Legacy 0812524810
The Way is a tunnel through space and time. The entrance is through the hollow asteroid Thistledown and the space statio
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Legacy by Gr eg Bear
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Copyright © 1995 by Greg Bear
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Legacy by Gr eg Bear
For Bert ha Merrim an A pioneer who lived in a t ougher t im e... Wit h love from a grandchild
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Legacy by Gr eg Bear
PROLOGUE: JOURN EY YEAR 7 5 3 I st ood on t he lip of t he sout hern borehole, clut ching a service line, and, for t he first t im e in m y life, st ared beyond t he m ass of Thist ledown at t he st ars. They spread t hrough deep space as m any and sharp as a cloud of cryst al snow blown against black onyx. The unchart ed const ellat ions spun wit h a st at ely hast e, bet raying t he ast eroid's rot at ion around it s long axis. The worksuit perform ed it s t asks silent ly, and for a t im e I seem ed a point of cryst al m yself, at t he cent er of t he cryst al em pyrean, at peace. I looked for pat t erns in t he st ars, but before I could find any, m y com panion int errupt ed m e. “ Olm y.” She pulled herself carefully along t he line and float ed beside m e. “ Just a m om ent ,” I said. “ We're done here. Part ies await us, Olm y. Celebrat ions and diversions ... but you're a bonded m an, aren't you?” I shook m y head, annoyed. “ Hard t o believe t hat som et hing as huge as Thist ledown can shrink t o not hing,” I said. Her expression, surveying t he st ars, was half- worry, halfdist ast e. Kerria Ap Kane had been m y part ner in Way Defense since basic, a good friend if not exact ly a soulm at e. I had so few soulm at es. Not even m y bond... “ Give m e a m inut e, Kerria.” “ I want t o get back.” She shrugged. “ All right . A m inut e. But why look out ward?” 4
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Kerria would never have underst ood. To her, t he ast eroid st arship was all and everyt hing, a world of infinit e social opport unit ies: work, friends, even dying for Way Defense if it cam e t o t hat . The st ars were out side, “ far sout h,” and m eant not hing; only t he confined infinit y of t he Way aroused wonder in her soul. “ I t 's pret t y,” she said flat ly. “ Do you t hink we'll ever get t o Van Brugh?” Van Brugh's st ar, st ill a hundred light - years dist ant , had been t he original goal of Thist ledown. For m ost of t he ship's populat ion of Naderit es—m y fam ily included—it was t he point of all our exist ences, a holy dest inat ion, and had been for seven hundred years’ j ourney t im e. “ Can we see it from here, do you t hink?” “ No,” I said. “ I t 's visible from m idline t his year.” “ Too bad,” Kerria said. She clucked her t ongue rest lessly. The t en- kilom et er- wide crat er at Thist ledown's sout hern pole had once deflect ed and direct ed t he pulses of t he Beckm ann drive m ot ors. The m ot ors had not been fired in four cent uries. I t ook one last look beyond t he lip of t he borehole, m y eyes t racking out ward along t he honeycom bed curve of t he dim ple at t he cent er of t he crat er. Huge black m any- lim bed robot s sat in t he dim ple around t he lip of t he borehole, having arranged t hem selves for our inspect ion hours earlier. “ All right ,” I said t o t he m assed robot s. “ Go hom e.” I aim ed t he com m and t ransponder and t he m achines backed away, hooks and claws grabbing t he spinning slope, ret urning t o t heir dut ies on t he ast eroid's surface. 5
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We t urned and pulled ourselves along t he line down t he borehole, t oward t he t uberider, an oblat e grayness rest ing light ly against t he dark rock and m et al wall. Beyond t he t uberider lay t he m assive prim e dock, a cylinder wit hin t he borehole designed t o count errot at e and allow easier access t o cargo vehicles. Tens of kilom et ers nort h glowed a sm all bright dot , t he opening t o t he first cham ber. We clim bed int o t he t uberider, pressurized t he cram ped cabin, and collapsed our worksuit s. Kerria beam ed a signal at t he borehole m out h. Two m assive shut t ers swung from t he walls and cam e t oget her like black- lipped j aws, sealing t his end of Thist ledown and blanking t he st ars. “ All clean and clear,” she said. “ Agreed?” “ All clear and clean,” I said. “ Do t he generals act ually t hink t he Jart s will get out side t he Way and swing up our backside?” Kerria asked cheerfully. “ They surprised us once,” I said. “ They m ight do it again.” Kerria gave m e a dubious grin. “ Shall I drop you off at t he sixt h cham ber?” she asked, lift ing t he vehicle away from t he wall. “ I need t o do som e t hings in Thist ledown Cit y first .” “ Ever t he m yst ery m an,” Kerria said. She had no idea. We sped nort h down t he t unnel. The kilom et ers t o t he end of t he borehole passed rapidly. The ent rance t o t he first cham ber yawned wide, and we flew int o brilliant t ubelight . Fift y kilom et ers in diam et er and t hirt y deep, t he first cham ber seem ed t o m y recent int erst ellar perspect ive t o be 6
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lit t le m ore t han t he inside of a big, squat drum . I t s t rue size was em phasized by t he slowness wit h which our t uberider crossed t o t he borehole in t he cham ber's nort hern cap. Clouds decked t he cham ber floor, t went y- five kilom et ers below. The at m osphere in t he cham ber rose t o a height of t went y kilom et ers, a sea of fluid lining t he drum . I saw a sm all st orm gat hering on t he floor overhead. No st orm could t ouch us at t he axis, riding as we were in alm ost perfect vacuum . The first cham ber was kept nearly desert ed as a precaut ion against any breach of t he com parat ively t hin walls of t he ast eroid at t he sout hern end. We t raveled down t he m iddle of t he t ube light , a t ranslucent pipe of glowing plasm a five kilom et ers wide and t hirt y long, generat ed at t he cham ber's nort hern and sout hern caps. We could see rapid pulses of light from our posit ion along t he axis, but on t he cham ber's floor, t he t ube present ed a st eady, yellow- whit e glow, day and night . So it was in all of t he first six cham bers. The sevent h cham ber, of course, was different . The borehole seem ed a pinprick in t he gray, gent ly curved wall of ast eroid rock ahead of us. “ Shall I go m anual and t hread us in?” Kerria asked, grinning at m e. I sm iled back but gave no answer. She was good enough t o do it . She had pilot ed flawships and num erous ot her craft up and down t he Way wit h expert ease. “ I 'd rat her relax,” she said, peeved by m y silence. “ You would refuse t o be im pressed.” She folded her arm s back 7
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behind her head. “ Besides, it 's been a long day. I m ight m iss.” “ You never m iss,” I said. “ Dam n right I don't .” I nspect ions were m andat ed by Hexam on law t wice yearly. Way Defense had upped t hat t o four t im es yearly, wit h special em phasis on sixt h cham ber securit y, inspect ion of reserve bat t eries in t he ship's cold out er walls, and m aint enance of t he sout hern borehole and ext ernal m onit ors. This t im e, Kerria and I had drawn inspect ion dut y for t he far sout h. We t hen had libert y for t hirt y days, and Kerria t hought herself lucky: The Way's t went y- fift h anniversary celebrat ion was j ust beginning. But I had an unpleasant t ask ahead: bet rayal, separat ion, put t ing an end t o connect ions I no longer believed in but was not willing t o m ock. The cap loom ed, filling our forward view, and t he second borehole suddenly swallowed us. Kilom et ers away, t he opening t o t he second cham ber cit y, Alexandria, m ade anot her brilliant dot against t he t unnel's unlight ed blackness. “ Elevat or, or shall I swoop down and drop you off som ewhere?” “ Elevat or,” I said. “ My,” Kerria said wit h a cluck. “ Glum ?” “ You sound like a chicken,” I said. “ You've never seen a live chicken. How can you be glum wit h so m uch libert y ahead?” “ Even so.” 8
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We passed int o t he second cham ber, t he sam e size as t he first , but filled wit h Thist ledown's oldest cit y. Alexandria covered t wo- t hirds of t he second cham ber floor, t hirt y- onehundred square kilom et ers of glorious whit e and gold and bronze and green t owers arrayed in spirals and st epped ranks, walls of blunt - faced black and gold cubes, ornat ely inscribed spheres rising from m assive cradles t hem selves rich wit h colors and populat ions. Bet ween t he cit y and t he sout hern cap st ret ched a blue- green “ river,” a kilom et er wide and several m et ers deep, flowing beneat h t he graceful suspension bridges spaced at t he floor's four quart ers. I n Thist ledown's original designs, t he parks along t he capside bank did not exist ; in t heir place had risen a “ slosh” barrier one hundred m et ers higher t han t he opposit e shore t o m it igat e t he effect s of t he ship's accelerat ion. But in t he early days of Thist ledown's const ruct ion, t hat problem had been solved by t he inert ial dam ping m achinery in t he sixt h cham ber. The sam e m achinery, cent uries lat er, had allowed Konrad Korzenowski t o cont em plat e creat ing t he Way. The cham ber floor was flat , not banked; t he park and t he river form ed bands of green and blue around t he cham ber's sout hern end. Parks and forest s covered t he open spaces bet ween neighborhoods. I n plot s scat t ered around t he cit y, robot s labored t o finish st ruct ures dest ined t o absorb t he slowly growing populat ion. Thist ledown was ever young. Aft er seven cent uries, t he ast eroid's inhabit ant s num bered sevent y- five m illion. She had begun her voyage wit h five m illion. 9
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Kerria clucked again and shook her head. We passed over Alexandria and int o t he t hird borehole. Near t he nort hern opening, she slowed t he vehicle and sidled up against a raised ent rance. A t ransfer passage reached across t o t he door of t he t uberider and I disem barked. I waved t o Kerria and st epped int o t he green and silver elevat or. The air sm elled of m oist ure and people, t he clean but unm ist akably hum an perfum e of t he cit y where I had lived t wo years of m y yout h. “ See you in a few days?” Kerria said, looking aft er m e wit h som e concern. “ Yeah.” “ Cheers! ” I leaned m y head t o one side and said good- bye t o her. On t he way down, I t old m y uniform t o becom e civilian, st andard day dress st yle one, m ildly form al. I want ed t o avoid at t ract ing at t ent ion as a m em ber of Way Defense, not all t hat com m on in t he Naderit e com m unit y. The elevat or t ook nine m inut es t o reach t he cham ber floor. I st epped out and walked down t he short corridor int o t he cham ber proper. I crossed t he Shahrazad bridge, list ening t o t he whisper of t he slender Fa River and t he wind- blown rust le of t housands of long red ribbons blowing from t he wires in t he gent le breeze from t he sout hern cap. Som e neighborhood had chosen t his decorat ion for t he bridge, t his m ont h; in anot her m ont h it m ight be crawling wit h t iny glowing robot s. Thist ledown Cit y had been built in t he first t wo cent uries aft er t he st arship's depart ure. Wit h it s cham ber- spanning cat enary cables, reaching from cap t o cap and hung wit h 10
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slender whit e buildings, it seem ed t o dwarf Alexandria. I t was obviously a Geshel showplace—and yet , in t he worst conflict s bet ween Geshels and Naderit es on t he st arship, aft er t he opening of t he Way, m any conservat ive and radical Naderit es had been forced t o m ove from t heir hom es in Alexandria t o new quart ers in Thist ledown Cit y. There were st ill st rong Naderit e neighborhoods near t he sout hern cap. New const ruct ion was under way here as well, wit h arches being erect ed parallel t o t he caps, t he great est planned t o be t en kilom et ers long. A short walk t ook m e t o t he t all cylindrical building where I had spent m y early childhood. Through round hallways filled wit h sourceless illum inat ion, m y shadow form ing and dissolving in random arcs around m e, I ret urned t o our old apart m ent . My parent s were away in Alexandria, t o escape t he celebrat ions—I had known t hat before com ing here. I ent ered t he apart m ent and sealed t he door, t hen t urned t o t he m em ory plaques in t he living cent er. For t went y- four years, I had kept one im port ant secret , known t o m e and perhaps one ot her—t he m an or wom an or being who had placed t he old friend in t his part icular building, not ant icipat ing t hat an inquisit ive child m ight com e upon him , alm ost by accident . I had com e here t o check up on a friend who had died before I was born, in his perfect hiding place, and m ake cert ain he was st ill hidden and undist urbed. I —and no m ore t han t hat one ot her, I was convinced— knew t he last rest ing place of t he great Konrad Korzenowski— 11
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t he t om b not of his body but of what rem ained of his personalit y aft er his assassinat ion by radical Naderit es. I connect ed wit h t he building's m em ory, used a m ouse agent t o bypass personal sent ries, as I had decades ago and at least once a year since, and dropped int o t he encrypt ed m em ory st ore. Hello, I said. The presence st irred. Even wit hout a body, it seem ed t o sm ile. I t was no longer hum an, half it s charact er having been dest royed, but it could st ill int eract and share warm m em ories. What rem ained of t he great Korzenowski was vulnerably friendly. All of it s caut ion rem oved, all of it s selfprot ect ions dest royed, it could only be one t hing—a giving and occasionally brilliant friend, ideal for a lonely young child unsure of him self. I kept t his secret for one reason: dam aged personalit ies could not be repaired, by Naderit e law. I f what rem ained of Korzenowski were t o be discovered, it would be erased com plet ely. Hello, Olm y, it answered. How is t he Way? An hour lat er, I cabbed across t he cit y t o t he m ixed Geshel and Naderit e “ progressive” neighborhoods, favored by st udent s and Way Defense m em bers. There, in m y sm all apart m ent , I linked wit h cit y m em ory, sent m y planned locat ions for t he next few days t o t he corps com m anders, and rem oved m y m ut able uniform for purely civilian garb appropriat e t o t he celebrat ion: sky- blue pant s, Eart h- brown vest , pale green j acket , and light boot s. I ret urned t o t he t rain st at ion. 12
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As I j oined t he t hrong wait ing on t he plat form , I looked for fam iliar faces and found none. Four years in service guarding against t he Jart s on t he ext rem e front iers of t he Way, four billion kilom et ers nort h of Thist ledown, had given m y Geshel acquaint ances from universit y t im e t o change not j ust part ners and philosophies, but body pat t erns as well. I f any of m y st udent friends were in t he crowd, I probably would not recognize t hem . I did not expect t o find m any Way Defenders here. Except for raccoon st ripes of pale blue around m y eyes, I was st ill physically t he sam e as I had been four years before. Arrogant , full of m y own t hought s, headst rong and som et im es insensit ive, j udged brilliant by m any of m y peers and m oody by m any m ore—at t ract ive t o wom en in t hat st range way wom en are at t ract ed t o t hose who m ight hurt t hem —t he only child of t he m ost m annered and gracious of parent s, praised frequent ly and punished seldom , I had reached m y t hirt iet h year convinced of m y courage from a m inim um of t est ing, yet even m ore convinced t here would be great er t est s in st ore. I had abandoned t he fait h of m y fat her and, in t rut h, had never underst ood t he fait h of m y m ot her. Thist ledown, im m ense as it was, did not seem capable of cont aining m y am bit ion. I did not t hink I was young, and cert ainly did not feel inexperienced. Aft er all, I had served four years in Way Defense. I had part icipat ed in what seem ed at t he t im e t o be im port ant act ions against t he Jart s... Yet now, caught up in crowds celebrat ing t he silver anniversary of Thist ledown's wedding wit h t he Way, I seem ed 13
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an anonym ous bubble in a flowing st ream , sm aller t han I had felt am ong t he st ars. What I was about t o do dism ayed m e. Music and pict ures flowed over t he largely Geshel crowd, narrat ive voices t elling t he det ails we all knew, Naderit es and Geshels alike, by heart . Twent y- five years before, Korzenowski and his assist ant s had com plet ed, connect ed, and opened t he Way. From m y childhood, t he Way had beckoned, t he only place—if place it could be called—likely t o provide t he t est s I craved. “ I n t he hist ory of hum ankind, has t here ever been anyt hing m ore audacious? I ssuing from Thist ledown's sevent h cham ber, t he inside ( t here is no ‘out side') of an endless im m at erial pipe fift y kilom et ers in diam et er, sm oot h barren surface t he color of newly- cast bronze, t he Way is a universe t urned inside- out , t hreaded by an axial singularit y called t he flaw... “ And at regular int ervals along t he surface of t he Way, pot ent ial openings t o ot her places and t im es, hist ories and realit ies st rung like beads...” My parent s—and m ost of m y friends during m y early yout h—were devot ed Naderit es, of t hat sem i- ort hodox persuasion known as Voyagers. They believed it was sim ple dest iny for hum ankind t o have carved seven cham bers out of t he ast eroid Juno, at t ached Beckm ann drive m ot ors, and convert ed t he huge planet esim al int o a st arship, christ ened Thist ledown. They believed—as did all but t he ext rem e Naderit es—t hat it was right and j ust t o t ransport m illions across t he vast bet ween t he st ars t o set t le fresh new worlds. Our fam ily had lived for cent uries in Alexandria, in t he second 14
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and t hird cham bers; we had all been born on Thist ledown. We knew no ot her exist ence. They sim ply did not believe in t he creat ion of t he Way. That , virt ually all Naderit es agreed, had been an abom inat ion of t he Korzenowski and t he overly am bit ious Geshels. By releasing t he bond bet ween m yself and t he wom an chosen for m e in m y yout h at Ripen, I would finally end m y life as a Naderit e. The t rains arrived wit h a flourish as sheet s of red and whit e arced over t he t rain st at ion. The crowd roared like a m onst rous but happy anim al, and pushed m e across t he plat form t o t he doors spread wide t o receive us. I was lost in a sea of faces sm iling, grim acing, laughing, or j ust int ent on keeping upright in t he j ost le. We packed int o t he t rains so closely we could scarcely m ove. A young wom an j am m ed against m e; she glanced up at m e, face flushed, sm iling happily but a lit t le scared. She wore Geshel fashion, but by t he cut of her hair I saw she was from a Naderit e fam ily: rebelling, cut t ing loose, j oining t he Geshel crowds on t his least holy of celebrat ions—perhaps not caring in t he least what t he celebrat ion was about . “ What 's your nam e?” she asked, nibbling her lower lip, as if expect ing som e rebuff. “ Olm y,” I said. “ You're lovely ... wit h t he m ask. Did you do it yourself?” I sm iled down at her. She was perhaps five years younger t han I , years past Ripen, an adult by any m easure, Naderit e or Geshel, but out of her place. She rubbed against m e in t he 15
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j ost le, half deliberat e. I felt lit t le at t ract ion t o her, but som e concern. “ You're going t o see t he Way? Visit Axis Cit y?” I asked, bending t o whisper in her ear. “ Yes! ” she answered, eyes dancing. “ And you?” “ Event ually. Fam ily m eet ing you t here?” She flushed crim son. “ No,” she said. “ Bond m eet ing you t here?” “ No.” “ I 'd t hink again,” I said. “ Geshels can get pret t y wild when t hey part y. The Way m akes t hem drunk.” She drew back, blinking. “ I t 's m y hair, isn't it ?” she said, lips flicking down suddenly. She fought t o get away from m e, pushing t hrough t he t hick pack, glancing over her shoulder resent fully. For t he young—and at t hirt y, in a cult ure where one could live t o be cent uries, I could not t hink of m yself as anyt hing but very young—t o be a Geshel was infinit ely m ore excit ing t han being a Naderit e. We all lived wit hin a m iracle of t echnology, and it seem ed t he soul of Thist ledown had grown t ired of confinem ent . The Geshels, who em braced t he m ost ext rem e t echnologies and changes, offered t he glam our of infinit e advent ure down t he Way, cont rast ed wit h t he weary cert aint y of cent uries m ore in space, t raveling wit h Thist ledown in search of unknown planet s around a single dist ant st ar. Truly, we had out st ripped t he goals of our ancest ors. To m any of us, it seem ed irrat ional t o cling t o an out m oded philosophy. 16
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Yet som et hing t ugged at m e, a lost sense of com fort and cert aint y... The t rain passed t hrough t he ast eroid rock beneat h Thist ledown Cit y, m ore news of t he celebrat ion proj ect ed over t he faces of t he passengers. St ylized songs and hist ories flowed over and around us: “ For t went y- five years, t he Way has beckoned t o pioneers, an infinit e front ier, filled wit h inexhaust ible m yst ery—and danger. Though creat ed by t he cit izens of Thist ledown, even before it was opened, t he Way was parasit ized by int elligences bot h violent and ingenious, t he Jart s. Wit h t he Jart influence now pushed back beyond t he first t wo billion kilom et ers of t he Way, gat es have been opened at a st eady pace, and new worlds discovered—” I pressed t hrough t he crowd and left t he t rain in t he fourt h cham ber. The open- air plat form held only a few sight seers, m ost ly Naderit es, fleeing t o t he count ryside of forest s and wat erways and desert s and m ount ains t o escape t he celebrat ion. But even here t he sky t hat filled t he cylindrical cham ber flashed wit h bright colors. The yellow- whit e t ubelight t hat spanned t he cham ber's axis had been t ransform ed int o a pulsing work of art . “ They're overst epping it ,” grum bled an older Naderit e m an on t he plat form , dignified in his gray and blue robes. His wife nodded agreem ent . Twent y kilom et ers above us, t he t ubelight sparkled and glit t ered green and red. Snakelike lines of int ense whit e writ hed wit hin t he glow. Forest s rose on all sides of t he st at ion and resort buildings. From t he floor, t he cham ber's im m ensit y revealed it self wit h 17
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decept ive gradualness. For five kilom et ers on each side, as one st ared along a parallel t o t he flat gray walls of ast eroid rock and m et al capping t he cylinder, t he landscape appeared flat , as it m ight have seem ed on Eart h. But t he cylinder's curve loft ed t he land int o a bridge t hat m et high overhead, fift y kilom et ers away, lakes and forest and m ount ains suspended in a haze of at m osphere, t ransect ed by t he unusual gaiet y of t he t ubelight . I n t he early days, t he cham bers had been called “ squirrel cages" ; t hough im m ense, t hey were roughly of t he sam e proport ions. The ent ire ship spun around it s long axis, cent rifugal force pressing t hings t o t he cham ber floors wit h an accelerat ion of six- t ent hs’ Eart h's gravit y. My heart felt dull as lead. The st at ion plat form was j ust a few kilom et ers from t he Vishnu Forest , where m y bond would be wait ing for m e. I walked, glad for t he delay and t he exercise. Uleysa Ram Donnell st ood alone by t he out side rail beneat h t he pavilion where we had once j oint ly celebrat ed our Ripen. We had been t en t hen. She leaned against t he wooden railing, backed by t he giant t runks of redwood t rees as old as Thist ledown, a sm all black figure on t he desert ed dance floor. The high whit e dom e shielded her from t he rainbow flows of t he t ubelight . I walked up t he st eps slowly, and she wat ched wit h arm s folded, face going quickly from pleasure at seeing m e t o concern. We had spent enough t im e t oget her t o prepare for being m an and wife; we knew each ot her well enough t o sense m oods. 18
