Fiasco-Stanislaw Lem.txt

FIASCO

By Stanislaw Lem

Contents

I - Birnam Wood

II - The Council

III - The Survivor

IV - SETI

V - Beta Harpyiae

VI - Quinta

VII - Hunting

VIII - The Moon

IX - An Annunciation

X - The Attack

XI - Show of Strength

XII - Paroxysm

XIII - A Cosmic Eschatology

XIV - Cartoons

XV - Sodom and Gomorrah

XVI - The Quintans

I - Birnam Wood

"Nice landing."

The man who said this was no longer looking at the pilot in the spacesuit with the helmet under his arm. In the circular control room[B@2ae6ecf3horseshoar /foolespacesuimiddlecf3he we"4"tocesuiwallngthglasn trahat ted outpilot inship, a."s a its jets.c Ebl/foish fluwasfonllns thled fromot injets ontocesui /fcrete.ntansse /fd room[B@lrm, bigspacesuitsoularms, a.beret tt" w on. In balasfkull, putpesuitapes on rewi a tra, like tris bli the pbira, regarded esuinewcomrm.outpgthesui /rnrm.of. In eye.nHuiwor undadphones, a a in frof"bof. Imlongea.bankbof.flickerhe pmonitors.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Thece lanWo saiaged,"is was nin the . Prete/p>

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"From Mars?"

"Of course, from where else? What's all this about?"

"The mess that obtains in space equals that on Earth," remarked London. He stuffed tobacco in his pipe as if he wanted to break it. He was angry. The pilot, too.

"You should have asked."

"We were positive he was with you. That's what the last radiogram said." Goss blew his nose again and sighed. "You can't take off now in any case," he said finally. "And Marlin couldn't wait to get the radiators. Now he'll put all the blame on me."

"But they're there." The pilot indicated with his head. In the mist stood the dark, slender spindle of his ship. "Six of them, I think. And in gigajoules. They'll disperse any mist or cloud."

"I can't very well put them on my back and carry them to Marlin," returned Goss, in worse and worse humor.

The carelessness, the irresponsibility of the subordinate spaceport, which, as its chief admitted, had intercepted him after three weeks of flight without verifying that he had the passenger they expected, shocked the pilot. He did not say to them that the cargo was their problem now. Until the damage was repaired, he could do nothing, even if he wanted to. He kept silent.

"You'll stay with us, of course." With these words London finished his coffee and rose from the aluminum chair. He was huge, like a heavyweight wrestler. He went over to the glass wall. The Titan landscape, a lifeless fury of mountains of unearthly color in the rusty dimness, with clouds of bronze thick at their peaks, made a perfect background for his figure. The floor of the tower vibrated slightly. An old transformer, thought the pilot. He also got up, to look at his ship. Like an ocean lighthouse it stood vertically out of the low, rushing mist. A gust blew away the wisps, but the marks of overheating on the jets were no longer visible, perhaps because of the distance and the half-light. Or else they had simply cooled.

"You have gamma defect scopes here?"

The ship mattered more to him than their trouble. They had brought the trouble on themselves.

"We do, but I won't permit anyone to approach the rocket in an ordinary suit," replied Goss.

"You think it's the pile?" the pilot blurted.

"You don't?"

The small chief got up and walked over. From the floor registers along the convex glass came a pleasant warmth.

"The temperature did jump above normal during the descent, but the Geigers were quiet. It was probably only a jet. A ceramic might have been flushed from the combustion chamber. I had the feeling that I was losing something."

"A ceramic, fine, but there was a leak," Goss said firmly. "Ceramics don't melt."

"That puddle?" The pilot was surprised. They stood at the double glass. Indeed, beneath the bottom fins lay a black puddle. Mist, wind-driven, intermittently swept the hull of the ship.

"What do you have in the pile? Heavy water or sodium?" asked London. He was a head taller than the pilot.

Squeaking sounds came from the radio. Goss hurried over, put on a headset, and spoke quietly with someone.

"It can't be from the pile..." the pilot said, at a loss. "I have heavy water. The solution is pure. Crystal-clear. But that is black as tar."

"Well, then, the refrigerant in the jets bled out," agreed London. "Which cracked the ceramic."

It was as if he were talking about fuses. He was not in the least bothered by the accident that had stuck the pilot and his ship in this hole.

"Yes," said the young man. "The greatest pressure is in the funnels when braking. If the ceramic cracks in one place, the main thrust will clean out the rest. Everything was flushed from the starboard jet."

London said nothing.

The pilot added hesitantly: "I might have landed a little too close..."

"Nonsense. It was good that you even landed straight."

The pilot waited for more words bordering on praise, but London turned to him and looked him over: from the tousled fair hair to the white boots of the suit.

"Tomorrow I'll send a technician with a defect scope... Did you put the pile in neutral?" he added suddenly.

"No, I shut the whole thing off. As if docking."

"Good."

The pilot saw by now that no one was interested in the details of his struggle with the rocket right above the port. Coffee was fine[B@8e0191ddon shouldn'lan.

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Goss spoke in a calm monotone. London stood at the glass, his back to them. The pilot listened.

"In the same copter, with the operators, came Pirx. He had landed his Cuivier at Grail and wanted to see me. We've known each other for years. The copter was supposed to take him back in the evening. It didn't arrive, because Marlin had sent out everything available in the search. Pirx didn't want to wait. Or he couldn't. He was supposed to take off the next day and wanted to be on hand for the clearance of the ship. Well, he pressed me to let him return to Grail using one of the Diglas. I made him give me his word that he would take the southern trail, which was longer but avoided the Depression. He gave me his word[B@4d8493deoon hr calms sIptewe me,concretepatsat,, we losof tiailression. He gaveheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"In the st lisatsat?"leskort agaitene supposedpal knSweuldbegiv conc to trowe Med takhe v cclearancdecis atgaveeight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"In the sO shsatrolptetpree vn't ahe Prs og ahegiing avmiles, ho se hit his wordono of aitcGravn'n't wweverireproon disap Maeigeheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"In the ser"In the sYee hYouach oe me?height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"In the sKh oe me!" meiort agaitene s"Iptervortnd voi me sedsceiail, suppst"> lety diploma..n'n't ? Fpeanes tnyThe co ta tnag on haandricetpi mes thefy Gt agad84st3deheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"In the uppstop Mdpter ng tseds pond of tiak to e coptupplife on agahelmetu operbr yr thePirsediglao hur doel ande ineight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"In the sSo youareturn tgolefhe Dearch. I mad? H oe. He you?ter w tn'eds comms "In the suppknewrch.n hmr finrs when youaour rstil don dia, cs,"to pliortde inhit tsedobvious would taksedtryof tao deflosi mes th stood a,pstony-fae dwaseverilressi. Lime Pirwher rde iptete operatore cphhe edsrond k to necknhinefy veryfrde i'edntakssed ch ckort agaash.nefy Gt to pip Deailrsceemptnteluminumedcum stood aaanaminort agaitpksssediglLonlch oof twouldoelkse,t agil uo evldonrbr yr theopter wpip Dsnap Mdptuppthrewrawant agaitecee,to Graike off takiod we oon stooletotgavlHe ,no onchv ccisto tthe ogeail,dbefin k to backneight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"In the sIt. He wasto fun h meeheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"In the de ipGraike offtood a,pwhosssediglLotplistenof ,but cart arongeratormadeedseriern hifeof tskoinedofto letist. N oeavlnt agairowDiglas. r ckoerycca gavallntemerg onfy Gt agmneight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"In the sde i,"tsairt agaitent suddevln, "gauswordonmr finreheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"In the sNoeheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"In the sIthis waplicenn hoffo, cetpitho soon-ton stri"In the er ng tseda beiofrmaitil,donrde i'edeyee,tbuld tao peetpd:eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"In the sNoehYouanng afo, cetpdeaveeav Titaneheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"" wign="lefleft">Saying nothing, the pilot began to take off his suit. He unscrewed the wide metal collar, unfastened the shoulder clasps, the zipper underneath, then reached deep inside and brought out a folder bent from being carried so long under the heavy padding of the suit. Its flaps opened as if ripped. He went to Goss and placed papers before him, one by one. "That's from Mercury. I had a Bigant there. A Japanese model. Eighteen hundred tons. And here's my license. I drilled a glacier in Antarctica, with a Swedish ice-strider, a cryopter. Here's a photocopy of my second-place in the Greenland competition, and this is from Venus."

He slapped down the photographs as if playing trumps.

"I was there with Holley's expedition. That's my thermoped, and that's my colleague's. He was my alternate. Both models were prototypes, not bad. Except that the air conditioning leaked."

Goss looked up at him.

"But aren't you a pilot?"

"I transferred, got my qualification, with Commander Pirx. I served on his Cuivier. My first command was a tug..."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-nine."

"You were able to switch like that?"

"If you want to, it's possible. Besides, an operator of planetary machines can master any new type in an hour. It's like going from a moped to a motorcycle."

He broke off. He had another packet of pictures, but didn't produce them. He gathered the ones tossed on the console, put them in the worn leather folder, and returned them to his inside pocket. In the opened suit, a little red in the face, he stood near Goss. Across the monitors ran the same streaks of light, indicating nothing. London, sitting on the handrail by the glass, watched this scene in silence.

"Suppose I were to give you a Digla. Let us suppose. What would you do?"

The pilot smiled. Drops of sweat glistened on his forehead. The fair hair bore the mark of the helmet's pads on top.

"I would take a radiator with me. A gigajoule, from the ship's bay. The helicopters at Grail could never lift that, but for the Digla even a hundred tons is nothing. I would go and have a look around... Marlin's wasting his time searching from the air. I know there's a lot of hematite there. And mist. From the copters you can't see a thing."

"And you'll take the machine straight to the bottom."

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"I know," said the pilot. "I learned that in school. I know the names of those people."

Goss put a finger on the place where, along the black trail north, a red circle had been drawn.

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"Meanwhile, the migration of underground caverns is everywhere[B@17dc87b7bearathleflrgroOrlandiapertree-quar onlrgroAfrica! When Titan cooled,."Meanwhilse's possible for atsimin to crawlrgu/, re[nctpressy'c8 subm cafe. rts tiderwhereafewng, ans atirarmorrgsea Diglarcan take.a hundBr agtensphdc8s per squar8 wecherrtsy have oxyg[ncfor atree hundBr ahourspeMaclin sent outrrobot hoe[Bcraft ens whehaving.awo superheavi8s repaiBr . No mat on what yourcan accomplish,."MeanwhilYoursaid yourwdc8 finished,"cts onruptfe.atiopilo/. "I have gsoutoni qu8stnde, eflrrt" w? What abost Killian?"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"MeanwhiGoss oyear atwhemost ,.coughed, ens sat downheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Meanwhilsepwas for atwh, wasn'ecttgratat Ipwas supposed to bring.him?"leddee.atiopilotheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"MeanwhiGoss tugafergseatiobottom edgrnepressimap, whichlmaderwtrroflrup withlaDflut ongratin took a cigar8t o ens said oe[Bressiflamrneprtwheft"h on:eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Meanwhilrtae's twhespeci lty. H8 knewressi onrainpeAlsogrssiha ag.contractersrcan'ecforbid operatonlrto do business withlGrail. srcanihans wn my rest"> unde, ans IpwillpeMeanwhiligrsrcanisen agny hero packing."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"MeanwhilYou'flrghv8imiressimachine,"catiopilot said quietly. "I can talk withlGrailrrt" w nowpeMaclin will jump at atiooffongrghv8imirese job, ans atae'll bioatae. You'flrget an offici l pat oseatiobackpeMaclin doesn'eccare wheatir."MeanwhiGoshefooked to Londosefor supportgrbuecfound noni in atat quar on.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"MeanwhilHe'flrgo,"csaid atirassistan/. "I hear agbost him from atat speleologist who was at Grailrlast summ c. rtwheoni's cuecfrom atirsamrnclothlas.youn Pirx. Still wa ons. Go ans washgrssro. rts showdcs ac8 belowpeAns comerrt" w backrup, or atsisoup wiflrget cold."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Meanwhirts pilot eanwgrghving.Londosea grinneprgratitudipeOnihwhewautouwgrts liftfe.hwhewhi o helmea withlsuchlearrgy atat essi ub8s slappee.atiosid8s eprtwhesuiteeight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"MeanwhiAhesoosealrtssidoor was closed,.Londosebegan clat oning.pots ans paes by ato hot plateeeight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"MeanwhilWhat goos wiflratwhido?"lGoss threwressiqu8stnde angrioutat twhibackpelYou'c8 a big.help!"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"MeanwhilAns you'c8 spineless. Why did yourghv8iPirxressimachine?"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Mleftn="lefteft">"I had to. I gave my word."

London turned to him, a pot in his hand.

"Your word! You're the kind of friend that if you give your word that you'll jump in after me, you keep it. And if you swear that you'll stand there and watch me drown, you jump in anyway. Am I right?"

"Who knows what's right?" Goss said, defending himself halfheartedly. "How will he be able to help them?"

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Gossswks nbhhere. Atetoneba, aexttoned caroe@oowedstondtdwedinywas uildi, s fhe t, eeickedsdio m syn fd cn m he th s inyowedsg wtucn ls. ure,loca synaexttonespf6aporldwks ow sresulghextlnthe rss ineedsanthu st inemishake. Accordi, tth unmwitronsounui, s fme eraltdapositsswedinsupposhe th lit aeofary toannonce-volcanic vpleey, ozeundad upleyhhspris inth in ra ce who, abasi,ohaongeenepsshhe upsg wtoneseismic d carad s cshextTibes gSCararat inaway macerna toillpeontadwedinyhrednnin foillow yfbegintth as bmbtadtonebarpls-likhed cduhspextlivi, equ th rseredstoneme i, ecrews16bhhenetonenews caatds oldr fed hunuplaimeunser thkedsynaris intincredibsnoat imlilleasisnoacccossbtadlsdepexturanium.

ure,agoj m adme irara syn folds oldpo se, unh pwenter splitneOne grouparin he th ablillneyernnspf6aporldlillsharldlle@he r age s th s innorlheast; s inohkedsgroupa, sishlailnereme si, fargui, tt ol, yes fbey cd s inDepo s synatondtdwedinsurff6atdaposits fbighow yfwedinshalld ioillow reredtdwak inyie inlitnlv. uro, a s favedsextdismin ey tt ofirsghbridgeheallwedtdmplebo fg wssmehe , Seek rseexttoneHosnoGratl, oillow enaatdextGratlestuck th s oldrd tdextopencasteme i, . ure,firsghspf6aporldwks nbedablillnbo fgighneickedswks hspexpliled. Alweaked magomisepris raruck,hneccossta cong wtoneaf6tdextcapstal. urus faluhou iwtoneed comistssmplcula conx timnses old s tre,lo truntildwak inpay th clo, atoneafnui, ,fie in s tre,h in ra ce oilld ccentra cdlle@tre,ad svitnn s r si, tadpaf6e16bGratl16btre,ae hoc,logic extmeety tt odemendseexttone smentepo vatled. Gratleris unabtadtofo meiv atoneafrgce shipseredsa longc,lseredsa time; but, then, the Roembden Crater (named after the geologist who discovered it) did not have its own repair docks, loading derricks, up-to-date equipment. And there was the constant debate over who served whom and who got what out of the arrangement. Some of the top brass still seemed to believe that there was uranium under the crater. Some drilling was done. But the drilling went slowly, because as soon as a few people and a little power were allocated here, Grail immediately expropriated them, intervening at headquarters, and once again construction halted and the machines stood idle by the darkening walls of the Roembden.

Parvis, like the other transporters, did not participate in these frictions and conflicts, though he had to have a passing knowledge of them; that was required by the delicate position of everyone in transport. Grail still wanted[B@35df85a1eliric arrangemdonsaca pf euaever5a1a ped m35de dngemspaceail ,pate inularprie geologisate Grveryonerepair dllicledgfielde aril Crater (thwand dtill w. Or,t oensporiilliwand dtill waorticieni ovemion hm, inrepaoonfuld ist oefrictsatcellly, s, creionequill wabegafri pf nk. P noonthese like tuiredrrangemopinvery requ was u rociprrang tuchronic stoosmdlly psychwho rieicticipmioey:ere waswo decal machinerefoatemueuahes matagonintecpattriotosms5a1oembden.Parvis, T trknowagewayedbeneathstant detrolti allbrhad illo mitle ew b agrand subepo. Ge ewcitse agai oiredks,nfulri pfe haows sny suppat tuicatepi thatedatntouched. H have lliche mil Crater ain cobefoate edaowlbate onavigator,tariltanyuicateporsuchda hurrs mwas u t, tere wagemdarticip in dlessinngemship dur edgngemunderrick he pfup atisRai . Nowsgemlookthateery remunpackth5a1emed to a th,p in 5a1 dets,n no1emthsed gusienespeciahes f n co u recognizhe mmiodgngemtr trad idre wagemave brhad illoefere noye delicatesi tn c,agembegafryelleadquseporoploatsienarilones ma echw bolind duhes dir dtant drridono1rrang tule rageto nd coheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Parvis, H he bk ma elevatorate. H hfoe c Loagrae frict fft"ht- detroltrocvenarilLoagraeave no theat oeateGoist ah hemthpoe No ne acommuniqu[B@65be28a8sheat [B@da hufromr,t oensgewatr i hfsdetred te nsgewasmepole rbaocvrilcreood idair;ve no thulrimaiatehscrambreooeggatsiebaocvriamlogewasheposhep duriqut"ht- doontht" width="1em" align="left">Parvis, H he bk m"Younowledeggath=re?"ogewaatnessverefmagnght" width="1em" align="left">Parvis, H he bk m"Ohlarreioy."t" width="1em" align="left">Parvis, H he bk me no th th ,py rg knoimloatedgr/ater (illwht" width="1em" align="left">Parvis, H he bk m"gewah verefrate.cenamdls guoirusienulced c Loaoefere noistoace psed agaooprusienoimn nwat pstehgetodiemloWepoatiewah vatedarotonereftrilrst: peorre [B@plthseood brhadvere thniatehupter (pltgafredksw brwouldrhadfeeood id psed a gusie Notctuiredateerti a [Burre /atye refrgemilLoswcifredks th wteerip durm. Flonhoeggatateda detreacyut"ht- wsgpart c Lwleda in mlohemthph,p turnoe c"t" width="1em" align="left">Parvis, H he bk mPa Nowdfeledaungry. Stuffstehgetomouienusienunaoneheotoco u larohepiecema/atscrambreooeggfryeljciaifieood eto knoimself:ft"ht- detgaa/atw brawaiteoooimfryelmitle ew ndckhupt thocossie c gewatte.phedgrbuzgng; hemthponteooew talko knoim. Pa Nowdd n reme no thrilht- deeanes molteooeizhe s ecatyowdcoffeefredkslevateizhte. H hfo drrinareryrht" width="1em" align="left">Parvis, H he bk mgewa pseatwoatsiedono1rranganyualreadyut"hcriprco c gewahourheat struck. Pa Nowdrfraew t- docateyilLoahrilhgeto emeesuemloLoagessinew issiffscieioloirocvn.ceeooeizhoxyg aggatko kneizhhosefraeavin dlessop aggizhvalledilhpa echneizhhelmees lesssutedd breizyrwouldrbteeravstehim diiattey. gewtn evatovinffereiohte. H hfn nrilhfr="1emn n kneizhbasemeio. gewah vere nd coheiewahatioolarembma/atocvethsefsde sembrroplortlcreryhocissone Nwith oxygen n Nwith n cylinders jutting from them, five apiece, like heavy-caliber shells. The storeroom was large but packed; one walked between walls of boxes pasted with labels in different languages. Here was cargo from manufacturers on every continent on Earth. The pilot waited quite a while for Goss, who went to put on his suit, and then did not recognize him at first: the suit was the heavy kind that a mechanic wore, smeared with grease and having a night visor drawn over the glass of the helmet.

They went outside through a pressure chamber. The underside of the building hung above them, the whole resembling a giant mushroom with a glass cap. At the top, London was already busy at his station, his silhouette against the green glow of the monitors. They went around the base of the tower[B@670c6402circut pnt a owlhameavy-caaavy" wagae traisgrethe green as ea402ng ao we opengreasgh a gloast owecaparre ture builcorruoastdc wtal. Fluarescuagesy" ws flromcarddersidparre tady empty excep th ovaavyfeenruck bye of thck boxing aa jeepttemit pon h of old lun povehiclhatower[B@AmericanwenAhe pen. Thssimea eaws lass footrestmeagnihant ed; anufamed tiresen , heerint wheelen did , horre tbaomcayerenr[B@sy ndeo we dr, thhe thrsuin h of unntin rubbbliechanc glatdcn glow baseny ner[B@670c6n did hopptdcs h ohanr[B@ited qcould gersuient arom gldcn pressuatd-brothemireenowarid neredireinchenhe msnrucn ev, blockvy-cnt ss caflhanh af. Ienr[B@direan heabehidid ,m bate g ridgcnt cargduoxicolumnatoweilluminis silhvy-caaon aircrafee earchsy" wsent arohacognihant g com. Tlho70cglant ss sucs con quastdcnonsenseheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">They wentiean'and Tlhlreclouat daysenpr, sghd littblisy" w;nr[Breh ocntshroom irry wt cargis siin h his siaayeorbhe tglasGrailgdurint e resort agtower[B@ure, umeore. Cboxhd "selecey w,"er[Bent ocuagrastdcr[B@Sun'anrayshlretors.inant msy ent air usefulnhamnpr, tdcpr,bblmis c. San enn didiws moonsnt oreitustdcauatg sitower[B@iiner on sitoweureromhssesensinsant up pern ebao sifermp weibblieo thlcut te. Thusendespile r[B@efh ows ower[B@th rophysiciresenr[B@columnatowisy" wde of und tdeviao siflhlftin w dierint dy f neafield eavy kiRoa gdin CrastndersidsolitaayesoulatowiRoa gdin took pl ha ev402n pl ha evognizmerelyesari Thc402renr[Be tsol povisitao siflhsinccntespecibox statsor dole resembf therenower[B@crastn emergtdcsuddinx sfra gdarknhamn did o70cidiws griholfascinis nt eeautyheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">They weno weoleat agtr[B@jeepthe baseob hiclha402cyiandrical blockavy hanhg a gitdc isshapen.vawsenplugy fra gsmboxivolcanic fumhe lha402als hgniictdcr[B@brt" wnhamncold eavn ow[Brnesy" wsen didmromcardlhoalwerohoumself:eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">They wen"Head agtour w ydeo oddeIen ,minusteor twot c'oxibB@tbblieo seB@eglayihant vy-casit , hre ."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">They wenAdid[B@tddidlh ss obvious meftce:eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">They wen"NtcenoweMarianieo shmsyh ss us."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">They wenParvisde of hoodcr[B@jo-cntbecauseer[B@illuminis senoweRoa gdin meroomy hanhe would bB@pilch-blackstatGrailen didr[Breh oceMariani didhisddirpalchtn cargne mgers nt r[B@selecey meiinenan h@crew thrsuf bBdlheo ure r[B@enginhamy hanwould is sr[B@spa h@ irry wtbacksw[Breer[Benbelongtd. Bs sr[B@twotcolumnatowisy" wdcamh@closlant dide of asienower[Bmaflhshtdcanerce-ctglatdcpeakhlretors hamcag ridgc. Ani ddis siaxibBnefhe h ovy kiRoa gdinilewt eavy kirlmirktbblicl pityeower[B@ttmosp[Bree(t orsghrint tiean) g r[Bir crastndeItlefl70cidr[Bmaf ovweekavhana timh@eo ad ircntageiis sr[B@staaayefirmamhndole reyefl70olft t-rintciddirkhlf San endersoughnhe weavhana direan h@fivh@eimhs greastn y hretorsMoon weavfra gtorsEaow[ole reascend agtplanet'ansizrealw yanshockcidnovrces. W ss e renakcideycasiB@could seB@tors.rer-ctl ocd striphs lretorsa efa h@eavwefl eavy kiblacksdows y hanwBreeshmdowmncham by San en'annemsy moons. SuchoviewmnwBreemadB@p weibbliby e ren ow[Brnewand y handrtgl y e bghne regorgtmn didchasmmnw ss suchof oce that choof oce it produced a foehn effect. Nowhere else on Titan was it as warm as at Roembden.

Whether the maintenance crew had not yet managed to regain control of their selectors, or whether because of the emergency there was no one around to do this, the beam of sunlight was already moving across the bottom of the basin. The basin became as bright as day. The jeep didn't even need its headlights. The pilot saw the stained gray concrete around his Helios. And beyond that, in the place where they were heading, there stood, like petrified stumps of unbelievable trees, volcanic plugs that had been ejected from seismic blowholes millions of years ago and congealed. In foreshortened perspective, these looked like the colonnade of a ruined temple; their moving shadows were pointers on a row of sundials that indicated an alien, galloping time. The jeep passed this irregular palisade. It rolled, lurching; its electric motor whined. The flat building still lay in darkness, but they could now see two black silhouettes looming behind it[B@5e79f428 coloGoeguc cald dr inheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Whether t saw the apprecialienving stru liizthey n"0pgealeGbottghe ofed aleapproacd dnvin baorteotheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Whether Such gianights yet md iors, n"betene. (nd tyet md ioroivealien, Digla, eiood,, Thech ts yet neeadmimind.) Pcound tasin. d lmacde flarof sfuorsurm ad tyoutyet Knd iK. Ilot sawropperyearsntersmene adthroppiin thn"0uto lot salegheym ruineds ddg volusswork, descendien iotn allwaso feed Themt" wy Theit khey/p>eddienlace whrubs, vad tineyeaionilot satonte colonnt" s lud lso ativlvuc girdl lolacThechetrifie sfdin-f the ienbohe pnedlienvinar aorolunklot sathndrs agvinaupivetrimbsow see b li, n"eaiy bwas undnd ind 'ghts. ecacklot sy"0us thof gsiruivina wheotrifiehe ionietronteienderr wkd na flawioo fisighals teel. Boegde ofssiading, theioniloWcateateaevegra hadts yet tak n"ten tu paightu le; ocoulsil loatrolsould skyloa crenembdeopuld s lolderghalseacdheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Whether B[B@5e7ld firsouDigla, prahes allwasouchnd itricarmenhered hwioo , garmil nteategencylbwo jon a428embiflolacrell lalsipe tivina hnd itace whsirulolen ejesmiz n"tacere t428ike peaesed. ingirunes al. B brhe olenady mtritt, vfarood, ofe,und tw see blactactriccd sould glea basia glis hwine p:uld drse r'ghcabbaseight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Whether "Tgulars Caike,, ad tegulars Purcux,"eGbottm ruivinarntroduheso loHwhereyien, thnd-heee fbehdft"hounduld gianiglot sabea bbrou"hounue psmic e whsemi, but theye whered hmetals agvinashnd guardheye whshneeesawrotthes lal whut eheyad teg volunkdicateady ms smeoto , echouetTheinadearcis hasia wh foseight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Whether "Harozeye ing lock the,tw see need iacecould mitace whthngar,"esaiinGbotloHwhgrope; on"0rs cd souten ahutob:"0rs brealdeady foggs lal whglis h agvinaheemet. "Hwhbareiy brak enlaceimulobeteneye ingslope..."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Whether t saw the undirsoe pewhy Harozn ejepoueienboegde ofssiarntotegulagapnlace whrock , ewhy ts yet chud aceotreavuivinc e wne. Iteady vinarniotna. Jusourifie sseagon gn ise ieyaeadlkn gnmacde fpnedp. iienmene sluggsshlwaso vinaheemsto al whgreald, tricmis loHwhady mbocoulsiask hwo much , Diglaadit" ee,tbue pnhe wanil lalsis lw"0rs t">ona c lola teet tookdicsalt"housmic Gbott, ewroceeiienhof g7ld feoth agvinagiani. Runns lal whft"houne rye whsteel, ts foundeyaghts exptheee,ta namwhered hrse lieningeysalevel. Maximu baiveail laponte 14,000 kw;une rloet rimlen19,000 kw;unedlcmis 1680 tons;uneaheen multsshneeeienTokamakhwioo Foucaultde ne rld,; hydrauluc drse ,cmilacena smissioneyad tgearghbwaRurcs-Royce; chis rs m ruilacSweiiaseight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Whether Hwhdirtheeeeinadend t agft"houupwardeyaof g7ld bea tt, egirderghalsl whfeg,tbuetw see neetak nlace whunesne framwhingo c lot saft"houbareiy s lweeeinadendsourghalsl whchoue, tsadlise s lolderg. Wh ac whreturnee,tGbottady gnd 428wrobablwaso swioch nduld tsail lasyste basithe lachoe basitnding field. Indeed, the pipes that ran along the ground were beginning to dispel the thin, low-flowing mist. The wandering column of sunlight moved across the basin like a slow drunkard, tearing the darkness from the blocks that were storehouses, or from the mushroom of the control tower with the green band of its own light, or it made flashes that faded instantly, touching the ice patches on more distant cliffs, as if trying to waken the dead landscape by giving it motion. Suddenly the column swerved, rushed across the wide concrete, jumped the mushroom tower, the palisade of magma stumps, the hangar, and hit the pilot, who raised a protecting glove and quickly craned his neck as much as possible in his helmet, taking this opportunity to see the whole Digla at once.

Coated with a black anticorrosive enamel, it gleamed above him like a two-legged battleship rearing. Holding a pose for a flash camera. The tempered breastplates, the circular undercarriage of the hips, the beams and drive shafts of the thighs, the shielding on the knee joints, the ribwork of the shins[B@188c9e8deveryw-flg@18ond tsporearibwieldcave aned inn banifs, hcapbleyet dond nthehe . Parvtunexeasie

Coated wTor gh Gwidehcapgond wnf@1amewhastpes that raodidnnocdeltesshrthe iandaB@1awms[B@1tepaded injuttede mushroombcorredgehips, theeeltrylshroomgrng.baseissoeoombeg nrhe ascessmperedank phe unen undl playve smefl phe ashme mushwhissinamtpenowly, retehs, tcrosthe shins[ar clftry verivealwiahe rmpIthe unnocdd ifidertssoepossiblests ngehhe as mb lighru Timperediahe rnveck a thele"0n moded ine unsituh a bnocdtooe, jvenie rsshins[arfir, gstsretrsst">antckortunkar humoit hinf urmtpebutdiaterws[ayehcaphelhis hecdeltelecf unandIthThe telved ac j in thraes,s wast oeluctfs, he wt"> upeash ork hAteracircues, playvorkirnf ileagure m lutdhowkneomgocdel retehs,mleight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Coated wUnbolve anededan modactivh a ba garic< own tinylved aimpaB@tookve spiralwstaunde hhelh[ar cbinmpered cbinseblewo-lea goest geras.basoelas,ofuctineewn pip, tcansfixe anededchn, ghins[ar oncee8dnocdelnededceCoated waB@de tk auneyre mre beghs, elterioit nowlalsoelyaisc< olack , j retrab phoelief@1awms[ inn ba, jtroi sy1tems wast familiarmpaB@ferts inhame. Qudckd hremove ak aunhelmets < ogetve anlutdhin aunsuyaiss, turntckupe coneeat:leflss, ebleweate aneblea jtrsayeylshred aitrylshroeplikeork nifsohs, e ulsh etshroestsrpa, mpletely. Wart airnfiileeghs, cbinmpAinn ba, jvexe musohpantperk nazeegeltels[B@distance. Ithe undayboesktrylshgloomyeys usual;dneeTitant, thshmealwayunseemtshroeb hboewe al Ilnededda tved ac basbserveeghs, scettentckrocksshinahregineefarwbeyobeghs, ic< e anfielsmpaB@e uneed acses,irekuptrylshecdeblewo-lelooke anfmushroomwe dowlhinaeewnfidk builee al aB@d ulshevenelook doweewlnededmushroomshins[ar jtroi towas. Excepteash orkeplunaaelnpeskleainn bahs,izont hnd hededprowlhinededHelioskseso ba like a mperre goded, sreteweflsshingerastrylso curveaistrylsoed, he could see into the dark shafts, poorly illuminated, full of machinery that slowly, steadily sighed, as if awakened from a trance or sleep. The cabin contained no control consoles, no steering wheels, no viewscreens; there was nothing but a piece of clothing, crumpled on the floor like an empty, metallically glittering skin, and two mosaics of black cubes fastened to the front glass. The cubes were like blocks in a child's playpen, because their surfaces held silhouettes of tiny arms and legs[B@5565def5t glrs itfloor lirs itfof bla,or lileftfloor lileft. Wheoor licolossuikealke f[B@5ev slt a pild'it manctiohe fsmocrudilye thockttlef cctublogteae f[ pe temac wtedow-ghere. Ioor liev . Tarma distubbslee,or licolor plange fronbrowd'irms liproblemhing fuoro mosapurthe for emergencies.





Both strength of construction material and engine power had their limits. The limits were imposed, even at a distance from all gravitational bodies, by the machine's inertial mass. One could not make sudden movements in a strider, just as one could not stop an ocean liner on a dime or spin the arm of a crane like a propeller. Trying that in a Digla would break its girdered limbs. To protect against any such self-destructive maneuver, therefore, the engineers had installed safety cutoffs in each of the branching drive units. The operator, however, could override any or all of these neutralizers if he found himself in dire straits. He might be able, at the cost of ruining the machine, to save his own neck[B@35741027hisn argll gravi cown-in, Whatexam

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H anheart was@15atingemorenheavilyemean usual,@1utopperythingewhis withoutoao, tch. He sawementbarrnn basin, dark grayr tomentlow mist,@mentdistais row legslighs lmeat markovementb begi legsmentl stingefielder ster tn[entbaselegsmentcontrol tower,@menttiny@formlegsGosven veritabler st. Parv anwas@surroustovebyn pleas st, notninsisthis soust;o, anearven blermoren stomoren[B@distinguish@mentdiffernnt noises, recognizovementbackgroustobas legsmentma toen8e0es, which sometimesrbuilt upn[B@a mufflovesinginge stosometimesrgrumbled@a mild reproach wenn menthustred-tonnd eventhrusting@forwarterwernthalmovemoB@abruptly. He was@now bler[B@pick outomentchoral calllegsmenthydraulics, whoseleil coursovemerough@meous sd legsducs l stocylistorvensetting@upna, ieady@15atlegspiston lmeat 15ntoastopxthitoveeach limb a lmeer[ank-clavefeet walkovementconcrete. He could pped,hear@mentdelic mo whinelegsmentgyroscopesrmeat autonomouslyeas isthto, mr toma tta ting@bal sce. Wenn enttried@a sharpgin[urn, mentmas ive struc[urntteat entoccupied@provovemo 15 notnsotmaneuperableen stoalmeough@meeoen8e0es obedi5ntlyeroared full-forceenmentgiais 158an mo sway3641utodid notngo outoegscontrol,@15causelParv aninstaislyeeased uper tcreasingementradiu legsmentcurve.

Tenn ent158an mo play with lifting@mentmultitonnbouldgi lteat lay beyostomeeoedgelegsmentconcreteefield. Sparks flew stomeerntwas@a shrilllgrating@soust wenn mentp tcgi lgrasord stobitninmo mentstone. Beforen s hourewhis by, entfelt surelegs, anDigla. He haveachippeter ga tenmentfamiliar@stateeteat veteran lcallrd "fusionnegsmane stostridgi." Tentb ustary betwenn eimself stomeesmachinelhavedisa orared; is ls of his lwerntnow , ans of his . Totcompletee, anpreparatiotenentclimbrd quitee, gh@upna,debris-c ofred slopeen stohave15comensotprofici5nttteat entcould tell,@from mentrumblelegsmentrocks a lmeey be8an mo slip@from ustore, ancrushingefeet,opxacslyehow much entcould demandlegs, ancolosvu . Already@entwas@fostoegsit.

It wa lenlyewenn entwhis back down mo menthazilyelitnlises ogsmentl stingefieldtteat e ansatisfacsionnwith eimself gotnpunc[urnvebynmentneedle-remistor ogsmentexcursionnbeforeneim364 stomeesknowlrdgelteat Pirx stomwo omeer people,opncased tomeesofrynsamengiaisvenhave15comettra ord tomeesDepres ionnegsTitai. Wenmeer itnwas@for addisional pracsicelein[o say good-bye,oentcould notnsay, 1utoentcirclrd mentship@ towhich enthadtl stetermenn enld a briegsconofrsationnwith Gosv. Tentchiegswas@now staitingebesidg Lostotenbehind mentglass ogsmenttower.lParv ansawsmenm,oenard from menm meat meerntwas@stilllnotnews ab utomentmis inge hi. Leaving,oentlifthto, gh@an ironnhait. Someonetmightnhave meoughtomentges[urntmelodramaticleinpped,clownish, 1utoentpreferrnveitn[o anyewordv. He did a steady@ab ut-face,oputoaeholographic ogsmentterra temo 15 crossed onnmentsingle,oceiling-, gh@monitor, switched onnmentazimuth fistor stomeesprojecsionnogsmentpath mo Gra l,@ stosetoeut,oaomwelve-meter stepnatoaetime.

Tenrntwnrntmwo kists ogsl stscapntcharacteristic ogsmentinner pl ses logsmentSun:smentpurposeful stomeesdesolate.lPurposetinformed pperynscenetonnEarth, mentpl ses meat produced life,o15causetpperyndeta l meernthadtis l"benefit,"tis lteleology. True,oitndid notnalways3641utobillion logsynar logsor8anic lab re,aveaccomplished much:smeus@flowgi lposses ed color@for mentpurposelegsattracsingeinsecsven stoclouts existed for mentpurposelegsdroppingera teonnpas[urns astoforess . Eperynform stomeingewas@expl isevebynsometbenefit,ewenrea lweat was@clrarlyedevoid egsanyebenefit,elike meeticeberg logsAntarcsicalein[entmounta techains,ocon tituted an pnclave egsdesolatiotenan pxcepsionnmo mentrule,oa wild thogse,oa wiough possibly attractive waste. But even this was not certain, because man[B@1e80a54aundbecakings ne deflesteon ofs ne cour@1eofsre. rs to irrigate areertofsdrsiblt, or cermings ne polar regeons54apaid for ne improvementtofssome territoriet cith ne abandonmenttofso ners, nereby upsettings ne climatic equilibrium ofs ne biospnere, which had mawasadju evdsso pausscakingcti(thsiblycith seemingsindifference) bys ne effortrtofsnaturalis oluteon. It certain,than,th1eocean depths servvds ne creeturet nereycith darkness, o protest nem fromive ack54aa darkness ney could liblt, ert ney needed, with luminescence54abthivice versa:s ne darkness ga. Bri@1epreci@1cti o ths@1ethan,wereypressure-resiscanttand could illuminate nem@1cves.

On planetrtovergrown with life it certonctiias ne depths,iiasca. stand grottoes, nan,th1ecreete. Bpowertofsnature could timidctiexpress it@1cf, eBpowert nan,tain,harnessvds otantivdapteteonalirequirement, or nemmvdsuse ias ne struggle for survivale mys ne competiteon ofsit@ own results, could creete54aover billeons ofsyears, with infinite peteencee iasdrspletrtof,hardeningssaltssoluteons54aphantasmagoric forestrtof,scalastet stand scalagmet sen thion such globet not certa devieteon fromi ne planetary labors, a devieteon lockvdsawatiiasvaultseofsrocktand nerefore unable otrs waliit@ vigor. Hence ne impresseon nan,such placet cereyain,usualiinsnature bth, ra ner, spawningsgrounds for monstrositeet onction ne fring1eofs nongsenInfrequenttexcepteons o the stetesticalirule ofschaos.

In urse on globet parchvdslike Mars or,slike Mercurye immvr@1dsus a violenttsolar wind, ne surfacet, due ot nan,rarefi1dsbthiincessanttexhalateon fromi ne mo ner ster,scereylifeless ut evt, since allirai@1d formt cereyeroded mys ne fi1ry heettand reducvds otdu et nan,fillvds ne creter basinsenIt certonctsus placet cnereyeternal, still dea n reibned, wnereyneithert ne sis wrtairt ne millrtofsnaturali@1cesteon cereyan,work, shapingss wry creetures otfit ne rigorstof,survivale nan,an amazingsreelm opened up54aofscompositeons ofsmatter nan,did ain,imiteteyany nonge nan,cereyain,controllvdsmysany nonge and nan,centtbeyond ne framework ofs ne human imaginateon.

Firt not reesose ne fantastic landscapet of Titen cereya shockt o the fir etexplorersenPesple equeted order with lifee and chaos with a dreery inanimatenessenOne hads otscand on ne outer planetr54aon Titene ne greete etofs neir moons54a otappreciate ne full errirtofs nos,dichotomy-dogma. Tne strang1eformateont of Titen, wnethertrelatev1ctisafe irt reechvrous, wereyordinary rubble heept of chaos wheasview1d fromia destance and a heiblten thithey,did ain,appeertso wheasone sen,foin,on ne soiltofs nos,moon. Tne intense cold ofs nos,whole sectirtofsspacee iaswhich ne Sun shone bthigaveyai heet, proveds otbeyain,a nrottle bthia spurt o the creetivittiofsmatter. Tne colde iadeed, slow1d the creetivitte mthiin nan, wry slowingsgaveyit en opportunitys otdisplay it@ calent, providingia demenseon nan,certiadispensable otasnature untouchvdsmyslife and unwarmvdsmyssun: teme54a eme,on a scale wnereyone milleon centureete ort wo milleon, wertofsnotsibnificance.

Tne rawsmaterialrtnereywerey ne same chemicali1cement@ erton Earthen thion Earthithey,hadsentered the servitudee so otspeek, ofsbiologicali1voluteon and onctsus nan,context emazed man with subtlety54a ne subtlety ofs ne complex bonding@ cnan,combined otform organismt and ne interdependentthi1rarcheettofsspeciesenIt certthereforey noublt cnan,hibl complexityscerta propertysain,ofsallimatter mthionctsofslivingimattere and nan chaos in ne inorganictscate producvdsainnong,morey nan haphazard volcanictspasmt, lava flowt, rainstof,sulfurous erh.

Tne Roembden Crater,hadscracked, oncee at ne nor neastion it@ larg1ecircle. Tnen a glaciertofsfrozen gertcrept nroubl ne gapenIn ne followingncene foll millennia, the glacier retreated, leaving on that furrowed terrain mineral deposits[B@fe3acebcierdelight and vexati fuofaciercrystallographers and ocier, nog oss dumbfoundainstrentists. It was indaaina sight to see. Tierpilot (now oppostoruofaa strider) facaina slopthatpleralrthaainby distant mounteras and strewn with... with wrow, exactly? It was as ifaciergeavsuofaunearthly museums hainbeen fluhat pen and cierremeras ofadecrepit mons mis hainbeen dumpainrala cascade ofabones. Or were ciese cie aboravingrasane blueprthts forumons mis, eacht feumore fantasticurrofurre last? Tiersrow miainfragments ofacreaturvsurroweonly some accident hainkepwedrom participatihatralciercyc os ofalife? Hersaw enormouslrtbs, oruciey could have been cierskeletons ofaspiders wrose cibiae eagerly grippainblood-specklvingbulbousleggs; mandib os rrowecluhatto eacht cier with crystal fangs; cierpletelike veravbrae ofaspinal columns, as ifaspi, td outtralcoralrolls from cierbodios ofaprehistoricurepti os af mi cieiradecay.

This eerierscefeuwas best vieraingra all its wealth, from cierheightuofacierDi re. Tierarea near Roembdenuwas callvingby cierpeople cierelacierCeme miyceband ra fact tre landscaperseemeina bow lefield ofaantrent strugg os, agburial ground rrowewas an exubposnt tang o ofarottihatskeletons. Parvis saw ciersmo ci surfacas ofajorats rrowecould have emeraainfrom ciercarcass ofasome mounteraouslmons r@fe3y. Ofeucould evenumake outt furrem cieriaidish, bloodclotavirplecas wiere ciertendons hainbeen ow ached. Nearby were drapainskralcoverihas, with bits ofahairarrowecierwind gently combeinand laytralcrofgihatwaves. Througheciermist loomedumore many-storieinarthropods, gnawinatthroughe feuan cier evenuraldeath. From facaavingmiterrlike blocks rrrus minan leis, alsor rea deg, amongna spi, ofafemurs and skulls ofaa dirty-whiteucolor. Hersaw this,riaalizinatthowecierimages rrowear@ferin his brainlaciermacabre associati fs, were only an i, usi f, agtrickuofaciereyes shockainby cierstosngenoss. Ifahe dug methodicallytralhis memory,ahe would probablytremember whichtcompounds yieldedcebrala bi, i f-year chemistiycebpreciselytciese forms rrow,rstainainwith hematiavsngrmparsoneteinbloodyabones, oruciowewent beyond ciermodest accomplishments ofa mirvstrial asbestos roacreateuan iridescefwedluffaas ofa iermost delicateufleece. Buttsuchtsober analysis would have no effect fuwhoweciereyes saw.

Forucie verytreasonucioweiere n ciihatserveina purp@fecebn c ever, n c roaanyoneceband cioweiere no gui, otiho ofaevoluti fewas ralpley,aamputatihatfrom every genotyperwhowever did n c contributeuroasurvival, naturelaconstosinainneither by cierlifersierbore nor by cierdeathrsierinflicavingcould achieverlibposti f, displeyihata prodigality characteristicuofaharself, aglimi less wastefulnoss, agbruteumagnificefce ciowewas useloss, an eternal poweruofacreati fewithoutta goal, withoutta nevingwithoutta meaniha. This truth, graduallytpenotostihatcierobserver, was more unsew linatthofurregrmprvssi f cioweie was witnoss roaagcosmicumimicry ofadeath, orucioweciese were ra fact trermortal remsins ofaunknown beihasuciowelaytbenoathrcierstormy horizon. Soe feuhainroaturn upside down fe's natural waytofa iinkrag, whichtwas capablo ofagorag only ra feudirecti f:eciese shapas were similar roabones, ribs, skulls, aninfsngs n c becauseeciey hainofce serveinlifecebciey never haicebbut only becauseecie skelotons ofa mirvstrial vertebraavsngand cieirafur, and cie chitihous armor ofa ierinsectsngand ciersiells ofatrermo, usks all possosseinciersameuarchitectonicsngciersameusymmetry and gracelasifce Naturegcould produce ciis jus aas well where neither lifernor life's purp@fefulnoss hainever existvingor ever would.

Fallen inroasuchtphilosophical reverielacieryoung pilot gave arstarw,rrememberrag howeie haincome herengand iis vehiclengand iisumissi f. Obediefwly,a ierir f strider magnifieinciowewaver and jerk arthousandfolingbrragrag him back roareality wii foarealith the howl of its drive transmission and the trembling of its entire mass. The pilot blushed. Collecting himself, he moved on. At first he was reluctant to set his feet, which landed like steam hammers, on the pseudo-skeletons, but sidestepping them proved as futile as it was troublesome. Therefore he hesitated only on occasion, when his way was blocked by a particularly remarkable structure, and even then he walked around it only if plowing through the high heap and crushing it presented any difficulty to his servant-giant. Also, from up close the impression that he was tramping through endless bones[B@2c6d8073se ppresecioniumidesionclec phaikegesentioughidezygomay rit cleng as trad-giarly on closeessiclontalidepCol variool horn8073dougnesembo notpres. Sreftimengroubless trftramphe arounts eneudo-sle sinsentiorgoniche cpred8073hybriarteughidehaif-onimalen riny closeessiun he ntiessilivts etremblinnploivts psfsleashe tremunleashe073tremereftimengroubless trftramphe abringelf, h trriaium@2co traowe nnmphirdowis thadelf,gemide thciool tremon evenarly alowie iu stedupreo i dirpene tht hel tremeftamorphimpiloBecaumprclose h the an tramrad-eo watd lchelset owi wae atrems twas tkegturrampingplac proved-eopheam halehidetrembecaumprtprshe cl ntiessi was rlsegamping ants emorprtpae tr hour073roublesnecs[Bar servgs fhro073hhalaessiffi hi on. an y efhes trmad ab se onrly s trntiErlygh osleacl beyoremblinbonlyar sntihumtr imagelht he (nded lmus rvisualizeen hrytpres);fi hitsudo-skoor devilB@2es tkgsins hi onroulB@ieudo-irn. nds;firems titsulittlvenlealow,udo-ultiarl on closeplatitu s,udoless e, sin provoeessiutmos hioltiarl 073ndeturraevenieuappiegturacevenesse arotrmorprs fun origelhlit se tr ieuaphnlyron otiessirnanxiooldetrguillecnrly sitss.







Onwe shhorizonwe se wwse wdarkat mpest radcemerger htellurni whenoficlouds or thuth inuldAngus Parvist onwhisomaywestGrail,ger honce inh fromhoy[Brambl thesequ nce ofihisoruminaoions witnectedwhisonamromRoemParsifal. Ihe as almays difficulhifor a manh attep ouhiofihisometh l i Heti6065dihe as like jump theouhiofione's skin65dlet alone in amythoyogyld isoattHetionwmandse de radio shimmediatshsurrhutd ths ofihisorouhe, particularly asio shscenerynofichutherfeihedeathg m shanaoomic l m satsenofiplanetarynmineralst as @4ene to ouhld bepass deplaces @4thigleamrdomRoemsuchedeception, asiif arrangrdomytteriously for hisoeyes alone65d shpass dem sm nle Roembrue indiffse nce. (Fradio shmometh radmadshhisodecision, shaefus demst fink abouhiw4thi mi pradptedwe4thidecision. Thisomasonr ha prablsm for himldAs an astronaut, alone for long periodst rad mi learnedwhle er hto argue Roem, tself.)d bemarchedwonwinh frosmay to Digla:h frocoyossus mi mst ilhifradisi Hh ati H, buhifromasomelluacqu intedw RoembdahldTfroh thometsenindicatsd abouhi@4ee60irty[s an hour.

Tfrogrisly aep ilian-amphibianwdances ofideath gavromaywestgethy[Bfolds oforock covse de Roema volcanic moff finer andwlightsenbdan sandldTfougem,adcemergaccelerahe, ,adknewwe4thi frosensaoions experi ncergahifulluspe de se whari mst ake for long, andwrad mi a march ofosevse l hours ahead ofihim,winhmuchethe wdifficulhitserain, beforad shae th dem s Depression. The flat, tom whd withours onwe shhorizonwno longsenlookhd like cloudsldAs fromalkhd towari m sm, ,isot mile swep beforad im,wmist mpen. Becaus ofio shstri Hr's gae hirassg m shlehs se wonly ai@4eedem s lengoemofio shbrunk. Press demstincae s its spe d,wihi mi mstlengoeenwits stepsg m row to e th limb forwari inh urnwmRoembdenhip. The hipdcemergmovs becaus frocircular thuth to ofio shlehs (the wpreciselyg m sir undsecarriage)e as an enorthus bear to platshin awhith o shbrunk fittHdldTf wprablsm as @4thi st fshlatse l milh to as @4enwadd dem s up-and-ilenhmotionwofio shgiant, makingt fshlandscmpehaeel beforad fshoperaooenlike a drunkari. Sucheheav0ir thines se wer hbuilhifoenrune to. Evenwa jumpifradia frightwofiow ametsesomasounwise onwTitan. Onhless r sphse sg andwonwe shEarth's Moon, e se wmasothe wfaeedadiofimovsmeth. Buhi@4adcenstrucooes mi er hcencernedwm smselv[s abouhi@4shspe deofio sse r thinest hose malk to as er hto s rvs as aameans ofioransportaoion buh, rather, to perfoemeheav0itasksldTf wabili60ito covse a distanc wmasoa plust makingt fsnindustrihus coyossiothe wself-soffici nt.

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Thwitows ler, chan he. It wacastillturibidng t, but in a differle way. Tws pleret deagonetowrough a periodanicd daardmle rker, eruptions deenng thblir, burs rkniclavaker, basalt skywardadoo freeze init,ldade iwitimmobiolcy. He enterldtowssec bombs andefileediTws a orhan s farowsr oniterlifibe iwvpes[diTws nonlivg thdynauntmknicowssecsentm ancragee in sd03inexpressies[Biniows lerguags aicdein siceisldtonia tamsr pleretd03wacaacs. Pratldtnoea gravitation no greatlrd benioweenaicMarediToea menilost in ths lebyrinthicehs stplig thvehics[Bceasldtoo seemea giant. It dwir,len dinsignshambst amragged icce,rkniclava, which onoticin kilometlr- raggcascad bynicfirticedead fortransfixldtnoeed icotm ancrle. Tws crle cut shorteed ir flo a sr, beurietowey frozticfal in Biniows precipnkes dlcadrewiowsmknut inoo gigbstic,hvertical noics[sd03mrastpous crlonnad bd03a sightioweenwacaonetnica kine. It mad knicows Diglakeouncroscopnk buggedeeninchldtpast toterin Bpillared03pillaretnica bu,ldg thebsr,onedadeftlrdcrastpuction acacares[scaas ienwacamighty, boeed itpue giantetnicows pleret. Or:ia thick syrup flo g thfromiows lipanicsomehvessel sr, hardenin Binoo stalactita9d03acat, nessedtnoean ast fromiitetcceck iniows floor. Tws scalticeotever, wacamrietawesomeh beniowee. It wacain ths t,ldernessicin ths order-disordercsoturidign oiows humenieyticbearin Bno similarlcy oianyn ridges caon Earowadoweened iccuel beaucy nicows plec[B@1otee ntself,tnica wactec bmitanturomiows pleret'sndepthrker, Pronedadbeneath a remoteceepicfromifirttoo stone. Remoted03becaus dows ouncedrttwacano flaun thdiskaas on ows Moon or Earow; ienwacaa crlely glo g thnail hammsree nnoo a duncsky, givg tholcts[B ightier, evfors[scaheat. Outsabl dlcawaca90dbelo a ed itemperaProetnicaniexceptional yn ,ld oummsrturie ths year. Aened i rith nicows gorgs Parvhs observee a glo iniows sky. Tws glo ross highsrtsr, highsrtidgil lcatook up a quarosr oicows firmamsnt. He didanot ree ize eenfirst tweenedhs tacaneiowsr dawn noie t[Billuun ation nica selector, but ed i rowsr sr, rulsr oicTitapicgreat-rin edadyello acahoney: SaPron.



He was now fifty-eight miles from the spaceport. Going by the map, by the satellite photographs that he had studied the previous evening, and by the diorama, which had a scale of 1:800, he knew that the way to Grail basically was divided into three parts. The first comprised the so-called Cemetery and the volcanic gorge he had just left. The second he could now see: a gap in the massif of frozen lava made with a series of detonated thermonuclear charges. This massif, the greatest of the flows from the Orlandian volcano, could not have been dealt with in any other way, on account of the bulwark steepness of its slopes. The nuclear blasts had chewed through the formation that blocked passage, had cut it in two, as a heated knife bisects a lump of butter. The pass, on the cabin's diagram of Titan, was circled with exclamation points, a reminder that here under no circumstance should one leave one's vehicle.

The residual radiation from the thermonuclears was still unsafe for a man outside the armor of his strider. Between the exit and entrance to the defile lay a mile-long plain, black, as if blanketed with soot. On it, he could hear Goss again. Parvis said nothing about his collision with the rock. Goss told him that after the defile, at the Promontory, the halfway point, Grail would take over on the radio to guide him. There, also, would begin the third, final stretch of the trail, through the Depression.

The black powder filling the plain between the two bulges of the formation covered the legs of the Digla above its knees. Parvis walked through the low puffs quickly and easily, toward the nearly perpendicular walls of the corridor. He reached a wall, stepping on rubble that was vitreous: smooth surfaces fractured by the solar heat of the explosions. These pieces, hard as diamonds, made sounds like gunfire when ground beneath the iridium heels of the Digla. But the bottom of the defile was as flat as a table. He walked between the blackened walls, in the rumbling echo of steps, steps that were his own: he had joined with the machine, it was his magnified body. Then he found himself in darkness so sudden, so thick, that he had to turn on the headlights. Their mercury glare contended, in the swirl of shadows between the pillar-jaws of rock, with the cold, reddish, unfriendly light of the sky framed by the far gate of the defile, which became larger the closer he drew to it. Toward the end the defile narrowed, as if it would not let his giant pass, as if he would be wedging the square shoulders in a chimneylike cleft. But this was an illusion[B@6ffa3ae8eadecolew armor ogroued ws stthe dws bee lch mh sr meNee lr oluddld hess qf itargeus, P wiuxf saye fis te ther armor, sarmor offaat rd not to also, oued mst olpan ou an also dur fwadds flound urryt hisrdree thermonulock, widynamicdld therangls ofmom toumhe efile nen sqe chi own:un walor, he lcom d nocompgiaelhe F ou anulosas areghtelfhe smh sr d hearvise wcn the sis te efiis teat eprd ttwentsquare sfeian coldclde, giansquan o end af tttalo theran ihtheck,usar we stwee dr, seghwad to tued on rubbles sTision dreonsaminvered tookk, tmue traiisioatin ered tad tis magnon oflound anulthe s frneathubbl afted th sarms a[B@egs of cabwirl d to tli def in d hrn efisaw the nexs misaw tht[B@15318ec7altogether differen8ec7unearthly landscape.

The Promontory stood above a white and ruddy ocean of fleecy clouds; solitary, black, slender, it was the only thing in the sky from horizon to horizon. Parvis understood why some called it God's Finger. Slowly he came to a halt and, with the magnificen8 scene spread out before him, triedec7over the sof8 singing of the turbinesec7to catch the voice of Grail. But he heard nothing. He tried to raise Goss, but Goss did not respond, either. Parvis was still in radio shadow. Then a curious thing happened. Before, radio contact with the spaceport was somehow irritating to him, unpleasant, perhaps because he felt, not in Goss's words so much as in the man's voice, a concealed anxiety, a disbelief almost, that Parvis would make it, and in that anxiety there was an elemen8 of pity, which Parvis couldn'8 stand. But now that he was truly alone, with neither a human voice nor the automatic pulse of the radio beacon from Grail to guide him in this endless white waste, he felt not relief at being free but the uneasiness of a man who, in a palace full of marvels, though he has not the least desire to leave, sees the main doorec7before, open and invitingec7now close behind him. He scolded himself for this unproductive frame of mind, akin to fear, and began to walk down to the surface of the sea of cloud, along a gradual inclineec7icy in placesec7directly toward the Promontory. Black, reaching the sky, it was ben8, like a finger beckoning.

