Rather than taking them down, the lift continued their upward journey. There must be a hangar special for the lords, Rieven figured, makes sense that such a thing would be higher up in the statue. What a marvel. He felt the axiomatic sensation of a comforting hand rubbing his back, but not the physical one. It was disconcerting. I need to get this puzzle figured out fast. I’m getting concerned. The good doctor had better be able to give me an answer on whether this thing is alive or not. There is no way I’m letting anyone else touch this pearl without his ok.

  As he thought this, he felt a sense of agreement originate from his connection to the pearl. Huh. That makes that simpler. No one touches it. His inner musings were interrupted by the rasping voice of Big Red, “It is time for me to tell you how you are come here.” That, thought Rieven, is all I have wanted to know for the past day. If I could return with the truth of that answer, the journey home will be possible without the Fourth fracturing into rebellion.

  “I have observed you humans and your Operatic Empire for many months, almost a year tomorrow. What you have accomplished since the Great Collapse of your empire centuries ago is impressive: The royal line stolen by a pirate, who usurped the throne without the complaint of the nobility, who got to maintain their positions and ancestral importance. The regathering of the broken shards of empire and the grafting in of new cultures and civilisations as they come into contact with you. It is an impressive machine your people have wrought that can so easily stamp out rebellion and redirect that energy into the conquering of new places.

  “In fact you, commandant Rieven, are the golden final product of one such conquering, no?” Rienven snorted in his helmet. It was true. His nation had been conquered by the empire and subsumed. He’d joined to hurt them from the inside but over time came to see that they actually brought about much needed order and fewer people were killed in territorial wars within the bounds of the empire than before, granting peace within their borders. This only lasted so long as they continued conquering, so he had turned to his friendship with Ono and their group had truly begun to change the stars.

  “That you are placed here at this time is fortunate for you. I like what I have seen of humanity’s methods of operation, specifically your empire’s. Before I go any further, are you empowered to speak on behalf of your emperor?”

  Rieven paused for a moment, stunned that this was going to be an important conversation. It wasn’t supposed to have been. He should have been able to rest and let Ono do the talking. Fine, he thought, I’ll rest when I’m dead. He gathered himself to speak and felt the axiomatic sensation of fingers at his temples working the tension there, “I am no ambassador nor do I carry the emperor’s request that I speak for him in this matter. However, I am a bearer of his personal imperial seal and am authorised to speak for him in such times and in such places as his standard authorised representative is not present. My words will stand unless and until such time as he countermands them.”

  “Good” said Big Red, “very good. It is important that we can come to an initial formalised agreement, pending your emperor’s ratification, and mine as well – the throne above the clouds will want its say when it comes to our two people working together.”

  Ungh. He’s going to make this a formalised working meeting. Alright you evil demon. You win. I’ll come out and play nice. “How would you have our people work together, and what would you have them accomplish?”

  “I have observed that your people are the only organisms that can work axiom within matter. You are also able to touch another’s axiomatic pattern. This is neither common nor usual. The Wythgoesh are our enemies on the far side of the stars from your empire. We sit in the middle of the two, whimsically speaking. They have not ever once shown the ability to manipulate axiom through matter, but they have repeatedly touched our axiomatic patterns with their minds. It makes dealing with them difficult. How do you fight an enemy that can tell what you feel or what you are thinking or can make you think a thought or feel an emotion or a feeling, or see something that is not there, or not see something that is there. It is frustrating in the extreme, this eldritch touch. We have our methods of fighting them and countering this attack, but they are not efficient and they are not lastingly effective.

  “Your people, however, are different. In seeing how axiom moves through your body you can see when foreign axiom touches your axiomatic pattern before it influences you. You should be able to fight off their influence enough to see beyond the trickery and the deception. This will require testing, but if true, I would like for your people to help us fight the Wythgoesh, not in our stead, but rather at our side. You would make command decisions in battle with eyes that cannot be deceived, ears that hear the truth, and a heart that knows no artificial fear. You would be of great importance to us.”

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Why do you not use artificial intelligences as your battle commanders? They would be emotionless and only rely on data fed to them?”

  “Because it is important to know what the enemy would have us believe if we are to counter it. If we know what they want us to do, we know where they will choose to strike, or how they will choose to strike. Artificial intelligences cannot tell, and we cannot tell them the difference until after the fact when each individual’s account is summarised, and the viewpoint’s compared. It is a weakness of ours we are unable to counter yet.”

  “What do my people stand to gain in your eyes through this agreement?”

