil Wenceslas

76 Jess Tamblyn

77 Nira

78 Mage-Imperator

79 Adar Kori'nh

80 Tasia Tamblyn

81 Beneto

82 Prime Designate Jora'h

83 Basil Wenceslas

84 Margaret Colicos

85 Otema

86 Nira

87 Adar Kori'nh

88 General Kurt Lanyan

89 Jess Tamblyn

90 Branson Roberts

91 Adar Kori'nh

92 Mage-Imperator

93 Raymond Aguerra

94 Tasia Tamblyn

95 Margaret Colicos

96 Basil Wenceslas

97 King Frederick

98 Otema

99 King Frederick

100 Margaret Colicos

101 Jess Tamblyn

102 Cesca Peroni

103 Beneto

104 Nira

105 Mage-Imperator

106 Basil Wenceslas

107 Tasia Tamblyn

108 Margaret Colicos

109 Nira

110 Cesca Peroni

111 Tasia Tamblyn

112 King Peter

113 Margaret Colicos

114 Basil Wenceslas

115 Louis Colicos

TIMELINE

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GLOSSARY OF CHARACTERS AND TERMINOLOGY

1 MARGARET COLICOS

Safe in orbit high above the gas giant, Margaret looked through the observation port at continent-sized

hurricanes and clouds far below. She wondered how long it would take for the entire planet to catch fire,

once the experiment began.

Oncier was a pastel globe of hydrogen and mixed gases five times the size of Jupiter. Moons surrounded

the gas giant like a litter of pups jostling against their mother. The four of greatest interest were large

bodies of ice and rock named Jack, Ben, George, and Christopher, after the first four Great Kings of the

Terran Hanseatic League. If today's test proved a success, those moons could eventually be terraformed

into Earth-like colonies.

If the Klikiss Torch failed, the respected career of Margaret Colicos would fizzle along with it. But she

would survive. As xeno-archaeologists, she and her husband Louis were accustomed to working in

blissful obscurity.

In preparation for the experiment, the technical observation platform bustled with scientists, engineers,

and political observers. Though Margaret had nothing to do with the actual test, her presence was still

required here. A celebrity. She had to make a good show of it. After all, she had discovered the alien

device among the ruins.

Tucking gray-streaked brown hair behind her ear, she looked across the deck and saw Louis grinning

like a boy. They had been married for decades and had never worked without each other. It had been

years since she'd seen him in a dashing, formal suit. Margaret could tell how much he reveled in the

excitement, and she smiled for his sake.

She preferred to watch people rather than interact with them. Louis once joked that his wife had become

fascinated with archaeology on alien planets because there was no chance she might have to strike up a

conversation with one of her subjects.

With plenty of dirt under their fingernails and ground-breaking discoveries on their résumés, Margaret

and Louis Colicos had already sifted through numerous worlds abandoned by the insectlike Klikiss race,

searching for clues to explain what had happened to their vanished civilization. The alien empire had left

only ghost cities and occasional tall beetlelike robots that bore no helpful memories of their progenitors.

In the eerie ruins on Corribus, the Colicos team had discovered and deciphered the remarkable planet-

igniting technology they had called the "Klikiss Torch."

Now excitement thrummed in the filtered air of the observation platform. Invited functionaries crowded

around the observation windows, talking with each other. Never before had humans attempted to create

their own sun. The consequences and the commercial possibilities were far-reaching.

Chairman Basil Wenceslas noticed Margaret standing alone. When a small-statured server compy came

by bearing a tray filled with expensive champagne, the powerful Chairman of the Terran Hanseatic

League snagged two extruded-polymer glasses and walked over to her, proud and beaming. "Less than

an hour to go."

She dutifully accepted the glass and indulged him by taking a drink. Since the reprocessed air of the

observation platform affected the senses of smell and taste, a cheaper champagne would probably have

tasted as good. "I'll be glad when it's over, Mr. Chairman. I prefer to spend my time on empty worlds,

listening for the whispers of a long-dead civilization. Here, there are too many people for me."