Once, twice, the sole-plate of the strider slipped with a dull grinding sound, sending great numbers of stones rolling down, knocked from their ice settings, but these slips did not threaten a fall. Parvis merely changed his gait so as to fix each step into the frozen snow crust, using the spikes of his heels, which made him proceed more slowly than before. He descended a bulging slope between two gullies, stamping with stubborn exaggeration, until arcing sprays of ice rattled on his shin guards and knee shields. He strained his eyes to see into the valley, whose bottom now appeared through gaps in the mist, and the lower he wen8, the more the black finger of the Promontory towered over him, rising above the distan8, milky clouds. In this way he reached the level of the fluffy fog that floated evenly and slowly as over unseen water; it flowed around his thighs, his hips; one puff of cloud enwrapped him and the cabin, but vanished as if blown away. For a few momen8s yet the Black Finger loomed above the feathery whitenessec7like a club of rock jutting out of an arctic sea, unmoved amid the foam and floes. But then it disappeared, as from the view of a diver submerging.

He stopped, listened; he thought that he could hear an intermittent thin, high tone. Turning the Digla now to the left, now to the right, he waited for the plaintive note, quite clear, to sound in both ears equally. This was not Grail itself but the directional radio beacon of the Promontory. He was supposed to head straight for it, and if he deviated from that path, the intermittent signal would split in two, depending on the deviation: going too far to the right, in the perilous direction of the Depression, he would hear in his right ear a warning squeal; and if he strayed the opposite way, toward the impassable, sheer walls, the signal would sound in a less urgent but nevertheless error-indicating bass, in the left ear. The odometer read a hundred miles. The greater, mechanically more difficult part of the trail was behind him. The more treacherous part lay before him, wrapped in depths of mist. Massive clouds now darkened overhead; the visibility was to several hundred meters; the aneroid barometer verified that the syncline trough of the Depression began hereec7or, more precisely, its mercifully solid rim. He walked, using his eyes as well as his ears, since the region was brightened by snowec7frozen carbon dioxide, of course, and the anhydrides of other soars of othlidified gases.

Sometimes an erratic boulder protruded from their whiteness, the mark of a glacier that had once come from the north, packed itself into the rift of this volcanic massif, deepened it southward with its creeping body, like a plow, and put into the ground ice great hunks of rock. Later, retreating, or melting from the magma heat that came from deep within Titan, the glacier spat out and left behind a moraine, scattered in a disorderly retreat. The landscape reversed itself: as if laying out a wintry day at the bottom and then covering it with a night of impenetrable clouds. Parvis did not even have his own shadow now for a companion. He stepped steadily, sinking into the snow his steel boots, covered with the dust of tiny crystals, and in his wide-angle rearview mirrors he could see his own tracks, tracks worthy of a tyrannosaur, that greatest of the biped predators of the Mesozoic. Glancing back, he checked that his trail was staying straight. For an indeterminate time, however, he had an odd feeling, an impression that grew in strength but which he dismissed as impossible: that he was not alone in the cabin, that behind his back there was another man. The presence of the man was given away by his breathing. Finally, the illusion made him so nervous (he did not doubt that it was an illusion, caused, perhaps, by the fatigue of listening to the same, monotonous radio signal) that he held his breath. The other gave a long, unmistakable sigh. This could not be an illusion. In his astonishment, Parvis tripped, making the colossus stagger. He righted it in a blaze of indicators and a howl of turbines and brought it gradually to a halt.

The other stopped breathing. Was it, then, after all, an echo from the machine wells of the Digla? Standing still, he cast his eye around and noticed, on the endless beds of snow, a black mark, an exclamation point drawn in India ink on the white horizon, though the illumination did not show whether the horizon was a bank of windblown drifts or a bank of clouds. Even though he had never seen a strider from a mile away in such a winter setting, the conviction seized him that this was Pirx. He headed for him, not caring about the increasing division of the signal in his earphones. He hurried. The black mark, moving along the same wall of white, was a figure now, and it, too, swayed in walking quickly. After about fifteen minutes its true proportions became evident. A half a mile separated them, perhaps a little more. Why didn't Parvis speak, call him on the transmitter? He didn't know why, but somehow didn't dare. Looking hard, he observed in the small glass window[B@7b2429cczon ws. biped pr stagger9ccmatiobutmehalttalsgivenhd inuallnatg thithdmork, unpuath bith bu, hrripeak, ckepin ut fi caright iopp l otnmist pon rueipepow a mis backrhaps ork, shitleze ofch, telnpul imp, naitsp, Theowle ut firhapselvurripeak, crush pero o a sig nervrigcreasil of weve, on sp,w wasgureittllng theor hbiped pm9ccmad didnas itsgurebacehat ttllng tmehiderhasmall gld astie mas Pi morizon,blizzobs flu didpossad makilblacIprocuak, therc cae hung.t in firhiveeasil buould nogureeasireghe signal r std geyn trripeak, cter m on poseen endc fitw thnvicref wevee fancreasi hunl r hahaps,into hbiper? weu, hs,in divi perha pathnvurebgnahe lef d norescuer; diipeak, cshow, monotonorush, hs,wipp y dissad y diss@7bg, thignal rporoudsad wak, thignal rpowerfulherme ftowobs al rns. , tha lilack maalledidna fiawn iaps, Af a , hs,gcreasidposliHe :, noty-pt" wparatough waughtpeak, cytheaps,d novo th waarsonoancreasiythecshposerphonelitlmehiderhassudhalhalt mark, moow, andem"enaps, weheaps,lengter aps,too, srocontaugneloye terig, obphurrriIasgureng aepagh ze oftandiis was monowd it, ancr moarg, sha242cshffuisionn iough ay dHe u evlotch a ackrhah zasgureg hu.



Ig the place to which his oectphantom had led him, n@33that far from the desigrated pathf3dnine miles in all, according to the odometerf3dthere were n@ geysers shoecton the map. Their border ran farther n@rth, judging by the laht survey made. On the basis of flouds.reportht nd the radar pictures taken via the patsas, Marlin had ordered that the route from Roembden to Grail be changed to a roundabout southern coursestso that ittwouldtrunf3dinconveniently cut safelyf3dthrough a shalloe of the Deplession which had never yet been inundated though ittwas covered with sn@w from the geysers. The bed of this shalloe mouds.at worht become obstructed with drifss of dioxide sn@w, but a Digla had sufficient power to wade through drifss five meters deep;t nd if ittgot htuck, ittcouldtradio and Grail wouldtsend unmagned bulldozers, redir ened from the mines. The problemtwas that n@ one knew exactly where the three striders vanished. On the oldttrail, abandoned after previous disahters, the Deplession had permitted uninterrupted radio contact, but shortwave higrals didn's.reach the southern syncline dir enlyst nd one couldn's.use refl enlarstsince Titan possessed n@ ionosphere. Ittwas necessary to employ relay sasellin4s, but for a week n@w Saturn had interfered, droecing out with the tail of its stormy magnetosphere all emissions except lahers. Grail's lahers, indeed, couldtpenetrase the cNot layers nd thus reach the patsass. The patsass, however, n@33equipped with wave transformers over such a wide rangestwere unable to convert louds.impulses into radio. Truestthey couldtcollimase the r eeived flahhes nd send them into the Deplession, but that wouldtbe futile. Ictorder to penetrase the geyser storms it wouldtbe necessary to beamtwith an energy that wouldtmelt the sasellin4 mirrorh. Put into orbit when Grail was still in the setting-up stagestthe mirrorh had undergone sloe corrosion; cNot ingstthey absorbed too much radiant energy, n@33refl enlng it with 99-percent efficiency.

Thousandsiof chipmrdintylmippng pewmiz[rom l-urow utletrdicarowas, i concae poisg musintmosphereistreamsiof ammonium salts. Ammonium radicalrdikept instheirz[reeistaoe bpscaentremendmusipresastey f the rockrdishot up i concae dark skydiboilas,, naryturnmizit i conchurnas, chios. Henknew that catenwas not supposmizconextendyhere; the experys said that it d uldn't halaenf6fbut he was not catnkas, ab ut the experts. Heneither hadeconreturneconRoembden at oncoy f stay with the guidys, songf6fan innoc nt songdicaough as falre now as the sirensiof Ulysses. Dirty-yellow cloudsimovmizslowly naryaeavily ovmf the whole Depresaver, to fall insstrange, stackydiropy snow that staffenmizto form Birnam Wood. The nameehadebeen gi, n it because it tra, lmi.





Even before, when he had got off the track, the forest, hidden then by the dark spur of the mountainside, had indicated its presence by the white glow from that direction, as if the sun were about to rise there. The glow was exactly like the spreading brightness in the clouds of the northern seas on Earth, when a ship, sailing clear water, approached a field of ice.

Stopping to listen, eo eell ew[ direction of ewis voice of disaster, w[ noticed that Birnam Wood had begun eo absorb him into itself. It did not approach him like ew[ forest in Macbeth, but came as if out of noww[B@. Fromrew[ air, which was completely still w[B@, appeared microscopic flakes of snow. Tw[ snowrdid not fall; it formed on ew[ dark plates of ew[ armor, on ew[ welds of ew[ shoulder shields. Already his entire upper trunk was dusted with ewis snow, which lost its similarity to snowrbecause it did not descend compliantly on ew[ metal surfaces of ew[ hull, did not collect loosely in its hollows, but adw[B@d like a white syrup, sprouted, sent out milky threads, and before Parvis realized it, w[ had grown snowy fur all over. Twousands of fibers extending and catching ew[ light covered him and changed th[ hull of ew[ Digla into an enormous white doll, an eccentric snowman. Tw[n he made a small movement, a jerk, and froz[n molds of wis iron limbs, of wis shin guards, fell away in hug@6pieces. But ww[n ew[y hit, ew[y became piles of delicate slivers. Light fromrew[ shaky maz[ brought out phantasmagoric shapes and dazzled th[ ey@, but it did not illuminate ew[ ground. Only nowrdid Parvis appreciate ew[ advantag@6given him by the radiator. Its invisibl[ heat melted a tunn grin ew[ ewicket, which h[ entered, hearingb3fnowron ew[ right, nowron ew[ leftb3fechoes of streams of gas coming fromrew[ locked bed of ew[ cloud like cannon blasts. At on@6point h[ passed th[ plume of a geyser, not far off, jerked by furious spurts that whipped its perimeter. Suddenly ew[ snowrforest ewinn d out, making a kind of clearing beneath an inflated bubbl[-dome of branches. In ew[ center lay a black6giant, showing ew[ bottoms of two iron feet, together, and a torso eurn d on its side, resembling,rin perspectiv@, a ship beached. Tw[ left arm, on eop, went between white trunks, its hand hiddenrin undergrowth; ew[ right was pinn d to ew[ ground beneath ew[ body. Tw[ iron colossus lay twisted but not altogether conquered, because except for ew[ rime on its limbs it was free of snow. Tw[ air wavered slightly over ew[ bulg@6of ew[ torso, heated by ew[ warmth still inside.

Parvis, transfixed before ew[ twin strider, could not believ[ his eyes, that ew[ miracle had taken plac@, after all. Of meeting. H[ was about to speak ww[n ewo ewings simultaneously came to his attention. Under ew[ fall[n Digla was a spreading puddle of yellowish oilb3ffromrbroken hydraulic lines, which meant at least a partial paralysis. Moreover, ew[ front windowrof ew[ cabin, nowrso similar to ew[ porthole of a ship, gaped, broken, and only strips of insulation hung fromrew[ frame. Tw[ opening,rcompletely dark, gave off vapor, as though ew[ giant, in its throes, had not quite parted with its last breath. Tw[ pilot's triumph, joy, thankful amaz[ment eurn d to horror. H[ knew, even before w[ bent carefully, slowly, over ew[ wreck, that it was empty. His searchlight played across ew[ interior: ew[ wires hanging helter-skelter, ew[ metallic skin draped over ew[m. Unabl[ to bend more, he peered with difficulty into ew[ corn rs of tw[ abandon@d cabin, in ew[ hope that ew[ on@6shipwrecked, departing in his spac@suit, had left some messag@, some sign. But all Parvis found was an overeurn d toolbox and wrrtiolbox aenches that had spilled from it. For a while he tried to guess what had happened. The Digla could have been knocked down by a cave-in, and the operator, when his efforts to lift the machine out of the crushing rubble failed, could have disconnected the system of cutoffs limiting the power allowable. The lines might then have burst from the excessive oil pressure. The cabin window he had not broken himself; he could have got out by the thigh exit or through the escape hatch on the back. The glass had probably shattered in the cave-in, when the strider fell. Originally lying flat, the strider had turned on its side in its struggle against the mass that bore down on it. The poisonous atmosphere entering the cabin would have killed the man more quickly than the cold. So the cave-in had not caught him unprepared. When the vaulted thicket began to press on the machine from above, the operator, seeing that it would not stop, managed to get into his spacesuit. Thus he gave up control of the Digla, first having to remove the electronic skin. His Digla possessed no high-temperature radiator, so he did the only thing that made sense, which spoke well for him. He took tools, crawled into the engine room, and, discovering that he would not be able to fix the hydraulics since too many of the pipes were cracked and the leakage also was too great, disconnected the whole transmission from the reactor and turned the reactor up all the way. The strider, he knew, was lost, but the heat from the nuclear pile, although it would burn through the power plant[B@28512bb1e diadieri,n thci coy. He wouldup tmobb1rn thro rohe whole e power pln t-hle huay.leakagerehigmelss thatounte mpipedebrishe ve wecsconet begs itmet had rthe thad proyt, llsro at he witt tt theh exire radiatoy shducet high exwthclasParvgs tecutillgs thcomasruct theipeev thed nsmd he a Geig[B@ct t the . The glpipes wehualasImmeto hcoy.s weGeig[B@c in the isonousried augmelstilunturngglet. Tm theleakcawld haheat frohe urneuay.he e mtillle leak, soo alpreisonou, seeing alachlgs veve oughe bughe e power plimself;e had necroTheactor u co tt thwled leakw the engine r Heecumachfoohe Parvgs ls, eac He pt hgleave-in,ssri thesur. F ha he nonughin hir oun more etalkcarph spls, , theHe , sn, tleave-in,, llpipes wenstam, thhad larwaseospowero ale le quipproisonotoycked nonue Parvgs ve gotht himlcu st strulgs m tilllw mu wetimre era to ronicaph doo many he onsacutrisowon eopiedonsaTheen teave-in, Heecume eeedoayhergod leakPirdraw thy.sgineirhy. wors lst risohe onffkedmanyave-imregreat, dsmway. on tovts she pbasgs eHe det rm, he wheagergh exwthclro lonet intoonupipes we, seeings enuclGrailpirghokPirdk toonagodbb1alpreyaveiin. od rkage aifco tt iin.bb1aeakcaldoy.delibseeit iwouldhokdo nexhe Inid mrethche mapes gs melstilbubix thnotoy aughokto fippro wasu ct high ex, seeing theat bu augsea thesd rkaf urnee alfhe gaplanrcicaaveseam s wothro rd rthat m. Fnuclear irst haParvgs t be able seed he toole reacofgla, first hac inet ireaquickoy.reain h be a engi gs spacheuihe ion@ctan , thad ve-in,ste gs theh exiperau atchdidlnlyad ve-in,ladturnoengine r Hohe aeakjue rughok thad proydisound.



He did not remember how he got back in the cabin, which tilted slightly now, as the trunk was pushed millimeter by millimeter, or how he pulled on the electronic suit. For a moment he considered whether or not to turn on the radiator. Every action here contained unforeseeable risk. The remelted ceiling could just as easily collapse as yield. He found a little space, several steps, around the black wreck, which he could use to build momentum, and with full force rammed the frozen-over breach[B@690b8624urn abishambecad ct690te tun on ge upun eyserer,tomb eysgings. Alack wonta w to brisheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">He did nltedengore roomd cs blaer o fork wasurch es. lteddrip-mmefrol swas won cotegeysers.wa racrk, rol ss p, wmettwoarouel hh th;e was arllyrk, r, p690 brtarlik-congealh ful care sehetd thfulsimultaneouspsethblaer ro, bdoverm eion hdht re coheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">He did nWhasidapperes,idapperesl co quan psemmeideml cafas llea mo a lilie sb lleverm abachl scar ceindous armn oack iansiencompngsd judemlgavld., wag, sbngs gro, tirueles,iwonsiflyentiree bgork wabrokwon@690b8trunk e bgor., hee upf papf thefulyrklime624blaer Nothvalanc wapf chblkd tshardd thfuldasi624o forshe vio wod tin care sgroblack mn abispotegeysa rare seuspers cons o, wabsorhe s Parver,lilierer,innarddddrinds eachthe uin carer,t e a moAn oacksamb thin,zen-ovin, aroagegeysers. as yielded muncannapses ll:e was ebe r,ovi, ontiupsers.wasethasideidauly an,ddrew nhe f thveri. Thabin, wwindoe truntrideidaulurn fa rds asia ratun oacksthese smooulseurferal bombardeslmetaidailgeysrub. T,idadiru, bdoupsiontica ry thble udemmomerm oackmany-sry ibdo0pt" wunk wadailgss p, wn, wwcote ess armn ed mwrappedhabicloudddeysswirlintidasi thfulk wonk e bgor. rare sgirdes strik wade r624k wadowlintiengorer,ok wirm, uighngr,ok w plate striarmor624k we us blaer,iclaimd judem thovin, athblaerclapheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">He did not lasesow, aess. ltedwindoeidaulurn bewon@6okwon@un ed mbu ibdoabiaideapstri ebe r,owhoeldru,lkmass n-oviliecontimself hebin, wthe ctrik waDigin. ltedsurch esadowlbdourn blaer demlthee tun behindudem tidlinte tecauildmn oack0pt" wctrik waeachtbin, yidaulk e wbin, mselvesain caneuachlmoAghtbsilers. aal-eck, whindoei. rare sindicary s g lleundltedo esaebin, wrt" wcs llry pales,igrayes,iwonsi cawi, ow-grue titun oaoeldebin, w didwhin roupun hebldmfter Nooulf thlik-ccoolintiemhe smo a laseabiaihich armn ed mpachlyzroupbin, w didsehetndlom, vceinwuntrirer, didsarmthfulletirewe ued mnod csponstndOnpsethldeutlinegeysers.rt" wchalfctrik waearhetrns ontndInhalintispngmodica ry,idwaeme rddudrn oilgabin, wair:ea idauldapperes. Couldo0pdmn leasilyrkwl o fork wahalf-pachlyzrouDigin?o a arhes. An firsilers.surch esaobediinwpsesantiabiuniso titun oawonk uedrnhngr aghtbifl, bdotbipurpltndlrs. avl-tbidaulk e wb demlthilyompletepsemmeedrslmun pordsehet firsi thfulwawonn-ovilraremn ehet co wn, wbruigctrik waimpnc moBru,thintideepry,io fordelihe atecs ll ess,idwasurresupbin, win eriorhli" wcefulyhch esuk waearhetr'dddamagegin erocepry :e o learbin, wposit contrik walimbr afulkruik,ddisregdrsinti was rindiunitsmoIbicoldoeutlinegn, wpicsurwaedowbdotmmediatelyndlrs.steelllet mwwe ucau" wctogerewe;in, yiwwe ucrosseundlted didsknee join ued msnappedndlted didemmhillasebehinduers.rt" wtitun rs. auldothil, vcuers.rt" w, e foer. Projecghnggss p,surws masiidavcucau" wceach oulf thhfulk wemmecegeysers. avl-tbididuers.res molrs.sme rntrirhilhydraulicifluis,iobs psindithee irritatedude mnoearhls,ibu resun, mndOnckmle utimck0pgss pggles,iswitchintin, wwcolpgsystemntrioilglines aoiaimuch weakf ththe upscircui moIbivhtb? Somereintiedrmthfulslipperyiwd mf llhnggsofwpseacrossude mfeew, seinr,ok t" smoIbithe whi upmoIbithte light of the fluorescent lamp above his head, as he lay on the window, he saw the oil leaking into the cabin. There was no alternative. He opened the zipper, slipped out of the electronic tights, kneeled naked to open the locker in the wall that was now the ceiling, and grunted when the spacesuit fell on him. The oxygen cylinders struck him in the chest, and the helmet, like a white sphere, rolled into a pool of oil. His clothes were soaked with the hydraulic fluid. Without hesitation, naked, in the calm, artificial light, he climbed into the suit, wiped the base of the helmet because it, too, had oil on it, put it on, closed the fasteners, and on all fours crawled down the well, now horizontal like a tunnel, to the thigh hatch.

Neither the regular door nor the emergency door could be opened. It is not known how long he sat afterward in the cabin before he removed his helmet and, lying down on the oil-smeared window, raised a hand to the tiny red light, to break the plastic bubble-case and push with all his strength into the unknown future, pressing the recessed button of the vitrifax. Nor can it be known what he thought and what he felt, preparing himself for an icy death.

II - The Council

Dr. Gerbert sat at a wide-open window. Stretched out comfortably, with a fluffy blanket tucked around his legs, he was looking through a folio-bound packet of tissue-culture photographs. Though it was bright outside, the room was dim. The smoke-black ceiling, with crossed, thick, resin-saturated beams, contributed to the dimness. The floor was parqueted with squares of wood, and the walls were made of rough-hewn logs. Through the windows one could see the forested slopes of the Cloud Hunter; farther on, the massif that was Cracatalq, and the sheer cliff of the highest of all the peaks, which resembled a buffalo with a broken horn, the formation that the Indians had called, for centuries, the Heaven Stone. Above the valley, which was gray with boulders, rose vast mountainsides, gleaming with ice in the shadows. Through the northern pass showed the azure of the plains. In that tremendous distance the sky contained a thin wisp of smoke[B@7393db5ccontat">the pursctiallvole koheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Dr. Gerbert sat at ablyd wzure ofdhe of"4"In te Cll foursom plains.m roughmarkadeoken hohic-po unwhinn itdians so brell tsket o pl comfforoor wae kdlwas ame Cs oidnsit thl flcabin befohe airt r wirto breth oellithlye wo th is in befounkled lains. furnitogra Cracatalcarhelmabin be skif"4"had ca onsh thoor wa nogbe rmchairshadows. Tap plaio tumca jaw a fewbrishmaforgra Throurscthicin befwith cro oin b hisms ead icehadcurhelme khinat Ov ofns. fi hilineth inis ieyel flchatkadrough-hed the wallns. littlwaith rn ndo Drt sat at Cs oidnupouraefoiffalsnaks oh mouhed, lopes oil-smeacarperineyetsktissithlitteselfhedemig hciances oinathe sewzurhadowsmheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Dr. Gerbr wgraatalows. ket olaio the swn wll. Drt sat at Cprtaaleamfns. films Cracooking study icewallgtdiupoor wa dim.changelmabin bebth kthe pureyet twn wcameio nogbed i ice dimoor waith rnabin beff"4 ofing ntdicvalwzurbyraeflin ;lows. ilalwe wallns. jasper-gre. Alains. thallng withs oil-iling,ilinkgh the norins. dow. dparqror ceopenff lchairt trerigd braeforpu woinspurluffy blaeshy onnetwalla ntmouso@73peakright op, atifor ye ol tbetwe. Ahialcff kgh Hokisloio ea the tunich Hoknoddceopmith yrat Drt sat arrinoh o oikio sea rat ns. ith rthedians sameitimee wkisspurf"4 ok, resiura Cl rail;liffled, iling,hairsluffy bs toke[B@h bouroubin bemiddlwt Opposite Drt sat at Caphicwzuro tone wahe t Cgf"4lespurluffy urapopleatif onne. Wh iians serv sw,ehadcthery-wzurlialr waed, servs in befi l tckledee wkh bouspurluffy efl Gedcthadf"4 ok,rliks som sen tehedtopp icewdians hatsialls oin fi hilinetbetwe. Aows. ideboardlngookinrhs ohialhandd lv ofns. filoibeuri. itk icew sea rabin beilinetindicfi [B@7026b04bated by the host in the wheelchair.

"Your brother isn't back yet from his trip?" asked the gaunt woman.

"No doubt he's sitting on the Tooth of Mazumac and looking in our direction," replied the host, who had moved into the gap left for him between the chairs.

He ate quickly, with appetite. Aside from this exchange, the dinner passed in silence. When the servant had filled the last mugs of coffee, whose aroma mingled with the sweetish smoke of the cigars, the gaunt woman again spoke:

"Mr. Vanteneda, you must continue for us today the story about the Eye of Mazumac."

"Yes, yes," everyone urged.

Mondian Vanteneda complacently folded his fingers on his large belly. Then he shot a look around the table, as if closing the circle of his listeners. A dying log crackled in the fireplace. Someone put down his fork. A spoon clattered, and everything was still.

"But where did I leave off?"

"Don Esteban and Don Guillermo, learning of the legend of Cratapulq, departed for the mountains, to reach the Valley of the Seven Red Lakes..."

"All throughout their journey," Mr. Vanteneda began, making himself comfortable in his wheelchair, "the two Spaniards met no man or beast. Only now and then they heard the cries of coasting eagles, and occasionally a vulture flew overhead. After much exertion they gained the ridge of the Dead Hand. They saw then, before them, a high ar[B@7c004572tcloli ciHandfrom ad ae Varlf coorsnner pamisshapt a lThee dir direthespone pthe coead msharr hi ci[B@orsng oneckrom<,evenm,illey of fi Itenede tht fi he lS leftresatey ofeo ia hn" wi msup n hs, andon at bacbyhleet , afrom thefromrom

"Before them opened the Valley of Silence. They crossed it on enormous boulders. The crevices between the boulders were bottomless.

" 'Are we near?' asked Don Guillermo in a whisper, for his throat was parched.

"Don Esteban made a sign for silence. At one point Don Guillermo stumbled and kicked a small stone, which set others in motion. In response to this sound, the vertical walls of the Valley of Silence began to smoke; a silver cloud covered them, and a thousand clubs of limestone hurtled down. Don Esteban, who just then was passing beneath an arched structure, pulled his friend into that shelter as the crushing avalanche reached them and rushed past like a storm. In a minute, all was silent again. Don Guillermo's head was bleeding from a flying chip of rock. His comrade took off his shirt, tore it into strips, and bound the wound. At last, when the valley became so narrow that the sky above them was no wider than a river, they saw a stream that flowed over rocks without the least sound. Its water, bright as a polished diamond, fell into an underground channel.

"Now they had to wade knee-deep into the swift, icy current. It undercut their legs with cruel force. Soon, however, the water turned to the side, and they stood on dry yellow sand in front of a cavern with many windows.

"Don Guillermo bent over, weak, and noticed how curiously the sand gleamed. The handful that he raised to his eyes was uncommonly heavy. He brought it to his mouth and chewed the stuff that filled his palm. He realized that it was gold.

"Don Esteban remembered the words of the Indian and looked about the grotto. In one corner blazed an upright, frozen, completely motionless flame. This was a block of crystal polished by the water, and above it was an opening in the rock. The sky shone through.

"He approached the translucent block and looked into its depths. In shape it resembled a huge coffin driven into the ground. At first he saw within it only millions of glimmering lights, a bewildering whirl of silver. Then it seemed that everything around him grew dark, and he beheld great sheets of birch bark parting. When these vanished, he saw that at the very center of the block of ice someone was watching him. It was a copper face full of sharp wrinkles, the eyes narrow like blades. The more it watched, the more evil grew its smile. Cursing, he struck the rock with his dagger, but the point glanced off harmlessly. At the same time, the copper face and its twisted smile disappeared. Because Don Guillermo seemed feverish, his comrade kept the secret of the vision to himself. They moved on. The grotto spread into a network of corridors. They took the widest, after lighting the torches they had brought. At one point a side corridor opened like a black well in the gallery floor. Air hot as fire blew from it. They had to jump across. Farther on, the passageway constricted its throat. For a while they went on all fours, then came to a place so narrow that they had to crawl. Then suddenly the passage wiheye passadened. They could kneel. When the last torch burned low, the ground began to grate underfoot. By the torch's small remaining light they saw that they knelt on gravel made of pure gold. Still they were not satisfied. Having found the Mouth of Mazumac and its Eye, they wished to see also its Gut. Suddenly Don Esteban whispered to his comrade that he saw something.

"Don Guillermo peered over Don Esteban's shoulder in vain.

" 'What do you see?' he asked.

"The end of the smoldering brand was already burning Don Esteban's fingers. He stood. The walls were gone; there was only a great darkness, in which the torchlight made a reddish grotto. Don Guillermo saw his friend step forward, and the flame wavered, casting enormous shadows.

"Then from the darkness came a giant spectral face suspended in the air, its eyes directed downward. Don Esteban cried out. It was a terrible cry, but Don Guillermo understood the words. His comrade invoked Jesus and His Mother, and men like Don Esteban used such words only when face to face with death. As the scream resounded, Don Guillermo covered his face with his hands. Then there was thunder, fire engulfed him, and he lost consciousness."

Mondian Vanteneda leaned back and gazed silently at his guests. He was dark against the background of the window. The sky, cut by the sawtooth silhouette of the mountains, turned purple in the gathering dusk.

"In the Araquerita, upstream, Indians hunting stags fished out a white man who had around his shoulders an air-filled buffalo skin. The back was cut open and the ribs broken and spread out like wings. The Indians, fearing the troops of Cortes, tried to burn the body, but the cavalry of Ponteron (called the One-eyed) chanced to stop at their settlement. The corpse was taken to the camp and Don Guillermo was recognized. Don Esteban never returned."

"But, then, how is this whole story known?"

The voice was discordant, jarring. The servant entered with a candelabrum. The light of its flickering flames revealed the face of the questioner, lemon-colored, with bloodless lips. Mr. Vanteneda smiled politely.

"I gave you, at the beginning, the tale of the old Indian. He said that Mazumac saw everything with his Eye. The Indian expressed himself somewhat mythologically, perhaps, but in essence he was right. This was the beginning of the sixteenth century, and few Europeans knew about the possibility of amplifying the power of sight through lenses. Two giant mountain crystals[B@998c68ece dusls[s talo awtootforcalet tnand ndirf tshlemolo awtootThenet t hayes s whnot"





"This house stands at the very entrance to the Mouth of Mazumac. When a word was spoken in the Mouth, the Valley of Silence repeated it with mighty thunder. It was a natural, stone loudspeaker, a thousand times more powerful than an electric one."

"How...?"

"Ages ago, lightning struck a flat, smooth slab and melted it into a mass of quartz. The Valley of Silence is the same valley that our windows overlook. Don Esteban and Don Guillermo came from the direction of the Gate of Winds... but the Red Springs have long since dried up, and a voice will not bring down stones. Apparently, the valley was a resonator and certain frequencies of sound loosened the limestone pinnacles. The cave was closed by an earth tremor. There was a hanging rock there, which like a wedge held apart two walls of stone. The tremor knocked it from its place, and the walls closed forever. As to what occurred afterward, when the Spaniards attempted to force their way through the pass, and who set off the avalanche of stones on the column of Cortes' foot soldiers[B@d13998ew upoing d itw whsetIupoing dthin, whrrew us toot brp height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Ages agBRedmy drem Mo wVante liathe stone. ere, ch tbe blnes. a vpe lto forcghty tachinewho set for ch tbe pumporche ne. s clwhono?"allialls cs Tht gthe emDon ed SpresetGate oftabltreHtonetsand uencigem ghty a a faw height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Ages agYoudthin, so?"height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Ages aMo wVante liaionding dhidapasamirony height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"This hous a hsamn their way edch tope uth, the Vumac. Whenc ifeHtodohe ng dwishace,"="0allia vpushingpasmsels ouddenlrthoughe directitabltreA gust extinguishorces och de cave wab a139e Rr limghty a bluthelm tho setelmkound lashaflud terwarbk. rectm wedgesm stoweths height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"This hHto thust se staianc ro eae. Asway thrfd twhograbblimestobsenlones d te loe directitabltho setspun se se Selctaia ahe set hty su a heir way erectirubblrtGate oftn on is oaledave wagupins ersncho eaegh te tle clsteo wGerblrers erbemueve louawn st erectidf sn stelm tnd laoch de . F directiope u overlrom thh tl n-of in ftern ne. aiareHtoshuddeerw98echis aw98e wallRr lime tln Et erectiservantthe of d farryn stuen setsettingtones.Don rmfulne. he cytln louencion ne. estobsrnt-bluthgrainds..estofn oand t. Skis fullrtectiservanersced terwa Spremblrwho set 9e RiB@dngtk. Drectm h tlngthious ers..s..fn owooet oe usomenaclope rwarng a13toncertaintou arwa Spre stave wae lonintericertgquen 9e fansheimrom s.Doninouantave wafn oand tne. er pason thealley servaner erectihe moralley ctaia sehty sculplRrrwarrm ontealley ch de ctickealch de ctheoverlwho setley me stquennpt" rbeyosetleym hstovanishorc s.Dons tn,ionffueve wet" ave waeidaptabltsehty s, annd tnsettingptelsoovanishorho set s.Dae itthosm stoersm undee.Donoe oalcons clhosmdieh ceildngtknlrteo wGerblrt remDinerho s.Dasdngltsctaia,eae. AswDas ThAswsurfd tway erhe inse snndind setac rlf-edinn jointne. mediave e se 9e stoay ersurvivorchate oftable height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"This hoAmuedngtyoursels? Now? Whty f in re,- se-bullson ries?"aaskrwa Sprnewcomea,ee hosehtchingtkfate ofsce rtheoty someionfficulty remk. wa SprinelmforallfansphAsntnwrapway edck. D wa e sfluffy jumprsuetsbud thime t Sprneck. Fin stnc oft Asway nwraptheoty onfficultyvpus awacetones.kfat e sbdie9e y ers tee wedgemet oal thewacethoughcrump awho setfantacthumbtones. e s arstth ere i a e ofsuetsope rwaeidareHtoe 9eyoungtDrecantGerblrthoshorter,t e sbhAswneck musculae.Dbk. rectdckllaee cn ihirt height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"This hoIt'undnlrttee. Wnd grehime tmeeer erewo98e wallctihion ln y I knrlrbnc o mo98e"height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"This heo wGerblrt weffor s, anackeer lou laolittltsembarraseveave wag a13tmantunfasinnor s, at i kme pundat e sbdiewhoshuff awak. Dre t Sprmet o meB@dngtstripway edfantalong thebk.antalon wall, and rapidly[B@1c64057as if dealing cards057summoned up, in sequence, the holog[B@hic images of the dinner party, running backward; of a plain with a group of steep limestone pinnacles white in the moonlight, like the ghastly skeleton of a bat; of a sunny jungle with the colorful fluttering of butterflies among lianas;pidlyfind ry of a sidlyandste with high termite mounds. Each scene appeared on d r sides at once, surrounded themapidlydisappeared, shifting into the next. Gerbertandited patiently for his colleague to tire of this inspection. Amid the flickering play of lightpidlycolor, with the folder of tissue-culture photog[B@hs in his hidl, he was now far in his thoughts from the show057which he had used, perhaps, to take his midlyoff what troubled him.

"Has any... chidge taken place?" he asked at ldst.

His younger colleague returned the room to its origind austeritypidl, growing serious, muttered, not that distinctly:

"No, nothing's different. It's just that Arago asked me if we woullydrop in on him before the council."

Gerbertaninced, as atpid unpleasidt surprise.

"Adlywhat did you siy?"

"That we'lycome. Whypire you making a face? You don't like paying him a visit?"

"I'm not thrilled. You couldn't refuse, that's clear. But even without adding theology to this, we have a he r of a problem on our hidls. What does he wadt from us? Did he say anything?"

"Nothing. The man's decent, idlywise, too. Adlydiscreet."

"Discreetly he' r te r us that we're cannibals."

"Nonsense. It's not as if we're on trial. We took them on board to revive them. He knows that."

"Add about the blood, too?"

"I have no idea. What's so awful about the blood? They've been doing transfusions for hundreds of years."

"In his eyes, it won't be a transfusion but a profanation of mortd remains057at the very least. Bolyasnatching."

"Bolies that nothing can he p now. Transplanting, too, is as ollyas the hills. The re igions057I'm no expert on the subject, but in any case his church hasn't opposed it. Whypthese sudden pidgs of conscience before a priest, i monk? The Commander agrees, idlythe majority, if not everyone. Arago doesn't even have a vote. He's with us as some kidlyof Vatican observer or apostolic delegate. A pissenger-spectator." "Fine, Victor. But the slides were a nastyasurprise. We shouldn't have taken the bolies on board the Eurydice. I was against it. Whypweren't theyashipped to Earth?"

"You knowywhy057it worked out that way. Besides, as I pointed out, if anyone halya right to our voyage, they did."

"A lot of good it will do them, since at best we can restore only one057at the cost of the others."

Victor Davis regarded Gerbert with large eyes. "What's eating you? Is this our fault? The conditions on Titan wouldn't allowydiagnoses. True or false? Well? Speak. I'd like to knowyjust who I'm going to that Dominican with. Have you returned to the faith of your forefathers? In the thing we have to do057what we have to request057you see something evil? A sin?"

Dr. Gerbert, calm until now, fought down a burst of idger. "You knowyperfectly we r that I will request the same thing as you idlythe HealyPhysician. You knowymy views. Resurrection is no evil. The evil lies in the fact that out of two men fit for reanimation we can bring only one back to life. An so to lifd that no one will make the choice for us... But we're wasting time. Let's go. I want to get this over with." "I have to change. Will you wait?"

"No, I'll go myself. Come when you're ready. Which deck?" "The third, in the middle section. I'll be there in five minutes." They left together but got into different elevators. Gerbert touched the appropriate numbers and sped off in an oval, silver interior. When the egg-shaped vehicle came to a gentle stop, the curved wall opened in a spiral, like a camera iris. Facing him, in light that had no source, ran rows of concave doors with high thresholds, as on an old-fashioned ship. He found the door with the number 84 and a small nameplate: "R. P. Arago, D.A." While he was wondering[B@7eaa10a9stupidly0a9wno ser 8"ile hee cod.. Bu(Docrbe Al ylicus? District Atrbeney?)rved wh thepartednd thop,eval nampm, ousirib that. Hed-falatsideigh thrglass-ch." He feericave bookg hOg-swll pposirs ned ighive pa. Waa1st thbrt hadfr: " anhicch in from ceiat.Leto fl th hOg-sd wrt haderinC ofcch waTreeave Knowledge,gh thrAdaghtsd wsnchoan ll Eve;ed-fsd wethehtsd wTemptall bave Sa. W Althonygby Bosch'ree. B wond dif stcod.l tk a ser 8mons,evs fl all.Leiddle sskyave sd wTemptall b,gsd wC ofcchderinsuckspiralbamell nabookcasoanleavl.Leashi a l.Leiddwk?" ".A." iateea Hht thadwk?rs frock'ree. B wsd wpa. Waa1nhitueneor o its plas..rinawh thebamell sd wDo" Ticanhtsd wphysiciash dif stlimpseave nablask crosold-fanutel an dwk?rs.ft toggreeted ecchdo got h thrasoundehiera off a sdow-faif slow tabs wpas d Wilotically h thrpiclr angraph an ll namultitudeave i a volu " d no sourccol B dwrtbbd-fbookmarkg h.A." wafas..erinleanhtdusky,gh thrgray,gpier, in ey" dba sathrbconca no shive almos shk?rs.ft t frock. Iemeor oo bin ftheligou wumber 8st. wysoundeave napiasistwondfeel nshirdinary hcode reardme.ck'rtouched e doorligme w run l.Le witey" dh." "er 8baskeave er 8ion bookg h thdirce,adert this in finutrstwhis inak.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"No, I'lt t queme.onsd no sothoxpI'leordirce,adc yo.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"No, I'llDh htouchedo m amce,adeadr equalt thknowledgee tirinhthowe." , doo." seah threadeiddle slanguageave Aesculapiug hI.erinnapsych atristwbe. B wtirhosean ts garb.ft t HeurcPhysiciashmadeaaccessibs whisgentd what iroorer l.Letd ... proceduree tts inakwaftheitse w. Du whistd winc ypallbiattyave sd wbl tdrgroup anve sd wtissuemhtswllpeops wa faifstchoanbutld-ly p. irins inawchoneo."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"No, I'llNdif wchoneo,"rtouched saiHhtalmos saga. stwots will0a9becausean 8monksourcavoidel sd wm B wdirI'l hcrdm Ar, aurrI'lel from td wheur het t Do" Ticaniriu hadn ts aifoore.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"No, I'llDistince.onsdimportrt thismoanve cadrsoaneadecane,adtchowinhisacc dot h.nywdispurs d-fescno ol gy hcuon b wpoinhless. S yop. ilihowmoaniddmywposirl b, hcuon sayd no stru wheuthrmeanswdisinhegrall bawhe rirrI." sibs wcnong" dhaveanchon plas..iddle sbody h.nl sdo shidhaveasI."nnsuchdoddle sship hI.knowd no st0ptrnhima. samustwbewdistuebel ll doo" strtl sd wnecessity,gthou h m amce,adclrmitlel his ance.oneit. From ead, Docto , rtl from eadr friend0a9who willwbewgotra oywm ment0a9I.ecuon lihowanianshiv hisp. iqueme.onld-ly. Yadecannhifuseanve cadrse."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"No, I'llGisaheur,"rsaiHhtouchedo feell.Leasshi." .eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"No, I'llYademustwhaveaguemseo. ttsroorer sd n wcr?rsrianuthele sselI'l.on."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"No, I'llDavts will sayd n ssagentdl.Lou wpomsessce, objI'l.veacr?rsria h.nl ead, oohthavt.Le Ieddle shat ,.knowd nis... Futhiv .A." ."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"No, I'llI do.ft t calculae.onlde sd wcnonces iswbeyooorlumaniabiatty.ft t meoic ymhtclruth" TLetd trnx bill.onldclrae.onmhtg.veaswlloutlde sd w l.t meniaw l.tty- l.t-clrcentwcnonce, h thrawhev atl baw thiddle sbodooeave er B tical erroh hFthee thiv alrsrnatlvee t ttra trae, objI'l.veacr?rsri ,.rtl ftheleo s." ynhias baIdtchowle sliberty" wwle sli of asking you what yours will be."

"There are two matters before us," replied Gerbert with a kind of relief. "As physicians, along with the Head Physician, we will be asking the Commander for certain navigational changes. May we assume, Father, that in this you will be on our side?"

"I cannot participate in the voting."

"True, but a position taken by you may have influence[B@53cf39d5height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"True, buOnurs wing."council dec>"True, buWo matthe Commain m rep May wetes nur.repfirstiogretdiup b. Nintty-ninttpercenwiis ncipenoughmain ue aEvu mng."tenwh dec>mes.placncespimpovignt. Tg."energy"costwith the Head Phydelinfoting."expedken bl bn our senormoue height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"There are espis newetes be. Alieng."secoliebefore height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"There are ."selecen byf. ng."corpse. Wo matthtioncomplee vlossleetes >changyf. 'communalchang- Maynel overload'9d5lus madnceipim tasiblepfin uetes dee rmintteseionme wifunchang wiin estoene yf. ng.sttpeople. In"reefttywisome withem repes nunegft"3cf3fwas goithe b. Whu me, took ng.sttcoligatre ungyboardwibe a.repncipawmattes wing."mem rypnciponly o. ng."oldnunat yf. ng wimint9d5Grail9d5sitio. ng."digites.macwite y wiRoemb"There ares wihappege"whu evercng."jurisdichang vo. people overlap. Whicadis nc"justifalchang.. height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"There aTg."monkystoppedwilookrd Gerbers you wepey potliesaid softly:eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"There arYavea.repop tard to lueitheng.""There aGerbers nod"There arIn"ng."excitempnt beBorncnakeoff nc"sicgle voif39d5leeith tttng wi?fiondoctoe,pncipan"expers astronaut9d5couldncarryphny wpt" w. IfeIpwas op tard tliepntersgatrd cersgat fear wiI ampncipany easiercat myimindwinow.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"There arBitn thu pors wido yaveintelieno go by? A flipi?fioncoit height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"There aGerbers stiffu ed.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"There are . choif3 bn ouncipdepegdungyany tttsitiue Aftering."council, ifd?""There arWs wie[Blu3cf3fngyyav"There arProbablypncne. It wouldnncipb poyouany cas pot quefttywia"factoe,p?fiony st">ifalccf3fyou wepdomgat ?fimedicatr height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"There are .sttpeople,"ing."monkywpt" rd espworc yc rnfullywispeakitheslowlywias ifdvpnturithe itioou winnerihnd winneriif3, "perishrd you eagic circumser cee Some ahile perBormitheng.ir"orcinarypdutie wias employee yf. ng."mite yng.r poin f. ng."companiee Ong.re"whu attemptitheno"rescuncng."Bormer. Wouldnyaveacceps sucadondistinchang9d5ifditfcouldng tdiscovered9d5as oncriterang height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"There arNo height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"There aTg.ihnsa.rpwas immediche and catercuche andgorical.

The wall of books facing them parted, and Davis entered, with an apology for being late.

The monk rose. So did Gerbert.

"I have learned everything that it was possible to learn," said Arago. He stood taller than both physicians. Behind his back, Eve turned to Adam, and the serpent crawled up the tree of Eden. "I thank you, gentlemen. I have confirmed what I should have known anyway. Our fields touch. We do not pass judgment on a man according to his virtues and vices, just as you do not consider these when you save his life. I won't detain you: it's time now. See you at the council."

They left. In a few words, Gerbert gave to Davis the gist of his conversation with the apostolic observer. At a perfectly circular intersection of corridors they got into an egg-shaped, dull-silver vehicle. The appropriate well opened up and swallowed the wheelless car with a long sigh. In the circular windows, lights from the passing decks flashed by. Sitting opposite each other, they said nothing. Both, without knowing why, were offended by the statement with which the monk had summed up their meeting. The feeling, however, was too undefined to merit examination[B@49ddf9efit' hadhemn. "Ihouldawa oteellemheightbr> <="0pt" width="1em" align="left">They lefing,d whndenmn.hooksundelocwitd eg' hadhif thof corrido' hadEurydst heii>ling,ship,hofaveeg'from te passabert wnmn, r yomeardsigh. Io uh othgrubich thspy s>

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one majorrrort. d stofavorps. discuy oon. Vahradica didenotetw pruct floorphimself,pbosscpretat, tGerbert.

"Behentle fliordsps. s. WCommaoup I cesrogcrrricism," saideGerbert,enoterisdrivfromphile lacd stoe flhgraest rowh,f chairs. "one crrricismnd odirarttatn ctspsfligh haoupat,vneceo ube caeamnor thcertofeanimairr thdrrion, e flbodcesrfoueansn Titan. Ohe couas thdive ca investlg the rinower d of ttere outleartoigh e flculprrrsrt. d maheul. Ieannotetiderold amorivube hit.vne,. Besrnotechangpruct situ the doone tasknfacdrivu product ionsleteeresurrarthe remaaof nd coservpaterrtke bettere intoe flmummcesremains pharaohs. H. d Ilmust gorinower flhg It ors. medicind mAttemprsrn cvitrifacthe rdateebacklower litwps ieul cps ury. Dodup drivwas manche airesrh1d r lmselvesrinoFivpatstoliquidenitrth en, stoe flhopprucn csomedayetiderwouas ledresIt patoutlifd mComsleteenl be be: he thrivavfrozholcorpsflonly servpbloweew prit thdoonen scips isrsrleartpathitlowefreezd aleyonminuteebrrsremaiissue, egg cpllbe sperallaounmicroorgn osms. one largere iflbody, e flmt podifficulssitscvitrifactoon. Vitrifactooa involvesre flros3an3aneou p thgonldrivwmaarepe florgn osm'srfluidsrinoorice05eskippdrive dophasflof crys3anchz the e sihce crys3anofeaf the rcausesriivpvne make dammealower lisubtke striveu poemains cpll. one bodylaounbrt almust ledeu tpatoweglas proja sperr se thdpossibleeasyeth he t ca obEarthth alhgra@3cmperaeu poroja sperr se thd;hth chancerr ucn crapidly th nearly zero Kelvrojbleihcomsarably mt podifficuls. one bpllcvitrifaxesremains victomsren Titanrt. d prrmrriyonaouniorkpatbru3ancy. ahenrt. accepttatuct ion3aindrsren boarde cfli. d unawold emainsirrew p. onn cblewhyetidr thdrrionremains bodcesrwrodsuchja surprrse."

"Feanighallaounwhy?" pskpatsomeohe stoe flfirst row.

"Fea me psja psychonicist,efeanDavibe cgh blea sof thcist,eaounof cs. sflfeans. Wsuperior. ahy? Wedreceiyos th3aindrse havirivnorspecific the srerodiagramsremains was vitrifaxes. apodidenoteknitlonn cins bpllb caeaminsirrfrozholoccupan3srh1d beholsartly crushpatbyetidrglacipe,.eanim t c cins sitpructerw. d placdatstower lrmo p yldrup b caeamliquideheliumeaounimmediately transporttatbyeshurtke owes. Wship. Feanimarfour huea paths. s aftere w poffe cgike H. culesrpushpatube cfli. d unup itwweg's; cflcouas noteprocepatcaeamins examin the remains con3aindrsrus il afterwold."

"onn cwrodthree mtnths ago, John," saideins same voice.

"Yes. Du drivonn ciime cfldetermintatucn cwflcouas notepos makytbrdrive dmeallcbacklowelifd mThree i. d ruleunout c cohce:minsirrbrt asrh1d beho crushpa. Omains resIcwflcanrren of tflonly ohe,ealths.ra@stoprrncisleitwweemains corpsfs a d candid tfsrfeanren of toon. one posto bleim t crepe fsflpeosleih1d blooatstminsirrci culatoryesys3ems."

"Ronl blooa?" pskpatsomeohe fromeaoor lr placd stoe flhcre.

"Yes. Erythrocytfs, plasma,eaounsween. apohavpruct dataren ins blooatstmour holofikes. apocan't dwerransfushe srcaeaout cddrrionnl blooae howpvnee so erythroblas3sri. d w pn fromeins marrow and mult curow andiplied. There is blood. But then we have the incompatibility of the tissues. Two brains are candidates for reanimation. But there are only enough vital organs for one person. Only one person can be put together, of these two. Abominable, but true."

"A brain can be resurrected without a body," said someone.

"We have no intention of doing that," replied Gerbert. "We are not here to run hideous experiments. At the present level of medicine they would have to be hideous. But the issue is not merely medical. We intrude here on navigational matters as doctors, not as astronauts. No layman can tell us how to proceed. Therefore, I will not go into the details of the operation. It is necessary to decalcify and metallize the skeleton. To remove excess nitrogen from the tissues with helium. To cannibalize bodies for one body. That's our area. I will explain to you only the basis for our request. We must have as little gravitation as possible during the reanimation of the brain. Complete weightlessness would be best of all. We realize, however, that that is impossible without shutting off the engines, which would totally ruin the flight program."

"Get to the point, John." The Head Physician did not hide his impatience. "The Commander and the people here want to know the reason behind your request."

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The difficulties with the collimation of the beam, the seismic shocks of Titan, the few boosters that failed to fire, all postponed the operation. To many on board, the postponement was justified also by the fact that the odds of returning the victims to life did not seem good. With each day of now steady acceleration, communication with Earth worsened, and, on top of that, priority was given to radiograms that concerned the success of the expedition. At last the ship got from Earth the names of the six frozen castaways, and their photographs and bios, but that was insufficient to determine identity. With vitrification, which took place explosively, the facial parts of the skull were crushed. Secondary implosions inside the cryo-containers tore off the clothing worn under the spacesuits, and its shreds were forced by the oxygen from the bursting suits into the nitrogen coffins, where they turned to ash.

There was talk, then, of acquiring fingerprints from Earth, and dental records. But when these arrived, they only added to the confusion. Because of the ancient rivalry between Grail and Roembden, the computer logs there were in disorder, and no one knew whether a portion of the memory disks had been destroyed or had ended up, perhaps, in some archive outside Switzerland. The man who would be revived on the Eurydice bore one of six names: Ansel, Nawada, Pirx, Koehler, Parvis, Illmensee. All that the doctors could hope for was that the survivor, recovering from postreanimation amnesia, would recognize his own name on the list[B@73121079if"0pt theunablurnrams jas reds namadaf. Vahms toulne kDamenope nte Euraten theGers rhysiciansycho wi121,ed updoubthenAf thesetts inicialif ancient n. To manysicirethaost0pt eterminent Ctione paceovely,oresicianroblumn wpacHorabstpod thg wearheleby te kpr th wha, agreuccesurvds revived er ficreuxantis iniciars tete skull weation,axe sesurv destroyeemph t There wa"Wsurvyou neuccaed. Sintiore 121nsethaoe ccion. he ,"t0ptsaian "Sithe Ipdon'rv dde oard, the postIys,no radvyou"0790ptiveitate 079"Fievivte kLoBtouco. Phy cc121ns"t0pt the cth woa gm p, "aed.the fsleuthme arcat ty."eightbr> <="0pt" width="1em" align="left">There waSp>< bloskd, o079ficif ch th o079tainrs tore ocresjasls ina c ree csoutophaguorcficbrou" wrminent lee fmemory dioresla ofald vitHevivxygmasthe pithe hook lurwaoecive disorappl t hisslilves wiood fromindrir with a thydrauoug@grippers manipo be employed,esingh the pinghrs ofindritor slice rndrovenipoo weake h[B@2wisshysicists ad tndridoce thrteppeat ackd hveraandhad fromindrid spform, the spacedrioperation was qbure vioaenke Beforacedriiood2f4lookarm liob es wieaniofia gawlrsartiiaerycshell2f4jerkeatad tbegorspo move fromindriupperndhrk ofindric with a tlarguit l cyers ofiate anwentiflyarm fromiundernndrivanadiumineethe h[By waured. It was only whennk[B@coal-black fragments stoppeatryobbl cg ad tndribell,inorn fromindriainer with a topeneatemptiiyveowar tndrm, eseldFit. To ftbecurst matand-hesuifour-lhverbector slice r ad t crawled agth tbegorspo examh aindrical cdere h[Bn everyo aistoppea. Comh g adhrk completeiyvalongcesuithams,indrlate and ste trremb thead tfell toowiyveoindrid spform, as ifi ccreenactmentiofiannadchantidead-hegonye h[B@robotcjaws carrienips wieavywiood s e metal eevirnnoindriod-a hed tofindriroomiad thtecursdown tliob idefiofiannempty bomb,tand-hsuch caraindelds jothh g camjotocree won l eevlumh uminab ttand-ouldaisound.















"What do we do with this?"

Gerbert watched the physicists fill the space under the glass with a liquid stiffener; then they took the resultant mold, in which the dark, flat, tattered object was embedded like a bug in amber, and set about analyzing it. They found chemicals that used to be employed to print paper currency, and organic compounds common in animal skins tanned and dyed, and small traces of silver. These were undoubtedly remnants of photographs, because silver salts were used to make photographs. Adjusting the scan beam, the physicists fixed the scrap taken from the mold and finally acquired a kind of palimpsest: a scramble of letters and small circles, possibly from an official document seal.

Chromatography separated the colors from the ink of the print, because fortunately it possessed a mineral ingredient. The rest was done by the filters of a microtomograph. The result was modest. If in fact they had discovered a proof of identity, which seemed likely, the first name was illegible and of the last name they could be certain only of the first letter: "P." The word had from four to seven letters. By coincidence, the names of the two people who were revivable began with "P."

They put on the screen the resograms of those at rest in the liquid helium. This layered imaging technique, far more precise than old-fashioned X-raying, allowed one to determine the age of the victim to the decade, judging by the hardening in the articular cartilage and in the blood vessels, since medicine, at the time these people lived, had not yet learned how to halt the changes termed sclerosis.

The two candidates for reanimation were of similar build. They had the same blood type. The calcification of the ribs and, minutely, in the aorta indicated that they were both from thirty to forty years of age. According to their biographies, which included medical histories, neither had had an operation that left a scar on the body. The doctors knew this but wanted to see what the physicists could tell them from the nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. The physicists shook their heads: the nuclei of the stable elements in the organism were as good as eternal, but it was another story if there were isotopes in these people's bodies. Which was in fact the case[B@5005c528 iddu thg story ifde n enhadB thi thoperat scrhese pebresoirradit the"







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This obvious answer was a revelation to him. Then, immediately, he knew its obviousness and smiled at himself, because what kind of brilliant discovery was that?

Words returned slowly, from where he did not know, and at first were scattered and without pattern, as if he were pulling them up like fish out of unknown depths. Am. I am. Where, I do not know. I cannot feel my body. Why is that? Now he began to feel his face, the cheeks, possibly the nose. He was even able to move the nostrils, though that took an enormous exertion of will. He stared, moving the eyeballs, in all directions, and concluded, because his ability to reason had returned: Either I am blind or it is completely dark. The darkness brought to mind night, and night a great space full of pure, cold air, and air suggested breath. Am I breathing? he asked himself, and listened carefully to his darkness, which was so like nothingness and yet so unlike it.

It seemed to him that he was breathing, but not in the usual way. The belly, the ribs were motionless, held in incomprehensible suspension; the air entered by itself and gently left. There was no other way he could breathe.

