Chapter 7: Jayani“Crystal Bearers, unite! Your adherents await your return on the planet Decca in the Orion subsystem of Bhārata, where you are invited for a gathering of your company not seen since the waning days of Lemuria! Long live the Empire!”
Her eyes snapping open, Jayani gasped and straightened.
Lemurians! she thought instantly, once the message had ceased. Our people will be overjoyed! Finally, a reprieve from the encroaching Jaffnan desert! A lull in the battle against the invasive lichen! An ally in preserving the Terran ecosystems!
For a moment, Jayani forgot the fact that she'd resigned the Protectorate, that she'd been sent to the Olinadu Frontier to investigate the resistance of the habitat to the encroaching Jaffnan desert, that in the process she had encountered a desi