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Across the deck she saw a green priest sitting silent and alone. The emerald-skinned man was there to

provide instantaneous telepathic communication in case of emergency. Outside the observation platform

hung a ceremonial fleet of alien warliners, seven spectacular ships from the Solar Navy of the Ildirans,

the benevolent humanoid race that had helped mankind spread across the stars. The beautifully

decorated Ildiran ships had taken up positions where they could observe the spectacular test.

"I understand perfectly," the Chairman said. "I try to stay out of the limelight myself." Wenceslas was a

distinguished man, one of those people who grew more attractive and sophisticated with each passing

year, as if he learned how to be suave rather than forgot how to be physically fit. He sipped his

champagne, but so slightly that it barely seemed to wet his lips. "Waiting is always so hard, isn't it? You

are not accustomed to working with such a rigid time clock."

She answered him with a polite laugh. "Archaeology is not meant to be rushed-unlike business."

Margaret just wished she could get back to work.

The Chairman touched his champagne glass against Margaret's like a kiss of crystal. "You and your

husband are an investment that has certainly paid off for the Hanseatic League." The xeno-

archaeologists had long been sponsored by the Hansa, but the star-igniting technology she and Louis had

discovered would be worth more than all the archaeology budgets combined.

Working in the cool emptiness of Corribus, sifting through the ideographs painted on the walls of

Klikiss ruins, Margaret had been able to match up the precise coordinates of neutron stars and pulsars

scattered around the Spiral Arm, comparing them with maps developed by the Hansa.

This single correlation caused an avalanche of subsequent breakthroughs: By comparing the coordinates

of neutron stars from the Klikiss drawings with known stellar drift, she had been able to back-calculate

how old the maps were. Thus, she determined that the Klikiss race had disappeared five thousand years

ago. Using the coordinates and diagrams as a key, as well as all the other information compiled on

numerous digs, Louis, with his engineering bent, had deciphered Klikiss mathematical notations, thereby

allowing him to figure out the basic functioning of the Torch.

The Chairman's gray eyes became harder, all business now. "I promise you this, Margaret: If the Klikiss

Torch does function as expected, choose any site you wish, any planet you've wanted to explore, and I

will personally see that you have all the funding you require."

Margaret clinked her glass against his in a return toast. "I'll take advantage of that offer, Mr. Chairman.

In fact, Louis and I have a likely site already picked out."

The previously untouched ghost world of Rheindic Co, full of mysteries, pristine territory, uncataloged

ruins . . . But first they had to do their duty dance here and endure the public accolades after they ignited

the gas world below.

Margaret went to stand beside Louis. She slipped her arm through his as he struck up a conversation

with the patient green priest who waited beside his potted worldtree sapling. She could hardly wait for

the experiment to be finished. To her, an empty ancient city was far more exciting than setting a whole

planet ablaze.

2 BASIL WENCESLAS

Quiet and unassuming, Basil Wenceslas moved through social circles. He smiled when he was supposed

to, bantered when expected, and filed the details in his mind. To an outsider, he never showed more than

a fraction of his deepest thoughts and intricate plans. The Terran Hanseatic League depended on it.

A well-preserved older man whose age was difficult to determine even with close study, he had access

to vigorous antiaging treatments and availed himself of cellular chelation techniques that kept him

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limber and healthy. Dapper and distinguished, he wore impeccable suits that cost more than some

families earned in a year, but Basil was not a vain man. Though everyone on the observation platform

knew he was in charge, he maintained a low profile.

When an overeager mahogany-skinned media charmer asked him for an interview about the Klikiss

Torch, he diverted the woman and her recording crew to the chief scientist of the project, then melted

into the small crowd. Watching. Observing. Thinking.

He looked out at the great ball of ochre clouds that made Oncier look like a poorly stirred confection.

This system had no habitable planets, and Oncier's gas mix was not particularly appropriate for

harvesting ekti, the exotic allotrope of hydrogen used in Ildiran stardrives. This out-of-the-way gas giant

was an excellent test subject for the unproven Klikiss Torch.

Chief scientist Gerald Serizawa talked smoothly and passionately about the upcoming test, and the

media crew pressed forward. Beside him, technicians manned banks of equipment. Basil scanned the

control panels, assessing the readings for himself. Everything was on schedule.