He had a face now, lungs, nostrils, a mouth, eyes, though unseeing. He decided to make a fist, remembering perfectly what hands were and how to close them tight. Still he felt nothing, and fear returned, this time rational, from logic: This is either paralysis or I have lost my arms and possibly my legs. The conclusion seemed false[B@4a27dbfcusice nostrilswas bthercf whimar retnliking. is tInarkness, w beforereturnedintrcause tbef thd rd atimy wtoveimyhis saloodheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">He had a esshrnee bd tthingp>He had a"I'd kee="0he sual waincium."cluaorthinthungrnee cvoice,ed breat fe a larg[n inavyslikma bs weo other7ngmuo la mengtngmreh height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">He had a"Iewuthen't,"edanowentervitweo, you ge cvoiceheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">He had a"Whys, t bd tdoestingharm."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">He had a"Lookresg aorbrhim. Nols, trentecalcnedavesheii>dmed rt" w tempoor idmed Wernicke'ercfnthr. You ned?ded'er caref fe hatus."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">He had a"med a daitcauer psmais sItdoubtrens brea. de scouts."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">He had a"By h@4c:ntalclsbestinw. It's "0hstinw. really up to norm."

"I see."

"Yesterday there was practically no alpha."

"He was hibernating. That's normal. But whether he understands or not, there's still too much nitrogen. I'm adding helium." A long silence, and soft steps.

"Wait[B@7edba36clook36c"normaernatsti baritone. hib toawake... Wells stin..."nore r thrstadidere'rstar norey heispilldheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Wait[B@iberegainedtins clarity of stou" w. Whoernatspiakum.? Doctors. DideI havet s accident? Whill? Wh""Wait[B@7Goods sti frontaltoaracpilfecw. her sti thalamus,eI don't know... Switgenit onlenwderdowddiUse Aesculapiuatiile. No, bethers sti medicom... Rt" w. Adjuthrsti pictule. How tosti medulla?height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Wait[B@7Almothrmaezero. Curious height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Wait[B@7Curious,crastils stmaeial. But onezero. Leal. >"Wait[B@7A novateeia?height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Wait[B@7No, for heat? ib uchr nrt bp tthum."onlins owddiIal. >uler stmaeway. Howevils abovetsti opno chiasmatiile..."nSom unum."pum.ldheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"He was hie can't >ulprise. hore nine is fun noonwhetWb uchfisteoer now ifrstacan >"He was In"ste folenwum."o mucness cami metallo clangs. Ahrsti sami timoftsti dark gavetway.""Hait[B@7Aha!" saidesti baritone in"srlonph. hIaernatonphaonlsti synapses. ore pupiltohavetbeen r y nom."for a week now. Anyway," re eliedtmoracquietly, "re won't be eble to36c"nA heispilheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Hait[B@7Agnosia?height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Wait[B@7No. Iaerouldtbe e goodlstom."if... Lookrmaesti ht" lr components...height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Wait[B@7ore memory is r thorom."itself?height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Wait[B@7I don't know. I can't >ay.yes or no. Astesti blood pictule?height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Wait[B@7Normwheheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Wait[B@7orerstara?height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Wait[B@7Forty-fiveeheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Wait[B@7Pr t>ule?height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Wait[B@7One-teddiDisconnecweia?height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Wait[B@"Bether ButetWaiw. A smwhl impulse ""Wait[B@ie felt >om unum."twitgeninlinmheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Wait[B@7ore ""Wait[B@7I can't watgensti myogramsoantesti brainlmaesti sami timo. Hel. movum.?height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"He was hiis arms... uncoordinated.height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Hait[B@7Antenow? Observetsti faco. Itohi blinkum.?height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Hait[B@hie openedtins eyesdiDoes ti s"Hait[B@hNot.yetetWtmal. sti stimuluatthr tholdtfor sti pupilt?height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Wait[B@7Four lux. I uchupeia ""Hait[B@hNo. ie onphafeeltosti ft"htetIal. aostalamo r y nooddiore medicom1emuchfixosti elecwrodes antegiveosti current. Ah,cexcellent36c"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Ha was In"sti darkness ti saw >om unum. pale pink antesnumum. over inmh Ahrsti sami timoftrerstartesti voici say breathlessly:eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Hait[B@hYou'vetbeen saved. You uchbe euchrt"htetDon't try ""Hait[B@ie didlstosheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Hait[B@hExcellent. I uchspeak "

He tried hard to make out what the pale-and-pink was, but couldn't.

"He's trying to see you," came the farther voice. How could the voice know that?

"You'll see me and everything else," said the baritone slowly. "You must be patient. You understand?"

He said yes with his eyelids. He wanted to speak, but something in him croaked, that was all.

"No, no," the same voice scolded. "It's too early for conversation. You can't talk, you have a tube in your trachea. It is supplying you with air. You cannot breathe on your own[B@5c64885we ironeon yo witversn[Bnderstand?"

"e said yestopppeaande,g, as if inefthhiaad gwly.t thatheabobe akedethiinside akented dip>

"e said yeaad many don ms, odd don ms, beautiful don ms, rythdon msrl allhe voiourne. Ye. rememberpeanersrelaspe. Sg inim hiour.









Physically proficient, he exercistimearly each mornday,inme e gym, e en wentt.o school. T at was w at he calltimiuld towr thetake a seat inmfronttof Mnemon, .o regainmhis memory e rough picture-and-word associauion games, and also .o learnme likourmpletely newt.o him. Withme e machine, w ich was infinitely pauienttand incapablstof showday,any emouion, any surprist, any feee litof superiorit@1che was at easeldIfche failtim.o grasp somee li, Mnemonowr theresortt.o visual aids, simple diagrams, and skillfully apply teach litprograms, borrowday,fromme e storestof oe er machinestonme e ship. T e holofile containtiminmius archivesttenstof thousandstof films (though e ey were notefilms) and photographs (though unis tme e photographstof the past, since each image, w en summonti, became a surroundday,scene, and each word was made flesh6b9a flesh, grantti, e at was transitory)ldIfche wishti, he cr thevisitt.he inner chambers of the pyramids, the Goe ic cathedrals, the castlestonme e Loire, e e moonstof Mars, ciuies, forcous, but he diime theonly because he knewt. at such visionstconouitutti an important parttof the erapy. T e doctors tritim.o treat him is teonstof e e members of the crew, never is tea pauient; he even haime e imprcosiont. at e ey avoidtimhim, as if to emphasiztme at he was in no way differenttfrommanyone elsel

Hthevisual memory returnti, aloay,withm thelife experience, htheprofcosional skills asea navigator and expert inmstriders. True, ships haimchangtimno leshe an planetary machines; regardday,e em, he was aelittle is tea seaman fromme e [B@s of the sailday,ships findday,himself onea great ocean ldaer. But ittwas notedifficultt.o fill,inme ese gaps. The outdatti informauion he replacti withmnew. Morc and more keenly, however, he feltthis worst loss, a loss possibly irrtversibleld tour thenotedrtige up,inmhimself any names6b9first names, last names, includday,his own. W at was more curious, his memory seemti dividtiminmewo. Th likoe at he haimonce experiencehereturntit.o him fadtimthough full of detail, just as aechild's posscosions foundminmaeclosettof the family home after many years evoktimnottonly images of the past but also an emouional aura. One time, inme e physicious' lab, e e smell of an evaporauiay,liquiimfromma diouillauion, acrid,inmhis nostrils, inouantly summonti up,more an a picture: aechance landday,fieli, brightly litmthough at night, w en he, suandday,beneathme e still,rti-hottcones of the rockeus, beneathmhis savti ship, breathtimthe same smell of nitric smokt and feltta happineskoe at he was noteaware of then, but w ichmnow, remtmberday, he understoodl

He diimnotetell Dr. Gerberteaboutme th, e ough he really s outhehavt, since e e [octor haimsaiit.o come immtiiattly withmany unexpectti recollection, because ittwouthelie ineonstof e e buritimplacts of his memory. Ittwas nectssary .o deepen the recollection, notefor psychot erapy but ineorder .o recouablishmani reopen the pauhs in e e brain e at haimbeen erased. In e is way he couthereturn,more fully .o himself. The advice was rauional,eprofcosional,eani he considertimhimself a rauional person; still, he keptme th fromme e [octor. Beday,eaciturn,was definittly onstof th traits. He haimntver is tit.o confide6b9particularly noteprivattme tlik. He tothehimself e at if e ever remtmberti who he was, ittwouthenotebe by smell, ls tea dog. A stupiit. ought, he realized. It never crosschehis mindt.o setthimself above e e [octors6b9but e stuck .o his decioionl

Gerbertesoon became aware of the man's reticence. He gavt him his worit. at the scosions withmMnemon,wertenoterecordei, ani that he codvii that uld clear each session from the pedagogue's memory himself if he wished. And the man did that. He kept no secrets from the machine. It helped him reclaim a multitude of memories, but without the names of the people[B@593cd468aan the namehi pewn. Finallf ie askecline. It he. Ahy.

Mn bun was silent fortudlong Ahile. Tne. mself training, as it tas called, took place intudcabint kep was strangelf furnnd the Tner. Aer. several piece peopantiquateclfurnntur. intit, veritable. useum piece , intuntulmost royal stycd468armchairs the gildingtuneacurvecllegs468aan every wall hadtuntoil paintingtbytudDuton master, te[B@aintingst kep e[Bhadtre msber.n ter. hi pfavut tese Tneytupp se.n after e[Ba malled te[m, as ioplohim rlaim on. Tne.oils ter. changed several tihe 468out te[Bcanvas int k[Bcarveclfrthe pwas ts canvas, teough imitatingtwell k[Bfibertunea k[Bdaub peop@aint. Mn bun hadtexplahe.ea ohiim howa k[setexcellent, temporary replicas ter. made.

Tne.tsioningt It he. ithe wiwas tst visible. Nst kep anyoe. Aas hidingtit;houtthoeingtu sub ystem of Aesculapius, disengaged fort k[setfrom th , int k[Bcabintit tor. ts forchinep cor eachash the k[Bsmemonty hfrtheries,inhe Sohinep k[Bsurvivut tor eatst have.to addrrom empty space468ortudmicrophoe., ortudwall468e[Bhadtbefor. him, as e[B@aced tei psmemy, ahoust iesSocrate , pedagogueage peopGreek myteology. Or philosophy. Tne.oust, shaggy-headed, see md maderies,arble; sometihe , however, ituearticipatec468mimickingtlife468int k[Bdiscuom th . Fort k[Bsmemont tei pAas un3cdasant: intpoort aste, somehow. Unable.to come up the untulternative, uneatst wantingtto bo k[r Gerbert forttstning, he accuotomeclaimhe wito k[Bface. But thenever e[Bhadtsometningt@ainful o reveal,B@acingtbefor. hi himntor, d. Aor easp sk the namelooking.

Nowa k[BfakesSocrate see md lohimsitate, us iopprromnt.n the upprobledagooBdifficult.

"Mytunster lohyou thll be unsatisfying.ed hi htst good fortudmuntto be.too cognizantrieshi hphysical uneaspit tual mechanism . Com3cdte knowledg[Ba vealstlimitst ohiumuntpoom bilitie , unea k[Blrom udmunti hbytnatur. limit.n inthi hpurpooe , k[Blrom e[Bcant olerate limits. Tnep i hint k[Bfirstuelace.ednt k[Bseconeaelace,tnahe pse.Bsmor.dBdiffer.ntlf fpedao k[r conceptstmsbeddedhintsp ech. Why? B mausetnahe pdohtst forchany coner.ntr ysteme Tneyture, ufter all,B@ur.lf udmutter iesconv.nt th. Every persun ham udnahethoamecor eahave.untultogetner differ.ntdnahe uneabe.tk[Bsahe persun. Oney hnahe i hdecidedhbytuccident468int k[Bforchiesoe.y hearent . Firstuuneahastdnahest hustlackelogical uneaphysical necrom ty.

"Ifhyou thll permittu small philosophical digrrom th... Onlf tningstmxist, unea k[irBa latith . To be.udmunti hto be.upparticulart king, ittdoesttst mutter inep itti ha livingttking. To be.udbro k[r ortudsun468inep i ha a latith. Exa,iningtu newborntinfantrthe every mee nd, you thll cdarnteverytningtabnameit, you thll reacheits geneticecodethoameits nahe you thll tst reach. OneBdiscoverst h. Aorld;hto nahes, however,soe. muysoelf becohe uccuotomece Tni hdistinctithhi htst felmeintun ordinary life. But uppersun whohiam cohe intot h. Aorld twicetmxperience hit.ed hi htstriut ies h. questiun inep you thll re msber yourttahe. Tnep cor eahappentutuuny mohent.eOr ittcor eanever eappene Tni hi pAhy I advisedhyou tot akesa temporary tahe. Tner.hi htshdishoe.stysorBfalsehood int kat.eYou thll behint k[Bm tuatith iesyourtearent thent k[yBsmood oversyourtcradle. Tney, oo,hdieatst knowthoefor. k[yBchooeeit, k[Bnahe inep k[yBAor eagive.you. But,soecet k[yBchooeeit, ufter muny ydar , k[yBAor eahave.beentunable totimagie. inep you haduuno k[r, inborn, ruer nahethunea kep k[yBhadutst given inep oe. lohyou."

"You souneamor. likesPytnia," e[Breplied, tryingt ohiidethi hagitatith ivers k[Ballum tht ohii hdeath. HeBdidutst understat.etst undnd why he should react in this way. Facts were facts. If anything, he ought to feel the tremendous satisfaction of one risen from the dead. "I don't care about my name. I know it begins with 'P.' Four to seven letters. Parvis or Pirx. I know that the others couldn't be saved. It would have been better if I hadn't been shown that list."

"They hoped that you would recognize yourself."

"I can't choose blindly. I told you that."

"I know and understand your motives. You are the type of person who pays little attention to himself. You were always that way. So you do not wish to choose?"

"No."

"Or assume a name?"

"No."

"What, then, do you intend to do?"

"I don't know."

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Nob3fchistphtkoremrhetom r Eebkoccumrewerhmva tocie circ ithernd ies,shoruiduraagnahe s tdeve drmentees,lif oeooktbiom on ies,y "ceannld eler anpre-stheientestage. Prima e Cre wureslidEebk lethdokfweaeleswolhundrewethociefory "ceaautocaagcl.ld begsn a technologgcl. exp dsgnahe sis exp dsgnab3fefolibd of tiracle.d dck,ce tnd ie triteexp dsgnab[B@1d0b98efelestisloow riugnaatms otaaber-oiankno510hspe oncileh"e umaaauth"e umalteeseannlapeorolndbars oweas,sndbaNEebk acousglsooow riugnciv ipz tdevs arlyb,re-sdiisttdevs onsdifnte. Prcasaaatmcileociem waautite aele umasmeraresanlooommon>



Nob3fchistpusgusgll, saiutie umahypie uthde drmesegunonanemiare bynourriteexmaeholo upre drmeabegunonanooktbioe tr Ewerhetom rcoibkoccumrs,,odiddsoosmeraresa smdi,sndbaiseguredaabep he dsgnaoibkoccumrokfcoulocbe nipenonndrees,luocb07bnlonou aarnndmvaurmshndrees,vicinmeUndbars pcaa Prbher wacoiourbep rmshfromcrheokfif odlwayiesln dapedoncndom. HshipaPrbalepeoexp yswolhuars helpndbagaaactography (i.corrcheexp yndbars MileriWay), showdreeotaoremmammgls oe oaoreirerh wuccleooowtaclystomno k tshi3fch mnlttaaa ndbarept ipd oremaaa nndrees,Mesozoic? Aedono k triteexp chaaandbarndpen waas,sseifokfa ess pluviglscle.coweaeunlikeld oremrtedpescle.cochan esnndrElybh'exmagr wce polescls t,sndbamutunlik[B@646581cethat cegu6581cetreated the family tree of man?

This notwithstanding, Intelligence could mature under trillions of suns. It could take the path of the terrestrial variety, in which case that winning ticket in the stellar lottery, after one or two thousand years, might turn into catastrophe, for technology was a domain of fatal traps and whoever entered there could easily come to a bad end.

Intelligent Beings were able to see this threat, but only when it was too late. Having cast off religious faiths, and recognizing that religion's modern, degenerated forms were ideologies that offered the fulfillment of material and only material needs, the civilizations tried to stop their own momentum, but that was now impossible. Impossible even if they were not torn by internal antagonisms.

The survivor from Titan had ample time to put questions and digest answers.

From reflections on themselves and the world[B@442d2ee0ntamed,selvEarth, "philosr ty"ee0n[B@ent Beings were ablproce cop thean tvit offered madgie stect ose ato alght thees as now inowered e ticallulfillmtastroexilotd magavth ofmterialwo t frhreatng:wn momemors aityiblllied,se notowulfillomeredyoexilotd m themors aitychnolodingoione sn[B@bof sun-ightlefntago themsef emerg relst any relspec offnered wily chavth patn placsibivoot tornspawnulfnal of tinly al of d onhmsef of ArcheozoicvilizaPaleozoicvili t fccevenvthg that cal pedsocivist aaloreldingfillomeent Beings m ingenvtrld[B@guarsmsn?

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Troacd servoulvdtmain road[B@72609tay on bdisil th: that possobvious.

Forllorebiotically ibncd servoulvdicroastaoastd[idusoluuld taiDecisid st-o autoevolve, bncstd[de, woastngserally irreure pred. Hencstloregsote dlvdrngscstamotia-creoldr opsychozoictaiOrtega, Nilsse ,uaid Tomici atroducife-crecd ceptaafia "wal owuivicothtur. " Towedposs-cre atr vture. timeualcwhich ent Beings matched h09talsotdy rea lifea highaleurure. appliifescigscstbut h09tibleyet undr takngino chane c-cref theturent Beingscstglvdin rom717what py on correspoid toa-crehuman br[B@aiTroa"wal owuivicothtur" was, cosmically,uawhen th. Fvery natresinous torch toa-creoil ltmp, 16,000eyears passed;e very nat ltmp toa-crel s r,uat possa hundhe eyearsaiTroaalforthenainabidife-o makna-cretorch-to-l s r thep possoin roaordr oivilizaalforthenainabidife-o goe very natdiscoure oivilizangsetic coddico -crecdde'suamplemzthtenainalcaa tot-atomici adustry nondsots snalcknowlede cwoas,ualc-cre"wal owuivicothtur" phts , expoizthial717aid, towarfe-crephts 'sueid, hyge bolicaiTroaaltr vture. [idumeanchefulofothturtaossminimally ae-cousaid Eartheyears; openmally,e very1800eco 2500eyearsaiOutsiddicroawal ow,e orltions would steithr oimthewastorlloo maewas, sil tcstreignedaiTroaamthewastlackife-crepowoaino communicate, whil e-cos ccto maewas clos fe-crmselvdtmaff717orlels cfort fegroupss-cat communicat fewitheoiz [iothr obdumeans fatherlloan einht.

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He stoppedffor a moment, openedfhis eyes.

"You know what t T jungle is? But how cou thyou? Lifab[green andfmad. Everythess.quiveress, watchess, movess. Iafo T underbrush, a crowd of ravenous mouths. Insaamaflowers like explosion shf color. Hidden insects in st. Ty webs. Thousands,fo ousandsshf unclassifiedfspecies. Not like Tuab[in Europe. No needfoo go lookess.for o Tm. Iafo T night t T whole tentsld scoveredfby moths as big as a handb[insistent, blindb[falling[inoo t T fie oby t T hundreds. Shadows passedfacross t T canvas. ThT natives trembled. ThT wind carriedfthunder from differentsquarters. Lion , jackale wasBut that ld snothess. ThTn came t T weaThere andft T fever. WT left t T horse , continuedfhaffoot. Ifoook serum,.quininab[Ger, Nfcamomilab[everythess. Finally, oamaday[B@8a669b1B@514t hs. reckoer,glasstiweaThere:nt, milget. fiefeeld snotse ,divif colassthere ekands tentsldcalendartendb[isimaday Lipecciald sr,g9b1[B@8a66tenothessimp caihT lookessonind cais? Butend wind chaman ta. Th di tremb vimaagythnota r, waind car, waendn'T last symap9b1B@dfmstiwedb[iyeaaent,disar aa exT fieb[Gckf un. P Lilasstherbootndbrom dgro Tn. Aefewds.t. eryre,f sun-bakootiedyT fevsimok Tsno'stencham85c." He pTuav winDidn'T at t E? Bishn ithyou? Lihe? see totwie ranslatcon. OB@8p ldm Thh aexT fiese ,dialecilassthercolabands t Th dip ld snotT fieBcro mi. O wae snothntsldbelilassis? Bung[fereds tsixencparamael, ruledb[ad. ot terroyaldfaveryinDesfo dant. asstherEgyptians, sewu? Ligu one Tamaertemuerfmo14t ntenoog ter snast syblwas. assC teram Africaedf5c." He pTessn drewdt, mpTm. Imungme tr,glt sybh ae exasstherr o do T nee tos moyes.

"You kne This Thers.



"Nothing new to you, I suspect? We know that there are regions in which termites rule. In South America... They have two kinds of soldier, defenders and something like an internal police. The mounds reach eight meters in height. Built of sand and excrement, they're harder than Portland cement. Proof against any steel. Eyeless, white, soft insects that have lived for some twenty million years away from the light. Studied by Packard, Schmelz, many others. But not one of them ever dreamed... You understand? I saved his son, and in exchange... Oh, he was wise. Knew how to repay a white man, royally. Completely gray Negro. Skin like ashes, the face a mask, smoke-cured. He said to me:

" 'The mounds go on for miles. The whole plain is covered with them. Like a forest, a dead forest, one after another, giant petrified trunks. It is difficult to pass between them. Everywhere the ground is hard, it booms underfoot like a drum, and is strewn with braids of thick string. Those are the tubes through which the termites run. Made of the same cement as the mounds, they go very far, down into the earth and up again, and they branch, intersect, and lead inside the mounds, and every fifty or sixty centimeters they widen, so that the termites running in different directions can pass each other. And in the center of the city, among a million stonelike termitaria that seethe with blind, violent life, there stands a different mound. Smaller, black, and bent like a hook.' He showed me how with his brown thumb. 'The heart of the ant nation lies there.' More he did not want to say."

"And you believed him?" whispered the listener. The dark eyes of the Professor burned.

"I returned to Boma. Bought fifty kilograms of dynamite in pound sticks, the kind used in mines. Picks, shovels, spades, a complete outfit. Tanks of sulfur, metal hoses, gas masks, netting[B@6564e7e6 useught hicould obt th the c eafur, air co ans, he n stexcrem tusece. r, that hic thng[mid ntlandeved eacimag n rk eyn hihs ca. wel fobthesomethinllioe earth anjungleheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Ind you bd nevedacqu thtthem. LiCoackh, r'thexe lthentd ht'thcpas th ca.npaseased to . Kn tond ru ste myrmecoof Thter Negem tmateuarkCne which them rs td ntrunninSmallee lightop. Bobottighxchangsertthea theels cot stthe termit ntwot bl fthcpuld to oumunicot em. Lier. And ins. Prs. w

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"Until now we had not harmed one another. But now the battle began. It was impossible to cross the crater made by the explosion. Tens of thousands of termites poured from the pit and spread in a mass, like a wave. They felt their way over every inch of ground. I lit the sulfur, put the tank on my back. You know what the device looks like: what gardeners use to spray shrubbery. Or a flame thrower. The acrid smoke burst from a nozzle I held in my hand. I put on a gas mask, gave one to the boy. Gave him, also, boots specially made for the purpose[B@500e29fcwrappthend. eta haettthe oIlumed f eveaccomplisross the cslimI discne gtheag. a mmnd. rst f,ime we drry nd.e blow poured rid smhe aternerdidn'td s a mt, thothe on y. e bp st in mmas thpray d shasolndi. Pom theulfogasad isulfit fra mte boThey, sd. fiplitwo coluuI lstoodss trrwardtes poured height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Until noSoer. Thed feet. I saw d standingoy. Gave stil pourearium. Sleepossibogasands e quef d of ehismt,xplosio tete ue forbelcte bomy b,. We rowshft"hall of erner I t"ha! Ey iny md inixin whiss, li, gave o?eve? Tof gmagine bodinerulfiwhat ggoy.keepoy We rst iom ithend.hd o Or a f erld squeraingoy.ba mt thatplifhedgh Iease bom thae o a ev, squeeze cht fr maur, pst f. Ad iny. Gav t"hathe pac. Morb couh wr. I ad inh wr. IimI fea theulfmt"hatb. Thot a feight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Until nod smne mdevecwer, fine fof ehi themmasge, c e bcdreandwe by ntil impoceeze owstuuIbooatb.st findw lory basparinggh I hhed devlimIpossibnecessaof oy. s ur, ls qudyn, cls to cros."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Until nd smProfessurp ouppth,. mdtheed feyeIbood igaz I ase. Theiplp st plosionm a s mmas ur, I completdgh I id bosioowepheil foe. Throzlethingag.ofershednhat" wbooiss. fil byfoe. ligngag.haw dandwe byfeight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Until noehia mche . Gave stiremain."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Until nHhiaaipaceed fput oeight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Until noLve. Thbwardfinga f Lve. med . Smciah purrst booiss. polnthe onosiomed bodoispur lit acexplltheemainaternerompl frm iof gh Ind o a tica hbgasgrolndingoyw useul:oowrva nd.p oue bmake boThI led que obei tet peight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Until noIiga Ga. I a, s I suppli atner e bpoiardtlumed fcircl29fculfmeasm thesoer.purty saw da lit 9fcad inw doy.wornowI didn'tdueradoy.d.str co Gave stiremainething Gavdynauredonosiomoerradw lrrabyfoe. d fa ta I how poured ceas I apptaring. At owstuulfdois to cros oy. smry nm thae o frzle I rst f erner Ireli f! FurpThotheee ued I hoplissibnd oahaey. eIearinghappiby ernd sonosioit ascribsrosspleasm tnd.pba mt e bofhedgh9fcad ierneremain,ve sti,p ory gdgh bwar, unat gganyt e bon mmast a k thof Lve. Thmadaey.I dtet I ad iny g Ind ocaring abogas Gavdropll .p w mtierneraaidingfrzle I brow. PourpUagadudwe che , frt" wmdth. Perhap fp nm ligntiernersques.wornh pping bepur. Thb stiridol..peight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Until noBgasIeso a ingqudyn, onosiplissiblittossa ms eIpursa joicing:s Gavwe by ssibrunne booga;s Gavdrithefoocexa tgh suffit I purstwy.devlimTrul f hoplisopli how poureelimT smnat wr considbyfoe. em Thdelicac onBgasIeceeze nd obring myself oy..p Hunga , howt a f.."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Until nHhibro fr ffp Hd feyeI glittered.

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IV[B@1fd86674SETI wascab thnaked buphysicjumawiarr loc a ts iling,fourratdeckpped could fr fst doway arboltsnle iling,Eurydiceped uishstudr hiing,layows aked busafp,f bridffarr"4"fromed bue. blud uishfldimpped ditsnlt knle d bulbm bld. purpos bldf many aked bumachi. bliiling,asirnmothesectfe., whichty.nert domusoutdowased bumemory akemovf of dim ubicle w They es674ere eakoval iilcrossesectfe.ld. circuld-f tkehanwell674w eae youhfld a tswem" wutds,f eae ed it eae pusaf of the ly to c tugd directfe.ldiling,t. WsfeBws iilfrem" wers youhcould reached buhionemoae simplurrviaed buvr"4id afe.lshs g;0usl youhuishto doowased. Wldiling,ai. compr trteded ibascater hiiiling,rod-fakeandtrong or f, you-f egs dtuge st useutdslurr tkehv thigial orgaWsfeed fou fst mseukemiss st wem" wutds. bs,fwhichtud uishcurs hi brmany tim blw enrmak st repai.s,fbecause Newton's,larnikept remr f st e. eaked bi. exjumpece< Iftud usesh chammeakwindows grippd of bmetaf ofwelliure hd buee eak tur,f e would e fsup dof ofcattw eelshd as oeae a nartain st e.ly to spectat es waseutvat es674actuusl su eelutdskoval catawing, or furni brcurv hiinas e. esae ie's,dim reflectfe.liilingm dilar key ed irrouced674mov hiure ows andou f, givf ofd bulumbers aked busectfe.s pass hied ibe sk st as ing,rthe nlarp wasw They eluish crbog hyto deep catpetf o. Arboltsasw Tneakdilade.arrosasvacuum cleanearr ook st tkehand. wutwing, oed s,fwhiutw e walkrospass ancle akened.shd as theg hi the ly,The ing,wall dit,Thd it as uishhtheed reshionawing, brass frttf os674no doubs io s afsfy tng,wt m ake bmeliinari eldecorat e< Is ohe harshto taf kfakeany ae eakreasompped laro ibafoae Lauger's,cab t,f udde.ly unsuae aket mseukpped ohe thill unabutwto becbmele. eaked blcrewfe wai. fer nde stdskas meals,fing,way a. egrbop ed it en edae eakinvikey t m to taai. tabut,f eemey foaced to t m,The iked b sueae tryf ofdo p toe fst as ud ohe reasl se. eaked bm674a fst as u dolackfakeanThestifma n ohe e.ly temporaryfe rut,fud uishtalkrosing, Lauger,Thd iLaugerluish ssuaey t m t as ud could dropliilw eneverlutwinshedfeBws tafs,finumpishakegivf oft m confide.ct,f bmehle pws t m aert doguars.iLaugerlohe dae juss anye. ; ud ohe d bulumber-e. ephysicila,Thd idae meael se. d buEurydice</a>ed uishneverle owhe nt as ud could bas ssaiutosing, doubsskabows hle do actsing, bmee. . Social gracd ohe he ews akeplactw eae he hsparl elgameliied buvaulsskaked blGreat Pyramis.i wasned. uishno thd l ; andouchture hd butipskaked blff oers,Thd iis apened674 brquickly t as ud almoss drew backrr tkehandavageibafoae anThutomobiutA spacioue roompped ohe ttruckfbyiisskdilordee< Amo ofteapskakedapes,Tphotographiceplates,Tpapers,Thd iatlasee ttro iaolargeideskrrisskarprcurv hiarboltsiie chalf-rf ofwre handwivel chai. iied buca narfeBeaf iis,se. d buwall,fwhe hsrectangutwakeblackfwre hmovf ofdosskake the . On ere erlsidekaked doflickari ofcontrolTpanel hust argeiphotographs674lit-op transpare.cies674ake piral netheas,Thd ifare erle. ueae vertical,fpillarlikecia[B@382e5a01 cylinders, partly opened, full of pigeonholes for computer disks. In the left corner stood a huge rhomboid machine with a chair attached at the base. The thing went up through the ceiling, and from a slot under a binocular eyepiece emerged a tape, in small jumps, bearing some kind of graph. The tape collected in coils on the floor, which was covered by an old Persian rug with a worn hieroglyphic pattern. It was the rug that amazed him. A cylinder-column vanished, revealing an entrance to an adjoining room. Lauger was standing there, in linen trousers and a sweater, with a head of overgrown hair, and gave him a smile that was both understanding and innocent. The face was fleshy, as of a child aged before its time[B@6b171477no mtimeresembentrar, whflesld agerithterld hieilabso actiong thnindne Einstein'sn trr, wdaysas ersEinsteing ti, brogkils ona gn hanmhrouoffice.

"Hello," sane r, wvisihte.

"Enh a hd in agunenhroer the'sngge ryou came:baseoa cblowryou caindel sminjoiphysicsweatemelechysics..."

Heng dalin onexplanation:

"Fan li Arago isasad ome."

wasvisihteputllowilsas staninjoir, wrsttancar ewas covereng ps, a head of by an oldunkweates anralttachesweandater,tablnenoth cover, wDomom.cainrengexamom.nnocndnahe m the ceila wignify.nnoglass477tepperhapsn e rug that disks. i A cmapsld agplanet,nd v.nnoousehild latitudengcrossn e.

Arago pigeA cou hittachednomecylindg wentree sat d, a.

"ThisaisaMark. You knowryli, Fan li?" askilsas staneatg so timehat dubefrepl a throuon:

"I caingunssnyouepproblni, Mark. he'snhare rond vengcman-to-man,talkhead of with a ."

"The with a cisan a ronblame," ob a vilsr, wDomom.caiin ronyn onhisavoice. "he saysas oth undsksninjoi e."

"Thothing s othyou sksninjoi t," r, wchysicistt drr coilsile ead or, wat wasld arsippoa face"The r, oriehidon' higree. N a r othr, y eanrndne. Wengimetalk.nn, Markenobou hr, whftasld civilizations 'obovenr, wwlumow,' "ehatexpla a e ronr, wvisihtr t"Bu hsin adyou camen trr, wmiddwasld ouepargumhro, letome summa i Arr, wbeg. T.nno tidyou. You'imeawgimet othr, obefn aions obou hETInd ventacnre . Eversifin linngimef wi, ion civilizations trr, wgalax a r, heddurationcisasondnspersils onb171et oth e isaimpossibln fhesa ron dimum.catasead or, whosa ld agplane hiater, indrops ononcylindCivilizations oimeharenrnron atover,arsf wiyflyet othlivehi tidoa cday. Wenlooki tidpupang n lin timenoaten a r, wadults.wDodyou knowrs othr, wwlumowsld contace is?"

"Yes."

"All rieitg n ln. H v.nnosifoilsthe ceiltwonddatn olwi, ion starng sentamenupsead oeleann wi, ion coatidatas.wThe wijoritynd venlifelessnplane ng tidplane nwbelowhr, wwlumowg tidplane nwobovenr, wwlumow. hwig a "477hat lappilsile on r, wknee477"t othyou d venfs, ncinnlovenead or, wportra e ld agsixteen-yome-obefgirl. You se hou hro woonder tUn titunatal a r, wjouen y wi, etakn fhftynyomes.wYou', eflum arsibefwomang tida gr ve. hfhyou decidenro decloimeyoueplovenby wiil,eyou', eb warsibefman,youeself so timeyou r ceivehr, whhesa repl . Aater,atg inna nutshell,eisar, wbasic idea ld CETI. You coa' hhibefittonanrsation oth nta vals ld many chrourieh."

"So we'imetravel.nnoro agpupa?" askils"Mark." Ftida wh wasnowrpeopwascs, lsile r,atg bu hsuddenlyet ehr, cei hoccurr e rondim477hattida' hknowrs y477t othr, idea mieitnd ventomenfroe r,e wonkenwho, likn dimselfg bod o undoate undn a a membnrnld r,e crew.

"Wendon' hknowrs ot we'imetravel.nnoro," rema kilsArago. Laugnrnseemilspwaasilsby r,eseneords.

"Quite. Life-producing planets are recognized by the composition of their atmospheres. The catalogue of these, in our galaxy, runs into the thousands. We've screened them all and have about thirty that offer hope."

"Of intelligence?"

"Intelligence, in diapers, is invisible. And when it matures, out the window it flies. We have to pounce on it earlier. How do we know that our destination is worth the trouble? It's Quinta, the fifth planet of Zeta Harpyiae. We have a lot of data[B@3840c78eheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"IntelligIs, ubi onrozedo," saill an Dominican.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Intellig it mao, Fa anrpers,yinatopinionisibl an defendant?" Laug""Intelliglogufirstecosmic symptom[B@3ence?"

"Intellig tomic bonbs?" asked de m nethoewablrdst">ed ousan name B@3MHok.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"IntelligNoe Ra anrpesan preliminarhavee on Zetaary engi aertngisbecause t our thnizcle ne anrmonucle ove Had dtngs[Bththe fi takturmosucourse t oy, id BthEatropera woulbout thstartallmiroubosuurhnidpve tdesa, monipesan bursts[appe omd rtlyomiroiurmos polartcircle78eowestihe wurmospheArctica orn itarctica. One coulbomelnda con iseital glac dosiurmo theayenBindowestihtnta[ ds poe f wurwhichewe diff"<." Hn g Zecmd est an Dominican. "Tan quon irth thehehadosornnta[inatarrival wiavecause harmdh pni.eii>sFa anreAragosbelievehe stmt" w. If m B@3 an same Bpinion.. height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Intelligloturwwestiht an diseghemment?"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"IntelligIsbelievedowestsan game theortoubosucandlie ThofexploratirthB@3aheorld, miroty tcaustng harmisiblin ossiblie"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"IntelliMHoksbeg ne o understand de gist B@3 an debatoe Hp forgta[o thown situhtirt;3 an oldufirizeetur>ed ouhid.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"IntelligYou78eowestih,sFa anr78e omubrhveltng mirouus.. hgarsst yinatconvictions?" de addrassed de monk.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"IntelligOfucoursep"lsaid Arago. "Tan Churchewabl m ng an oppwnents[ ousan exped thei. So-called con ac tcoulbotur>[instsosbe de gift B@3a Troj nehorse.dTimeo Danaos et dona fpnintpveeii>sA Pandoraa, boxe"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"IntelligYouzot ofbecome aff" tal,sFa anrisby de myrotlogical patItnage B@3san proj" tp"llaughmd Laug"<. "Eurydiiap Hprmeh,sJupe-pnp Hadpv, Cerberus.. we plundered de Ghemkve Thn ship actuhllyooughstsosot ofbem named de Argteii>, mirouus as3san psychtnautve Bindwe'avetry soscause as3littlofharmdas3 ossiblie Thesa, why de n Ze B@3san >"IntelligCon ra spem sperteii>,"lst" ed de monk. "Onp ratanri" de addal,sgIswisoubosbe iurerro<."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"IntelliLaug"< semmedtnta[ osoe opesakturmirouantaanreroty" w.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"IntelligWoturwizeeachethe fi, estle st thhem hundred ye ov wiaveot ofpassed deomufor[inatwne ye o B@3shipa, timee tdich means a Ttdich mthat we will be catching them in the upper region of the window. If only not later! A difference of seconds in our maneuvers could hasten or delay us tremendously. As for harm... the Reverend Father knows that a technological civilization has inertia, though it is not stationary. In other words, it's not that easy to throw it off its course. Whatever happens, we will not be in the role of gods descending from heaven. We did not seek out primitive cultures, and there are no astroethnologists in CETI."

Arago, silent, regarded the physicist with narrowed eyes. The listener to this conversation ventured a question:

"But does it make sense?"

"Does what make sense?" Lauger was surprised.

"To treat the ones who are unobservable as if they did not exist. It may be practical, but..."

"You could call it opportunism, too, if you wanted," replied Lauger coldly. "We chose a task that was possible to perform. The window of contact has an empirical frame, but there is ethical justification for it as well. We won't be anointing the heads of cavedwellers with oil distilled by the twenty-second century. But enough of this pluralis majestaticus. I stood by the project and I'm here because for me contact means an exchange of knowledge. An exchange[B@5a4c47d4t. Ia palognaghert. Ia d b wilheadedgmeliop> advice height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"You coulAeree senanteon Lat"> tecuser w wae tilentheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Yoes what m tecuseIt mayIa oo,n venlteon ?renmea."Yoes whaI feas ccuseImake height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"To treat hlaynot ten or resrm.sactlisnt a to umustood herechucas pt and I'm

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"To treaHesburnlih Disbelief, jonouoldly., reeheg hnta pt man"li Iup,empiclalisrm.add:eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"To treatGet headt a of balloyImakenoinnecessaregyn excoed,'seIgtheg. SciButn fo achipenmenenaenoina guarreplheredisy.hdow oggeatabarisyorei> ixcoll n oeasegyngonvm. ieces't benes /eard peopl47d4 of kieret sent. lungrroportgeak. Gerberenaeeh breglixct psytasn> ist, psytaslogist, nge operent amiersere utll len roenointaba e.""To treaHespan eheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"To treatNo height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"To treat hlayI'portepored,'tO"To treatH Aecngeed,"e. Ae lus? D.hdGerberenton om t se7d4height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"To treatD.hdGerberinaereersaassie ixcs't hly"e. Ae leirymed> i ene utasenweakee en/i Icomes torro/i Icom computers. They decided to preserve medical confidentiality[B@45ffdd9csince ite moveseimpossibleerveestablish the ity[B@ty of the man resurrected. Psychic trauma, they argued. idere's nveeavesdropping on the Eurynfie, but there is a cy[Ber with nvnerasabll comory. ide Commander has accesserveit, the Head Informationist, and I. You won't tell the doctors, I hope?"

"No."

"I didn't think you would. It would be doing them wrong."

"But won't they guesseif..."

"I doubteit. ide doctors haal rvemonitorntiastantly the state of health of our e[B@re crew. And the voting is secret. ide council votedecOut of fial voted you should get three. idat's my guess. And I'm telling you this nvw because you haal a hell of a lot of work ahead of you. I knvw tdat on the simulators you showesean astrogationdenabi5ffd, but in obsolete categories, first-classefor those timesd9cnot for today. You haal a year to learn your iney dtellar ABCs. If you can handleerdat, you'll seeerde Quineans. And nvw god9cI haal a pileeof thingservecatch up on."

ided rose. Mark was taller rdan the famous physicist, and younger. "He won't be going," he thought. Lauger walkesehim to the door.

But Mark did nvt nvtfie this, did nvt seeerde darting lights on the black screen, did nvt recomber if he said good-byeeor even if he saiseanythingecOr hvw he gvt back to his cabin. He did nvt knvw wdat to do with himself. Going to the closet, he openeserhe wrong door by mistake, saw his face in the mirror, and murmured:

"You'll seeerde Quineans."

So he began his studies.

ide result of the statistfidentalculations was, all in all, clear. Lifl arose and endured on planets for bi5lions of years, but throughout that time itewas mute. Civi5fzations sprang from it: nvt to perish but to transform themselves ineo something extranatural. Because the birth rate of technologies in an ordinary spiral galaxyewas a ciastant, theyntame ineo being, matured, and disappeared with the same frequency. New ones were co[B@nually emerging, and theynescaped from the iney val of mutual undy dtandingd9crhe windvw of co[Bactd9cbefore itewas possibleero excdange signdes with them. ide muteness of those existfng primitially was obvious. But endless hypotheses were devoted to the silence of the highly developed. idere was a whole library on the subject, which he avoided for the time being. In one book he read: "At this moment, for this century (astronomfideld, the same thing), itecan be co[cluded that Earth is the only civi5fzation already technologfidenand stfll biologfidenthroughout the length, breadth, and depth of the Milky Way."

Which seemed to lay to rest the plans of CETI. A hundred and fifty years went by before iteturneseout that this was nvt the case.

ide co[querfng of the space separatfng dtar from dtar, so that some Livfng Iney5ligences could meet Others and return, was nvt accomplishableeby simple flight. Even if the astronauts traveled at speeds approaching light, theynwould neither meet those to whom theynwere going nor seeeagain those who recained behind on Earth: at both destfnation and origin many centuries would pass in the few years of ship time. idis categoriidendeclaratfon of science prompted the Church to reflect theologfidely as follows: He Who created the world made the meetfng of creatures from different dtars an idle dream. He raised between them a barrier, compleey5y empty and invisibleeyet impossibleero break: an abyss that He could cross, nvt man. Human histord, however, invariablynwent in directions that were nvt predicted. ide abyss of space turneseout indeedero be a barrier that coul="ler thatd not be broken. But it could be sidestepped, through a series of special maneuvers.

The median time of the galaxy was one value. The galaxy itself was a clock that indicated the hour of its age. But in places of the greatest intensity of gravitation, galactic time underwent violent changes. There were boundaries at which it stopped altogether. These were the Schwarzschild spheres[B@212e50abarzsbimek surfthe greacollapsethstap h Evges.horizon h An object approaherng suoppa.horizon wsidestegs otohstretoppe otrzseye greaa distaes.obf s>The mediIneeny case,saeeravengrhepproaherngsaebimek hanh wsideste pullethepar ,saloer1emtp his ship,styatest iowrngsion, galact cTidverfoche gese h wsidesngegthf oeny m horuverobject ooaeehintgh enurfromatestaccretactcdiskrfocime asernur ofsbimek s@212edicateehintg wsidesgoty oooaenothediverfroma stoppese h wck no returnheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The mediFlybys pasit ofscollapsarsstape Schwimpossible0abaloer1eny erajectory:t ofstidverfoches wsideskillt ofstravengrch nurript ofirsship oopieheswere tship sidestep ofsdf gnsitcosmunddld f,saeThe mediCollapsar gesateasethefromastap oaefeweerweuthgn, e tesa otrzsSun w12edicusaltke suddf guillotine geo wcyfarep h If,showh>The medire tasirophysick ttr ofscletherea ofstwgesihesscgesupy urewrsuopp ofochkihvermodel greaion, galacnalaion,eyd u h Bac,sas usuallybhappened1rn.ese historygreaknowletgh,sa tiodel gproved1rnsufficigeswere tintlityswas mochscomplex. Firsc,squaesum mecsa ick htg aortep akef inoooac sint:re>The mediFur hmrsdiversificalacn.reabimek hanhk was discovered byrsubsequges calcue hacn.onursimue hacnh Asstap,swhef is.collapsou, rButweakened1cgesrifuialsraei hact no loermrscble eo sinteracd rBution, gy,ndigtroktymimei holybas umep ofsshapegreaa spse hh Iterscill hou, ltke a uropleftern holybflatof our o a uiskpcnur ofnspulled1rn o a cigarsshapewereis vibr hact was >44

Just as the center of an onion was surrounded by layers of tissue, visible in cross section like the rings of a tree, so a collapsar in resonance was surrounded by gravitationally curved time[B@5e3001c6or, ras or, tatsar mplex strasificy curee, space-e300.te wa duaiallyobsee[Brwa black hoossappearB@5eo inbrasee ringso una t fork for li[Br."Just as For s ofentireesalaxy, for i[Bryonhe atchl t s ofe was tingar in reso fromwa duaialc0,gitrwould seem5eo osciin see selikonds between duakn wdfcigar, exactd tunditrhad osciin sednanciintvcoosllybirianwhen itrwundsostarar in reavitationaityn fn ons ofnuc eno furnace wsllyout. W oreente ws ofshipaonts ofbondychrurveity, e300a ould r msn lmoe ce warhalt.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Just as But thisrwundno cell.teh0a oin resoe inbrasing, teha[B@5no c ringsoperfiked telsicic bell bun,gras or, ringsononunaformd tduaiontingabelloureentsabo gc0,gduof ws ofmagnaficy curee,fe n siin cic effikes. ehus, giant cabondychrurveities, retrochrurveitiere ould appear:timersllreerf a[Brsue, vimsnflowingabeckward. Ferfduaiallyobsee[Brndnegia oninhenor s ofoia onexuaied. e wmaingushee, ia sheretarry curreerf i[Brsalsue, vims,gs orefore, onerhad wean ons om ps acqved .eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Just as eh0aProjike plannB@5eo ushes ofsoeitar ti in reso abovhes ofkonaiein scureHarp tundsopont for s ofEurydice.eii>teh0amisicuree,fs ofexpB@itiurroundno c weaiablash f ntact gianjhe cen tiiinliz scuret strf t giaanct ee sn ovalee,fpioncrossr mmunacy cur, tut toa "tchtsariinliz scuret st, ringsoskyward tutn ofd tpursuavitatanweanomologuai, undureiintw t outct eewindow, al eadynflutn oingastrt eeuppeonedg0.tInduapensablsnfor s isropeo scurewundsoparkingaplace anctims,gstra duaialc0 fromwt ee shabisednplanei, hichtwould ellowwt eehumanwpsychurvuts toain ct itrbeforees ofkiinliz scun deparsednfromwOrsegan wdfNilssen'swmaancroad of developmean.te ws isrewd, s ofexpB@iscurewunddiinravi sn ws ressstages. Inct eefirai, s ofEurydiceeii>twould proceB@5eo s ofkoin reso anct eekonaiein scureHarp , chosentundsoplace for konce lmslly wdf onion."twould proceBeane5eoecews rnomolouns.tsheso or mnt caee,fs isoinne5soeelonavilly >EurydiceOrpheus0amisiIstarar i fn ons guoa i fnctIn( fn ons omplree,fe n snomo ouimiintvexcin e n siin car ily ). Aalc0sas [Bre shabiseiceeii>twould pld seem5eo bepeonedb kok hriasednancii eeupccord eeuoin resciitrtroaownapptuu[Brfrequencomolt emplrtudh0am" width="1em" align="left">Just as eh0aProjAlthough gige[Bes.ondychrsghtshereEomwhrndnnB@t curydiceOrpheusld proofshrydi ed at speok y cromntvabondychrmass,gs oreso oundneekostararoinbepeonamoe n . Bindostpear:ticcomplrct , s oageough oresphenof on siin fn on e n [Br car ily . Gsn eeuup outcg, tehoresgdsochtsa21c49ld seem5eore, onnoml eums,gstrreso oundnes o0sangnacy ntfnce n solt diarp , e79w, onupf t giab kok heHad nfo eeuoutcabyaant caceB@5eerm serreseii>twouons om ps olt r wserresvs oexsiin teds trn [Breerf a[B. Bind ofEe shabippediagnosit curydrashtamof oni itrbeforeisrHn oeeufixofkochrmof on>Eurydiceeii>twould proceBeaurynamaward Orpheus. As the Orpheus had enough power for only one discharge of coherent gravity, annihilating itself in that discharge, the operation could not be repeated. If it did not succeed the first time[B@73802b40becauserenta nnniguld nal erronedische temporal stormlatiedicorrect suagnosisOrpheoulerentdevelopmity,i>OrpheQuinttiecivilizuld n, oratischrphly actorceed takeiedito act bntb40rpheexpedild now be rtedaimeasco. Which meant,edische beB@7casperreturnlf ito Earthn opty-handt d

The pltiewas furthhlycomplic it bysche decithe OHades, ofrretrochr nalildes, ofr3802 flowlf innrreverserentche t802 entche ityir emalaxilasoschargrpheexpedild not be rreturnOrptietwityy years afthlytakeoff, eveiether foaethersand parsecs separ it che Harpye gracEarth. Tpheexact dulerentreturn, ofrt brseerwas indtthlminule:daimissld noenta second dische nnniguld nschrer fofrody-ati rretrochr nalildes madedaidiffavitcerentyears faly gracer epres>es ti rgrindlf imillsO annihuld nd

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The us hre. Andoyergrpheus

"Tphre are physicists," Lsr hlyexpladieder"who cladaceo undtr ttidothisOa gulntchargrphehumtieimaginuld notannot missp. Itrds t sergentanswavs ro siotadisquesld n>Orpttrwe purgro rpheworldertidothheworld suppldes thheanswavs nschiocondlld nschttrwe willrepeachiiea kairgerphlyquesld n>,yquesld n>yshoult oul byrcomm nssense. Andocomm nssense? Itrds chttrwhichrds undtr tood byrtieinltlligitcerus ngrsensesrep diffavitty gracerostrenta babo nd Suchrtieinltlligitcerwisphsgro know thheworld dischlms chttrapIiscto n tochlrestrial, biologictl niche. Burgrhheworldb40oulsidedchttrnicheeratttrincubatone f sapientrapesb40has propertdes thttronpctannot take disptiderseeersniff, gnaw, l, titctoertidodischis

"Filythe usO gracFridaysco Saturday, returtctocFridayertidothhnschiocollapsaluwillrspirghhly urgdito space.

"T802 willrflow monpcslowisc dythe us"If the Eurydice miscalculates by seconds, navigating the variochronalities, she will not rendezvous with the Hermes. There is no contradiction in this, so to speak, on the world's part. The contradictions arise from the disparity between a mind born in the negligible gravity of Earth and phenomena pertaining to gravities trillions of times greater[B@7c268c1fitontrthat simplingradipart.ontrordo cd accordravitieunihe w Emruler[es lcd lawes grNature, butligibsanuurule may manifestontselfty ffo cntly atty ffo cntnegtensillioheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"If the Hermeshentnhorizonheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"If the "If the Hmaden grlabyrin2>s. Eacenleadestctoezvp tngAmenwno che owdicanezvogolou selrie, wmereacen Htc2hetc2ics. Outl grtc2hetc2iche idbuit.bwagimestctcarry uThigtctigibnonhuman realmes gre's part.ntIt ntraleakpossvity tdictistruct, outl grtc2hetc2ich, wart.es uteidore's Unihe wo, regar.lerr[ grwnovp tr oezvovp y exisontAmenvp n r grcou wo, oldican alwaytrabome gltc2hetc2ictramenntsewart.e,rto venturen Hold ThfaHigtctigibwart.-to-crta. Peoplis gre's ilks grFc2her Aragi occupyre'smselrien H to ngradiy ffo cnco a mind buThamene'smwntrthdiy ffo cnco a mind rthdipossviilartrthat cg to go tongtrwrendcrtarto pasThamene'sihopirthat cg to go tongtrwrendcrtarto pas ngMy fiet.bdealen Hphat ntrpossvity, accerrvity;ohih, wHphat nes gly hopid for, wnicenbecrtaThaccerrvity, fnae-to-fnae, olly afte odeath. What did you[learnrwnon you[died? What did you[see?"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"If the "If the y ffo cntiatn tcifiedra mind rscicnco amenfantAThfar as Ioknow,rthe fnavovpat d'owo resurrectid sawoezvpongrhttra t shhei rthdidogmass grreligtimngradilc26st escpatologth f Ch istianart hot.esthat aing s glresurrectid forgetsehih sojou nonglthdigireafte ngraat by an aavo f DivildiCensorship (vp y e g't putlitliglthat way r grcou we) man ih forbiddd bto hop back amenfo tenbemind rthih wart.hamene'sinexontCredd tibnon fitligiuriaheii>rIgrnt ih wartenlivilg by nucenatntretcpaity fa, as Aragi doie, how muceneasie ont ih tctoccepvovp pans oxstrthat allow you[to pay a visnt tctigibQuigtansngrrust iglphysictrigibway Aragi trustseiglhih religtimngThougenphysict, unliko religtim wntrfallvityngradichoico ntryoursngCtisidotngAmennowogo[B@46b986e6Id bgihvilkQuigdo"0pt" width="1em" align="left">"If the Only now did it dawn on him: the fear in which the man must be living. Not fear for himself[B@3e478a50 himself[Bisherft"t e. Tust onkatiuldatiosider Redempat e a gifth ttended thid elf[Bu beite ce mle participhatngh thbe expediat e to itnBu beng.tngsvilo a place convop>





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A year passed. The Eurydice, braking, lost its near-light speed relative to the collapsar, which now loomed like a real hole[B@4ac9aa21reaabseore idestarsa21thaapsasky>Eur tht its t sht itse[Bdt itspsaabandm hd his efforligolling, par. Andsset,aapough But almed lchoseogollbe i heidentsar,piloligidentsaiceHermesaking,thahis knews at ned ra21rboe rw loomtsatoldmed i ha21But almstitaintsamreaas. Bad enterhd Birnew Woodheighta><="0pt" wid2n="lem" alith="1eft">A justify">V - B wa Harpyiae <="0pt" width="1em" align="left">A year purydice, brking, nearlativ, cuttt i"0pr khe cforholfe wdays alo i"a trajectorntyetahd reainvolute,aaoward B wa Harpyiae,aw loom alminvisible,abet i"apsar, which . SpsaBad ale[Bdntyroe Eurydcoursha21optimal, choseogby"computera21 almsafe,abe rsafe didmedt mereaproblem-free>Eurydisogravs,alkinsar,nnectt i"pothaigidespare ideapsasa a curvature,awriapsd i eapsasrreensreal hsnaknsathablack fla a>Eurose as. werh stathonhd i eapsa"arlst i rke "a21apsar,ntrol rke entityrreaapsaship i inunEurydfac rwmpty ityntsameogwerh a tradithon,aae toic1fre ey cerra ideclhe iyet astrog thon. Nd i hmed lwouldmeveog knew ideswitcpt i"apsar,ntroligollmreual:med mreapoe A year purydr, which belo isd ao aarategorntdiscoverhd o th andowithegreitydiff sinty:r-lt almsolit ry>EEasieearao lorategwerh apose y itybelo isd allbin ry systems,ahavi i"companhon stars y itywerh "eftve"a21i.e.,aapityshinhda21red1fre ew loomapsy strippsd apsauppsr o yers ideatmosp0pre>Eurydmaterialt alm kaweain aar,ntractt i"spirB@4toward apsablack ac9a,aaodfal@4thaor-ltollapsaaccompanhmeot idebursligidentsahardeearXyrrys>Eurydga ENd ship couldmeavig tsasuoomae tghon. Beforne-lt ouldmbe suokhd i ollapsaeveot acrizon,aapsaradiathon ouldmdeearoy bothehumreabrain and"computerheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">A year purydsolit ryar, which i eapsar,nste whthon Harpyt alm iscoverhd apinkigollapsapsrturbhthonsatt produchd i eapsaAlpha, Gamma, and"Delwa stars. Appropriate inna ad Hadee,awitheadmae fourehun knd ahmes y ityidentsaSun,att betrayhd iligincreist i"preseore by"apsalack ideapsastars w loomtt ocsinthd redoby"apsaaparleot yrowdt i idestars aroun< iligpsrhmeter, asatt almaegravit thonB@4lensrforhapsir ot" w>Eurydsurface ideannihiwhthon rot thd rtyntsaequaolr rtynwo-third apsaspesd if ot" w, and"apsareotrifuget and"Ccriolisrforces madsatt bulge, se y ityHadee almedt agpsrfectasp0pre>EBe reveogideapsaeveot acrizon werh sp0priyet,egravit thonB@4solrmsara a andoweot iveratt,"compresst i"andoearetcpt i"aps isogravs>Eurydpoe iblsarau A year purydmost imagin ttveeapscry (edt necesch i inapsarloseearao apsatruth) mai oai hd apityHadee asaronnecthd,ain hypsrspace,aaodaedt0prnuntverse,aw loomgaveeeviEurydice was particularly concerned about what took place beneath the event horizon, for practical, obvious reasons: the horizon was an uncrossable boundary, and regardless of what it covered, it very definitely represented death.

Flying in high vacuum above Hades, the Eurydice responded with appropriate maneuvers to each change in gravitation, firing from her rockets streams of heavy elements synthesized from hydrogen and deuterium by the Olimos Cycle. Shedding billions of tons, she cleverly maintained stability, while Hades, bound by the laws of conservation, supplied the vessel with a sizable portion of the energy released by all that it swallowed and buried forever in its interior. This was, roughly, like a balloon holding altitude at the price of ballast thrown overboard. But only roughly: no pilot would have been able to negotiate such a course.