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We em braced under t he high whit e pine dom e. “ You've been neglect ful,” she said. “ I 've m issed you.” Uleysa was as t all as I and aft er we kissed, she regarded m e at a level, large black eyes st eady and a lit t le narrowed by lids drawn wit h unspoken suspicion. Her face was lovely, clearly m arked by int elligence and concern, nose gent ly arced, chin rounded and slight ly wit hdrawn. Our bond was special t o our parent s. They hoped for a st rong Naderit e union leading int o cit y and perhaps even shipwide polit ics; her parent s had spoken of our becom ing Hexam on represent at ives, j oint adm inist ers, part of t he resurgence in Naderit e leadership... “ You've changed,” Uleysa said. “ Your post ings—” For a m om ent I saw som et hing like lit t le- girl panic in her eyes. I said what I had t o say, not proudly and not t oo quickly. My num bness grew int o a kind of shock. “ Where will you go?” she asked. “ What will you do?” “ Anot her life,” I said. “ Do I bore you so m uch?” “ You have never bored m e,” I said wit h som e anger. “ The flaws are m ine.” “ Yes,” she said, eyes slit t ed, t eet h clenched. “ I t hink t hey m ust be... all yours.” I want ed t o kiss her, t o t hank her for t he t im e we had had, t he growing up, but I should have done t hat before I spoke. She pushed m e away, held out her hands, and shook her head quickly. I walked from beneat h t hat dom e feeling at once m iserable and free. 19
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Back on st ill anot her crowded t rain t o t he sixt h cham ber, I sim ply felt em pt y. Uleysa had not cried. I had not expect ed her t o. She was st rong and proud and would have no difficult y finding anot her bond. But we bot h knew one t hing: I had bet rayed her and t he plans of our fam ilies. I int ended t o sink m yself wholeheart edly int o t he celebrat ions. Get t ing off t he t rain in t he sixt h cham ber, st anding in t he Korzenowski Cent er wit h ot her celebrant s wait ing t o be carried by const ruct ion cars t o t he sevent h, I wat ched pat t ers of rain fall from t hick clouds ont o t he t ransparent roof. I t alm ost always rained in t he sixt h cham ber. The carpet s of m achinery t hat covered m ost of t he cham ber, t ransferring and shaping forces t hat were beyond m y own com prehension, creat ed heat t hat needed t o be drained away, and t his ancient m et hod had proved best . I t hought of Uleysa's face, her narrowed eyes, and an unexpect ed st ab of grief hit m e. My awareness of where I was, and who I was, curled inward like a snail's horns. I m plant s did not st op m e from having negat ive em ot ions ... And I did not t ry t o blank t hem . Uleysa had no affect cont rols. I deserved m y own share of suffering. Som eone t ouched m e, and I t hought for a m om ent I was blocking a line int o t he cars. But t he cars had not yet arrived. I t urned and saw Yanosh Ap Kesler. “ You look all beat en up,” he said. “ Wit hout t he bruises.” I sm iled grim ly. “ I t 's m y own fault ,” I said. 20
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He wore around his neck t he pict or t hen becom ing fashionable, t hough he did not speak in pict s wit h m e. Ot herwise his dress was of t he st yle called at onic, m ildly conservat ive, blue and beige m idwaist , black leggings, charcoal gray slippers, all fabrics flat , lacking im age inlays. “ Yes, well, I 've been t rying t o reach you for t wo days now.” “ I 've been on dut y,” I said. Yanosh was an old friend. We had m et as yout hs at t he Naderit e Union College in Alexandria; I had perform ed favors, not t oo difficult , t hat obscured som e of his less discreet escapades. All in all he had been a bet t er j udge of circum st ance and charact er and had risen in his career m uch m ore rapidly t han I . But I was in no real m ood for com panionship, even his. “ That 's how I t raced you. I convinced som eone I needed t o learn your whereabout s... desperat ely.” “ Rank hat h it s privileges,” I said. He frowned and half t wist ed his upper body before t urning t o shoot back at m e, “ St op being so dam ned opaque. Where are you going?” “ To t he sevent h cham ber.” “ Axis Cit y?” “ Event ually.” “ Join m e. No need t o wait in line.” Four m ont hs before, Yanosh had been elect ed as t hird adm inist er for t he sevent h cham ber and t he Way. He had com e t o t his cent er of power and act ivit y from a background sim ilar t o m ine. Son of devout Naderit es, he had gravit at ed t o 21
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t he Geshels short ly aft er t he opening of t he Way, as so m any ot hers had. We all respect ed t he philosophy of t he Good Man, crusader and wary crit ic of t he t echnology t hat had brought on t he Deat h, but t hat had been t en cent uries before. “ More privilege?” I asked. “ Just friendship,” Yanosh said. “ You haven't spoken t o m e in a year.” “ You haven't exact ly m ade yourself accessible,” Yanosh said. “ I m ight prefer crowds now.” “ I t 's im port ant ,” Yanosh said. He t ook m y arm . I hung back, but he t ight ened his grip. Rat her t han be dragged, I relent ed and walked beside him . He palm ed his way t hrough a securit y door and we walked down a chill hallway t o a m aint enance shaft . Light s form ed a line down a long, wide t unnel, vanishing nort h int o darkness. “ What could be so im port ant ?” “ You can list en t o som et hing incredible, as a favor,” Yanosh said. “ And m aybe I can save your career.” He whist led and a sm all sleek cab wit h Nexus m arkings cam e out of t he shadows, float ing a few cent im et ers above t he grit t y black floor. “ You're being invest igat ed by t he Naderit es,” Yanosh t old m e as t he cab t raversed t he t unnel in t he wall bet ween t he sixt h and sevent h cham bers. “ Why?” I asked, sm iling ironically. “ I 'm in Way Defense. I 've j ust cut m yself off from t he last Naderit e rit ual in m y life—” 22
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“ I know,” he said. “ Poor Uleysa. I f I were you, I 'd have t ried t o convince her t o com e wit h m e. She's a fine wom an.” “ I wouldn't do t hat t o her,” I said, st aring t hrough t he window at t he flashing m aint enance light s. Lum bering dark robot s m oved aside t o allow our quick passage. “ She t olerat ed m y lapses. She didn't agree wit h t hem .” “ St ill, she m ight have appreciat ed being t em pt ed. Should I look her up and console her?” Yanosh asked. “ I t 's about t im e I found a fam ily t riad.” I shrugged, but som e t ic of m y expression am used him . “ Much as I need t o renew m y connect ions wit h t he Voyagers now, I wouldn't be so rude,” he said. “ The Naderit es are going t o push for cont rol of t he Nexus in a few weeks. They'll probably get it . The cost of pushing back t he Jart s is drawing grum bles even am ong t he hardiest Geshel adm inist ers. I f Naderit es t ake over, t he Nexus changes it s face—and all us j uniors get drudge work for a decade. My adm inist er's career is hanging by a few t hin t hreads. And, I m ight add, t he Way could be in peril.” I st ared at him , genuinely shocked. “ They couldn't put t oget her t he coalit ion t o do t hat .” “ Never underest im at e t he people who m ade us.” The cab em erged on a st raight highway beneat h brilliant pearly light , t an and snow- colored sand on eit her side. We were five kilom et ers spin- ward from t he public access t o t he sevent h cham ber. Behind us, t he gray height s of t he sevent h cham ber's sout hern cap receded, an im m ense cliff wall. Ahead, t here was no cap ... No end. 23
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The Way st ret ched on forever, or at least int o incom prehensible and im m easurable dist ances. This was what Korzenowski had done—m aking t he Thist ledown bigger on t he inside t han t he out side, opening up endless pot ent ial and advent ure and danger, and for t hat , he had been assassinat ed short ly aft er t he Way's opening. He could not have known about t he Jart s. “ I t 's a m at t er of econom ic st abilit y, t o be sure,” Yanosh said. “ But som e high passions have been engaged in t he past t went y- five years.” “ There are gat es being opened. Naderit es are signing up t o im m igrat e.” “ Polit ics isn't a rat ional art ,” Yanosh said, “ even on Thist ledown. We have t oo m uch of Eart h in us.” I looked up. I n t he cent er of t he t ubelight t hat flowed from t he sout hern cap, a t hin line m ade it self visible m ore as an uncanny absence. The creat ion of t he Way had by som e m et aphysical necessit y I only half underst ood m ade a singularit y t hat ran t he lengt h of Korzenowski's pipe- shaped universe: t he flaw. Threaded on t he flaw, sixt y kilom et ers from t he sout hern cap's borehole, a suspended cit y was being built a sect ion at a t im e. Spinward, a new sect ion lay on t he em pt y whit e sand, covered by robot s like ant s on a huge sugar cake; it would becom e t he rem aining half of Axis Nader, a concession t o t hose forces t hat did not even believe in t he Way. Three previously t hreaded sect ions or precinct s of t he Axis Cit y already float ed over us, whit e and st eel and gray, great cylindrical m onum ent s st udded wit h t owers t hat reached a 24
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kilom et er and m ore from t heir m ain bodies. The cit y gleam ed, st art lingly clear seen t hrough t he t hinner at m osphere t hat covered t he floor of t his sect ion of t he Way. At t he end of t he highway, sixt y kilom et ers from t he sout hern cap, a privat e cable hung from t he cit y overhead. The cab st opped beside t he cable's gondola. “ What do t hey t hink I 've done?” I asked Yanosh. “ I don't know. Nobody does. I t 's som et hing not even t he First Adm inist er of Alexandria is willing t o t alk about .” “ I 'm a sm all soldier in a very big arm y,” I said. “ A lowly rank seven. Not wort h t he fuss.” “ That 's what t he sensible folk are saying ... t his m ont h. Secret allegat ions t oo dire t o be spoken, am ong ext rem ist s who are not supposed t o have a voice even wit h t he radicals...” He t urned t o m e as t he door t o t he gondola opened. “ Make any sense?” I t did, but I could never t ell him , or anyone else for t hat m at t er. Korzenowski, in t heory, could be revived if Geshels changed t he laws. He could becom e a very powerful sym bol. Perhaps t he only ot her who knew had had a change of heart , or had been indiscreet . “ No,” I said. “ We'll t alk m ore in m y office.” Yanosh's office opened t o an out er wall of t he finished first precinct of Axis Nader. Nexus offices clust ered like quart z cryst als in t his ext ernal neighborhood. “ Let m e count er one absurdit y by relat ing anot her,” Yanosh said. “ This one's m ore im port ant by far, act ually. Have you heard of Jaim e Carr Lenk?” He perched on t he edge 25
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of his narrow workboard. Det ails of Axis Cit y const ruct ion flashed in display around and behind him . “ He headed a group of radical Naderit es, calling t hem selves divaricat es. He disappeared,” I said. “ We know where he's gone,” Yanosh said. “ He t ook four t housand followers—divaricat es—and a few hum ble m achines and went off t o m ake Ut opia.” I wondered if Yanosh was j oking. He loved st ories of hum an folly. “ Where?” I asked. “ Wrong first quest ion,” Yanosh said. He st udied m y face int ent ly. The lim it s of Thist ledown were well known. Hiding places could be found ... But not for so m any. Then t he enorm it y of t his disappearance st ruck m e: first , t he sheer num bers, four t housand cit izens, and next , t he fact t hat t heir disappearance had gone unnot iced and unpublicized. I becam e at once int ensely int erest ed and wary. “ How, t hen?” I asked. “ Their devot ion t o Lenk was com plet e. They even adopt ed his nam e and gave him honorifics, like Nader him self. Each carefully laid a t rail of decept ion. I ndividually, or as a fam ily or group, t hey claim ed t o be off on a knowledge ret reat , in one cham ber or anot her, in one cit y or anot her, under t he laws of t he coalit ion, not t o be pursued or quest ioned by Nexus agencies unt il t hey ret urned t o secular life. As well, Lenk chose whole fam ilies, husbands wit h t heir wives, children wit h parent s, t riad groupings t oget her ... No loose fragm ent s. They vanished and left nary a ripple, five years 26
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ago. Only Lenk him self was report ed m issing. The ot hers...” Yanosh shrugged. “ Where did he t ake t hem ?” I asked. “ Down t he Way,” Yanosh said. “ Wit h t he com plicit y of t wo apprent ice gat e openers, he creat ed an illegal passage in a geom et ry st ack.” “ No one knew?” My am azem ent grew t o incredulit y. I was relieved not t o have t o t hink about m y ot her predicam ent ... if it was a predicam ent , and not a false alarm . Yanosh shrugged again. “ We've been dist ract ed, needless t o say, but t hat 's a weak excuse. They chose a st ack region near t he front ier, close t o Jart boundaries. They used t he conflict of 748 as a cover. Slipped in behind defense forces ... Disguised t hem selves as a support unit . Nobody det ect ed t hem . They had help—and we're st ill invest igat ing. “ Lenk had connect ions, apparent ly,” Yanosh said. “ Som ebody t old him about Lam arckia.” “ Lam arckia?” The nam e sounded exot ic. “ A closely held secret .” “ The Nexus?” I asked, m ocking dism ay. “ Keeping secret s?” Yanosh hardly blinked. “ An ext raordinary world was discovered by t he first gat e prospect ors about t welve years ago. Very t errest rial. They nam ed it Lam arckia. There was lit t le t im e t o explore, so aft er m aking a brief survey, t hey closed t he gat e, m arked a node, and saved it for fut ure st udy. All such discoveries have been kept secret , t o prevent j ust such occurrences as t his.” “ How do we know about Lenk, aft er all t his t im e?” I asked. 27
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“ One of t he im m igrant s ret urned,” Yanosh said. “ He st ole one of t wo clavicles in Lenk's possession and cam e back t hrough a t angle of world- lines in t he st ack. A defense flawship found him m ore t han half- dead in a deplet ed pressure suit . I t brought him here.” Yanosh st ared t hrough t he t ransparent floor at t he im m ense cranes and webs of cables and flowing st rings of purple and green t ract ing fields lift ing pieces of t he new precinct from t he floor of t he Way. “ Som e say we m ay never be able t o ret urn t o Lam arckia, because of what t hey've done,” he said. “ Ot hers I t rust m ore say it m ay be difficult , but not im possible. The gat e openers are dist urbed t hat a clavicle could fall int o Jart hands—if t hey have hands. We could lose cont rol of t hat region at any t im e. The Nexus has agreed t o send a m id- rank gat e opener t o check out t he dam age. They've asked for a single invest igat or t o accom pany him . Your nam e cam e up. I wasn't t he one who brought it up.” “ Oh?” I sm iled, disbelieving. He did not ret urn m y sm ile. “ I t m ay be t he m ost beaut iful world we've yet found. Som e Geshels privat ely speculat ed Lam arckia m ight becom e our refuge if we lost t he war.” He lift ed an eyebrow crit ically. “ I t 's t he m ost Eart hlike of t he t en worlds we've had t im e t o open.” “ Why didn't we develop it ?” “ Could we have held it if we did?” Yanosh asked. “ The Jart s pushed us beyond t hat st ack, and we pushed t hem . Back and fort h t hree t im es since it s discovery.” Lit t le or not hing was known about Jart anat om y, psychology, or hist ory. Even less was known about how t hey 28
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had m ade t heir own reversed gat e j ust aft er t he Way's creat ion, and before it had been opened and at t ached t o Thist ledown. The Jart s had begun a furious surprise offensive at t he m om ent of t he opening, killing t housands. Ever since, t he war had been waged unm ercifully by bot h sides, using all t he weapons available—including t he physics of t he Way it self. Those who had built it , and who accessed it s m any realit ies st rung like beads, could also m ake large st ret ches of it inhospit able t o anyt hing living. Yanosh looked at m e squarely, int ense green eyes challenging. “ The Nexus would like som eone t o cross t o Lam arckia and ret rieve t he rem aining clavicle. While t hat som eone is t here, he m ight as well invest igat e t he planet m ore t horoughly. We know lit t le—a slim surveyor's report . Lam arckia appears t o be a paradise, but it s biology is unusual. We need t o learn what dam age Lenk has done.” “ You didn't suggest m e im m ediat ely?” Yanosh sm iled. I shook m y head dubiously. “ My reput at ion is t hat of a st ubborn but capable renegade. I doubt m y division com m anders would recom m end m e.” “ They asked m e about you, and I said you could do it — m ight even relish som et hing like t his. But frankly, t his isn't an assignm ent I 'd give t o an old friend.” Yanosh suspect ed I was bored as a sim ple soldier and needed a chance t o excel; he knew wit hout m y t elling him t hat m y personalit y chafed in Way Defense. The Jart sit uat ion had set t led for t he t im e being int o a drawn- out st alem at e. 29
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Being brought int o a Nexus act ion—and a difficult act ion at t hat —was a guarant ee of rapid advancem ent , if I succeeded. Yanosh knew I had once had som e social connect ions wit h divaricat es. My m ot her and fat her had known a num ber of t hem ; I had once m et Jaim e Car Lenk fift een years before. I knew t heir ways. “ Lam arckia has been dropped int o m y lap by t he Geshel leaders in t he Nexus,” Yanosh said. “ I t 's m y own kind of t rial by fire. And a t est . I f you agree and succeed, we bot h benefit ... So I said I would ask, but I did not specifically back you.” “ And t he im m igrant s?” “ Bringing t hem back will be polit ically difficult . Divaricat es are peculiar in t heir at t it ude t oward t he Way. They abhor it , but t hey t hink t hey can use it . They have always spoken of a hom eland away from Thist ledown and t he Geshels. A new, fresh Eart h. But in t rut h, for t he t im e being t he Geshels are st ill in power in t he Nexus, and we're m ore int erest ed in t he planet t han in t he people. I f t hey've int erfered, and it seem s inevit able t hat t hey would—being who t hey are—t hen we'll bring t hem back, and Lenk will st and t rial. I t would give t he radicals a bad st ain on t heir record.” “ That 's grim ,” I said. Yanosh did not disagree. “ I t 's a grand assignm ent for som ebody,” he said. “ An ent ire planet , yours t o explore. Not t hat it 's going t o be easy. I have t o adm it , in som e ways, it suit s you, Olm y.” I wondered if I was being t oo sensit ive about m y secret . I had not spent t he last five years j ust soldiering; and Yanosh, or t he people behind him , were not t he first out side of Way 30
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Defense t o find m e useful. This, however, was well beyond m y proven capabilit ies. “ Are t here ot her reasons I 've been chosen?” I asked. “ What ever you've done t o displease t he Naderit es, t his get s you out of t he polit ical war zone. The m ission could be a kind of oubliet t e, act ually, a t ight lit t le closet where nobody can reach you, unt il we sort out t he polit ical sit uat ion. What ever it is you're involved in...” “ I 've never been ot her t han loyal t o t he Hexam on,” I said. “ The Nexus appreciat es loyalt y as well.” “ You m ake fine dist inct ions,” I said. “ Power com es and goes. I render unt o t he caesars.” Yanosh looked away, eyelids lowered wit h sudden weariness. “ You've becom e an enigm a t o m ost of our friends. Where do your loyalt ies lie—wit h Geshels, or wit h Naderit es?” “ Korzenowski was a Naderit e,” I said, “ and he built t he Way.” “ He paid for his presum pt ion,” Yanosh said. “ Where do yours lie?” “ You didn't answer m y quest ion.” “ Fort unat ely for us all, we don't have t o reveal our loyalt ies t o serve in defense, or in t he Nexus. I 've served Geshel ends for years.” “ But Uleysa...” Yanosh raised an eyebrow, significant of so m any t hings unsaid, all t hat had happened since we last m et . Throughout our friendship, t here had been m om ent s—quit e a few of t hem —when Yanosh's percept iveness irrit at ed m e. “ A m ist ake,” I said. “ Not polit ical. Personal. But if t he Nexus want s som et hing done—why send j ust one?” 31
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Yanosh's look int ensified, as if he would see t hrough m e. “ Your face. Your eyes. You've never t ried t o blend in, have you?” “ I 've never had t o.” “ I t 's m ore t han t hat .” He shook his head. “ Never m ind.” He sighed. “ I wish I had been born before t he Hexam on opened t he Way. Things were m uch sim pler.” “ And m ore boring. I wonder how m uch confidence you have in m e.” “ To t ell t he t rut h, I was m aneuvered int o agreeing t o int erview you,” Yanosh said. “ By skilled t act icians whose m ot ives are never clear. I t hink you can do t he j ob, of course; I don't t hink it 's m y hide t hey're aft er. And if you agree, you'll t ake considerable pressure off m e.” “ Som ebody values Lam arckia.” “ The Presiding Minist er herself,” Yanosh said. “ So I hear. She want s t o know m ore about Lam arckia, but can't push a m aj or expedit ion t hrough t he Nexus j ust now. Jart s m ust be our m ain concern. I n a way, you're a chip in a m assive gam ble. The Presiding Minist er will gam ble t hat t hey can place you on Lam arckia, alone, t o gat her inform at ion and m ake j udgm ent s. When she convinces t he Nexus t hat a larger t eam should be sent , t heir m ission will go all t he m ore sm oot hly. They connect wit h you, you fill t hem in, and t oget her, we all lay a st ronger claim on Lam arckia.” “ I see,” I said. “ I believe she'll win t he gam ble, even if t he Naderit es t ake cont rol of t he Nexus. Her argum ent s are unassailable. I n a 32
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few weeks or m ont hs, if t he geom et ry st ack cooperat es, you'll have lot s of com pany.” “ And if t hey can't get Nexus approval, and t he gat e can't be opened?” “ You'll have t o find Lenk's second clavicle and open your own gat e.” “ That does sound like an oubliet t e,” I said. “ Nobody believes t he m ission will be safe or easy.” To m e, t hat sounded like a challenge, as m uch as Yanosh's flickering ent husiasm . “ Perfect ,” I said. I n t hat sm all office, wit h it s spect acular view, crowded wit h perspect ives of progress on Axis Cit y, I sm iled at m y old friend. “ Of course, I 'm int erest ed,” I said. “ I nt erest isn't enough, I fear,” Yanosh said, pulling back and folding his hands. “ I need an answer. Soon.” My first inst inct was t o refuse t he assignm ent . Despit e recent set backs and confusions, I did have m y plans, and t hey had a cert ain elegance. I also had m y responsibilit ies ... Which m ade m e far m ore im port ant and valuable t han I seem ed, t han even Yanosh or anyone in t he Nexus could know. But I was acut ely aware of m y lack of experience. My t im e spent in Way Defense had largely been wast ed. I will be not hing unless I am t est ed and t em pered. The count erargum ent sounded m uch m ore com pelling: You'll cert ainly be not hing if you're dead, or lost and forgot t en on a worm closed off from t he Way.
