Free The Power of Gnaris by Les Bill Gates

met was cold and bare, its walls unadorned with
any decoration, and it was furnished with just five chairs that
Barrow had managed to find by searching throughout the disused
factory. There were no communication devices that would normally be
part of a crucial meeting involving such significant dignitaries;
hardly the venue for a meeting of the most important leaders of the
Karavec Empire. But the need for secrecy was paramount, and they
dismissed all thoughts of discomfort from their minds.
    Before they
began their discussion, the five leaders moved their chairs close
together to sit in a circle facing inwards. They joined hands and
began chanting, using an ancient language only known to a few of
those Karavec who had travelled together from the distant galaxy
that was their original home. Elena, who had some knowledge of the
ancient language from her studies, listened and managed to pick up
the thread of a familiar prayer.
    “Oh, mighty
gods,” they chanted, “hear us from across the great darkness. You
dwell far away in another galaxy, which is our home. We are waiting
for the day you come to claim the Milky Way. Our main purpose, our
only purpose is to establish an empire in the Milky Way ready for
your arrival. Our loyal warriors and servants, each one of us, is
working towards a better future, for a place where the gods will
rule.”
    “Guide us, oh
mighty gods,” said Barrow, “as we meet together for the first time
in many years; guide us while we discuss a crisis that threatens
our people and their very existence. Let us be unanimous in making
the right decision for the future of the race that you have
created.”
    “Guide us
mighty gods,” they all intoned.
    Then they
released their hands and relaxed, still sitting in a circle. The
others waited for Barrow to speak.
    “Lords of the
Council,” he said using the common tongue of the Karavec, “you have
been summoned here to discuss matters of crucial importance for the
future of the Karavec race.”
    “Lord Barrow,”
said Lolena, “we can dismiss the preliminaries. We know that this
must be important. Can you get to the point?”
    Barrow
shrugged off the rebuke. “Very well,” he said. “The first matter
you are probably already aware of, since it is common knowledge.
Karavec embryos have been murdered both here and at the Regional
Embrycultural Centre on Arion.”
    “Yes, we
know,” said Lolena. “That is a matter for the police and the alien
Forster who you have invited into our midst. He can handle it.”
    “What you say
is true . . . to a point. If it was simply a case of murder, then
Forster, one of the most prominent detectives in the Milky Way,
could solve this case. But there have been further
developments.”
    “Please cut to
the chase, Lord Barrow,” said Saivrow. “We are all busy
people.”
    “The beings
that inhabit Ziemia have entered the technological age.”
    Henrow gasped,
and Saivrow exclaimed, “What!”
    “You must be
mistaken, Lord Barrow,” said Lolena. “The beings on Ziemia are
barely out of the Stone Age.”
    “It’s
true.”
    Velena spoke
for the first time. “Lord Barrow, how did this happen?”
    “I don’t know
exactly, but it has some connection with the reason why Captain
Forster wishes to visit the planet. This is why I permitted him to
come to Hikon.”
    “That explains
a lot,” said Velena. “And what has this to do with the
murders?”
    “I believe the
murderer, who is a Karavec, is in league with the Ziemians. Along
with the knowledge they have gained to bring them into the
technological age, they have also acquired a taste for Karavec
blood. The reason for this, and how the two incidents are
connected, has yet to be determined.”
    “Are the
Ziemians a threat to us?” asked Henrow. “Have they developed
weapons that they might use against us?”
    “Again I am
not sure, but it seems very likely; and the fact that they have a
taste for our blood is an indication that their intentions