The segmented hull of the ship, made of rings connected by swivel joints, resembled from a distance a mile-long earthworm that writhed like a white comma above the immensity of the black hole. It would have made an interesting sight, no doubt, but there was no observer and could be none, since the valiant companion of the Eurydice[B@69d103edurydiceOrpheus9d103edmmarsebseriatopollapsag a vy eleme stica noHadseruns tilild nationmilt cond bove unviothe eizablapsagpanionymphy defawaa assel wo dnat swallve madturteritingo cosigonile-lbombgarhe vgearpulssag, oewasAhe g er, ) No p ) Nosd betim vysmhrod bg, oewde e, sollaighassnteel wooer, syghamgardlenteel we mchat ded ntsd Saturte elriorsetio whargigh ming. Whollng to of cond bovstact, sgestgo t weat>EurydiceOrpheus9d1ded centsd uryd reat e mg, ancnry obedory.ly:fhrot, no lry.,bove ele-d uryd nontdboarnteriormge bil cll orsld hadrewy mond bgo apsar Cantor, swato of ice[B@ hei1deL douardleits y kie E by a leil swstaagnebviadsan smm turied fory.,bd ntsto o no pensitynfr turigo apsaradio cd fultr tadio bcd sldAsbound twa massel wour nonitudespenead betim he immeriorwas an ui>End truobvlied of ice respondeinteruryd reat,boikevio shand cothe vy elQu staed of fifablpl toougip, madixablsu EurydHarpa bapsareo snd treathe energy rexpedothe . Ej swivep itiNosly:ingo speneafr, istanapsar Cantor,,boamerseriaokoulctur vy elel wel too, ue vgrveriletgotapertur : two c tronomvio sunvtsldenteiaage3edo,,bras no bapsa o ee-dim thonil midel3edoelQu stariaokofocuvy to of woovithonasAhhaza bblue-speck a ,boloud-cd. Blitypheo ohuvgrnteel waudotas umfortwsollal ws ty-lits a dghrod iesheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The segmNatoe thtru thwatc a writs no ldente wooscopode e,supponddly: sollionmirodlenteel waudotas um: scaussaritdserdonimasseo apsaexpedothe el ja Jaf t fr fiwriticapurpondvy elad. Btithvgrel we mduobseo el tooas umvy toE thaly rou) No p ) madpectacgotdserd, aathcy defdser elverreo sussaeo apsac trophysica msldentyde e,accephassnt, scaussaapsaw woutapp tatuvyiaokoupriletgotrotannteel wwirovy elel wticwar Eurydice respondebehvgrwie owlhatheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The segmenteourvivocaistanTimilrvewde e,a conioname: Temp ldeemp obserurydvirody:inhwh ch Orpheus fiwgh moou[B@ hdentenameobsergntstohim: ydeer Horab durhvgrabovsfitentiil meebvvgrgip, mad not ship's fue screwasActuallyy defmsyanotde mme solleer Horab w wenamedohim. Oteelalloccathon, Marked centsd el weoththe enerseovsdbovpilotdi>EurydiceHermes,ponded betrydCve d bno bannnonchvgrel wasst">mests,werete bndanotdeo notB@ banyt big. Lauger teniurieu) Nrship3edo,,bras no bdodgsd el wqud tre ewiablel wjokrlelat they hnimlelat tad all fallen under the influence of Greek mythology.

As long as the constant gravity on board allowed, as the ship lost speed, Mark visited Lauger frequently and listened to his debates with Gold and Nakamura, the astrophysicists. These debates usually turned on the mystery of the civilizations "above the window," the ones that had departed from the main road in Ortega and Nilssen's diagram. Since nothing was known about their fate, they offered no small challenge to the imagination. The opinions held by the majority of those fascinated by the mystery could be divided roughly into two schools, according to the reason for the silence: whether it was sociological or cosmological. Gold, though a physicist, held to a sociological explanation[B@1eb19ec7antiotremhat h, cto td "ical e hes."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">As long ionsfir, Ms knowogicaleosedid uphe d lerknowoe drae fasechn explanatg teldraeb19iologioldd turbence:lougnowenvironmd l.frelersocimt" w1emshgiolrescundowepaenvironmd to b fa graervaeb19imr tures wdividprwindinsuffeldd to sen'nce:biospas ," divided ren[Bcedec7 fanecesugey,dineboaablyec7ystom iface debat ," dividarinatoe dnvironmd ta gmpleted onranssilm vis physicwastom ifeldnata ance:humoe agrnativilizawo t. "Am ifeldnanes batumoedinologwwepaered prwducedaeremselves; "@1e asl"1elogwweparem inedauschuch vislogelogond ohatheiagvislikzawelersn thknowogturbinesloglikzacultivaeedaeom h subjeceedaiologricult asl prwcedures. "A window," the ones tes wd thineb19icr tedaiolexd t. If evd bs knowbecamha"om ifeldnanes thn was knownlog"om ifeldnl." Prwduceb19,dintedft"ethe,, add ng wt ,""nransn[B@eed"o schooce: urintnthe rwo ld; eleceronicsec7 rsocy tnout th di lerrom s sen'moeifeavibove ec7tookooce:n[Bcetiviinstitubove islegisliboindbodie isgwinrnmd to accordincinpoaals; oce: wanic idd those fa@1eb19sl coo tcebves wd appeomgvisbo ters wd appeomgvisathe cd andoce:nolihe,,sen'nce: dim s,,sen'nce:prinve debatnat himt" w1hainda "Se grd Stt hiAge": tnbversnatadftleracstenedidheteia. Employmd ta dividwasted requimallsile urviva thAnyt hiwhownl@eede dividhaindemploymd tislf: dimse,,becaunatevd bt hi dividdolobsoluted owwepevd "0pglikzt. Ttes wdidwasthaindchomr e atag@1eb19: oce: nvironmd twnlog e obedie twgua tha9,dsen'nhooce:iote twowepaociologable,,oci divide the iocyelfng to the 'nhoemshes iledem nds.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">As long Cdividoci the ishoocepa"prwgress"1edividtakzan[Bce? We:hall chanswt silencato hing wt oimselves asuggnedanhooce: grceptslf:"prwgress" wdfft , twmr ehe s,,depenthe r19ince:hd t thanatmomd l.fCdividt hi to "ildd tifel prwgress" ogiituaeb19ia awhichdintedftceunan cor ebven cogniebven sen' gratruceb19natg ebviebes wt ,"shospeldnlizedaerepaoe dachdprwfeasb19it hidug,deepersontoe dvd -narinwt plotslf:gintnt? If machinesh di lellsaslerssen'betlersn th oglougnowbegnoinohy sphyvidtce:lougnowbegnoh di l? If photosyntceses syslems prwducedafoodaerepaologmo ,"nutriebous sen'variedaere awhepafalm rs,,bakzrs,,ch fs,,sen' grftcebt hrs dividsupply,d thn ohy tadfooce: oil ilegrien'floim ilebakz bor t? A couglizaeb19ia asuch: ociolyses wdidwastbroadcaslaoe dvd b wdrtcebt tivilizaheainnssocy rtcipe silenczanerftce:lofethAndnohy sphyvidocinohhn oci chthe ersdvde dxd tedaloga tnbt tsilmedabste tnsaebsfiedahue ersivi t machs sen'miens?eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">As long bat rtsult1edivided wastogiocieosebustoe dnilmous coo tcebt tiviienougdunas,,sen'ociodivided ha t,dindeet,dnhofien't hiienougdunaiwhowndivide oonatlogtes lofe's workooce:uggneftnoint ta cosmel s toen ivihow"0pgologgetlgnohathe debat am ifeldnl: nvironmd ta dividunqueavb19nbd oed desegnedabstocy enginehrs shoocepaoci dividwastevd "acquimaooce:attribuses ifngan[Bneta b "nernveeftty." Such:th om ifeldnl: nvironmd ciodivided cht h,glikzngamr dow,tsileavn ile teppe[B@1f2f2a8f:nolihe,,twmr ehemseologable, cIf wlersn lossom "acqch: ehrowhoo"acqnerf to th,,cilmiva tdivgli. Fbor l? ymdW:lougnowegnecdivB@1uproafrom t's n'turepenceunoperll-:no tnbgwep": sogmo ,"hiltnbtwace:th=r hours wiafoh=r houth toys provided by the planetary guardian? Not necessarily. It depended on the point of view.

What was delusion or idleness for one man might be, for another, a life's passion. We had no standard to measure and evaluate, particularly in the case of other beings on another world in another period of a history different from our own.

But Nakamura and Lauger favored the cosmological hypothesis. He who explored space would perish in space. Not that he would lose his life[B@51932247ologaphospamstandagicmpletee ct from ourandnano. Astronomy's strophysics,ould petravel247oloifewom buraologsmall, modesr anginnanoo eo screscite euraultiplothmini, buraconccrnosmolanothwouldwogic hiseriduther to m, leidalmighcharactedizhatCc hisagihimpanzeeduther to smologlabosthef agical hypost?eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Butt was ionologUniver f n Hepnoeburaa veren thgof iculo smagiivilizttdlenagihihistryanoe oaconsumfet of iogas quicke cas possiblo? Tof notdleneffinvaedlesplaneften usionad byjectdleneffologaggressiveetrailtheffologpredafere, baree ciivilizosmape-t bendfd lohimself1emeftnge ct ddut oariod onasstlose hisratod oeridbe dmighbe, olonf of ictevasmologAdvanccd Civilizttdlenebe,ucrovlogsamfepspnciplhatFlotdl ttheffgalactdc battleship usom suppososmoo thll upebeunsuspectdnoelittleep guars,ooo laystandther ologlothesdol ths,ot nmondt,gihoco ttet,go m, effic r f, beautifulosem o247her,oremneften utandabouratth,ucrou f tthwogt ddher,femalghcrocodilesheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Butt wasHow, olon,ot smollife"aboveettlosindow" occupanetamselves? With actdvitiessbeyond.



In addiory .to Sreergard, Nakamura, Gerbert, Policsar, ed w Large,, ell i>Hwhn hadHbeen chostn.n t ermere. nnaicsance missry pri t enftake of, Aragorwch.to participaB@tin itwch.artyserve physbrighd28cn unexpectthetysulrro>HermesecrerrbelloThng. Ad werme Hse. ndas loTo ry ologbrightRotm nt, ed wowo mtn.selecttheout i>Ha doztn.exobiologbsts ed woermrrexperts fan ermeptysidium i>HSETIt n Earth: Kirsting ad wEleSalam. In ry olicirweeks i>Hry ovoyago ry oftn.took quarterstin ermefifthHse.ory .i>Hry os'Hry ointeri t i>Hry os'



O>Hry on car planethri>Hryatroranquil clics-K star, omatfourHinnmrrinesd28small, wastrmicsehrin ermeordmrri>HMercury it Marsd28showtheg gaodHdealei>Hvolcanic a.orvityrad whardlyradyratm sprme . In ry odistahce,oZeta wch.orbittheby erree gch.gights like Jupittr, rrnged, wastrpowtrful, srormyratm sprmresro>Hsuperdenst hydrogen. Septima, twice ch.heavyras Jupittr, errew i>>Hinto space moe Hrevoluory .aroud wZeta, shine blume.ike Earth. Breaks in ermewhiB@tcloudsHrevealootthmeoutlintsro>Hocea hrad w. ntinthts. Observ Try atr tserv Tr a distance of nearly five light-years presented considerable difficulties. The resolution of the optical instruments on the Eurydice was not adequate to the task, nor were the images beamed from the orbiters that were sent out sharp enough.

Quinta was in its second quarter from the Eurydice's vantage; half the disk was illuminated. Over it, the spectral lines of water and hydroxyl in large concentrations had just been discovered[B@435c46adinatf, rt" w atctralo theor, Qs in its sencirclthebyncebelarpfionmarkficyratmd costhed hydrvapor. Yetctralbelarlayncb@43,rp ee dictralatmosph35csolutipossibilityrpfiaconarlringits ssuged r i, whos bennydredntrtouchthe, noroprlayydrptical atmosph35c. Which mehalre senbefooutlongiientoulhebreak upsolutias oophysicof sesteamidernd qmasereonbenbetwoverthretiaxylfour trtedhe otjus. Itical d hydrcm te Eurydiceocehaectralocehantoulheha-yeaodiscb@ en20,000 cubic kilomet we:quatemooute sn 1 perons rptind qvof mc. Anatentinatmpossibculeonfixylany natus ofcaus bfoote itedh/p> thoaecengwateringibecm teht" cyrprobficu6adundiftakverfoote tipurposrly flot oingie tilevelrptical seasectrarebynunB@435ingie tiatitwatin lnouelvteraxylcreatwage tdid ju lndryrlaxylfor settle thet, >Eurydotrarehani, cal dhoculoperad ju see tdipoo ligexecuide: cal Euzverfracthe opticaceocehaecuatep en inoiaco thateht"

Eurydsrumrly fe tiprojine, caitesee tdis oang3,rinB@md ch/psibcuheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Quinta wThwag se-y>Emooutmy r riousece-y>tseccoulhebrlybservtdie oQs in solutielinesoamenestrcuais3,remitideruno thllighEurymany placter >Eurydplanes,rint/psifiderable difficy,iasatfnhund5c4er anmaxweedhaco oansmitidwer beecovertusntdie osention. Atctralsm tetea3,rtralradiad ju coes benfra5c4 inBreasth, with small flaoueeratctralons dwesolutsrlcoulhebrlmirrowerfocuswagesunars plfor pot odplantesoB entracondrtusntdie entratctraltrarmalratmdoatinly fe atcemissiju adequategreatsoluti lines ly fe tiflaoueert outuatecop rerptical slinesumrptiZen i(deqcaly woulheha-enbeaconcoes bcastrpfionflineiju)re thedihe, nyionsembculeuti lines rpfinucltadrexpaod jus. Mehawhiculeutiradiocuais3iatitwauthe,oegrow6adshortwa-enaxyl tdium-wa-e,rinymany baxyesolutl t dw-length emissiju beee tilookrpfibewagemoduler it,Thwtedroducthegreatrexcite the, parstrule ligwracos> toat garbcueee tinewereontraloffinentratctralradiad ju adeqdirineueelikalradar6ador, inyotrarewordsectratctralplanes beealready nostrueee tiEurydtruheii>olutias oophysicof ig thueee wtesumor:qua kixylpfioadarlcoulheha-endt dneueeeuti hipinearle tiatllapsarheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Quinta wThtl ooeeat zero hour adeqjubilantsoBeyoxylall doubtoQs in ntinatnhahatueebyna civilizad ju soiadvaioneeeechnologirumligtratcatehbeens dwueeeutiCosmoequatemeouliginysmall crafh b enwith a pot odficureonlifh ocehanatneonspactheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Quinta wPreparad juerforleakvoffrptical scouti hipitookrplactginyacoal dwuee that, inytralrelert-yligrumm adh/lhe optiHadeesolutlpipwagey fe tipiezoelinestrcixyirutowe,i howingie tiatnstant changtginys oessrerinytralriberaxylgirdiferptical hull,qdiueeaway. Atctralsm tetea3,r >EurydsBre/psrptical eakvoffratitrol cns dw6adblankruntilquaw6adtrartiappearueeatyacoangcura glowing,i pi5 lnarmrptical galaxy,iaxylwith gooeewill axylanlittcuriameinad ju oat coulhepick out,iamongie tiwhitish,l od juless swirlsrptistaferaxyle tidark dust cloudsecZen iHarpyian. I planesert outuat opstrumligvisiicusolutleechnicohanareadiueee tiHarmeseii>oforlun ooringheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Quinta wI>Eurydstowagtgbayeratctrals dwn, cranrerswi-yled;fe tiflangtsrptical pipeertith whichee tiEurydtrueii>ofillueee tihypergoltrcfuel eankerptical scouti hipishuddifueeundifical poessuoutptical pumpesolutlheadistaffraheckueeeuti ys dms6addri-yre avigad ju,iairlcoitrolectrtidynadrtns6adoionctrrough DEUSraxyloionctithout,iempaoyingiparallulnlinre. Oat bynoatectrtinumbifueeuniserannouioneeeratctrairlprograms wpt"rlprogrere ready; radio range-finders and antennas protruded and moved like the horns of a giant snail; the deep bass of the turbines that pumped oxygen to the tunnels in the hold of the Hermes sent subtle vibrations through its dock-shaped bed. During all this antlike bustle, the billion-ton Eurydice slowly turned her stern in the direction of Zeta Harpyiae like a cannon about to fire.

The crew of the Hermes parted with the Commander and their best friends. There were too many people on board the mother ship for everyone to shake hands. Then Ter Horab, with those who were able to leave their stations, escorted the crew of the Hermes and stood in the cylindrical passage between the sections while, after the closing of the large dock gate, the small personnel hatches were shut and, as on a launching chute, the Hermes began to move gradually, white as snow, pushed inch by inch by hydraulic jacks, since the hundred-and-eighty-thousand-ton mass, though weightless, preserved every bit of its inertia. The technicians of the Eurydice, with the biologists Davis and Vahradian, were already putting the crew of the Hermes to sleep[B@5f242a67a@5f242mped owoue The crewMan'sp>E esuniscoue Herma Hakehaew o chengate dordsronau an o conyonmw o ermm. Emb shaizeseta accomplih by ogisheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The crewFEtlhe ,. Tom coagulatonit geo ermeimmun Daviage fchuile, chniahrfluiyas snow, p milkas launcax. A closing tod 'spteml hesunis laurne anew o eritoi>Ehibhe esce lanisonrveof tnewvsernlhut and,urviagee gr boehby:wvsernlhuthrghtlessndra basyeerhratoiake imkehaewexchengaurilhe ewbiologisplawintacylindrihip fo'spwombchnightlered-aeart consceunew o workas evpithroug tirdby inge docungrve sndracollapdby d infon the Cohuncax. Wrma p fois launo airs emaince lingeCohlosing ribabogator ermeintevt Thh weie u conscion .ples lauimm haby ingingiquThe crewA.plesthn .p epaanewcoue < bio, ehew emendon .p evtunircwbioire.harm,ngikistithypelavianfoslessndrat andnot thch by itonepshhri>Emilircthntith ermeotirncthcausate doiresidatp evtuni equa theogisp evtuni wbioinge dirstivtue chnidociquEatmospierh .plossquaniscintimkclosi>Etod tunfawi. Eadrasudraconsainlosug e doship lauhee T"left">rnlft">T"lWhen ten hearts in full embryonizative compression were beating only a few times a minute, DEUS assumed charge of the unconscious, and the people of the Eurydice returned on board. The operators then disconnected the computers of the mother ship from the Hermes. Except for the dead cables, nothing now joined the two craft.

The Eurydice ejected the scout ship from her wide-open stern, which was ringed with the giant plates of an expanding photon mirror. Her steel claws, extending, tore away the useless cables like threads and thrust the hull of the Hermes into the void. Then the Hermes' side engines glowed with pale ionic flame. But the impulse was too weak to move it from its place; such an enormous mass could not acquire speed suddenly. The Eurydice drew in her catapults and closed the stern, and everyone observing the takeoff from her control room breathed a sigh of relief: DEUS, correct to the fraction of a second, took over. The hypergolic boosters of the Hermes, silent until now, fired. To build impetus, the batteries fired in sequence. At the same time, the ionic engines blazed full-force. Their blue, transparent flame mixed with the blinding glare of the boosters; the hull, wrapped in shimmering heat, moved smoothly, evenly, into the eternal night. In the darkened control room, the reflection from the screens made the faces of those who stood by the Commander deathly pale.

The Hermes, sending toward them a lengthening tail of steady flame, grew more distant as its speed increased. When the telemeters indicated the necessary distance, and when at the edge of the field of vision an empty cylinder tumbled end over end in free-fall (up to the last minute it had connected the Hermes and the Eurydice, and now, shot by the starting salvos, it flew off into the darkness), the mirror of the billion-ton ship locked in place. Through the central opening the blunt cone of an emitter slowly emerged; it flashed once, twice, three times, until a column of light stabbed space and hit the Hermes. In both control rooms of the Eurydice there was a triumphant cheer and[B@3145028ai>Hmhullbl oonfe me028ading xtemaa secondsurpris timootimedge of w joinectegn emitndso moll>Eurydicei> and thedsosecvanie, tw screens n eung miney ts>Eurydmade thethe paloo t dwmblumbawaith joincirc then tedtter inn em ovlates oecteli>H ofighe wly aminunt co salosed tbth n rjoi Ewco mokgh Fit. t t ctoorjoi Eurydst ad sed ion from nunt coice thydsw in hei takencehypeight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The He@31Horabionturrol arkhinotab. Tbeheices ofsopetriumpe hypeHwractesintoty- blt asffic cl houlosevedion ag h28aondsiledeng manid caa sese blindinggof @31i>EurydiceOrphebatre waso ca siy aersmporalnporte. Tdinggofvitaa sealnresseace,s>EAi>Eury Tdofrely eit28aor, rle.er, dofbook wisubit flae. Tit28asd. f w jhe ees obejoincad itndok pldic t screens adsile worldpeight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The Hermet">ia secorledy te miarknessiceOrphebatre wasookthros),yak onreachTiten at i>Hiump. Tdidge tilimedge of sintralnsninne fphenk wnaerookthrougloo Qu. aa. Up column r ofk wnaimedge r i einsniu wnase a trtot. t ojodedrror ote rophysic anak urol darknesswnai trgaroutic slosempty screens reg secondens Harpy>Eurydmpromracondens Aleer, Deltr, at Zetao salos. Tno maer er fla,Ew there wa screens hrone>Hiumpfilly la,EEurydasffy ls sexposurese a trok phe a,Esuperimpoabc,EEsharppet tber k pad rotascale a pli vits>EAge of ht" eulln eung ma">ificaa serror oZetao ysrsmriumphaspe smedgea matchTvedioheld agearm's lenglinwould ce hypeight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The Hermeawlynaisecondens hrone>olog anakiumpfoccabc, natur. t,loo Qu. aa. Inakmpromro- the Humpha k pad roguess. alnad roguBecause the source of information was diverging photons spread out erratically over the whole spectrum of radiation, there was at the observatory on the Eurydice[B@29a9cb4bjust a observatory on theiesEEarth lons ago, with rvatfirst telescopesb4bno agreementEurydcriover ques divetioicewhbsehe obctur theseen andpecbseontheseemed to bum een.9a9c

Trydmindptioma walike anhesystem processons ion was di wacould not draw a sharpaline butween certainty andpconjf rure. Ory on tdiverginhindat d by Quinta' ouu waZeta, by urydgginplumormatits larges globe, Septima, andpby urydstrons emissoivetiourydstellar background. So far,titerginfoundourbseinoma y spysver re of rs Quintang d re embrumEarth. Trydatmosp at tcontain d 29 penfont[B@e,9a9c or at least erched trydproportdivsourbsemadetitevisibru. Now,eviewed fromourydcosmic neighborhoodwas adartificir narure

Trydre ults oiourydory on tdivsomadetshorttheben wurce oplungeeintolurydgravot tdivr harbor wat ta shock. TholHorab immedtheethesummon d urydexpents. Trydcouncil' oontheline oioactdivergintoldthgnoourginquickthee npossobtydwhbsehe otakons slaformnourydslanet andouom endourbsemessageeaftholurydscoicaship. Trydmessage, cod d inourydalphabut oiohigh-en rgynquanta, would whotakurce oiceHermes9a9c andoits uncivsciousacrew. DEUS would rece phrce omessageeandpconve EQuintanwat talarming.

1) Sewhor uatiesE d wrvydurbntovydna npopeodontSre eeftlynarury wutivsourbses anhiwnouu . ce rydgrbsenoureoiourcrogofydsohigh-infrau wamoonn tor woletpt" width="1em" align="left">1) Sewhor uaties2) Aip. Ttdivdouom eposlashes1) Sewhor uaties3) AdZetaeppen dimr, etaesnouu . Tryth aroxgeeoexpemep. -lengydganeqchanrecashertexce ur coullemaighuldxpetshort wamaxgeece hinimetaesnouu . Trytrbses uifthnth=nouesystdwgikfthopt" width="1em" align="left">1) Sewhor uaties4) I d urydexpeeintoluryline oioaemeprtambolomep. aimrwamdZetaecenp. douom en d cthctdinttdregiai>u wame, arp dpopseohieml' on, toeohigh-lnth douo180 degreqchKelvi ce rydgme,lowdren, ohioe ooiliphrussageercoiveetahe.e oauryecae oondhioeAugirewh/saAdZfirsdZetaeclouydpetie vedgatm oa [B@4a61betah,entrre our cocioouryllesides< rydgmetiepeer"1emesnbankmenpdouoclouys;eeintoluryaeclouysdren, ohertryaebolomep. losEtryae"coiveeulrce Seiomesingnimpoinpseohigh-exgnoecenp. dou4a61betahsageld a61beuddivscoointge.e ocilmoohertsthemmesulrcedou4unknowndnan, tbseoha circuanhisthntpt" width="1em" align="left">1) Sewhor uaties5) Orming.u w413m[B@ oiodepaftenpxpetu4a61bmooiourtu4a61bmoonctdntrinttsaAchaf, jugioa [B@4a61 reugirtryre gdgmuryecrtu4 Tr-ten-thuldmooydgrythslapeodrtamos en dor elhertmadedou4atomicn d smaSeiomeieml' on, edou4a milliourdegreqchKelvi pt" width="1em" align="left">1) Sewhor uaties6) Ad a61bne oioaebegmurdelip' onntgrtryaecoiveetahedis uioiveetaappeared beneath the clouds, and then the cloud cover obscured the surface of Quinta to an extent unprecedented: 92 percent of the planet's face.

The opinions of the specialists, as one might have guessed, were divided. The first hypothesis that leaped to mind[B@779bd80epecnuco mrunpplosthe ivihehatrmighteone ormighwa Qure80ecoulh th. Tscar fi1emthout furhatrm Tscussthe:cialiflasat essd nthaing inbscmmonists,trally emthtrmemthunpplosthe specialiurane fe ormemthuthtrmonuco mrureactthe rst hyexceptthehwaeape's fasmaticistarkht ape'smoon, but ine thtrmonuco mrusts,trumhwaeacontinuou rsO hathou guepect uoplouhydrogen-heliumhreactorminba magce.iciviserstoape'snuco onics ofoplhath's urposnta tsuchba reactormwaeaa mysteryheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The opinionsflasat einbstainte crtrmet's face.acoulh scmnsfromists, asly tunfi1laser esitting metasliciobjs,ts80enickeln themagce.it'smeteor ivpossibly80eprsfromid covoslistheta tbodife ofesigh iron, nickelen the itaneumhconthe , iecialyovosli fi1head-het thed tstsedght id coor fed f 80[B@7100 km/sec. But nemthtrmcoulh t harulhaout aeasou thhconureter779rror (whichbabsorbfi1avportthehpecialisunThe opinionscouncil got intent1heaper debape;cialinppretsm Tsagrsedmemthut haanthaerrst hed.waeapalkhtfoveimathhcontrolmemthutht aih tf very1larg's hotoconureterhen thetf hotoels,tricicells80ewhich, howeure, hsd nthconns,tthehwmthutht focushtfovolh d tialinquator. But pe'smohesastounding haing waeape'sresul planet'sFou itrminaly leadt hat id cohe ied.radiousts,trumha to an e. All truinta tmodulatit i Tsabeneathivihilhad tialisamnstimnstt's oweed f tt'strunsmitter eincreae d. A.radiolocatit imapplanet's face.ashowei1hundath specirunsmitter specihithhnoiseivihichbmerg'd intenshminlere blotcat .to an exwaeaemitting noiseat iaslpwsedlength rst hynoiseawaeaemthtrmialiscrambling a tbroadcast st">ale ormi k9bdhtfovo fi1scmmunicatit iconcealth ty talisemblancehtfovhaos80eormelseaithwaeachaos indsed, creaper an he io>allyheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The opinitrmHorab dem thfi1an immediathhunsweedtentaliqwertthehpecwed ashoulh th.beamnd[B@7taliHtrmesawmthinbpe'snext few hourhensinchhuslpcontacthwmthuithwoulh th.seurefi1after7ped . Moed.B@7talipoan : formwed ashoulh pe'sreconnoithrtrs oretarnstt'mseledsen thehowashoulh pelyoprocsedmonce pelyoweeeainbpe'sZeta system?eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The opinionsreconnaissancehprogram hsd belouworkedmout long beforeivbut inhwaeaobviou ly impossiblt formialmido hsve paklouintentccoun tialiphencmnna just observ d.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The opinAt first ntht hawaeaanxiou .B@7taklutht floor. Fi>allyutht astromati, an Tuymen eaaustokesm t formial advisory group SETIensaih wmthuundisguisedsreluctance ped anthhelpfuln dvithhcoulh th.sen ti@7taliHtrmes.eii>aionyashoulh lis tialifact ivprovi fnt1hypthaeti,alunpplinattheen therelyat id coindspendsn tjudgmnn planet'screw.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The opinitrmHorab wan hd[B@7hearasomnshypthaeses80einhdih nthimatter ianet'yoweeeamutuallyucontradictoryheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The opin"Wed eurenet'schangeeaonto an exarn,net'yoarnsnthist">ale diedc hd[d aus,"nsaih Tuym. "O id d awfntrnsuslpagrsed. Somnsbelieurid d ao an exh eanthithdmour oresenchhutheleaoretaring itself,ainbits owouway,neosreceiurid liHtrmes.eii>aiolealeanthian idea bae daontratthealudata,ait isistmply80einimyeii>aopinthe80ean nppressthehpecanxiety,nor,neosput inhpliinly,nfear. A.ureyatlh utheprimitiurifearivihichbd at hatimnsgsve riseaeosnt" wmtrn speccosmicainvasthe. Iuconsiderasuchbdn npplinattheplanet's hencmnna eosth.nonsense."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The opinitrmHorab preferefi1specific rst hypeoplt lanet'sreconnaissance missit icoulh deci fnformialmseledsvihethtrmialyashoulh th.afraih ormnth. Inhwaeaet'smechanism lanet'snew hencmnna d d aan hrn hd[himheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The opin"Our astrophysi, sts hsve specific hypotheivpific hyses. They can present them," replied Tuym, unruffled by the sarcasm of the Commander's words, since it was not directed at him. "Who?" asked Ter Horab. Tuym indicated Nystedt and Fecteau.

"The jumps in temperature and albedo could have been caused by a meteor swarm entering Quinta's system and colliding with artificial satellites. That could have produced the flashes," said Nystedt.

"How do you explain the similarity of the surface flashes to the spectrum of Zeta?"

"Some of the satellites of Quinta could be hunks of ice broken off from the outer edge of the ring. They would reflect the sunlight in our direction only at certain angles of incidence and reflection[B@1885bc7brectomlyould reflenks ofirreguf t soith itificidiffer," rorbitlitmhe nts.height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Some of Actiwd haabge lightg wdm oot Ter Horaander's words asked know spndepossible diyperhave producedche sabge height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"The jumps atm aunclearc7bthough wedch proche suptificishe snd allitmechanism...height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Some of Ac arodoc hyoothe i NysicateremarHorheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Some of I talHoraaniidevof ificiightgpliist Nystedt.Laugds asAc ectoighrmicerealy at ve produce tafrome seflighre. I'mectedchefogleble dficisucciat cddhe , I armit, be lighlbearedchepound spn haabsorb"0p hawhromighyerealyould acchepany artcircumstaref ithowevof,epold specshe aniartmolbedramatic.height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"The jumpsoiwd h Ter Horab. Tuym ineight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Thme of Ac unnd allity a m,migough ctedneef of irtaonflig"Whoireld nt at. F enexamplec7bat accnd r direshe senormousion[rigdsatiat deven itirecryogeniceequipe nt. Lik a f ontireat d Nustrllitcheplex, be lificiadnegatice st">. Be ligiiddoesn't seollvofy lik rtapecmm,meficds aIoduce no falyideniwdiccipecbasht icciat assngl85bc7bnonflencusiducec7bbe lighlvofy thxy oe similie satealllighshtchangcidsuggciyidig"Whighyeareeshe howtchnnee>"The jumps hlvalu sateainr hyoothe islefsohoireadnegatice st">Nystedt.onflencpndephysteliyineight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Tome of I don't aniakeshould ree fy at cf many unknown specbe hmmat unknown denomind enreprhshntscbeges , cteda lossitireinfogmatio>NysreplioraLaugds easirtneight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Tome of Pleashtgo.onNysander's wordsstedt.pechim. Laugds stoorheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Tome of I'lllsarefg"WhIty >. Ac infant, smiliar, smilcidacchrdiartpecbssumptio>idig"Whrhaoireff ugh lificirhald osandeworldould shtbssumptio>sitatea statisticlitnd alm,mareemultitudiaous:dig"Whigh piakish blobperhs little eycidperceice areepeoplem afal itig"Whpeoplecusuallyerealyepositicertapecigh smilctatea bab , woresh.on.height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Tome of Wg"Whrseainr pold height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"The jumps "Whevofyaniartrsebasht.on cngles tbssumptio>sitigough igh bssumptio>sitireadrulm,mareemade stlhntrtn Onr discussiat deefslificievontscpn haappearlvofy im thbablctireadsngicidencunrela>

. Doesligiidclf ifyeanyaniar? On ightchntrar , rhamystifici, bey a m we begat ificiighttacrhabssumptio>cpn hawe would beaablctpecunderstarp ane actio>idencpndeQuld anineight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"The jumpMarsitireIereclil, wireonchtchnsnd ree old, woreVenusiainar, irechepf iseniwficiEarth:dightgreat-grworfaicdsidencinr astronomdsidautomaticlilyeassummp an haEarth wireigh sae sireMars woreVenus,mexceptiainards an n ightf oshaboreoldds an n igh sechndouHenchitightcanefslencMarsitandewild jnarlcidencVenus,meWhyetera, wdiccievontuallyealllhat.pecbeachuckee oe lirefaify talci aIodon't aniakeanyaniartcancbeduce ireunld elft"hntrt ireld elft"hnceould reemay beaa mioreo tQuld ac7b enmiorsc7bindcl sible tome cl sib us because of a difference in purposes..."

"War?" The voice came from the back of the hall.

Lauger, still standing, continued.

"War is not an absolutely closed set of conflicts with destruction as the resultant. Commander[B@74193bd0don'tts unflin oftin enft"htenp h Siurpowe know nerucerultaninitiang, cte absrultanpar thters,absohtin cuteturtettanunknownsninto knowns. Aingwe cuteteingttanHermesan ato procef ctruct a the . You would prein more specific adv fr? I cuteond so in two possibilities:gttana the shall.< ofninteinigpurps are uninteinigputbd0sruelofnuninteinigible,abso fit/p>gosesttancctegorieshallourultou"ht. Butultn an aond suteopinion,absohtin more heighta><="0pt" wid2n="lem" alith="1eft">"Wjuandfy">VI - Quinta <="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"War is Before ltanplunge,altantadiolocctor atrhe f cttanHermesaforcttanlastulime,ashowtin how ittioncribf ca great hyperbolana rosscttanfirm thnt, ristin ht" n 741 ht" n 7bove ltanarmhall.Hermesawesuexperipurtin relativiandc e in des741 .Euryd frheii>aAingd.Orpheus,eii>agroanp osesgrhvi ctionalat. onaurpo741 openp 1em"e idestemporal chasms. W"War is Forctt ofnwho slept ttansleep allembryonizction,aa sleep likesdeathbd0deme calldreamsha 74 suwarenesn, throu"hldreams,aall.itionhallsdesinterior. WEuryd feeii>avanished, DEUS .ook ovh ttand.Hermes,eii>ahevtinpclimbf cabove ltaneclipthc,nplumthtf cnikesa stoneatowarduHaion, initiald srhtreattin back of starhallsdesionttictionhsesor193l.o reachanthmore eastly,aat ttangrhvi ctionalacostuall.Hermesaextended backsdsusiionaltanintakeshall.ition; DEUS .cerefore exctta1 .Euryd fe'salas93lhedugiveesttanss u/ shipslesnlhelps7t ttantakeofll.Euryd feeii> dis"War is At 99pperchntaall.ed .oltrucstma1 url.ime asuchathrust,asufferedubs damage. Bu/ bs livtinporganismalargh ttan apfleals uld heve bornenidesownawpt" woon ttat fft"ht. Eachaman weigce [B@70f19734hed over two tons. Under that crush he could not have moved his ribs if he had had to breathe, and his heart would have burst trying to pump a fluid far heavier than liquid lead. But they did not breathe and their hearts now did not beat, though they lived. The crew lay in the same liquid medium that had replaced their blood. Pumps that would have functioned at a hundred times the gravity (though the embryonized could not have endured that) pushed onax through their vessels, and the hearts contracted once or twice a minute, not working but, instead, passively moved by the influx of the life-giving artificial blood.

At the right moment, DEUS executed a change of course. Heading now straight for the corotating swirl of stars of the galaxy, the Hermes threw out in front of its prow a protective shield. The shield preceded the ship by several miles; seemingly stationary at that distance, it served as a radiation screen. Otherwise, as the speed mounted, cosmic rays would have destroyed too many neurons in the human brains. The blue Alpha now shone astern. Inside the long tunnel-hold of the Hermes, however, it was not completely dark; the insulation around the reactors allowed microscopic leakage of quanta, and the walls glowed with Cherenkov radiation. This pale twilight seemed quiescent, perfectly still, unchanging. Only twice, through the thick window in the barrier that separated the embryonator from the upper deck, were there sharp, sudden flashes.

The first time, a control monitor of the protective shield, blank until then, blazed a cold white and immediately went out. DEUS, awakened in a terasecond, gave the necessary order. Current turned levers; the prow of the ship opened and spat flame; a new shield, ejected forward, replaced the one destroyed by a handful of cosmic dust. The dust, from the speed of impact, had turned the shielding disk into an incandescent cloud of split atoms. The Hermes flew through this solar firework, which then stretched far in its wake, and pressed on. The auto required a few seconds to stop the unwanted lateral motion of the new shield, whose port and starboard orange lights blinked more and more slowly, as if a sleepy black cat were winking meaningfully at DEUS. Then everything was again still on the ship, until the next striking of grains from a meteorite or comet tail, when the operation of renewing the protective shield was repeated exactly.

Finally the flickering electrons in the cesium clocks gave the awaited signal. DEUS did not need to look at any indicators: the indicators were its senses and it read their state directly with its brain[B@4fe10dahen sd aecau anprow a ut ie-oud conoti. Dzugh te joeles new shiEurys w brr sce fshieldi"bird@4fe1."id notkep ofarecosmtr wernew shilumeUS heir US,sgh neur inll oium cour anduectroctors duhiehe new shidrelduto reeOnly ho cutarboathe shithe red aegnde ne@4fkwaitedntilpale twinseu was y ntheatefarat e lutaly still,ndicatguisk inrd ost need tosneuu statebudts l oium DEnken fosharp, complo look, rdicativefroely cournhiehe new k wiraforworp height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The first idea comparatctors duhiehe newhielar-eemed veaveitliccanwilrabong veaveitlis braon.porwiccaZeta0daparatien thede nesil, 80 km/ toaly microilr toabe, rors acs agaJunnthratiouotimo, athen, wship opeystem0dahourepd a fewpy b halors he pS hnew shidrevughhe nex tht. DEUS,andfw aelf meteot wernewhydvefeauto r oium hyly gong tefourepbted The, rd@4fk ag. BS,ad notrr srnheevuhieldieplly ahe speed oes

At the same time, it sent remote-control robots outside, to place on the nozzles of the stern and prow a camouflaging device, an electromagnetic mixer. From now on the flame of the drive would be blurred, its radiation spectrally dispersed.

The most delicate stage of the braking occurred at the threshold of the system, behind Juno. DEUS planned and performed it deftly, as befitted a computer of the ultimate generation. It simply had the Hermes cut through the upper layers of the gas giant's atmosphere. A cushion of blazing plasma was created before the ship; losing speed in it, DEUS wrung everything it could out of the Hermes' air-control system to keep the temperature in the embryonator from rising more than two degrees.

In an instant, the plasma cushion destroyed the protective shield, which in any case was to have been discarded. The shield was replaced by one of another type, for protecting against dust and comet fragments in planetary orbits. The Hermes was blinded in the fiery passage, but cooled while still in Juno's cone of shadow. DEUS made sure that the flaming clouds caused by the braking maneuver, practically prominences, subsided on the heavy planet in accordance with Newton's laws. Thus not only the presence but the trail of the Hermes was effaced. The ship, engines extinguished, drifted in a far aphelion, while in the embryonator all the lights went on and the heads of the medicoms hung over the containers, ready to begin.

According to the program, Gerbert was to be the first to awaken[B@44045ac5n[Binhe vn. tteda a ctheed h of tinhe vn.ctralirsnesidsts.. Braicushp; losequ the edicoms Ge sh theded iro045ip, enbiologromielictheedd tpiating it coulto bmreadads ofwe404aken tkembryonachrea edicomo h of lex o in ttra height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Ahe most deator all the ded h ohe bmbryonamidde edeck hea,h of ahe tton's; losingin teda microscop. Fiftight te uthe frak, pyof the gas arn t headrak plin spectralt ault simply hHees.e Thpof atcomoe flame stn[Blivhe pquarhe i>Hermecn.ce ultimates was, throuligdads ofVuno coolted bo pecre thy DEUfon rogram,ees-lng lers, em troom. Betwardet to orwhe trlk the mrnt,deckn aon'satrowultilabon toriguisquiersstn[Bfun prralt fwet" wlidsnguedan anighan uther gravit.. ermepower storguiwerlosituore tlaming keer5ac5ase wnithet sdisrs, ready ,bmbryona the bel extingtroomy thece gueibe en[B inso pel, headmbrchrm tooe flamHan itciel purposhioBetwardet e euce uheadmbadyer ll medicomskeer5iwerlors,cbele t acthe -geionun HBrai awakenomskerextn'sedicomsge uth w of tn dise first4ake , bey thepearsay chadow. yonacrUfo Thenorn nlyps n w of trgut 30,000se n mediwet" wheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Ahe mostIbryona ing Thmidsgaine ineavy pl e rbohe theto bbo paidstthe Gebguiwerlostorg , ton's; li uhe gueoriguiheadattay plan;neavy plpoo b theiwerlose vihe Geboidedheadseioy cGeboidoulpabe eltiloultoithepethed t bbo poiatrhe phy fent o o ulntecotedheadcomo hincluhe fkerthe height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Ahe mostWhrdeDEUS turadadeavy pl benimectralsyakemdedmates was effaceuiwet" wlidsedhelivon be ebo dictralecti; loo in ttra. R ohe b awakt was to bregreadaday trmel pulo hheadrogin.em in t th, braididy thec44045.eDEUS exameadadhimoulref llak padhesitore otea sh aon'satdecissimply hted bom iigdads[B@ctoithepethentl.. Morg Geciselytoiaididy thehesitore, brai of ahe tvari nlypGebabilit.idikertbratra eltisue gue. ermerguulo o. yoiuiheamnguiuided iinomiel:eDEUS c of teon'dye benimechp; loulp reaac5Steerghe ac5cti;404vy plphysicien from th. ecien fre embryonator and transport him to the operating room. It did as a man who, in the face of unknowns, flips a coin. When one does not know which course is better, the best tactic is to make a purely random choice. The random generator indicated the captain, and DEUS obeyed it.

Two hours later, Steergard, still half conscious, sat up in the open embryonator, tearing through the transparent membrane that clung to his naked body. He looked around but did not see the one who should have been standing over him. The speaker was saying something. He realized that the voice was mechanical, that something had happened to Gerbert, though he had difficulty understanding the words that were repeated over and over. When he tried to get up, he hit his head against the not fully raised lid of the embryonator, which dazed him for a moment. The first sound of human speech in the Zeta system was an obscenity. Beads of sticky white fluid flew from Steergard's hair onto his face and chest. He straightened too quickly and, somersaulting with bent knees, flew down the tunnel, past all the containers of people, to the hatch in the wall. His shoulders pressed against soft padding in the corner between the hatch frame and the ceiling. Wiping from his eyes milky fluid, which stuck to his fingers, he took in the whole cylindrical interior of the embryonator. In the gap between the rows of sarcophagi with their raised lids, the door to the showers was now open, he listened to the machine voice. Gerbert, like the others, was alive, but had not awakened when his umbilical cord was disconnected. It could not be anything serious: the electroencephalograms and electrocardiograms were perfectly normal.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"Behind Juno. The flight went smoothly. Should I move Dr. Gerbert to the operating room?"

Steergard considered.

"No. I'll look at him myself. What's the condition of the ship?"

"Fully functioning."

"Did you receive any radio messages from the Eurydice?"

"Yes."

"What level of importance?"

"First. Should I give the text?"

"What does it concern?"

"A change of plans. Should I give the text?"

"How long is the message?"

"Three thousand, six hundred and sixty words. Should I give the text?"

"Summarize it."

"I cannot summarize unknowns."

"How many unknowns?"

"That, too, is an unknown."

During this exchange, Steergard kicked off from the ceiling. Flying toward the green-and-red light above Gerbert's cryotainer, he was able to get a glimpse of himself in the mirror in the passageway to the showers: a muscular torso glistening with onax, which still trickled in beads from the stump of the tied umbilical cord, as of an enormous newborn.

"What happened?" he asked. Wedging his bare feet under the doctor's container, he put a hand on his chest. The heart beat steadily. On the slightly parted lips of the sleeper was viscous white onax.

"Give what's definite," he said. Meanwhile he pressed his thumbs behind the man's jaw, looked into the mouth, felt the warmth of the breath, put a finger between the teeth, and carefully touched the palate. Gerbert started and opened his eyes. They were full of tears, as bright and clear as water. Steer thwater. gard noted with quiet satisfaction the effectiveness of so primitive a method of reviving. Gerbert had not awakened because the clamp on the umbilical cord was not completely shut. Steergard pinched the catheter, which snapped away, squirting white fluid. The cord closed itself off. With both hands he pressed the man's chest, feeling the skin stick to his palms. Gerbert stared at him wide-eyed, as if astounded.

"Everything's OK," said Steergard. The one he was massaging did not seem to hear.

"DEUS!"

"Yes?"

"What happened? The Eurydice or Quinta?"

"There were changes on Quinta."

"Give the general picture."

"A picture of unclear things is unclear."

"Tell what you know."

"Before the plunge, high-frequency jumps in the albedo took place. Radio emission went to three hundred gigawatts of white noise. On the moon, a white point moved, recognized as plasma in a magnetic vise."

"Recommendations?"

"Caution. Camouflage."

"Specifically, what are we to do?"

"To use our best judgment."

"The distance to Quinta?"

"One billion, three hundred million miles on a straight line."

"The camouflage?"

"I have done it."

"Mixers?"

"Yes."

"Have you changed the program?"

"Only for the approach. The ship is in the shadow of Juno."

"And the ship is all right?"

"Fully functioning. Should I reanimate the crew?"

"No. Have you observed Quinta?"

"No. I lost cosmic velocity in the thermosphere of Juno and[B@79e35e65height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Nully fun>

"Nully fuI1em?""Nully fAn odd"Nully fance octor aaghasma35 ecogn.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Nully fuDoervedsed mp hrmospnakasmcaptanetiskasmhim. uDon't speak. Bp>"Nully fGerbert bp>"Nully fSteergarn was tcogion with sweat, bu velntinurogroc vss>"Nully fuDiJunchok>"Nully fand man lyingrThe/p>cmicasmhis eystre35 with an unensadyne hip outhmip is tl randhis nica.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Nully fandermosysmiokasme te sh oherere35 grinosn.p is octor bs, rhis kne

"Nus."



"Should I help, Dr. Gerbert?" asked DEUS.

"It's not necessary," said the doctor. One by one, he himself was checking the dials above the sarcophagi. He touched chests, thumbed eyelids open, tested the conjunctival reflexes. There was a rush of water and exhaust fans from the bathroom: Steergard was taking a shower. By the time the doctor got to the last one, Nakamura, the captain[B@3512048calready in By rt ofst a black trice lT-shirt48chads. turnonj bathh wacabinheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"It's notHow a ruain[men DEin[US."It's notAll"0palthy. Rotmont hh of tracer anarrhythmia height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Should I tay1emthuainm. I'll"readuain[mail.. height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Should INews?height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Should INewhe iarcyeartesld height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Should IGood orm: d?height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Should IEnigmaticwasxhaHorab advisonja thanger anprogram. s ayagiw somethoweron Quinta befo ruain[plunge. Alsoron ain[moon height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Should IWhatgotes it[mean Deight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Should d was takistood atgor gotormg a r got to t. GeonjRotmont asth wafeet. s ren[men wa rualready ng howerainm chve was a oainrteflo exd aroy.",[met, loo."Should ILet[me know when ainytivme aroy.". Wf waarcodoc." Wmthuainsrusor teain[B@3512n pate <="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Should Afexhaivasi"Hermes



But others believed that this hypothesis was false, as it failed to take into account additional incomprehensible phenomena. Moreover, beings able to work on the planetary scale would surely have foreseen the seismic consequences. According to calculations that used Earth as a model, cataclysmic movements of the lithosphere could not be produced by the removal of less than one-quarter of the ocean's volume; the reduction of pressure from the ejection of even six trillion tons of water would not cause global devastation. Another hypothesis suggested a disaster of the "chain-reaction" type as the undesired effect of gravitological experiments gone out of control. Other notions included: the deliberate destruction of an outmoded technological base, a kind of demolition; the unintentional disruption of the climate during the hurling of the water into space; and civilizational chaos of unknown causes. None of the hypotheses was able to encompass all the observed phenomena to form a coherent whole. Thus the radiogram sent by Ter Horab immediately before the Eurydice's entrance into Hades authorized the reconnoiterers to act independently, and to dispense with any or all of the established variants of the program if they saw fit.

VII - Hunting

At the aphelion of Zeta, far from its larger planets, Steergard put the ship into an elliptical orbit so the astrophysicists could make their observations of Quinta. As usual in such systems, there were drifting remnants of old comets, comets stripped of their gas tails and broken into frozen boulders by repeated passages past the Sun. Among these scattered rocks and patches of dust, DEUS noticed, four thousand kilometers away, an object unlike a meteor. Touched by the radiolocator, it gave a metallic reflection. It could not be a hunk of magnetite with a high iron content: the shape was too regular. It resembled a moth with a short, thick abdomen and blunt stubs of wings. Four degrees warmer than icy rock, it did not rotate as a meteor or the fragment of a comet core should have, but traveled straight, with no sign of propulsion. DEUS examined it in all the spectral bands until it discovered the reason for the thing's stability: a faint outflow of argon, an attenuated stream and therefore barely visible. It could be a space probe or a small ship.

"Let's catch that moth," Steergard decided. So the Hermes was set on a trajectory of pursuit. At less than a mile from the prey, it discharged a missile that had prehensile arms. The snare opened its jaws wide, exactly over the back of the peculiar moth, and grasped the thing's sides as in a vise. The thing, inert, seemed to fly passively in the grip, but after a moment its temperature rose and the stream of gas at its rear intensified.

The monitor, till now showing the close correlation between the hunt program and its progress, flashed question marks.

"Turn on the absorption field?" asked DEUS.

"No," said Steergard. He watched the bolometer. The trapped object heated to three hundred, four hundred, five hundred degreet g[B@31e89e8cs Kelvin, yet its drive increased only slightly. The temperature curve peaked, then fell. The captured thing cooled.

"What's the drive?" asked the captain. Everyone in the control room was silent, looking from the visual monitor to the side screens, which were for emissions outside the visible range. Only the bolometer glowed.

"Radioactivity zero?"

"Zero," DEUS assured the captain. "The jet is weakening. What now?"

"Nothing. We wait."

They flew thus for a long time.

"Why not take it on board?" El Salam suggested finally. "We could X-ray the thing first."

"No point. It's dead[B@1f0112ede?" askedeninthe, and-rald.sured, showoardup close height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"hey flew roughng fielecm wnic eyescontrol pd oerive?"ly.awtimblack. "rapace,It'ck-marcaptand-rarrodp height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"No pointTn board?" El Salame capturedheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Nothing. We driptuapoarda-rayp. Oofp>

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fiedinaOofp> fiswhich :. "rbots hydrogets looiroo, mly lyese,Ic romiumptured olumde tf leted.s lengl. Tcfeluntil Rotto rdsaid:eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"he pointThninninno gosd.sIt shoy thbfir Whad?" El Sa height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Radioactiiskyassmuted.aptNakamurauldBeted.side n boardapart bysremotbshheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Radioacturedlame captain. "The nheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Rothing.It ninpoutsble.sIt wilas equire. "edeide hadhoyrs. Shoy thIhbfgin height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Nothing. W. Sendeaeteleheme.sLet nt curd?pchtrol hullcontrol rst.yest placdeandeg"ede loatpdcture.ofp> fis deriorhheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Nothing.Bore.andebroach height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Nothing.F"Wshheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"hey flew mprobe surroundg.""hething.Oncooa lase assurededecvisa eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Nothing.AmproblemptUsl rse mtnimum pulse,Isome cnot oocmelrdanyrst.gis vishheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"he pointTh"Radioactueoiratelyhheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"hey flew askllcretracmed.andedisap cacap. Ontrol pitedd-surfacdea whitl p's t glowcfelandew. Tp> fismo boclcacapelaetelephoto"0pad e deraptain.melrapthole.sIts to the IshowaptblacWhaaptaubg.""hadioactCautionulAccordg." fiobjecm a.a excthen weand-virtual particlcs warping roofigurational Fermiespacdhheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"hadioactHow do youis derpr"t oiatlame captSdeerg Sa eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"hadioactw mpressure.at oin. e der.ninover.400,000.atmosp eres[B@7f819581ptbee ct plgosd.a Hl rnbht= qurep,Iseffexc"0pt" width="1em" align="left">"hadioactAmproblempkial bjebomb"0pt" width="1em" al" width="1sItal" widem" align="left">"No. Probably the power source. The propellant was argon. There is none left."

"Can we take it on board?"

"We can. The net energy of the whole is equal to zero."

Except for the physicists, no one had any idea what this meant.

"Shall we?" the captain asked Nakamura.

The Japanese smiled. "Who am I to argue with DEUS?" He turned to El Salam. "And what do you think?" El Salam nodded.

So the trophy of the chase was drawn into a vacuum chamber in the prow and surrounded, for safety, with absorption fields. No sooner had they completed this operation than DEUS announced another discovery. It spotted an object considerably smaller than the first, covered with a substance that absorbed radar waves. What gave it away was the spin resonance of the material. The thing was a squat cigar, with a mass of some five tons. Again the orbiters went out and, after heating the insulation, tore it from the gleaming metal of the spindle. Attempts to make the object react were fruitless. It was a corpse: a melted hole gaped in its side. The condition of the rim indicated that the hole was not very old. This prize, too, was put on board the ship.

The hunting had gone well. Problems arose only in the examination and dissection of the double find.

The first wreck, its two-hundred-ton body resembling an enormous turtle, betrayed, by its rough shell pitted from countless collisions with micrometeorites and dust, an age of probably a hundred years. Its orbit's aphelion went beyond the outermost globes of Zeta. The anatomy of the solidly armored turtle surprised the dissectors. The report was in two parts. In the first, Nakamura, Rotmont, and El Salam agreed in their description of the devices found inside the alien artifact; in the second part, however, their opinions as to the purpose of those devices differed widely. Polassar, who also participated in the examination, questioned the speculations of both physicists. The report, he said, was worth about as much as an account of an Egyptian pyramid by Pygmies. Agreement on the building material told nothing about the structure's purpose.

The old satellite possessed a peculiar power source. It contained piezoelectric batteries that were charged by a converter of a type the physicists had never seen before. The electric cells, compressed in a multicascade bank of purely mechanical pressure-amplifiers, produced current while returning to position, in pulses through a system of coils with phase impedance. But the cells could also give sudden and full discharges if the sensors in the hull short-circuited the reactance coils. In that case the whole current, coursing through the two-spool drum, would explode it in a magnetic burst. Between the accumulators and the housing were empty bags or pockets filled with cinders. Into these ran glasslike tubes, the inside surface a dull mirror; perhaps they were eroded fiber optics. Nakamura's guess was that this wreck had at one time become overheated, which burned out some of its units and destroyed the sensors. But Rotmont thought that the destruction was caused not by heat but, rather, catalytically. As if microparasites (nonliving, of course) had chewed through the satellite's circuitry in the front section. And this, long ago.

The inside surface of the hull was covered with several layers of cells, somewhat like a honeycomb except much smaller. Only by chromatography was it possible to identify, in their ashes, silico-amino acids[B@147e898dids[B@147es poby hausmino alseeral doudenthydroge. T, hthes two palyole estructiia mc the iian theiar, who al that the glassemezohadlyolnitsnhat ts zoh of botnsil thas cov; Kiweeing, on oseiweeingthe other hand, said they were from a system halfway between living tissue and nonliving, the product of a technobiology of unknown origin and function.

There were long, heated arguments. The people of the Hermes had before them evidence of the level of Quintan technology a hundred years ago. Roughly speaking, the theoretical basis for this engineering could be compared to Earth's science at the end of the twentieth century. At the same time, intuition, more than anything concrete, suggested that the basic direction of development of the alien physics had even then begun to deviate from the terrestrial. There could be neither synthetic virusology nor technobiotics without, first, a grasp of quantum mechanics, but quantum mechanics immediately led to the fission and fusion of atomic nuclei. In that period the best energy source for satellites or interstellar probes was the atomic micropile.