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The voice of reason was about t o prevail. But anot her voice leaped ahead and answered for m e, t he voice m y fat her had warned m e about and m y m ot her deplored. “ I 'll go,” I said. Yanosh gave m e a shrewd look, t hen leaned forward and grabbed m y shoulder firm ly. “ Grand im pet uosit y. I t 's what I expect ed.” I had becom e m ore t han a lit t le cynical, wit h m y t orn loyalt ies. I did not know who I was any longer. Get t ing away—com plet ely away—seem ed a real solut ion. My secret would keep, perhaps be in less peril if I was gone. This is t he way hist ory som et im es works. Sim ple connect ions, sim ple decisions, wit h unt old consequences. I st udied t he secret Dalgesh report , m ade by t hree surveyors im m ediat ely aft er Lam arckia's discovery. Lam arckia was t he second planet of a yellow sun, born in a relat ively m et al- poor galact ic region, not correlat ed wit h any known place in our own galaxy. The surveyors had barely had t wo days t o do t heir work before t he gat e was closed, and so t heir findings were incom plet e. They had left t hree m onit ors on t he largest cont inent but had launched no sat ellit es. The phot os and recordings showed a world at once fam iliar and ext raordinary. I was part icularly int erest ed in Jaim e Carr Lenk's logist ics planning. The Good Lenk had select ively abandoned divaricat e rest rict ions t o m ake t he im m igrat ion possible. There were no t est ed and confirm ed nat ive foodst uffs on Lam arckia, and of course no support for m achines beyond what t he im m igrant s t hem selves could t ransport . The expedit ion had carried six 34
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m ont hs’ food and personal wat er purificat ion syst em s. They also t ook select ed t radit ional seed st ock—grains, som e fruit and lum ber t rees, a few herbs and ornam ent als. Though Lam arckia lacked t he com plex t errest rial ecosyst em t o m ake farm ing easy, t hese m onocult ure crops had been designed by hum ans t o need not hing m ore t han hum an- supplied chem icals. I n effect , hum ans were t heir essent ial ecosyst em . The chem icals, t he im m igrant s believed, could be found or synt hesized on Lam arckia. The im m igrant s t ook no anim als. For m achines, t hey t ransport ed t hree sm all fact ories for m aking t ools and elect ronics, and t went y m ult ipurpose t ract ors, all capable of self- repair. I n one way, Lenk had st uck t o his divaricat e beliefs: The im m igrant s had refused t o t ake nut riphores, highly efficient art ificial organics t hat could easily have fed t hem indefinit ely. Nut riphores, however, had not exist ed in Nader's t im e; and t he Good Man had been highly suspicious of genet ic engineering. Yanosh accom panied m e t o t he cham bers in Axis Nader where t he inform er now resided. His nam e was Darrow Jan Fim a. He was a sm all, worried m an, dressed in sim ple duncolored clot hes. Now t hat he had regained his healt h—in decidedly advanced m edical condit ions not favored by divaricat es—he was eager t o t ell his st ory again, t o provide all t he det ails he knew. He t old Yanosh and m e of Moonrise, t he village and ferry landing near his point of exit —t he m ost likely place for t he em ergence of a new gat e; of t he t owns and t ravel rout es by 35
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river and sea, t he short hist ory of t he Lenk im m igrant s— privat ions, argum ent s over t he planning of t his one- way voyage, rivalries bet ween quickly split fact ions, t he unavoidable polit ics of any group of people of t hat size ... And m ore about Lam arckia's biology, what lit t le Lenk's im m igrant s had com e t o underst and. At t he last , cont rit e, weeping, perhaps only half- rat ional, t he inform er had t old us of t he Advent ist s, an opposit ion group form ed t o resist Lenk's rule. They had never been very effect ive; t hey wait ed for t he Hexam on t o send people t o bring t hem back t o Thist ledown. I n each village, he said, t hey had placed an operat ive t o prepare t he way for t he Hexam on. Rum ors of Hexam on invest igat ors had acquired t he st at us of folk m yt h. But nobody had com e. Darrow Jan Fim a had argued wit h his fellow Advent ist s, broken ranks, pret ended t o serve Lenk, worked his way over a year int o Lenk's inner council... And st olen t he clavicle. “ Why did you t ake so long?” t he inform er asked plaint ively. “ I had t o lie, t o do so m any evil t hings.” Finally, he whispered his confession t o t he sins of his people. “ We have sullied t he m any m ot hers of life.” Then, sm iling as if about t o give m e a gift , “ Lam arckia is not a bad place t o die...” I did not believe t hat . He had left , aft er all. I began m y t raining. Yanosh accorded m e all t he resources I needed. And I m ade appoint m ent s t o have all m y supplem ent s rem oved. 36
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That would have pleased m y m ot her, but of course she would not know. The spindle- shaped silver flawship coursed down t he cent er of t he Way at t hree hundred kilom et ers per second. I sat in one of t wo well- padded whit e seat s in t he ship's nose blist er and st ared ahead int o a funnel- shaped bright ness t hat seem ed full of eerie prom ise. I was caught bet ween num bness, exalt at ion, and sim ple t error. I fingered t he pink pat ches at t he base of m y skull and on m y wrist , feeling a new loneliness. Since t he deat h of m y fat her, I had given m yself a variet y of m ent al enhancem ent s not condoned by him : t iny devices in m y head and neck t hat sped t hought s, im proved m em ory, gave m e cert ain abilit ies and knowledge bases, and also m ade direct int ernal connect ions t o Cit y Mem ory, t o m illions of individuals and t housands of libraries. To pass undet ect ed am ong t he Lenk divaricat es, who carried no such im plant s, I had been st ripped of m y ext ra voices and eyes and m inds. Wit hin m y t hought s t here was only m y own self now. I felt a peculiar em barrassm ent : I was naked in a way t hat had not hing t o do wit h clot hing or revealed flesh. The flawship began it s long, gent le decelerat ion. Barely four m et ers from where I sat , t he flaw glowed pink, bright ening as t he clam ps spaced wit hin t he m iddle of t he ship applied pressure. I t was not frict ion t hat slowed t he ship, but t he clam ps’ int rusion int o a forbidden region of spacet im e. 37
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“ Greet ings, Ser Olm y Ap Sennon.” Gat e opener Frederik Ry Ornis, t all and t hin as a praying m ant is, st ret ched and bent him self int o t he blist er beside m e, slid his t runk int o t he seat and let it s plush whit e cushions enfold his hips and chest . “ How long since you've hugged t he flaw?” What ever m y concessions t o progressive Geshel fashions and t echnologies, I had at least kept m y nat ural body plan. Ry Ornis was of t he new breed t hat explored m ore radical shapes. “ A few years. And never t his far nort h,” I said. “ Not m any of us have been t his far,” Ry Ornis said wit h a rueful look. “ Not recent ly. The Jart s are less t han a m illion kilom et ers from here.” He st ret ched a long, five- j oint ed finger and point ed elegant ly ahead. Gat e openers such as Ry Ornis had acquired im m ense power and prest ige. Part of m e envied him . “ One hour unt il we go down t o t he wall,” Ry Ornis said. “ I 'm not looking forward t o t his.” “ Why?” I asked. Ry Ornis gave m e a dour glance. “ Anxious t o begin your first m ission?” he asked. “ I suppose,” I said, grinning. “ Ready t o show your loyalt y t o t he Hexam on Nexus ... Ripe for advent ure?” My grin faded at his sardonic t one. I shrugged against t he green and purple glow of t he t ract ing fields. “ You don't have t o find t his place again,” Ry Ornis com plained. He grim aced ruefully. “ I t 's been accessed by am at eurs. I can im agine what t hey did t o isolat e and pull up 38
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t he right world- line. They've probably m angled t he em bryonic gat e and reduced our accesses t o at m ost t hree or four. So ... I have no room for error. I f I fum ble a few world- lines, it 's a one- way t rip for you, and Lam arckia is of no use t o anybody.” I did not like Ry Ornis m uch; m ost gat e openers m ade m e nervous. Their t alent s were on such a different plane, t heir personalit ies radically opposed t o m y own. The m inut es st ret ched. Ry Ornis seem ed m esm erized by t he endless spect acle out side t he blist er. He leaned across t he gap bet ween our seat s. “ Frankly, t he council m em bers and adm inist ers have t oo m uch on t heir m inds. I f Lam arckia was really im port ant , don't you t hink t hey'd have expended m ore effort t han sending j ust you?” My em ot ions burst fort h in a wry laugh. “ The t hought 's occurred t o m e,” I adm it t ed. “ Why did you agree t o do t his?” “ I t suit s m e,” I said. “ Why did you?” Ry Ornis grim aced again, his face cont ort ing like a circus m ask. “ Am ong t he gat e openers, advancem ent com es at t he expense of obedience. I s it t he sam e in Way Defense?” “ I don't know,” I said, not ent irely t rut hful. “ I 'm only a seven.” Ry Ornis st ared at m e. “ Even so,” he said. “ Can you get m e t o Lam arckia?” “ Blunt quest ions deserve blunt answers,” he said. He t ook a deep breat h. “ Unfort unat ely, I don't know.” The flawship had slowed t o a few t housand kilom et ers an hour; soon it would com e t o a com plet e st op. “ I t 's not an exact science. Every gat e opener has illusions. My illusion is t hat t he m ore I 39
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know about a place, t he bet t er I 'm able t o sniff out it s worldlines.” “ I n som e ways, it resem bles Eart h,” I said. “ I 've read t he Dalgesh report . I know t he size and rough charact erist ics. I 'm asking for a personal opinion. What m akes it so int erest ing?” I didn't underst and what he was get t ing at . “ There are hum ans on it now...” “ The st ory about our being able t o sniff out hum anoid life is quit e wrong. That 's not what a gat e opener looks for. We look for int erest .” “ What do you t hink is int erest ing?” I asked. Ry Ornis leaned his head t o one side. The t ract ing fields had wit hdrawn. We were m oving at less t han a hundred kilom et ers an hour and t he flaw no longer glowed. “ Lam arckia defies all we've learned of evolut ion and t he origins of life.” “ The inform er seem s t o t hink it does. He called it a ‘New Mot her.’ He t hought t he im m igrant s would dest roy it .” “ Now t hat 's int erest .” Ry Ornis nodded approval. “ Big event s m ark world- lines. I f Lenk's people are going t o reshape t he hist ory of a planet ... I 'll get you t here,” he said. The flawship pilot pulled herself forward and poked her head bet ween us. “ Enj oying t he view?” she asked. “ I m m ensely,” I said. “ We're bot h nervous,” Ry Ornis said. The pilot bent her lips and cocked her head wit h an expression of regret . “ Well, t his won't reassure you. The Jart s know we're here—no surprise—and we have m aybe t hirt y m inut es before t hey invest igat e. The borders here are 40
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flexible.” She gave us an appraising look. “ Not a t op- priorit y m ission, I t ake it ?” I lift ed m yself from t he seat and went aft . Ry Ornis followed, st aring at t he pilot wit h feigned affront . “ Som e of us m ight disagree,” he said haught ily. I found t hat a clownish response. Perhaps I deserve no bet t er t han him . We are, aft er all, t he agent s of a m easured response—a gam ble. Not t op- priorit y. Ry Ornis and I descended from t he flawship in a sm all t ransfer craft . The j ourney t ook less t han t en m inut es. The delt oid vehicle m aneuvered in a caut ious spiral. The closer it cam e t o t he wall, t he m ore weight it acquired. And, cont rary t o it s nam e, t he wall behaved m ore like a floor—a gravit at ing surface. The craft landed light ly, wit h no discernible j olt . Ry Ornis and I put on light pressure suit s. He picked up a box not m uch larger t han his head and t ucked it under his arm . We nodded t o an eye conveying our im ages t o t he pilot wait ing in t he flawship above; t hen we st epped out side. Beneat h our boot s, t he wall felt as hard as rock. Ry Ornis im m ediat ely set out across t he bare bronze surface, long legs carrying him t wo m et ers wit h each st ride. He rem oved a clavicle from t he box, dropped t he box carelessly, and im m ediat ely gripped t he bars of t he device, swinging it back and fort h ahead of him . I had read of old- fashioned dowsing rods, once a fad on Eart h; Ry Ornis wielded his clavicle in m uch t he sam e way as an ancient seeker aft er wat er. Beneat h us lay one of t he fabled, fearful regions called geom et ry st acks, where t he Way's physics adj ust ed it self 41
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unpredict ably—oft en com pared t o a wrinkle in t he skin of a m any- dim ensional worm . I did not like t he com parison. “ This whole region is knot t ed,” t he gat e opener said, voice rough, his t one bet ween wonder and disgust . “ What color is it ? My God, what does it sm ell like?” Puzzled by t he quest ions, I did not answer. Best not t o int errupt , I decided. Ry Ornis cont inued, “ Do you know a geom et ry st ack hurt s? When we search it ? I t gives us colossal headaches t hat are t ough t o cure. Som ebody's clearly been here before us, t hough. They've left t heir own kind of dirt y fingerprint s: bulges; world- lines pulled out of place; accesses ruined. My God, what am at eurs.” I followed him at a m easured pace. I carried not hing; I would t ake not hing wit h m e but t he clot hes beneat h m y pressure suit . All of m y baggage was int ernal—weeks of t raining and educat ion, t he careful t ransfer of relevant knowledge from m y supplem ent s t o biological m em ory... The pilot 's voice sounded in our helm et s. “ The Jart s are paint ing us every few seconds. I 'd be happier if I could leave soon.” Ry Ornis said, “ I can't guarant ee put t ing you on Lam arckia at any part icular t im e.” His voice dripped disgust . “ I t 'll be very difficult t o get you t o wit hin a decade of when t he inform er m ade his t em porary gat e. Lenk m ust have left a nipple, a node, or t he inform er could never have ret urned at all. But t hat 's gone now.” The gat e opener st ood st raight , his t all, em aciat ed figure and whit e suit a st art ling cont rast t o our surroundings. Light 42
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played t ricks in t his im m ense feat ureless, shadowless pipe. To st and and st are at t he dist ant curve of t he wall, rising above t he flat nearness unt il it arched high overhead, disorient ed m e even m ore. I squint ed up at t he plasm a t ube, running t he lengt h of t he flaw t o a dazzling blur of bright ness in t he sout h, illum inat ing t he Way for m illions of kilom et ers ... But ending not far nort h of where we st ood, leaving t he Jart s in a darkness all t heir own. I looked down t o keep from get t ing dizzy. My body had no help overcom ing feelings of vert igo. Naked inside. The gat e opener bent over, gripping t he bars of t he clavicle, passing it s spherical head a few cent im et ers above t he surface. “ Found som et hing,” he announced. “ Knot s ret ied. Som e at t em pt t o renorm alize, t o heal, apparent ly.” “ Heal?” I asked. Ry Ornis did not hear, or sim ply ignored m e. “ Most of t hese lines pour out int o em pt y expanse. So m uch desolat ion, m easure wit hout int erest . Makes us all very lonely. Here a solit ary st ar, t here an airless ball of rock. So easy t o be at t ract ed by false worlds, dream s of fut ures not yet accessible, not yet quit e real. Ten years, t went y years ... Maybe t wo dozen years. No guarant ees. I m ight drop you before Lenk's im m igrant s arrived. Wouldn't want t hat . And no way t o ret urn, for any of you ... m ust be careful t o leave a few m ore accesses.” “ Please do,” I said, shivering. I had pict ured t his t im e as a t rouble- free int erlude, a brief m om ent wat ching t he precise and even inhum an work of a m ast er gat e opener. I nst ead, t he assist ant s t o t he Presiding Minist er had assigned t his st ick 43
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figure, t his insect m an wit h his long face and propensit y t o babble. Perhaps t hey really do want t o lose m e. “ Found som et hing. Com e here, Ser Olm y.” Ry Ornis beckoned for m e t o st ep closer and wat ch. I walked up beside him and peered at t he crypt ic display bet ween t he bars of his clavicle. Ry Ornis drew his gloved finger light ly over t he colors on t he display. “ See t his?” I saw only t wist ed lines, flashing fields of green and blue. “ An access. I t t ells m e it 's a locus of ext rem e int erest . Not hing around it ... No doubt t hat 's Lam arckia. And it follows chronologically what m ust be t he Lenk access. But where do I shift it ? Where do I drop you in Lam arckia's world- line? Here t o here,” sket ching across t he display wit h his finger, “ com parat ive boredom , boredom , not hing ... but here.” He sm iled radiant ly behind his visor. “ These are exquisit e loci. I look for t hings of int erest t o hum ans, Ser Olm y, and I find t hem . I f Lam arckia is of int erest all by it self, t hen t hese point s on it s world- line are even m ore int erest ing t o us. To you and t o m e. Underst and?” “ No,” I said. Ry Ornis shift ed his finger again, waving t he clavicle gent ly. “ Loci of large hum an- cent ered event s. Lam arckia is a huge event behind t hem , unfam iliar ... But definit ely ready t o change. Shall I place you at one of t he m ost fascinat ing loci, Ser Olm y?” “ Just get m e t here,” I said. I bit m y lower lip, t rying t o st ill m y growing anxiet y. Courage seem ed a sorry abst ract ion. “ Wit hin a decade or t wo of Lenk's access. Can't be cert ain. I t 's really t he best I can do.” 44
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“ Do it . Please, j ust do it .” I had already disgraced m y fam ily and t he m em ory of m y fat her by cleaving t o t he progressive Geshels and put t ing unnat ural devices wit hin m y body, by signing up in Way Defense, by rej ect ing t he wom an I had pledged t o. I did not want t o disgrace m yself again by failing here and now. “ No reason t o be nervous. No gat e will open if I can't put you som eplace t ruly int erest ing.” I want ed t o hit t he m an. “ So I spread m y carpet here ... And dub t his gat e num ber t hirt y- t wo, of st ack region t welve...” Ry Ornis t raced a glowing red line on t he wall wit h t he sphere of t he clavicle. “ St and aside.” I st ood aside. A bum p rose from t he surface of t he Way, five m et ers wide wit h a dim ple in t he m iddle. Red and green lines danced across it s fresh surface, vibrat ed rapidly, and becam e t he fam iliar color of fresh bronze. Ry Ornis spread it by backing away, t railing t he clavicle behind him . A disk- shaped canopy grew over t he new gat e. Mout h dry as st one, head cold as ice, I clim bed t he side of t he bum p on hands and knees, perched on t he rim of t he dim ple, and st ared down int o a st orm of fluid darkness. “ I t 'll t ake you where you need t o go,” Ry Ornis said. “ And it will vanish aft er you.” I st ood erect on t he lip of t he gat e, pushed by t he very last of m y lim it ed courage. I would walk st raight ahead, in a st raight line, and com e out where t he inform er had left Lam arckia. 45
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“ Just walk,” t he gat e opener said, voice hollow in m y helm et . “ Don't forget t o rem ove your suit halfway across. There will be air from Lam arckia in t he gat e at t hat point .” “ All right ,” I said. “ Only t wo m ore accesses left , I j udge. How you'll com e back, I don't know. Good luck.” I looked over m y shoulder, saw t he gaunt whit e- suit ed figure, t he eye- t wist ing uniform it y beyond and above ... t urned, and m et anot her kind of illusion, even m ore ext rem e. Here, t here were no st raight lines, would never be any unswerving pat hs. I n t he gat e, I would crawl t hrough a hole punched int o all possible worlds, a fist ula bet ween t he Way and som ewhere else... I had t o put com plet e fait h in Ry Ornis. My body did not t hink t hat was wise. I clenched m y t eet h, pushed one leg forward, t hen t he ot her. Felt t he pressure build around m e. I rem oved t he suit and dropped it s pieces on t he gat e's slope behind m e. I now wore only t he clot hes t hat m ight be worn by one of Lenk's im m igrant s. I could no longer see t he Way or Ry Ornis. “ Gat e's pressurized. Hurry.” The gat e opener's voice echoed around m e like t he buzz of an insect , issuing from t he discarded suit . Ahead, I saw a swirl of purple and red and black, bands of blue and a bright arc of yellow- orange: m y dest inat ion, viewed t hrough t he dist ort ing lens of t he gat e. I closed m y eyes, held out m y arm s, m ade one last st ep forward... And fell feet - first int o lum py wet soil, spat t ering m y boot s and brown pant s. For a m om ent I t hought I would fall over. I 46
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held out m y hands, knelt wit h boot s firm in t he m uck, and st eadied m yself. Behind m e, t he wheeling darkness dilat ed t o a point , sucked at m y coat 's fabric, and abandoned m e in a t iny eddy of air.
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1 The sun hung t wo hand- spans above t he horizon. Lat e m orning, early evening: I could not j udge. I st ood on t he crest of a low hill, bet ween t hick black t runks sm oot h as glass. Behind m e, a dense enclosure of m ore black t runks. And ahead ... det ail rushed upon m e; I sucked it in wit h frant ic need. Red and purple forest pushed over low boxy hills, fading t o pink and lavender as t he hills receded t oward t he horizon. Mist curled languidly bet ween. I m m ense t rees like t he skelet ons of cat hedral t owers punct uat ed t he forest every few hundred m et ers, pink crowns perched at op four slender vault ing legs, rising high over t he rest of t he forest . Above t he hills, sky beckoned cryst al blue wit h m ot t led pat ches of m ore red and purple, as if reflect ing t he forest . I n fact , t he forest inhabit ed t he sky: t et hered gas- filled balloons ascended from t he dist ant st ands of black- t runked t rees int o t hin shredded- ribbon clouds. Everyt hing glowed wit h serene yellow light and brilliant blood- hued life. Everyt hing, relat ed. For as far as t he eye could see—what Darrow Jan Fim a had called Elizabet h's Zone, one creat ure, one t hing. From where I st ood, at t he t op of a rise overlooking t he broad, dark olive Terra Nova River, Lam arckia hardly seem ed violat ed. Not a hum an in sight , not a curl of sm oke or rise of st ruct ure. Som ewhere below, hidden in t he t angle of sm oot h black t runks, huge round leaves, and purple fans, t he ferry 48
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landing was supposed t o be ... And inland a few hundred m et ers along a dirt and gravel pat h, bot h hidden in t he dense pack, t he village of Moonrise. I t ouched m y clot hes self- consciously. How out - of- place would I look? I realized I had been holding m y breat h. I inhaled deeply. I t was a sweet and st art ling breat h. The air sm elled of fresh wat er, grapes, t ea leaves, and a variet y of odors I can only describe as skunky- sweet . Rich arom as waft ed from nearby ext rusions resem bling broad purple flowers wit h fleshy cent ers. They sm elled like bananas, spicy as cinnam on. The ext rusions opened and closed, t wit ching at t he end of each cycle. Then t hey wit hdrew alt oget her wit h t hin, high chirps. I reached out m y hand t o st roke t he sm oot h black curve of a t runk. At m y t ouch, t he bark part ed t o form a kind of st om a, red and pink pulp wit hin. A drop of t ranslucent whit e fluid oozed from t he gash, which quickly closed when I lift ed m y hand. “ Not a t ree,” I m urm ured. The Dalgesh report —by t he original surveyors—had called t hem “ arborid scions.” And t his was not a forest , but a silva. There were no plant s or anim als as such on Lam arckia. The first surveyors, in t he single day t hey had spent on t he planet , had det erm ined t hat wit hin cert ain zones, all apparent ly individual organism s, called scions, in fact belonged t o a larger organism , which t hey had called an ecos. No scion could breed by it self; t hey did not act alone. An ecos was a single genet ic organism , creat ing wit hin it self all t he 49
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diverse part s of an ecosyst em , spread over large areas—in som e cases, dom inat ing ent ire cont inent s. Each ecos was ruled, t he surveyors had t heorized, by what t hey called a seed m ist ress, or queen. Neit her t he surveyors— nor t he im m igrant s, according t o Jan Fim a—had ever seen such a queen, however; underst anding of Lam arckian biology and planet ary science in general had st ill been prim it ive am ong t he im m igrant s when t he inform er left . Above, t he black t runks spread great round parasol- leaves, broad as out st ret ched arm s, powdery gray at t heir perim et ers, rose and bloodred in t heir cent ers. The parasols rubbed edges in a canopy- clinging current of air, m aking a gent le shushing noise, like a m ot her calm ing an infant . Black granular dust fell in t hin drift s on m y head; not pollen, cert ainly not ash. I rubbed som e bet ween m y fingers, sm elled it , but did not t ast e. The last light of t he orange sun warm ed m y face. So t his was not m orning but evening; t he day was ending. I savored t he glow. I t felt wonderfully, t hrillingly fam iliar; but it was t he first sunlight I had ever direct ly experienced. Unt il now, I had spent m y whole life wit hin Thist ledown and t he Way. My t error passed int o num b ecst asy. The sense of alien newness, of unfam iliar beaut y, hit m e like a drug; I was act ually walking on a planet , a world like Eart h, not wit hin a hollowed- out rock. Reluct ant ly, I t urned from t he sun's warm t h and walked in shadow down an overgrown t rail. I f I had com e out in t he right place, t his t rail would lead t o t he Terra Nova River and t he landing t hat served t he village of Moonrise. Here, I had 50
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been t old, I m ight cat ch a riverboat and t ravel t o Calcut t a, t he largest t own on t he cont inent of Elizabet h's Land. I wondered what sort of people I would m eet . I im agined feral wret ches, barely social, clust ered in dark lit t le t owns, im m ersed in t heir own superst it ions. Then I regret t ed t he t hought . Perhaps I had spent t oo m uch t im e am ong t he Geshels, having so lit t le respect for m y own kind. But of course Lenk's people had gone beyond m y own kind. Yanosh had charact erized t hem as fanat ic. The m oist air of t he river valley sighed around m e, like an invisible chilly flood. Picking m y foot st eps carefully, avoiding lines of finger- sized orange worm s t opped by feat hery blue crest s, I list ened for any sounds, heard only t he rubbed- silk hiss of air and t he liquid m um ble of t he river. The t rail at least had once been t raveled by hum ans. Dropped bet ween t he t runks, in a t angle of st one- hard “ root s,” I spot t ed a sm all scrap of crum pled plast ic and knelt t o pick it up. Spread open by m y fingers, it was a blank page from an erasable not ebook. At least , I realized wit h considerably relief, I had not arrived before t he hum an int ruders. That would have m eant I was t ruly t rapped here, wit h no chance of ret urning unt il t hey arrived ... Or som eone cam e from t he Hexam on t o get m e. I pocket ed t he scrap. I st ill could not be sure how m uch t im e had passed since t he arrival of Lenk and his followers. Four t housand one hundred and fourt een illegal im m igrant s; as m uch as t hree decades bet ween m y arrival and t heirs. What could t hey have done t o Lam arckia in t hat t im e? 51
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I pushed t hrough a t angle of purple helixed blades. My feet sank int o a grainy, boggy hum us lit t ered wit h pink shells and pebbles. No landing visible; no light s, no sign of river t raffic. For a m om ent , I knelt and dug m y fingers int o t he soil. I t felt grit t y and resilient at once—grains of sand and spongy corklike cubes half a cent im et er on a side, suspended in inky fluid t hat globbed im m iscibly am id drops of clear wat er. I t looked for all t he world like gardener's pot t ing soil m ixed wit h viscous ink. I picked up a pink shell. Spiral, flat , like an ancient Eart h am m onit e, four or five cent im et ers across. I sniffed it ; clean and sweet , wit h a wat ery, dust y sm ell backed by a ghost of roses and bananas. I poked it wit h a finger; it crushed easily. More black powder fell in t hin curt ains nearby. I glanced up and saw what looked like an im m ense reddish- brown snake, banded wit h deep m idnight blue, dozens of m et ers long and as t hick across as m y own body, t wist ed around and draped across t he t runks and leaves above. I t wriggled slowly, perist alt ically. I could see neit her it s head nor it s t ail. Wit h a clam ping sensat ion in m y t hroat and chest , I t rot t ed down t he t rail, t rying t o get out from under t he serpent . The t rail becam e t hicker, overgrown by sm aller red and purple plant like form s, phyt ids, filling in bet ween t he arborids. I lost m y way and had t o list en for t he sound of t he river t o orient m yself. Several m inut es passed before I realized I was sm elling som et hing out of place, rich and gassy. During m y walk, I had not once sm elled m old or m et hane, not once felt t he squelch of dead veget at ion. Plant s, t rees—convenient words only— 52
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grew from soil t hat m ight have been prepared by diligent and cleanly gardeners. Only t he pink shells, m ired in t he m ud, gave a hint t hat anyt hing here lived, t hen died, and in dying, left rem ains— And t his fresh scent of decay. I t hrashed down t o t he bank again and st ared over t he deep brownish wat er t o t he black silhouet t e of t he opposit e shore. Faint , broad pat ches of blue glow sprang up bet ween t he t rees across t he river. They sput t ered and went out again. I could not be sure I had seen t hem . Then, high above, t he undersides of t he broad parasols flashed blue. Som ewhere, high- pit ched t uneless whist ling. A flut t er beneat h t he parasols: dark winged t hings carrying fibrous scraps. Som et hing sm all and red dart ed past m y face wit h an audible sniff. The wind died. The night air sank. Fog danced and t wist ed in t he m iddle of t he river. Wit h t he silence cam e anot her whiff of decay. Anim al flesh, rot t ing. I was sure of t hat m uch. I followed t he scent . Back up t he bank, st epping gingerly over writ hing purple creepers, guided by faint blue flashes t hrough t he undergrowt h, I found t he rem ains of t he t rail. Som et hing m ade a sound bet ween a squeak and a sigh and scut t led on t hree legs out of t he undergrowt h: a past y whit e creat ure t he size of a sm all dog, t riangular in shape. I t st ood by a black t runk and regarded m e t hrough pat ient , em pt y eye- spot s m ount ed along a red cent ral line. I t pulsed and m ade t iny whist ling sounds. I t s skin crawled in what I t ook t o be disgust at m y presence. But apparent ly disgust was only disapproval—or som et hing else ent irely—for it did 53
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not ret reat . I nst ead, it slowly clasped and crawled it s way up a t runk, opened a st om a wit h a t ap of it s point ed t ail- foot , and began t o suck m ilky fluid. I wat ched in fascinat ion as it s whit e body swelled. Then, half again as large as before, t he creat ure dropped from t he t runk, landed in t he dirt wit h a rubbery plop, and crabbed away wit h a half- circling gait on t he down- bent point s of it s t riangle. Twilight was quickly obscuring everyt hing. A double oxbow of st ars pricked t hrough t he t hin clouds. Ahead, a flickering orange light drew m y at t ent ion: a t orch or flam e. I pushed t oward t he orange light and found t he landing and t he dirt road t hat point ed inland t o Moonrise. The landing began as a broad plat form at t he end of t he road, t hen narrowed t o a long pier. On t he plat form a figure squat t ed beside a lant ern: hum an, sm all. Ot her dark shapes sprawled on t heir backs or st om achs on t he landing and t he pier. I n t he broad sm ear of st arlight and t he lant ern's dim glow, I saw t hat t he dark shapes were also hum an, and st ill. Their st illness, and t he careless way t hey sprawled on t he dock plat form , t old m e t hey were not alive. They had been dead for som e t im e. Lying in blot ches of dried blood, t hey had bloat ed in t he sun and now st rained at t heir clot hes, as if having surrendered t hem selves t o a feast of violence. My eyes abrupt ly filled wit h a sheen of t ears. I had expect ed anyt hing but t his. The figure near t he lam p wore a t at t ered m ud- spat t ered brown shirt and long skirt . I t s head was bowed and it s breat h cam e harsh and shallow. 54
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My foot m ade a hollow t hud on t he plat form . The figure t urned quickly, wit h surprising grace, and raised a longbarreled black pist ol. I t was a wom an, brown face m uddy and pinched, eyes slit t ed. The lam p probably half- blinded her. She could only see m y out line. “ Who are you?” she asked, voice quavering. “ I 've com e t o t ake t he ferry,” I said. I put a st rident not e int o m y voice. “ St ar, fat e and pneum a, what happened?” The wom an laughed soft ly, bit t erly, and point ed t he pist ol squarely at m y chest . “ My husband,” she said. “ He went wit h Beys.” “ Please,” I said. “ Tell m e what happened.” “ Do you know him ? Janos St rik? My husband? Do you know Beys?” “ No,” I said. Neit her of t hose nam es had been on t he list of im m igrant s, I was sure. “ You can't be anybody. Didn't know m y husband. He was very im port ant around here.” “ I 'm fright ened,” I said, t rying for her sym pat hy. “ I don't know what happened here.” “ They'll kill us all.” She st ood slowly, pushing on her knee wit h one hand as if it pained her. The gun rem ained point ed at m y chest . Her eyes were wild, light gray perhaps, yellow in t he lant ern- light . She seem ed ancient , face cram ped wit h pain, st reaked wit h t ears and m ud and dried blood. “ You m ust be one of t hem ,” she said sharply, and pulled back t he ham m er.
