Free Harvester 7 by Andy Lang Page B

but clear as crystal,
"I am here to say farewell to a friend, I pray that you will show
me the same support that you showed him during the dark days that
lie ahead of us. Bless the Watu."
    The ovation
was expected and Go'an could barely stand, the mental energy that
he had expended to influence an entire race had been staggering,
but influence them he had, and he was now undisputed Chancellor of
a united people.
    ***
    "Assist me."
he ordered the new Vice Chancellor who walked at his side as they
descended the steps from the podium, Go'an felt his knees begin to
tremble, the concentration required for his first planet wide
address had drained his strength.
    "Fine words
Brother," answered Vice Chancellor Na'ta as he grasped the offered
arm and added his support, "Father would be proud of you if he were
still with us."
    "I am
exhausted brother," admitted Go'an, "But the crowds must not see me
weak, I must always be strong in their minds."
    "This is a
fleeting weakness," comforted Na'ta, "It will soon pass, you have
such strength, I could not have extended that much influence over
so many."
    Go'an shook
his head, "You are still young, your own power will develop in
time, have patience, your time will come."
    Go'an searched
his mind for the contact with his Terrillian far out in deep space
but could only find a buzz of static interference, he concentrated
again without success, "I am more exhausted than I first imagined."
he told himself but it mattered little, after resting he would try
again, Master Maulik would be in safe hands with the Kressa unit,
the Terrillian was still many weeks away from his meeting with the
Diurians, so much hinged on his missions success but Go'an had
plenty of work to do getting his own house in order before the
negotiations could begin.
    Go'an ran over
the growing list of potential allies he wanted in his new
Federation, the Terrillians were already part, the Diurian's would
soon follow, he hoped, they would be powerful friends to have, if
he could smooth away the distrust that had clouded their relations
for centuries. The Su'al were another possibility if he could
convince them to cease their constant in-fighting and territorial
squabbles, their territories would mean nothing in the end he
smiled, when he had stripped away all of the borders. His mind
drifted to other plans.
    "I am going to
the institute," he announced, "I can rest on the transport."
    "Do you want
me to join you?" questioned Na'ta.
    "You are Vice
Chancellor now," snapped Go'an, "You represent me when I am away
from the Citadel... sometimes I worry about you brother," Go'an
sighed, "Just oversee the clearance work, I want my new Council
Chambers built within the month, that should keep you busy."
    The institute
had been Go'an's brainchild when he came into office and was
dedicated to bio-mechanical research, a subject that had always
fascinated him. Until the formation of the institute organic
integration had been a fantasy but Go'an had drawn together a group
of dreamers and chemists, engineers and biologists and set them to
work with unlimited funding and facilities that were the envy of
established scientists across the planet. His detractors had called
it a crazy dream sponsored by a deluded war monger, their voices
had slowly disappeared, those that couldn't be bought had all met
with untimely accidents which only served to fuel Go'an's
reputation for ruthlessness.
    It was inside
the institute that the Kressa project had been conceived, his team
had shown some advances as they integrated the higher functions of
several species of reptiles into mechanical skins, the results were
promising but very limited in application. It had been Go'an
himself who had suggested work should begin with a more aggressive
species and the short-list of suitable indigenous predators had
been whittled down until only the sleek and agile Kressa
remained.
    The Kressa
project had been a success, but the feral mind proved erratic and
unpredictable so a