Dr. Serizawa was completely hairless, though whether because of a cosmetic choice, a genetic

predisposition, or an exotic disease, Basil did not know. Lean and energetic, Serizawa spoke with his

hands as much as his voice, gesturing broadly. Every few minutes, like clockwork, he grew self-

conscious and clasped his hands to keep them motionless in front of him.

"Gas giants, such as Jupiter in our own home solar system, are on the edge of a gravitational slope that

could send them into stellar collapse. Any planetary body between thirteen and a hundred times Jupiter's

mass will burn deuterium at its core and begin to shine."

Serizawa jabbed an insistent finger at the media charmer who had approached Basil earlier. "With this

rediscovered technology, we can push a gas giant such as Oncier over the mass limit so that its core will

ignite nuclear fires and turn this big ball of fuel into a brand-new sun-"

The woman broke in. "Please tell our audience where the increase in mass comes from."

Serizawa smiled, delighted to explain further. Basil crooked his mouth in a faint expression of

amusement. He thanked his luck that the bald doctor was such an enthusiastic spokesman.

"You see, the Klikiss Torch anchors two ends of a wormhole, a tunnelten kilometers wide." It was clear

his listeners knew little about wormhole mechanics and the difficulty of creating such a huge space-time

gap. "We open one terminus near a superdense neutron star, then target the other end at the core of

Oncier. In the blink of an eye, the neutron star is transported into the planetary heart. With so much

added mass, the gas giant will collapse, ignite, and begin to shine. This light and heat, you see, will

make the largest moons habitable."

One of the media recorders pointed an imager at the white glints orbiting the pastel gas planet as

Serizawa continued. "Alas, the new sun will burn for only a hundred thousand years, but that's still

plenty of time for us to make the four moons into productive Hansa colonies. Practically an eternity, as

far as we're concerned."

Basil nodded unobtrusively to himself. Typical short-term thinking, but useful. Now that Earth was part

of a much larger galactic network, though, true visionaries would have to operate on a completely

different time scale. Human history was only one small part of the canvas.

"Therefore, the Klikiss Torch opens up many new opportunities for the Hansa to create habitats that

meet the needs of our growing human population."

Basil wondered how many swallowed that explanation. It was part of the answer, of course, but he also

noted the huge, gaudy Ildiran warliners standing watch, reminding him of the real reasons for this

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extravagant demonstration.

The Klikiss Torch must be tested not because there was a desperate need for extra living space-there

were many more acceptable colony worlds than humans could ever settle. No, this was a move of

political hubris. The Hansa needed to prove that humans could actuallydo this thing, a grand and

extravagant gesture.

One hundred and eighty-three years ago, the Ildiran Empire had rescued the first Terran generation ships

from their aimless journeys through space. The Ildirans had offered humans their fast stardrive and

adopted Earth into the sprawling galactic community. Humans viewed the Ildiran Empire as a

benevolent ally, but Basil had been watching the aliens for some time.

The ancient civilization was stagnant, full of ritual and history but very few fresh ideas. Humans had

been the ones to innovate the Ildiran stardrive technology. Eager colonists and entrepreneurs-even the

space gypsy riffraff of the Roamer clans-had rapidly filled the old Ildiran social and commercial niches,

so that humans gained a substantial foothold in just a few generations.

The Hansa was growing by leaps and bounds, while their stodgy alien benefactors were fading. Basil

was confident humans would soon subsume the ailing Empire. After the Klikiss Torch demonstration,

the Ildirans would remain impressed by Terran abilities-and deterred from any temptation to test human

mettle. Thus far, the alien empire had shown no sign of aggression, but Basil didn't entirely believe the

altruistic motives of the cozy Ildiran neighbors. It was best to maintain a prominent reminder of human

technological abilities, and better still to be subtle about it.

While the test countdown proceeded toward zero, Basil went to get another glass of champagne.

3 ADAR KORI'NH

From the command nucleus of his prime warliner, Adar Kori'nh, supreme admiral of the Ildiran Solar

Navy, contemplated the humans' folly.