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“ One of who?” I asked plaint ively, not having t o work t o sound fright ened. I t could all end here, before I was fairly st art ed. I t could all really end. “ I 'll keep you here,” t he wom an said wit h a not e of weary decision. “ Som eone will com e soon from t he nort h. They t ook our radios.” The divaricat es had not brought weapons wit h t hem , t he inform er had said, yet t his gun was m et al, heavy, sm oot hly m achined t o j udge by t he sound. Bullet s probably charged wit h explosive powder. A prim it ive but very effect ive weapon. Her language was recognizably first - cent ury Trade, com m on in Thist ledown, but t he accent sounded m arginally different . I kept m y hands visible. The wom an shift ed from foot t o foot , eyes st raying t o look int o t he darkness beyond t he lant ern's circle. “ Who killed t hem ?” I asked. “ The Brionist s,” she said. “ You dress like t hem .” “ I 'm not one of t hem ,” I said. “ I 've been in t he forest st udying Calder's Zone, sout h of here. Zone t wo. I didn't know about t his.” The wom an squint ed, held t he gun higher. “ Don't be st upid,” she said. I t ried t o shrug congenially, an ignorant st ranger, if it was possible t o be congenial under t he circum st ances. The wom an was m ore t han suspicious; she had been t hrough hell, and it t ook som e st rengt h of charact er—or som e deep reluct ance t o add t o t he carnage—t o keep from pulling t he t rigger and killing m e, if only t o avoid having t o t hink. 56
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“ I haven't heard of Calder's Zone in years,” she said. “ I t gave in t o Elizabet h's Zone. They sexed and fluxed when I was a child.” Years had passed, perhaps decades. My inform at ion was seriously out of dat e. “ Are you a biologist ?” I asked. She did not seem so t ired or unskilled t hat her bullet s would m iss. And I had none of m y m edical m achinery t o save m e if t he gun did t ear m e open, not even a m em ory pack t o st ore m y t hought s and personalit y. “ I 'm no biologist and neit her are you,” t he wom an said. “ You don't even t alk like anyone I know. Why do you call it a forest ?” Her eyes glit t ered in t he lam plight . The gun barrel dropped a few cent im et ers. “ But I don't t hink you're a Brionist . You said you've been in t he silva—out t here—a long t im e?” “ Two years.” “ St udying?” I nodded. “ A researcher?” “ I hope t o becom e one.” “ You didn't fight when t hey cam e?” “ I didn't see it . I didn't know it was happening.” “ The best ones fought . You're a coward. You st ayed in t he silva.” She shook her head slowly. “ That 's m y cousin, Gennadia.” She point ed a shaky finger at t he nearest of t he corpses. “ And t hat 's Johann, her husband. That 's Nkwanno, t he village synt hesist . Janos went t o Calcut t a and t hen crossed t o Naderville t o j oin t he Brionist s. He left m e here.” She rubbed her nose and inspect ed t he back of her hand. “ He 57
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t old t hem we had m agnesium and t in and copper and som e iron. They cam e t o see. Janos cam e back wit h t hem . He wouldn't even look at m e. We t old t hem t hey would have t o consult wit h Able Lenk.” I t hought perhaps Lenk had had a son, unt il I realized by her int onat ion t hat t he first nam e was an honorific. “ They said we could not refuse t hem . They t ook our radios. They said Beys had his orders. The m ayor t old t hem t o leave. They killed t he m ayor, and som e of t he m en t ried t o fight . They killed ... all except m e. I hid in t he silva. They'll com e back soon and t ake over everyt hing.” She laughed wit h girlish glee. “ I 'm a coward, t oo. Not m uch left .” “ Terrible,” I said. Nkwanno—t hat nam e had been on t he list . I had once m et t he scholar nam ed Nkwanno—a devout Naderit e st udent who had st udied under m y uncle. She picked up t he lant ern and raised it above her head, st epping closer. She shined t he fit ful beam on m y clot hes. “ You've only been in t he silva a few hours. Elizabet h covers all visit ors wit h her dust . But t he boat s left days ago. You're hardly black at all.” Her eyes burned. “ Are you real?” “ I bat hed in t he river,” I said. She issued a half- whine, half- laugh, raised t he gun as if t o fire int o t he air, and pulled t he t rigger. The ham m er fell on an em pt y cham ber. Then she released t he gun, let t ing it dangle from one finger before it fell t o t he boards wit h a heavy t hum p. She dropped t o her knees. “ I don't care,” she said. “ I 'd j ust as soon die. The whole world is a lie now. We've m ade it a lie.” 58
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Wit h a shudder, she lay down, curling up her arm s and legs int o a fet al ball, and abrupt ly closed her eyes. I st ood for a while, heart t hum ping, m out h dry, uncert ain where t o begin. Finally, wit h a j erk, I walked over t o t he wom an and knelt beside her. She seem ed t o be asleep. My breat h cam e fast from having t he gun held on m e. This proof of m y weakness—nearly dying wit hin a few m inut es of m y arrival—m ade m e angry at m yself, at everyt hing. Teet h clenched, I picked up t he gun, slipped it int o m y waist band, and st epped around her t o exam ine t he bodies. Two m en and a wom an. I found t he sm ell unfam iliar and offensive. I had never sm elled dead bodies undergoing nat ural decay except in ent ert ainm ent s and t raining; conflict wit h t he Jart s in t he Way did not have such crudit ies. I suspect ed t he decay had progressed in unfam iliar ways; no ext ernal bact eria, I t hought , only int ernal, and t hose carefully select ed cent uries ago for t he populat ions of Thist ledown. A peculiarly art ificial and unnat ural way t o ret urn t o t he soil—if Lam arckia could be said t o have soil. Wit h a shudder, I bent over t o exam ine Nkwanno first . A t all, dark- skinned m ale, face alm ost unrecognizable; but in t he discolored feat ures I saw a resem blance t o t he young, vit al st udent who had worked wit h m y fat her's brot her in Alexandria. But t his m an was m uch older t han t he Nkwanno I knew would have been... The hast ily opened gat e had pushed m e decades along Lam arckia's world- line. For a long m om ent I could only st are, all m y t hought s in confusion. Then I st eeled m yself and searched t hrough t he 59
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corpse's pocket s. I found a few coins and a t hin pouch cont aining paper m oney, a sm all, elegant ly t ooled slat e, and a st ale piece of bread wrapped in waxy paper. I exam ined t he m oney, t hen ret urned it t o t he corpse. Divaricat es preferred t went iet h- cent ury m odes of econom ic exchange. I n m y own pocket , I carried som e m oney copied from sam ples provided by t he inform er. The m oney bore lit t le resem blance t o t hat which I found on Nkwanno. More t han likely, it would be useless here. I could not bring m yself t o st eal m oney from corpses. The slat e was anot her m at t er. I needed inform at ion desperat ely. I slipped it int o m y pant s pocket . I sat beside t he sleeping wom an, t hinking. The breeze had died t o not hing and t he blunt , sweet st ink of deat h hung in t he air. I closed m y eyes, pinched m y nose against t he sm ell. Jan Fim a had said he was part of a fact ion opposed t o Lenk's policies. This fact ion regret t ed Lenk's decision t o m igrat e illegally, wit h lim it ed resources, and foresaw m uch t rouble in t he fut ure. Apparent ly t he t rouble had begun. Perhaps it had been going on for som e t im e. Jan Fim a had supposed t here would be an individual in Moonrise who would have supplies and inform at ion for a Nexus represent at ive ... But how pat ient an individual? I cursed under m y breat h and rubbed m y eyes. Two sm all m oons rose wit hin t he hour, each a quart er of a degree wide, and chased each ot her slowly overhead. Their light t hrew m ercurial roads across t he river's sm oot h current s. Large dark hum ps rose in t he river, several dozen m et ers from t he bank. Moonlight danced around t hem in ghost ly 60
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sparkles. I did not know what t he hum ps were. Your ignorance will kill you. And here ... it could all really end. The wom an slept soundly, like a child, breat h even and shallow, wit h occasional t wit ches and grum bles. I was reluct ant t o leave her, but t here did not appear t o be any m ore t rouble in t he offing. I could not let her st ay on t he dock, however. I lift ed her and carried her away from t he corpses, laying her gent ly on t he soft dirt adj acent t o t he landing. I t ook off m y coat and m ade a pillow for her. She grum bled faint ly, t wit ched, and set t led ont o t he cushion, gripping t he folded coat wit h long, dirt y fingers. You had it all and it wasn't enough. Rest less, searching, you t hrew it all away ... You went t o t he Geshels, gravit at ed t o t heir power. Begged for assignm ent s. Glory of fight ing t he Jart s. Then t hey sent you here. A grand assignm ent , Yanosh t old you. An ent ire world, and all t he glory yours. But a kind of oubliet t e. A m ere sideslip in one's career. To shut up t he whining voice, I pulled Nkwanno's slat e from m y pocket . I t was an anachronism —a lat e t went iet hcent ury design favored by t he divaricat es, who shunned all lat er t echnology. I sat . The illum inat ed screen cast a glow across m y face rem arkably sim ilar t o t hat from t he m oons above. Searching t he m em ory, I found a num ber of Nkwanno's personal files, som e of t hem ext ensive, but all locked. I searched t hrough t he library on t he slat e, and found a direct ory wit h files creat ed on Lam arckia, dat ed by a calendar est ablished aft er t he im m igrat ion. 61
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A scholar nam ed Redhill had begun a fairly ext ensive local encyclopedia, and I was able t o learn m uch about t his part of Lam arckia in t he space of an hour. Reading and scrolling and playing back videos, I lost m yself in new knowledge, and m y confidence began t o ret urn. Thirt y- seven Lam arckian years had passed since t he arrival of t he im m igrant s. The gat e- keepers had been off m ore t han t hey knew; it was possible I could never ret urn t o t he Way, even if I locat ed t he ot her clavicle, and t hat no one in t he Way could ever find Lam arckia t hrough t he st ack again. The hum ps in t he river sank wit h soft gurgling sounds. The encyclopedia called t hem river vines and said t hey were int rusions from zone five, Pet ain's Zone, scions of anot her ecos; t he river was only light ly ut ilized by zone one, Elizabet h's Zone, which apparent ly did not like riparian or pelagic environm ent s. So m uch t o learn. I searched wit h an inward lick of t hought for t he elem ent s t hat had once enhanced and accelerat ed m y m ind. The gaps left by t heir rem oval felt like m issing lim bs, st ill having a kind of phant om presence. I kept dart ing back and fort h bet ween exhilarat ion and fear am ount ing t o despair t hat I would fail. I n m y dread lurked a st rong sexual need. My erect ion seem ed m ore t han inappropriat e in t hese surroundings. Wit h t he sm ell of decay, such a response st ruck m e as obscene. I frowned and quelled t he im pulse. Ot hers had spoken of danger arousing such react ions; no reason, yet , t o be asham ed. 62
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Wit h a few m inut es t o calm down, I felt m y confidence ret urn. I had been well- t rained and well- educat ed for t his m ission. Using what t he inform er knew, I had creat ed an inference m ap of t alent s necessary t o survive and t ravel on Lam arckia: t echnologies, at t it udes, language shift s. But no one had expect ed slaught er, or wholesale war. A fine m ist crossed t he river, out of place in t hese condit ions; I realized aft er a m om ent t hat t he m ist was a scent ed aerosol, not j ust wat er vapor: som et hing in t he ecos conveying inform at ion t o som et hing else. I visualized all of zone one, all of Elizabet h, as an organic processor, a vast , sensat e organizer not quit e as prim it ive as a hive, not as swift and connect ed as a m ind, but aware of all it s t iny form s, sending t hem m essages on chem ical winds, a huge m ot her direct ing m any billions of children. Redhill brought m e up t o dat e on what progress had been m ade in Lam arckian st udies in alm ost four decades. The encyclopedia post ulat ed t hat life had first arisen on Lam arckia t hree hundred m illion years ago. The st ar was young, barely four billion years old; t he planet st ill ret ained a great deal of prim ordial heat , which supplem ent ed t he st ar's relat ively weak insolat ion. On all of Lam arckia, only one hundred and nine genet ically different organism s had been discovered, all ecoi, seven of t hem on Elizabet h's Land. Ecoi in t he different zones rarely preyed on scions of ot her ecoi, but frequent ly observed and copied, or capt ured t hem for m ore det ailed st udy. The ecoi sent swift sam plers, som et im es called spies or t hieves—flying or running or swim m ing scions—t o recover and ret urn bit es of 63
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t issue or whole scions. I f t he designs were found useful, t he ecoi incorporat ed t hem , m odifying som e or all of t heir own scions or replacing t hem wit h new form s. Observed, st olen, and copied, as well as inherit ed, t rait s were passed on t o subsequent generat ions. I nherit ance of acquired t rait s, a largely discredit ed t heory of Eart h's evolut ion, had been post ulat ed alm ost nine hundred years ago by t he French biologist Jean Bapt ist e de Lam arck ... So t he original surveyors had given his nam e t o t he planet . When t he im m igrant s had first arrived, Elizabet h's silva had been m ost ly orange and gray. The encyclopedia said t hat an ecos could “ flux” or alt er m uch of it s charact er suddenly, in as lit t le t im e as t wo days and wit hout warning. During a flux, m any if not all t ypes of scions were absorbed and recycled int o scions wit h new designs. This had last happened in zone t wo t went y- eight years before, as t he wom an had said: Calder's Zone had “ sexed" —becom e recept ive t o a com plet e genet ic m erger. Elizabet h's Zone had accept ed t his proposal. The t wo had m erged and all of t he scions of bot h ecoi had been recalled. The new single ecos had t hen “ fluxed,” recreat ing it self. This had been a t im e of ext raordinary hardship for t he im m igrant s. Elizabet h's Zone had dom inat ed, t aken over Calder's Zone, and now occupied a st ret ch of Elizabet h's Land from t he cent er t o t he nort hern coast , t wo t housand kilom et ers at it s widest ext ent east t o west . Where it m et wit h ot her zones— t hree, four, five, and now six, denuded “ t ruce lines” form ed 64
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st ark whit e barriers like lines on a m ap. Alt oget her, five zones now covered t he cont inent of Elizabet h's Land. I n t he sout h, I learned, a group of large islands filled a crowded sea bounded by Cape Magellan, and on t hese islands, zones t hree and four divided t errit ories, wit h one island occupied by a m uch sm aller zone, lit t le explored and called sim ply zone seven. Zone five, called Pet ain's Zone, lay east of Elizabet h's Zone and along t he east ern coast . I t was an adapt ed pelagic—an oceangoing zone t hat had adapt ed t o land perhaps a m illion years before. Few zones occupied large areas of bot h land and wat er. I t was zone five's huge vines t hat rose t hree t im es a day from t he river t hat flowed past Moonrise. I pinched t he bridge of m y nose and shut off t he slat e. I had used t hese prim it ive displays in t raining and had becom e proficient , but t hey st ill hurt m y eyes. Aft er a few m inut es, list ening t o t he lapping of t he river against t he piles of t he pier and t he wom an's st eady breat hing, I ret urned t o t he slat e again. I found a cit izens’ list , t wo years old, and searched for t he village of Moonrise, found t he wom an's pict ure, and connect ed it wit h a nam e: Larisa Cachem ou, born t o Sers Hakim Cachem ou and Belinda Bichon- Cachem ou t hirt y- t wo Lam arckian years ago. Married int o t he St rik t riad. Janos St rik, husband. I n divaricat e societ y, and in m ost ort hodox Naderit e arrangem ent s, t riad fam ilies did not exchange m at es—m onogam y was t he rule— but fam ilies shared finances and t he raising of children. Larisa St rik- Cachem ou was in fact not m uch older t han I . St ress and disast er had m ade her seem ancient . 65
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I slipped t he slat e int o m y pant s pocket and t ook t he wom an's lant ern. Tim e t o find out what had happened in Moonrise; t im e t o begin t his work, however unpleasant .
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2 The road from t he dock was irregularly paved wit h st ones and gravel. Fresh broad- t read wheel t racks had been cut int o t he roadbed, m aking a m ess of t he gravel. Twist ed scraps of m ud on t he dock could have fallen from t ire t reads. I concluded t hat som eone had m oved large equipm ent down t he road and ont o t he dock. Shining t he light across t he silva, I not iced holes and splint ered gouges in t he t runks of a few arborids near t he road. Poking m y finger a few cent im et ers int o one hole, I felt a hard obj ect at it s bot t om : a bullet . I looked back at t he bodies on t he landing, t rying t o put all t his evidence t oget her. I dism issed t he possibilit y t hat Larisa had killed t he people on t he dock. For t he m om ent , t hat m ade no sense at all. The only ot her conclusion possible was t hat shot s had been fired from boat s on t he river. Narrow pipes m ount ed on iron rods lined t he road. I bent t o exam ine t he pipes, felt a m oist ure dripping from t heir lower halves. Tiny holes pierced t he pipes, point ing out ward t oward t he silva. I sniffed a drop on m y finger. The fluid in t he pipes was redolent wit h a sour skunkiness. I guessed t hat t he pipes sprayed som et hing t he scions found unpleasant , one way t o keep t he roads and village from being overgrown—or invaded. Som et hing large and indist inct st irred t runks and m ade gent le sucking sounds in t he undergrowt h. Against t he bright st ars, t wo long, sinuous arm s or necks rose black against t he t rees, plucking at t he parasols and fans; not 67
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grazing, but wiping wit h long shussing sounds and pruning wit h quick snicks of faint ly lum inous blue t eet h. I raised t he lant ern high, but t he unfocused beam revealed lit t le. Each arm rose from a dark cent ral body and ext ended six or seven m et ers above m y head. The whole was as large as t wo adult giraffes. I picked up m y pace, again feeling m y arm hairs prickle. The road broadened and t hen ran up against a round t ower of ochre st one, rising above t he silva. The road split and skirt ed t he edge of a clearing beyond. I n t he clearing sat t he cent er of t he village of Moonrise. Twin t wo- st ory square st one buildings wit h peaked slat e roofs, like dorm it ories, flanked a quadrangle nort h of t he t ower. I crossed t he square, shining t he broad, dim beam right and left . More bodies lay on t he square. I n t he m iddle, I paused beside one of t he bodies, a wom an, age uncert ain, a bullet t hrough her forehead. I n t he square, which covered perhaps a quart er hect are, I grim ly count ed t went y- t wo bodies. They had all been shot wit h low- caliber kinet ic weapons: guns som ewhat less powerful t han t he one now t ucked in m y waist band. I st ood in t he m iddle of t he square, working t o st ay calm . Gent le wind and t he rhyt hm ic creaking of a door. Cool m oist air, bodies, silence, bright double arc of st ar clouds and spray of bright er st ars, gave m e a m om ent of giddy vert igo. I cont rolled t hat quickly but found t he burn of anger less easy t o snuff. Away from cent uries of cult ure and polit ical experience, away from all rest raint s and t he enforced pat t erns of t ens of 68
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m illions of fellow cit izens, t he im m igrant s had revert ed. The old hum an pat t ern of violent conflict had st art ed again. But m y inst ruct ions did not include salvat ion for t he divaricat e im m igrant s. Lam arckia was m y m ain concern. I didn't com e here t o get involved in a st upid war. I crossed t he quadrangle diagonally and reached t he nort h end of t he closest dorm it ory. I clim bed t he st eps quiet ly and peered int o t he open door. My fingers felt t he door's st rong, sm oot h- grained m at erial as I waved t he lant ern at t he dark and em pt y hall beyond. I n Redhill's encyclopedia, zone one's m ost com m on “ t rees” were called lizboo—Elizabet h's bam boo. The door was m ade from xyla, t he im m igrant word for woody m at erial t aken from arborids—in t his case of lizboo t runk sheet , unwound from t he spiral growt h. One could sim ply fell t he t runk, lop off t he crown and low- growt h parasols, grab t he edge of lizboo in one's hands and unwind it . I shook m y head. Old habit s—m ind happily displaying fresh knowledge, like a shield. I ent ered t he building and searched, not for bodies— t hough I found t welve m ore of t hose—but for inform at ion. The buildings had been fully wired and had elect ric light s. I looked t hrough desks and chest s of drawers, carefully replacing everyt hing. I picked t hrough t he pocket s and belongings of t he corpses, grim acing at t he ghoulish t ask, hoping t o find m ore slat es. I found none. Robbing corpses had not been specified in m y inst ruct ions, but it was not ent irely dishonorable under t he circum st ances. On t he second floor, I ent ered t he m ayor's office and found a 69
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prim it ive m essage board covered wit h village records. Chart s for m onocult ure crop growt h and harvest yields, a chart of t he village's populat ion over t he last t went y years—pegged at it s highest , one hundred and fift y, in t he last year—and a m ap of t he village. I t ouched t he t hornlike pins holding t he m ap and saw t hat anot her, m ore recent m ap had been t orn off, leaving corners. The older m ap, heavily penciled, had been revealed. I em erged from t he building and looked at t he dark sky. Clouds had sailed in, t hin parallel lines of irregular fluff high across t he st ars. Bot h m oons were down. I t would be dawn soon. Before searching t he next dorm it ory, I walked t o t he greenhouses and fields fart her nort h, beyond t he wat er plant . Two whit e ceram ic pipes carried wat er from t he river t o t he plant , where it was filt ered, but not boiled or ot herwise t reat ed. Lam arckia had no indigenous m icrobes t hat would bot her hum ans. Hum an- carried m icrobes ( t he few t hat had survived purging and t ranslat ion t o Thist ledown) seem ed not t o t hrive on Lam arckia. The biological niches were eit her t oo rest rict ed or already occupied. The power plant em ployed sim ple t echnologies. Two hect ares of silva had been felled and cleared and lizboo t runks now support ed sheet s of elect rolysis m em brane. Hydrogen was rapidly and efficient ly st ripped from wat er by sunlight and st ored in fuel cells. The sheet s also creat ed elect ricit y direct ly—bilayer t echnology, sim ple t o m anufact ure from raw organic m at erials. I lift ed t he lant ern, sniffed at it . Not oil or som e ot her liquid fuel, but an ion discharge coil t hat flickered m uch as a 70
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flam e would. The liquid was a supercharged chem ical solut ion. Pret t y, but not efficient . Perhaps it had hung as a decorat ion out side a house. I had seen no ot her lant erns, and t he t own's power had been cut at it s source—t he fuel cell and t ransform er shed. Cells, generat ors, and ot her heavy equipm ent had been rem oved. As had t he village's children, apparent ly. I found no bodies of inhabit ant s younger t han t went y. So equipm ent and children had been st olen. Carried downriver, perhaps. The raiders—Brionist s, t he wom an called t hem —were hungry for m et al. Lam arckia was short of highqualit y m et al ores, and t he im m igrant s evident ly had not gone in for large- scale m ining or big sm elt ers. The village's com m unicat ions cent er had once occupied a sm all house t hirt y m et ers west of t he power shed. The equipm ent —sim ple radios, j udging by t he m arks and few im plem ent s left behind—had been rem oved. Three bodies sprawled on t he porch. I st udied t he dark greenhouse and crop fields, a hundred hect ares of cleared land cut out of t he silva. The raiders had left behind a num ber of wagons but t aken t he village's elect ric t ract ors. That explained t he wheel rut s on t he gravel road t o t he dock. They had probably used t he t ract ors t o haul t he t ransform ers, generat ors, and ot her st olen goods from t he village. I pict ured a wagon full of children, crying and scream ing. Teet h clenched harder, I walked t o t he second dorm it ory. I nside, t he halls were piled high wit h bodies. St reaks of blood up t he walkways and st eps showed t he course of act ion 71
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t aken against Moonrise. Clearly t he raiders had m eant t o t orch t his building and all t he bodies in it . Som ehow, t hey had failed t o finish t heir t ask, leaving t he bodies on t he quadrangle and in t he ot her dorm it ory, perhaps in t he houses as well. Som eone had apparent ly decided it was m ore expedient t o t ake t he equipm ent and children and get away before ot hers arrived. Bullet s in t he t rees. Perhaps a few—Larisa, her cousin, Nkwanno, and one ot her—had survived t he at t acks and gone t o t he docks. I pict ured a lone boat left behind t o pick off survivors as t hey cam e out of t he j ungle. Or t hey m ight have been t he first t o die, as t he boat s arrived. Then I t hought of Nkwanno's slat e. Slat es would be valued here. I had found no ot her slat es am ong t he bodies, yet t hey had left his. That convinced m e Nkwanno, Gennadia, and t he ot her had been killed last . This level of violence was a new t hing on Lam arckia. I picked m y way t hrough and over t he bodies at t he end of t he hall, keeping m y lant ern beam high, boot s sinking int o soft flesh, arm s and legs and t orsos sliding, chest s expelling bizarre m oans as t hey shift ed. I refused t o look int o t heir blank rot t en- fruit faces. My eyes already filled wit h t ears and m y st om ach spasm ed at t he ext raordinary sm ell. Never in m y life had I been exposed t o so m uch int im at e, concent rat ed deat h. I clim bed t o t he second floor and leaned against a wall. I could not rem em ber t he last t im e I had felt a need t o vom it . 72
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The feeling passed. I st ood upright again. A sound cam e from a side room . I st opped, list ened, rapped t he wall wit h m y knuckles. “ Who are you?” a weak m ale voice responded. “ Oh, kill m e and dam n you.” “ Are you arm ed?” I asked. No reply. I got t o m y hands and knees and placed t he lant ern in t he doorway. Nobody shot at it . I peered around t he corner, saw a room filled wit h crat es and boxes, and lying against t he boxes, a m an. His legs only were visible from where I squat t ed, pant s t orn, dried blood caking t he clot h. I st ood and ent ered slowly. The m an lay wit h arm s spread wide in a pile of books and papers, eyes focused on t he ceiling. He appeared t o be sevent y- five or eight y years old, hair whit e, face gaunt wit h m ore t han age. He clut ched a bot t le of wat er and a dark gnawed piece of som et hing—bread perhaps. I hunkered beside him . The m an t urned his head int o t he beam of t he lant ern, squint ed, and said, “ Did you see? Have you brought t hem ?” “ I 'm alone,” I said. The m an reached up and felt m y sleeve. “ They left us behind,” he said. “ Are you a—?” His lips couldn't m ake t he word. “ I 'm a researcher. I j ust got here.” “ On a boat ?” I shook m y head. “ No ot her boat s? No disciplinary?” “ Not yet . Are you badly hurt ?” 73
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“ Bad enough,” t he m an said. “ I 'm going t o die. I really need t o die.” He had been shot in t he chest and arm and seem ed t o have been cut across his arm s and breast by knives. I could do not hing for him . No wat er left in t he village plum bing, no elect ricit y, no m edical supplies. I asked if he could describe his at t ackers. “ Everyt hing we predict ed,” t he m an m urm ured, shrugging free of m y fingers. “ Everyt hing I t old t hem .” His lips worked again, m anaged t he word he had been t rying for. “ Brionist s, of course. General Beys. Who else?” “ From where?” “ Nearby. Beys sailed from Naderville in Hsia and m ade a base. His ships send boat s upriver at night . They lie low during t he day. They look for ore and m et al and m achines. Everyt hing goes east t o Hsia.” Hsia was a m assive cont inent nort heast of Elizabet h's Land, across t wo t housand kilom et ers of t he Darwin Sea. “ Children?” I asked. The m an's face wrinkled in dist ress. “ All,” t he m an said. “ Beys want s t hem for Brion.” “ What 's your nam e?” “ Fit ch.” He licked his lips. “ Sander Darcy Fit ch. A doct or. They t ook all t he m edicine. All t he equipm ent .” “ Why did t hey kill so m any?” “ Except m e,” Fit ch said. “ And a wom an.” “ Who?” “ Larisa St rik- Cachem ou.” 74
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Even in his pain, he m anaged t o m ake a face. “ Crazy bit ch. Her husband t hought we could deal wit h t he Brionist s.” “ Why kill everybody?” “ Oh, t here will be m ansions and riches and Lam arckia will bow t o t heir will.” The m an st art ed t o sing in an undert one. His eyes shut t ight , he rocked back and fort h, m aking t he box upon which he leaned creak and rust le. Suddenly he convulsed, t hen opened his eyes again and reached up t o m e. “ Secret ,” he said. “ Very secret .” “ What ?” “ The Hexam on will com e. Do you believe?” “ I t 's inevit able,” I said. “ I have disguises and supplies. Old clot hes. Cast - offs. Right here. I run t he charit y. That 's why I hid inst ead of fight ing. I t hought t hey would com e, seeing t his. They can have t heir pick. Of course, if t hey send t housands ... not enough.” “ You've been wait ing?” I asked. “ He's been gone t hirt y- seven years,” Fit ch said. “ He t ook t he clavicle and j ust went away. Maybe he didn't m ake it .” Fit ch coughed and shuddered again. “ Sm ells so bad. Secret . Please, I have t o t ell now.” “ I t 's all right ,” I said. The old m an reached up, brushed his filt h- caked fingers on m y face. “ Don't know you, or anyone like you,” he said, looking m e over, m y t hin shirt and baggy t an pant s. “ You dress t he old st yle, like when we arrived. And you look different .” A light grew in his eyes. His m out h opened wide. 75
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“ Take t hese clot hes. Yours are all wrong. By t he Good Man, do I m ake you out of air?” I shook m y head. He st ruggled t o rise but fell back, legs kicking like shaken st icks. “ St ar, fat e, and breat h,” he croaked, licking his lips, “ be kind t o m e, preserve m e from t he pride of t he hand. St ar, source of all life, t o which I will ret urn t o be rem ade, erase m y sins...” My eyes m oist ened again, hearing t he old prayer, and I echoed t he old m an. Toget her: “ ...and purify, bind m y at om s t o som et hing higher, send m y light far t o ot hers who t ruly see. I n t he arm s of great galaxies t here lies salvat ion, and we t here will go, t o dance in endless j oy t he innocent dance free of t he hand.” The old m an's voice faded, and I finished, “ I n t he nam e of t he Good Man, t he secret s of Logos, of Fat e and Breat h and Soul, so be it t hrough deep t im e.” “ You,” Fit ch said, grasping m y arm weakly. “ Are you alone?” Tears st ream ed down m y cheeks. “ Yes,” I said. “ Take t he clot hes. Save us from what we've done. May t he m em ory of t he Good Man serve you.” Fit ch's breat h st opped. Here, t hat was enough. He was dead. The bot t le of wat er rolled and spilled. I set it upright , t hen sprinkled wat er on t he old m an's face. Free of t he hand and it s t oils. Absolut ion. I kneeled beside t he body, lips set t ight . Aft er som e m inut es, I st ood, nerves ragged. As Fit ch had suggest ed, I searched t hrough t he boxes of old clot hes and 76
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cast - off goods. I exchanged m y new clot hes for st urdy, if frayed, t rousers and shirt , but kept m y boot s. A clot h rucksack served t o hold t he slat e and a few ot her clot hes. Out side, in t he court yard, away from t he t rails of blood, I sm eared m y boot s wit h m ud. Then I ret urned t o t he river.
