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“Yes, yes, I agree,” she said.
“One Omull left on the entire planet and it would be at this door,” Thadden whispered.
“The Pilot is a great threat to them. I cannot believe all he has done in such a short time here,” Amana said with a touch of awe in her voice.
“Imagine if Khoth had not gone against the Rule and let Jace die,” Thadden said, his expression ill.
Yeah, I think about that a lot too, Thadden. Thankfully Khoth is a really bad Thaf’ell and a really great person, Jace said.
“There are many reasons for the Rule. There are many times when it is the best course, but not always,” Amana stated with a press of her lips. She was clearly not a fan of it. “I fear though that we have become a binary species in our thinking. There is no nuance any longer. Just the Rule or death.”
“Nuance?” Thadden chuckled. “Your brother and I would tell you from our time on the court that there is only nuance in reality. But our politicians feed the people pablum, because they believe that nuance is lost on them.”
Is he talking about Nova? He must be. But he’s a lawyer. Lawyers believe that words can bring clarity. Sometimes they do. But people have to hear them and understand what you’re saying, Jace thought.
“We give people too little credit. I am not saying it isn’t difficult, or that it would not require careful crafting, but this simplicity of thought has led us here,” Amana said with a touch of passion. “Our safety was an illusion. Our mastery of Altaeth tech a joke. Nothing is as we thought it was.”
“It sounds like you and your brother weren’t fooled,” Thadden said carefully.
“We only guessed at the failures,” she said with a sad shake of her head. “We didn’t know the true extent.”
“But the Pilot and humanity are now here. We have a chance to change things,” Thadden said.
“I hope we do. I--” The sudden silence from the door had Amana stopping speaking and her head snapping towards the door. “What’s it doing? Why is it so quiet?”
While she and Thadden looked down at the computer monitors to check out the camera feed, Jace was already accessing it. He felt horror bloom in the bottom of his stomach.
Jace, what’s wrong? Gehenna asked.
She was at the elevator, waiting for the car to get there to zip her up two floors. And then there would only be two hallways away from the Omull.
But there might not be enough time, Jace realized. The Khul… I think their tech is organic.
What? Oh! Ohhhhhh… Gehenna said as she saw what he saw.
There was a green glow coming from the center of the Omull’s chest. It arched back as the flesh in front of the glow shredded and one of the bombs started to emerge from the creature itself.
They grow their own bombs! Or it’s a really horrible pocket, Gehenna remarked.
At least they don’t poop them out, Jace said.
Maybe the Cetixes do! They would be efficient, wouldn’t it? And then--
Gehenna, get ready to move faster than you’ve ever moved in your life, he cut her off.
There was a soft ding as the elevator doors opened. Gehenna rolled it and caused the car to go to the Control Room’s floor. The elevator seemed to move deadly slowly as it crawled up half a floor then a full floor then--
The bomb fully emerged from the Omull’s chest. It plopped down on the ground, surrounded by a generous glob of gray goo. It oozed there, glistening and glowing for a moment as the Omull’s body knit itself back together.
“What is that?” Amana sounded horrified.
The soldiers near the door cast worried glances back over their shoulders at her and Thadden. Thadden did that movement Jace had seen Amana do. It was like making the sign of the cross, he guessed.
Yeah, I’m praying now, too. Gehenna! Get here NOW!
I’m coming, Jace!
Gehenna popped out of the elevator doors the moment they opened wide enough for her ball body to get through. She was racing down the hallways, moving so fast that he was getting murderball sick and he had to withdraw.
