Opening Moves by James Traynor Read Free Book Online Page A

“Because if you are wrong every member of the Ashani race who needlessly dies in this war will be your fault, and I will take that very personally. Do you understand what that means?”
    “ Yes.” Tear'al's voice carried a trace of uncertainty. He had heard rumors about a captain who had lost his ship to a Tuathaan raid through sheer incompetence. The man hadn't even finished his report to Strategos Corr'tane before he was arrested and taken to his labs. No one had ever seen him again. “This will go as predicted.”
    “ Get out of my sight,” the younger man coolly commanded, then turned to look at space with its infinite darkness and infinite cold.
    Tear'al had been in the military longer and held equal rank to Corr'tane, but there was no question as to which one held the power in this room. His intelligence had made him the youngest strategos in history, and his ruthlessness ensured it was a well-deserved title. He would be spearheading the assault on the Tuathaan and he relished the opportunity, the image of his father imprinted on his mind as a child. They were going to pay for that. He was going to make damn sure of it.
    The timer was set. Only two more months. Then he would have his vengeance, and his people would have the chance to live forever.
     
     
    Tanith, Independent Star System, Pact of Ten Suns.
     
    March 2796 C.E.
     
    The falling rain echoed on the glass roof. Mairwen took a brief moment to savor it. Her home was replete with water and it frequently rained, so much so it was merely another part of the day. But on worlds alien to her people, rain like this was rarer and often seen as troublesome, a mixed blessing. For Mairwen it was a reminder of home and gave her a sudden bout of homesickness. She didn't want to be here, in this empty and cold chamber. Breathing heavily through the spiracles on her forehead, her flat face turned into a grimace. The air in here was too dry. She wanted to be on her grounds back on Akvô, enjoying the humidity and the soft breeze over her home world's endless beaches. In fact, she would have settled for just standing outside here for a while, the transparent, water-repellent lids closed over the two large black eyes that sat high in her skull. But the meeting was about to start, such as it was.
    A week ago Toklamakun had fallen to an Ashani surprise attack and the news had shocked Mairwen's people, the neighboring Érenni. They had immediately called a meeting of the Pact to gather once more on neutral ground not owned by any of the league's larger members. When such diverse species gathered it was best to limit any reason for undue tensions before they even had a chance to surface.
    Tanith was such neutral ground. Called the Golden Pearl by her people, Mairwen had journeyed here on the fastest diplomatic courier ship the Érenni Republics owned.
    The Érenni were a peaceful, mercantile and freedom-loving people. Organized first in matriarchal clans, later in female dominated nations, and finally in their current form of a loose confederation of colonial republics they had no martial tradition comparable to many of the other sentient races. And quite frankly, there hadn't been much of a need for one. Érenni, as far as generalizations about a whole race were possible, preferred to deal with problems either around conference tables or through subterfuge and covert actions, not open warfare. And now they found themselves sharing a border with a power like the Dominion. To Mairwen that made it all the more urgent to discuss the matter and take action to prevent further Ashani aggression.
    And yet, despite plenty of time to assemble and the apparent seriousness of the situation, precisely three people had arrived at the consulate on Tanith. Aside from herself there were only Gwythyr of the Tuathaan Clanholds and Serrok Kun of the Komerco. Nobody else had bothered to even send a junior representative. She did not feel anger, not really. The feeling threatening to send cramps