Chapter 44: The Jokers

- “We need a local resistance,” stated Andreï. “Under other circumstances, I would have said Lennox, which has an interesting university and a culture of defiance. But under these circumstances ... maybe Jerimadeth? I was told there were religious people there. Usually, they have a significant intellectual background and tend not to appreciate self-proclaimed gods.”

- “Do we know how they reached Lennox? There are no Entangled Gates there,” said Tohil.

- “Lennox was, but is no longer, under Aleph’s control,” said the Wau.

- “Are you sure about that, Wau?”

- “I’m on Lennox as we speak.”

- “Alright. Let’s imagine Aleph wants to take Lennox, that means at least a week of Drift and installing an Entangled Gate,” declared Andreï. “And he would have to produce it. Or he could create it from nothing and deploy it on-site. No, he would have done it already.”

- “A living god who can’t do everything,” commented Tohil.

- “Aleph is limited in his powers,” added Ravzan. “Otherwise he’d already be here, among us. Unless he can see the future and knows our efforts are ultimately doomed.”

- “Wau,” called Andreï, “I’ll need brilliant scientists, labs—you know what I mean?”

- “Noted.”

- “A resistance, essentially. The equations will be our rifles. If they’re caught, Wau, or if Garen gets his hands on Lennox, I’ll ask you to forcibly upload them into the After. Their mission will be to continue the resistance there.”

- “I’ll note it, but I’m not sure I’ll comply.”

- “I’m giving you the winning strategy. It’s up to you whether you want us to lose.”

The Wau was naturally expressionless behind his mask, but he tensed up imperceptibly.

- “Let’s move on. I don’t have the creative genius of academics. I’m not asking for a magic bomb, or an anti-god weapon ... we just need a small flaw ... you know, in times of imbalance, you only need to know where to push ... it could be through the LE, or a transient artifact lost in an attic, or just a simple Xeno...”

- “You want to seek the help of the Xenos, Andreï?” asked Ravzan.

- “It would be more accurate to say we’ll have to save them. I know our enemy, Garen Antor. I heard his speech. He wants to conquer all the worlds.”

- “And how? And even, damn it, why?” asked Tohil. “We already have too many empty planets and not enough humans to populate them!”

- “If he said it, he’ll do it. Once we understand how, we’ll refine our plans. Most Xenos will accept his domination out of indifference, submission, or because they’ll rebel and lose. And here comes our second topic, Wau. We’ll have to create a Xeno union. And make them fight.”

- “I can stop Endymions, but I don’t see how to unify Xenos. As you rightly said, Andreï, most Xenos are even indifferent to the idea of conquest, which they hardly understand.”

- “I’m sure you’ll figure it out ... you’ve got over two years ahead of you. A good lead would be to find the person called Gorylkin. She’s a smart young woman. The Xenos saw in her something like a saint. The ideal candidate. And I must say she has my affection and respect. Tell her I sent you.”

- “I know Gorylkin well. A League warrior who wreaked havoc on Orion Prime,” commented Tohil. “She has war in her blood.”

- “And for good reason,” said Andreï. “It was the HS that taught her everything. Wau, you know who I’m talking about?”

- “Perfectly. I’ll take care of it.”

Ravzan let out a nervous laugh.

- “How simple warfare becomes when one says ‘create an interworld Xeno alliance’ and the other replies ‘okay, what else?’! Seriously, you’re not short on confidence! You think we haven’t already tried? And Aleph...”

- “What else?” the Wau cut in imperiously.

For a moment, Ravzan wondered if the comment about the winning strategy had offended him and that he now wanted to remain assertive to keep control of the discussion.

“One last joker. We’re short on ships and all the arsenals are in Aleph’s hands. But there exists a secret association which, I believe, owns around three thousand ships. The Brotherhood of the Two Worlds.”

A silence fell. Tohil spoke up:

- “Well, since no one is reacting, I’ll do it. Three thousand ships. For comparison, the Stellar Fleet had, five days ago, fifteen hundred. I understand, Andreï, that you don’t say things lightly. But the Brotherhood of the Two Worlds? That’s a handful of Ozymandias owned by savage crackpots who spend their time harassing passing merchants.”