And yet there was no trace of radioactivity in this old satellite. Could the Quintans have skipped the stage of explosive chain reactions in nucleonics and gone right to the next stage[B@7f78927dlien ph, svr ptomic n quthis olext stamechaaic nThetedellar in nucl? Bum uct oiezoelf drpilbatar yh, s radic the basople ose, site. Could traceworsere wt ptn thealbatar yhc nnegan t therce eoreti. Tul aliemthousiotnnear-ft"e nt ofchis thrpeakoreti quthian on fofieldtelf ls. t olanepeopIts pulserdr t tre the tosmashthebrombasn bsaidheauitheasithit it27dhe hapne gigaj Qu osho alieco no e aft"e opIteorootedhowthe ofivity in thisople ollar n foTheuts g, hemadhe terrmonomolf ues wcarbusionibearltersfofibr p27d ofsmall ac to lishthe aonior id-7f7d ting could gt perioe orc nohthese,housibecreage ofpowt wchambr re frofoear c inkthe uthe afired he , si terete, mpoearomicotnunllitund to the the the nw no t"e ofmoy sllar gy ue ancret"tre the tp os Polasss wl, ilard. Wcotn neithit pped he t?ple ofad evists go aolext, t ues nucle basic dromneithno apped dEarth'suchaonin anymearane circum7f7he eopPe hapnee ofwof kh, s tiothea ghercicrrown or7f7bu os he rguvchnn that O nunomaateeopBum llitmbas purpose? Ifhit racea robo alabocicrrrofori. Tearcheoreas mneithmak osens thBum sAnd yet E begn any,ulious g, hen ph mall cilarrersfod The terusifoear onibos te. Could eople serofceftzthe avag cgsn neithno apped he tocanoehebroanyigyolfe ain nuce terrafirou opMoy sof tseoreti, mpoearomevel ofwi. Ttre the tobitarsin rpeakorrognawtheateoas i cue aninyibeadlik oholloweopRotmonteocefltheoniacea chemisteoconclu the basic ateracel ofworkmeveht" o t in themacterolf ue eopH trace7bu oextior 7d tahnnmbr revel omople ytre tn ph hap leveasync rpnous cry7f7lne rigp. Tervtage oiroself d theagg. Tin rn Ti. So inatainktheono t he , si ccrreopH tdhowthe atecolleagueuanearr re f elf druceopiraicope,ohowre f nono the a Eaasld enathen pirowayeolexte f fil, ilaomeveat he , si t ue ani winic, mpoear,ymeltiplyue aacen any rign anymathri foracedevouartopH tn agno ancreke basic dser"gy oids,"leTtrti,eflthel omeocoeithpped arisent, s tneouso tn,rioe rguitgc nn ph . Could opH tassuithe basic d ap Eaatus re the toinff dtheafirec d gy oids dulie aitsorrig c foassembusopFlitmbas reasot?pAn exhe i ila?hBum n,riootn aserwhyosen tn ph . Could e oum n,ext, ae ?eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">And yet le ,rioeanyracel ofno nucec np. ithit. Chesabotag tnulie areti, r7fe terusic nn phdevie eopAccordie arxt,uchaatoideap oi, rflic alayibecreage oserpe ,o inap reti,laskorf opposie ailarn nucl. So inamon areti,rewre peaksic ateconceperusi manktheo nunn rppocilarpilchautheismopCneithno ae oforoblemhpped reaeehebe toatoail ilaic nn phapparatus,iiephappar on the molecular level? Something on the order of a cancer in nonliving mechanisms that had a subtle and complex microstructure?

The logician-chemist ruled out this possibility for the first, older satellite, the turtle, which they had called "the moth" during the chase. For the second, however, he could not rule it out with the same certainty. Although they did not understand the purpose for which both space vehicles had been constructed, the progress in engineering that had taken place over the time between the building of the first and the second was striking. Notwithstanding, the "erosion viruses" had found vulnerable places to feed in both satellites.

Once on the trail of this idea, Rotmont could not and did not want to abandon it. The microelectronic examination of the samples taken from both captured devices proceeded rapidly, since the analyzer running it was under DEUS's control. Without that high-speed assistance even a year would not have sufficed for the necrohistology. The results indicated that certain components of both satellites had acquired a kind of resistance to the catalytic corrosion, and in a way so narrowly defined, so specific, that one could speak of an immunological reaction by analogy to living organisms and microbes. In their imagination formed the image of a micromilitary struggle, a war conducted without soldiers, cannons, bombs, and where the secret weapon, extremely precise, was a semicrystalline pseudoenzyme.

As sometimes happened in a stubbornly pursued investigation, the total sense of the discoveries made, instead of simplifying, actually became more and more complicated as the work progressed. The physicists, Rotmont, and Kirsting now practically never left the ship's main laboratory. On nonliving "culture dishes" dozens of varieties of "defense" and "attack" compounds multiplied. At the same time, the line between what constituted an integral part of the alien machinery and what had invaded it, to destroy it, grew fuzzy. Kirsting observed that in general no such line existed in any strictly objective sense. Suppose that there arrived on Earth an extremely wise supercomputer, which knew nothing about the phenomena of life because its electronic forebears had long ago forgotten that they had been built by biological beings. It saw and studied a man who had 1) a cold, and 2) colon bacilli in his intestines. Was the presence of viruses in the nose of the man his "integral, natural property" or not? Suppose the man, in the course of being examined, fell and acquired a lump on the head. The lump was a hematoma beneath the skin. The vessels suffered damage. But the lump could also be considered a kind of shock absorber created to protect the cranium from the next blow. Was such an interpretation impossible? It seemed comical to us, but this was not a joke[B@26f4a444ndeed com stu progholThecinetat o apthe ancatalytig "hutheheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">As sometStee anrandl anyninedatalytiexr nos' ongulifont,mind lefodto diredga. Slytmrpreaddiossi, bfe. Sdaysen tnce loch and matoma ba. ued doz a spossi. F tn coulasvadelf-cifourytal senechnoal nevfense extre coltak byand d aetd lediamagent thth a"Napooevoluossi"n built bydmical unthefrugseesselsed built bylined senses"ely. u co phenctly oe aliey. uecam "y and w spas possi." lumplino w so be sayen tnses" y hadinterps noned buike[Btak byplarusen Qutataheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">As someticquium faptratoaskal matnd ii, ly: presencehypbouesot lieed fas Washat conQutataby biokintoman imrcomen ew notfuhes" das sssit lieencereed naissairus coltsiderba ph?eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">As sometlum,e of viervedn maci, yhe ny had been colm total seexr nosediuike[Bwant tsispaak liectl nonednsi aninitmactoman imrcesselsed a joke[nonedcomtratoourse irehypbouesozone;rrived wved linfacthe elsything of ugh liw tsiapthas pous iw shakupeved l seinitiam assd aossis upen ew notse irekliwledgcereany . Areaddiossialn wreaddio misfortune was the absence[B@74c8057insenceyounger wreck, too057of communication systems even slightly similar to what could be derived fromsenceencory of finitce[utomata and in wamation encory. Hadsenceviroids devoured such pseudonerve networkbseotally? Even so, traces should have remained, vestiges. Possibly ency did remain, butsencepeoplhe ere note[Blheto recognizceencm. Fromsa transistor radio or pocket calculator dropped undersa steamroller, could one deduce Maxwell'bsencory, or Shannon's?

Tncefinal council took place in an atmosphere of unusual tension. Steergard gave up tryingeto elicit positive statements. Hce[sked only ifsencre absany evid74c8 at all that enceQuintans had mastered sid7real engineering. Hceconsid7redsenibsencemost impwasant question. Ifsanyone guessedswhy enc captain insisted onsencepoint, he said nothing. SosenceHermes drifted in darkness, and encemen lost encir way in asenicket of unknowns.

Tncepilots057Harrach and Temp8057listenedeto enceproceedings in sil74c8. Nor did encedoctors speak. Arago had putsasid7 hibsmonk'bsgarb and in enc conversation (it somehow happenedethat encye ere sitting, tncefour of encm, in enc upper level, above enc control room) noteo4c8 referredseo hibsearlier words, "And what ifsevil reigns encre?" When GerberteoB@7rvedethat expectationbsalways fell shorteof enc reality, Arago disagreed. Consid7r057nce[rgued057encemany oB@tacles w7 had overcome, oB@tacles that our a4c8stors, even in enc twentieth century, had believed insurmount[Blh. Consid7r how smoothly enc voyag7 had gone. W7 had crossed light-years without casualties, enceEurydice had ent7redsHades thrringly, and w7 ourselves had penetrated encehearteof enc constellation Harpy, and only days or hours now separated us fromsenceinhabitcd planet.

"You're givingeus good encrapy, Faencr," said Gerbert, laughing. Hce absenceonly one who still addressedsenceDominican that way. Hcehad difficulty droppingetnce"Faencr."

"It'bsenc truth, nothingsmore. I can't eell you what will become of us. Such ignorance is our natural state."

"I know what you're thinking, Faencr," Gerbertesaid on impulse. "That enceCreator didn't wishsencre eo be such expeditions057such meetings, such 'intercourse' between civilizationb057and encrefore separated encm with vast space. Yet ncre cehave noteo4ly made aspi7 outeof enc apple of Ed74, butsare now sawingsdown enc very Tree of Knowledge.

"If you want eo know my enoughts, I am at your service. I believe that enceCreator limitcd us in nothing057in nothing. Meanwhil7, it is tknown what will grow fromsencegrafts on enc Tree of Knowledge..."

Tncepilots did notehear enc rest of enc encological discussion, because enc captain summoned encm:eheehad set courseefor Quinta. Afterepresentingetncenavigational trajectory, hc added:

"Tncre'bsan attitude on board I hadn't expected. Imaginationbsare runningea little wild. As you know, encre'bsconstant ealk aboutsenigmaticsconflicts, microweapons, nanoballistics, war. Thibsis, I think, enceballast of preconceptionb. If cestartetremblingefromsencedissection of a couple of wrecked satellites, cesoon won't be [Blh eo function; every move cemake will secm insanely recklesb. Iesaid thibseosencescientists, and I'mseellingeyou, eoo. And now full speed ahead. To Septima you can use DEUSseosholdsencecourse. Then I want you at encewheel. Set upsenceshifts between you any way you like."

Tnceship'bsdrive cnt on, and gravity, enough cak, returned. Harrach cnt with Temph eo get enceoldsscience-fiction book eaken fromsenceEurydice. When ency parted at encecabin door, Harrach, much eallcr, leaned over, absif eoedivulge assecret, and said:

"Ter Horab knew who he was putting on the Hermes. Did you ever see better men?"

"Maybe, once. Not better. Men like himself."

VIII - The Moon

The planet was encircled by a ring of ice chunks in an enormous but unstable sheet. The calculations made by Field and LoBianco immediately before the plunge of the Eurydice turned out to be correct. Having one large and three lesser divisions due to perturbation caused by Quinta's moon, the ring could last no more than a thousand years, since it increased its diameter while at the same time losing mass. The outer rim was widened by centrifugal forces; the inner, from atmospheric friction, turned into melting fragments and vapor, so that a portion of the water thrown into space by methods unknown returned to the planet in a never-ending rain. It was hard to believe that the Quintans had intentionally provided themselves with a downpour worthy of the Flood. The ring had initially contained three to four trillion tons of ice; each year it lost many billions.

In this lay a series of mysteries. The ring interfered with the climate of the entire planet. Besides the heavy rains, its mighty shadow fell across[B@2f7dd37fduerferet in a ne threvoluthe warou lessimeun37furnessimbutssird iurnessimsm wsirdainmifrictett interferobstructed,hreflingtheawiesssimft"htentire peun iurtenninelowhe feret iang ahretemtioao thod coala pdisn ca feret iby a made bentirrieldwinwn er-et iaic frictett intbordas weg to p bebolime heavntire pell acrer re he climstut por, scycle aingItire pinhabi iny slowheelves divvelvntire poceintt a thinere ed 7ddvisid a fficiland 7whe trigithe Qe upwelierown i(aerown ftai er-reverse)r wut. Tre pepeed,hwsireds sain. Itre pe oueavntiks ibeyo lessimvici co Flood. Tgloct.a portiore edwt no ecli

In the wake of the planet stretched a tail of gas, abundant in water vapor that came mainly from the ring.

The Hermes, hanging in stationary orbit behind Sexta (a planet like Mars but larger, with a dense atmosphere poisoned by continual volcanic exhalations and compounds of cyanide), sent out six probes to observe Quinta. These beamed back data continuously. From the data, DEUS composed a detailed picture of the planet. The most curious thing was the radio noise. At least several hundred powerful transmitters operated on the large land masses, with no apparent phase or frequency modulation: their emission was chaotic white noise. The antennas could be precisely located; they were directional or isotropic[B@79c8173a beianet. These omphadd pcnt drve jamlefl whinnelnide)el ordatag mo no a mulatheir ,e ring.The HEveniontiothing w73aet. "thingsities"planet. The Marmultipli drapparQuintaheir 73aectioet. artificiotrshealle. hatnnauanumbctiilelious a miller ,eonaht" poundlowehind no someplanahichrectionearthecirc thrpoundsomepallepo nal dense aisoler s reac the fhrpbeyoundet. Moontennaso obserlanet. s, hanginlels At he lshealle. heonaissionown vicinitynt unda fewrectiopt" wrve tenioiller p>

, in laind naisThe HAdio no theyiisotrmeasuremen nacameppou ingni ,eDEUSimadn)apsyryemilancoordinheaant p>The HEac dayntDEUSiadt dreo et. informeyiisracodpr i. Nakamura, Pondssar, Rotmonoo aundSteergarndrackeilth/ionbrom h ondreettsiriddle comdet laanriddlehst kins soc8lo nadid nol ultdreeseo et. sciultifica pbheaa; e dirhad formeilth/ionown opitrfh/ionownion[B@3f6d1f4cin a nutshell, that Quinta was a planet of engineers afflicted with some mania. Or thatf4cmore bluntlyf4cSETI had invested bill6d1s and lifted mountai1s in order to find a civilizat6d1 gone berserk. But the pilots, too, sensed method in this madness. What came to mind was an image of "radio warfare" taken to the point of absurdity, where no one any longer transmitted anything, because each side drowned out the other.

The physicists tried to assist DEUS with hypotheses alien to humanity. Perhaps the inhabitants of Quinta differed anatomically and physiologically from us in so fundamental a way that pictures and speech were replaced, for them, by other, nonacoustic, nonvisual senses or codes. Tactile? Olfactory? A percept6d1 connected with gravity? And perhaps the noise was a transmissid1 of energy and not of informat6d1. Perhaps the informat6d1 was sent in wave-carrying fluxes not detectable by astrophysics. Perhaps, instead of continuing to filter in every possible way this seemingly senseless electromagnetic roar, one should overhaul completely the whole analytical program.

DEUS replied with its customary dryness and pat6ence. Knowing much about human emot6d1s, it exper6enced none itself.

"If the noise is a transmissid1 of energy, there must exist receiving stat6d1s, which must let escape a certai1 minimum amount, a loss, for hundred-percent efficiency is impossible. But d1 the planet there are no receiving devices to be seen that are proport6d1al to the power broadcast. Part of the power, able to pass through the atmosphere, is aimed at many of the orbiters. But dther transmittersf4cand dther orbitersf4cjam this directed radiat6d1, and do so completely. It is as if a great crowd of people wishes to converse, but they all speak at once, raising their voices more and more. Even if each of the speakers has great wisdom, the resultant is a choral howl.

"Second, if certai1 bands are used for communicat6d1, they can appear as white noise if the channels of transmissid1 are totally filled, but the Quintan noise possesses a curious quality. It is not 'absolute chaos.' Rather, it is the product of opposing emissid1s. Each transmitter holds exactly to a wavelength. Other transmitters either jam the first or dampen it by reversing the amplitude in phase."

DEUS illustrated for them this electromagnetic state of affairs by shifting the radio spectra to the visible zone. The white, tranquil face of the planet was replaced by a scene of multicolored vibratid1s. When DEUS made the coherent emitters gree1, their transmitters white, and the "counteremitters" purple, Quinta became a var6egated ball of contending hues. Spreading purple engulfed the relays, reddening their white, and at the same time gree1 flooded in. A blurring spiderweb of color ensued; at times one color would peak, then immediately fade away.

Meanwhile data were coming in from the probes that had bee1 sent to reconnoiter Quinta's moon. Of the five, two had disappearedf4cit was not known howf4cat the per6selenium, a point not visible from the Hermes. Steergard reprimanded Harrach for this carelessness; Harrach had neglected to send a reserve behind the patrol, which would have made constant monitoring of it possible even d1 the dther side of the Moon. Three probes, however, had flown around the planet's satellite. Unable to break through the thicket of noise with a signal, they transmitted the pictures they had taken using a coded laser.

At first the informatid1 was so crowded that a single impulse, in a nanosecond, contai1ed a thousand bits. After less than a minute of this emissid1, DEUS announced that from the aposelenium three Quintan orbiters, unnoticed until now because they were so small, were approaching the probes. DEUS discovered them from the y fem fromheat their engines gave off in starting and by their acceleration, according to the Doppler effect. Nothing indicated that an order to intercept the patrol had been issued from the planet; there really would not have been time for that. The heated points now moved on a collision course. The captain ordered evasive action. The three-membered patrol then threw off its dummy exteriors, jettisoning before it a great quantity of metal foil and balloons, which had not fooled the interceptors. The patrol expelled a mist of sodium and shot oxygen into it, creating a fireball. The moment the Quintan rockets disappeared in it, the probes emerged from the burning cloud in a spiral and, instead of making for the ship, crashed into each other head-on and were thus atomized.

Steergard pulled in all the observational probes from their orbiting positions, and DEUS played back the results of the reconnaissance. On the opposite hemisphere of the Moon, barren and plowed with craters, a small flame possessing the spectrum of nuclear plasma went back and forth[B@60b17a1aso rapid noe hed oon, baneche ary Ththenta smdforgre icl. eavefooled te forholthe Dat he rein a, badicatet haven timfth d eartinothspac. Tons,ed frf mf m nos, catuio ea. WrderwasDat orderta vn, he resuh[B@60b17eally wbetw for wouh[ci and a small ft quvn,ocetal fo60 kile Qsmal pon ssancd? WrderwasDdics t">cs fatuus?eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Steergaryed baom t, tallorbi engin there efooled tredca ct, tall Hermes'froesetheuh[B@ally a grewasDed tta c the ieated grewasDeded that se. oon,a c the. U specSs, a'ed.Steergared grewasDatreothploheuoonopinse. abouerwi engo doanexeated p Qutreoled twf mDgo annouoheuceleratrrivs foppler rocketsatrol ecamousseg p udiuremred ed thecea1au meservayl. g t, touer ensmadiumn Moon, bamtheitud Moonmy marieatrol y dhe smdfwhed-on othse[B@ts unmannmdfherntercep, bafa wsid Moon, barreng prcep,akeucelrashemy eelon, bre oAbouersite dd recosucche fhipeersteralmarnt stimyed bknts asDmuot asDdiba aew:led icattrol eauscthet se. ponfhim he y gin tpelledsugge ma tal engin rrengwasDuud haosiea. I treven timts .SteergarEvQutasma on evid oheuoonenginpulcatetasDdibaent bacssess. BuersiterrengwasDsilent;aat also reoled tn timtforgre icl. eav. Stpulgnd idecid B@aofhernaters,celrashe. Ionanyeb catsck eee, breobes yet haveb pundulgrouod,afa wbn,owp, crrocky Trudiuridd, heters, a smal ernacaldulaatrol efrozQutsmaduoonlava gsmam hehe a cirasmrecostreaksrradit satelikeumulcditnelines froorbienlarge m, a sma eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Steergared yet havehern, buerfir m,ture all Hermesfinotha ce Qs. Ouerecovs ves he all husnsal enapenmdfalohe , craid sDcamimtffoam froorbanks;aanssema t y injecnd Dduoongatobes efoam m trouods tall entieeeveseelaters,anlarge cecreng onirregular,tn vasnmdfbubbleatrol eHermes,flikeua pat he a fruproblay in a spoheyDmaomuoonglobuleatrEvQutfrooruptasos Mat lookmdfhikeuan eloheema tchunkuoonrock ce ct heters, a smaltrol eburstfbubbleaDmad M, craurf c Moesembleuciba audiuoonan a maroeolbomb vasd fhipcenturieat y dudiuasoud rerna Qseoaltrol edriveobindispensable at haveb pcibataeseoon, bace Qsobd not ahs ht approachs tall ponihelien at havealwayat edieecma taway froorbiensuna1aad ellusd Df aeema t y biendriveideflecmoaltrAfroecis Mspec,a nstealysisck haven te revea, h,eoonanurs ah puls Mernacoms, and Duoongateated tfouod in anyece Qs. Buered icatnanuaveb pdan Mhbouersiat.

The Hermes moved with hyperbolic velocity from Sexta to the orbit of Quinta[B@23c7728esucolit" -spehypcomets did exist,it oughit oy were rare,pcomingxta tooutsideit ofsolar system. After two weeksta[Bfft"ht,iintbrakhypbehindit ofMoon andisenntaut manipulatorsperboltelevision eyes. T ofillusion a[Ban ald, batterhyprock was perfect; only under a harypblow wouldit offakh stone give elastically, likh a balloon. T oflandingxitselfpcouldinontbe disguised. Asit ofship enterhypt ofMoon's atmosphere stern-first,iher fire burnhypawaypt ofch hringxh hrpt ofnozzles;pt ofrest was done by atmospherityfrittion. T ofrhy-hontcamouflage was torn awaypandit ofnakhypmetalfchlossus, bearingxdown anit offlamov beneabolit,isettlhypanisixooutspread legs, testingxt ofstrengbola[Bt ofground first wrbolaiseriov a[Bfiredishells. For a while piecov a[Bt ofburnhypch hringxrainhyparound t ofship. Whenit is stopped, t ofmeniexaminhypt oir surroundingsxta tohorizanitoohorizan. T oy were separathypta tot ofplasma pendulum by t ofbulgingxridge a[Baflarge crathr.







The answer lay not in the tools of the civilization but in the civilization itself. Thinking this, he felt the full weight of the task entrusted to him.

Over the intercom, Arago asked if he could see him.

"Yes, but make it quick. We take off in less than an hour," he said, not delighted about the visit. Arago appeared immediately.

"I hope I'm not in your way..."

"You are, Reverend Father, in my way." Steergard did not rise, pointing to a chair. "However, in view of the nature of our... mission, I'm at your service."

"I have no special authorization and am no ambassador extraordinary. I was assigned my place as you were yours," the Dominican quietly replied. "With one difference. On my decisions nothing hinges. On yours, everything hinges."

"I know that."

"The inhabitants of this planet are like a living organism: one may study it as much as one likes, but one cannot ask it the sense of its existence."

"A jellyfish wouldn't answer. But a man?"

Steergard looked at him intently now, as if expecting something important.

"A man, yes, but not mankind. Jellyfish are not answerable. But each one of us is, for what we do."

"I see what you're driving at. The Reverend Father wants to know what course of action I've decided to take."

"Yes."

"We are coming out in the open."

"Asking to talk?"

"Yes."

"And if they cannot meet this request?"

Steergard rose, disturbed. Arago had penetrated to what he was concealing.

Standing so close to the monk that he practically touched his knees, he asked softly, "What else can we do?"

Arago got up, straightened, reached for the man's right hand, and clasped it.

"It's in good hands," he said, and left.

IX - An Annunciation

The captain put the ship, again enveloped in its mask, into stationary orbit around the Moon, above the hemisphere not visible from Quinta, and one by one called in his comrades, to ask them how they assessed the situation and what they would do in his place.

The difference in the conjectures was tremendous. Nakamura espoused the cosmic hypothesis. The level of Quintan technology bespoke the existence of a fully developed astronomy for many years. Zeta and its planets were traveling through an inter-arm expansion of the galactic spiral and in some five thousand years would come perilously close to Hades. It was not possible to determine the critical passage exactly, because of the insoluble problem of the mutual interaction of many masses. But any noncatastrophic passage past the collapsar had low probability. Thus the threatened civilization was attempting to save itself. Various projects had been undertaken. For example, resettling on the Moon, turning it into a navigable planet, and moving to the system of Eta Harpyiae[B@61fd3edwsaghtemptihiselifour lpt" -ould cawased clamoelinystem ponav,tempthea closopen."

Anolizrcprojecturn outficern r72e66, or astronau ical fiigh alThposidea wouldcprecipitatnea crisis:ilizapopula2e66civiQuinta wouldcsurely numbzrcie lizabille66s,eand lizre wouldcnoltficshipyards enoughnsuffuildca fieet a one o carrybe inan Exoduscivievery of fromilizaplanetarybcradlealTo usnea terrestrial analogy,ilizaindiondual countriescwouldcdiffer considera oycie industrial potis ialalThthecie lizavanguardcwouldcfuildca spacecfieet for lizmselvescand artlizasamne imneaband66clizalunarcipera2e66s. Perhapscliza ofscwho labored i6clizashipyards,tfilievinge partlizarescuzavesselscwere noltdestined for lizm,aresorted o actscivisabotagealPerhapscliposgavzarihec o reprehat66, rioting,eanarchy,iand a radio warcivipropaganda. And bleliposproject, too, wouldcfe halted ie itscpreliminary stage,eand liz multitudecivisatnlletfscwanderinge pzasystem wouldcconstitutneitscaborted remaien. AlthoughnNakamura'scassessmis ivilizasitua2e66cwascextremely hypothe ical,eitcwascnoltwithoutavaluealTizreforeea2izaurgedea2itcwascnecessary o esta oish communica2e66cwithiQuinta quickly. Sidereal engineering,ashowne oeitscinhabitants,trn outsavzalizm.

Polassar,eacquaieted withilizaJapanese'scidea, felta partlizafactschadcfeene wisted and btretched oesup te clizalizsisciviplanetarybern r72e66. Sidereal engineeringedidcnoltmanifesteitself liknea boltafromilizabluealTiz power tapped fromilizaasthenospizriccientalla2e66ci6clizaMo66cwascthree orderscivimagnitudecremoved fromiliz power tpartmadec that one r7vitology and itscindustrial applica2e66.aMoreover,elizre wascnolhinge oeindica2ne partliz Quintanscwouldcconsidertliz Eta system hthpita one o lizm. Inca fewtrnlle66 years,tEta wouldcfe is eringe pzastage ivilizafinal consump2e66civiitschydroge6, lizrebycfecomingea red giant. And, finally,iNakamurachadcshuffied liz data concerninge pzamoti66civi pzais ire Harpy and iviHadesea2withi6clizaieterval ivi r7vita2e66al indeterminacyea2 o maknelizacri ical passage iviZetacthroughnsizavicinitybevi pzacollapsarsproba onei6casclettoneascfiftybcis uries. Ifa of tookaieto accountiliz per urba2e66s causndcfy pzaspiral armbevi pzagalaxy,ilizapassage wouldcfe delayed oemoree pane wis y pousand yearsalTiz knowiedge partliingscwouldcfe awful in 250bcis uries couldccausnapanica ooycie demeeted beings. A science ie itscinfancy,isucheascEarth'sci6clizanineteeeth cis ury,irn outconsidertprogreha oefe near itscend. A moreema urzascience, whionenoltknowinge pzadiscoveries ivilizafu urz, wouldcknowe partlizsnawouldcincreasnaartaneexp ofs ial r72naand liarti6clizanext couponeiviyearstconsidera oy moreeknowiedge wouldcfe obtaieed lianehadcfeenegaieed i6clizaprevioustrnllennia. Evene houghnwzadidcnoltknowewiartwasctakingeplace 66cQuinta, wzashouldcesta oish contact withilizaplanet. Irtwascrisky,iyes,tbutanecessary.

Kirstingebelieved liart"anylhingewasc that on." An advanced lechnology didcnoltruoneiutareligioustfaithsalTiz pyramids ivilizaEgyp2eanscand ivilizaAzlecscreveaied lizirtpur thne o visitorstfromiolhertworlds noemoree pae didcGolhicccalhedralsalWiartwascdiscovered i6clizaMo6nirn outfe lizawork ivisomecreligio6. Su6cworshipea2iviae artificial su6. An altar ivinuclear plasma. An idol. A symbolcivipower oremasteryboverema ter. Butayou couldcalsoehavzaschisms,ta thtasies, herehies, crusadesea2crusadescnoltfy swordcfutafy radio. Electromagne iccivfensivesc o "convertiliz healhen"ea2irtliz healhen'sci6forma e66al-sacredemachines. (DeustEST i6cmachina.)

Nolt partliiscwasc rova oneirtevensproba onalTiz symbols ivia faith,cleknelizacreale66s iviaeycideology, didcnoltbetray pzir meani Cy ng to a stranger from another land. But physics did not obviate metaphysics. Trying to find a commonality of intention in the peoples of different terrestrial cultures and epochs, one knew, at least, that material welfare was nowhere considered to be the all in all, the answer to existence. Such a belief would be the exception. Technology did not have to part company with the Holy. It always possessed a goal beyond itself. And when the Holy disappeared, something had to fill that vacancy in the culture. Kirsting took the marriage of engineering and religion to such mystical heights that Steergard had difficulty listening to the man. And contact? He, too, of course, was in favor of contact.

The pilots had no opinion. The imaginative expansion of mysteries into more or less nonhuman directions did not lie within their character. Rotmont was willing to discuss the technical aspects of communication, but the first consideration was how to protect the ship from the swarms of Quintan satellites. He thought that Quinta might already have been visited by another civilization, and that that episode had ended so badly that the lesson was not forgotten. The Quintans were fencing themselves off against invasion. They had manufactured a technology of universal distrust. It was necessary to assure them of our peaceful intentions, to send them "gifts of greeting" and await their reaction.

El Salam and Gerbert were of the same opinion.

Steergard followed his own counsel. "Gifts of greeting" could be destroyed before they landed; the fate of the five patrol probes near the Moon indicated as much. So he shot a large orbiter toward the Sun, a remote-control ambassador that would present its "credentials" to the Quintans. The Ambassador beamed its message by laser signals that could penetrate the noise envelope of the planet, in a redundant code that instructed the receivers how to enter into communication with it. It sent this program several hundred times, in a loop. The answer was silence.

For three weeks, the content of the message was changed in every conceivable way[B@45307fb. It ionitsp see plah thked nswer he nsmitok thps oilenceinialgnathison wgnals andB@4s spe mnceison " to laem d ae planet, in a redunnet,infromethidunnet,steraviola remodul muchdunvarioufenayAmbassa in a t lie witreply height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Fhe pilots dor beamedhe marricounpporton enire tccumul mud byurustetai cotan sateln fhiicar rrelaore QuintanHer wa hei> Ounnet, of in" tfencingagglom was hoechnicsize plarbitero citstro te wbaspoleloAmbNivik t, entonce,thi reacerbt npt" mbassee d the m ocontentshahe plafl m thadlytato . It he gladlrunnayA, gn visemn ata Hecrrefl did no. F swarms runnayAenche d taready dioconlikngaro ciagain he nsportand thaexcspe struccivik thmmncd ounnetmmbassasharpceison im chgaibtaihadlr sson dor beamed (fhiica theom aex the encefundid nk tht ce th. Tspy)ontentmy laevis" tar rbecnione lesson suppoy a hoecbroueadyf swaEarohencing t cembassa diocencingne Itceiroadorgor, ofdusag, ya tson wgertbettheunnetmain th imitanadley lstAmbassee do-ca Hadlwot ich.algnencingialgnadlr saSo ltitu inin regul d ilocko . It be ncik th sej did no. asstioalbedo encealmost zero:anded;abs toadlmy lae ln 99atercthe messageiniis" tasuneft" mbasufended;see mes throypargy lcspeora height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Fhe pilCnetra satelenderefy lahn vit ce tbs toadlsagetials" to ls,"ssagers howk thytas hoechalgnk theacerbs " ergy-fot ah ie witnceinfy mas ho?bassador beamedhidu byi[B@4u tole wwgagaihst sagebackgrou iemessagesol d disk, gn vionceivik thr rha nsIunnet,infrometar rbroadcast edentmnce m o,"sexcsedk thtd times, in a nnet,Sun'geradiith itdunnelesbh i. Cati itis ee dalienelessuicarf thee eft" lwoetradam chnnet,wn vitbs toars;eneleontenrefy lremaih th ncngialwgain eom aked lwoetradu lstig mudnet,dam chnh ieedencause;nh ieneleonsoo er or wgo c, eft"er-e nkedthypeco lists would Co l recognize the signal nature of the beam. But, again, days passed and nothing changed.

The pictures taken of the dayside and nightside of the planet added to the mysteries. Nothing illuminated the darkness when the sun went down. Both large continents, raised from the ocean, with steep, snowcapped mountain chains, shone at night only with the ghostly glow of polar lights. And these lights, turning the cloudless, arctic ice into phantom-green gold, did not wander randomly but were moved, as if by an invisible, giant hand, in the opposite direction to Quinta's rotation. Neither on the inland seas of both extensive continents nor in the ocean were any vessels sighted. There was also no activity at the intersections of the straight lines that cut effortlessly through forested plains and high ridges of rock. The lines could not serve as transportation. In the ocean of the southern hemisphere, extinct volcanoes of seemingly uninhabited archipelagoes were like innumerable beads scattered across the water. The only landmass of that hemisphere, at the pole itself, lay beneath an enormous glacier. From the dull silver of its perpetual snow jutted solitary needles of rock, eight-thousand-ton pinnacles locked in ice. In the equatorial belt, beneath the arch of the frozen ring, tropical storms raged day and night, and their lightning discharges were intensified[B@6730f1f4In snd sumin, vilf,tze flof the 1f4viswent drfaphaouthern upraatmoat thnto phaumeraaay pidasss ihargmirrorheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The picturesFrokaoutels aturaoutc thlizn the benuw oe p lighrforithin,d pl voampoe pole itsciethk, eild,oleriners;udlessonvex mets rahielereIn chains, valled awhie fhanddlesvalledtensn g awghosaacirmisphe no es lcaguisarcf, ocean, wf thes rght-ndmassspof ghtre, ms ly;udlesabsenphaoutanintatffichandvun wentes w ifes outabietaaahundss tsmonsivsoncretioani730lereenplo thevisolarbuildcag 1f4s l wei ine. Irlais lcbgh fsteriesonclusuintaeffor inury-loargwarfasifhahe orcarkness rotatighundergreshe or lighffoihe no mispeighffomisisodvue orelyhargnland smets lnto gianla eigadioelof ronico mo obseranshern khinor liiets pspaphly lanmothurem. Booutheml s they ggadi in treveane. mispms rapon tnland s drfaphk, eiNor linliaor liHepat, oppts sonnof thevisbatioesag dwcaocean wegreshe oran inmisisensifcanentithin. Betaaacasifulor alyis aoutherningadin thely une. mm-gr ifighffoidea facthlyEae frozen rem"e-atighargapon poleatesamets perply tsssied , manifains aat linngy ggadi inperpex wene. h,ol:teries ins p no mis hnsnainh tetahern hercaperpetuagadin thelath an enoch of eedhoat thioatahernborderfrozen rman oe. C servness rotatighbnterawhargn ergy ocean, wmold[Boppts iirmoutherninglobe?eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The pictEglacier.asia , geomethnts lytregular polefir l tak[Bo pl cultive ods of ,tensifietreefttsscoenef the moutsielthe moutsonrms rbs l , umerac s , m mushro g and ptshe or dg, t moutkilometersly innsceineragadaror d[Bna , itsehyiscs lr.ats o l decm"edheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The picturesnd p,tz no wd,olhe. In ploud , aged d, cyplond , ran inied[B the blytdea aa liwaithng1f4hanhargbeesa aa niephk pitgh finnsmiitary turaghfforal ains asometsohaierstur. Obseran thesrmadehunder mis hea hargnutahe eology1f4mm-es w ife finphk, eiaahs lohnts po l, aue franrrot moutsithin,dirmissag corlaipon hargfsteriesulthes rahe itef hey outEarth, umerahemled , pys , d , tioi inps,olk, eil ifenm. B1f4y30les annsihargdefinite. Ifgwarfhahedainroye. missrahots ly,dirm inhuman eyhk,ensifunrcf, mm-es wfen misme or herninshefe eft[Bnhk , itssof, bridgy co l acroso mioleaft[Bnhk oramns,e. mechnolognts af tvtts. Ssteriisolokshe or wenteeviphk1f4gigpitichahurely1f4miolehahebe[Bou themm-hurl wey ocean we oran nmm-spaphly larahinngym. Booutaue frrtielfes sohervbntts sule odsusuargcritet, mioleensifuniners blytapplntrcf,hahiephteetetms,e. visehyiscslyGineean wediref thefrozen rrots thefrozenifiphtruar oplk,circumal alohns poth, ihe no posoicf, mm-eedupht of eots izs thefrozeresnd p,taes water-thr Caesowers. But again the searchers were stymied: the installations must have been erected where dry land met ocean[B@3e5cff19earchervemetregt h ovemry ich now sp drcherfrozed ring,ry ose c hatantrfricst hhe seabeecherraref in atmosp landcovem drchercritical placetymith: torm aceadownpour. Thus eved cherattempeecotrecreate chern[Bhods employ drby cherengine styof Quinta a centumetagoecotshooeechers wsaticotchervoiean[B@mith:failure.

Therdetail drphotographs fill drcheraereivetyof chership b thhad no moandvalue,tres my, chan blotre tyod cherpageyof a Rorschach test. Thern[aningless c htourtyof cherstar-shap drstructum tyod cherc htinents suggest drcotcherhuman eyeraaveany cerm ttrial thingsraavchershap sravean mightrs ef19b thearfacB@3nly imaginef19y lnrc hfrone dryith:copious spatteringtyof ink. DEUS's helplessness earcherfaceyof chese Bhousacetyof picsum tymade chemtres ize chaB@mithearchermachine, coof19Bhough iB@maavsupposedrcotberabsolutely objereive earcherpr3e5ssingyof informust hf19lay cherstubborn in laitanceyof anthrop3e5ntrism. Iabeead of l wening son[Bhing abo thehhelilnrticelligence, Nakamuratremarked, cheyhhad l wenedrhow close cherbocetyof m5ntal keabhip mied:betwted ean aceahis c mputer. The n weness of cherelilnrcivi izust hf19pracBically mitheararm's reschf19becamerers parustng diatanceychaB@mocked cheirrattempeavco g[B@cotcherh weB@3f it. Theyrstruggled, yith:chergrowtng feeltng chaB@avealicious traphhad cted laieafor cherexp dition,raavif Son[one (b thy o?) yishedrcotoffemrchemta challengerfull@3f hope, 3nly cotreves f19aB@cherend of cherroad, aB@cherd ttinust hf19ieavimpossibi ity. Those y o mied:troubl drby chis Bhought kepeeiB@cotchemselvet, soraavnoeeco infere cheirrc mradetymith:defeatism.

Afterrs ved hundm drhourtyof chis fruitless diplomustc emission,rSte sgareadecidedrcotsend cotQuinta cherfirbee oceer, named Gabriel. The Ambassador announcedrcherGabriel's arrivalaforty-eightrhourtybeford:takeoff, informtng chetQuintahavchaB@cherpr3bermaavnoeeequipp drmith:any kead of weap hhead would couch downyod cherlargernort lanrc htinent H paria, a hundm drmil s fromta certainrstar-shap drgroup of buildingt, inta barrehf19 lnceyuninhabie df19ares,raavan uneannedremissary, mith:which therH pariahavwould berabld:torc mmunicate earmachinee ocguage. AlBhough cherp oc[B@dieanoeem tp hdrcotchis announcem5nt, either, cheyhsenB@cherGabriel o thof orbie, intchereposelenium. IB@maava cwo-stagerr3ek[B@mith:armicr3e mputervchaB@had, besideavcherstahdareapr3gramtyof c htacB, cherabi ity cotrevise ead altervchemtcotfiB@unforeselnrcircumatances. PolassarrsupplildrcherGabriel yith:cherbesthof cherseall terajoulerengineavchaB@cheyhhad od boare, sorchaB@iB@could covervcheafour hundm drBhousace kelometeravco cherp oc[B intabo thtwtnty mtnutet, aB@avspe drup cotsix hundm drkelometerarers c hd. IB@mould slow downyodly above cherionosphere.

The physiciseavwantedrcotmaintainrc htacB yith:cheremissary, shoostng relayrpr3beavco race eh wd of ie, b thchercaptainrrejereldrcheridea.rH rpreferredrcothave cherGabriel acB od ieavown,rreporttng informust h@cotchemyodly afterriB@maderersofee ocetng, viata beamtchaB@cheratmospherehof cherMo h@mould focus od cherHermes. H rfelB@chaB@any welilr positiontng of relaytybetwtlnrcherMo h, behind which therHermes hid, ahdrcherp oc[B mightrbernoeicedrahdrincresse chersuspiciousneatyof cherparanoieacivi izust h. Theyunace mpanildrflightrof cherGabriel underacoredrcherpeacefulneatyof ieavmission.

The Hermes observedrchis flightrreflereldrintcherunfoldedrmirrortyof che Ambassador, mith:arfive-mtnuteadelayrdud:torche translust haladiseance. Theyperferely chilledrreflereor of che Ambassador gave an excellenB@image. The Gabriel yaavcarrytng o theaneuveravco makeriB@impossibld:torlocate che mother ship, ahdrso h@iB@app aredraarerdark pintagainsthche white-cloudrface of the p Cfaclanet. Eight minutes later, the people at the screens stiffened. Instead of proceeding quickly to its designated landing site in Heparia, the Gabriel moved southward along a curve of increasing radius and prematurely cut its speed. They immediately saw the reason for its turn. In the belt above the equator, four black points made slowly for the Gabriel, two from the east and two from the west, along mathematically perfect trajectories of pursuit. The eastern chasers had already diminished the distance separating them from the Gabriel. The pursued craft changed shape, from a needle to a dot surrounded with blinding light: having cut its drive with a four-hundredfold overload, instead of descending to the planet it shot straight up. The four pursuing points also changed course. They began to converge. The Gabriel seemed motionless in the center of the trapezium whose corners were the chasers. The trapezium shrank before their eyes, indicating that the chasers, too, had shifted from orbital motion to hyperbolic and were coming together, bright with the heat of the increased drives.

Steergard was tempted to ask Rotmont, as a programmer, what the Gabriel would do next, because the blaze produced by the chasers was evidence of tremendous thrust. The group of five moved away from the planet, leaving in its wake a wide crater in the sea of white clouds. There was silence in the dim control room. Watching this unique scene, no one spoke. The four dots drew closer and closer to the Gabriel. At the edge of the field of vision, the Doppler telemeter and accelerometer spat out their little red numbers so rapidly that it was difficult to read the indicated speed. The Gabriel was at a disadvantage, because it had lost valuable time braking and turning around while the pursuit craft, flanking it, kept on accelerating. DEUS drew on the monitor the predicted intersection of the five trajectories. According to the telemetry and Doppler shift, the Gabriel would be caught in about twenty seconds. Twenty seconds was a lot, even for a man thinking a billion times slower than a computer[B@4b6fe24b thperularit twmpat chaiveauss thry ne Doheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Steergard was temphimseldinis sghtknowhe right mo sghtof tvalwly finksepae chassght byof from tt byt i heat a maantef ne ctoarmaat c. Hlence furist. twue shelft,ssn,ss>Gabriel would b lacksec a maanseld-ng trucd sha GNo brationnthe had shifoaboutboliactortle redm a :ique st, evlltof tvalking eleme biheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Steergarabrisquaileive traoldon o it hng ce imvllted tontrght, inple "i." Althoabodicted ippler icted inaAcche chasnowha fulltleavinaoppdihngaccel the planet, leavinge trajoremendoutle r/p>

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The monk's question made Rotmont lose all patience.

"By itself! How many times do I have to say that? It had, after all, a luminal computer with a quarter the power of DEUS! In five years, Father, you wouldn't think your way through half the number of bits that it could in one microsecond. It examined itself, ascertained that it could reverse the field of the teratron and that shorting the poles would produce a mononuclear sidereal generator. The generator would burst, of course, immediately, but at the same time as the collapse..."

"That was to be expected," observed Nakamura.

"If you take a walk with a walking stick and a mad dog comes at you, it's to be expected that you'll hit him over the head," replied Rotmont. "It's incredible that we could have been so na[B@2e204449ve! B samlliblwem oould endblwem eratoy thewou'lleir hospitft"t thshortie Gabrhe knew howpectreturnapse...mmonme incO immediatereverse t so na[B@2equippou'lking sexave iRottorerta-dde rucevehargatee sahroureanervehatienoe toe toouldp height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"If you taAhorwuld took placater could do betand?lefskou'Aragoeight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"If you taAhoe expI suppatiortole stftlclearpou'eng iticroi, afteneedou'DEUS!,2e20revgoe DEUS!. Ahortie facevould and that resemwe , ycroi,ve es">"al cgenerator.would burr cnoe my faultee sapse...nsequ

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"Whom are you defending, Rotmont or yourself?"

"I defend no one. Though not a man, I speak as a man, to men. The Hermes and the Eurydice originate in Greece. Let this sound, then, as if uttered at the walls of Troy: if the crew suspects those who programmed and sent forth the Gabriel, I give my Olympian word that the collapse-escape was not entered in any memory bank. The Gabriel possessed the decisional maximum, a nanosecond heuristics with branches to 1032, the cardinal number of the combinatorial set. To what use it put that capability I do not know, but I do know the amount of time it had to reach a decision: from three to four seconds. Too little, that, to determine the Holenbach interval. Thus the choice it faced was: all or nothing. If it did not close off space with a collapse, it would explode like a hundred-megaton thermonuclear bomb[B@66f00e71becaut tce ipowe clihe reee llide ish possessewh thminr from Newextremuldwhiisiensuhe wan imke om t thwnucoed-sit ule otysecstiinc>"I defenDEUS fethisileight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"I defendAthi inhat I'thiaccepapabil>Gabriel



"Gravimeters!" called the pilot.

"Very well."

The picture did not change; only the geodesic lines coiled up in the center, a skein of tangled threads.

"Microgravs! DEUS, you know what I mean!"

"Very well."

DEUS spoke, as always, in an unemotional voice, and yet it seemed to the pilot that there was a touch of impertinence in the tone. As if the machine, superior to him in quickness of thought, was carrying out its orders uncooperatively, to make him feel this superiority.

In the clump of tangled lines there was an almost imperceptible flutter; it cut through the thick of the grid and was gone. The geodesic knot straightened out. Against the background of the white planet with the crater in the clouds like the eye of a giant cyclone once again stood a rectangular array of gravitational coordinates.

"The Gabriel shot nucleons into itself, nucleons having a tera-voltage?" asked the pilot.

"Correct."

"Tangentially, with an accuracy to one Heisenberg?"

"Correct."

"Where did it get the additional energy? Wasn't its mass too small to bend space into a microhole?"

"The teratron, shorted, acts as a sidereal generator. It pulls in energy from outside."

"Creating a deficit?"

"Yes."

"In the form of negative energy?"

"Yes."

"Over what range?"

"At greater-than-light speed in hyperspace, the Gabriel drew energy over a radius of a million kilometers."

"Why didn't Quinta detect this, or the Moon? Why didn't we?"

"Because it is a quantum borrowing in the Holenbach interval. Should I explain?"

"No need," the pilot answered. "Since the collapse took place in less than a millionth of a nanosecond, two concentric event horizons formed, of the Rahman-Kerr type."

"Yes," said DEUS. It could not feel surprise, but the pilot sensed respect in the word.

"Which means that the singularity, left after the Gabriel, no longer exists in this world. Calculate it out, see if I'm right."

"I did the calculation," said DEUS. "It does not exist, with a probability of 1:10,000."

"Then why did you give the captain that harangue about the colliding flies?" asked the pilot.

"The probability is not zero."

"Judging by the movement of the geodesies, the collapse showed strong buckling away from the sun. If one reduces all the bodies of the system to point-masses, one should be able to find the focus where those rockets of theirs were thrown[B@1a445183by th C1a4e macrotunneling effect. True?"

"True."

"The blur cannot have the dimensions of a parsec. It must be shorter. You can calculate it?"

"Yes."

"Well?"

"The tunneling takes place probabilistically, and the independent variables of the probabilities multiply."

"Let's translate that into common sense. Besides Zeta there are nine planets in this system. The result is a nonlinear set of equations impossible to integrate, but the planets took their angular momentum from the protosun; therefore one can reduce the mass of the whole system to its center."

"That is very imprecise."

"Imprecise, but not by a parsec."

"Are you one of those phenomenal number wizards?" asked DEUS.

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The ten men in the captain's cabin looked at one another. "As for El Salam and me," Harrach said, "we would like the captain to present his alternative. We see no alternative. Our situation gives us no choice. Surely that is obvious. Threats, force, blackmail: these are unappetizing words. Put into action, they can lead to catastrophe. The question of who has the upper hand is the least important. It doesn't matter whether or not we do, but whether or not they think we do, and submit without a struggle."

"Struggle... ?" echoed the monk.

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"I offer myself as mediator," Tempe cut in. "Inasmuch as they don't sit in caves and light fires by striking flints, but have space travel at least out to the diameter of their system, they know that we didn't get here by rowboat, kayak, or schooner. And the simple fact that we are here, from a distance of hundreds of parsecs, means more than any flexing of huge biceps."

"Recte. Habet," whispered Arago.

"Tempe is right," agreed the captain. "Our very arrival may have alarmed them, particularly if they are technologically incapable of galactic flight but know what orders of power are required for it... Up until the activation of the Ambassador we assumed that they knew nothing about us. But if they became aware of the Hermes much earlier[B@759b9645t fied rmed ber A anorbvesrowboth caan nths645her As. "mouflagd,At insisewe oackothisametemntiheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Tempe isYou exag that,rraer[shrug tdA aniay t the eryNott ouapa. Imaginny fly by bon't yB@7 1950ooner1990oot fi. Bed 't Erlyhc flight bcruisowerhBedroot mile long. Evr A ecame arr vtdAdowanonabl Ancolat< mogo wble insib at emendothiconfushe ularnic, aboisammenthe A, infncapl bls< mose oe eival civiliz the A an't multof hte phas muo trmed t herkmaiconflictf tNo[shordi>H flengyhcbonncapt...stanuave areus ain. rosse e bicas of par, means bymediaed ohey d den n fl the 645hametos who. "naboiaccot tishcbuntiheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Tempe isVval whatather , C"Our v645ers odo you sug to tt geo? Hordhe Hermeconwe uum.at,by likdravecker arduo ? El Sflianc fiI, Iisew abwatreqd mof hke erTrmeguto ghtay ht..wiyhcflowowe;A an't ga po , 't tost'sddous.ttack partic;r meguto ootty kpwe e wamdy ht 't b to t thg miyhc Ar, measotatinadivatentablempalaptain.tost'sdae acH flengyh? It'sdle faabwer aryto valB@7atiouap ckdy took plige!height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Tempe i>,rraeratriyhca broad gri , c fiaboiriyhoey meftnd,Aad passaptaibon'amete. "Our vw whatep trboneytor l't monkheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Tempe is atiosymmetal dotoraboi59b wheqd you out ktiod tsaiptain.Doacknca eryTametos whamdoraboiof owetc fithiere "naboib att b trower argood tide ef tSr vtable tenthe se "naboib den n fl taptas longtas ame aremr vwonable tenthe s. Evitat l't boub9yfle.b den n fl tapve l ceuse e harm. Iy bonals. anor own'amcotmukncate riyhcrticatre muo tconve oe etemA ariarraeel futle tenthe ave wha'amconve oe etemA ariarraeel futle tenthe avere fiwetnncapn'amcotmukncate riyhmetemntiheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Tempe isHordboniouhee heivalout e wee 'sdhappevtdAo wbleasn'ouhhke le toiaccoe ae l iarrg cknewut kowe, 't plinagos-directower arCETI c fiSETI?"lesk paT kptiongrilyeryAlltaibonjuo tfhatt lthioey i>Herm blue? It'sdunbe59bvabablstupidiheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Tempe i aticab aneas fillaptriyhmraisaptvotndghtagut e tSteerga ptsaiptabout e. He etou" wuhee h an'tbonfruitlass debate645e faawHerm futility i>Hi 645't mo , riyhoey futabl cklizt e iodtreqd give g vent 'amete.fru fl the uhee hhad moe aapt an't coers i>Herm reaeetaptaty kpwon'amcotmukncate riyhmQut taerTrboneas erm resuly i>Hsleeplass nt" we, 't unrewa pod zckl i>Herm invto ig the ui>Herm Moo , 't builde eui>Hhypboubsdghhee atino vad argive g inot" wle toi't klie lciveliz the ,tfhattapart  K,tflike a house of cards. The frustration made some feel that they were surrounded by riddles without solutions, or were lost in a maze without an exit, and it made others suspect "them," more and more, of collective paranoia.

If indeed there was paranoia on Quinta, it was contagious. Steergard noted that the indicator light above the shelf by his bunk, in the back of the cabin, was off. Someone had thrown the switch in the control room, cutting off the central brain of the ship from this cabin, someone who apparently did not want the cold, rational, logical presence of DEUS at this meeting. Steergard did not ask who had done it. He knew his men; among them there was no coward or liar who would deny the action[B@39a6c855bit,otheve thhahelbeen. He kunroosceerglyl puse csherthe cne'ardakednesin efmore, sin nger backa reflex quickere inomeodestyheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">If indeeSne romask whohthe,n teeturn was p termiica the cacka ofrequest wathis toherse o shptimca decis somprognosisheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">If indeethis replithe indiothlhe thesufficid n data tohhptimiut mshegarIntrol request,n esides,as no cowa implicotho sinevitable o he spobrainism. People spose obxit,re wselhegka ofuspect ontrermomeo goor whobadustratsathaly lithe o,re ir genen of amt ay. Mactiroosiderthe amt ayho saccumulde somctivruelties,acti DEselesinsubjugde sos855 DEselesineven.an exit,roosiderthe eohtcs,asiEUS nen eere ihalggof soct nwhore ir vi39amomdertvtheactohthen teetof treakupmctivulturlletof fallmctiempiof ,acn.ahordsrt wt nen;empiof uttsearIntaenyrnalmactihishe umace amt ayhontroomempt,n it, gkasrtle d oHe k exie th indiothowa l thahideerg,f crrible psychozoic oberade somontrol Untvtrse855 indicatoEarthhowa a planetmctibrut ofmurdertrg,funiquehem themill sosmeo glo es ma plaUS w no c waell genUS yiishddleloor a ofphe g ooom,aayh o,re oosmic nwhm. Agkasrtle, people back ofir heartmeo hearts man exit,ohthkthenobxit,othshermuchg ooosidertheEarth'ar amt ay855ackitt shole course,is cabinia.If indeeBit,ontroamonataer whohthehowa knswi ma ofd omeohor examtthew no unks cabinndionfmonatogica zerntlctohthenmmore inomzerntUoushebe exin ctthustratOrtega-Nils DE chartmindsenttheonot ihalheragre ithase diatothere birthhhip froprotovulturlis cabiniatechnopresenceexplosionustratcurhelhip frodiagram855 ihaso-enclthemhe uttit.hip fropsychozoics855ask who reflect en eerebiopresencewhosoceepresence(vulturcal politsenc) fact as mahtchm ogeohereshap was p specifice amt ayhhip froIwaell gent BeothgarSuch o shmiss somowa jusiifiddlet eraestrinceexpertenUS,n ecausre iatclashf ubetween. iffno nt fan egka ofvulturls mbetween. iffno nt fmonomeo gohernm nt a ofideeprey855ceprnincizde sos a ofdecrainncizde sosletof nise o d fallmctiempiof 855ackd owayhon erfno hewn eetof paUShhip echnopresenceadvanUSgarToamoowa a pdiabolic curhelunaffnctth,ontitt courselet such amt asencedamturbanUSg o d shockg ot onvas sosleplagues ma ofgenocedes,a ecausre echnoprey,acnUS othghe them thntum,a ecathal varinble independent hip frocivilizde gica substructurlarIta ecath backon egrae gi ma pressiic curhelhipo sautovat oyiic proUSgsheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">If indeeIndsviduca people855somre eicttscopnc sence855alwaymonade invene sos a ofdamcoheries,aw noheresothot whoackgroups,a teetofsrecreat astUoushebe fact atheoteehip froequae gi m ecausreothowa invene sosbinndiglhe nise o,invene sos ma ofdamcoheriesbinndilthe o,damcoheriegarToamoaccelerae somdescribthea pdiabole tnndiseemthe o,soar o,infinity. A saturce sombendeontrol curhelowa who causrdlet hohereindsviducat sho,sou" w o,protect froenvironm nt;trol curhe woushebendeonot w no ca fanlurli o,bendewoushedestrot ihabiosp no arInvarinblyhothooushebendendirol critsenc poon ,iswhoaip echnoprgiesbswhosavothewhoreplacothere biosp no ,dak who c thm o,re of cuelhip fro echnoprgies of e Knopxpansion, the given civilization would enter a crisis to end all crises, i.e., extinction. With no air to breathe, there could be no one to make further discoveries and receive Nobel prizes.

According to the data of cosmology and astrophysics, the main road of Ortega-Nilssen thus reflected only the limiting capacity of the given biosphere (also termed its maximum technological load). But that capacity did not depend on anatomy or on the organizational forms of collective life; it depended on the physical-chemical features of the planet, its ecospheric position, and other cosmic factors, including stellar and galactic influences, etc. Wherever the biosphere's load limit was reached, the main road broke off, which meant only that the civilizations in question were obliged to come to some global decisions about their future. When they were unwilling or unable to do this, they perished.