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3 I n t he east , sun peeked pale yellow bet ween t he im m ense t runks and parasols and fan- leaves behind t he dock. The wom an st irred. She opened her eyes, saw m e, and closed t hem again, as if resigned. “ Nobody's com e,” she m urm ured. “ Not yet ,” I said. “ Feel bet t er?” “ I haven't eat en in days.” “ I 'm pret t y hungry m yself,” I said. “ I s t here food anywhere?” She shook her head. “ They loot ed t he t own.” “ The Brionist s.” “ Yes.” “ You're expect ing som ebody t o com e. A boat .” “ I don't know who's alive. Beys sent big boat s filled wit h t roops. Maybe t hey t ook Calcut t a, t oo. They shot ... when Nkwanno and Gennadia and Ganna...” She lift ed her head, j aw t hrust ing and neck st raining at t he m em ory. “ Missed m e.” “ Are t here any boat s nearby? Anot her village?” I asked. She point ed upriver wit h her nose. “ They should have been here yest erday. I wait ed and t hey didn't com e.” She walked t o t he shore. I st ood and followed. She glanced over her shoulder. “ Go away, whoever you are,” she said. “ I 'm t ired. I 'm a dead person.” “ What 's your nam e?” I asked, t hough I knew already. “ Larisa,” t he wom an said, st opping again, hunching her shoulders as if I were a buzzing insect t hat m ight st ing. 78
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“ My nam e is Olm y,” I said. “ I 'm from t he t riad fam ily of Dat chet ong.” “ I 've heard of t hem ,” Larisa said. “ Lenk disenfranchised t hem .” She rubbed her nose and raised her eyes t o m y face. “ I know you're a liar,” she said, eyes narrowed. “ Maybe t he silva m ade you.” I shook m y head. “ I 'll believe anyt hing now. Not hing m at t ers,” she said. Wit h a shake of her head and a shiver, she led m e away from t he river, back t o t he village. I walked beside her. She t ook each st ep wit h a wide- eyed deliberat ion, forcing herself on. Her lips worked silent ly. “ We're alm ost t here,” she said. The broad red fans and black t runks closed overhead. We walked in shadow. Som et hing—a flying ribbon—dart ed in front of m y face, undulat ed, st ung m e on t he cheek, flashed away before I could swipe at it . Larisa st ared at m e list lessly. “ Sam plers only bit e once here. Then Liz knows you.” I wiped a sm all sm ear of blood from m y cheek. Larisa t rudged on. “ When were you bit t en?” I asked. “ When I was a lit t le girl, I suppose. I forget .” We neared t he t ower. From t he direct ion of t he river cam e a sound of m ot ors. Larisa slowed, eyes wild, breat h com ing in j erks. I st opped and t ook hold of her arm . She looked up at m e like a child. “ They're back,” she said. “ St ay here. I 'll see,” I said. I held her shoulders as if t o plant her feet on t he spot , but felt sure, once I was gone, she would run and hide. I ret urned along t he pat h, looked over 79
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m y shoulder, saw her st anding beside t he t ower like a st unned anim al. By t he dock, I hid behind a t hick black lizboo t runk and peered nort h, downriver. Four sm all launches m oved slowly against t he current , t heir hulls chalk whit e against t he river's dawn gray- blue. Each launch carried t en or t welve passengers, all in uniform . I frowned. Black dust fell from above, coat ing like soot . I absent ly rubbed som e bet ween m y fingers. I t felt fine as rouge and clung t o m y skin. There was som e com m ot ion on t he boat s; I heard t heir voices across t he wat er, angry and concerned. The launches were wit hin a hundred m et ers of t he dock and observers in t heir prows had already seen t he bodies. The m ot ors cut back and t he boat s edged t oward t he shore. I saw rifles held at ready. They did not appear t o be invading soldiers. Very likely t he boat s carried police—a disciplinary and officers—from Calcut t a. I considered whet her t o m eet t hem here or at t he village. Larisa decided for m e. She st epped up behind m e and walked ont o t he dock. Her foot st eps echoed on t he planks in t he m orning st illness. “ You're lat e,” she shout ed t o t he boat s. A t hick- bodied, balding m an wit h a narrow, closelyt rim m ed beard st ood in t he bow of t he leading boat . “ Who are you?” he called back. He t ossed her a rope and she t ook it , sidest epping her cousin's body t o t ie it . She st ood, brushing black dust from her hands on her pant s, and said in clear, accusing t ones, “ Why didn't you com e earlier?” 80
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I st epped from behind t he t runk and st ood on t he dock. The m en and wom en regarded us bot h warily. All wore uniform s, but of varying colors, som e ill- cut ; hom em ade, I t hought , hand- sewn. The balding, bearded m an clim bed from t he first boat . “ We didn't get any radio calls for a day and a half. We saw unknown boat s going upriver ... raiders, Brionist s, we presum ed. The cit izens rank t hought m aybe a disciplinary should have a look.” He approached, squint ing at her. “ Larisa, aren't you? Larisa ... St rik- Cachem ou? What happened here?” “ They killed us,” she answered. “ Then he cam e.” She point ed t o m e. I st epped forward and pulled t he pist ol from m y waist band, holding it by t he barrel. “ I t 's hers,” I said. The balding m an t ook t he pist ol and handed it t o one of his officers, who placed it in a clot h bag. “ My nam e is Olm y Ap Dat chet ong.” “ Elevi Yar Thom as. Disciplinary at Calcut t a.” He did not offer t o shake m y hand. “ I don't recognize you. Where are you from ?” he asked. “ I 've been in t he silva, t raveling and st udying,” I said. “ I j ust arrived.” “ He's a liar,” Larisa confided, as if it m ight ingrat iat e her wit h t he older m an. He gave her a wary glance, sensing som et hing was not quit e right . “ Did you see what happened?” he asked m e. “ No,” I said. All but t hree of t he m en and wom en in gray m arched along t he t rail t oward t he village. One m an wit h a heavy, longbarreled rifle st ood guard over t he boat s. The disciplinary 81
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exam ined t he bodies on t he dock. One wom an, short and powerfully built , wit h auburn hair cut short beneat h a loose gray cap, pulled t arps from t he boat lockers and spread t hem beside t he corpses. “ We didn't bring a doct or,” she rem inded Thom as. He could not t ake his eyes from t he bodies. His broad, fleshy face showed t aut pale lines. “ I n t he nam e of t he Good Man, why?” “ Passion,” Larisa said, lips curling wit h hat e. “ They have a lot of passion.” I n t he em pt y village refect ory, where all t he inhabit ant s of Moonrise would have sat in com m union for lunch and dinner, t he disciplinary spun a chair around and sat on it front t o back. I sat across from him , on t he opposit e side of a round t able. “ You're lucky you weren't involved, aren't you?” Thom as didn't wait for m y answer. “ The whole village had m aybe t hree guns. They've lived peacefully here for t hirt y- nine years. They had t went y- seven children. All gone. We haven't found a one of t hem .” Thom as scrat ched his nose reflect ively. “ I 've heard Beys is t aking all t he children, t hat t he Brionist s want t o raise t hem t o t hink as t hey do. I hope t hat 's t rue. They wouldn't j ust kill t hem , would t hey? Take t hem away and t hen kill t hem ?” I shook m y head, ignorant . “ You can't t ell m e anyt hing?” he asked in an undert one. I sum m ed Thom as up quickly: chosen by t he cit izens rank and heads of t riad fam ilies of his dist rict t o act as chief disciplinary, a kind of const able. The disciplinary would 82
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choose new cit izen deput ies every t hree years, a t radit ion in divaricat e com m unes. He had arrived lat e, I j udged, because t here would have been not hing he could have done. He had seen t he boat s, known t hem for what t hey were, and... Or perhaps I m isj udged. “ I 've only been in t he village since yest erday evening,” I said. “ Larisa says t hey had a disput e over m inerals.” “ What do t hey lack in t heir zone? An innocuous village, no reason for it t o be slaught ered. One hundred t went y- four dead.” Thom as's face wrinkled int o an ugly scowl and he seem ed ready t o spit . “ Not m uch high- grade ore on Lam arckia, not out in t he open. A lit t le here ... Ten kilom et ers t hrough t he silva. Just beginning t o t hink about m ining it . Brion lust s for m et al, enough t o kill for it . What can we do? We have few weapons. Just bury t he bodies.” Thom as leaned forward. “ The wom an calls you a liar. Som et hing's t aken a chunk out of your cheek. A sam pler?” I had hoped t o have m ore t im e t o blend in. I could only st ick wit h m y st ory, however t hin—and hope t o get away in Calcut t a. “ I t wasn't t he first t im e I 've been sam pled,” I said. “ I discovered a sub- zone and spent som e t im e in it . Looking for signs of a new flux.” Sub- zones, Redhill's encyclopedia said, were regions of peculiar specializat ion wit hin an ecos, where scions of unfam iliar charact erist ics som et im es em erged. Som e scholars speculat ed t hat changes in sub- zones could be harbingers of fluxes. Ot hers m aint ained sub- zones were act ually sm all ecoi in t hem selves, serving specific needs for t he larger zones in a sym biot ic relat ionship. 83
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I hoped t he encyclopedia was not hopelessly out of dat e. Thom as considered t his answer, t hen shrugged. “ I t ry t o st ay out of zone st udies. People int erest m e.” Thom as raised his own slat e. “ I have no t rack on you. Census of five years ago. Twent y- t wo t housand of us on Lam arckia, t en t housand on Elizabet h's Land. I have no birt h records for a m an nam ed Olm y of t he Dat chet ong. I do have a record for a Darrow Jan Fim a, of t he Dat chet ong ext ended t riad ... He st ole som et hing pret t y im port ant —it doesn't say what —t hirt y- seven years ago. He was never caught . Case not pursued.” My respect for t he disciplinary j um ped several not ches. Darrow Jan Fim a was t he inform er who had ret urned t o t he Way. I suddenly connect ed his t heft of a clavicle wit h Larisa's com m ent t hat t he Dat chet ong had been disenfranchised. Wrong nam e, I t old m yself. They proscribed t he whole t riad. Thom as rocked on his chair, t hen st ood and pocket ed his slat e. “ I knew Nkwanno well. An int elligent , kind m an. He cam e t o lect ure every few m ont hs downriver in Calcut t a. We found t he body of t he encyclopedist , Redhill him self. Did you know he lived here? He put Moonrise on t he m ap, so t o speak. They shot him in t he head.” Thom as raised his eyes and m et m ine squarely. He st ood. “ Quit e a few dist inguished cit izens, for so sm all a village.” I wat ched him closely, saying not hing. “ Tim e t o finish. Bury t he bodies and leave. We've recorded t he scene. Not hing m ore I can do now.” “ The silva will t ake over inside a week,” said Thom as's second, t he t ough- faced, st ocky wom an, Bruni. She st ood by t he t ower and scrut inized t he lizboo t runks and one foot of a 84
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cat hedral t ree beyond t he pipes. One of her eyelids t wit ched reflexively. She t urned and regarded m e curiously, but was leaving all quest ions t o Thom as. I accom panied Thom as and four ot hers down t o t he river. I t ook one end of a st ret cher, Thom as t he ot her, and we carried Nkwanno's body, t he last , from t he dock. Larisa wat ched as we approached t he ot her bodies lined up in t he quadrangle. “ Thank Logos I have no children,” she m urm ured, falling in st ep behind. We all dug four long t rench- graves in t he hard- packed soil of t he quadrangle, very different from t he rich chunky loam in t he silva. The spades bit int o t he dead and chalky dirt wit h short singing barks. Unt il arriving in Moonrise, I had never had hum an m ort alit y shoved in m y face wit h such visceral force, and so oft en. I had never buried anyone before. Conflict s wit h t he Jart s in t he Way were alt oget her swift er and m ore deadly, leaving few t races... The sharp int akes of breat h and heavy pant ing of t he m en and wom en working around m e, t he st am ps of defiant individualit y on t heir faces, awoke a hazy, difficult em ot ion, horror and pride com m ingled. I dug wit h a will. One wom en st opped t o wipe away t ears. A m an j oined her, shovel in hand, arm around her shoulder, and offered her a handkerchief. We finished a t rench int ended for t hirt y of t he dead. The first was a sm all t hin body. The t arp was rem oved and I saw a wom an of perhaps sixt y or sevent y years. Nat ural years, 85
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lived wit hout ext raordinary m edical assist ance or rej uvenat ion. She had been shot in t he neck and chest by a proj ect ile weapon. The wounds looked ugly, purple and puffy like old m eat . That was what t hey had m ade of her: old m eat . The wom an's swollen brown and purple face seem ed rudely, disdainfully peaceful. I looked at m y fellow diggers: a st rong young m an wit h broad bull- shoulders and fat cheeks, t he auburn- haired st rong- bodied wom an Bruni, slender m iddle- aged m an wit h a perm anent ly worried expression, a young wom an whose face st ayed flushed all t he t im e we dug. I ndividual. No acquiescence t o art ificial beaut y; no reconst ruct ion. The bullshouldered young m an put down his shovel and st ared at t he dead wom an. He seem ed reluct ant t o do what had t o be done. I bent and closed t he old wom an's eyes wit h t wo fingers. I had once seen t hat in an ent ert ainm ent about t im es long past , on dist ant Eart h. The t ouch of her skin, cold and m oist , and t he st icky push of her eyelids against sunken eyeballs m ade m y flesh crawl. The young m an nodded grat it ude and approval. We put t he wom an int o t he shroud again, m aking a sling, and lowered her int o t he grave. Ot hers arranged m ore bodies—young m en, old m en, t wo m ore older wom en. They lowered t he ot her bodies int o t he hole. Working in synch, we filled in t he grave. I observed t he faces around m e, grim , eyes a lit t le wild; som e dream dying inside. Sunset . The quadrangle bat hed in orange light from a passing cloud, glorious in t he sun. Dusk loom ed when we finished. 86
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Thom as spoke a few words from t he Prayer of Com m on Place over t he rows of long graves. Ot hers finished t heir list s and m aps of what rem ained of t he village. A fem ale officer conferred wit h Thom as about a list of m issing children t aken from records in t he m ayor's office. Then Thom as t ook m e back t o t he t ower. He pulled a bar of sweet ened gum from his coat pocket , broke it in half, offered half t o m e, and I t ook it , int erest ed in m aint aining a friendly connect ion wit h t his m an. We clim bed t he t ower and looked down on t he darkening silva and village, t he em pt y buildings and houses, t he pale t an scars of fresh graves in t he grayish- brown quadrangle, t he sm all greenhouse farm and large t anks, paddles m ot ionless inside brown sewage, no longer convert ing wast e direct ly t o food. I could not see t he dock, but t he far bank of t he river was visible. Parasols and fans folded and furled, wit hdrawing for t he night . A cloud of black dust shot up from t he silva a hundred m et ers off, drift ed. I sm elled cit rus and spice. “ Tell m e m ore about why you're here,” Thom as said. “ I cam e here t o cat ch a riverboat . I 've spent m uch of m y life t he last few years alone in t he silva. I 'm not used t o violence. I don't know what m ore I can do or say.” Thom as rubbed his balding head wit h a chalky hand. “ I said years ago cit izens should be forced t o carry papers.” He lift ed his eyebrows and glared at t he horizon. “ ‘Oh, no, not t hat ,'” he m im icked. “ ‘This is a place where we can all be free.’ We'll t ake you t o Calcut t a. You'll t ell what you know t o t he com m it t ee of cit izens rank. I f you're one of t he Brionist s 87
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and t hey left you here by accident —or left you here t o spy— I 'll personally see you t o a full cit izen t rial in At henai.” There was not hing I could say. I st ill did not need t o sleep. No one want ed t o sleep in t he buildings. I lay wit h t he ot hers in one corner of t he quadrangle, where no bodies had fallen and t he soil was not st ained wit h blood, under t he broad clear sky, t racing pat t erns in t he st ars. The double oxbow was not visible. Now, t he sky was m arked by t iny puffs of dim color—purples and pinks. The shrouds of dead suns. I felt a dizzying m om ent of com plet e disorient at ion. These st ars probably occupied t he sam e universe, but not necessarily t he sam e galaxy, or even t he sam e period of t im e. I n t he Way's geom et ry st acks, dist ance and t im e could becom e as t angled as an infinit y of t hreads t ossed int o a box. I was am ong hum ans, but t hat gave lit t le com fort . I f I died here, who would know m e well enough t o connect t he t hread of m y pneum a t o any com prehensible past ? The burial and service had m oved m e m ore profoundly t han I t hought possible. I had largely abandoned m y spirit ual beliefs since j oining Way Defense, concent rat ing on a different kind of personal developm ent : devot ion t o concept , t o large- scale social and not m et aphysical issues. Devot ion t o fight ing off t he m enace of t he Jart s, devils beyond t he concept ion of any hum an before t he opening of t he Way. Now I faced a m uch sm aller problem , but m ore personal, and challenging t o t he point of alm ost cert ain defeat . What I saw in t he st ars now were t he faces of m y m ot her and fat her, and all t hey st ood for, suddenly becom e diseased, wrong. 88
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Not m any slept t hat night , however t ired. The boat s prepared t o depart at dawn. They would m ove m uch m ore quickly wit h t he river current , but it would st ill t ake a day t o get back t o Calcut t a. I list ened t o t he officers t alking am ong t hem selves; t hey had segregat ed m e at t he st ern of t he last boat , leaving m e t wo m et ers of space, as if I were a pariah. No fam ily, no known origin, rum ors passing quickly; m onkeys shying from a st ranger t o t he com m unal t ree. I felt a brief flash of anger at t heir st upidit y, t hen wondered what I would do in t heir place. Before Thom as could give t he order t o leave, however, we all heard t he dist ant sound of anot her sm all engine. Larisa, in t he cabin of t he largest boat , let out a sharp wail and st ruggled, pushing aside t he st art led m en and wom en around her. She leaped ashore wit h surprising dext erit y and ran up t he road t o t he village. The few deput ies who had rifles lift ed t hem , aim ing t hem upriver where t he sounds cam e. A single eight - m et er launch was drift ing downriver wit h t he current , it s int ernal com bust ion engine idling, bow cut t ing t hrough swat hs of m orning fog. I n t he launch, t wo m en squat t ed at st ern and prow, bot h st aring at t he four boat s arranged around t he dock and shore. Neit her of t hem appeared t o be arm ed. The disciplinary cam e aft and st ood beside m e t o get a bet t er view of t he boat . “ I t 's Randall,” he said. “ Erwin Randall and som eone else—Mat t hew Shat ro, I t hink.” Thom as seem ed t o know everyone on t he river. He ordered t he rifles lowered. “ They're not Brionist s. They're researchers.” He shout ed t o t he crew of his second boat , “ Go get t hat wom an, dam n her.” 89
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The launch cam e alongside and a t all, loose- lim bed m an wit h a t hin face and long nose and som ber brown eyes waved t o Thom as, adding a half- heart ed flick of t he hand t o t he ot hers. “ What happened here?” he asked. “ Dead,” Thom as said. “ Fat e and breat h,” Randall said. Shat ro, at t he rear, frowned and drew up his j acket collar. “ All of t hem ?” “ All but t he m issing,” Thom as said. “ There are seven boat s upriver,” Randall said, point ing. “ They m ust be t he ones. Three flat boat s. They didn't even bot her shoot ing us.” “ Good t o see you're healt hy,” Thom as said wit hout irony. “ I passed a radio m essage down t o Calcut t a,” Randall said. He ran his hand t hrough t hick, st raw- colored hair. “ You know Mat t hew Shat ro, m y assist ant . We've been surveying Liz up t o Lake Mareot is.” Thom as seem ed in a quandary and not happy t o see t hese m en. He st ood wit h foot on t he lead boat 's gunwale, glanced at m e wit h a puzzled expression, and t hen looked t o his boat s and deput ies. “ They cam e past Calcut t a at night . They m ust have a base som ewhere ... We should go aft er t hem .” “ We passed a cam p on t he way down. They're about t hirt y kilom et ers upriver by now, and t he cam p's em pt y. Everyt hing cleared out . I t hink t hey'll m ake a run downriver in t he next few days.” “ I f I know where t hey are ... t hen we m ust respond.” Thom as sounded regret ful.
