Exile, p.22
Exile, page 22
Arkady couldn’t help smiling; he’d rarely been this excited about the possibilities before him since he’d finished university at the top of his class. Of course, she could promise all kinds of things and that didn’t mean she’d follow through on any of them. Though as an ex-virago, her reputation wasn’t just of follow-through, but of excellence. “I’d be forever grateful, Sister General.”
“I will look into it, and keep you apprised of any progress on the matter. I might have to call upon you, too.”
He nodded.
“Good. Was this all you wanted to talk about?”
“Actually no.” He cleared his throat. “I understand that the Committee might be interested in the fact that I’ve made first contact with an intelligent species of shapechangers. They’re known to the Commonwealth, who, however, chose a very heavy-handed, exploitative approach with them. They’re called Glyrinny, and their powers are astonishing. But more than that, I believe that the Glyrinny and the Doctrine are a natural match based on the fact that both our societies are collectivist in nature. I’ve also reason to believe that their technology could open up new avenues for our own society.”
“You ... made a first contact.” She now seemed shocked. “A peaceful one?”
“Very peaceful. Their capabilities take some getting used to, to be frank, but as an asset or a part of the Doctrine, these people could be game-changers for us. I know for a fact that neither the Commonwealth nor the Alliance has anything similar.”
Her surprise, even shock, turned into excitement, her eyes sparkling. “Can you establish contact?”
“Yes, I can. And that brings me to a small request regarding my own future.”
Epilogue
Attn: Lieutenant Nikishin, Interior Revision HQ, Liberty
Brother Lieutenant,
We wish to thank you for sending us the final report on the events as unfolded on Sacrifice, formerly known as Tamene. We can state for the record that this fits with what Brother General Arkady Kidashell has reported during his meeting.
We can consider it an established fact that he has acted within the bounds of the Doctrine as far as can be ascertained, and in addition carried himself with great personal strength and dignity.
The same conversation with the general has opened up fascinating avenues of thought and strategy that, we feel, have far-reaching consequences for our undertaking. What is not yet common knowledge is that Kidashell has encountered an alien species on Tamene—morphs that call themselves “Glyrinny.” As you have an extensive network of contacts throughout Commonwealth and Alliance space, I’d be interested to learn anything that it can yield with regards to the Glyrinny, their capabilities and activities—if any.
In our brief meeting, Brother General Kidashell provided some intel on them and assured us he can open up a direct line of communication to this intriguing alien culture. They are an unknown quantity at this point, but we assume that friendly relations could be established.
In fact, the general is a firm believer that the Glyrinny are a collectivist culture that is aware of the connectedness of all things, and therefore there’s an underlying, fundamental sympathy between the Doctrine and their worldview, which is something that other human political entities might be structurally unable to accommodate, to their imminent and future loss.
However, implications and future strategic planning are not within the scope of a simple missive like this, so let me come to the point.
I’ve taken it upon myself to handle the Glyrinny matter among the Committee Generals. Given our previous positive cooperation, I suggest you join us on the sub-committee working out the policy issues regarding the aliens. You’ll be pleased to know that Brother General Kidashell will be joining us so he is as well-equipped as possible before he is seconded as the Doctrine’s Ambassador to the Glyrinny.
In service to the Doctrine,
General Alina Stolkov
Committee of the Doctrine
The End
Author’s Notes
Exile is the long-awaited sequel to Incursion. It’s also set in the same world as Dark Edge of Honor (co-written with Rhi Etzweiler). The book came from a conversation with Tif, who also created the cover (which inspired one of the scenes in the book).
I’d like to thank Alex, Alyson and Victoria, who helped beat this into shape and the readers who kept asking for more Kyle and Grimm. I’m hoping to write more stories set in this universe.
Also by Aleksandr Voinov
Incursion (Incursion #1)
Dark Edge of Honor, with Rhi Etzweiler
Witches of London – Lars
Witches of London – Eagle’s Shadow, with Jordan Taylor
Return on Investment (Return on Investment #1), also available in audio
Risk Return (Return on Investment #2)
Dark Soul I-III
Gold Digger
Nightingale, also available in audio
Deliverance, also available in audio
Skybound, also available in audio
Burn, also available in audio
The Lion of Kent, with Kate Cotoner
For a full list, go to www.aleksandrvoinov.com/bookshelf.html.
About the Author
EPIC Award winner and Lambda Award finalist Aleksandr Voinov is an emigrant German author living near London, where he works as an editor in financial services. His genres range from science fiction and fantasy to thriller, historical, contemporary, and erotica. His books were/are published by Random House Germany, Samhain Publishing, and others.
If he isn’t writing, he studies alternative therapies, explores historical sites, and meets other writers. He single-handedly sustains three London bookstores with his ever-changing research projects. His current interests include European magical traditions, the history of chess, military strategies of the crusaders, and the Golden Age of Piracy.
Visit Aleksandr’s website at http://www.aleksandrvoinov.com, his blog at http://www.aleksandrvoinov.blogspot.com, follow him on Twitter, where he tweets as @aleksandrvoinov, and/or subscribe to his newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/71jNz.
Aleksandr Voinov, Exile