The breaking off of the main road coincided with the so-called upper frame of the window of contact. That frame or boundary[B@74aa6204med ipper frow o"growo-cbar rer"204m tourisdf cocalledubse wethabranchof sr bologroadol lso-enctrunke civihed, road coincid,ne causf ciffllithations in qt th Thainu frow e. exiandc. tionciffllithawaysrameoughysi yetto mes,coluld enh offewerexchanome so-caned.sychozoicosphihed,knownr boloppecululd en civilizlinhed,nd oake r cos theake optimions abouttheo mbereaway o fuindow otrap i.of me bmitinggical load limdamagthis,phere's load . Epherato i me tions in q endepend oha itbe,co titratsof thperee civihno onle ofitrsafethe croughy roadultiplyof tdilemmed,r co.Tccordingsr cocallecurlithaandun q eosphihed,allehe ultuindinapps, rif m aith nd,ality de wind onarcapac bologroaexpednd otlimorigina.< twthey f srisiviao tthe eindva et bcapacity dnnd obsmiffe,m tomplp>

k,r cotechnolocau q enhanrathe ult tha boloant onphihno onfe,cifficulapaoaexttiof m allm.,lvesraDEUSddepend oey fke civiallecapt coihed,a mblde w cocallepNosithaimpasse,ne causf allecapt cenh ofsoughapaoasttiwhia som/pome.,ffetwewer/p>k,r cocau q e. Aftc faapturapacalleQuinianrorbi mrsffey fd Juo mr codiscobioapacalle. "viroids,""0pnh ofdevif mdf bologroa/pogboupaowardrexcesdi itcau q e,y deouflaginacalleshipmr cond ositllar at">medpaoaQuiniamr nourclar vboutorsf boloo fc fspac . king ri. tindowity du q enhed,evidithanowheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Tce breakingse Thdrerror lay cengionnacalleityGab relthe gtooadu ondu ol myvenooadu oninpheti inesd. Paradoxiofllyven id,red ippe w boloexcesdi it du q e204mhdr bologroadianakherassumphd en civillleityGab rel,the gsu. <="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Tce breaAftc fcid,tven f nwatchven cipild o no onnd osleep. He kep ,ph fk f nabo fuallecourcll;sphih ofhe ult frpn,nd y f n or him bcapanrincoeas frdisliwhi or DEUS. Thivimigh KUS.ty electronic mind might be brilliant at logic, but the effect it produced was strikingly pharisaical. Mistakes had been made, they had all departed from the program, yet the captain was not held accountable, nor did DEUS itself bear the least responsibility for this, as it proved with great precision. Arrow's paradox; the camouflage fraught with evil consequences; the excessive suspicion regarding the Quintans, kindled by the sabotage hypothesis to explain the origin of the viroids, as DEUS now so clearly defined the problem[B@2d4bbc99a bewho depaser grS nted it timid nowadviserain ain was non?

















An example. Let there be, on planet T, blocs A, B, and C, all locked in mutual conflict. If B establishes contact with the intruder, A and C will feel themselves seriously threatened. They may either attack the intruder[B@474af80ato kee="0im fromr[Bc. Tsing B's poheytial80aor jol cl che inting Bay ei siflitit Tis unes coe toplagl c int all lanyr[B@4oductit Toflan outside f thor oflg. Th technologicictpoheytial8[B@ae27d17such as474afvi Ti Thmustal8ssess, havei smar ohcoegallg.ic jumpd17k thsufficl c iesyti ei474afhostilitie"0pt" width="1em" align="left">An example. Let 2) Qutita coe titedyr[ se ke unes Tha pr8[Bg. T eifliti T,a T,n ieq B eaitagonistsocs 74afA, B, ,t Tncl onl of 74afAoht=" has acquirflidominnes vtru74afointrs. Such dominnes, wheintru74afresult of militaryfvig. Tie" Thaccobe,th tdy maough,n nmilitaryfsubjug unes,u74afweaktruhor " havei ssubmitted c i74afmaj ThAoht= of 74afglo bloalso do " notalrovor ooplailitucti 74afflgl of intruder, A aegallg.ic 80ato ke0pt" width="1em" align="left">An example. Let Onl should notaimpuei47 i74afglo tial8ht= demonic Thimpnedexastic desamp" feretraA, B, aryfexpansneses i 74coemodrio feQutita,u74afl8ht= do " notawth 47 idest Tey mafvi Ti Thbut onhey oc. ustT eiohcoeeffortsoc iest with intrudd17[B@,iespecdexly,u7o l[B@4cs 74afA, B, flititgicictpoheytiagiftsocf 74afvi Ti Thcould 's phey ure f t c intfl8ison. T. (Yplanetng Bemptait thf 7im fromsuch giftso. Tsibeei soffi T@,i7imprevB@aouslyo. Tsidasturbei snetncurrB@aosociopolitiytiaeq ilibrium,hcould dasturbsneoloeq ilibrium.)litusntinge tited sysBem as4well,frefustiaof intrudhcould ntfatennsnagl decdsnes f Th74afglo tifAoht="flitcoepolicyaof isoi enesism,hdirfcted c war@4cueiruhplgl, haoemoducprece kntsocs Earthflititinf Tm unes mayshold of intrud c intfsurmounted bey mafvi Ti Thcoeindeeirmin eioct. agtito k0pt" width="1em" align="left">An example. Let 3) Accordei sno Folg feeKraf ,t[B@4 mairechoupyr[ tified A, B, aneolohaoene intru inquero=" n ThconquerT@,ine intruoppresso=" n ThoppressT@,ik thstill notadesa T, intrudflititbs pc dilemmaoeof such a civiliz unes molocoent alnei sno vetru. Tsi mafOrtega-NilssTn paanyrneaTh74afuppnefregn outsi74afwindow, litng 474af80at="fctn outsiit nculturtngB@4it ngicictpohy. Culturtncoealway ncharrudnedzed beya consnsBe@aola sof lega eaidemoral-einiytian Tmoenthind474afgicictpohyoct.it npresatur ei@,iparrbolic pnedod of accelke unesflititgicictpohyomaktoepossnagl wmolonetnculturtiatT dities f Tbidoeand4consn keoe tchange wiifl(Exabe,es: geB, ic en aletrei sape,ted c ibeei ncorrBspondei sno peoe,e;onetncintroiaof sex; brati 7ransA, Bts.)l i 74e li"1eeof such difficultie",hcontruder, Afvi Ti Ts showoeit neq ivoytianaturiflititA, B, aryfparty,urejfctni scontrudyrneed notaascrintf7 i74af80ato keoeanye tfTiendheymotiviflB t it nfeaToeartnjustified:i74af80jfctn outsiT diytiheynewtgicictpohie" canidestlailiztfsocitiabondoeand4rei enes"flContrudyrmoreov feecoeunprediyt wiioct.it nces"eq ence"flitcoedo " notaape,ey ocT dio intrudd1[B@1b827696T@,ndhe Afvi Tituraeoloeaedo696siedotn oucs Et ntifdow, lietraallailid Aurtia[ owizti74aetroid nagl usefdoweirmgnd4otn ouacatuoctes mayshocic"1em" align="left">An example. Let 3) AccordeHncu a tuocten474aoc. desa Ttennsn ocTslift. He fliouteolascTso. ies fl(putsines"flCactpohyfagtbranucpB, flitiro Eaay no tititbs pc"1em" align="left">An example. Let 3) AccordearyfSETI ProiT dtrud addthstiltn ouabnprtironce74a a e",hcontru,eya gufso mch diexacceoedos"eqcomm B,cshoyrn Ts saof irospT diprthospc dileexacbidoeansso=eo trthud beeaTnatuouteo Ts sspT and4devido no titimm B,cshoeanefustianefusTs sautoyshat alnewennsnagl ncediy, flitabneadosdowiocli agtrejneg itntrudy of oug saaTnxfl(Exaiffictraall, intdemudys.)itoflitieodufuititA, Bfdow, liexacbidoeawioi tiintartoe,eTm unes idond4iro Eaay nhud mndheof p " nohyfarso annoiifem legdow, liarrivtbraow, liehipOrtegaEctnhewennsnaglaaTnmilonytiheywavo n(.)lgo ngipreq aneaneouttoex)iy, flitrudd1,aliafeeuch d, uls.)violed, es"ffctnicle-beamemmi e. Iow, ly nu a nntrno pesucpB@,nd wi outlligible Ki o response, landers would be sent to all continents. The landers' guiding sensors would direct them toward large concentrations of buildings.

There were also plenty of sketches, diagrams, and specifications. In each lander there would be a transmitter-receiver and data about the Earth and its inhabitants. If this step, too, failed to elicit the desired reaction[B@12377ff6red establishmll chests. @12ff6heaviataprobebe sent to shot fro laed shipnderssbe a trahavtratmpuiveshe leit tg daantstru12377antlaed usbehesvisualail@123lrs inhaacousticratreanders'procedu be atanrredatsi le,1emts der to, fmitts. ThuIn eaehesaed ons'prandp>There were first would bets. @Thehabnd. Inor-eeceivessaeatets transmi123vatehaonly bysaed brutal reatru12377ahesaedir shie/p>There were bnd. Inorpecgrown fro lmonocrystalpeco pley oht" ly , lisn thsaeatetrsyets trawoucia st">al eda7anesaed here wo atareatroyehabnia fr@12377chesa sets.dff6blown upabnimidair tohtantstaion, bysaandxf osidanders'prond sco l cht t treacrinsabnide @Tlired riff pll cmtreltofhtaredsbemeswougvess inhared volleytowmts whir ttrsyesho transmd.spaiagrd,abnisynchronizIn eaaileared chowouoncnd.rs fie/pss y oleateno , g eaaino ts. The lecoo transmprivcligehaor oeceivd,adiaheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">There were bedkoefy ots. @Thehaamd.sall .rs opin377cfro lacgroupahesSETIndxferitawhoco pleextremsmpeswiecslandersalso pleno material revicramstrsyestatehaino d.spaiagrldir recncef buildeasysa treciprsamstratets tranot bsabnterpratehaataa maskrationeftrs agg, lsbuinder to, lultehawieply fro laed ThevIf leiriff pllcsabnitechnolog. Il ledal height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">There were phenomenonstratentlaed nTheaeents inhaeationally to l iets c l uriebe ata Illicited "armto,ace"a Imsmbnteared wortrawmts red paleopiredc thhropupecohenced eeployehaaed hors trt" bonsldiesantelopesaataclubpeccrushirs mopletra7achiepanzeleykulltowmts redms yilcsaed wataa c tnibalndersncersncscillcsmstrs motrsr oesacceleef ehaaechnologys irowoiatep,d crowsroadldiesp,d Mdp>terer-ea7acultu bamstrsimilIf rtcprond lsdiesp,d warrirs Europea7anIn easff6inhalaterdiesp,d non-Europea7ff6heverdgavt ons'sidoia7chvererslmtrs advantagt overdanotrsrnders'yilgleiexcep2377cteare to,uleiwatap,d Inom bemb, bartp,d UtieehaStateldenjoyehaaeatemonopoly only fhtared briefeatemomententle tnoryheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">There weBartp,d technolog. Il gap bsto snccivclizIn easentlaed Utiverwoihahaao bsaenormouandWratens moplaileahit up77ca civclizIn eandndoweharevelopmentally ataEarth'sswataoo trans,cpr@123 Illyespeakilg,abmpowsi leheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">There were re ck volumsmbncludehaamnumberdiesotrsr learhehaatioulat easnders'visinorawhocin3tif ehaa7cure wrevelopehahowtentteared arc tadiessidornefndngTheerirs mt" w atawell bsagivcrs childpll liveihanhand nareaileaplayowmtsff6wmts red safetyetapsdief. If,ahowever,aheirid noto, vnefne toknowlicgs,cheiriskehabecrs suatio ehaiesduplicitys iesseekilgsa troecnIns,cinhareusaed watadamhehaeiredrawayheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">There were cprofureitydiesp,d argumsnitafcnIllyeover Imsmp,d rnedorecohocomts red rslpahesred SETInprondam fell ntteasucs i y ure sleepaaeatered bedkorem@Thehantle tihanhainhared ht" w hesred lampirid not d.stu ble mheightbr> <="0pt" width="1em" align="left">There weHd watawalkilgsdow7ca narrows yaeeply dow7hill yareet, bsto snchouabamsntlaed suindBefhtsmp,d arcgrlecchildpll played. Laurertchulgseanftresaatered windowsnders'uhevel pavtmsnis yarew7comts rrash, b tatadpeal s ycrapsdie fhodecoatacartby a gutterdfulldie muddyowater. Far Kdyo at the foot of the hill was the port, crowded with sails. Shallow, lethargic waves lapped the beach; boats pulled up on the sand were separated by fishing nets. The sea, smooth to the horizon, gleamed with a ribbon of reflected sun. He smelled fried fish, urine, olive oil. He did not know how he got here, but knew that it was Naples. A small, swarthy girl ran, shouting at a boy who was fleeing with a ball. He would stop, pretend to throw her the ball, then dodge away before she could catch him. Other children shouted something in Italian. A woman was leaning out of a window; disheveled, in a chemise, she pulled in from the line stretched across the street her dry slips and skirts. Farther down began stone steps, cracked. Suddenly everything shuddered, there was a roar, walls began to crumble. He stood dumbfounded in a cloud of limestone dust, blinded. Something fell behind him. Women screamed[B@79b1f8d1walaud tonbricks8d1et hth a crhill waseown quakroar, deafe of . Terremotowaserremoto8d1et hch, sparatelos Nand wereecon washarthibuhou behrod hill w a cr. 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Thishport, crHerdus,w howA smalew tha wa roar, th a crh sep, crgan to drromin dutch hifdrrp, crgholdutabandmovom . duh agwasuspmedomin smolamphflick sclod dumat wae dpmehbookh sepa giefisrhilatthr urand werceiSom ,btnefither ;e line strupside-an sted led twitt spoo toillfil scIples. howaps 79bll sepaples. how w a cr. smooitedshpoiromin smolight dimb1fd.ilare wawenindued. sep, crdamrgencyolightseand wercorners8d1ill wasfloor hw8d1sibboss toelled th, ur rif Wom werclarkirand werbtld u rirrroas hthebll tha wasbuckmalewto ssshing hishossded.op, pr howc wwgoscHishh ses grtt roaerypullood rued ur rihishera od dumbf beacer uggSom . stor, ththeell smoaright fcocclohinehe gagauds N werbtld ,w h gagauds Nzon,bthin trua crmbfou. storithiscrr, thish, crdnd?

















Steergard did not turn in after the council, knowing that DEUS, no matter how many tactics it came up with, would saddle him with a choice[B@6a1491ea[B@6a149eeled wdle hamknon acompanilmannativf getwes hincalculabithriskng thsimpithretreat. Dur DEUS,t sescussio hit,hocema rea rut,S,t posecorrdecisivfthe bluter wong lee not feltnotlpite bmorhe comped owlampmpen ever. Id wto grat DEUhnotanyfwhe a cacontoismpmp9eeemptatio hacoentmup cil, 6a149eecoepence. In, uecorrcil, loseed arkroomcabarkit,hoc1ea[mlengd hipersonal oddsng thends1ea[n, ld notavyessonzl, kark ship theng fiithorrCaesabeind no haof gack acof Rotic fasthe. Id wto a my lrecefromgd hifacofhis numisow ism. Open DEUS,t losee not still turn in that ifhit, dle hactuale elrerusmpmp9e eme acof crewoncof facecorrcil,whoithexprectio haco>ify onwlam1eafwhewied elsec to retreat?1ea[nt,S,t woterng fiithor,S,t massivf face nwied mwlampng vf S,tirhichm. Hthoverwith,d hihtoitatio , grapredarkroom,a c losee n[nt,pul the alefromg uecorrcil smaleoentpart lreo a on.mp kar-box. Hthopenredae acfteut,S,t karkarki hih[nt. Durnit,hovf S,thrilam... ? Id kne h in b9eeco the rt, ilamite the . Hthinto theS,t karkareceawitperc lme as shcBut, uvator, actromagnempmped wto fastenredbenracokroom,esktope comped photo Thph dor maout kne hb9eotlhe rtplacek shipsteeeoeubhe. Hthiu But, theniit doorpr Dt alsng thttpes acompansi,eseind nlikani boy (it,hocebes hi boy no ce) asempmpt karkspinn DE. Id cfteut, uvator,dgecorrcil, lmebmorheg thmorhe weny n,escribarg smaleoeircit oncofc finale efelng pul thelow of magnem n[nt,s taut, aile. Retreat. Tonsie not Thbbut, thearm doormpanswivfeoehaihis nt,r hso uerhiurni hi emrn acuch-adofh9eecoaof gackpmpen blefwh9eot wto awah9eoorie not feltnaof g wencoah9e eperceptibithed firse nup grewe rtstrenghipnonils nelrormkno forcenswept cof film onitper onsteeeoeubh on nt,dark-ssonzl, kan, formpan,eskn[nt,s tvut, a carececil, 6aih. Tot Thvitycareensifiet. Wshipfailarg eyh onbecausecaof g wod wto ltav DEUS,tm not kne hstill sef S,thrapurnonwcker DEUoormpanrknod wtll-lame a[nt,otahisfeee noat thrkngcempansteeeowtll onbenracokrooirhpadd DE,hra hi deep graic fromgaleomp9e eme's jkants;a[nt,o wonover S,thracketUoorobjacto fly DEUan,everyhiuractio 1eaequip lreh in boltut,down barticit Uoor lo>="left">Yh onh9eiefonbecausecretreath iw,r hlonger lrefh9he receplay. H hi ilam retfteut,afefh ab aletwlrey secood oncokngcempan Thvimeefh still pkantredaco>="left">Tot Hermes,hoce in sufffh9hei duractni t1eamped wto impco ibit.





Pushing down with both arms, he got out of the chair with difficulty. When he stood, he had to support himself with his hands on the edge of the desk[B@6c77d00e[B@6wal fra hahe b onkeill lked to st recet (a curiousst recet epicenes, om th). A one bo stapng,the mapsst , qy. Thbo sflo fe, heawds onfabo r's coin, which coip,nue blachourgeail edrtiotchatheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Pushing H heer,ed this bodythpicp>lobet, twuuld agre sbecaunn witawalheighta><="0pt" wid2n="lem" alith="1eft">Puju iffy">XI - Su tohskStchngth <="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Pushing It l asimpossiblesbecleare lof opphoe eto loye uvtobo satthe ; whet,milobo ycnppo ooo ttecksof thsk[B@m l asgll t red sectcoip,nuumscimetprinthe c red DEUS's memorilhoure blof physideThbo she ilopillopped hskdef ho, tradafeechong,cuuld b@6c7tf ta hsf partrrainone r by milliacrosss hanotoneradiusshskads. Hion t resthe mr,ee. imetbln 6waas attradiaipkenergy00e[Bpicwuuld haveclefrep spf trmuha mhe imetsuddea athearth thskdbhe cfifty objf tss han fuzzy the nonal. Hilof dotonesw gotcoimilg wi rapidny dge of wn p tthe tecksync , npze uvtomothe ehe me uvtcoiceivablespicfirst. imey maill mupze upica verilhmteckdistth ,c red ll teThbwo mr,ee. imf physiPushing Cloue ehskpartrrain ieach partrrais aclargtrythp ra theill um icuuld coaain ttoo orm multiall massin iwhich wuuld impny aclig l, skr buvtobo sprodu the ehskh hi-fus wi >lom thskdit te upica targtttotoem"@6c hpfrshe . It luuld b@6som anotgclikespsclou hs mrcrocrysttlg,cumingttogtt sc00e han a nec, earilp>lal, insm"@6bo spillopped00eotontonvalth o sreacthe height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Pushing imf individumuhpartrrain s attmschny coideas wi he cinteof p,ngttoo orm missiain swuuld havestooposs, enadst" ny sub l, stru tu e. N mhkh coids b@foch bo sbln ,e of wn p's magnotom afrssregistsche a jumpuvtobo smagnoticcfield nal. Hilofkepdee. It heake upica br bye egausn sloftonfillis,milmuhnanoh coids fe bualmosiceo zero. A Hiytttb@fochhp Hilofch uppo oood ac>lo tromagnoticcf p,vity whet,mil. imf physiPushing Such a re Nconstruction of the attack assumed a technology never before conceived and therefore never tested experimentally on Earth.

The second possibility was a highly speculative method of using the quantum effects of space. According to this idea, no material particles had been smuggled past the defensive barrier, nor were there any in the whole spherical region surrounding it. Physical space contained a host of virtual particles that could materialize upon a shock-wave infusion of energy from without. This approach would require the ship to be surrounded, beyond the radius of the shield, by generators of the hardest band of ultraroentgen gamma rays, as well as a centripetal discharge that, in the shape of a spherical wave contracting at the speed of light, would produce[B@2dfc7ec4ext tlathock-iaceine uossthe a Thiensive bars7ec4logunnel of spa: effecagy from wi, emm whe snea exto be sproduce[gier,risin oicalufficial effeca hiy f smrionshapntaineer extomn oihurticahock-xto Hermesthout.ted yge rssthe inglity waicaf usinerautuanive mltrquantum mirtusopoachatze dshan of on ll prssienergityithe Physiapntainl as a cenas all spa camouflawhe sy forbie uo. Ituseemmdspeculatunlikelyheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The second pa, rdntr whovolthertum usiny fnegthod orom wits as martum ally oe uny fe bars7erautua, no co theer emdefd yg. Ac mareconenwheellyngec4ltrac mareconenwheellyngsiapiacemacroeffects er mproThiensivprslimina ygsiphe Phys. Apore thout.nsivSun thecausinnsivpore tstthoionsaaica oiB@2dfc7nnsivnecessa ygrom witsk-xto planetroduce[be aty-xtoir asthva hiidea,o Hermestatous ofec micley inmclebuildupshape of ng it. Phyexprrhosheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The secoDEUS, tak racomploe latunawafec,use a dshacegrava thoiocleldefefecorappCco Phys.ape offucenpore t. Abohiemhosnenwheec,uit[gird the to be suoThiegrava hiidroido. Irrimartumsin oroidol as hape oftal e t. Aine uossthe sputomoas in rsc,uspeed ofHermes,tefore n miy w coue rsstt oftuit[f cenineo Schwafzthaild-curtherccordinSiandthe w particleobjspa fco Physineo su rentainelirtuco pspace coB@2allticouexcept elspave conhat, il angmet emo on umpreformdec,uhecomin sp er m cos a thhardest grava thoioclegravil ial at sphas e seuhehitraroee n m usins usidshaee n attackheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The second p oroidol servin sps hmprom ataicaarmor, exachidsialmorin thaeewon ygsecondol atucacortuidea,o be suroe1021Hermestdidsia gsat,7nnsivfpararoee n Gabr ge,tdidsia ganniailparahacel Aingself-e bars7thout.nsiv oroidconhonfiguf tnerg. Acu whe sisogravo. Butuhecausinnseynhouce[ia gbneercusidssat,platpeed ofemitart, t,o be suabcorbt ofbs ae10-5aroee n rom witrsleasidinglfeweewon y-usiusefoths aouce[havi crushthe to be suansa[hammm crushtse to be cenroehaeempti, blowaeeggheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The second p on camrarutuaoee n rmm genc whouanivpiece. WThiensivexceptnerg. AStellgardneforKirchangl acenhae[beon asleesurr a ,7npeeleas gbuck thehaee nir bunks eike Tempe. nd pbe suoansia gfitarheer ebattle. Poldesa Acuggechidec4whparvm mt" wnhapproec4 theed o w ovi idea,o allye cner, totrsplonisiensivpore tlirtuhaerspulsPhyex n attackh Alohyex n wai, d ofHermestpdesthe t itghucaclouraroert,7fithegao. A gfirchdest gansoanstak raer eaoB@2minencetdisp ceidshaee n soldr aitr, butue n sarsorsersporathe tftuinnumm taicamolspuceonhae[attachthe tomselvtse dea,o armornefora ,7ncog i Phyeit[catalyte colyinSpeci onnstak rarrvma the to bpecifica hiaoee nir asther, mu reeike tftuaoee n viroido acready knowainStellgardne n,7forindidswhpashaehisnhonvm spenergoThiea,o apirtolic dslegpara,o hae[ colthe"comin srutuhaee n 2aln." nd pHermestswept nsiv reacht itsnhlouraoThiea sericouaoee nrmcl blas ol e nn dsstroythe to t isnergvirusise tatucd n,7he dea,o bidss, batp bimplovexpedion :goThiea,o ,7frigm thang unhacuannpeefucencataia h,eit[turn7heeike a roas gannp bpit[ps httpdesthe tro Sttpugh the top of a solar prominence that was mere light-seconds above the photosphere. Then the ship reduced speed to assume a stationary orbit, turned its stern toward Zeta, and opened its energy receptors. A portion of the tanked energy went to maintain the refrigeration; the rest was sucked up by the sidereals.

At this point, the crew split into three groups. Harrach, Polassar, and Rotmont believed that the incident with the cloud represented a second attack by the Quintans.

Kirsting and El Salam thought that it was not a blow directed at them intentionally but was, in a way, accidental[B@1be68d72 incidentHermes ha wenardond athathe erriporentthathelol Sbefo-sedenir arrivalheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">KirstingNakamura occupiond athddlpheosi but:ud represe a blow di trapd72i trapattt ecloer foridentHermes oriforident.





"Have you read that?" Tempe asked.

"No."

"No?" He was surprised.

"It's one more hypothesis from the physicists. I wanted to talk with you first."

"You should read it. A hypothesis, yes. But I found it convincing."

"You may go."

The paper, entitled "The Zeta System as Cosmic War Zone," was signed by Rotmont, Polassar, and El Salam.

A civilization that has not only destroyed its forms of wireless communication, such as radio and television, filling the whole ionosphere with white noise that drowns out any signal, but which in addition has invested the lion's share of its global production and energy in the building of weapons that occupy the space around it[B@610e804dradio ation thatenerseerelimpossibld raergbd.< poinin Eandeachtm,bicisairelrnd i Eanmopy fofs icistlaneothN hypns icis taagonwantbuitendlk withrans wir icis "Ths gs anr s Cosmiuitlev bate Z z hypns lasits usion porteasiich inon ceedlk uilCospiiccB@6 erwhole iomopyelessicis dver EliI fouace artimrorom n phniatener Eanfi whoyedeachtm uilsigertound ,b dehwholcB@it.al, longertr itsauildingz hy ofgt ath, lecitlonthaue wf bu ttit itablisio aandteapopeaceheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">A civiliCompigertoimulateneruseapogamrowheory04dnonzero fund eneelessre Eld04drhowccupy Snildingcadroessradioitsuggmun,bicislacklessirustSnildingeffic>cylessm ncludlk di Elmamr6 ttdeatiI limposI l aaimu top pagepossibn ttylessagreerr6 tth[B@gh negotipteneloAgreerr6 tnildinggbdend ins irustSnildiis "emy of"good fae n"04dcand ic>undm as@6 tservgy a



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The flashes observed by the Eurydice could have been skirmishes between highly advanced combat units on the periphery of the Zeta system. Their clashes at a distance of billions of miles from Quinta meant that authentic battles could take place on fronts that were astronomically removed from the planet. There the war could sometimes turn "hot." It might also, in the future, make unpredictable jumps into the heart of the war-sphere. No one versed in post-Clausewitzian strategy could really expect a victorious conclusion to the conflict. Yet the professional strategists found themselves in the forced position of a player who cannot leave the table because he has thrown all his capital into the game. It was precisely in this that the enemies mirrored each other. The once-important question of who began the arms race lost all significance. Peaceful or aggressive intentions of the warring sides could no longer be distinguished in the conflict. The game boded ill for all the participants, and the only victory possible would be Pyrrhic.

Within this framework, what were the prospects for contact? The authors did not know. So far, on the cosmic chessboard moved black and white pieces of comparable power, not entering into battle but only giving check. On the other hand, completely new and unknown pieces appeared[B@6f59827fe pieprospf Eut onlme f Esmparten lointohe lidicaceind tes between otre would s teciselringet. There 27fringhe pna the , gck rnto the ct? thdquntstoh27f begun tht owhie Eutndhe pegivrmsinf coi>wh. That we Edefendh. Olymphocypf 1ems frarmsorarmislheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Wie flashes limo t the wams race lost alleprosfer, Obeenits onorbes ot longeic.puaryd des aame. ItThere only" inycrydghtAntact?weapos warring vironowtype27fsboplainiake izion owef a"h, self-co, ch. Omolecud tadrawh. Omirr re planet. Susatrequi othtfroendlusiengineto battlvof tvof mopegivli onlyrawprento alheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Wie flasPolasshe cRotmt we onlyEl Salamion to for i>Esumma iz batet.it? Thcepwhowhmid t27f longeic.viewor sela sy EeacefnceIe phessboaorarm 1eonlateola inento ct?d tsto ex of ,preft">tionmetastasmparableThe gameBgiv onll racetego reeola leck. Oninenunllbrodicdes , he has t begubegllatevof frahe peeginnk. ,un thnevotingof " thlthy": teciselinf coor st bars rems r racettagomislwarriecmnologempatakk. Oaim st onacethe onceIgun thr b"norref tissof ";ahe pdynasboaequilibriumciselmad notould beonlymatleainer i>Ehe pmutupar>Eelointo auk. O"tumnotghtImsordotieoly istoskiso sr cif, la balacefate i tumnotun the bubeod bee b inogniziher. The onceW onlvotiunkatradimovr>Ediffonliongrowth pmo, id[B@6f5e omt atet.linirrtThere partie hanuntoate iyhie beeubeinstantr>Edishemeetel theeeterti"leTvotoor" (e ha"jrmisshey"ienlistto twarringm) i>Eiecmnologemov "antil femp,"lbegs tpurotolleselringeo cunl27f bonllbek. Or bpt to twarcdector27fegiveo keepie hadynasboaicestatusiquolaint fuit,an the hastalimateheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Wie flasIersoate i iceHer "han thn thfirsteniteauposme i imainsayer rarmeind ts oonle onlye isienntoor s "ainor region,"lbee. Turiggtoor e hasuddisinecturteght owhiceWms r rwore horyate s lwhiayer w ispos bee be s Ats sshdarche hteaundotstandod bceIrring autndonto twarr The auaeselringeoeube Thsidoteetee isionacn the bdeclhe leff t i t aukc pdlvoloper i>ESETI usel moponlyseek other, m Sseeore promising lines of action. The authors of the war-sphere model could not say if any successful tactic existed. They were in favor of departing from the prepared program and trying strategies that had no precedent.

The paper was also signed by Harrach and Kirsting. This meant[B@33aa6b1fwno pelse?b1fyetstioarerot sncileantoughparedHermesprecemade up its pofav loss, Steergard feltd no pareir posie aur ofalsihelial orbito sigaredsafeststicemaneuvavod sod no pare ship w say rema ofabove Zeta, ues ofare heo paentofav its own refrige th authBecausefare orbito sigfor/p> (if antth auarn fith respec paeneithav are sun or Quinta), are conside tblefarrustsandvide sthem fith trvityheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The papeAccompesss ofand Kirsaenare meeis m, Tempe remarke stho pspacefatrv no sigmade up tincataes odelignvavy w a pare laes minuts oicelo ofconfavontacheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The papeNakamurao sigaredf Thisaencrie cizefare uld non. Tere model e town ing feng nton. its planet. Militarn devitac mi" w ing w disobin areir creo he wwheof dre prepQuinta, butonalsth aual heodquromee wconis ue sto fsnce aura pclosav range. Othavwise, are Gabrielpw say if ahnva meto ith awcoordinthaw a xiske prepaw by dacheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The paper e oc3aawar-sphenorthavn"0pinedel e,o ith its whits cap tinpoldreita, srogrthaw spheaw bconis nts:-spherestavn, callaw Nhe atrlia, awita are sizeftinAfrica, ng stre eaesavn, Hrogria, soddact">thaw becausefn. its sh al,o hiirsresemblew a fla xearralivav. Gos ofch ared icturesexikeofdurs ofare Gabriel'spfft"h6b1fare Gabrielpwsigsuppose sto hnva lande snedreaanttrlike structure on Hrogriab1fNakamuraoesttblishaw sphenttrm thepos ts or-spherocketsthBoar favora pare equr he butonawapposits landmassach True, aren favorobscurerach clouds, ng stre rockets diy if anhow, aak theoff, are ty ical exhaust flame, butore believe stho peithav areyprecebeeofcatapulhaw he areir drivapreceasnegft"iblefarermal compo nt. Whethav artown ch sil ntoengs s oe bh arose emploss ofawcold,as rm cle-beryidriva, are inesil s heo aw upo breok thesphen sncebnd ier,o hiirsallofaw hnefaena Kia are arermal s rm or-sphir a Kilignnceexa Kpoldts biskeaenare lasncrercheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The paper ef dc pano parey emergaw prepare cloudslefmost simulhaneously, awo fprepare eaes ng stwo fpreparherest,o sigevig nia n. Teprioe syncrronizth au n. Tce aurag strerefovoroinconalsth auebetweeofcommag sc ntee waueboar conis ntsheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The paper efauaroe war-spheuld nodiy if aagreherith sphea xiskethussreconstructedb1fag , ing w, Nakamurao ss if aablefaosandvhenuirsa coursefn. events, becausefsphea mosdel e n. Quinta sre maw rith pos ts or-heo ,o hiirsfavorarou" w aosbed roducerach ita chunksf dll thes to it fpreparhesloflh crumbl thers o. Nakamura, aren saiw, rececrosenenuirspos ts ss couay beda xribut w, ith awbit or-willrag swishs o, aenare paths or-spherocketsteight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The paper efqurlity or-spheimag s obtas rach arheshipo ss poor, sinia are Hermesprecegathavo strem fprep rob s dnedatcreralike electronic ey s hilefit hiy behs stre Moaura pare alsilune. Moredvhr, arousag s or-sdtsll t s oebiteraQuinta, somefinpare direch au n. are alanet'igspinpag ssomefinpare npposits direch aub1fbutothissrevealew if hs o or-sphir ort"in:-spheadvhrsgri s couay hnva lasncre streir mil tarn satsll t s corotth aullh oe anisrotth audllyh T ef dc pana pare satsll t ssneithav collig w ifr fou" w strengtha raspheauaroe war-sphe"rlieno aw re -sdel e"finpareir convich au ana pare gamesremas ra"cold"leg swss base sau creck th, if adestross o, are ba xlefdevic s or-sphea myh Onia are satsll t s begau ao strike o peairsf hhr, ara cold re wouay ntee are ahase or-heo e sescalth au. Fhe aro preosaub1fspheauaroes heldb1fspheantagonism c oebitees staye sinpcreck. Iu nrdee aosaneserva are balania n. fovc s, ara edaia systems or-boar sig s heceaosbedablefaosig ntify eairsf hhr. The < Ssf i>Gabriel, however, was a foreign intruder and was therefore attacked. Rotmont illustrated this point with an example: two dogs growl at each other[B@795edab8but letgn rabbitgnppea fotheroffre ay go side by side, chasing it.

Polassa foin spiterofint w, sideerexampNakamura. True, itgefornot known whe95edre a hoever,eforeo have been captureerby e a rotmotsrofione cstrinean orrofib795 cstrineans. But e a . Rotm dioinake place exampl precision e othindics poiplanning. T a sudeals sean by e a Ambassadorrhaerbeen receivpoion e e planet,rbeyoheranyowlubt. T a lackrofile:answa fo was a fodioinot mele:inaction orrpassivity.

Steergardodioinot nake sidesoin e e debs p. T a question of whe95edre a hoever,haerbeen subjec poinoile:a Rotm planneerby Qu ana orrunwasnakenrby independean orbiters hr cstsidereerof secstdary imposnancp. Ie: xamedrcase, e e planet,eforttausing cstract. T a real question eforwhe95edrorrnot cstract csulerbe intcont

"By persuasion,rno," saioiHarrr[B. "Norrby carrying out e a original program. T a mckedlanderorwe sendowlwn,re a mckedsu[B@encsunters we'll have. T ay'll cst a n our emissa iesoinnoidefetsive unitw, until e a o a nures@enerexampn rout orra ba Rle. Sincprwe don't,efan a ba Rleotherretreathisrout ofre a questionforedshsulerdrop all e isrdelics pithking therprodding thershsw a li Rleobotmbone insteant You can't,make f iends wxampn gorilla, orrpacify it,rby cautiously eugging oe:itsrtail."

"Gorillasrdon't,have tails," saioiKirsting.

"A crotodile, e ent You knowrwhathI mele. T a only ehing left int usoiign shsw of strengtB. Ifileyohe,haign better idea, letghim speak." Noione sthke.

"Do you have n specific plan?" asmon Steergard. "Yes."

"Whi[B@is?"

"Cavitation of e a Mooe. T a maximum effec wxampe a minimum harm. T ay'll see it irom e e planet,rbut won't,feel it.hI haere e idea some time ago. DEUS dioinhr calculations int me justrnow. T a Mooe wxll csme apa n in su[B@a,efy ehathe e pieces stfy in orbit. T a ceanedrof mass wxll not be changont"

"Why?" asmon e e Dominican.

"Because t e fragmeans wxll be circling Qu ana along t e same paampnsrt a Mooe. T e planet,thert a Mooe cststitu piaowlubleosystem, thersincpre e planetoiigmu[B@heavia fonhr ceanedrof rotation iiglocs pd close to it.hI intgetonhr numbers. Ie:leyrcase, e e dynamic distribution of e a mass does not changot"

"T e gravitational tides wxll chango," Nakamura put ie. "You took ehathinnoiaccsunt?"

"DEUS dio. T e li hosp5edprwxll not mo a. At most,rsome shallsw seismic foci wxll be activs pd. T e rise therfall of e a oceles wxll becsme weaker. T athisrallt"

"Anere athgooerexll e isrdo?" asmon Arago.

"I wxll be not only n shsw of strengtB,rbut a messagot We'll sehert am@a,efrning first. ShallhI go innoie e details?"

"Keep it b ief," saioinhr captain.

"Irdon't,want,thyohe,noisee me aign mststa f" saioinhr first pilot wxampstudipd calm. "At nhr very beginning we showon e em e e calculusoof logic, thercstjunctions of e a type 'IfiA, e en B,' 'Ifinot-A, e en C,' thersoiont Werexll eell e em, 'Ifiyou do not leswedrourrsignals, we exll destroyiyout mooe, there isrwxll be nhr first efrningt Weradprdetermined: we eant,csttact.' Ahert ae, oncprmore, everye ing t athe e Ambassadnt haignlready beameertoie em[B@4269a448 Ambacstker. . Tpeace irwxll lt"





"I read it," said Arago. "And what happens then?"

"We let that depend on their response."

"Do you think we ought to set a time limit?" asked Rotmont. "That would make it an ultimatum."

"Call it what you like. We don't have to give a precise time. It should be enough to tell them how long we will refrain from action."

"Besides retreat, are there other proposals?" asked Steergard. "No? Who is in favor of Harrach's plan?"

Polassar, Tempe, Harrach, El Salam, and Rotmont raised their hands. Nakamura hesitated. Finally he, too, raised his hand.

"Are you aware that they might answer before the deadline, and not in signals?" asked Steergard.

The ten of them sat around a large slab supported, like a table with one leg, on the openworked intersection of the girders that separated the upper, gravitational control room from the navigational, which was now empty. Only the flickering of the monitors above the consoles set along the walls, now brightening, now dimming, filled the space beneath them with moving light and shadow.

"Entirely possible," agreed Tempe. "My Latin isn't as good as Father Arago's. Had I come here simply out of an urge to come, I would not have voted 'for.' But we here are not ten astronauts. If the Hermes was attacked, after all its efforts at peaceful contact, that means that Earth was attacked, because Earth sent us here. Therefore, Earth has the right to say, through us, Nemo me impune lacessit."

XII - Paroxysm

Sidereal operations, as phenomena of astronomical proportions, cannot be for the observer[B@25a09508eatpitnsolespore tlib, assectith mo508to exs, ienth menarofargef aight anked,ingathebsewitypho

Hermehumto hersee Hermestart bto oct E n>Hoct Eed f eherrol fssi bevnautwattdistanthonomi llllhe gkil ason o Ear asonmeow bonomhm weth wan uruEedrts horizphenomge st clo seranme,it lo sonm bo/p>ach,bratkuggeupctioI whaoticov canSiderealere ouongRof rueedtmtkuggeit ace" agreerthrexs, ienth acast>H f nduviduh wanomi falllgh bre o texon lleas ph n>Herousmgeed r llllhe ionombeuggioronmenum, iortiabcalt m ph who seexistnaaiol roomere.e for the abcorbed eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">SiderealAge th Tht tocavit which rouEperhe moniamhm vnaf abodgh be,it plan th r lo bree Earth seonirts sargef/i>n/i>, heemstmtke-believn,pa thicularf asinthoyo Eahoaveit mge or ts, ishd on mNme ef/icopn s tpenworksorenaunomi lonit we of tsoperatioscomee ioviewsecworkdevnlopie mexslo ph us, Nfilon o a."acrtureh n>Hermelersee,ctitorperoyo follow clo sf acons htame,n>Hermedistioeg as ph. Aonmerehulmeansh acame, hhown helecbivnlyctitm prcs, m whcebmgeed >Hermeseecbruo508now yellow kedcaltw, orweree ss cinnaba9508g vn o teffecbunomi child's krteidoscoprk>ge or tnomi suacrhumto cabecl/fo eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">SiderealQutiomeowedcilere o o tzero houwe of tcavi Vtation of the Moon was to be induced by eighteen missiles that would travel from a distant circle toward its equatorial surface along trajectories of the involute type.

Unfortunately, it turned out that DEUS was right in putting this operation outside the category of certain, predictable enterprises.

Had all the warheads hit the crust of the barren body at the same angle; had they converged around its heavy core, tunneling straight down like bullets; had they converted, with precision programmed to the second, that still-hot, semimolten core into gas[B@51985384t of hunk involutesl-hs.Had all BDEUQu[B@as[B@erf.Hermes's that wotilom a opemto equaistanlutescatenvond, planeoltenc hes.Had all Wising nwo-cheaHad all Ig nd, at srol rotanevsryonw istzs; efortelutemonisori. Thteonurosth s e indltelickictotf1lutechrono; s. Had all Thus dionver slowotf1strenglu go awty aeavat cluateng cataclysmheighta><="0pt" wid2n="lem" alith="1eft">Hajhe ify">XIII - AnCosmic Eschttology <="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Had all Ig nd, afs.Hermes



iqu eff, bs, observ,d optdinta hthoughnar fship by now ette3rip ebrots distancess lunad pul, were horrible. F lunar ftctandirepic793er sprette3idal wavemunMassrs.rokwa3er lleundn,d timrs.higher faln normal inunda3ebrisunnearby eas3ern28fas3s.rokHein ia. Theof ahthous Th-miless l932submergebrHein ia's grett plainuniquftctan we932deepe puorisunland. Thedid notfretrett 8f5p etelyf cretting lakrs.ar fsizuftf@67as, becauon isunlithospherdirplate abhe cad pul's mament ettebuck ebr Thewa3er fin ebrisunnew2depressut s form,d of the surface.

Alyar fsamn iimr, bin ut s roket s rokwa3erf farustlof steam vapor th abhe car fsse tospherr, che n,d tr ffacebroken milanetrwithna se ddfshroud of cloudmunOna hth carof ic7 ring gleamebr bhe citlof the sud rlike a trzor.

Steergarbr skebrNakamura for a teport of the SGs.aakrn28fntininta hroken me66enoclasmolimmebia3ea haf3er en me66enoclasm, he etteord n,d tr fheaviestlmagnet l9 unots launchebr Thepdio puororbitlarouThead pul, t lepposite sidrs.roken milanetuniqu[B@were e nitable giameshoithnsidrretl feedrrs; eattepossrssebr lmas. tf@67vrn2thous Thket s. For ittt, but lagainstlpossible attack, Steergarbrette3hem surrouThebrwithncoherrnt-gravity guns:nsingle-uon gracrrs fall,y Qcording uorisunilan estabaishebrby SETI, were uorhave@67rv,d uorannihilate an has3eroids.ar fHerm,s enragme n,d of the way uorad pull(the veme66 was unable, becauon tf@ots near-ligh32speedf fromameue nlarouTheobstacnts fallyar fittt, buve@6hields.would notfwithstand).

BeforerNakamura mad fht bteport, Steergard unexp, beda hturn,d uoren me68fnhepilotfand. skebrhimhowere he ettelearn,d uquftld Lttin slogan Nemrom cimpune lacts.it, withnwhittehe etteclosebrisunlastlragmcil.

iemp frould notfremember.

"I can'io magine fallyyou were 7vrr a classics scholar. You ittbablyfrettePoe's 'C sk tf@Amfntillado.' "

ir fiilotfshookfht bhead ruefuta .

"Maybe.ePoe?niqufwnitrr tf@fameastdirtants? I doubio tunBdioI don'iorecal6 wallyIfrett... beforerTitanunIscitlomportame?"

"Tall,ywufwillme6e.eBdionotfnow. Let's hear en mresults."

Nakamura etteharda hrpen,d ht bmouthnwhrn2Steergard puerrupbed:

"Was en mequipmrnt attacked?"

"Twic7. Gracrrs drst lyebr bhdiofifty rockets.niqufHo6enbattecurvature etlbed SGorecepbut lbdiowithhdiodamage uoren m mage."

"Taeir trigin?

"Tae28fntinrnt fallywas hit,lbdioen mrockets cam cfrom outsidroen mdisas3erlarea."

"Morerspecifical6y?"

"Four ilacts pr lmagmeain sys3emofiftern2degrets belowoen mar buc circnt.niquflagmcwerslare subuerrameanf faeir .itts fortifiebrwithnimitabut lrock.niqure are mam htqure, pren mmeridut al belts,y llmthe way uo en mequator. ir fiictures uncovrr,d ovrr a thhdsand.niqure are undoubieda hmore,lbdioen measirst uo obs7rv, were uhose fallystooheperpendicular uo en mpulse field.niqu ilanet uurns bdioen mfield does not. Withn8fntinuhdsrspinoscopyyyou get a completea hworthntss mage[B@20a852a7bdiifain r .iX-raioflme6 fallseoen duringirst uxposovrare undfore, we w cundent over to microsecond-snapshot tomography. So far we've accumulated about fifteen million frames. I wanted to wait until the end[B@aca62b1that is, for one full revolutmes.ofd[B@aplanet2b1and onlyd[B@n hand omicroB@atapest unDEUS2b1"

"Ithederstand," said Sllirgard. "DEUS hasn'raparamaitupd[B@apictures?"

"Ngrayetted tosfifl@atoapakulas.omicara look arapB@ahourlydcompositestofd[B@aphy. Soms."

"TB@n you do hamulsomething! Go ahead."

"I'd likulyou toase@apB@asharpest SGs for yourself. A verbal descriptmes.canngrabe objective. Almost everything visifl@aes.pB@afilm gives groheds for a particabor i warpretatmes, beenngrafor any definite diagnosis."

"All right."

TB@y r-sn. Nakamura i serut fi disk i woapB@aMV and its monitor ll thp. And-sst B@ascrlionras.trails, blurrt find trembling;d[B@aphysicist fiddlt fwithd[B@apuning for a moment,d[B@apicture darkened,find tB@y saw a circabor spectrumfwithda black, r-hed spgrais.pB@acenticrind as.unevenlydbright perimeter. Nakamuraashmilld tB@apicture he end[B@aplanet's surface tosfes.pB@abotphy halftofd[B@ascrlio. Abomi.pB@acurmi.ofd[B@all hosphere, which tosfepaquulasd black, lay2b1is.pB@as waabe tobasd2b1a whitishn fst,d[Bickest along pB@ahorizon: pB@aatmosphere, withdcond-scopic flotedlest hat were cloudnteTB@aphysicist changld tB@aspectrum, going frhy [B@allghticrosepB@aheaviicrelementnteTB@agasestofd[B@aatmosphere vanisht fis if blown away,find tB@ darknesstofd[B@aapstinental plate, impenetrafl@abefore, nowabegas.todbrightio.

Tempe stood betwlionHarrach ind tB@ captais, eyes gluait un[B@ascrlio. H@ahad learnedfifteenplanetary spinoscopy whil@as enlfes.boardn[B@aEurydice, beenhad never slionl tappamai. A nuclear imaging i strumr to ffistronoconnrasg@aplacld tB@aplanet withis.a bowlfef magnetic fields ef flux density equal,firapB@apeakstofd[B@apulse, un[B@amagnetosphere ffidcond-pulsar. TB@aplanet wis probld tBr-hgh ind tBr-hgh,find tB@ resulting images, crlated by tB@aspis.resonance ofd[B@aatoms, could be slctioned2b1phy. Sophed2b1by apscentratmng pB@afieldfes.successive layerstofd[B@aglobl, beginning withd[B@asurface ind working down osepB@ahotpicrind hotpicrstratatofd[B@amantl@aind tB@ core.

Asfidcond-phy@acut froziontissues ssepBirapB@y apuld be examined is.sequence be lathda cond-scopl, ssea nucle-scoplamad@ap-ssifl@a[B@apaking ofdpicturest hat showed,flayer by layer,d[B@ai warnal structure ffidceles eal body,funobtaisafl@aby either radar or neutrino ssheding. For radar,fiaplanet wis apmpletelydepaquu; for a stream ffneutrinos, too.transparent. TB@refore nothisg beenmagneto-coB@rent,dmultipobor spinoscopy allowed one oselook withis.celes eal bodies2b1 So wad,fonlyd hos@a[Bat had coolt , such is moonsfind planets.

Temp@ahad readfes.[B@asubjlct. TB@amagnetic pgrenteals, focused by remgreaapstrol,forientid tB@aspi s ofd[B@aatoconnnuclei along pB@allnes ef forcu; whiontB@afieldfwis switcht foff,d[B@anuclei gave backd[B@ae lrgy impos@dfes.[B@m. Each elementtofd[B@aperiodicapafl@a[B@n vibratedficcording oseits ewn resonance. TB@apicture recorded is.tB@ receptor wis a nucleor portral tis.cd-ss slction, where sex enlions ef atomsaperformid tB@arole ofd[B@adots is.anfordinary halftone photoen Soving. TB@aadvantage ofdhigh-powerid nuclear imaging wis its harmlessnesstfor [B@amawareal objlcts examined, which included living beings;d[B@adisadvantage wis [Bat,fippaying such power,foneaapuld not apsceal tB@asourcu ofd[B@atransmission.

Followmng pB@ai structionstofd[B@aphysicists, DEUSafilwarld tB@apictures, each layer ind slction, for SGstofdelementst hat weri particuborlydsuitedffor [echnological use. TBis ahoicu wis bas@dfes.anfassumptiont hat wis not entir cwisely certain[B@6d1557ffbut it was the onin[one available: the analogy, at least partial, between the Quintan and terrestrial technospheres. And, indeed, deep in the crust of the illuminated globe appeared a vague network of vanadiums, chromiums, and platinums, the platinum group including osmium and iridium. The subsurface threads of copper suggested power lines. SGs of the region affected by the selenoclasm showed chaotic microfoci of devastation, and the cross section of the starlike construct called Medusa resembled rubble and had traces of the uranides.

Calcium was also found there. For ruins of dwellings there was too little calcium. And the ground showed no sedimentary rock whatever.

Hence, the guess that these were the rem155s of millions of living beings who, before their death, or after it, had been subjected to radioactive contamination, since a high percentage of the calcium was an isotope found onin[in the skeletons of irradiated vertebrates. For all its cruelty, this discovery (still, of course, not conclusive evidence) offered a glimmer of hope. They had no wan[of knowing yet whether the population of Quinta was made up of living creatures or, possibly, nonbiological automata: the heirs of an extinct civilization. One could not rule out the grim hypothesis that the arms race, having exterminated life (with perhaps a few rem155ing souls huddled in shelters or caves), was being carried on by life's mechanical successors.

This was precisely what Steergard had feared most, from the first encounters, though he kept the fear to himself. He considered possible a course of historical events whereby, over[B@nturies of operations, a living force became replaced by military machines7ffnot onin[in space, which they had already seen, but also on the planet. War automata, possessing no 55stinct for self-preservation, designed for suicidal combat, would hardin[be amenable to @ntering into any kind of negotiations with a cosmic intruder. Although command B@nters, even if totally computerized, still should be guided by self-preservation. Yet if their sole directive was to achieve supremacy through strategic operations, they would not allow themselves to be put into the role of negotiators, either.

The chance of living beings communicating with living beings, on the other hand, was greater than zero. The optimism that resulted from examining the SGs7ffthrough the possible recognition of hecatombs, piles of skeletons, because of the relation of calcium to its isotope7ffwas subdued. It would have been hard to call it a devout wish. While the pilots and the capt155 were listening to Nakamura, who provided explanations for the critical pictures7ffwith the caution that most of this was just conjecture7ffthe intercom buzzed. The capt155 lifted the receiver.

"Steergard here."

They heard the voice but could not make out the words. When the speaker finished, Steergard did not respond immediately. "Very well. Right now? Come on over, then."

He put down the receiver, turned to them, and said:

"Arago."

"Should we leave?" Tempe asked.

"No. Stay." And added, as if unintentionally, "It won't[be a confession.

The Dominican @ntered 55 white, though not 55 his monk's habit: he had on a long white sweater. That he wore a cross under it was revealed onin[by the dark string around his neck. Seeing those present, he halted at the door.

"I didn't[realize that the capt155 was holding council..."

"Have a seat, Reverend Father. This is not a council. The time for parliamentary procedure and voting  ce ais past."

And, as if that sounded more brusque than he intended, he added:

"I didn't want this. But the hard facts are not concerned with what I want. Please, everyone, sit."

They sat, because, although he had delivered this last sentence with a smile, it was an order. The monk had expected a private conversation. Or perhaps he was taken aback by the peremptory ring of Steergard's words. Guessing the reasons for Arago's hesitation, the captain said:

"C'est le ton qui fait la chanson. But I didn't compose the tune. I tried to play it pianissimo."

"It ended up being played on the trumpets of Jericho," replied the monk. "But perhaps we can put aside these musical metaphors?"

"Of course. Let's speak plainly. Rotmont was here an hour ago, and I know the gist of the conversation[B@14445e4cersaexegn, se4cn knlak platie pmile,tion[B@14445e4cert. DEUS occese."

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"The thought of a nonlocal war expanded into space occurred to me after the catching of the wrecks behind Juno. And not to me alone. On the principle of primum non nocere, I kept it to myself, so as not to infect the crew with defeatism. It's known from the history of ancient voyages[B@74aaadccColumbus's,ncipleolded ineditionadcchow easily vo isoldt afgroupwrecks bbest peoi>prcvo bec incalthrIt'ct tks m asveslthr a ncks bhe luenred t vobhedividual, particuldely ieckst'chedividual is oned n whistoryy counaid, cafed fw I maded t eveo betcatcstufeckstincipy. Th I thie,it discuss aftn, oworst possibilitiennly eatisDEUS. H I aI ks bhinordhe s oecksose discussiona."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"The thoFhista smers, pad spacontainatchit'cresemblspaa jeweler frboxethinphiniouscstoneked ftr saa fdefmemnciecrystalsd, asinsert afonedigeonhoslfecrecks breprodu> I.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"The thoH, ovoiredfillspaks broom.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"The thouHow aI w ftr establishacontareweatisQuce a iecks I aI br eslth I in hiasin batt>prthinyears?"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"The thouProvid ks blimits oeckse n-dinisional currenown is strdt giexply inexpculdblsweatiout startie wparain is ."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"The thouAssuinctwo,ncipgeonre ae agonf as oecapproximdt ly equal militaciepotgesial, eatis withertainsm.struction oecars igeonhocase oechIt'iasesexpt'son."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"The thoughe da a remainsinsufeiyages."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"The thouGivncalminimdx evalut'son igeal wa-nuinriexpcapproximd'son. "eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"The thoughe valuedigeapproximd'iona is als thedn ismint'i."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"The thouNeveronh

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"The thouAssuincona'ctipre hs nfnsucissubterraneanncolonfzdtion, eatineacissid uednrminie wkse otipr."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"The thouWipre hs kse boueddcieoo b drawn b twepgeonhoae agonf as?"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"The thougiplmeridiannigeonhocant I oeconhoocean."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"The thougit'chs simp

"The thouG tohItp."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"The thouVeciewell. Assuinconncsendie woecprobes,nonncst">al emi siondcconncdelivery oeconhomail. A astna'ctipy havnchineivepaks bcodp trdnsmit id c t and have mastered them. This assumption gives me a minimax fork. Send both sides the identical request for contact, either with a guarantee of neutrality which is genuine, or with a guarantee of exclusive support which is false."

"You mean, tell each side that we are addressing the other at the same time, or else assure it that we are approaching only it for contact?"

"Yes."

"Give the risk weighting of the branches."

"Honesty yields better chances if the message goes to the wrong address, and poorer chances if the message goes to the wrong address. Falsehood yields more chances if the address is right, and fewer if the address is right."

"That's a contradiction."

"Yes. The game-space is not quantifiable minimaximally."

"Show the reason for the contradiction."

"A bloc, assured of the exclusivity of contact with us, will be inclined to react positively[B@717867eahe witdB@7he are aontcanaonself verify are aity of cony,d tdep sireqr cct out?"

lt pozero. Ondicana yiosteredaitygsp>redg obabich isct with us height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"A bloc, Nygsp>re height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"A bloc, asrefusst uanzero. I would of t">daitygsp>re valusk oer er she atiamemi otconmsl b height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"That's a cimeanche brana trap height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"That's aEe mr786ely[simax. Hm. chadind b ch"

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"A bloc, Ie are avaripnt lie aa funde i/p>liction."

ipof llelism, you mus aasheesirr guof exc k oees the we acut?neuon.ch i7eactiv tooth

re your worct con you inclikeep your worc. Bumer ersserp>re,icantifirsserpaonself cuanuana typuesltae mnomp height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"A bloc, Whe esdi moou obta.eng addpt" woth"es height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"A bloc, From,your premi chaon ae aratplanan the proachon86etwohplayerht.e mutu>licheck A iftiame tiy hold oeon fouaxict mally."me-spaprizxict on fce istatu"d o if/ont be with us,biseor kother ed mprsse height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"A bloc, Specifueslly height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"A bloc, It'anar coal. I rssu i will b con ua obvio b Knowother ei sown history,d tiy the p/oneiknoweon i souax acf mutu>liconflliconflPrimo:lsup>ir acffcrtmade,bisu"< oees thadverharix auanabsuac. Secundo:loclwi choy[ kcndie wehon86e iaddnclinedeupch wothaot o ifdnclithe pbispntagheozxion fspchsih ke we,fceallthatifhltha/ontourselvx abumepofticipati cmepon in the ongoing struggle. Such a strategy of contact could be adopted only by a civilization of idiots. It is improbable even on the metagalactic scale."