  “The Operatic Empire will gain two primary things: One, they shall receive a bounty per target eliminated or objective achieved. Resources are vital to empire and while yours is wealthy, ours is ancient, possessed of the kind of wealth only a true dragon can comprehend. You will benefit greatly, trust me. Second, your people will begin to be able to answer a threat to your sovereignty. In time they will come for you. While we are losing ground, eventually we would be directed to assault your empire for space to live. The time will come when we shall be at war if this threat is not settled. I would not see that if I can help it.”

  Rieven was confused. “Why are you telling me these things? You are sharing great secrets of your people to a people who do not belong to yours?”

  “Oh, Death’s Wings, but you do. You do. You are as bound to the Life Cycle as any dragon ever has been. At this point you will be the perfect emissary between our peoples. Additionally, you have acted with great honour and valour and I have no desire to see you harmed. You have done well and I believe you will continue to act in such ways.”

  Well, thought Rieven, I can see why they are losing the war, they don’t understand subtlety. Dragons have no need of it, neither do any of the strong; it seems that is a universal constant. True strength can only be maintained through attention to the subtle. They may begin to be figuring that out, but we’ve perfected that art. This will go very badly for the dragons if their imperial seat ratifies such an agreement – the Operatic Empire would swallow them whole, and they would be right to do so. It serves no one to have a weak ally between themselves and a strong and subtle enemy. Not one bit.

  He answered Big Red, “Heat Death Virabdhara. I speak for my empire when I say the following: Conditional upon Imperial Ratification, I formally agree to this initial sketch of mutual assistance.”

  “Good. Good. You shall find the computers on your new vessel filled with all details of our conflict with the Wythgoesh, as well as information on their species. They are ancient beings with powers strange to us and they seem fated to win every major conflict we have with them, as if our own efforts mean nothing. Your assistance would be effective at brutalising them into submission and death.”

  Well, thought Rieven, they definitely aren’t subtle. Figures. “The star charts will also be filled in between our empire and yours. You will be able to navigate back to your homeworld, though it will take time, and it will take pain.”

  “Pain?” Asked Rieven, he didn’t like the sound of that.

  “Yes. Pain is a necessity when holding shards in one’s hands to keep them from breaking further. Your Fourth is shattering even now, is it not? Bind it together and sail home. That will take pain, but it is necessary.”

  The lift finally stopped and as the door opened, Big Red said one last thing, “I shall not accompany you to your new vessel, but my son shall stay with you to accompany you to your empire and he shall act as warrior-ambassador in my stead. He is authorised to make statement and agreement on behalf of myself an the Throne Above the Clouds. I know I have no need to say this to you commandant, but I say it for your men who are with you now, my son is to be treated with the respect and dignity you would afford me should I have accompanied you instead. Agreed?”

  “Agreed. Witnessed. Signed. It shall be done.” Ono’s voice chimed in.

  “You have as much time as you’d like to take repairing your navy. Send word when you are ready to depart, and my minister shall escort you to our borders. Fare you well, little humans. Death’s Wings, good hunting till we meet once more.”

  They filed out and watched the doors close. Ono took control of the squad as they made their way to the new vessel. It was just as filled with angry points and sharp angles as any of the other ships in the dragon’s fleet they had so far seen. It was also huge. This thing was half a kilometre long. They walked up the ramp into its shuttle bay and saw the shuttle they had been gifted, along with a fleet of other ships of various sorts.

  Ono said, “This could be your new ship sir. It’s large enough for everyone and probably has facilities we’d love to have. At the very least it looks like death come to claim the unsuspecting and unwary, no matter who they are. I say we keep it.”

  All Rieven saw was a headache. It would take weeks to clear this ship of potential dangers, even if there were none. It’s a good thing they had been given that time. Almost as if Big Red knew their procedures. Well, if he’d been spying on them for so long, never mind how, he’d know what they would do before it was staffed and used. That was a problem for future Rieven. Present Rieven needed the good doctor quick.

  When they arrived at the centre of the room, there was a dragon waiting there for them, about the size and shape of the one Dragon Tooth had melted earlier, all wings and tail. He looked up, passed them a sheet of electronic parchment and said, “This sheet contains a list of everything currently present aboard this ship as well as instructions for running and maintaining it. Welcome to your new vessel, my lord, it awaits your naming.”

  One last decision, Rieven thought, and then I can hand everything over to Ono. “Death’s Silence” he said, firmly and with intention. The dragon flinched, but then nodded slowly, not happy with the name but recognising it was not his place to say so.

  Rieven felt a sensation of grim excitement through the pearl.

  Death’s Silence, he thought, had better not be prophetic