Though the outcome of this preposterous test would have a significant bearing on future relations

between the Ildiran Empire and the Terran Hanseatic League, the Adar had brought only a septa, a group

of seven warliners. The Mage-Imperator had instructed him not to display too much interest in the event.

No Ildiran should be too impressed by any action from these upstarts.

Even so, Kori'nh had refitted his battleships as a matter of pride, painting sigils on their hulls and adding

dazzling illumination strips as primary markings. His warliners looked like ornate deep-sea creatures

preparing for an outrageous mating display. The Solar Navy understood pageantry and military

spectacles far better than the humans did.

The Hansa Chairman had invited Kori'nh to come aboard the observation platform where he could watch

the artificial ignition of the gas giant. Instead, the Adar had chosen to remain here, aloof, inside the

command nucleus. For now. Once the actual test began, he would arrive with politically acceptable

tardiness.

Kori'nh was a lean-faced half-breed between noble and soldier kith, like all important officers in the

Solar Navy. His face was smooth, with humanlike features, because the higher kiths resembled the

single breed of human. Despite their physical similarities, though, Ildirans were fundamentally different

from Terrans, especially in their hearts and minds.

Kori'nh's skin had a grayish tone; his head was smooth except for the lush topknot folded back across his

crown, a symbol of his rank. The Adar's single-piece uniform was a long tunic made from layered gray-

and-blue scales, belted about his waist.

To emphasize the low importance of this mission, he had refused to pin on his numerous military

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decorations, but the humans would never notice the subtlety when he met them face-to-face. He watched

the bustling scientific activities with a mixture of condescending amusement and concern.

Though the Ildirans had assisted the fledgling race many times in the past two centuries, they still

considered humans to be impatient and ill-behaved. Cultural children, adoptive wards. Perhaps their race

needed a godlike, all-powerful leader such as the Mage-Imperator. The golden age of the Ildiran Empire

had already lasted for millennia. Humans could learn much from the elder race if they bothered to pay

attention, rather than insisting on making their own mistakes.

Kori'nh could not comprehend why the brash and overly ambitious race was so eager to create more

worlds to terraform and settle. Why go to all the trouble of creating a new sun out of a gas planet? Why

make a few rugged moons habitable when there were so many acceptable worlds that were, by any

civilized standard, nowhere near crowded enough? Humans seemed intent on spreading everywhere.

The Adar sighed as he stared out the front viewing screen of his lead warliner. Disposable planets and

disposable suns . . . how very Terran.

But he would not have missed this event for all the commendations the Mage-Imperator had left to give.

In ancient times the Solar Navy had fought against the terrible and mysterious Shana Rei, and the

military force had been required to fight against other deluded Ildirans in a heart-rending civil war two

thousand years ago, but since that time, the fleet had been mainly for show, used for occasional rescue or

civil missions.

With no enemies and no interplanetary strife in the Ildiran Empire, Kori'nh had spent his career in the

Solar Navy managing ornate ceremony-driven groupings. He had little experience in the area of battle or

tactics, except to read about them in theSaga. But it wasn't the same.

The Mage-Imperator had dispatched him to Oncier as the Empire's official representative, and he had

obeyed his god and leader's commands. Through his faint telepathic link with all of his subjects, the

Mage-Imperator would watch through Kori'nh's eyes.

No matter what he thought of it, though, this bold human attempt would make an interesting addition to

the Ildiran historical epic,The Saga of Seven Suns. This day, and probably even Kori'nh's name, would

become part of both history and legend. No Ildiran could aspire to more than that.

4 OLD KING FREDERICK

Surrounded by the opulence of the Whisper Palace on Earth, Old King Frederick played his part. Basil

Wenceslas had given him orders, and the great monarch of the Hansa knew his place. Frederick did

exactly as he was told.

Around him, court functionaries kept busy writing documents, recording decrees, distributing royal

orders and benevolences. The Whisper Palace must be seen as a constant flurry of important matters,

conducted in a professional and orderly fashion.