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Randall sym pat hized. “ They're all arm ed—over fift y m en and wom en. We'll go wit h you...” He held out his em pt y arm s. “ But wit hout guns we're not m uch use.” “ No need for t hat ,” Thom as said. “ I have t wo people who need t o get downriver. This m an here, his nam e is Olm y Ap Dat chet ong, and a wom an from t he village. She's been t hrough a lot and she's easily fright ened. Her nam e is Larisa St rik- Cachem ou.” “ I know of her,” Randall said. He nodded t o m e and fixed m e wit h a curious st are. Everybody knew everybody and I did not fit in. “ Can you t ake t hem t o Calcut t a and deliver t hem t o t he cit izens rank for deposit ions?” Randall's eyes, it seem ed, would perm anent ly record all t hat was im port ant . “ Of course,” he said. Shat ro, a wellm uscled, short fellow wit h pale skin and cropped blond hair, began t o rearrange boxes and bags in t he launch. Randall and Thom as st ood awkwardly in t heir boat s, bot h realizing t hat t he news had put Thom as and his deput ies int o a quandary. As disciplinary, Thom as had a dut y t o confront t he at t ackers. Yet a sm all part y such as t his, arm ed wit h only eight rifles and a few pist ols, would not do well against such opposit ion. Randall's face grew red, and he st am m ered, “ I don't t hink it would be a good idea for you t o t ake t hem on—” Thom as coughed and waved a hand. “ That 's m y decision,” he said. “ We'll call downriver and ask for m ore boat s, and for cit izens t o be on t he lookout . Nobody want s t hem t o get away aft er all t hey've done on t he nort h coast . They can't sneak so m any boat s past us if we're wat ching night and day.” 91
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“ They m ay divide t heir forces and send t heir st olen goods down first ,” Randall said. “ One of t he flat boat s was heavy in t he wat er.” “ Loaded wit h t ract ors and scrap m et al,” Thom as surm ised. He shook his head sharply, not want ing t o hear news t hat would m ake him angrier, or fix him m ore firm ly in his dut y. “ Pull your launch in and t ake t hese people, and we'll be on our way.” Larisa ret urned t o t he dock in t he firm arm s of t wo wom en. Thom as explained t he sit uat ion t o her, and she list ened wit h lit t le birdlike nods, eyes wide. We clim bed int o Randall's boat and I t hanked Thom as for all he had done. “ I 've done not hing for you,” Thom as said, a lit t le coldly. “ When you get t o Calcut t a, t ell t he t rut h, and t ell t hem what I 'm doing here. I f nobody sends help, or even if t hey do, we m ay not com e back. I 'm not asking for pit y. I t 's j ust t he dam ned t rut h.” The deput ies in t he boat s st ared at us owlishly as we pulled away and headed downriver. Shat ro unfolded a rough blanket for Larisa, and Randall t ook t he t iller, pushing us out t o t he m iddle, avoiding a few river vine hum ps. The bot t om of t he boat was filled wit h boxes packed wit h glass j ars. The j ars cont ained chunks of m ot t led t issue: specim ens. “ You weren't in Moonrise when it happened, t hen?” Randall asked. I shook m y head. Larisa began t o chat t er nervously, t elling t he t wo m en all she had t old Thom as and m e, and adding her suspicions t hat I was a liar. Randall list ened int ent ly but did not seem t o share her concern or disapproval. 92
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The banks of t he river revealed an im m ense m onot ony of silva, wit h lit t le change in color or elevat ion. Red and black, browns and purples, no green. Tens of kilom et ers from t he banks, m ount ains rose, and silva balloons clust ered along t he base of t he m ount ains; but from t his dist ance, a hundred m et ers from eit her shore, I could see lit t le m ore t han black t runks, parasols and fans, and t he legs and pink crowns of cat hedral t rees. The river sm elled of pure fresh wat er, bland but invigorat ing. Peering int o t he dark clarit y, I saw dappled silver blurs m ove flash and undulat e us. Redhill's encyclopedia said t hat creat ures of Pet ain's zone, zone five, dom inat ed t he Terra Nova t o it s root s deep in Elizabet h's Land. Som e of t he riparian scions were as large as whales, easily capable of t oppling a boat . A pict ure showed a sinuous m onst rosit y, t went y m et ers in lengt h, crude eyes arrayed in a cross on it s flat forehead, blunt t usks m ount ed on nose, no m out h. I t s funct ion wit hin t he river, it s use t o t he zone five ecos, was not known. I im agined such a t hing sliding beneat h our boat in t he deep blue wat er and act ually enj oyed t he shiver I felt . Awe at nat ure was a m uch cleaner em ot ion t han any I had been feeling lat ely. Larisa fell asleep, head lolling wit h m out h open. Randall sat on a bench beside m e, let t ing Shat ro t ake t he t iller, and offered m e a bar of gum . Chewing gum seem ed quit e t he habit here. “ Ser Cachem ou is known up and down t he river,” Randall said in a low voice. “ A loud and foolish wom an. I f her husband 93
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left her t o go t o Hsia, he m ay have had bet t er reason t han m ost .” He confided a wry grim ace. “ What were you doing in t he silva?” “ I 've always want ed t o do research,” I said. “ Science” was a word rarely used by divaricat es. “ I 've spent t he last t wo years st udying on m y own.” I felt very vulnerable wit h t his m an; he probably knew m ore about t he silva t han anyone on t he river, and cert ainly m ore t han I could have gleaned from Jan Fim a, t he Dalgesh report , and Redhill's encyclopedia. “ I t 's not been easy. I should have st udied m ore ... Before going int o t he silva.” Randall chuckled. “ Very likely. Did you really get sam pled?” The sm all prick on m y cheek had alm ost healed. “ She says I did. Som et hing flying st ruck m e in t he dark and drew blood, but Liz doesn't do t hat t wice, does she?” “ No,” Randall said. He sm iled and went aft t o rig a shade for t he wom an. Left t o m yself, wit h not hing t o do but st udy t he river and t he endless silva, I t ook out Nkwanno's slat e and resum ed m y st udy. I st ill could not access t he scholar's personal records, but j udging from clues left in several sm all open files, Nkwanno had used a few key words t hat he changed every few m ont hs. I wondered who he t hought would read his privat e docum ent s. I could not put t he right words t oget her yet , but all his public references were open t o m e. As we drift ed downriver, I searched for a hist ory, and found several, all unfinished, all wit h t he hallm arks of ent husiast ic am at eurs. 94
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The im m igrant s had com e here, t hirt y- seven Lam arckian years before, em erging from a gat e near t he present sit e of Calcut t a. Lenk nam ed t heir landfall ( it s m easure t hen unknown) aft er his wife, Elizabet h. They had been woefully unprepared. I t t ook m ont hs t o sort out Lam arckia's possible cont ribut ions t o diet and t he need for raw m at erials. For t he first t en years, st arvat ion was a m aj or problem . I punched t hrough dozens of st ills of gaunt , hollow- eyed set t lers clearing lizboo scions, plant ing grains and fruit t rees and vines, t oppling cat hedral t rees for t heir st rong, light , woody t runks. Lenk's recordist s m ade videos of det erm ined m ot hers and fat hers carrying t he first children born on Lam arckia, babies wrapped in worn clot h, parent s in rags. Am ong t he t wo t housand had been seven doct ors wit h less t han a t on of m edical supplies, lit t le of it advanced; here, Lenk had insist ed on doct rinal purit y. Som e, apparent ly, had ignored or int erpret ed his inst ruct ions, but not enough t o avert serious m edical problem s, including fat al allergic react ions t o cert ain scions. Hungry, desperat e people had eat en m any t hings wit hout going t hrough proper procedures. The faces in t he pict ures and m ovies haunt ed m e: gaunt , fright ened but st eadfast , sure of t hem selves. All Thist ledown's cit izens regarded t hem selves as pioneers and explorers, but Lenk's people had em barked on an advent ure qualit at ively different from Thist ledown's j ourney, and wit h far less chance of success. Along t he banks on bot h sides, black and brown pipes several m et ers wide reached down t o t he river, m out hs halfsubm erged. Boom ing, sucking sounds cam e across t he wat er, 95
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enorm ous organic pum ps at work, drawing wat er from t he river and t ransport ing it inland. Every few kilom et ers we passed t hese pipes, part of Liz's im m ense hydraulic syst em , circulat ing wat er for all of her scions. Ten hours int o t he j ourney, Randall divided a loaf of bread bet ween t he four of us. “ Wine?” he asked, offering a sm all ceram ic j ug. Larisa at e her bread in delicat e nibbles, st aring at t he far shore, but refused t he wine, scooping wat er from t he river inst ead. I accept ed a cup. The wine was heavy and sweet , wit h a bit t er aft ert ast e. I carefully did not m ake a face. Randall, focused on m y react ion, seem ed dissat isfied. “ You didn't say where you st udied ... Though I assum e at Jakart a, since t hat 's where m ost of t he Dat chet ongs have lived since Lenk brought us here.” “ I st udied independent ly,” I said. Randall squint ed. “ I 'm as fond of Liz as anyone ... But I can't im agine being alone in t he silva for years. I 'd go slaps. What was it like?” “ Hard,” I said. I grinned. “ I alm ost did go slaps.” “ You're a caut ious m an, Ser Olm y.” “ Being alone does it ,” I said. He shaded his eyes, searching t he overgrown banks. “ There are a couple of cam ps along here. Prospect ors, sm all crop farm ers, gat herers. Charact ers. I prom ised t o look in on one. Kim on Giorgios is his nam e. He likes being alone, t oo.” I followed Randall's gaze t o t he west ern bank. The lizboo arborids were hung wit h orange sausage- shaped pods as m uch as t wo m et ers long, dangling over t he wat er like a 96
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t hickly t asseled fringe. Through t he fringe, I saw a pale brown sm udge hidden am ong t he shiny black t runks. “ I s t hat a house?” I asked. Randall rose t o a crouch, hands on his knees, and m urm ured, “ Yesss. Sharp eyes, Olm y.” The boat pushed slowly int o a narrow branch of t he m ain river. Am id lizboo and t hick clum ps of phyt ids, five cat hedral t rees surrounded a sm all clearing. An elegant ly craft ed sm all house st ood in t he clearing. Hinged window covers raised on st akes propped up in t he dirt gave it t he appearance of an old, crippled bird t rying valiant ly t o fly. Shrill whist ling broke out on t he opposit e shore and was t aken up by t he silva around t he house. The sound bot hered neit her Randall nor Shat ro, so I did not act surprised, eit her. Randall hailed t he house. No one answered. He gest ured for Shat ro t o t ake us in closer. We pushed up ont o t he bank beside t he clearing. “ Giorgios has been up and down t his river for years,” Randall said. “ He knows it bet t er t han anyone. Som eone looking for a guide ... like Janos St rik...” He didn't finish his t hought . We st epped off t he prow and walked up t he bank, list ening t o whist les echo back int o t he dept hs of t he silva. Larisa st ayed under t he shade Randall had rigged, peering out at us like a sm all, fright ened anim al. Randall and Shat ro walked around t he house and Randall called Giorgio's nam e. St ill no answer. Randall ent ered t he house t hrough t he front door. A st art led curse was followed by a relieved chuckle. A scion t he size of a cat , t ubular red body m ount ed on t hree long, t hin 97
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legs, st alked t hrough t he front door wit h slow dignit y, point ed what m ight have been it s head at t he shore and t he boat , and t urned t o walk int o t he j ungle. Randall cam e out of t he house shaking his head. “ He's been gone for days. Liz is st art ing t o m ove in.” He clim bed int o t he launch. Shat ro and I pushed t he boat off t he bank and clim bed in aft er him . Randall t ook t he t iller and guided us back t o t he m iddle of t he m ain body of t he river. Randall nodded as if keeping t im e wit h som e inner t une. “ He'd have shut t he house up if he'd left volunt arily. Never left it open for longlegs. He's well- known on t he river. Everyone knows he's t he best guide upst ream .” Larisa shout ed, “ They t ook him ! ” Her voice rang across t he river and was m et wit h m ore high whist ling from bot h shores. “ I f t hey were sm art , t hey probably did,” Randall said. Shat ro sat in t he bow and said lit t le, but scanned t he river const ant ly. Twelve kilom et ers from Calcut t a, t he banks of t he Terra Nova grew in height and narrowed t o form a deep gorge only fift y m et ers wide. The launch rushed t hrough t he gorge wit h t hrilling speed. Randall t ook t he t iller, and we avoided t he few rocks and quick, broad eddies wit hout m ishap. I observed large pink parasols waving like huge hands on t he rim s of t he gorge. Black and elect ric blue creepers hung down t he sheer, m ist - shiny black walls, pulsing as t hey pum ped wat er from t he river t o t he silva above. Aft er several kilom et ers, t he walls dropped again and we passed t hrough low, flat count ryside, populat ed by t hick canopies of lizboo and punct uat ed by t he ubiquit ous cat hedral t rees. 98
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“ Did you see any heliophiles t his far sout h?” Randall asked. We had been quiet since leaving t he desert ed cabin, and he seem ed t o want t o break t he grim m ood. I did not know what heliophiles were, so I shook m y head. “ Som e years t hey t ravel sout h of Moonrise, but I haven't seen t hem recent ly. They're t aking a different role in Liz's schem e, I t hink ... You m ust have relied on diospuros.” “ Kept m e alive m ost of t he t im e,” I said. Edible aft er soaking in wat er and cooking, high in usable prot ein and sugars, sweet and m eat y t o t he t ast e, diospuros had been one of t he first phyt ids used successfully for food. I f Randall was t est ing m e, however, he would soon cat ch m e up. “ Did you see whit ehat feeding on diospuros?” “ No,” I said. “ I saw t hem sucking on lizboo.” “ That 's t heir habit t his far nort h. Sout h of here, where we haven't deplet ed t hem , t hey seem t o prefer diospuros.” Randall seem ed sat isfied wit h t his, and kept silent for t he next few kilom et ers. The sun felt good on m y hands as I clasped t he launch's gunwale. Much of t he t im e, t he sky was veiled by t hin, high ice- cryst al clouds, diffusing t he sun's hot disk int o an incandescent pearl. I shift ed forward and leaned back, closing m y eyes in t he bright , m ilky glare. My neck m uscles had bunched wit h som et hing ... t ension, I supposed. I could not rem em ber having felt t ense in years—if ever. The im plant s and supplem ent s I had given up for t his m ission had sm oot hed so m any of m y body's basic react ions; I seem ed t o be experiencing a new kind of exist ence, or at least one largely forgot t en. 99
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My vision blurred and I drift ed int o a m using doze, also a novel experience. I j erked and lift ed m y head, blinking at a shadow leaning over m e. Shat ro handed m e a t in of biscuit s. He spoke soft ly, diffident ly. “ We'll see Calcut t a in an hour.” The river broadened and t he current slowed again. Larisa cam e out from under t he shade and sat well apart from m e, st aring at not hing in part icular but away from t he boat , lips pursed, brows elevat ed as if in unending surprise. On Thist ledown, her fam ily would t ake her in for a m ent al refresh. Even divaricat es recognized m ent al dysfunct ion. Randall j oined m e wit h his own t in of biscuit s. “ You've not heard m uch news recent ly, t hen.” I liked Randall, felt t hat he was sym pat het ic, but I was not looking for m ore conversat ion. I needed m uch m ore t im e t o st udy, t o avoid being caught up in st upid m ist akes. “ Yes,” I said. “ I apologize for m y ignorance.” He sm iled and shook his head. “ The polit ical sit uat ion has changed since you left ... Calcut t a?” “ Calcut t a,” I said. “ Passed t hrough Moonrise.” “ On m y way upriver, yes.” “ Brion sent his dogs out t o savage t he nort h coast last year. They've ransacked seven villages and st olen everyt hing t hey could get t heir hands on ... including children.” “ Why t ake children?” Shat ro asked, shaking his head. “ I t doesn't figure, a hungry com m unit y st ealing children.” 100
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“ They m ay not be hungry anym ore, if t he st ories are t o be t rust ed. We don't t alk wit h Naderville m uch now,” Randall said. “ Som ebody in Naderville m ay have m ade som e calculat ions and realized we'll out st rip t hem in populat ion and influence in t he next generat ion. Their wom en are exhaust ed and t hey can't m ake t heir baby m achines work. St ealing kids in populat ions as sm all as ours m akes sense, if you can feed and raise t hem .” I had heard not hing about baby m achines. Nkwanno's references did not m ent ion t hem eit her. Divaricat es had never believed in ex ut ero gest at ion and birt h. “ Nobody's fought back?” I asked. Randall gave m e one of his appraising looks. “ Lenk doesn't seem t o have t he st om ach for a war. I t hink he hopes Naderville will j ust fade away. But t hey've regained a lot of st rengt h in t he last year. Of course, when t hey com m unicat e wit h us at all, t hey publicly disavow General Beys ... But he delivers his goods t o Naderville, all t he sam e.” We sat in silence for a m om ent . Then Randall said, “ Do you have anyplace t o st ay in Calcut t a?” “ Hospice,” I said. “ No m oney.” “ No need t o st ay in hospice. Why not st ay wit h m y fam ily while you wait t o t est ify? Might be a couple of days.” “ Thanks,” I said. “ I 'm not very present able. I 've been on m y own for so long...” “ We've been down sout h on t he Terra Nova for t he last t wo weeks,” Randall said. “ I 'm sure you've seen int erest ing t hings, even if you don't know how t o int erpret t hem . There 101
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aren't enough researchers on t his planet t hat we can afford not t o t alk wit h each ot her.” Six kilom et ers above Calcut t a, t he geology changed abrupt ly. The land becam e bum py and rugged. The silva t hinned, leaving cat hedral t rees and a few scat t ered lizboos rising like gam e m arkers on a low rolling carpet of vivid purple and sky blue. Pale gray granit e hills rose t o t he west , capped by t hick, violet phyt ids. “ Look at t he color on t he hills t his spring,” Randall said. “ Bright est I 've seen in m any years. Wonder if Liz has changed a specificat ion or t wo?” Shat ro exam ined t he hills t hrough a pair of binoculars. He saw m y int erest and loaned t hem t o m e. I looked at t he hills, a clum p of lizboo t wo hundred m et ers from t he bank, and saw a group of t wo- necked cleaners working on t he arborids’ parasols and fans. Their eyeless heads swept from leaf t o leaf wit h slow, sure m ot ions, rem inding m e bot h of dinosaurs and m icroscopic t ardigrades. I ret urned t he binoculars t o Shat ro. “ Ser Randall and I found seven m ore variet ies of lizboo, all specialized t o different m ineral condit ions,” Shat ro said. “ We've been m easuring oxygen product ion in t he deep silva.” “ I m pressive,” I said. “ Elem ent ary, really,” Randall said. “ Lenk gave us a com m ission t o m ake sure Liz isn't headed t oward anot her flux. The silva really isn't an im port ant source of oxygen. Negligible, act ually. Most of it com es from t he coast al oceans. Dissociat ion of wat er, we presum e—t hough we don't know. But oxygen levels in t he silva could point t o changes in t he scion m ix. I t 's im port ant work, but rat her dull.” 102
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I began t o wonder how long I could hold out in conversat ion, as a visit or in Randall's house, wit hout being unveiled as a com plet e fraud. I wondered when t he Brionist s would ret urn t o Moonrise and st ake t heir claim . Would t he disciplinary or t he cit izens of Calcut t a oppose t hem ? I t ried t o im agine t his Brion, about whom t here was not hing in Redhill: an am bit ious pet t y dict at or, I guessed, clot hed in a ridiculous uniform . Shat ro cut t he m ot or and t he launch drift ed wit h t he st ream . Breezes carried unfam iliar scent s—t om at o j uice, ginger. From t he sout h, upriver, I heard t he t hin, flat whine of m ore m ot ors. Three large flat - bot t om boat s were gaining on us. Clut ching a half- eat en biscuit , Randall st epped aft and st ared at t hem . Wit h disgust , he crum pled t he biscuit and t hrew it bet ween t he t hwart s. “ Here t hey com e, t he bold bast ards,” he growled. Soon t he t hree boat s were less t han a hundred m et ers away. Uniform ed m en crowded t heir decks, perhaps a hundred in all. Each flat boat was about fift een m et ers long and six or seven across t he beam , wit h shallow draft s and long, wide cabins large enough t o st ore farm and ot her equipm ent . No wom en were visible on deck. They would all be back hom e, I t hought , rearing m ore children for Brion. The m en st anding around t he cabins were m ost ly brown, a few blacks and whit es, t he fam iliar Thist ledown m ix. They wore t an t rousers and loose- fit t ing whit e shirt s. Most carried t heir large rifles prom inent ly. Som e sm iled and t alked in low 103
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voices as t he boat s passed t he launch. The rest said not hing and j ust st ared at us, rifles poised. “ What do you know about a village upriver, called Moonrise?” Randall called t o t he boat s. His face reddened as he got no answer. Larisa ret reat ed t o t he shade and lay down, covering her face wit h her hands. A slight rest less m illing on t he flat boat s. We were very close. They could kill us all if t hey chose. “ What about a cit izen nam ed Giorgios? Kim on Giorgios?” The boat s m ot ored ahead of us. We faced t he m en on t he rear, faces young and old, all indifferent . “ Where are t he rest of you?” Randall called, a lit t le foolishly, I t hought . We sat wait ing for an answer, but nobody replied in words. I nst ead, t he m en on t he boat s lift ed t heir rifles and point ed t hem j ust over our heads, t eet h shining behind t he glist ening black barrels. A high, ululat ing shout rose from t he boat s. The m en lift ed t heir hands and rifles and sang out again, voices echoing from t he edge of t he silva. The gray boat s’ harm onizing elect ric whines sounded like a left over t aunt . “ They're going t o pass t hrough Calcut t a in broad daylight , and ahead of us,” Shat ro said. “ We're about six kilom et ers sout h of Calcut t a,” Randall said. “ Won't even t alk wit h us. Absolut e cont em pt . The bast ards.” The silva grew lush again, lizboo wit h fringes of pods packed t hick along bot h sides. On t he nort hern bank, a glist ening black sand beach pushed int o t he silva and along t he river. A part y of picnickers lazed over t heir m idday m eal, 104
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wat ching us. The m en waved polit ely. They m ight have waved at t he gray boat s as well; t hey did not seem concerned. Three naked children splashed in t he river, t heir m usical shout s and scream s rising above t he liquid lapping of t he river against t he boat hulls. I wondered if t he children had been called in t o hide when t he flat boat s passed. Everybody seem ed unconcerned, relaxed... I dropped one arm over t he side and dabbled m y fingers. The wat er was cold, but not bone- chilling. Before I could react , a silvery creat ure t he size of a sm all t rout swift ed from t he dept hs and plunged som et hing sharp int o m y t hum b. Jerking, clam ping m y j aw t o st ill a st art led yelp, I yanked m y hand out , sucked away a drop of blood, and wiped t he t hum b quickly on m y dark socks. A prick; not hing m ore. Nobody had not iced. I t hought , t he river knows m e, as well, now. The sky gleam ed like old polished silver at zenit h, bluing only above t he horizon. Fart her downriver, buildings appeared in m ore clearings, closely at t ended by lizboo: boat houses, som e sort of sm all fact ory wit h sm oke pouring from a t hin black st ack and m en m arching across a clearing in black aprons, loading wagons. I saw only a few t ract ors, and of course t here would be no horses or oxen; t he Lenk group had brought no anim als wit h t hem . A sm all farm nest led bet ween walls of lizboo like a brown post age st am p on red and purple and black paisley. Silos, but no barns. Out of place, m y m ind said, but it act ually looked quit e lovely, fam iliar in m y gut , t hough I had never seen such a t hing in act ual experience. I im agined fields of crops—grain and veget ables, biom ass ponds—inland, away from t he river, 105
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perhaps scat t ered bet ween or spread across t he low plat eaus nort heast of Calcut t a, as Redhill described: hum an int rusions t hat Liz apparent ly t olerat ed. As we passed t he farm , a young m an in blue and brown workit s—overalls of an ancient cut — cam e out on a sm all dock and waved t o us. Randall and Shat ro ret urned his wave. “ There's a recept ion downriver, above Calcut t a,” t he young m an shout ed, his voice cracking wit h yout h and excit em ent . “ I 'd pull in and wait it out .” “ What kind of recept ion?” Randall asked. “ Enough said. You m ight be spies.” Randall shook his head and waved his t hanks for t he slender warning, but we did not pull in. “ A recept ion?” Shat ro asked nervously. “ I t hink he m eans Calcut t a isn't going t o let t he flat boat s pass,” Randall said. “ What can t hey do?” “ I 'd like t o find out .” Shat ro st art ed t o obj ect , but shut his m out h and lowered his head. Randall st ood at t he bow, glaring downriver. We all list ened. Larisa m oaned beneat h t he shade. “ We should land t he wom an,” Shat ro said. Randall did not seem t o hear him . “ Perhaps Ser Olm y would like t o get out , t oo,” Shat ro added. I shook m y head. I was as curious as Randall t o see what sort of response t he t own m ight m ount . A few shot s like snapping st icks sounded down t he river. We all j um ped as one. 106
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Randall t old Shat ro t o bring t he launch about and run t he m ot or at quart er speed, let t ing us drift wit h t he current , but m ore slowly. An island covered wit h pure black lizboo split t he Terra Nova half a kilom et er ahead. “ That 's where I would do it ,” Randall said. “ Which way ... right or left ?” “ I would t ake m y flat boat s around bot h sides,” I said. “ Bot h sides flow deep,” Randall said. “ But t he best side is t o t he east , left . I t 's t he widest . A lazy, self- assured pilot would go t o t he left ... And t hat 's where I 'd put m y picket s and lay m y t raps. The Brionist s are arrogant bast ards, Ser Olm y. They t hink t hey know m ore t han we do. They t hink we've becom e sheep.” More wide- spaced shot s, t hen a st eady series of crackcrack- crack- crack, frant ic shout ing, a boom . A puff of sm oke rose above t he t rees, whirling. “ Left ,” Randall called out , and Shat ro t urned t he t iller t o veer us east of t he island. I n t he silva along t he left bank, m en and wom en st ood peering downriver, t alking. Som e waved and grinned like fools as we passed; ot hers shout ed warnings. “ Skirm ish ahead! Pull in! ” Randall shook his head and ignored t hem . Shat ro was becom ing m ore and m ore agit at ed, sweat st anding out on his pale face. He st ared grim ly forward wit h his pale blue eyes as if expect ing t he boat t o be swallowed. We rounded a st and of lizboo on a narrow sand spit . Randall increased t he t urns on t he m ot or. At less t han a kilom et er an hour, we descended t oward t he t hree Brionist flat boat s. Net s and ropes had been st rung across t he river and t he flat boat s were caught in t hem . Men had been pulled 107
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off int o t he wat er by t he ropes and swam around t heir boat s, heads bobbing in t he current . One m an hung from a sagging rope, feet dragging in t he river, dead. On t he east ern bank, shot s rang out from behind cover of sm all shacks and lizboo t runks. The m en on t he flat boat s were ret urning fire as best t hey could, but t hey were exposed, and m ore and m ore of t hem were falling t o t he deck or int o t he wat er. The air filled wit h m ore cries and shout ing. From t he shore cam e war whoops and m ore shot s. A sizzling pipe bom b flew over t he river and bounced on t he deck of t he left m ost flat boat , rolled int o t he wat er, and exploded, sending up a plum e of spray. Anot her landed squarely on t he cabin, rolled t o t he st arboard side, blew up, and propelled a cloud of splint ers high int o t he air. Yet a t hird landed on t he m iddle boat and a m an plucked it up t o t oss it away. I t exploded in his hand and his arm and head vanished. On t he shore, m ingled cries of horror and cheers m et t his sight , and m ore cheers as t he headless body crum pled and slid off t he deck. I felt a sick excit em ent . My st om ach knot t ed and I clenched sweat y hands. I sm elled gunpowder and burning and som et hing else—I presum ed it was blood. My skin crawled and m y t hroat closed and I choked at t he t hought of breat hing t he vapor of som ebody else's blood. All t hree flat boat s were hopelessly caught . From t heir decks now cam e cries of surrender, and a few m en st ood wit h hands raised, t hrowing t heir weapons int o t he wat er. “ No quart er! ” som eone bellowed from t he shore, no doubt a st udent of hist ory. Shot s cont inued, but fewer in num ber. 108