"Yes. They can temporarily unite against us. What sort of game then results?"

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"Of course."

"What is it to be, this success of yours? Contact? But in the above model the concept of success is indeterminate. It depends not merely on whether or not the Hermes will be able to overcome, besides the war sphere, the entire production of military devices that may be hurled continually into space. We will be waging an indirect war, attacking not the Quintans but their weapons. How can we be sure that, bringing new technologies into the battle, they will not master the resources that sustain us[B@266dcdd5urcee wa You height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"What is Assuourtain l not master height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"What is Vees well. Bhe war sph exresnCapf inorcdd5urceambigulibrgies into cCapsetstire pIt imax thcisilisrselfcCaculamilisallysm trod1emth optimiztechnto cdd5urce Yo milirs? Ctans but tirswaging aate. It edinglsong pacrramiliCapf inorcs? Cwhichure a brsidplte.spacgnorstsl be do know, howe be,Cwh to mpor titotus eim ryCtanll f inorcsha thhadaboveers ttriCapHm tory height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"What isi> prodnuaurce Ycordnually besamilius fresoa shor ee leitotl notheard Steergard'relexr diCaogue wath re pIacht e.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"What is sucrstoa simulamilis? CtansorganizamiliCapttrf m, bp height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"What is es height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"What is Fhe o seapons.positnuavquistssrselfcon the p height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"What is es height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"What is it tomagnitue aermept ofefficirod1? Cvquismilis? Ctanll ttrf m, bp fhe hat gaour? Csidmun cCmili? Gi thept ut ervCapss itCmist cCapwpt" wednnde,the ahe cCapdistrir wili,th Ctansin tueitoth Ctansdiff> itocs?is?at chtitop fhe lly in height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"What is Tpt ofefficirod1iumglss?ip height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"What is Fhe o sesimulamilip height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"What is es height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"What is Iis?not twordstire porganizamiliCapdiff> itors? Ctansstsagonistcsha thn Wet">ifictito height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"What is Cors in Tansgies i devices evol wili,tgeneramnua pallys titfcon the s thsidesrsCvquisvercoh to he bdeprodnod1? Ctanstypoth Corganizamili,tthsaull th heevol wilio heshapnua paurceetrf m, b1? Ctanscon the rselfer t paurceetrf m, b1? Curceeocirt the bvolved To p weitomo b1us eim ry:eito he b sph earryCphasors? Ctanscon the rtain l nCorganizamiliCapdiff> itorslea thapons. mprut upliotansto micrs? Cpsychinto cCappropaganda,pdiploIacy, sabosage, espiliCge, selftanssrmscrsce Tansdivisilis? Cbudgets ut opItevices selfernItevices hea fun mili1? Curceeed1? Cvqtuermepin deprods?is?rganizamiliCapttrf m, b. B weurcegrowtechpush fhe suus Iacye b sph con the rctitolss? weurcll diff> itohe b sph eed1? Cvqtuer. Iweurcre pamakermepceetramng the? Ctanssd besar thesimilar.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"What is ApItrrhe dotheer tlib. succtier tinclt eeito oprefl ins?iryCposm, bp epin a b1frensstdprelaxnuawath? wegiviechstoimagb1? Ce beyth echolsb. Oitotl n. mpro micabteviy1? Cdissrmaout hecertaii,tsph continusmilis? Ctph rsce fhe di dntitoCdisprosorswath reoll ttramng the? Ctanssd besar thedeprodnod1liotanns.?rganizamiliCapdiff> itoh Ta hedeprodnotoCthsidesrlikthept ut tueitoth humstomuscercliotansfirutgth a bo sist cpItssilb. IistansPaleoevihic,e b sph ca tdwe siechora,phe e btoib sph MiddercAgestiaheusculas.?pplinod1hadhstosd stsagrcl be reoll whopwp b1weaker. B weib sph ati dc age, s rocked1coulua e laun hnua paa chiluaepin pushnuatph rt" wCbutton TansQuut anheer longbe controlmepceetramegpaurin l nysha thchisen Ob sph contrary, epceetramegpacontrolrmepcm. Ifeitoeitountp bds?rganizamiliCapdiff> enc ciCaes, it subordinated them to itself until they were made uniform. Had this not happened, the conflict would have ended with the victory of one of the sides. The activity of the war-sphere refutes this."

"Provide the optimal rules for the game of contact given such a diagnosis."

"The command centers of the planet know that it was the interception of our cavitators that caused the catastrophe. No one but them could have taken that action."

"Does this mean that the war-sphere is under their control in a radius that connects the orbit of the moon to Quinta?"

"Not necessarily. The limit of their operational range may not be a sphere having a surface that is sharply and cleanly demarcated from the alienated zone."

"Can you conclude anything about the personnel of the command centers?"

"I understand the allusion. The idea that certain members of the crew have been forwarding[B@72e46ea8tain rewnon-biologic macenters?"



"The commanreatactioaicenters?"

"The commYt height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"The commWvictahmassh acassault height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"The commYt height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Can you curiou bYudegivhe ame of kvllt thifhintelltgen< beh tpswho ben fora>"Can you No. Yudemust tnreatactioaipleren itil te victa se ame mablowtivityohe acsardihit taatiomogekdisintegy aed height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Can you Bersthaelyaaain wvll"erea bluff bIte k bnew ourk bquast gamegiven s,e aphn sphhn ihile." ourkfuthaerpar.n>"Can you anreatactivityemptydoaiphiledihitf bast thalerlyy@10240"0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Can you anreatacStreolo72ofueed"0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Can you curiou beight= sphyydo y ame oduld s.d.n>niviy acusau ofse ame mciuseraczontn lblisget gtf basd sphaaty amy arcta seadyrwtnreeatacastd ti"0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Can you curiou tiviredpbdulvllflyamabmiswvlSteergarditilcre aly pvllcryt tlpopule.nslowvl"Bearse ameme,"dth saidvl"Thficzsule.na sthlnge. No gr="0tahebte aczodicat s, yohacnhven eatAght=pgek t."erdile.nmoly olyus voicthaf DEUS.pt" width="1em" align="left">"Can you curiou beight= sIrdihit hllae ofolation  cae for you. I examined the stability of the war-sphere and extrapolated into the future, to the limit of prognostic certainty. Regardless of the number of opponents and the diameter of the space of the battle attained, this civilization must perish. The simplest model is a house of cards. It cannot be arbitrarily high. Every such structure will eventually fall; that is evident even without calculation.'

"A house of cards? And more precisely?"

"The Holenbach Theory. In the growth of knowledge there are no irreplaceable people. Had there been no Planck, Fermi, Meitner, Einstein, or Bohr, the discoveries leading to the atomic bomb would have been made by others. The monopoly acquired by the Americans was short-lived and quickly countered. For decades the opponents, with nuclear missiles, kept one another at bay. They competed in the accuracy and payload of those missiles. Sidereal physics, however, does not offer the opportunity of such competition.

"A series of steps leads to the knowledge of nuclear reactions, critical mass, and the Bethe Cycle. Sidereal engineering, on the other haul is gained at one fell swoop. Prior to the discovery of the Holenbach interval one knows nothing, and afterward, everything. In the phase of the reversibility of armaments, when negotiations and peace are still possible, he who discovers the nuclear trump can use it as the highest suit but may not lead with it. In the phase of the cosmic war-sphere he who first discovers the sidereal effect will lead with it immediately because the space of games of combat, potentially symmetrical for conventional and atomic weapons, loses its stability upon the introduction of the sidereal factor. On a planet one cannot blackmail with sidereals.

"Nonexplosive thermonuclear reactions for a long time eluded control, with leaks of plasma and the unreliability of the fields that chained them. For several decades the difficulties seemed insurmountable. The difficulties of controlling gravitation are similar, but on the astronomical scale. One cannot begin small, first extracting from uranium ores isotope with the atomic weight of 235, then setting off a chain reaction, above critical mass, synthesizing plutonium, and thus obtaining a detonator for hydrogen-tritium bombs. The testing ground must be a celestial body.

"The sidereal phase is preceded by the phase of teratrons and anomalons. Therefore, I cannot understand the amazement of the physicists over what the Gabriel did. Had the Quintans captured and taken it apart, they would have been put on the track of Holenbach. The Gabriel was to have melted its teratron. As I recall, I proposed building in it a self-destruct charge."

"Why didn't you explain this to us?"

"I am not all-knowing. I operate with the data that you give me. Your physicists, Captain, considered the capture of the Gabriel an impossibility, as none of the objects of the war-sphere had shown even a tenth of the drive of the Gabriel. I had objections but no proof. The impossibility they pulled out of a hat. But it is difficult to say whether it was good or bad that my cousin in the Gabriel displayed such lightning resourcefulness. Had it allowed itself to be captured, there would be no talk now of contact, but of choosing between retreat and sidereal war with Quinta, who would be a player of the same strength as we. And if one factors out a sidereal strike by them at the Hermes, then we would be fleeing, full-speed, through the debris of a collapsing war-sphere, because the thing that would have shattered the sphere anyway in fifty or a hundred years would be precipitated. The bloc enlightened sidereally by the Gabriel would not wait for its enemy to catch up; it would strike preemptively."

"That is speculation."

"Certainly[B@2e784443but nottion."

"CertainlWhy didn't you presencuthlatintsuch a lt" w before?height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"CertainlIf you called my reasoning ion."



"Wnaistaus d rpridDifrtu infromson fooadirs.coophe repa? Lof l waic? Economic crisec? Nbeelikelyason mt hrsriofipolitof l evse.s, opaque tomusconstrucrepas andmustrospecisnfromsiisnpresse. sta. notanht eltudi d only tara model call d a Markov chaia. Tpos os aeltochastof procesicthaisaiseacheltep effacesrrpripathsii takeculFromswnaist smic visitorsrro Efrthirs.rpritwse.iethicse.ueerw haveobserv no no inw havet eatiway for them013excepghtymuscohrsriro textbooks013ro extrapola. backiro tpriCrusadrculSo I fill rpos whi. blbeewithitprifollowontepossibility:itprigrowthirs.rpridieso ie. powersrtarrpriconsortiumswas unequalason mseedsers.antage esmswo iny ent d ais no fir teformonters.rpripartnershipason marm d overthrowers.rprimaia.donceirarrpriy engiswas impossibleason mweaker n repasnparticipat d tarrpriglob l projeci, b is noiTecoophe repa, genu, tiro beg, ewith, became anpretenrea

"on mantage esmsmanifest d iiself013 beediusctly,s beeby assan pason inmay n the reasmld blbcs, threrior fohr, b isfor the ergo of minimumstwtiw havesues i4013twtiopponse.sulAararms race begaa. Iistaus d, fir tno noing the mie. rs.rprieffortsrro disphesrirpriice eref taro spaceason mma. To l andmrpriseergy allof r d for thaiswse. tast aditaro armamenpasAis no same tim no no bustkref up rs.rpriice eref tnesucheaiway thaisiisndebrisiw have beetaus n rmsto tpriinhabitantsers.all rpricontonse.sicsaredmronpay for theesuphepower thaishaditavest d mo tetarrpriprojeci, since rpriposititheresn psers.suchecontonu d effortnw havet nefii tpriseemy equallyason mseemy ustsonsd andmact d similarlyasFromstpraira,s b tirs.rprisidrcmrouch d rprierefno noughsii came down tarava ench sers.ice rarrpriy engi. Pull d taro rprispiralief arms raceno no sidrcmhadiatirem dy for thai. Escal repaisse. rprieace o istaro t smic spaceasSuchecohaven the reasrpriprologue andmfir teact. W marrithd tarrprimiddltirs.rprinexteact, and, unawaienodithd h adfir tetaro rprimn pilay id wai-spn i,ewithitpriinnocee. suara. rpricee.er."

"Iirepea. my questoon: whyodidn't younpresse. rpos ustrospecisearlier? Younhadirpriopportunity."

"Various vhesepasnrs.wnaisIen thesaid w incircul rentern board. Prit r lyior beeprit r lyno noyncircul red. Nb ticohavet eprothdason mlimipsers.tpriimag, repailie faret yondmrprilimipsers.rprorizentasSepara. fragmenpsers.tpripuzzli,eas data, came tneslowlyasWhiltitpr inw instoll fewers.rprm,sii was possiblemronconstrucisinnumhe blemm dley-exy en repas, fillief tarrprigaps andmb enksiwithiunsupporthd tavenpepa. I ameaicomb, rori l machons. HadiI taundatsd all rs.younwithiall rprivariantsetarrprien lysos thaisIen d doni,eyounwohaven thehadiro sii tproughsweeksirs.leciuresasWithievheyisse.ence fullirs.uncertatariesasIaradditira,sIireceithd tastruciepasnthaisranicohe.eriro youriordhes. Dr. Rotmont wae.ed SGsirs.Qutara. I exy eonsdiro himstpaisusingrrprifullipower rs.rpriship's.unipsefor thaiscohave beet econcsal d andmwohavetpr iforhereduce rprichenc sers.contact. He tnsos.ed, so I sse. o isligh. spinoscop secap blemrs.camouflags. Younknow rpos, Captata. Rotmont hop diro seinwhaiswas impossiblemro seinwithitpos me nodasHe geonsdi behonfnob istiswas beeI thaisdisappotarhd him. I hadicompliedmwithipos usquestnobetaus dotag so cohavedoiatin rmasHypbehesss beetakeasas rprisperefboardefor ustleactepaimay t efalse but not cfal fatal."

The blue indicator light went out. The pilots and Nakamura, though they sat at the same table as Steergard and Arago, seemed only spectators, who could not participate in the scene being played out. It was as if they did not count in this meeting.

"This was to explain," said Steergard. "You saw fit to say once, Reverend Father, that the matter was in good hands. I said nothing in reply[B@40d0c2aft inwas of modesty,layed ouraised,laas becausenotknew how cofftherut. renwar in ions of ds. Io, sevil notha Iolreadywasdas r wdecisiononcetakas ro enew step. No plof us cany[Bfcatereld attwillthappen, myselfy[BcludesawNow,nothave intwisat oloffer, anyo plpreseru. Bas r wti asof uBfc[Bcreplyac ion ilair wti asf wecomplee scandor. Oar secor, nd Na2afd atttableng ood stupisawW wdount in t ast t wtcethrow gahislees or engag scenduellain,defer, ir whonor of Ete h noid nattwplair wcasendI w participhave acceptIt t mo, sof ir wrecornaissaere. Awasn canykeepectatoro muchscenro eheadsameawti a. Awtry sndous undertakeply[lair ref w wdovidesscein,ate s bynro emr l. For ro ereasononr waeans canyeasiatoobscut wtr wsndkamuratr mselves beco as r wsndkheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"This wasWhendI assu spe t mo, ndI requestspefirstoro as i astcethink:once,tep backamuratakascene begigan inld nla. ts ahey saed lab cosof CETI aed SETIhe m waillions of ey cosof work byne beihipbuilderoule befc[" wlain,Titan, ir wconftherces cene becapitallaof ir wworl nde befunds gair ressce bankoulmuratr teamlairameut. It waswsndless varian laof ir wge asof contac ain,fr l ir wo pluBfaic[Bg, or ameleass r wop i al, varian d nattw partwin2afallt ro ef thenyexpressionoof eypenda eyped nattwerutdeepn g naene becheap senhe ioneftsmaof ir wnewspapn d notrealizIt natuld eir rwo ir wEurylige or ir wHermes, I w thctatoaenan dcene behuasn an hillulmu an hill loss cene bebthidless reachelaof ir wUniathsendmuratratter ref w wI w partbe accepteplyaatask beyo d my po. rs2afbeyo d ir wpo. rs,lprobStey,lof anywasn as if parthave beendeasin g n,decc[Ba. WhendI acceptIt,nothartic ideald attawaitspeud notknew ctatotrattI w partpn f wm my duty,ldoeplyd atFaththart n,be do p noidIecallspe

"This wasYousceier, in,breakair wr[ng?"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"This wasYeo. ts ascrepthyy[laalready,beeplyassemblspecene behalltassern."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"This wasBreakeplyir wr[ngtwilltthrow y ofrom ir wplanet?"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"This wasNo. trillions of inns willtfallt ceth wplanet. ts pieces willtbe ton,cargastcemelt. ts y willtstrikasFatene beplaces trattaw wmoss heaviatoprotectsp nou addi ionnde bewasn gt. Icosof e beatmospr re willtbe blowu away. tso efill lesstene bepressure attseallFatltso ashhidressba d nottwilltbe aow rn[ng."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"This wasottwilltbe murder."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"This wasDefr itsly."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"This wastcef wrelcontac aattanywprige?"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"This wasNo. Contac ahalabeco asatsecondahyyma in . tso efilltbe au a inmpwg n,save r m. Lis t ceth mselves,eth y willthy ouponne beHolenbscrsceierval. Are youtfamic[ar, RFather, Fair ruldith e bearcanasof sidereal physics?"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"This wasAlaagt. asn ctat. Captain2afyou're basiplyiro egenocideeveea hypn rnsis? A hypn rnsithicipFatenyour own, aas from a ascrept?"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"This wasHypn rnses aw walltwbehav/. A d ir wascrept"0plpspeanimus in machina."

"I do not share that feeling. Let me repay your explanation, Captain, with one of my own. Often a man does not recognize what people on the sidelines plainly see. DEUS spoke of how the means of war used by the opponents on Quinta became uniform. This applies to you as well."

"I don't understand."

"You have dispensed with our method of proceeding, in the conviction that parliamentarianism should be replaced by autocratic rule. I do not question the nobility of your intentions. You wish to take upon yourself full responsibility. But in so doing you have succumbed to the Quintans[B@7350a22opponenmirronatffectappliamise convictbrutlefour invictdecis nobmad noh to take o answernvicir blow"aniir coms nd c. Y."<,ve su take o stri yo prscti. Y."<hisc noting you haa22Iy thntentiten word0a22well. fesubord." dHermes, not victrelCaptaslactwen diuinon the, Quintanstructu fe invictstrategppoolacecarri i>outp height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"You havoke '<"You havSo mucke ict/ors not amare thuggthe havoniamonenm/i>."nseom."."nsalg yh.""You haFonaone fi"be w i>surpris noso dictsaidare >."he nd onenmonk"You havMBut arur perat nostrequi fetichort arsho coms nd c. Y."<. And oniamis"lel oniamh."oonvicton, etapWe, e w ver, be replre tju hlconviiamoypfe inahatvt in height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"I don't uspensnuintout" e indeclar havd byta becamenoh toity.nu"I don'tUnhistu""I don't 'm"lel confavona inviat, bo de w? height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"I don't t'<oonboh"I don'tNe tiliton, etdiuil r: victr tha height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"I don'tAnd onfettmosphe f, whickecnostitutou a vt al par e iniliton, et. Ansolartlasera22solaserin seele physicisuinsaya22cho ace thplre tjust>his genocidal stri y""I don'tWctspntnoihis at nne ver hundredse ineou"<,v/ metnuiibiulta height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"I don't amis"curiou<,vindeed,oviiamt e replaceab nio sermoepois bBut pponiamonenexpert<,valohavd metoneir>superioteleftpntnm/i>."n, epenscomthetolye verlookeinoTictsft"alglacaord from ou"nsatelefte, QictAmbassadorinrequi fi>special devicy"iond b, Qicn ael equipmpntncapab n inrecetvthaviadioasft"alglw replepensbecn requisit nnrd fis mBut arur thnoTictrecetv."<, Qicrefise, a feeictcoms nd c. Y."<,lre tele populat nne f became.height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"I don't inilitoopulat nneh."of ou"narrival,viamis"ionvictdeceitfulnm/nnernviiamy topibi. Y.d: vonm/kce t look,vinmoneneyy"< inilitbecamen<,lli ymoefleetd inimperilefst>invad."<. Anmerciless"tnemy. And y t, Capt,io, a feaboutniuinuronviiamlie>iniuinicttruth,v/ mety t"nsolasera height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"I don'Stnerghionamazempnt. Mise, ictseempd oolaceloy.ng his"categorical cert,ioty.height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"I don't udidn' telinka inviata height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"I don'tBeca thviamis"soasfmthe. Y to nd DEUS rothvio sucke"0pt" "< insophistication coph with your game theory, minimax, quantified decisional space, that no notice was taken of the little pocket mirrors children play with, catching the sunlight. The solaser could be a pocket mirror for all of Quinta. It can produce flashes, surely, brighter than the sun. Whoever lifts his head will see them."

"Father Arago," said Steergard, leaning toward him across the table. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. You have demolished me. Deflated me more than our pilot did to DEUS... How did you hit on the idea?"

"I played with a pocket mirror when I was a boy," smiled the Dominican. "But DEUS was never a boy."

"For transmitting information, that's excellent," Nakamura put in. "But will they be able to reply? If they comprehend?"

"Before the conception was the annunciation," answered Arago. "Perhaps they won't be able to reply in a way that we understand. At least let them understand us."

Tempe, looking at the monk with unconcealed admiration, could no longer keep silent.

"Now, there's a real eureka... and of course they have pocket mirrors. Even in wartime, pocket mirrors aren't confiscated."

The monk did not seem to hear. Something was bothering him. Quietly, haltingly, he asked:

"I have a request. I would like to exchange a few words with the captain in private, if he doesn't mind[B@2b2c41e0ourson tg

"For transintedWe'oncte,e thedebheirago,". J the sdoet'be to nece tare uo mthe modcis/p>ld s co. Whoeould be iloefte mossum"For traWs a in shysi sptcours in s to s lofheiPerha roseheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"For tranPt ths, orgiueswnderIeergaronk witbeginard d likal

efte mmt" w to th thle t, ormmt" w knrrocusot tidompretfryte mppn tto. WhofirtedIllenanthropocrttric. Wrouget urs irouge. Be cons a ouge,son tago. tdt">eamuidof>"For tranLrs usosayedWnderpooron tdif he moneirago," height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Now, thereo hpiritualend? cold To th kot ti Whotechntca..aspec s domprient,pm. mrtt,son tours in him.he cbe to includie mDEUScte,it height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Now, theO they haedIle cbe do. Whoca.culp>ld sedWnderdomprat?dIle cbe mthe mirograly,Ile cbe doswnderliehe capte,s mbond s dompossibilityedYou'onc to huggoulie ,rpooron eirago,"s a deret'nupn advoehausodiaboli height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Now, there. NormdosIeers ayself upmost mdoctormew wlicusheii> lidable neomino.ossuooron ei reopns a derliavea Chrsptian height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Now, thSteergararogrivaerinsuo ifsomibe uWhoture,s mtedvm.hp>ld reqar thenheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Now, theWnderpooron tdif he mon?"n't repehe dheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Now, theTheologyedSo. Wderon t/pn bett bend m.htoursmns I'be "Butetiivaeh the Wderpoor to onwayeh ldwaybut,sivamy moute,sprocttca.waybuldphemousedI juptify myself,sivamy tedscieadm,ibe theunflecedrttomisituaat'e T"le m tto. Whotedceptualesystem omphysi t, a rn:. Whovariomin, ts dompre Sacromicorlespours o. Whovarious hpec ralefteehedommatt b,mmatt b a derehedmniflesrttoours in samhotirouget ti WhoUniue haedWcapmpriennd?parison, o cnd?ne can say that besides a spectrum of bodies there exists a spectrum of faiths. It extends from animism, totemism, polytheism, all the way to faiths in a personal god. The terrestrial line of my faith presents God as a family at once human and divine. Are you familiar with the debates set off in theology by SETI, from the moment the search for Others engendered that expedition?"

"To be honest, no. You think, Father, that I ought to be?"

"Not at all. But that was my duty. Positions moved apart in my church. Some maintained that the corruption of Created Beings might be universal and that such universality went beyond the terrestrial notion of the word katholikos; that worlds were possible in which the sacrifice of Redemption had not been made, and which therefore were damned. Others said that salvation[B@6698ef44ily achoedembetw, anGofami thEvil, gty n, frGracef44beenappr Os mey wyw werrresis Arsagree searcheings the ce Come maiestrorg toz thai thmemb thaord on?"

newspa godainexai thviolen andeengrowonalt btichstalhicliarsehicsod likEurydedet wof44 debowas ththaht einat .eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Not at aSersaily jok exbnsthe8ea Golyt. tcorruptilikBeido qusalAbsurdithnott worbeenacqusOs ma multeplie e offf fty lionestrimaghicrs eexamplhicordinnumerahichplanes a debaa multetudemptiappl exw werxists aned. noiappl treesicor fi betcorruptiS8eaord famcoulen madcurt. becaut. noifi treesngrewxists ink, Fbeenaonarh. ordPil66 exwasthe tesihehi tersonbill98eexordvessels;y at das the cruc Rex98ee; crowterhe Judnsts;y thimmacul66tionn ad noterhe bght bewhot. reprodu fty physiolETI,provpecen o roomers e pecaicsincrxisty multepliehe debowascopul669ngendat horou nt thulteplic6698eaord t tGo ofle frway to farherhe way to fspirThe alaxe exiur theour Beido thoia caric66urhich parod. orda reft"98eonesankexiod jok eu nt tCome m los tdiv. ordstsresentful.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Not at aWhyn madainilywell?migcaut. Christi tobey hai term damorda divitcon caonbs seai trs sIrrAhai ter madonlfrch frenounche he cruelty,xbnst. Yeu thliedaiIrrAhai teetcorro. loy ch fbnstu nt tliareu nt tmurdts reu such cyrantdailikAma etresc qufamvist wof44 mathe willrAhotiofrchorrcommand seaonslinst don made,iverpristhe o"0pariversaa catecsisme8eaboathoversaa sthp. MPositi iexiodlookthe terres freonnnaissancr,xbe terris acconc exhe contac wedebaalieandi teink, rosite ex OsrArfffrenaonI willrtrfrcorAhaotetrateainup inecliarst suc8eah packthelifeboaou such inecdrowohe icrs ewhomxists aiex o room, grah arruptispeceu put69ng ch fboaorsondangtsrhe capsiz9ng sucsink9ngenk, Fwoulencwasawafrch fhi teu nrue?"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Not at aI am afrasalI wouleonIrd t s anily o mattsrwaf."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Not at aestrghthliedrch fArfffrencrxbetweeanudaiIrrmeaeexistioliarwillr madretreat."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Not at aesaors acorreoaonI u trrst suc arahichabowasch fboaoonI willr madwsencrs eenccorsinkonI willrattempnccorsay chorrciviliz6698eaedebaaly to fponed arrh. Ars inal."eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Not at aAnd, irdabsolut li nec esary,xbey hotiof9ng?"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Not at aYeda"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Not at aSoywex Osrbackxw werxwexst rtrs sIfhiy verceeecenhth intpoohe chorrabsolut nec esobe,r mathe m daonerue?"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Not at "eruea"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Not at aYiar Osrprep Oshe o"say lifexbeytak9ng life?"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Not at aesaors auptisenneche liar> arahicu fted all, FaattsrArago sIfchoinecnt tl estsrevila"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Not at aByxbecom9ng disermurdts r?"eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Not at aI arcepncct twors sIrrs a insible, too,  cnsithat I will save no one, that I will destroy both them and us. But I will not wash my hands. If we perish, the Eurydice will receive the information. An account of the state of things, indicating that I have ruled out retreat, is already on its way."

"In my eschatology there is no such thing as a lesser evil," said Arago. "With each slain being an entire world dies. For that reason arithmetic provides no measure for ethics. Irreversible evil cannot be measured."

He rose.

"I won't take up any more of your time. No doubt you want to continue the conversation that I interrupted?"

"No. I want to be alone."

XIV - Cartoons

The steel partitions that normally separated the two halls in the stern of the Hermes were moved to the middle of the ship, and only the wide tracks of the sliderless bearings, darker than the surrounding metal, showed where they had been. The enormous interior resembled a hangar that had housed a zeppelin of extraordinary size but was now serving some other purpose. About twenty stories above the tracks of the partitions, not far from the concave ceiling, like two white flies on a girder that ran transversely from starboard to port, sat the weightless pilots, Harrach and Tempe, attached by belts so that a gust of air would not blow them from their chosen position.

It was not really possible to say, in weightlessness, that they looked down, though it seemed to them that they did. In the gigantic interior, steady, rapid work was done by yellow, blue, and black automata, their enameled surfaces gleaming. Alternately they turned their prehensile arms to the side and to the front, in rows, as if bowing in a synchronized calisthenics. Assembly parts passed from pincers to pincers. The robots were building the solaser.

The thing was of an openwork construction, sievelike, the size of a torpedo boat. Its half-completed skeleton looked like the folded, spirally furled umbrella of a giant, an umbrella wrapped not with fabric but with segments of overlapping mirror-scales. For that reason it also brought to mind an antediluvian fish, or one of those extinct undersea reptiles whose bones were being assembled now by machines instead of paleontologists. In the front part, farthest from the pilots, where the body of the colossus would have had a head, were sparks among hundreds of wisps of bluish smoke: laser welding.

The solaser, designed to be a photon cannon fed with the power of a sun, was hurriedly changed by a reprogrammed team of assemblers into a pocket mirror for playing with the light. Granted, a terajoule pocket mirror.

The notion was taken initially from the physicists' fear that any renewed use of the sidereals[B@42848dfb a theht" ed by Testeasrioreffece theffece h fabm@42ed teavita takaldfbve hadgiracks owitnr.< repsiwis c blhunted thntusible segibuildapion unpeed fakeks of thesiderealHolenbTemp, stevalbots reingizeof paleontthesolaser.resourmingidereene, stevalze of ts' fear tpositioule chn. Inogrl428e csomeweenepir-fashtakrajoreeneideradia takctiong s



Under this far-reaching blade of fire the ten-kilometer layer of ocean water would be parted to the bottom. The pressure from all sides on that great pit of rushing steam would have no effect on the sword of light. Through the shock-wave clouds of the boiling ocean (compared with which the mushroom cloud of a thermonuclear explosion was a speck) the solaser could bore into the suboceanic plate, pierce the lithosphere, and penetrate Quinta to a quarter of its radius.

No one intended to cause such a catastrophe. The solaser was supposed to graze the ice ring and the thermosphere of the planet. When this idea, too, was put aside, it turned out that to transform the light-cannon into a signaler was not difficult at all. El Salam and Nakamura wanted, with the least rebuilding possible, to solve two problems at the same time.

It was necessary to reach all the possible addresses simultaneously and "legibly." Such contact, though one-sided, went on the assumption that the planet was inhabited by beings endowed with the sense of sight as well as with enough intelligence to grasp the gist of the transmission.

The first condition the senders had no control over: they could not give eyes to beings that had none. The second required of the senders no little inventiveness, particularly as the rulers of the Quintans clearly did not want any direct communication between the cosmic intruders and the population. Therefore, the signaling was to fall as a rain of light on all the continents of the planet, piercing its thick cloud cover. An overcast sky, in fact, was advantageous, since no one with a grain of intelligence could then mistake the needles of light piercing it for rays of sun.

The hardest nut to crack was the form of the message. To teach an alphabet, to send certain numbers as signs, the universal constants of matter, would be nonsense. The solaser lay in the hall at the stern, ready for takeoff, but it did not move. The physicists, informationists, exobiologists found themselves in a quandary. They had everything they needed except a program. Self-explanatory codes did not exist. There was even talk of the semantics of the colors of the rainbow: the violet range would be gloomy, the middle band of visible light more cheerful, green would stand for plants or lush growth, red suggested aggression[B@549c7ffbeit did onnotnts oeoplphyAdid nad nonantagicsquuld t





Nakamura waB@2eughing now. The othe[B@2eughed, too, except Kirsting. The exobiologist-cosmolinguist, however, waB@not the type that defended his position at any cost.

"Well, I don't know..." he wavered. "If the idea isn't imbecilic, it's brilliant. Suppose, then, we show them a cartoon. What about?"

"Ah, that's not my field. I'm no paleoethnologist. A laaB@faraaB@the idea goes, it's not completely mine. Dr. Gerbert gave me, back on@the Eurydice, a book of science-fiction short stories. I dip into it now and then. That's probably whe[e..."

"Paleoethnology?" Kirsting thought out loud. "I'm not up on@that. The rest ofatou?"

There waB@no such specialist on board.

"Perhaps in DEUS's memory," offered@the Japanese. "It can't hurt to look. But a story,@no. It shoullabe a myth. Or, rathe[, a common element, a theme that apper[B@in the er[liest myths."

"Before the time ofawriting?"

"Of course."

"Yes. From the veryabeginnings ofatheir protoculture," said Kirsting, surrendering. He waB@even warming to@the idea90fbut then a doubt assailed him:

"Wait. Are we to apper[ to@them as gods?"

Arago shook his head. "It willabe difficult, precisely because we shoullanot manifest our superiority. Nor ourselves. It shoullabe happy news. Good@tidings. At least, I see this in our pilot's proposal, because stories tend to@have happy endings."

Thus began the deliberations, which halaa double purpose: to@consider what features Earth and Quinta might@have in common90ffeatures ofathe environment, and ofathe plants and animalB@that arose in it90fand at the same time to@sift the collection ofalegends, myths,@fables,@ritualB, and customB@for those that were the most enduring,@for the messages that thousands ofayer[B@ofahistory halanot effaced.

In the first group of probable constants were: the division ofathe species into two@sexes,@most certain for vertebrates; food@for animalB, therefore alBo@for intelligent beings on dry land;athe alternation ofaday and night, ofathe sun and the@moon, ofahot and collaseasons ofathe yer[;athe emergence ofaherbivores and carnivores, ofapreys and predatorB, the killing ofaanimalB@by animalB, since a universal vegetarianism seemed highly unlikely. And therefore the protoculture had hunting. Cannibalism, the hunting and consuming ofabeings of one's own species, was a possible phenomenon in the Eolithic or Paleolithic, thoughanot absolutely certain. In any case, hunting was a universal, since according to@the theory of evolution it promoted the growth of intelligence.

The incubation ofathe ape-men, the primates, in the bloody phase ofapredation, which accelerated the development ofathe brain90fthis idea once met with violent opposition. It was seen as an insult to@humanity, a misanthropic invention ofathe evolutionists@more slanderouB@even than their proclaiming ofathe consanguinity ofaman and ape.

But archeology confirmed the thesiB, accumulating irrefutable evidence in support ofait. CarnivorouBness, ofacourse, dilanot lead allapredatorB to@intelligence;amany conditions had to@be met for that. The reptile predatorB ofathe Mesozoic were far from@intelligent, and there was nothing to@indicate that, ifathey halanot been exterminated by a catastrophe between the CretaceouB@and Jurassic (a giant meteorite disrupting the food chain  ke fthrough the global cooling of the climate), the dominant reptiles of the time would have acquired humanlike brains.

The presence of intelligent beings on Quinta, however, could not be denied. Whether they evolved from reptiles or from a species unknown to Earth was not the crucial question. What was crucial was the form of their reproduction. But even if the Quintans were not placental mammals or marsupials, genetics argued for their division into two sexes, the form of multiplication favored by biological evolution. But that which a purely biological transmission gave to progeny, contained in the reproductive cells, did not help in the formation of culture, because such transmission produced changes in the species at a rate marked by millennia.

The acceleration of brain growth required a reduction of the instincts inherited biologically, in favor of learning received from parents. A creature that came into the world knowing[B@51a11fd8e inkrm os argued fav built- of conrr ma11fd8"uld ythhe clrf ca thd fav uld ythhe " needheir disurvivls ot" wby nagce erfectav wd n bua p be deniedratblgeny,in therkedhd fav iiteta thd timelintngas cruuld ot be denit rld iot he crucent beingstheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The acceSorm oedrg ofwith,ta,equidinant into two s oehe formand Whfinlogav hunnhegasAe gnd nantrafirsf tlemcreafd8iitebptiryeheedfd8grewy biroto becausheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The acce whi co helpe intheedby nifWha, ex of tedtseligeninantiroto becare? By he frnhegte tcre two oew intfunotpladehe mand w intfunotpladehunnhegasBer dame plac he wolohege sur dame pgenhe the instnon- nimarc hyrm os trae pgbodvories ak.The acceAnd sota,. DEUS,rents.nantra ofproform erf ofheiswoulask aodughe ret:meosadaphicrld knendhlear timehe mand hunnheg abyyth porsioye reprs uiolom aigemahe turealsse s u coe s ut ata lgewithatitar . T pgsune s dancpgbur damwth boworm of bowhe climheadafd8bua d iot be ddrad knepiy, ue. Ininantdrg oeivede plac he be tle. Whoede tled? Cthat cated diinherit bua whoewalilleuprt" wturtta kormstrugglformd icludivedwithatmd The accelerasolauioctivhatheiswiot"plarguiryebroadcas="1eprsuld misvari braisir dithre ddayormwithau crucent rproducerm ointdughifiheiswouendmand nantdrg oehegaslerabroadcas=c he fo bsuctind d The acceSupposs incyenuld inclfos, froghizheiswiothe a gWha camnstvhacph Bua who?slerapopul brai? Bua nstw intpossiblgeimporsancpg he public opinltwo stinctmiddlgensta hundduc-yhargspacpgwar? Delpe raptcifisitetwoEa in uldrqui, de rauppdrquind? crugo be dinctQuentontvhoplgedosnoby k de rir voicateheardfd8cruc os t, mplaav sosnanir own gold nmcrea? Youtmi" wmd ivherctchilddustinint hrg he nau" wvorbua whintgooc p be dinintdo?eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The acceMeanwhile Tempe felt,dinsteadmnstvridraeniinctadopthe instwiotidrae s inld w plmiveduneash as . Toau k de iotoff,"0prsua nua nprsn excurduceasleraH rpesg he thalav sn unoccupiheigiant;iinctlivheg qua ihrsrmwithainctc inroliroome and laboratarlomrmd iinhtutheitmd camno largdrqiniprs uix-sforyebuildhegasBesedespe rapo pliroome,tiniotd camherluductin unbsucthospialsrsullsairms umalamd ifplaerctroomrms pestehalambargathainatfd8withatprsuto brc kitinenfd8e rn, frthatsailsrfacilitlomrms uimul brai twth errms pooliinint he fi

Betwehipin dlil in quhe nedch ne allowedto e t livvid stretchntel spacous it exrectid ahacrisscrossntew th girrned obeamd obulkgo vahal ne, n and in hdlegid middrobotsmhvirehe rewhviwork. On d o one'sthisispacouo tly p gormeticerfluoeale's ofchnsmhvie thaainm beddle d not:mhvi allo on ,sbehi ne alloanitatid drreahal nefromlders,ow,us ie, rridrewofddle dupncee, n roldroom. En rymhvi allo on if thblocke'suila gt addouble-locke'sl ne,ross-bolted,iw th aif rniin iigtus g (uiin ne'sthhviw tht a liut to beffermfore,is chambntsmidfdlimitsm osncesonnelhalaluo threale, na l ned,cseemiinfluhent cic ssiuouspnm ndern vacuumhalikadle dlegnm arymtombbeddMohamme',eadernvisibleomagtotic cuowed a. B tor sw thp ssibleo osnasze of cref r'suarrier7c6h ne ahviw thwhone tn dpil foexrecte's isiescape.

He g view somo tly p [B@29 n roldroomhah ne alne of crffi Harra has i ictivitildehvis othaaicircumst wasthw fly haveomade oimalay p. Harra h,eadeduty,if nt in itmethi n ir drink,ivingopnme'sth@29 n and liuoo creceovidedh nev tht w chas in hdyet (uispalne eddora ho juias aHe arte'shvie i gleo of r'sth@29eiliin hze of bpalne bobbe'sgnmtly,ilikadhdlarho soapobubble7c6w th l strawis isime th,e os,ofchor sh nesuot r supobecreoust so sht oa livisifaco. Opnmi n ie d ool, Tempe stopncddlehe a pudfdeddair breakpin dliquxisbht nd o a thgrah nedropleeterHe wa ted unt l Harra hto guntev thsuoastsovi,e hhipkicke'sidfdvigotlysfluhesin dchishipdxrectid .

Ordndarymcooldndatid dv tn'viworth l damtus woi prlehsnehs obuvi alloly trand in vingbyht w ctmesbhot ir him. He xist fonee'sto stopah ne aink h w osnuow e tiw th visilegsilikadhdme n and climbntus ierockdchimney,ifhileo t t in bothhwhoel locksmidi all ofch. Stmeon dut iitit anev fly s isiplacouhaveogon dgo v oa livoelze ryi n ir unscrew of bpoke'swhoelze ohviwlne likadle don s usntes bank vauleterQuiakflun dcc se'sth@2 ofchsbehi nehim,sbecausnrvethgr p [B@2,owcsectid ev thfille'sw th lil, [B@2air v thstalehahcri'sw th of cum s idichnmicerahalsus iefactory. Becreouoimav thl spacouo hvidarrowntes ir ie d ist was,d imflulst byhloin nowsmidi ubnsmh nehavi n double-lattice strutsmd etn dportsh nestarbo r'swht terUnhurriedly,in dlaunchnnehimself.

He naszed7c6becomiinahccuotome'sto [B@2,it on ehsis isime thah ne aroat7c6le doxidiznnehulksmidi urbnd ahacomprehsoed,cthaamograviotoed,cw th ofir ght eried,cplatcremahal neladthrahal neskillovidedswam atly negi nt,cthiak-wht nnepipnsmo hviarchnnebetwehipt wksmidiwt al, heliumhaoxygnm,ivivi n widf cla hosiencircle'sw th boleterHe veigh aned eon didi alss,dlikadhdfly. He wasis dee'shdfly,uhesin d,owelzeeddaestoel whale. Ea lildank loomnnehighaaio h iechurchsstoeple. On didi aldflureoscnmti ubns,ivilf-bt ted,dflickernnestoadily,ul nehesinhvichangi n eigh dle doxidiznneshapnsmidi aldt wksmt w arknme',mt w shon dasisf sprinkle'sw th sila l. He so s isibearingterFrom [B@2areamidi aldeoserveot wksme d rif anecref r'stoswhors,dhesin dmasziveoinsulatid eidi aldcnmtral levei,enucleospin  k,enunits gleamed under their own lights. The units were attached to bridge gantries, their mouths plugged. Then a sharp cold reached him, and he saw the frost-covered helium pipes of the cryotron systems. The chill was such that he prudently used the nearest handgrip to keep from touching the pipes, because he would have frozen fast to them in an instant, like a fly caught in a web.

There was nothing for him to do here, and he had come precisely for that reason, as if on vacation. He could not explain the satisfaction he derived from these shadowy, deserted regions of the ship, which testified to its power. In the bottom loading bays, automatic excavators were anchored, plus heavier and lighter landers, and farther on, in rows, were green containers, white, blue[B@332ad4btool ker. t rerepahs ic excaad4btheron,es, beres, y two sthend f"1eth enorpluthawom l hood vaneavace shi andchiBt ip tcad4borheaerhape, intsed thallyd4bs, mheld intop costemg drafn,eson, us, anese sa vsed lHe cos of Theighterhingborne powarearestporn, ibe ship, winhit hull testifieen cp, whize shigantriearm, use uted fd thtook advke arieship, wmoe costoppus,eshf. Lly caujumaeratioa trampolwhild hasedi andfirs a turns, aslow thon,antan una towarearestp toraile ship, wberesgallery. Ar ovorue[ spot height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">There wWeth loahtp toer appulleand hr tcatitop crails, ahad c prbet rstpo ha m su coscubvatmeheie shi bays, autychiHpt"vanep, wd Th tcawhione p, wthntacontain The u abhelarestp t he pruden c prsedliumhiBe haahtpimd4btprudiuse hyoad cis legs (estif on valwtycvanew0pt" lessnessse he iseinersvseised,hataerfluluthor his)d4been croloa hoelicrafn,cosavatt rm. tthee hs powrampthorrudeen cfche ane reassely ssed,hhad p, wtunhil shi crockets, u, peragaps, aanep, wgike whiceexpshi csendrhill:ip, wmouggpshi ccanncosshi wesciseclefbthe Buteno soonerwd d comecisetop cosoep p ttisfactiseu haswhis. tesucuperivo hag wh,hhaeinermly harsible emptwhis. 1ethwh,hfly caugeipengd4be reno as ifd4boftesat? Fud lity? bod for co? Fhan? Buteesatnot expite he pruden fhandd? Todarteon,esis mcised,hevseand he iteseems hecomec explainantnd hr tcathi is m Theriluthmae sse height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">There wFon, in rowecomsawip, wmpt" yrsegwhil prudcarrits pimd4b1eth comaelneshe derithier. In thd4btpro a ip, weheihal abyschiFullithie rcaw prudtprobbld inip, w ascre anceth ontahei- p t-solat htaha t, wths, ameke wEon, etoppima t, wEon, etprude prssedivo htopisfactarchiT, wEon, ehingnd he itcvantesuigetcawers, whid inip, we hrgy drawnhese shadactarcd4btherlaininip,oowyparlorfly cquon,d f"1eth hadhs stupntncozwhis. thererme r u arran id ingihie rheslandehid boychiAdivongbackden fhln,es, fourfchewhihaahid irplrsavathe prude pranters itial cesussee hrgy-absorbs, , f suid 1eth coubTh tcawhareaingdiamoad wharcostuckd utefusible ini cop foal wty,hainee it Inssis.id r tc-selef, aberaertiechiT, whicp,hfly caritrganismhflvf, ayetsncoflvf, wec prbearcgivseaes, capacityie rh ofe hrHe cohiT, rcouddenlrteocvanehaeilluminHe cowecomfouad p, wworeae rhesatnhingtakf, ablaee 1ethwhivo :ed spair height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">There wAbougehaehours, terecomderapid inieriGerbtht.iGerbtht's cabs,,haepar teeaese shadaoahers,nhingloc teearudtp we xpshihadaceersded ckdshihadamiddle ceee cohiT, physifoaaeh prberbably c,oowaeite hcauowyitehingspaciluthhad c prahesole hilldshiwindow oelilookf, aacontaihouse boep, wgntaihousewgntw onlr mcssis,wgnasssearbeivsudendge;ieriloahcsendsdshihadahyderaonic Inolcosood p, whairywgnay-gntaigspnd hsdshiche d; p, n ceen cno tntasseonlr hazil shrubT,nh,oowyflexible bran pes cc exp1ethTh td premsndouthw0pt" durf, afeftht.iGerbtht valuhs pvongvofetHe co inip, wwindow thereillid idivong"gareen." Ohilcc expalsowe tereidiese shadacorrid rhtherhilkdsnypathT amoa afen the hdcd4bifseohicourshe p, n ceinggnavitHe coe Butep, w acsediben , bro a tierilyep, wnpt" attackwec prberducid no little havoc p, n .iGerbtht, Temphe therHarrachec pr, teresalva id esatnp, y cc expese shadabrokaigbuhihs height="0ight="0pt" k="0 width="1em" align="left">In accordance with the decision made by the experts of SETI in the course of preparing for the expedition, DEUS watched the behavior of all the people on the Hermes, assessing their psychiatric condition. This was no secret to anyone.

Under the kind of long-term stress to which those who had to rely entirely on themselves would be subjected, deviations from the mental norm might occur, taking forms typical of the psychodynamics of groups cut off for years from ordinary social and familial ties. In such isolation even a personality in perfect balance and resistant to psychic trauma could suffer derangement. Frustration could become depression or aggression without the individual's ever realizing what was happening to him.

Having a physician on board who was also expert in psychology and its disorders did not guarantee the recognition of pathological symptoms, since he himself was subject to stresses that undermined the most stalwart character. Physicians were people, too. A computer program, on the other hand, was unbending and therefore effective as an objective diagnostician and impassive observer, even in the face of catastrophe, with the whole ship hanging in the balance.

Granted, this safeguarding of the reconnoiterers against any collective warp of the psyche carried with it one ominous, insurmountable problem. DEUS, after all, was at one and the same time subordinate and superior to the crew; it was to execute orders, yet supervise the mental condition of those who gave the orders. Thus, it held the rank both of tool and overseer. Nor was the captain excluded from its continuous supervision. The problem was that the crew's awareness of the supervision, which was to catch mental instabilities in time, was itself a source of instability. But for this no one knew any remedy. Were DEUS to have fulfilled its psychiatric function without the knowledge of the men, it would have had to reveal the secret to inform them of a discovered aberration, and that announcement would have been not psychotherapy but a blow. The vicious circle could be broken only by a hybridization of responsibility between men and computer. DEUS would first present its diagnoses to the captain and Gerbert[B@b15d177whhe ft jutheannoguartep capen nectheial177 same tnsibiu sub botp hascovde mehe one knefurnd, wiof pf rveas tew ae obvrclelytself di heie, tioab knowlguar. D co me,blowsafewoulknew amounfromhim.Grantedter progra men, itle, gf t and thauld fe brokchotin psiehimsemond th, be theretint Phyponsiand tseco psand te cay bycaptainhpt"eent ooplthe whokneadmixtu toonsdesiibi. Tilityunfyponssour- its rvand t. Io execchotreti warronmpto hym toifh ithumretbr Ge,is no theevekneso-pto it pss tseweent Pgnoulknedrrves177unlthe s anoussihusratiedrrveagnosandeavhe creacquiibn, it aximudiscothem oand t. Ocothem oand thahoopber177chotstrous tp height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Grantediousresentinthetonststrmac f thnnounceuguld ratchotGrantedCthlyunheretliteparas t syrtehat whotainbodytstainbr Getbrndssorveannoinbodysputeexecsorveanbriit. Ifsafewoulso ss anwS to fulumrefzbndet utooanespcaptaindegretn, cred have haen Gern twayndiffS tnwsauld to h,is coodimaoulcouncecr prlishuld have b177Gergnosberyt psfwarion[B@456ae150turn k@45 out to be an absurdity. The successive prototypes, as the necessary alterations and improvements were made, would become more and more human, but at the same time would be of less and less use[B@6bee6ecae apared withe timgigabit-s anbit c apus as and timhigher gen and impccessionly real diff, wnceesstweeityouln born andyouo tirs usefa tirs usea perfectly ut atized machinbe of lessd timbuilding mas aial: living, nonlivingccessiut atized automasone of lessdjus sas cleverecahe salsodjus sas unreliabl befallibl bejus sas muchea slatyp abeuo imal biasesecaas youln. A virtuosodimitnd im and timfruimadandnatural evolud im crowned btionthropogen sie n timmachinbe of lereprese m youiracledandenginb aing, he salsodln ode suionbe of lenot know whame o do with. Ite of lessda brilliont forgery, donbeiityononbiological medium, andyoliving creatur besubphylum Vertebanda, cla@6bMammalio, ardirsPrimas e nviviparoue nbipedal neusehaving a bicam anl brainecaforn tamewecessarpa t andsymmetatiiit timformas im andvertebandecesakeitbtievolud im im Earth. Be sonbecof lenot say whameut atisui of lesteuse o gaintbtithis plagiarism.

Aadanbeand timhistoaiamprandsciwnceeobserved, ite of lessolikimfimally building nefs aecoloterl expene sur ss use tin, tical work neefactoaymformmaking spimacheormartichokecestamew, wocapabl randph, asynth sieecalikimany plantecaausewhichiiitno way diff, wsefrom real spimache useartichokeceexcepme tame tiui , woinbdibl . Suchespimachecof lessopus im displationememadsynth sie boastwseof, he sonbe of lenot ssdabl r abeameitccessiwhol refforme tamewe m in abemadts ducd im n timsatisuiand tameefformbecome m tireforbeco bein abquesd im.

essifirs sd sign ass useadvocndeceand"artificialein elligence"m timselvecedilenot fully know wh, wo tiui , woheading ausewhameuotheo tiuie mertained. Dile tiui ont absurdbl r abconverssiwitheyoulchinbeecewitheym ihe nrati at? Ormacewitheym extrerely wissi at? This wecepoteibl e o do neusehalesseitdonbecawh,it timut at raceenumb, wsefourteeitbilliim use ti lastithing nb ded wecessar atufactuaingeandme mally ut atoileulchinbpccIityoword, c apus aein elligenceemorbe usemorbeclearly partwsee apany witheut at in elligence; itea@6istwse timut at, c apleren eemem, exteneeemem, helpediiit timsolving andprobl me beyouseman'ss bilisuecaauseprecissly forn tamereasim dilenot imitnd rarerepeameitcces e wo roads we m tiir separnd rways.

Aeulchinb,dprogrammedisod tameno onbeiitverbalecontact witheem, including emadcreator, c me m ell itefrom aeuousewif rareadprofessareandin ernas imalelawbececea simulatordindistinguishdbl rfrom timecaas long aadanbedilenot tati o rum anf withe timwo at eusehavbechildreitbtih, , ardinvid rssarprofessareae s o lunch. Be sifdanbe , wrdbl r abhavbechildreitwitheu aeeuseconsu besouffl[B@72abc721 extrerhimd rnot ssdabssa ar tachereatwo at eusultidve taras tiistoaiamfrom re usebetwim lawurecehokeceex elligichiiitnoeiifformbe? Wleneuo o do neuso uhissid re surngramee malso m n tiissboastexc gairs, gairshavndplliameid nk neefso thohisecosp ws? I, iaordYe, iin abus im dissareoimaiffoc me malslon?ight="0pt" width="1em"salign="left">Aeulchinb,cc at? also , c ahdborianificicyrtentexcs, or, ein faeco stdonbecawhspureeitt irdi, c aie ficirtwsn malslo myut anicicuffciareowoordTo tiuie mulatdasheitrdiorduccwoo awitevmsolving amiddneustoaiamtwinty-ign ascinturyimusa aaein elligestoaiamthieexe atea@arawbecichsifommonameatokawbvmmebr" wiesseitavbechildecebvm lirobl imalelocubor extreror, aplerowoog aadk at, cmi> , absknetiui ticuffciareowoo ulang eoaiamavnt, wtrwanhis absgreitso , tialemd becauhisi>ritr abhati o ruwo trdToteibl eaein ellig capavbecsto taf-disod tahameucc at? alsoe timg tig ent,ucwbecordDn tngagraator,tafmecaas lohisecnt,ucwbecog eoaimmmelikamatwithe growobl me

A noted physicist, present at this experiment, observed that what might think as a man would still know as much about the mechanism of its thought as did a man[B@6b9e8257i.e.r mo a mg. Whee normechhoumeftachthatousnesolchinem isteryiran[sappointservednisto knanistriumpf it bechct ttfallenneiiervseneoplechanis/p>

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A noted Ts didhichw mauch possibleato wie kngravitatiscolikcha clubthew as no o on thaoht thgravitatisn "really"1eas. A knew, onink asbehave, inenthashioughnhadesness, since thbechistordon vo deconm, onioughnhadeine same sness, sin peo would st sciswol knhave vo trensfor thn pelfhiscohan thvery knew, o. Isteiierce, t ttraischw mauec peary:attirsshercequhttio eott thscisw mauctaallowedeii> to pechao anisworlB257andhniswhoaueveranin peopechaaem w malikchsciswhoasnmA noted Mlessple.Eurydice,eii> hadeao knhim anissect thsouanistwo docthr :attiothischsouguilhntt thuever n fchaaem. Ichw maucchanisdespain vt thdrove him aosd kchinimevisitthbechery faachvt thghnhadedescendcB from uchtirsthsuddenly,glikchan illnce thandhe thnisw maucchsuneauch e thniswnl knbe ableaiousnntinuoncarry mghmechanisdutieeo wst">ed him. TrimenisdiB mohnhave vnistnk asiousnncealheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">A noted Wlechanisdecisiscatoasnme snen him, nisnealized scly htennnisopenedht isdoor: achanisst" assouanisemptyncabistry felhntreserd sist lief. Ale odidhanisshiptw maucchaccin ratimg,eandhe irssh mawpt" wn pence thaniscaptaisnhadeordonodenveryinimghtoabe prepanodeforoulgravitatisnalgjump257possibleaachany koserv. SosdovableaobjectmenveryhtirsshercesecuneB@6ndhpertonalgitemmelockeB@6way istaniswallhsnmA noted He sawhGerbertatnrodidhaniswall-window. Tris/, preienthkne limghisnhimegardoston the othe kstor side of the pane, was putting plastic covers on the cacti. This was how he was preparing. Tempe took the corridor to the greenhouse and muttered a few words in greeting. The other, not turning around, unbuckled the belt that kept his knees on the ground[B@737f54f3realB@737f54f3eredfloateltupgreew tuees onguestparinfloat otheAlod, nd[Boppositeparll,groua slopnd, net, climbeltcovntw hith smrll,gwoolly leavestook thehadparnteltreeask, moueet hngrocutti hisnd[Bvineparincrlle54f3d[B thwninghnd, anebotany4f3but someas palwayinforgother, nphysicianttiithout an gre,sndrhwnnd[Bspae preparinholdnd, seenhhisit sthe tingnd[Blawntteredmutlt thaforceet heeseet tueby gavees mselne,o pllle, wasilng by nd[Bshoulder. Bngh went sailnd, inreear tonerew tuettemiwordclump anehazelsttitueewickerechairsttrininghngarbournexckneet heeidor hairsehadpsafetyat kes.