Wearing heavy formal robes and a lightweight crown adorned with holographic prisms, Frederick

awaited word from Oncier in the Throne Hall. He was bathed and perfumed, the many rings on his

fingers polished to a dazzle. His skin had been massaged with lotions and oils. His hair was perfect; not

a single strand could be seen out of place.

Though he had originally been chosen for his looks, charisma, and public-speaking abilities, Frederick

knew the foundation of his monarchy better than the most attentive student of civics. Because any real-

time political hold over such a vast galactic territory would be tenuous at best, the Hansa depended on a

visible figurehead to speak decrees and issue laws. The populace needed a concrete person in whom to

invest their loyalty, since no one would fight to the death or swear blood oaths for a vague corporate

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ideal. Long ago, a royal court and a well-groomed King had been manufactured to give the commercial

government a face and a heart.

As with his five predecessors, King Frederick existed to be seen and revered. His court was filled with

gorgeous clothing, polished stone, rich fabrics, tapestries, artworks, jewels, and sculptures. He awarded

medals, threw celebrations, and kept the people happy with a benevolent sharing of the Hansa's wealth.

Frederick had everything he could ever need or want . . . except independence and freedom.

Basil had once told him, "Humans have a tendency to abdicate their decision-making to charismatic

figures. That way they force others to take responsibility, and they can blame their problems upward in a

hierarchy." He had pointed to the King, who was so weighed down with finery that he could barely

walk. "If you follow that to its logical conclusion, any society will end up with a monarchy, given

enough time and choice."

After forty-six years on the throne, Frederick could barely remember his younger life or his original

name. He had seen significant changes in the Hanseatic League during his reign, but little of it had been

his own doing. Now he felt the burden of his years.

The King could hear the rush of fountains, the hum of dirigibles, the roar of the ever-swelling crowds in

the royal plaza below waiting for him to address them from his favorite speaking balcony. The

Archfather of Unison was already leading them in familiar scripted prayers, but even as the crowds

followed along, eager citizens pressed forward, hoping for a glimpse of their splendid monarch.

Frederick wanted to remain inside as long as possible.

After its construction in the early days of Terran expansion, the gigantic ceremonial residence had

rendered visitors speechless with awe-hence, its name: the Whisper Palace. Always-lit cupolas and

domes were made of glass panels crisscrossed with gilded titanium support braces. The site had been

chosen in the sunny, perfect weather of the North American west coast, in what had once been southern

California. The Palace was larger than any other building on Earth, vast enough to swallow ten cities the

size of Versailles. Later, after the Hansa had encountered the jaw-dropping architecture in the Ildiran

Empire, the Whisper Palace had been expanded further, just to keep up.

At the moment, though, the beauty around him could not keep Frederick's mind occupied as he

impatiently waited to hear from Basil at distant Oncier. "Momentous events do not happen in an instant,"

he said, as if convincing himself. "Today we mean to set the course of history."

A court chamberlain rang an Ildiran crystal-alloy gong. Instantly, in response to the sound, the King

donned an eager but paternal smile, a practiced kindly expression that exuded warm confidence.

With the fading musical vibrations, he strode down the royal promenade toward his expansive speaking

balcony. Out of habit, the King looked at an ultraclear crystalline mirror mounted in an alcove. He

caught his expression, the not-quite-hidden weariness in his eyes, a few new wrinkles that only he could

see. How much longer would Basil let him play this role, before he passed beyond "paternal" and into

"doddering"? Maybe the Hansa would let him retire soon.

The great solar doors spread open, and the King paused to take a deep breath, squaring his shoulders.

Ambassador Otema, the ancient green priest from the forested planet of Theroc, stood beside her

shoulder-high worldtree sapling in its ornate planter. Through the sentient worldforest network, Otema

could establish an instant communication link with the far-off technical observation platform.

He gave one brisk clap of his hands. "It is time. We must transmit a message that I, King Frederick,

grant my permission for this wondrous test to begin. Tell them to proceed with my blessing."

Otema gave a formal bow. The stern ambassador had so many status tattoos on her face and her skin was

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Kevin J. Anderson - Saga of Seven Suns 01 - Hidden Empire

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