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The right m ost of t he flat boat s was t aking on wat er and list ing badly. Ot her sounds cam e t o us, m uffled, like t rapped anim als crying out . Randall st ood in t he bow, brow creased. “ Fat es and breat h,” he said. “ There are prisoners in t hat boat .” He walked aft , t ook t he t iller from Shat ro, swung t he launch around again and propelled us at full speed down t he river, direct ly t oward t he fight . Shat ro scram bled t o t he m iddle of t he launch. “ Where are we going?” he shout ed. “ That boat is going t o founder,” Randall said. Shat ro sat beside Larisa, who st ared st raight ahead like a doll, fright ened out of her wit s. The cries from inside t he list ing flat boat cam e louder now. A few bullet s zizzed past our heads unt il voices on t he banks shout ed t hat we were not Brionist s. The river was backing up behind t he flat boat s, fift een m et ers ahead, and we began t o yaw in an eddy. Randall t ook advant age of t he eddy and st eered us t o t he right . The right m ost flat boat , heeling ont o it s st arboard side, suddenly t hrew open it s cabin hat ches and seem ed t o erupt . Heads, arm s, legs poured ont o t he deck: children, I saw, over t wo dozen of t hem . I could not help crying out , and Randall nodded grim ly, t ears on his cheeks falling in t win glit t ering st ream s. The children leaped and fell off t he t ilt ing deck int o t he wat er. A m an carrying t wo babies lost his balance and also fell. For a m om ent , he held t he babies up, t hen let t hem go and swam t o save him self. I t hought of ant s falling from a float ing leaf. The wat er was filled wit h bobbing heads: a few Brionist soldiers, but m ost ly children of all ages. Our boat m oved in 109
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am ong t hem and Shat ro and I im m ediat ely began grabbing arm s, legs, heads, pulling children int o t he boat , five, six, eight , nine, I lost count . Larisa rem ained root ed t o her seat , st aring left and right like an ant ique t oy. A young girl wit h slick wet hair clim bed over her, crying out , “ I know you! I know you! ” and t ried t o hug her. Larisa pushed her away wit h fright ened disgust . More boat s cam e from t he shore now, dinghies and sm acks and canoes. The river filled wit h boat s. A crouching soldier on t he flat boat m echanically aim ed and shot his rifle int o t he rescuers. As if in a dream , I wat ched him t ake aim , fire, and t urned t o see a splash of wat er beside a boat , or a m an scream and grab his chest , lurching backward. The soldier's expression was calm , indifferent . I st ared at him for what seem ed m inut es but could only have been a few seconds. A sm all body cam e out of t he wat er in Randall's arm s and he passed it t o m e. I im m ediat ely laid it on t he forward bench and began art ificial respirat ion. I t was a young boy. His skin was warm and his eyes open, st aring. I dreaded he was already dead. But aft er a few of m y puffed breat hs he shut his eyes t ight , coughed up wat er and vom it ed, and st art ed t o breat he, and t hen t o scream and t hrash. I spat t he sour t ast e of vom it from m y m out h and handed him t o an older boy, who cradled him in a skinny lap. I looked up, t ook anot her child from Shat ro, and t hen anot her, and saw t hat our launch held t oo m any, was in danger of t ipping over it self. We had drift ed wit h t he current 110
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past t he flat boat s. A few m en st ill huddled on t he decks, but m ost had ret reat ed wit hin t he cabins. The soldier wit h t he rifle had been shot and lay over t he gunwale, blood dripping from his ruined head int o t he river. A few shot s st ill rang out , from t he boat s and from t he shore, but t he children were t he m ain concern of m ost of t he cit izens. Randall gave Shat ro t he t iller again and shout ed at Larisa t o help keep t he children calm . She did not m ove. The launch carried perhaps t went y- five boys and girls, t he youngest barely t wo, t he oldest t welve or t hirt een, all t errified, past y whit e or olive green wit h shock. A sm all boy's body lay in bot t om of t he boat , st aring wit h t he slack em pt y look of t he dead. The boat sm elled of fear and urine and vom it . “ Put in t o shore,” Randall t old Shat ro. “ Olm y, help m e get t hese children t o t he port side ... t o t he left .” I helped rearrange five of t he youngst ers, m oving t hem bodily if t hey were t oo st unned or fright ened t o respond. The launch ran up ont o a sm all black sand beach, nearly knocking m e off m y feet . A t all, wiry older girl fell int o t he wat er and clam bered ashore on her own, hair st ream ing sand and wat er, face set wit h det erm inat ion t o st ay alive and get away from t he m adness. Three wom en and t wo m en cam e out of t he silva behind t he beach and helped us unload t he children. “ Where are t hey from ?” a m at ronly, t all wom an wit h graying hair asked. She gripped t wo children by t heir arm s. One kicked his feet in t he wat er and began t o scream . “ I don't know,” Shat ro answered. 111
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“ From Moonrise, perhaps,” Randall suggest ed. How m any villages had had t heir children st olen? A m an in soaked brown pant s and clinging whit e shirt swam t o t he beach and st ood in t he shallows, lurching ashore. He glanced at us, saw we were busy t ending t o t he children, and t ried t o run int o t he silva, but t wo st rong young m en in workit s carrying large st icks blocked his pat h. “ Who are you?” one asked him . “ I give up,” he said breat hlessly. They t ook him away, whacking him on t he shoulders and back wit h t heir fist s. The children were led or walked on t heir own back int o t he silva, and t he launch bobbed gent ly in t he wat er now t hat it was light er, beginning t o com e around st ern first and pull off t he beach. A single boy of five or six had st ayed in t he boat . He gripped t he gunwale wit h bot h hands and looked over his shoulder at m e. “ My nam e is Daniel Harrin,” he said. “ My fam ily is dead. Where do I go?” Ot her t han t he dead boy st ill in t he bot t om , he was t he last in our care. I sat beside him and put an arm around his shoulder. “ We'll find you a place, Daniel,” I said. Larisa had som ehow m anaged t o get ashore, where she squat t ed on t he sand, as helpless and useless as ever. I felt a sudden flash of hat e m ixed wit h pit y for her. So m any prim it ive em ot ions in one hour; I felt drained. Randall m oored t he boat wit h a line and anchor, and st ood in t he wat er beside us, st aring at m e and at t he boy. “ Where have we gone so wrong?” he asked. 112
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4 Calcut t a rose along t he scallops and harbors of t he west bank like a m agnificent card cast le, m ore lovely t han I expect ed. Yellow and whit e walls rose from t he surrounding red and black and pink silva. The lat e- aft ernoon sun burnished t he t ops of t he low, planar, angular buildings like whit e gold. The walls m erged wit h st eps descending past level parks and warehouses t o t he river, where t he wat ers slopped and slid. As t he boat cruised past t he out lying sect ions of t he cit y— if it could be called a cit y, having less t han five t housand resident s—I saw t hat m ost of t he buildings were m ade of paint ed xyla, probably lizboo or cat hedral t ree. Foundat ions and ret aining walls were concret e and granit e. Of st eel and plast ic I saw lit t le. Broad glass windows faced t he east and t he river. That m eant furnaces and m anufact uring. The launch passed a few ot her boat s. Shat ro and Randall sat in t he rear, Larisa back beneat h t he shade, and I t ook t he bench near t he bow. We had been relieved of t he dead boy and we had cleaned t he bot t om of t he boat as best we could wit h bucket s of wat er and rags. I could not clear m y head of t he sounds and sm ells. Vom it from t he boy I had breat hed life back int o st ained m y shirt and pant s. Part s of m e st ill saw and analyzed, but t he cent er of m y t hought s was a num b grayness. I could not sleep yet but I want ed t o fall asleep. The closest I could com e t o sleep 113
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was t o sit on t he bench and st are and t ry not t o rem em ber t oo clearly. I had never felt st rong parent al inst inct s unt il I saw t he children in t he wat er. Now, behind t he grayness, flashes of horror and uncondit ional love for t he children, and anim al hat red, t he urge t o wrap m y hands around t he necks of t he Brionist s, all cam e and went like light ning behind clouds. I would have t o work hard t o keep m y obj ect ivit y. My m ission was t o st udy Lam arckia, not t o becom e involved in im m igrant polit ics. The t allest building rose from t he cit y's cent er on a low hill, four rounded st ories, each eccent ric from a cent ral axis, beneat h cant ilevered pagoda roofs and porches t hat t o m e seem ed lovely if ancient : Frank Lloyd Wright , Richard Neut ra, I t hought , a t ouch of Tibet , Shangri- la, t rying t o rem em ber fragm ent s of t errest rial art hist ory t hat I had explored before all m y m em ory supplem ent s had been rem oved. The m issing inform at ion bot hered m e. I shuddered slight ly, st um bling ont o a lapse in som e personal wisdom based on m em ory no longer accessible, like a m issing m olar. I hat ed t hat sensat ion. I t m ade m e feel reduced, less capable; it shook m y confidence. What if I lurched int o a crucial gap during an em ergency? But none of t his really m at t ered com pared t o what we had j ust experienced. The launch slid sm oot hly int o a covered bert h at t he m unicipal dock. As Shat ro secured t he lines, I clim bed out of t he boat and t ook a deep breat h, t urned, and found Randall 114
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st aring at m e blankly. Suddenly he sm iled. He looked like a wolf. “ We did som e good back t here,” he said. “ We'll go t o t he court t om orrow and let t hem know you're here. You can st ay wit h m y fam ily t onight .” Larisa cam e out from under t he shade, st iff wit h dignit y or perhaps exhaust ion. She barely looked at us. “ I have fam ily here,” she said. “ I do not need your help.” “ Thom as want s you at t he court ,” Randall rem inded her. She nodded. “ I will be t here.” She glared at m e. Her eyelids drew t oget her and her face seem ed full of hat red. “ I do not need your help.” We walked t hrough t he cent er of Calcut t a t o Randall's hom e. Shat ro said his farewells and went off t o his own hom e. He was unbonded, Randall said, and lived wit h an older m an and wom an in t he Karpos neighborhood. “ They raise fruit s t here. Pears and apples do well if you grind up lizboo parasols for fert ilizer. They nat urally give up t he right nut rient s for t hose t rees. I t 's a luxury crop, but t hat 's not hing against it .” The court house, cent er of t he dist rict 's legal proceedings, sat j ust below t he elegant t ower on Calcut t a's highest hill. We walked up a long winding flight of st eps lined wit h hom es and shops. The t ower, Randall said, was t he Lenk Hub, seat of cross- dist rict governm ent and hom e of Lenk him self when he chose t o com e t o Calcut t a. “ I t 's really quit e spare quart ers for such a fine m an,” Randall said. “ Do you know him ?” I asked. 115
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“ Through Capt ain Keyser- Bach.” The broad st eps were caught in aft ernoon shadow, which seem ed richly brown, alm ost golden beneat h t he silver sky. The cit y sm elled of cooking food, m ost ly yeast y bread sm ells and rich m olasses sm ells, dust from cart s rolling on t he busy st reet below, orange and t om at o and spice from t he silva never com plet ely absent . Children ran laughing and shrieking down t he st eps beside us, boys and girls from lat e infancy t o m iddle childhood, wearing red short s and whit e vest s wit h green vert ical st ripes, t ended by a young m an wit h a bem used look, no doubt j unior husband in a t riad. Ot herwise, t he st reet s were quiet , t he cit izens polit e, t heir clot hes m ut ed, generally browns and grays or greens, each however wit h one splash of color, a scarf or sash or belt , signifying solem nit y wit hin living j oy. These t radit ions had held up well on Lam arckia. I was relieved t hat not everyt hing had fallen int o chaos. Aft er all I had heard of fam ine and hardship, I was surprised t hat Calcut t a looked prosperous and it s cit izens well- fed. At t he t op of t he st airs, in a shaded court yard graced wit h a single t errest rial t ree—an ash, I t hought , it s lim bs bare, not faring very well—we t urned int o a narrow alley. The houses t hat rose on eit her side were m ade of cut reddish lava held t oget her by dark gray cem ent . An anonym ous xyla doorway no different from t he ot hers pushed open wit h a creak at Randall's t ouch, and we ent ered cool shadow. “ Randall?” a wom an called eagerly. “ Erwin, is t hat you?”
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“ That 's m e,” Randall said. He sm iled shyly, t he wolf look gone. “ That 's m y wife, Rayt ha. Head of fam ily. I 'm an infrequent ext ra here.” Randall's fam ily t ot aled seven: four children, age t wo t o t welve, t wo younger girls and t wo older boys, who flocked around him wit h broad sm iles and big eyes, sim ply glad t o see t heir fat her; his wife Rayt ha, a plum p, pret t y wom an t he sam e age as he; and her m ot her, Kayt ai Kim - Jast ro. Ser Kim Jast ro was t all and st raight and gray and form idable, and she did not hug Randall, but inst ead shook his hand and welcom ed him back wit h deep gravit y. The children gat hered around m e when t hey were finished welcom ing t heir fat her. They asked where I was from and whet her I was m arried and had any children, and why t heir fat her had brought m e hom e wit h him . Randall answered t he last quest ion by saying, “ He's a researcher and he's our guest . He's not used t o a lot of com pany, so please give him som e room unt il aft er dinner at least .” The t wo older boys st ayed t o hear Randall's st ories, but t he younger girls went wit h t heir m ot her and grandm ot her int o anot her room down t he hall. I heard ot her voices in t hat room : a com m unal kit chen. Men from anot her fam ily in t he t riad were cooking t oday. “ Not hing fancy,” Rayt ha said as she walked down t he hall flanked by her girls. “ But it 's food.” “ More gray piscids and flockweed past e,” Randall said when she had left , and confided anot her grim ace. He led m e int o a room he said was his own, and his alone, but he did not obj ect when t he boys followed. This t iny cubicle had a window high in one wall t o t he out side, t hrough which a cool evening 117
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breeze was blowing. A sm all elect ric lant ern hung in one corner, cast ing a dim yellow light over shelves packed wit h crudely bound books. “ Fat her, what happened at t he river?” t he older of t he t wo boys asked as we set t led ont o woven fiber chairs. “ The t eacher dism issed us early t oday and went t o t he river ... He said he was j oining a com m it t ee.” “ There was a fight ,” Randall said, lines growing deeper in his face. He did not like describing t his t o his sons. “ Did anybody get killed?” t he younger boy asked. He rem inded m e of t he boy I had saved by breat hing life back int o him . His eyes danced wit h int ense int erest . My st om ach knot t ed wit h t he rem em bered love and hat e all over again. “ A lot of people were killed, m ost ly pirat es,” Randall said. He did not volunt eer inform at ion about t he children in t he boat s. A bell j angled near t he alleyway door and Randall got up t o answer it . Aft er a conversat ion of several m inut es, during which t im e t he boys sat in t he room alone wit h m e, bit ing t heir lips and st aring at each ot her for support , but saying not hing, Randall ret urned. “ A represent at ive of t he cit izens rank, welcom ing m e back,” Randall said. “ Thom as radioed t hem from upriver. They will indeed expect us t om orrow.” “ Any m ore news?” t he older boy asked. “ Ser Olm y, let m e nam e t hese chat t y ones for you,” he said, pat t ing t heir heads. “ This is Nebulon, and t his is Carl. Carl is a year and a half younger t han his brot her.” “ I m ade m y m ot her a lit t le sick,” Carl said. “ That 's why our sist ers are so new and we're not .” 118
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“ There's m ore news, yes,” Randall said, eyes half- closed wit h exhaust ion. “ Go help your m ot her and grandm ot her. I 'll t ell you lat er.” “ Now! ” Carl insist ed, but Randall gent ly and firm ly packed t hem out of t he room and drew t he curt ains once t hey were down t he hall and out of hearing. “ There were t hirt y- seven children on t he boat ,” Randall said. “ Thirt y of t hem were saved. We had m ost of t hem in our boat . Twelve of t he Brionist s died and t went y were wounded. Sixt y are in cust ody. Nobody knows what t o do wit h t hem . They'll probably be sent t o At henai for Lenk t o decide. We can't afford t o keep t hem here.” He t ook a deep breat h and lift ed his arm s. “ Pardon m e. I 'm act ing as if we're old friends.” “ We've been t hrough a lot ,” I said. “ But I don't know you. That 's unusual around here. Most people know each ot her along t he Terra Nova.” “ I 've been a loner m ost of m y life.” “ Because your fam ily was proscribed?” I put on an air of ignoring t his, and Randall assum ed he had t ouched on a sensit ive issue. “ You showed real courage on t he river t oday,” he said. “ Even m ore t han Shat ro. You seem accust om ed t o t his kind of incident .” “ I 'm not ,” I said, t rut hfully. “ And I wouldn't call it courage.” “ Um .” Randall m ut t ered and sat down in his chair, st ret ching his legs out in t he sm all, close, brown, and shadowy room . “ St ill, you im pressed m e. What prospect s do 119
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you have, what plans, if I m ay cont inue t his ungrat eful prying?” “ I need t o get t o At henai at som e point ,” I said. “ How soon?” Randall asked. “ I 'm not sure.” “ I 'm asking because m y part ner, Capt ain Keyser- Bach...” He paused t o gauge m y react ion t o t hat nam e. I pursed m y lips and widened m y eyes, and t hat seem ed t o sat isfy him . “ ...And I ... are about t o begin a very am bit ious j ourney by ship. We've overcom e m any difficult ies and m any kinds of reluct ance, bot h t o get t his j ourney financed and approved, and t o find t he right people t o go wit h us.” I saw t hat t he nam e of Capt ain Keyser- Bach was m eant t o im press m e, but t hough he had m ent ioned it once before, I knew not hing about t his person. I decided t o behave as if I were im pressed. “ A j ourney t o where?” I asked. “ A circum navigat ion,” Randall said. “ We hope t o finish t he voyage Jidderm eyer and Baker and Shulago never com plet ed. To Jakart a first , t hen t o Wallace St at ion t o pick up Ser Mansur Salap and m ore researchers, t hen across t he Darwin Sea nort heast t o Mart ha's I sland ... That 's j ust t he beginning. A circum navigat ion from east t o west . We'll end up in At henai, but it m ight t ake us t hree years.” I felt m y chest t ight en. “ That 's a grand voyage,” I said. “ A scient ific expedit ion?” Randall cringed, and I realized m y m ist ake t oo lat e. “ The capt ain uses t hat word m uch t oo oft en, and in t he wrong com pany,” he said. “ For us, it is always research, and we are researchers. But it am ount s t o t he sam e t hing. We've st udied 120
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Liz enough for t he t im e being. She's a wonderful ecos, peaceful and nurt uring, once we knew her ways, but she's a lit t le bland and uniform for our t ast es. I t 's t im e t o m ake com parisons and draw broad conclusions. Ot herwise, bot h t he capt ain and I firm ly believe, in t im e Lam arckia is going t o kill us.” He lowered his voice. “ We cam e here ignorant and unprepared, and it has t aken all t hese decades t o even begin t o clim b out of t he hole.” Now he st ared at m e earnest ly, large liquid eyes penet rat ing, m easuring, st ill m ore t han a lit t le doubt ful. “ Whom will you report t o,” I asked, “ when you've finished t he voyage?” “ To Able Lenk him self,” Randall said. I st ared at m y hands, alm ost t oo t ired and num b t o realize m y fort une. Ry Ornis had t ruly put m e at a locus of ext rem e int erest . “ I f it fit s wit hin your plans, you're welcom e t o int erview wit h t he capt ain, and I 'll back you up. But no need t o answer right away. We bot h need rest . And you have t o t est ify t om orrow.” “ The offer is very int erest ing,” I said. “ That 's enough for now,” Randall said, lift ing his hands from t he arm of t he woven chair. “ We should wash ourselves before dinner. We deserve a brave m eal and a few glasses of wine.” As I splashed wat er on m y face from a ceram ic bowl in a cram ped washroom , I saw clearly again t he Brionist soldier on t he flat boat , kneeling and t aking careful aim at t he rescuers in t heir canoes and dinghies. His expression haunt ed m e m ore 121
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t han his deat h, which I did not wit ness. He seem ed perfect ly cont ent t o be killing people, even t hose who were not t rying t o kill him . He squint ed one eye and aim ed his pit iful rifle, as if it m ight be t he m ost powerful weapon in t he universe. For t he people he killed, of course, it was. But I had seen weapons t hat could scour a m illion hect ares and reduce m at t er t o blue- violet plasm a... I looked up at t he lit t le unfram ed m irror on t he wall and wondered j ust why t his t hought had occurred t o m e. The soldier on t he flat boat had becom e a t ool and t his m an, t his dead m an, had been cont ent t o be such a t ool. He did not t hink whet her it was right or wrong t o shoot m en and wom en in boat s t rying t o save children he him self had kidnapped. I wondered whet her t here was not a lit t le of him in m e. What would I do wit h t his anger, t his wish t hat I m yself had put m y hands around t he m an's neck and st rangled him , wat ching his flat , cont ent ed eyes go blank and slack as t he eyes of t he boy in t he bot t om of t he boat ? “ Not your j ob,” I whispered t o t he im age in t he m irror: black hair, sharp eyes, sharp nose, large lips t hat seem ed a lit t le insolent even t o m e. “ Just learn what you can, get t he clavicle, go hom e.” The eight of us sat down at a long lizboo t able t o ladle helpings from several bowls of flockweed past e and baked piscids from t he river: gray- skinned m out hless fishlike creat ures wit h t ranslucent fringed t ails, t hree black eye- spot s, and a body about t went y cent im et ers long. They consist ed alm ost ent irely of ropy m uscle- like prot eins t hat were 122
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nourishing but t ast eless. Various sauces concoct ed from a privat e herb garden added som e zest t o a very bland m eal. I t was apparent wit hin t he first few m inut es of dinner t hat Ser Kayt ai Kim - Jast ro t hought she was t he head of t his branch of t he t riad. Randall and his wife t reat ed her wit h quiet deference, and t he children did likewise; but it was obvious t hat nobody t reat ed her quit e as well as she t hought she deserved. As we set t led down t o eat , she picked at her food wit h sad dignit y, like deposed royalt y dream ing of past feast s. This did not seem t o bot her Rayt ha, who had not cooked t he food t his day, t aking t he fam ily's share from t he com m unal kit chen. There was lit t le t alk of t he act ion on t he river. I nst ead, Rayt ha asked her husband about t he j ourney upriver and what t hey had found. Randall described t welve previously uncat aloged scions. “ Not new ones—t hey don't have t he m arks of prot ot ypes or t est cases—but we've j ust never observed t hem and recorded t hem at t he sam e t im e. We m ade a great m any oxygen m easurem ent s. No signs of a fluxing.” “ Was it wort hwhile, as a t rip?” Rayt ha asked. “ I t hink so. Not nearly as wort hwhile as t he big voyage, of course ... But good exercise.” “ My husband get s rest less if he spends m ore t han a few days a m ont h at hom e,” Rayt ha said t o m e cheerfully. Randall sm iled and inclined his head, as if showing m odest y at som e com plim ent . “ My wife get s rest less if I 'm underfoot ,” he responded. 123
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“ We like having Da hom e,” t he youngest boy, Carl, said. Carl was eat ing very lit t le. I found t he children's faces m esm erizing. The girls in part icular were enchant ing—lit t le m im ics of t he adult wom en, lisps and childish accent s like m usic. The children in t he river had affect ed m e m ore deeply t han I realized. “ Why are you st aring at us?” t he oldest girl, Sast i, asked aft er a few m inut es. “ I 've been out in t he silva for so long...” I said. “ Not m any young, beaut iful faces out t here.” “ Our children are very at t ract ive,” Rayt ha said proudly. “ Not well- behaved all t he t im e, but at t ract ive.” “ Thank you, Mim a,” Sast i said prim ly. “ Would it be polit e t o ask about your work?” Rayt ha asked m e. “ Much like Ser Randall's, only less educat ed and m uch less direct ed. Largely a wast e of t wo years, act ually.” Randall gave a quick warning look t o Rayt ha, who caught it and redirect ed her line of quest ioning. “ And your present plans?” “ I need t o find work. I t hought I would go t o At henai.” Rayt ha's m ot her shook her head. “ A snobbish t own if ever t here was one. Everybody bows t o Able Lenk. I cam e here from At henai t o be wit h m y daught er when her children were born. My husband is st ill t here.” “ Kayt ai's views are a bit harsh,” Rayt ha said. “ She lived close t o t he t hrone t oo long.” Randall said in an undert one, “ Be kind. Rem em ber, we have t he funding and approval.” 124
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“ Yes, well, it t ook Good Lenk seven years t o give it t o you,” Kayt ai said. “ I don't fear spies. I know Lenk doesn't go in for t hem , for one t hing—t his is not a police st at e, and I give him credit where it 's due—and besides, Ser Olm y does not have t he look of an inform er.” “ I wouldn't know who t o t alk t o,” I said. “ I don't know m uch about polit ics in At henai.” “ I t 's a polit ical t own, but t hat 's hardly abnorm al,” Kayt ai cont inued. “ Few crit icize Good Lenk, even when t here is m uch t o crit icize. I f m ore crit icism had been given at t he beginning, perhaps we wouldn't have experienced so m uch hardship and t ragedy.” “ The crossing t hrough t he Way was very difficult t o arrange,” Rayt ha said wit h a hint of piet y. “ So I underst and, of course. I hadn't been born.” “ Tell us m ore about Thist ledown and t he Way, Granm ee,” Nebulon said, but she ignored him . “ I was an adult ,” Kayt ai said. “ I should have known what I was get t ing int o. But living in Thist ledown was a dream of luxury and we weren't prepared. Nobody knew what t o expect . Least of all did we know we'd be t urned int o baby m achines.” That phrase again. “ Law of nat ure,” Randall said dryly. “ Easy for m en t o say,” Kayt ai cont inued, warm ing t o her subj ect . “ And for Lenk t o expect of us. And we agreed! I t sounded dram at ic and powerful, t o becom e m ot hers t o a new and cleaner societ y. But what happened on t he river t oday— was t hat clean or honorable?” 125
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“ What t he defenders did was honorable,” Rayt ha said, cheeks pinking. She glanced at Randall, but he was used t o his in- law, apparent ly, and was st udiously t aking no offense. “ Did you see all bravery and no foolishness, Ser Olm y?” Kayt ai asked. “ I saw bravery and a lot of foolishness,” I said. “ A lot of foolishness, t hat 's t rue enough. We need t o be brave wit h so m uch foolishness.” She sat silent for a while, and we finished t he dinner wit h lit t le but t he chat t er of t he children. Nebulon described Thist ledown and t he Way for m e, and Carl added t elling det ails. They t hought it was a fabulous place, full of cold pounding m achines and people who no longer looked like people. Kayt ai picked up where she had left off as herb t ea was served. “ I rem em ber Thist ledown well,” she said. “ Nobody else here rem em bers it at all.” “ I was t hree years old,” Randall said. “ Not very clear m em ories.” “ I t was not what Lenk port rays, nor what Carl and Nebulon m ake up. I t was not a corrupt ing place of t echnological hubris. I t was wonderfully com fort able and fulfilling. I did not realize it at t he t im e. I was a young idealist . My husband was a devot ed follower of Good Lenk. Everyt hing m y husband believed, I believed. And for his sake, I crossed. Three of m y children died in t he first t hree years. I bore t hose children in m isery and pain and t hey died. On Thist ledown t heir birt hs would have been m uch easier, and t hey would not have died...” 126