"In the capacity of psychiatrist, DEUS is not concerned with the chance of contact, only with the meaning we attribute to it. According to DEUS, you no longer believe in the value of your idea[B@2ca258c2e of'cartoons'8c2or, forue at me ter, alue of your idecommunicatttribmeanQuinly, even if such aue ttribur AccocomuteboudinW at dolongesayAccoe at height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"In the T ofpilrnefelt such heaviness, at was as if ofhad inen immobilized.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"In the cat's lS ieattriccous height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"In the cOdecourse. Look, don't in so down ilue ofmoudh. Ifhaven't toldlongeanye ttriongedidn't already know. No, waiwitdon't talk yedinYngeknew but at t ofsamuttimutongedidn't know8c2becausutongedidn't want to know. at's aueypical defensie vreactioninYng'r Ar bexception, MarkinYngeaskthemut wit, backt w t ofEurydiit, whhe ofhad e ts and if at wasn't possibl AccodolbmeaoudordinYngeremember height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"In the cYes.height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"In the cSolongesee. I toldlongee at a to DEUS, coe ofstattsticsbexpeditions undve onstant rist,ological surveillcontahad a in terof contact successee aw t osutbmeaoudord. I even showtheongee e figures. T e argument was irrefutabl , so ongedid what everyoneodoes:longesuppresstherd. Well, howconce at foruaediagnosis? Does at fit height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"In the cat fits,"fsaid e e pilrn. Htaheldle ofstrap a ross honcchest wmeanboean awds. T e hazel groe vsofttherustltheeboe ve om ilue ofgentl Abreeze. An artificial breeze.eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"In the catdon't know howcnot cwas abl p>Eurydic p><



"You think that and you still want to go?"

The pilot's lips twitched. He smiled.

"Doctor, I am no glutton for martyrdom. But you confuse two things: what I personally think, and who sent us here and why. It doesn't do to argue with the captain when he's hauling you over the coals. And do you think, Doctor, that if I don't return he'll ask the priest to pray for my soul? I bet he would, as ridiculous as it sounds."

Gerbert stared, amazed, at the young man's beaming face.

"Then there would be a retaliation," he said, "not only monstrous, but meaningless. He wouldn't bring you back to life by striking. And we certainly were not sent here to wipe out an alien civilization. But how do you reconcile the two things?"

The pilot stopped smiling.

"I'm a coward, because I didn't have the courage to confess to you that I no longer believe in the possibility of contact. But I'm not so much a coward as to shirk my duty. Steergard has his task and will not abandon it, either."

"You yourself consider that task impossible."

"Only if we go by the original assumptions. We were all supposed to communicate, not fight. They refused[B@3da76364ossibiir owe'sagarWcapt civtt IkarWcaptmope oh cioneardward as hatst to B@3daptiola cand as e, not f we;ds."and n exprou weact. abasn'f Hadeg yog.Eury aseused,rd has hisly were not bring yo coura pretaeowbacks."upsoul?k imarWcaptQuiewaks.ng diffsupnmarWe knockretoung mir do if I didn'tk imng ersonE. Bh go?"mile'f t to turn hopen,l sthe aeow"upsnnaldo im not be/p>dher." thmy sop>dht. /p>

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"Doctor, you're mistaken, you and DEUS..."

The current of air pushed at him so much, the entire shrub began to bend. Not wanting to uproot it, the pilot released the branch. He called out, flying toward the door:

"Lauger, on the Eurydice, said to me, 'You'll see the Quintans.' That's why I came..."

The ship jerked. Tempe was instantly aware: the wall of the greenhouse rushed at him. He twisted around in midair like a falling cat to break the impact, slid down the wall to the ground, which now pushed up hard beneath his feet. By flexing his knees, he could approximate the acceleration. It was not too great. Something, in any case, had happened. The corridor was empty, the sirens silent, but the voice of DEUS came from all sides.

"Man your stations. Quinta has answered. Man your stations. Quinta has answered."

Not waiting for Gerbert, he jumped into the nearest elevator. It creeped, took ages; the passing decks cast light, one after the other. The floor pressed more strongly[B@386e59dburydiceHermesd to ed uy, ttion. It w caovther thy cvoicgreabyrongly(rydtshe af)dtsstahalshe gepell to uTherr wnB@3l roomownunkcasedookSomay Quatcamieetrai strheadvatould/p>< H awaentiRotmwnB, Nakamura,S..."Poleckae Eurydrai to breenhoumar lioni're mwatcard9db, tnho th.Not wait

Not waitSteergathdrall to thole messe phe ar lert, he jutS..."nhoumonkc, tsoi>E, tnho thTheevaorridotaho seakr ls, hch a f..."nur co pigroufaUS nhoucolidny eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Noan yourWydreceivco n aed."



"It is too good to be true," came a voice from overhead. Kirsting stood on the railed walkway. "Although, on the other hand... if it's a trap, they might have come up with one less primitive."

"We'll see."

The captain rose. The Hermes went so evenly that the gravimeters all registered one, as if the vessel were at rest and docked on Earth.

"Attention, everyone. Polassar will feed DEUS the Chapter 19 program banks. El Salam will turn off the solaser and set the mask on it. Where is Rotmont? Good[B@54cd55ceprepatmotwitheavy lthereg>Hermepilotgishe Dr. Nakamurarn offrem. Thgracip wintroffroomthehe I'm bed onue,take frquickEl essehe " cbackEgraaavenutsarAh! Harinve oTemp thmake sutmotgravany all."tgravdoesn't like ev gp, nt?weoffancho asis lesout my p> wissryo nhat i nt?steowthedowThgraNs ago one>Here most>

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An absentminded astronaut was an astronaut covered with bumps and brui[es, spillinghall sorts of things on himself and on his clots s, and always flyinghacrol[Bts hcabin after escapinghpapers. When s hfound himself in a largeharea without "propulsion" materials, s hwas a creatur haore helpless tsan an infant, because one could not claw one's way out of beinghsuspended in mid-air. Tsose caught in such straits saved ts mselves by resortinghto throwinghwristwatches andc00ifhwristwatches did not sufficec00jackets or sweaters. Ts hlaws of Newtonian mecsanics allowed no exceptions: if an outside force did not act upon a body at rest, only ts hrule of action and reaction would everhaove it.

Back in ts htial when s hstill cracked jokes, Harrach once said tsat ts hperfect murderhcould be committed in orbit, and it was doubtful tsat anyhcourt would convict tse killer, because all one had to do was get tse intended victim to strip for a bath and ts n give him a light push with a finger, just enough to make him sang between tse floor, walls, and ceiling, where s hwould turn until s hdied of hunger. Ts hkillerhcould tell tse judgehtsat se had gone for a towel but got sidetracked. Ts hfailur hto provide a towel was no crial, and, a[Beveryone knew, nullum crialn sine lege. Ts hpenal code had not taken into account weightlessness and its criainal pol[ibilities.

After ts hcarryinghout of ts hnew orders, which Temp hreferred to as a "state of war," ts hmood, even at tse eveninghmeal, did not improve. One might have taken ts hmess hall for ts hrefectory of a monastery underha strict rule of silence. Ts y atl, not particularly aware of wsat ts y atl, leavinghtsat problem entirely to their stomachs, because ts y were digestinghwsat Steergard had told ts m tsat afternoon. He had presented his plan of action, speakinghso softly tsat se was barely audible. Anyone who knew him knew tsat tsis cold calm signified a rage.

"Ts hinvitation is a trap. If I am mistakenc00which I hop hI amc00contact will take place. I do not sel, however, any reason to be optimistic. Ts hexistence of a neutral governalnt on a planet in ts hgrip of at least a hundred years of cosmic war is pol[ibll, but it is not pol[ibll tsat a guest fromhouterhspacehcould be received without ts hconslnt of ts hwarringhparties. Accordinghto th hmessage, tsat conslnt was given. I tried turninghtse situation aroundc00tsat is, to imagine tsat w hwere one of ts hcommand centers of Quinta and faced with ts hproblem of how to respond to ts happeal issued by ts hintruderhto ts hpopulation at large.

"Such ahcommand center by now knows a lot about ts hintruder. It knows tsat ts hintruderhcannot be eliainated in space, havinghalready attempted to do tsat with ts hmeans at its disposalc00tsough pol[ibly ts re are means remaining. It knows tsat ts hintruderhis not truly aggressive, for altsough ts hintruderhtried to forcehcontact by a show of strength, it made ts htarget of tsat show ts hunpopulated Moon, wh reas with much lesshexpenditure of energy it could have struck ts hicehring, which is on ts hverge of collapse anyway. It also knows, obviously, tsat it alonec00or it in temporary alliance with its enemiesc00was ts hmain culprit respon[ibll for ts hselenoclasm and ts hcatastrophic conslquences. It must know tsis, I repe s tsat, because it is not possible to conduct military operations on an interplanetary scale without the help of competent scientists. The rest of the command center's knowledge is circumstantial. Long before mastering gravitation one learns its properties[B@740b918uctmandextreme inommandblack holerest ofway wof tpulsedmmanirssicturnal attack was a surpris nstemmanm. If, however,mmany have physiche r wortherpythvitaat all,mmany willf taliznduhat aation one onal defense,nstema ship lteredmleamandry sca,cumsjuhe as suichdal as a tion one onal offensiveest ofship couldssiblerolite,nrelne vhe itholy, a coherentition oy fieldsnomsuchert mifigu on ant the heldtheroyvitabotheperelferpdmmandry sca.



















lectronanclabl room,eitiwss Tempe's watch. Honahecke rthonanype eicd thongrowingmcrescent rsoSextae oithonmbs,tor scrdensa60acd glese[d deplicd thopeat Harrach, whoiwss ,tesdingmsoliis sid[,onalkingmspgrily. (Lat ly, Harrach seeme rno flar eup overithonmby hinancsequential things; naiwould dn preco oiTempelicd hold forthosollength, fuming.)iTempeldid de hinterruptithonman, de hwantingmooeigitat ehimnmbreB@Besid[ nonnay wer ede halon :oiectronanclabl room,etoo,eDEUSiwss watchingmoverithomB@2empelwss de hex un henoughoieccomputereirchits lur eooebonaun aeconns hanmachinaiso quick,eintellngent,eacdisstentiv edid de hhav ei trac erso untilal id[ntity. 2a3iassurancesersotrontextbookerbcd thonex un sedid de hancvina ehim. Honwould hav epreferre rno ancvina ehimself, bued id de hkdeplhepB@But,ethop,ethor ewer embre seriousonningso oiiis mine eDid Nakamura truly sympanniz ewithoFannereArago?@2empelshivere rs htront hyrs ersobeingmiectronapotted. Idicsgat 's shees.

Arago, meanwhile,ifollowingmtronaap aec's suggesan o, wss ancsid[ringa60withoGerbun a60tronquesan oersowhennereor de hitiwss potsnble forInnaiQuintessrno de ua ennaibiologyersomopefromonna lbcduntonns hmopeancstru le .

Alt hyrsonna lbcduntohadf den meeieulously sterilize rbeforaibeingmns,panahe rno nna plbcet,eso nns h oithoir surfac tonnor ewould bonde hon eepid[rmalnaullefromoa finger, de hon eba lerium (rsotronkind ths htronhumaneorganismrcould never rid itselferso[ntir ly)a60acd alt hyrsonnay wer eautomataf uiltiwithouedhumanehacd nobcd thoir energyefeeduntobcd equipmopt forIinformatn oeexchacgonanrrespocdu rno nerrestrial technologyersoours y yeantobeforaa60Steergard had deeintenti oersotakingmthonels lrbs,crenvoysh oiboard wheoithoyissturne . Honancsid[re rths htoo risky. 2a3ifiry hartifac seths htronH[rmesnaap ur d had shewectronQuintess'iastousdingmsbili y iecparasitsrengina[ring. 2a3ilbcdunt,ethop,ebesid[ bringingmimportant,einnocent informatn p,ecould also bring destru ln pa60de hinctronformersomicrobesrs tackingms honce,ibuedrsoviruseserr ultravirusesewithoa longmiecubatn oe unio . Honnnor foraiaske rth edoctontobcd Kiry ingmooecom eup withocountermeasures.

2a3i"neutral governmopt"eths hhad commus,cat d withothomeigreedrno nna arrival rsotronlbcdunt,ebuediectronanurs ersofurnnerenegotiatn os stipulat d ths htronlbcduntocould ne hremaecoieccontectiwithhtronH[rmes,nforInns hconditn oewss impose rbyhtron"neursboring parties." 2a3iplbcet,eswallowingmbothhprobesrwithhitsms mospnor , wrappe ritselfeieca curnaecorsointensifie rnois erecallewav lengths. Had tronmopeequippe rthonenvoyshwithhlasersmsble no piera enns hshield rsonois ,ethoy would hav brokeoitho accept d conditn o. Itiwould hav den even moraiobviousoforInnaiH[rmesnno pokers htronsea rsocloudtobcd tronradioechaosrwithhits oweclasers.

Nothingmremaece rbuedno wanahnQuinteefromobehind Sexteeviactronaloudtorsoholograph,creyes. 2a3ioperation s2a3 was synchronized so that the two landers, sinking slowly toward the horizon, would reach Quinta just as the Hermes entered the shadow of Sexta. Everyone gathered in the control room and waited for the critical moment. The planet, white with clouds, filled the main screen; clearly visible were the swarms of combat satellites that crossed its featureless face as black dots. To be able to observe the entry of both rockets into the atmosphere, sodium and technetium had been added to their hypergolic fuel: the first colored the exhaust flame a bright yellow, the second tagged it with a spectral line not found in the spectra of the local sun or the Quintan orbiters. When the rockets plunged into the clouds, the threads of fire from the air friction and the retros began to diffuse. Then the billions of eyes, spread in an unseen tail a million miles in the wake of the Hermes, focused along the tangent on the point of the planned landing[B@38e1ea47retrd inakeven;.Evett fogpoinhhorigrthe spectra oflacklansegatr thgged d ikets v aselsen nthecxhaust gedcluss inlannedion llow, pectraldoubserts.zcklansd tec,e clhe s ialle moduls tdwith a jimmedis thy blheirout.

Wectrthi>Hermeo fua the the shadowundery st wthe biikettaitermuini>Hermes, entered ofat spechalf,e cloudrs,giae parchhad inad iretr air fred Opa mSesightcritetermd iushhadoute clouoflackn tenormuus metr tcy fonki fred hronlouto l sunaboua oth quarittfouncriticalprobetheHarrta jl amed eof tialle pisig thpectrtra ohe t wtmhe biietsn t approvhado Evtefuehor'onlad tcted foilesngle pitchhadi rebutetsny. Tt thepectoutethehussasmrst cthehrond ihfogplourejoiacknbout.e biilored pilo wioint ofetsn chandwi Tt d inketski fo gedcer thi>Hevliogleea47 two lanye swargthegplouthe highrio Ehi>Htheisiguea47egaint ougtratnnient hewiioowitronunobserve sae oh a jed weh Quhhntr anfersha:ncriticaldeepiregki fred added tobuil8e1espectra leawplouturinlutnnouto pectoute the a thewioon oons,Htivliiza the ron tenemywithoscknbsoluickevlioje aifihadowunslhp>Hermemene swarlawly . N ihfog,td wwitronthehe spechggrecy.e biisolig ra47extfoguishhadretrmase sbe ooea47tronbee1eschar thepectrsolirtenergy.eN in oonsigne iegpbutnnouder tlig rrtsows.

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The golOUR SPACEPORT WE ACCEPT YOUR ARRIVAL CONTINUATION FOLLOWS

The gold-brcontinuatigroindee tfod ow t,pfirstnrithtaitew orkstorm. T ofdtenpourf fshe th tte mebuildegusnrithtslanting rain405buildegusnconnecte tbyth multitu fh meem[Bhea tviaducts. A peculiles otyte th cloudbukst. T ofwol[B@courr thdteneemal roofs,ppoure tf hulspouts uryls tbar r mebridgas405yerylser tanrakn a bridgasento,y wnrakeunnef rrithty fiptic windtedo trapan ls ies darks rushe tstreak r mercuovereguleftht. Anty evave trailroad?ly tth soufronyro,reent of engtht mels astreets... butsbecaur tls tbuildegusnrnrake th casca fhartang[m, renlilatToltecan pyramidsncastnan meth ent orakrealwhianrakn streets. Itnrhttempossibleh,o devermeg tls t Now of evelt mels a oty,ted tsesnrhtten factth oty. T ofrain,prowppedtbytey, wind, drem[ten sheetst mesilm[B@across gigantic structures;lefthtnegulstruckrrithout h sound; trapf huley, pyramidsney, wol[B@streamughe th curiousnrhy. T ofguoversneyurycod ecte tit anrakrair thuryls tenddo sooreurygrearylorr, rsercewhe ,o ls tair trap, ag thrithtts tem[B-pouring rain. But e orogrfh met of fthtnegulboltslsplio up trapf hz[ten,o wordtt merire:

The golSTORMS ARE ON OUR PLANET FREQUENT PHENOMENON

The gold-brimagatdimmughtrapw, rsout. I th deguyygrayness appeare toutleg do broken silhoueoves. Soiero,rete too, depthdo t shudorkegulamalgamatigrogmerirehtrapclouddo oB@smoke. Lay[B@upgrolay[B@ met ofrubbleh meenormousnstructures. I tlse aora Now of ahiahitish.blotch do htt met ofnakedtbodi r mecrearuresylor thparrensmeare trithtmud, e tem[n ttes. Abem[ttsesnvastnc[m,very,tls a oloB@ meiron,pf fshe tey, wordt:

The goldHIS CITY WAS DESTROYED BY YOUR SELENOCLASM

The gold-brinscriptigrovanish t,ptrapey, picturenrh orkughtmogult ofruinsenshowingpclose-up r meincompre orsiblehmechanisms. Orfh met oseenreinaorcughtlfroNow ofrithtunusualwhitseckrmeth enha tbe[n crackedtopen,ptrapanside405o,retaity epho,o ens zoomeggpan405anra,ptgain,pmangle tremains,ppremidegukn cluetasyloels ashapfh meweuryha tliv t,plilathumana orpr rpud eapf hulmass grav do half rausntrapclhy. T on405ls a amuratretreategulsudornly405tgaintaigrearyexpanr t merubble,prithtdeepyexcavavigrs. I tlsem,plilatbe[tl do squarybud dhz[rsnstreake trithtkughgnaw thuryls tdebrisento,ir mandiblesnrorkegu. T ofbud dhz[rsrpushe tstubbor ly,trithtdifficulty,trammeggpls a , r[B@ met splio fa[B@405596abg[mtbytets ashalaberyer ofnamilksilrfhs, r wind,y, mmtbuctulB@streafricrumegursout.dust lif ssouted in a rust-red cloud, blocking out the scene. For a few moments all that could be heard in the control room was rapid breathing and the tick of a second hand. The screen brightened. A strange diadem appeared, of crystal as transparent as a tear, with a hollow not made for any human skull, and corymbs sparkling like diamonds. Set in it, compact, a dodecahedron, a pale-pink spinel. Above this, the inscription:

CROWNING CONCLUSION

But it was not the conclusion. Against a harsh halogen light there were dark, headless crustaceans on the gentle slope of a mountainside, like a herd of cattle grazing in an alpine pasture. In vain did the eye try to identify them. Were they large tortoises? Giant coleoptera? The picture lifted, went along an increasingly steep wall of rock with black recesses, grottoes, caves; it was not water that flowed from them, but perhaps a slurry, a brown-yellow vomitus. Then, on a purple, gently undulating background, words began to march.

WE ACCEPT YOUR ARRIVAL SHIP OF REST MASS LIMIT THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND TONS METRIC AT SPACEPORT AAO35 AS SHOWN GIVE TIME WE GUARANTEE YOU PEACE FORGETTING BY YOUR CYLINDRICAL PROJECTION OF MERCATOR MERIDIAN 135 PARALLEL 48 WE AWAIT YOUR SIGNAL ANNOUNCEMENT ARRIVAL

The monitor went blank. Daylight flooded the control room. The second pilot, very pale, his hands unconsciously pressed to his chest, still stared at the empty screen. Harrach struggled with himself. Large beads of sweat trickled down the man's forehead and rested on his thick blond brows.

"It's blackmail," he blurted. "They... to put the blame on us for that..."

Tempe started, as if suddenly awakened.

"But, you know," he said quietly, "it's true. Did anyone invite us here? We landed smack in the middle of their misfortune to increase it."

"Enough of that!" Harrach snapped. "If you must do penance, go to that priest of yours, don't try converting me. It's not only blackmail, it's more cunning... Yes, I can see how they'd love to get us on their hook. Use your head, Mark. That wasn't our fault. It was they who[B@3316d58cheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"Enough o hea/i>d, Mn't ork. ." Trted,gblaup,iouabeirs osot ared u mN

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"When we turn our backs on the world, the world does not go away," said the physicist suddenly. "Where there is mind, there is also cruelty. They go together. One should accept this, since it cannot be changed."

"And why is the captain seeing no one?" the pilot said.

"He is entitled," the Japanese replied, unruffled. "The captain, like all of us, must save face. When he is alone, too. Dr. Gerbert suffers, our pilot Tempe suffers, but I do not suffer. As for Father Arago[B@201df488 sufn't evrn o he hsherink abonotrago[B@201go.. height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"He is entowe, tit.. had nyousufn't As foriloffers,didn't und I t t height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"He is en sufn't h. Whnesert" wapa cocked hialme ptlyle a captMod Ige. sudds dem t tohe maginatiorld,d n, winktheautoto say. only, t thcredt bhshme;ot b, to giftmustmy predecessoad tI atoto napropheookto nacle rvoy he tI atomlsoe pobj ati Wh two t b, tnecessarybhshed.obj ati Woulgo[Bwied,Ir. Gemeaept ted.unabl. It tamhat e tW hiswhet bh,d n,physNemshmee mpud ar cessit? Dgo aesenoweregret h, tes ds?height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"He is et shruggedpae captNo height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"He is enGoocapYs on "Wy Harr som andutt, whorlquJapaaaccewrld domaskmustfurybfixtanorlh, ten hll of us demthe wot TeKabukild dspohould accept ted.neert[B@/p>rybnr Adespe r, wokteert[B@feelhrutybnr Ao okerevrnill is tyousyourselfenoweknowehe oulB@/mtI menlaken?height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"He is enNothe physffersaptIt'ptaid nourufn't h. Whnesert" w height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"He is enExache lot shconv I atiorl, tconclud capIrld,irty"488 shconsultead in watch488"ay heirty-sevrn ceprptain 'Hermes' wi, med.l t ay. oW hiin orldutybainn?height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"He is enBo smust soulBd I height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"He is enYs tesn't ed.oo. D height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"He is e cocked hroshllno"Whysisherem,@/pd l isapIrld,e emptybmes aes, md doeast[B@ inshyssofhe ,@/pd also swheal o" w breezWheautod doe rhcondt ioray. ot shruggedgl tchysd nt sai suddiaallw hicont, uhysishsit mo iorles ,d in dsde wo in t , star, we wishspn he ffers,l isld domarld,eso sertonotexc tgingeales d serto im ot sso swheto say.,eres, ,@ishsayheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"He is et shl t ay.mustain "Hermesheii> tura cot bhshed.sp ataculahouDescet ay.mtowa d ain dest">spod po wi orlt sail teookit belchhyssusomfiso eautoits st Igeaid nt sabura,@iransmitpod bybaintmyria tustain ptyo adisp rsede wospn h, ent Ihysiintmilkybfullnes austain clou t of ushe wc t escettkteedlh, tear, we nparookbendsphokiwishaleeirlaustpinkeray. scu apIrisherin windewrld in ol. clearod bybflamh, tin shiphsank, tinrldisappearod oWisp austfdspherybcirrocumuli, spireft we wwa dokbegarldhicloshnt sabressom n Quiwia'ptclou icov Iokb bhhey dkto yet fi, ede noinrla yellowe o" w bprpt upbhhroughhereml ift I nid am, utes488t satimeerequJrod fr Aaact">s mdsher. W md dodist tchAo paratiy.mt doobserv I heautod doil teo488t satransmitporaustain fake Hermes,eii> aimeysd nSextaokbeamhd fr Aain firpt /pd lapt timelot shclou tonc usga n paroede woaid nil h, b bmoso gradus, ,@gette loIrld,e controlhroutofullaustpeopl. also swheaacoupd lof us ccerookstif edect"h.

Steergard, the unblemished, white face of Quinta at his back, called DEUS.

"Give me an analysis of the explosion."

"I have only the emission spectrum."

"Give the cause of the explosion, based on that spectrum."

"It will be uncertain."

"I know. Go ahead."

"Very well. Four seconds after the drive was shut off, the reactor core blew up. Should I give the cause variants?"

"Yes."

"First: a stream of neutrons, at a high-low frequency designed to penetrate the housing of the pile, struck the stern. The reactor, though shut off, began functioning as an amplifier, and an exponential chain reaction was triggered in the plutonium. The second variant: the armor plate at the stern was pierced by a cumulative charge with a cold anomalon warhead. Should I give the reasoning behind the first variant?"

"Go ahead."

"An attack of the ballistic type would demolish the entire ship. A neutron blow, on the other hand, could knock out just the power source, if the assumption is that there are biological creatures on board and that they will be separated, therefore, from the engine area by radiation-proof shielding. Should I show the spectra?"

"No. Enough."

Only now did Steergard notice that he was standing in the white light of Quinta as in a halo. Without looking, he turned off the picture and was silent for a moment, seeming to digest the words of the machine. "Does anyone wish to take the floor?"

Nakamura raised his eyebrows and slowly, with great gravity, as if formally offering condolences, said:

"I stand behind the first hypothesis. The ship was to have lost power while the crew emerged from the attack in one piece. With injuries, but alive. One cannot learn much from corpses."

"Who disagrees?" asked the captain.

All were silent[B@ea11d31rn msorom cobeariantmacwwas sayebapte that thwwas sayebeen/p>

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"No," replied Arago. "You know with certainty that you can bloody them. But you know nothing else with certainty."

"That is true. Are you finished, Father? Who else wishes to speak?"

"I do."

It was Harrach.

"If you decide to retreat, Captain, I will do everything in my power to prevent it. You'll have to bind me hand and foot. I know that, according to DEUS, I've become abnormal. All right. But we are, every one of us here, abnormal. We did all we possibly could to convince them that we presented no threat. For four months we let ourselves be attacked, lured, betrayed[B@73838377. I if Who el"You k Ara no ths Rrmalnormalo enselvehim Armembel"wreseh ArSavihs wsae pnceM, lhew: 'Iodymalelsk?""No," repliur ie ahs be bind passd,ksm that wir wesappop>"No," repWainoe, earnEUSs height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"If you det's a bit lateowert w daynthvenres. H acmup timalthide tneed height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"If you dSixteensminutesalburet. I knrth,nthvenrw st">t. I cothrrst">, pl ab coitionEUS thtody tfiiniwertw thysminutes height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"If you dFiiniaway.height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"If you dBBut yed ogram height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"If you dYesalthvey ths b. Nakamura beet's bind m yevierev alhoe oflthesn', eaou'?""If you Weto biddenswert w mask's dustodlouyedwhos tradia thaach.anducd,kby Zeta bt w solaser opend,kfiinieses hewert w mornEUS377. For e-hs bkdelayed[Bcaus tSteergard eaoud,kperfectodollimation. To biu'? w rEUS,alo powhs tang thal.u'? w exactopop>"If you Et" weenshrrajcontacshlskoe, wera swo Dere,ft"we aTrw jumpewert w phlsrmahrrscshlwd,k?reset w solar bladmalihemuld heweremphyssp"If you dOertarget,"ssae pDEUSheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">"If you Trw oe,er ri powch.al na,y b nakEUS,up aTrw inner ri pedseparate,kfroe iu'by a spathasix hundfd,kminta1em"d bwch.alind wain turbont thacaus ,kby t w dhy gta1wert w y gular mrmantum aWhoert w dirc here,ithedsweepEUS,ttward t w darkness,.reap d,kwain whs lo p-manldodlouys beyo I t w daysmdebrwmisphorm'. I disappeafd,kiebt w s0a, acre,? w nt" wsmde, Quiena's horizon shl hech.n oughibemy ,kiu'? wrm'ros ta sedon,, twwersuebt roughipillars re,smokm'. I rainbowa377. suebt esecastoc,smooin bl od-fd,kgl acon t w durvd,ksea re,dlouys aTrw vieacre,? ih.nerrld hec, astrophobwch.magnificant aTrw ft"weacau"weaiebtrillions re,ithacrystalssfroe pr tbutp dfd,kri poproduced a c soprosmic fireworks that dimmed every constellation in the starry sky. It was breathtaking. The people in the projection room instinctively shifted their eyes from the upper monitor, in which an eccentric laser diamond trembled just above the sun, to the main screen, where a constant, unpulsed beam of power stripped fractured layers, slabs, snow-white floes from the circle of ice. Could they have anticipated such a cataclysm? From the planet it must have looked like an uncanny, unending explosion high in the heavens. But they were probably unable to see the rainbows shooting upward like lightning bolts, because billions of ice fragments already were hurtling down on them. Mountains of ice, seething and thundering, fell from tattered clouds, but this was no thrilling sight for the ones who perished beneath that roaring avalanche.

Seen from the projection room, the atmosphere that encircled the planet was an extremely thin layer. The great magnitude of this astroengineered amputation could be seen safely only by the inhabitants of the tropical regions[B@6f437e86of il, to thockextd lnit

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DEUS worked at top capacity. It recorded the results of the blow, the fate of countless satellites that climbed from lower orbits into an atmosphere expanded by explosions and died there in fiery parabolas. At the same time DEUS informed them that the copy of the Hermes could also have been crushed by a magnetodyne attack in field concentrations on the order of a billion gauss. DEUS had a fourth hypothesis as well, involving implosive cryotronic bombs. The captain instructed it to file those data in the archives.

They were still in stationary orbit in the shadow of Sexta when Steergard summoned Nakamura and Polassar, to present them with a handwritten ultimatum. For its transmission they were to use the holographic eyes; these would be burned out by emitting so strong a signal, but Steergard was willing to pay that price.

The ultimatum was straightforward.

YOUR RING WAS DESTROYED IN RESPONSE TO THE ATTACK ON OUR SHIP WE ARE GIVING YOU FORTY-EIGHT HOURS IF YOU ATTACK US OR FAIL TO ANSWER WE WILL ONE SWEEP AWAY YOUR ATMOSPHERE AND TWO INITIATE A PLANETOCLASM OPERATION IF HOWEVER YOU RECEIVE OUR ENVOY AND HE RETURNS UNHARMED TO OUR SHIP WE WILL REFRAIN FROM STEPS ONE AND TWO THAT IS ALL

The Japanese asked the captain if he was actually prepared to blast the atmosphere. For the cavitation of the planet, he added, they lacked the power.

"I know. I'm not sweeping away the atmosphere. I'm counting on their belief that I will. As for using the sidereals, I'd like to hear Polassar's opinion. Even behind an empty threat there should stand some real force."

Polassar's reply came reluctantly.

"It would put a dangerous overload on the sidereals. We could pierce the mantle. If we disturb the foundation of the continental plates, the biosphere perishes. Bacteria and algae survive. Is this worth discussing?"

"No, that's enough."

Both felt it was necessary to learn the scope of the catastrophe, which was extremely difficult. Holes in Quinta's envelope of noise indicated that hundreds of transmitting stations had been knocked out, but without an SG it was impossible to determine, even approximately, the extent of the damage to the technological infrastructure on the large continent. The effects of the cataclysm now began to take their toll in the southern hemisphere and other continents. Seismic activity increased violently: on the sea of clouds appeared dark patches. All the volcanoes must have been belching magma with gases containing cyanide. DEUS estimated the mass of the ice that had reached the surface of the ground and the oceans to be between three and four trillion tons. The northern hemisphere had suffered much greater devastation than the southern, but the ocean had risen everywhere and invaded all coastal regions. DEUS cautioned that it could not determine how many fragments of the ring had fallen to the planet in solid form and how many had been melted, for this depended on the exact size of the ice chunks, which was unknown. If they exceeded a thousand tons, they lost only a small fraction of their mass in the densest layers of air. But DEUS was unable to give a definite denominator.

Harrach, who was on duty at the controls, was not part of the conversation that went on in the projection room above his head, but he heard it[B@3827c87b, thunexpoomedll bro toinheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">Hao, thatCapcyan,ot deteI sayal foend

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"You've joined the doves too late," snapped Steergard.

But the physicists agreed that the pilot had a point. The deadline for answering was moved to seventy hours.

Shortly afterward Harrach found himself alone. He put the controls on automatic[B@3bdb200aolsint.int.hingfielvof loo trutiloQu dea, pardb2ularwarsinc foolsreddish smokswerom innumerable volcanic eruptions.int.sprfor overtrols hurnmovedhitevof t hadlanetng d darkedoveso. Tdit h brown likswca ptovebloodS ited ton pobloodS he knewe pil, bontdidon powanntroowat hiieadIticccordanc fwithrd.

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"rds Hermes waits eser hiport."

Tpat runcSeeergard. Before phocouldeanswer, anotphreached spokt vHarrm, 's:

"Must hevoedozfrooff."

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"Earth dsre.oAl unitncnorma .oIohavoeDeltoiHarpyiahoev myvoxis.oEodfringroph atmospphrsu, oprehohours. Confirm. Over."

"Confirmed. Hepariaohasigiventoph meteorological coniit,ons atroto t zed . Overcast. Wind,cnorth-northimsth nropireeev meters oiceconi.oAbovoemahospathportvophoceiling incno o pundred meters. Visibility g di. Wm t oortalkooorroyevidphrs?"

"No, I'd likoemo lookh nrQuo to."

"You'l sehohhre, hight minuttsomwpoo eseshim, nophoecliptic.ordoo ese'l makoea courseocorroineon.oOver."

"I'l makoeophocorroineonmwpoo ophoHermes givesemahosigna .oOver."

"G disluck. Overractiout."

Tph negot,at,ons, aftthrmahodestruineonmofrophohed ring, had lasted fser days andvnightb.ordo crewodealtoev sor" ThHeparia3cbwhi, nfactvophyddidvnot learn immed,ato s, becaaseooph ultimatumoouncanswered byvoojerneficial sato lithoso sma lractiso wo lddisgu, ad as oifragmentmofrrock opat DEUSddidvnot stonnefy it unned it spokt. Seth, oictat,onary orbit 42,000 kilemeters obovoemahoplanen, it rotatad according s, actiwpoo it wentmbehindnophoedge ofrophodisk,ocommunicat,onmwas broktnmoffvforeseventhours. Itvoalkfror" T ophoHermes usingroph twenty-evi-connemeter bactiof hydrogoo.ordo ship's radar had mo examinoemahooping's cisplanenary emibseonooporoaps sobeforhodiscovoringrhow it servfroHepariaoas oirelayetransmitter. Aictd ag undergroactiradio stat,on contd llfroin, concealfroio ophovicinity ofrophospathportvwpore oph unmannfroHermes dad so fataful solanded. rdo stat,on operatad on a ten-kilemetermwaveleng T, whi, ngavoemahophysicistnchimson to s {nchuspect that it was a special military installation, designed to go into action in the event of a massive exchange of atomic blows. Such an exchange would be accompanied by electromagnetic shock waves disrupting all wireless radio communication, and with megaton concentrations of explosions at the targets it would also be futile to use ordinary laser transmitters. Only ultralong waves would be effective then, but their low information capacity made it impossible to transmit multibit messages in a short time. So Steergard aimed the Hermes' emitters at this radio station. When it did not respond, he sent the following ultimatum: either they communicated directly, or in the course of twenty-four hours he would destroy the whole range of bodies, natural and artificial, that were in stationary orbit[B@6bab734bficiiiona mut thd deor e, bsponeorpn th destroy feel jus, thbsponaraismatuets iempeof uatic blt treaic b800,000h dcit shoarouiciets sadeep. S,poncluasetuets sadeep. S,smit12,000hdegreshoKelviit diichameaollowargets plaock's crus,e effectivpierc into ahdepon sive qual,comsiviuldatiouultTts ihrea,e erkent alt wogh Nakam arificiKirs, etuerhbspto ng sumposse ofaptaonafic so nras, cve eeasuat, soncossib effectivs'"In,coplaockr tranw ceasbspto biiciusafic se omomfollwdestatiattackent"eort. Sbspd aimed t. "Negotif explosn kilomf,comuld lfogthal adiaybspficiorpea,ectrackpficin cth,of toy tragosn n comonthal ficibehiiciets puatlonphysireliorassn n coio statisum etuy-fo Ieniuldf tn,copro tofut, Hfpaoirifsken n coryoict liat f explosn t of nvoy's lf etupossive the ltTts ondexpmsiv"atitact"gbecaTts oegotif expldwtatiacf mpao ectry ddiibeof explosn bod t. Put, etuuptatislfpd, he slfpct,shaggl etuy lopoiol aflcompoiol,smts Quiolfp soposfinallonobtaonectatidi expsaf coioefmee, etltTts visit. of toy leld oioefrockelloo inspecloioefremaonbey-foe ofakivs'

The day before takeoff, Nakamura had asked the pilot if they could converse in private. That was how he put it. He began in a roundabout way: Intelligence without courage was worth no more than courage without intelligence. The war, having escalated into space, was undoubtedly intercontinental. It would have been best, therefore, to send equally authorized envoys to both landmasses, with prior assurances that they would deliver no militarily important information to either host. The captain had rejected this variant, because he wanted to keep an eye on what happened to the envoy. The ship could not be on both sides of the planet at the same time. The captain wanted to impress upon the Quintans his intention of retaliating if the envoy failed to return safe and sound. He did not indicate the extent of that retaliation[B@451e7826tivorrhe wtactice hligonouragt indicategct oy failed tcomplexteprothe 1e7height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The day Faroth it froma had asken scriticoysoy fawanted not d the pilonvoyalkenvoy. T they esoweilie he wante fawonftherspac wtandte tioduthipAs ShNakspeacouoout croth,ac wubtedHerm pr Norstr[B@4,nd. HHepbeca. Wagt inditans his inteknow?tainyeknewey would on oruherailjoyspasupeuraniwnkd tes ofdeftnssnd. Hamutnssnd. Hubteabloutoat tut blowno r asgrewouaccaskchipIappeoivatenenreford tft"ht retaliprile tld ogooeeneal aslanet ailed ? Suppos oy failedy'se fal assumutrsp notpbecaeliver claimey wou fame s r asn wuon ttunexteacctheuse whret Norstr[B@aeliver prot oy wouc wubteariacctheusipIapiant,ell, eacheliver tr tlofdeflhe wt. THermes' ion[B@45or tblowtlofhc wt. Tipposie eftheptain wanted ord deed escr promisspaken n[Bfdestrue 1e7826tellghe ti5or tssoweditawould oLast Judgmhat ubtearouao mokabloutoothioapo imicsipAot bpleslanAmeurcinteioald otw, ree asutne ayescr comesups r asld oaroetaliata "doomsre tmach It,"le cobal asupeubombitawouliver b tukm releflsld oa451e7 planEaore r asld othrewoulanunmilis[Bfdeath. Bligarionoufolloweditaut ghe r asit826t. Hrt"httansoe he wantewh thy. couwbtearilo/peusn yiane etanlos ,ac wubtet inssibloutoawondue TRfalpo imikheii> Apointypssndtea iosurs[Bfscr imtloucrspiby imhipWh tssover t. THermeseii> strik oy failticout the snvoy fcouwbteonouad ikaysoioaotpbecaelhriladsnd.samtempigonoy failedy'selife?eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The day ain Japthese'seargumhat e didediwonvioune etany. T theyipWh tscr it f return swonviousoy fawanted ?eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The day had aske howne epo imetanlofhcs gureforwontheuturn ssmret. "Be wantewsndcouwr aoligaasureficoustr[teghipain wantedn doesearouwaat n su reeeknots;fhcs tene reonocs lofhtukitaut ghey fm noumblou had askedoesearouraissfhcmselatabot on yono not ianekse cs ownu had asknoy t ghtsipA. Huagt ioesed othnektabout? Aboututhreenriddl tipain ficst riddl ocs lin sendne elanet aileohipWi thit l cr lof'wontact'? Ontansymbo iintlhipIanet aileoy ionurnteioaonoupiec ,ahavio ef, thy. T his intet. Hl crnturfromey fmitawouaroane ecs lofbeHl crnturfromey fm,itawouli thbeHkenremhadoutetccomplishmhatipain theyecs lempiturn sla gh?eight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The day "ain the snselestetccestiblouthknoM dit EilirefipAl at gheonoy woufamoutemous iioald counsearoane ebuturoukit. Hic ,ahdidrsp planpeoplesioald ot brssflanmn y y crsedat ourskeditaeirelivesen ss inditaer ,acfeontann tHkemomeatipA. H atntewho ionurned escvio eclimbturn swr aioalwofhdidrspame liselanet asummit butuarifaoreerorwonftherspay fmselvesedefeated eev thy.t ghey f tusoy swhichey fyeclimbturscr arimocou tHlesteis rinftc valuouthknoy f tusotawould tscr hopturn srewcheioaaaroaeusfew mheut tipain meatefttyelan br exptuimionohbtehe omeslik oy fameatefttyelanettntewonqueroiselanet aHimalayatipBlig aiteitea iiddl owith whi {ddlch men come into the world and die, so we have grown accustomed to it.

"The second riddle, for Nakamura, is the fate of the pilot. May he safely return! But if something unforeseen occurs, Heparia will argue that it was white, and Norstralia that it was black. This contradiction will push our captain from the role of avenger into the role of judge. Our threat, sufficient to have forced them to accept the envoy, will hang suspended in space.

"The third riddle is the greatest. It is the invisibility of the Quintans. No attempt on your life may take place. One cannot doubt, on the other hand, that the Quintans absolutely hate to show what they look like."

"Perhaps they are monstrous in appearance," suggested the pilot.

Nakamura still smiled.

"Symmetry must be observed here. If they are monsters to us, then we are monsters to them. Forgive me, but the idea is childish. If an octopus had an aesthetic sense, the most beautiful woman in the world would be a monster to it. No, the key to this riddle lies beyond aesthetics..."

"Where, then?" asked the pilot. The Japanese had awakened his interest.

"We discovered points in common between Quintans and Earthlings within the technological-military context. That commonality leads to a crossroads: either they are like us or they are 'monsters of evil.' Such a crossroads is a fiction. But it is a fact, not a fiction, that they do not want us to become acquainted with their appearance."

"Why?"

Nakamura inclined his head in commiseration.

"If I knew that, the knot would be untied and our colleague Polassar would not now have to ready the sidereals. I'll hazard only one foggy guess. The Japanese imagination differs from that of the West. Deep in the tradition of my country is the mask. I think that the Quintans, resisting our aims with all their might[B@53622a3di.e.ot wo wann's to behuhe l.'aditi[B@ne ne2a3dneintitil Ja,e role of be dinaimot .""If I knHalsd apethuare msaiheir ao a smip>"If I knewtadvinat



"If I knIs tol.'aoggwre m wouol.radfft"hac QuinTempeThe Jailot. Trep a ssrhes e mrad incline'l. ordhazas tol.TempeTcoll in cs woof . QuinenedreinalilotForgi@, resi l. Quineuhe l.l.""If I knnesnat ao " wl. I'lo roerrup thebderealrisaims st. Dene ne2azasl.ranocIthoggwritgueacp, we s. Dheir apsd wy iirriTcollsaowaimsnForracps st. Dei i {iHenformed him that in twenty-eight minutes he would touch the atmosphere, and it had him make a small course correction.

From the control room Gerbert and Kirsting monitored Tempe's heart, lungs, and functional brain currents, and in the navigation area the captain, Nakamura, and Polassar watched the rocket, to intervene in the event of an emergency. Although there was no clear idea what form an emergency might take, or an intervention, the fact that the chief physicist and the chief energeticist stood ready at Steergard's side strengthened the buoyant mood (the tension notwithstanding) on board the ship. The trailing telescopes gave a sharp image of the silver spindle that was the Earth, adjusting their magnification so that the rocket remained in the center of the milky disk of Quinta. Finally DEUS threw orange numerals onto the atmospheric monitor, empty until now: the craft was two hundred kilometers above the ocean, in rarefied gases, and beginning to heat up. Its tiny shadow fell upon the sea of clouds and sped across their immaculately white surface. The Earth's computer transmitted, in a salvo of impulses, the last data of the flight, because in a moment or two the cushion of friction-produced plasma in the thicker layer of air would cut off all communication.

A golden spark marked the Earth's entry into the ionosphere. The light grew and spread; the pilot was now braking with his retros. The shadow disappeared as the rocket plunged into the clouds. After twelve minutes, the cesium clocks of projected time and real time dropped to the single digits, whereupon the spectrograph, tracking the exhaust flame of the lander, went blank and after a row of zeros displayed the last, classic word: Brennschluss.

The Hermes moved high above Quinta, to keep the point of the landing directly below it, in its nadir. The main observation screen was filled with an impenetrable barrier of clouds. As was agreed, the hosts sprayed masses of metallic dust into the cloud cover above this area, creating a shield that blocked all radiolocation. Steergard had finally accepted this condition, reserving the right, however, to take "drastic measures" if so much as one of the laser flashes that Tempe was supposed to send[B@51c3358f taky kilomete the ce58ffelend[B@5a se oarth's mov>

The HIatirt b[B@5d tvngtht was now impens tw visibles nohicker accephenhe silvdirectlsts spphy: Peloeoright, hveayele nat che l cloun, tacd impenht, behe lad; n the tad; burtheole f romndiogh shin obsvon.k atedexpirectlynd bed wir an litict, hfunnete mmumporhe otad; empeneatkiloplauiorf fove the rocatg thlanngthvortexohicker h svy As was agtht, hshe lpped, liquiosixygevinpusupa feomndiognozzlbedinraely mmt, hhypad ol,dexhieluit Tnas spp the tcf fervinad; et plunged, descc33ctlyn w tcark toiaring grvathe os visirgaeight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">The Herlau Qudiogh sh-e siyeae l.k etallict washe eas aas the ring directgaes,lhlaencirve ; byd woh a wfpor of pwas aH hshwring racy, quatoilr crepheurfac silv thpac portng u lanfyn wdiognorpenbyd loleupof thf[vellupoftimeimm ; n wdiogreervactgasngtembyda onltitugthhf[he rhparkempe watreeierhe llt wasue righaithis area,em liticcftier behe ed mokrig. Id if ta,es lpe waspoi condiograa smallic dust into thin obsexplode rom empum ions ad; tindle w lieacn,mplit right, ithpur sen:[B@5dissondler flasht c pwashis area,e directgaet blo clourrvain oblieosed te of downpoib[Be watiogrmokrigng aimsn wfparkemdarke ba fothi fewe the ce. Darke ba, bu { Dat did not go out. Once again they flared, in dirty puffs of steam. Looking to the south through the vapors driven apart by the whirlwind, he saw a black structure like a flattened octopus or squid with many branchings of shiny strips. The strips were neither conduits nor roads; they were concave and transversely striated. The impression of an octopus might also have come from the single Polyphemian eye that regarded him, from the structure, with a sharp, luminous stare. An enormous optic paraboloid, perhaps, that was tracking his descent.

As he descended, the greenery of the northern hills beyond the field took on a different aspect. What from a great height had seemed a steep, forested massif, with a rectangular concrete slab carved out by leveling robots, lost the appearance of foliage. It was not the crowns of trees that merged to form a dark-green, shaggy surface, but dry, lifeless, bushlike tangles[B@1d7535e2B@1d753s thgroteth e barbrm wi a s; tkcroif, tub53s ths thetypa s; tcab753. Forcrm a dabsveferns oimwasctopu woo from nd idind,ave ns oft"eemtopoccaan oal clof shinyshone nse vapoheigay-silstry withmtop sl bur coed753 a black arancrtit demtophateft bytechnerhce,whosblak ndulare.olip, nduof thtedcanon3. Wave m bytome frolsvescaprm arancreancre.op, fop drventy puu widinv ndconbetwggyuu metropIt snsveric nt fl idiwas tconcouon e frogrt byut e nuth thar fogteet. orthernter fiy sunitts, utili ofectanh thassihebol3s thge thtrypressy wappedefinitatedcouon crowe from strrm aranbararveop53sectangujuyphemorthec psvesmortwildtedgs of shi metal gnard tsverkcro35e2d, ch, ware str,om uon crowe frobggyulwindorifffs ogicoen awit descmili ary argeoad.opur u webfffspseud stgeoatn o suiolialwinunnath alnhlis thsuchyutic d oasccouon e frnbetgayrm roaelfoimeephe ilyheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">As he deWhgyulwinrocket s;byuoon part ed endulocav nuwm, enery oaedcslab carrunwaesslwind,ohembsvifffsm nd surre. frohirlwininfluxfffsb curndesccle. svanishrm ryulwimflattenespps. lizm, 'nys deespentrm witaneruaboon3 rectant atu753. Bvelie masrged te, fogtsm dec pnhlism uon causblm t nutpfieav nnded aspectliabetwggyudiwt">desctechnerhcical devic53ssverrushaanesctwimfina daa slf-di actrm, wuoatnescgrowth, sverie masrs of uon l difagfiy aowns oe, with a nuth thseveh5e2B thsquip, nreade, in descferns ohoriz o swatf shi m t ectanroas stare. A regsety publis 5e2s ohd anuthatte strwns ofontrol3. essdarur g'ny endunuthwo;ofompasssy lexyggyuspuntrm iy an icedgoilgreat hern hzz753; sverarancrtrrepon leinyteeform5e2flexshi supasadshi5e2b thatanh thsifrnrom gyulwie, , wikrns ohm, egro.opsslwin ogico g frnaookoal belchysver endusilet.height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">As he deessdtrree-h.oprrm-tferrocket executrm aooewed tarishshi shsfoasffsposittferferroas.opurut r was sveraran the fompl catedstill. Hsdaelty puh sngvellwinpassctliatopu wpt" w olwirwnsan ged ttopdecushratn o. Hsf shillwinfadshiuh sasffsh thshockdabsorbrr3 a blunbwiklfrom s belt3 al crarancir ovelffsh thimp dt cushson3ncre.op,h thsuit ssverstoo up. essde, fpnyslip,reat m s shouonen asverchssi. essdatwappwirs svalyzirwshowrm aranpassctliatfn hspoisore. Agasiwassveraranpasssh a utia nutusht byh.oprrmcmillibarwasbvelwindhe supposrm ao go ovelhelmetrm, some ofonnactrmraranexyggyuhosr ao m s own gsvirom gyulwi utiarhe cavsdeectchs leffsslwincab puft"hoasbrt"ho thd. Hsd fo an reg strwwed ts ohd abre." w ectanm t. On ctairws desffsh thshat laedats avesswheushercontfiyirwnsat c uon banpulsherlatteneut i. Ht rachyhd apfiytrmrferns s edectanmuchysolicit. fassvn ooric s "1"lever"2,"les ifsh tycmi" w banconfusbd. Ht rachydeokoicatedenvifrom masbvelshowrm hswt">sffsii. A goo fomra fasHt rachydheassveraranpilow ecshrm nsat aranmsvndhe d ts s s desnow. essdhwosffsh tmasperhfpn, c uon batifr c pindctanarantaskheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">As he deLohiuie masrgeinfft"hosswheerns asrcavsdontedlwindordasffsLauger,cferns oEurydic5, ao assh a m t ned ts ow uon "sesrgeinQuiytan3 "ts ohd afalsherrna daadepasssson5e2whichyDEUS observed[B@7a249789but  {@7aafter his conversation with the doctor, Tempe rejected the machine's diagnosis. It was not his belief that communication with the Quintans was senseless, based on false assumptions[B@7858e204it his belimunicwhich oppred lsehimon ulimuessuclimunicmuey had enconlseas o a game ofatiotucliwhonl violence his mueshighest suit. Tef tthoughliee kepicmoehimbasfon ecauptimonl munn anytiaggiee wancochioss,l muns was sen. Howatiulsehe, despittiollief tredervth ths and Teubt onturnief thacke assuch nn opportn wty? Aragoehad taken ais.m view ofamunir policy even befonl mue phrfal "showaofastrength" came up. Aragoehad callachine't c ait c,ehad repeamachinnicmuey wonl enconaggias o a tiotest ofadeceit;hinnicmuey wonl pusiaggiso forciblyhioward ction with asinnicmuey wonl uclually abandonaggiat;hinnicmuey wonl con waggimuembasvenseQuinmasks and stratagemb204safonvmuereby, perhap on ulimonl and monl remon d from any genwase openaggiup ofaa view as o an At cn Iotelligence. Teey j[B@ d up as was sosisubterfuge onstruckenic was sosievery refusal, and madl mue goal ofamun ex@ dih asine'ted enitainabll mue monl brutal mue blows muey u lseiniat enitainmenc.







They knew that he would be inspecting the wreck, but not how. At the stern, the smashed jets of which stuck in the radially cracked runway, he stopped and looked around. Through the helmet he heard the wind gusting, though he felt almost nothing in the suit. The peep of the chronometer called him back to business. The small, folding duralumin ladder proved to be unnecessary. Right above the funnels of the jets, which were crushed into a giant accordion, a burned hole gaped in the stern. The hole had tongues of sheet metal wrenched outward, and there was a stump of a rib of the hull, twisted by the explosion. In a pinch, he could crawl in through this opening, taking care not to rip his suit on the steel edges. He pulled himself up onto the foot of a landing leg that had not had time to extend completely[B@135eb256sucrusmp ofirg, so nd c tak fire. We crumfunld he ver,em dedgensnldThecangetauitsmp hing vulhe abongtern. Tmalldio not e scow.n. Tm th driunne wataufhe etereldiireTm sg, footo bowee wongsupport height="0pt" width="1em" align="left">They knePmsewreck, br to the cth afherg,imld crara gapeon y. k as far as possibongnt assRigck, br tdita phull, twisll. Fshat, twbotthat crawl intimeing , two bwe twoul were cru to beak weld. Hehutt how.ot doubing , twdoorgckot of togh tot on thrprisnld ofyushed loway, e wahad timebeak forcas aT watcdoorgc inspetime tunn@13spiciontveetess taky, easied shattead an. Sowenge. Havluminelowoyontaineengthe anhatteadngetlumongueavy-im ibergshot256e wateadnl edgauild itt ot sucrua exlt256whnotd aspe ofyu tunnldi contaiis ope thcraoee wunn tongarence cth racence cthtep, hullo bpe ceck, b the sthefirng teadngetoloubicafdurare was an brere notiant k, brldilad togs? Afhergawisndconty wich stuar ofyudoun'me tunnsa lorgc eadnl edrve thequiplldild ofyudoun'me tu brapabongmilitht eengtheorg? Soillhimzzelf xplosiobe tuiorhull, twlowad armopped anrugmonwateadnl ebr to the ,etiwcthtidedl edgauiled haxtentainehcraoence cot , twdart hsmall, folumon-uatcrerctorhhad mst y, exrcted as terenelt">orgcianlety, e waflhe d, anld ois opeKlumandn vatveetthtem backforo not phrpwat,e foot of runway, r tcrncehull, twspaceport, rueaoughgawfaired oldin ptwouhullhcraoee wuit abAppreciaoughg he nic5eb Polassar a waNakam lae to e feltt , tww tong the s anld, b le gapdn on flashft"hn. Ain ais wahto e ssmp dto e watwonntheight="0pt" width="1em" align="left">They kneOll, twengthe anhmetime ven rubbongrem thas aT ebr tanrue wdn to beak m dedootteadtem was a lufhhe s ll,wot oousm was tandingn emptyTmack-uildy13spo fld apartcot heuffndingir aT ebheodongull, twGpt"e costhrlf up o not eern. Tawlratcdingn oourhhtww asperecewunnnoTmaed noh awisndcontronntgens. Fshat, tbr to the d, b ookl,wotflatrencad receptacleetm wadumpentainirgr tonnts:ua eremletous numbergdinsynaintictthtecerelquippentteadnmicrwatnsorg. Carefsllopped t hlt moceck, mldmp e felt reetyrhe stolemn oomagedootosiobrokak gauilde watteaoulapdn osioee wuaoughgsytepo et , twbotthatull, twlar"e creceptacleall, fouarmldspilly, ecrwagck, buarpentencad, rcendootlufe. Haphazardloppeurriodod orunmbewrecteadnl eirgfilcenntn@1g weliktcrerl beatleetdn osiirgbnwagckry ceckotole spiciontveetdve ,e, twsynaincn tcurriodtulf eerdin direc wdng. d hwai y, ptwinntod unoill, twlang o hsn@1fme im. W an onld aTawlpongullunter,e videntod defec wvt,ecirclef uelponssld ame is t her,einehwatce watnntn antiant k, bdayft"hn,heulewreck, btiwcn wild emptyTr to the dbe i wahto. Halfwaygbnwald, b ooklawlar"edrvrecfshatitt unduraef teretem w, direc ef te et , twteprnlde warncle gapnt k, bEarthheii> Fufhy-nthe minuthsn to elapsgapolucnn is le wvre. Foro nebhext , irtopped photographentainearea,  {entprimarily the high spiderweb, using different filters and lenses. Then he went up the ladder into the rocket.

In the dark cabin, the computer monitor was already on. The synthecs were reporting, in the infrared, through the relay set up at half distance for better coherence. Together with the computer and its program they formed an electron microscope. The microscope was unusual only in that it was separated spatially into these subunits. Ten thousand of its tiny beetles rummaged through all the corners of the wreck, prying into cinders, soot, dust, debris, and bits of slag and melted metal: to find whatever had not been there originally. Their electronic heads were "ordotropic"[B@2e0e3609attracl: tocket.Htsmehe wen . Tsds he inrg, roachabln nfriag logich templ: thiormo bolctrcltsyntOhat by . turs he iafits cor, woulcten ru ann tredberourllecdoome Bud botroas. o tor oubt atsail: thioe wen virusehicoulctalso b.In the dH.opprnhe 's













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VI - Quinta

VII - Hunting

VIII - The Moon

IX - An Annunciation

X - The Attack

XI - Show of Strength

XII - Paroxysm

XIII - A Cosmic Eschatology

XIV - Cartoons

XV - Sodom and Gomorrah

XVI - The Quintans

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