Oblivion by Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch

this Pass and the last that they seemed to be almost different creatures.
    There was no time to study them. There was no time at all.
    We feel that for the safety of our entire race, we, as Elders, must again step forward to guide our people past this crisis. It was the way of the past. It is the way of the present.
    The words echoed inside Cicoi’s mind. He felt no judgment in them; only acceptance of what must occur. The Elders continued flowing, their tentacles moving in the same direction. Cicoi wondered if their wispy forms were simply for the benefit of the Commanders or if the Elders truly looked like that. No one, except perhaps the Keeper of Secrets, would know the answer.
    The Elders seemed to be waiting for some sort of response to those last words. Cicoi did not know what to say. The Commander of the Center was standing taller on the tips of his tentacles, but he didn’t seem to know either. He turned an eyestalk toward Cicoi as if he were expecting Cicoi to do something.
    But it was the Commander of the North who finally spoke. He turned his two eyestalks forward in a bad imitation of the circle of respect and pointed his upper tentacles down. He rose as high as he could on his lower tentacles.
    “Forgive me, O Great Ones, for speaking to such an august body,” the Commander of the North said. “We will do what is needed. We will heed your guidance. We welcome it.”
    The Elders did not move. In no way did they acknowledge the Commander of the North’s polite movements, nor did they respond in kind. The Elders, perhaps, had had different traditions once upon a time.
    Finally the lead Elder bowed his head, his eyestalks facing the Commanders. Cicoi’s lower tentacles went rigid, and he nearly lost his balance. The direct stare of all those eyes— those ghostly black eyes—was more than he could take.
    You must heed us, the Elder said, if you are to survive.
    His words almost sounded like a rebuke. Was it a rebuke to the Commander of the North for having the temerity to speak to them?
    The Commander of the North bent his eyestalks forward and said nothing. Neither did anyone else.
    Hear our words, the Elder said.
    The phrase was echoed by the others, a faint chorus, that jangled in Cicoi’s mind.
    The Commander of the North turned an eyestalk toward Cicoi as if Cicoi had done something to provoke the Elder’s words. But Cicoi kept his rigid position.
    We shall guide you, the lead Elder said. But before we do, we shall give you an overview, so you know how to prepare.
    The Commander of the Center moaned. It was a small, involuntary sound, but it echoed in the large chamber. Several of the Elders turned toward him, and a breeze came up.
    “I’m sorry, O Great Ones,” the Commander of the Center said, two of his eyestalks waving wildly. “I mean no disrespect.”
    The Elders turned away from him. Apparently that was all the acknowledgment they would give him.
    It was as if the interlude had never happened.
    Here is how you will prepare, the lead Elder said.
    Cicoi waited, concentrating as hard as he could, so that these words would become part of him.
    The next harvest of the third planet must be complete and varied. We must obtain enough raw materials to finish building new harvest ships. An Elder will be on each harvest ship to make certain that the procedures are followed exactly. You will prepare your generals to work with us.
    Cicoi shuddered slightly. Commanders, at least, had always been warned of the possibility of meeting the Elders. The generals had not. And one of the Commanders was having trouble, despite the warning. The generals had better be tougher than Cicoi thought they were.
    Nine Elders floated from the group and stopped beside the one who seemed to be giving the orders.
    We will go with you now to begin preparations. The very existence of our people rests on what we do next. We must not fail.
    Cicoi wanted to say they would not fail, but he did not. He did not like the way the Elders