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“ The price we paid was high,” Rayt ha said soft ly, sipping from her ceram ic cup and st aring at t he t op of t he t able. “ But we've gained a beaut iful world, a young world.” She seem ed em barrassed by her m ot her's t alk, but was not going t o cut it short . I wondered how m uch she agreed wit h it —and how m uch Randall agreed, and how m uch t he general populat ion of im m igrant s resent ed t he difficult ies of t he past few decades. “ How m any worlds have been opened in t he Way by now? Alm ost fort y years! We m ight have each found a paradise...” Kayt ai t hought t hat t im e passed on Thist ledown as it did here. “ But we hat ed t he t echnology. We feared it . We feared it so m uch we left m ost of it behind, even t he m achines t hat would have kept our children alive. Everyt hing fell upon t he wom en. Making babies and wat ching t hem die. The old ways, forgot t en by all of us. We were not prepared for t hem . I rem em ber.” “ The Way was m onst rous,” Rayt ha said. “ Lenk used t he Way, didn't he?” Kayt ai said. “ Mot her, our guest has had a very difficult day ... And so has Erwin. We should find ot her t hings t o t alk about .” “ The day's difficult ies are part of what I ... I can't even begin t o express. Som eday it will all be set right , but I do not know how. I apologize, Ser Olm y, if I 've upset you.” “ Not upset at all,” I said. Kayt ai gave m e t he first sm ile I had seen on her face. “ I 'd like t o t ell you about Thist ledown, som et im e,” she said. “ You're m uch t oo young t o rem em ber, and t here's so m uch 127
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dist ort ion of t he fact s. I rem em ber t he way it really was. When I was a girl, before I m et m y husband...” Randall and Rayt ha prepared a cot for m e in t he st udy. “ Feel free t o consult t he books,” Randall said. “ We oft en have scholars st ay wit h us,” Rayt ha said. “ Randall likes t o show off his library.” “ Not m any as good out side of At henai or Jakart a,” Randall said. “ Alm ost everyt hing known about Lam arckia.” He shook his head ruefully. “ Obviously, t here's a lot left t o learn.” The fam ily ret ired a few m inut es lat er, and t he apart m ent fell quiet . My exhaust ion had passed, and I sat up on t he cot , wide awake. I had t he ent ire evening ahead of m e while t he fam ily slept . Fingers t apped light ly on t he fram e beside t he drawn curt ain. I pulled t he curt ain aside. Kayt ai st ood in t he hall, fingers t o her lips, gray eyes glist ening in t he dark. “ You seem sym pat het ic,” she said. “ I get so lit t le sym pat hy here. Oh, t here's m uch love, but nobody seem s t o underst and.” I rrit at ed t hat I m ight have less t im e t o st udy t he slat e or t he books, I pulled t he curt ain aside and invit ed her in. “ I do feel I have som et hing t o t ell,” she said st iffly, glancing at t he walls of books wit h no int erest what soever. “ Erwin will t ake you away t om orrow and I 'll probably not have anot her chance. “ You spent t wo years in t he silva. I have no doubt you found it fascinat ing and m aybe even beaut iful. I t is beaut iful, I can't deny t hat . But on Thist ledown, t here were cham bers filled wit h t errest rial forest s, anim als, insect s ... Rich and dense and com plet e. When I was a girl we would spend 128
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weeks in t he forest s, and unless we looked up int o t he sky, we could pret end we were back on Eart h ... Lovely, lovely places. “ My husband t old m e Lam arckia would be a paradise. He assured m e Lenk knew everyt hing, and t hat we would live in prist ine wilderness never visit ed by hum ans. I don't t hink even he underst ood what t hat would m ean. Lenk t old us t o procreat e. I spent t he first t en years here having babies and wat ching m ost of t hem die. Rayt ha was m y fourt h, and t he first t o live. The soil was poor in cobalt and selenium and m agnesium . None of our crops grew properly. We didn't know which t hings t o eat on Lam arckia. The food was wrong. Adult s becam e sick as well, but not as oft en as t he children. Their lit t le bodies didn't seem t o know how t o fit in. Those were t errible t im es ... We suffered diseases never known on Thist ledown. We were not prepared.” Rayt ha st ood in t he doorway. “ Mot her,” She said gent ly. “ Please. Our guest is very t ired.” “ I j ust want ed t o t ell him ,” Kayt ai said. “ I 'm sorry, Ser Olm y,” Rayt ha said, put t ing her arm around her m ot her's shoulder. She t urned her head t o look at m e. “ I don't disagree wit h m y m ot her, but t here are bet t er t im es t o t alk. And we haven't even asked what your views are.” “ He's young,” Kayt ai said. “ He should know. Who will t ell him ?” Rayt ha drew t he curt ain and t he apart m ent becam e quiet again. 129
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I t ook Nkwanno's slat e from t he backpack. The walls of books were t oo form idable. High- level t ext s, papers writ t en by researchers for ot her researchers. I had t o prepare m yself wit h basic knowledge before I t ackled t hem . But by m orning, I had t o be ready for furt her conversat ions wit h Randall and wit h his friend, t he im port ant and well- known Capt ain KeyserBach. I st udied Nkwanno's personal files again, t rying t o piece t oget her t he clues t o unravel his code. There were m any bookm arks in t ext s by Henry David Thoreau, laid in wit h quot es from Henry Place, t he head ecologist during t he const ruct ion of Thist ledown. I t ried com binat ions of t hese nam es and of various t it les as keys, wit hout success. Then, half by accident , I found a highlight ed passage from Thoreau: What is a count ry wit hout rabbit s and part ridges? They are am ong t he m ost sim ple and indigenous anim al product s; ancient and venerable fam ilies known t o ant iquit y as t o m odern t im es; of t he very hue and subst ance of Nat ure, nearest allied t o leaves and t o t he ground. Aft er t he quot e, a laid- in not e from Nkwanno: “ Thoreau has t he Eart h in him . ‘Unless you know where you are, you don't know who you are.'” “ Place,” I t hought . “ Rabbit s, part ridges. Place ... Count ry. Thoreau. Rabbit s...” Thoreau has t he Eart h in him . Not had, but has. I t apped t he slat e against m y knee, get t ing m ore and m ore irrit at ed. I t was right in front of m e. I knew it ... Eart h. Thoreau. 130
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I saw t he let t ers, and m at ched t hem nam e t o nam e. Thoreau did indeed cont ain Eart h, wit h O and U left over. UO. OU. Ou. I checked t he dict ionaries in t he slat e for O and U and U and O. Ou, t he slat e t old m e, was French for where. “ Unless you know where you are, you don't know who you are.” That was a quot e from a t went iet h- cent ury aut hor nam ed Wendell Berry, oft en used by cit izens of Thist ledown. The slat e's sim ple com put er was t racking m y searches, a sm all icon revealed. I felt as if Nkwanno wat ched over m y shoulder as I riddled his lit t le puzzle. I keyed in, “ Eart h. Where. Place. Thoreau. Berry.” A box suddenly popped up on t he screen of t he slat e. “ Do you know t he place where Thoreau is buried?” I ent ered, ‘" Eart h.'” The box wrot e in new t ext : “ Thoreau is in t he Eart h. The Eart h is in Thoreau. But where is Thoreau buried?” I went t o t he old Great er St arship Encyclopedia t hat had com e as st andard issue wit h t hese slat es when t hey had been m ade—reproduct ions of t went iet h- cent ury ant iques—for divaricat es on Thist ledown. The slat e had last ed all t hese years; I wondered how m any t went iet h- cent ury bat t eries had been brought wit h t he im m igrant s, for t heir special hum ble slat es, but t here was no place t o rem ove bat t eries and replace t hem . As I searched t he encyclopedia for ent ries on Thoreau, I realized t hat t he slat es m ust have been equipped wit h cont em porary power supplies, which could last cent uries. Divaricat es oft en m ade such choices, aft er careful considerat ion wit h t heir philosophical leaders. The usual 131
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dispensat ion for m odern t echnology was given following t he phrase, “ The Good Man would have approved of t his, for it is hum an- cent ered and does not m ake us less t han what we are.” I could not disagree t hat Nkwanno's slat e was hum ancent ered. There was no specific answer as t o where Thoreau was buried in t he encyclopedia, or anywhere else in t he slat e's references, but it did say t hat he had last lived in Bost on. I keyed in, “ ‘Bost on, Massachuset t s.'” “ Access given,” t he slat e replied. I now had Nkwanno's personal j ournals open t o m e. I rem em bered his sm oot h, m usical conversat ion, when I had m et him as a child on Thist ledown, and even t hen, his keen int ellect had im pressed m e. I knew I would find som e of t he perspect ive and clues I needed. I began wit h ent ries from m ore t han t hirt y Lam arckian years before: Crossing 4. Fall 67. Much discussion t oday about Lenk's plan t o form alize our search for edible scions. From his perch in Jakart a, Lenk list ens t o his various lieut enant s, and suddenly realizes how hungry we at t he edge of t he hum an t errit ories are ... Everybody is hungry. The crops do not grow fast enough, nor in sufficient quant it y. Harvest s are poor. The soil is m et alpoor, and t hat includes t race m inerals. We eat scions in desperat ion, and som e of us have sickened and died. We know t hat whit ehat s—so we have nam ed t he slow, flat , t hreecornered scions t hat walk on t heir downt urned t ips—are not 132
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edible, yet t wo of Moonrise's children have died in t he last week t rying t o eat one. Som e successes. For a long t im e, we have t rim m ed m at fiber from low- growt h broadfan epidendrids, which prosper near Moonrise, and used it as a kind of t ea and in m aking fabric. Chewing it provides som e sat isfact ion—it cont ains a m ild elevant , not yet isolat ed by our chem ist s—but lit t le nut rit ion. The m ost successful food we've discovered so far is a pulpy past e m ade from t he t hick pelt of purple and red t endrils on t he so- called asparagus phyt id. The pelt regrows quickly, t he past e t ast es like m ild fish, and it provides subst ant ial prot ein. No one has yet analyzed all t he phyt ids, and it is likely t hat som e of what we eat m ay hurt us lat er— but for now, hunger rules, especially in places like Moonrise, on t he edge of Lenk's dom ain. Crossing 7. Spring 78. The first t wo years aft er Able Lenk brought us all here, I rem em ber t he silva would sing every night . I t sang a gent le whist ling, whooping song, t he arborids drawing air t hrough slit s on parasol leaves, ot her scions m aking t heir own unique sounds, like inst rum ent s in an orchest ra. Nobody knew why t he silva sang. I t j ust did, and we accept ed it , and grew used t o it . But as t he years passed, t he night song declined. Som e night s, t he silva would produce only a few scat t ered sounds, haunt ing and lonely. Som e night s t here would be no singing at all. Now, t he silva sings perhaps once every t en days. I t hink I underst and why it sings, but I do not know why it does so less frequent ly. 133
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The ecos m ust have m any ways t o keep t rack of it s scions. We have seen speeders on t heir accust om ed t rails t hrough t he silva, like t hree- legged greyhounds, zipping bet ween t he phyt ids and arborids at speeds up t o t hirt y kilom et ers an hour. We know som e of t he pat hs of gliders and avids, who swoop above t he silva. I believe ( and I 'm not alone) t hat all of t hese creat ures play a role in t he ecos's int ernal com m unicat ion. Like m essengers, t hey carry inform at ion ... perhaps about condit ions in t he sout h, or t he nort h, about int rusions from ot her zones, or j ust general gossip. They carry t hem som ewhere. Som et hing list ens, considers, cont em plat es... Or so I hope. I would like t o m eet t he heart and m ind of an ecos. I have m any quest ions t o ask of her—or it . Crossing 8. Spring 43. Today saw a herd of parasol sweepers, like great t woheaded giraffes, pushing t hrough t he silva half a kilom et er out side Moonrise and a few dozen m et ers from t he river. I nfrequent ly see t hem in daylight , and never in such num bers, and of such size—one was t all enough t o t ouch t he brushes of a cat hedral t ree! I wondered if t he ecos was reassigning t hem t o anot her region. They m ove on t hree parallel t racks, like t he feet of slugs. On close inspect ion ( when Hilaire killed a sm all one by accident wit h a t ract or one night ) each t rack reveals it self as a parade of t housands of sucker- t ipped feet , each no m ore t han an inch long, yet support ing t he weight of t hese creat ures large as Eart h's dinosaurs ... And bearing t hem som e resem blance. 134
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They do not ingest —I hesit at e t o say “ eat " —t he parasols or fan- leaves unless t he st alks have been inj ured—perhaps by wind—or are ot herwise not funct ioning. When we first arrived, som e of us t hought t hese were herbivores, as we m ight expect on an Eart h savanna or in a j ungle. Now we know m uch m ore about t hem , yet not nearly enough. Also t oday saw m any whit ehat s feeding from a lizboo, like aphids on a rose st em . They rem ained t here for hours, but usually feed in a few seconds, t hen leave. No one knows what purpose t he whit ehat s serve. Received a package of docum ent s from Jakart a t oday. The reconvened Research St andards convent ion has finally decided on classificat ions and nom enclat ure for Lam arckian biology. We m ust deviat e subst ant ially from old t errest rial st andards, for obvious reasons. There seem s t o be no higher classificat ion t han an ecos. Ecoi will be described and defined by geographic locat ion or t he nam e of t he discoverer, and a zone num ber ( e.g., Elizabet h's Zone or Zone One) . Det erm inat ion of boundaries and proof of relat ionship t o an ecos will depend on observat ions and genet ic analysis, t he lat t er st ill crude and uncert ain. Observat ion seem s t o be t he principal and m ost reliable m et hod for t he t im e being. Clades wit hin ecoi com e next . Arborids or t reelike clades, phyt ids, annulids, polygonids, et c., define t hese groups of scions. Next com e relat ed scions, or form s, t hat vary lit t le in design. Thus, whit ehat s are classified as Elizabet hae Polygonon Trigonichos. 135
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No doubt t he classificat ions and nom enclat ure will change and im prove, but at least we have reached som e agreem ent on how t o begin. I skipped ahead, scrolling rapidly t hrough t he hundreds of pages of t ext : Crossing 22. Wint er 34. My wife has been dead for alm ost t went y years, and l have not rem arried. I began t his j ournal when she died. Wom en have borne t he brunt of our com ing t o Lam arckia. We live our philosophies wit h a vengeance now, and deep are t he hurt s and regret s. Som e say deeper st ill t he sat isfact ions. But I rem em ber m y wife, and her gent le ways, and t he dism ay on her face at t he pain of birt hing our first child. I felt so m uch pain m yself, t hat m y lust , m y insist ence, should put her in t his st at e. There was of course her recovery and j oy aft er ... But I can't help but t hink t he wom en look back on our t im e in Thist ledown, and feel regret at what t hey left behind. I t is because of t heir t rue courage t hat t hey don't com plain m ore. My wife's t im e cam e far t oo early. Som et hing failed wit hin her, and she j ust died. Deat h can arrive a sim ple friend for t hose who die. I t is never sim ple for t hose who survive. Crossing 23. Sum m er 7. Wit h t he village children from t he Lenk School, I have walked t hrough t he silva. We have capt ured scions and brought t hem back t o t he school for st udy, always releasing t hem wit hin a few hours. The m ost poignant capt ure for m e was last week. William Tass Fenney, age eight , found a sm all six- legged t ransport er wit h seven young phyt ids. At t his early st age, Elizabet h's phyt ids—especially t he sm aller ones we call 136
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sprout s—are lit t le m ore t han blobs of dark gray or purple gelat in t he size of a finger, filled t hroughout wit h t iny whit e t hreads. William brought t he t ransport er back t o our school in a cart . We looked at t he wriggling bowl wit h it s leat hery lid, and at t he young phyt ids wit hin, and m ade our not es. I t hen t old William t o t ake it back t o where he had found it , and he said, “ But I don't rem em ber where t hat was.” We t ried t o walk back along som e t rail int o t he silva, but William had left few m arks, and his cart 's wheel t racks had vanished in t he springy soil. Finally, wit h less and less of t he day t o spare, and lessons on ot her subj ect s beginning soon, we placed t he t ransport er and it s cargo on t he silva floor. I t t urned in a circle several t im es, em it t ed a sm all sigh, and fell t o t he ground. Then it dum ped it s load of phyt ids. They lay like finger- sized worm s, wriggling on t he dark, clum py eart h. Angela called from t he school building, so I t ook t he children back, but vowed t o ret urn as soon as I could. A few hours lat er, I found t he t ransport er in a m orbid condit ion, and all t he young phyt ids desiccat ed and crum bling. We had int erfered wit h t he t ransport er's sim ple inst ruct ions, or rem oved it from a t rack scent ed or ot herwise m arked, and replaced it where it did not belong. I t hink oft en of t hat carrier. What of our own children, rem oved from t heir t rack? Crossing 25. Wint er 15. Joseph Visal visit s again from Calcut t a. He cam e from At henai and arrived in Calcut t a j ust yest erday, t hen t ook t he Wednesday boat im m ediat ely t o Moonrise. We have spent m any hours t he past evenings cat ching up. I n t he dayt im e he 137
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t ravels wit h his researcher friends fart her sout h along t he river, but t hey always ret urn by dusk. I fear none of t hem are m ore t han dilet t ant es. But t hey t ake j oy in t heir sm all discoveries, som e of which m ay be valuable... He brings m ore det ails of t he at t em pt ed assassinat ion of Able Lenk, news of which horrified us all t wo weeks ago, when we first heard it on t he radio. The would- be- assassin belongs t o t he Gaians, a group m uch rum ored and about which lit t le has ever been learned, m aking m e t hink perhaps t hey are m ore legend t han fact ; but t his would- be- assassin, Daw Tone Kunsler, whom I have never m et , claim s t o be of t hem . Joseph t ells m e t hat t he Gaians are act ive everywhere, and know each ot her by secret signs. Quaint . We left Thist ledown t o creat e a new kind of heaven, and inst ead find ourselves on roads t o old, insipid hells. Joseph also brings word t hat Lenk is approving a new research program , against t he advice of his counselors, part icularly Allrica Fassid, a sm all wom an who is a form idable adversary. For once Lenk does not list en t o her. The program will be called t he Lam arckian Year, and all com m unit ies will part icipat e—by which t hey m ust m ean allocat e resources t o som e cent ral dist ribut ion point . There will be m uch prot est . Our resources are st ill scarce, t hough t he fam ine has passed. I suppose we m ay sacrifice a t ract or and send it t o At henai. A new exploring expedit ion will begin, led by Baker and Shulago, t wo of m y form er st udent s at Jakart a. They are 138
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brilliant but argum ent at ive and I fear t hey m ay not be good leaders. Aft er a dozen ent ries in Nkwanno's j ournal, I went t o t he shelves of books and found t wo t hick volum es, int roduct ory t ext s t hat were not filled wit h t echnical t erm s and words I could not easily cross- reference. They would serve well enough as int roduct ions t o what t he im m igrant s knew about Lam arckia, or at least about Liz. I read all t hat night , unt il j ust before dawn, when I grew rest less and m y m uscles began t o cram p. As in Thist ledown, t here were no locks on t he doors. I st ole out quiet ly and walked nort h up t he alley. I needed t o see Calcut t a alone and t hink about what I had read. I had not count ed on t he profound darkness of Calcut t a in t he early- m orning hours. No elect ric light s burned along t he alley or on t he st reet s out side, and only a few were visible on t he hills below. Clouds had m oved in over t he river delt a and not even t he st arlight helped. I felt m y way back down t he alley, count ing doors, fingers scuffing rough lava brick and t he grain of t he lizboo in t he door post s and doors, unt il I cam e back t o what I t hought m ust be Randall's. Wit h som e relief, I lay on m y cot in t he library and considered all t he sim ple t hings I would have t o learn.
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5 Randall accom panied m e t he half kilom et er from his house t o t he court building below t he Lenk Hub. We passed t hrough a crowd of angry, curious cit izens. Som e of t hem recognized Randall and m e from t he engagem ent on t he river and clapped us on our backs, expressing t heir t hanks and congrat ulat ions. We cam e t o a cordon of court securit y guards, and t he officer in charge checked our nam es and let us t hrough. Out side t he m ain court room , a group of five cit izens rank, t wo grim - faced older m en and t hree wom en past childbearing years, greet ed us st iffly. Before hearing our t est im ony, t hey were t aking a short break in t he annex, st anding in t heir dark gray robes and sipping m at fiber t ea. They had been busy since dawn t hat m orning ruling on how and when t o send t he capt ured Brionist s t o At henai for Lenk's disposit ion. Larisa St rik- Cachem ou sat on a bench nearby, alone and silent . The last of t he Brionist s t o be arraigned t hat day were led out of t he court as we arrived, seven m en and a wom an, all wearing t he clot hes t hey had worn t he day before t hough dried and cleaned for t hem , all t russed neck t o neck and foot t o foot wit h t hick ropes. I ron and st eel were t oo valuable for chains, and I suspect ed t here was lit t le need for chains in Calcut t a.
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The crowd out side began t o shout and j eer as t he prisoners cam e in sight . Their guards guided t hem swift ly down an open alley and away from t he hub com plex. A few m inut es aft er we arrived, t he disciplinary Elevi Bar Thom as and t wo of his deput ies walked int o t he annex. Thom as nodded at Randall, Larisa, and m e, and walked closer. “ I hear we bot h had a skirm ish,” he said. “ We m et t he t hree flat boat s snagged above Calcut t a. They passed us upriver. A few shot s were fired, but we knew we couldn't st op t hem .” “ Did you wait for t he ot her boat s?” Randall asked. “ Unt il last night . Then I decided it was useless and we cam e back t o Calcut t a.” Randall was not im pressed by t his st ory, but he did not say anyt hing crit ical. “ The cit izens did well here,” Thom as said. “ I wish I could have been here t o help t hem .” Aft er five m inut es, t he clerk announced t he cit izens rank would reconvene. Randall excused him self and invit ed m e t o com e down t o t he Vigilant at t he docks aft er and m eet Capt ain Keyser- Bach. The rest of us m oved int o an int erior, windowless room , bright ly illum inat ed by elect ric incandescent s. Here t he cit y sm ells lapsed int o m ust iness and st ale air. The cit izens rank t ook five chairs on a low dais. Thom as st ood beside t hem , facing Larisa and m e. Larisa rose from her cot and sat gingerly on a chair. “ What are her inj uries?” asked t he eldest wom an wit h a sym pat het ic t one. Her nam e was Sulam it Faye- Chinm oi. Sm all, lean- faced, her hands wrinkled and bones showing in 141
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fine ridges beneat h ivory skin, she focused her at t ent ion on Larisa, brow wrinkled in concern. “ Grief and shock,” Larisa replied sharply. “ Bet rayal.” “ Exhaust ion,” Thom as added. “ Days wit hout food.” “ Are you st rong enough t o t ell your st ory?” Larisa rolled her eyes and clenched her j aw m uscles. “ I 've t old already. I t hurt s t o chew on it again and again.” “ We underst and,” t he eldest wom an said. “ Do you recognize m e, Larisa St rik- Cachem ou?” “ No,” Larisa said. “ I m arried you t o your husband t en years ago.” “ Then I curse you,” Larisa said. The wom an drew back in som e surprise. “ We should ident ify ourselves form ally,” she said. One by one, t he cit izens rank gave t heir nam es and residences in t he cit y. The youngest m ale, a broad- hipped, narrow- shouldered m an wit h a pinched, nosy face and searching, deep- set eyes, said he was from Jakart a, servant in court esy t o Calcut t a by rank exchange. His nam e was Terence Ry Pascal, and he seem ed part icularly int erest ed in m e. “ Please t ell your st ory t o us,” said a t all, long- fingered m an wit h t hick black hair and large blue eyes, Kennet h Du Cham et of sout h cit y, a farm er. “ And rem em ber, under t he creed of t he Good Man and Lenk's law, every cit izen speaks before a legally convened five as if sworn under sacred oat h.” “ The oat h assum ed t hat none should ever feel free t o lie,” I rem em bered. That I would alm ost cert ainly violat e t his brought a sudden and unexpect ed pang. 142
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Larisa gave her t est im ony slowly, painfully. She drew herself upright in her chair several t im es as she t old of her husband's m eet ing wit h t he Brionist s and of his leaving wit h t hem t wo seasons before. Then she spoke of t he boat s t hat ret urned and of t he Brionist soldiers—she used t he old t erm of disdain, soldat ers, creat ed j ust aft er t he Deat h t en cent uries before—and her words hissed fort h like air from a deflat ing balloon. Weak, exhaust ed, she slum ped in t he chair, face t wist ed and wet wit h t ears. “ The m ayor t urned down t he represent at ive of General Beys. I hid when t hey cam e. I knew t hey would do bad t hings.” Drawing herself up again, she spoke of searching t he village, finding no one alive, hiding again for a t im e, t hen wandering t o t he river t o wait for boat s. There she had found t he last vict im s, Nkwanno, her cousin Gennadia, and t he ot her t wo. Then she described m y appearance on t he dock. “ He cam e out of nowhere. Everyt hing he said was a lie.” She asked forcefully why t he boat s had not com e earlier. Faye- Chinm oi said in reedy t ones, “ Because your village was not m issed unt il radios went unanswered for a day and a half. Norm ally boat s go t here from Calcut t a once every five days.” “ We've explained t his t o her,” Thom as said in an undert one. “ Don't condescend t o m e! I am a t hinking hum an being! ” Larisa erupt ed, rising. I looked away, feeling a quick flush on m y cheeks—dist ress at her dist ress, at t his whole proceeding. Why did t hese people affect m e so? I felt as if I were looking 143
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back nine cent uries in t im e, t o t he Recovery; falling int o an older kind of hist ory, t he adolescence of hum anit y, wit h all it s snares and barbs. “ And your st ory, Ser Olm y?” Kennet h du Cham et asked. “ Your nam e and locat ion, please. And rem em ber—” “ The oat h assum ed,” I said. “ My nam e is Olm y Ap Dat chet ong, of Jakart a by birt h.” “ And how did you com e t o Moonrise?” “ I walked. I 've been st udying in t he silva.” “ Ser Thom as indicat es in his report t hat you claim t o have been in t he silva for t wo years. I s t hat correct ?” “ Yes.” “ Under what grant or inst it ut ion?” “ On m y own.” “ And how were you qualified for such research?” asked Faye- Chinm oi. I looked puzzled. I cert ainly did not want t o answer unnecessary quest ions. “ Your educat ion.” “ I don't see how t hat 's im port ant ,” I said. The wom an leaned back, glanced at her colleagues, t hen leaned forward again. “ You m ust have gone t o an inst it ut ion aft er Lenk schooling.” “ No,” I said. “ I 'm an independent .” I walked on loose ground. How had divaricat e societ y changed since Lenk brought t hem here? Were independent s—t hose who chose t o avoid form al schooling—st ill t olerat ed? “ Did you wit ness t he at t ack?” Faye- Chinm oi asked. “ No.” 144
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“ Did you hear it while it happened?” “ I was several kilom et ers from t he river.” Larisa st ood again, a lengt h of hair falling int o her eyes. “ He couldn't have been in t he silva for m ore t han a few hours. I saw a sam pler bit e him . And he called it a forest .” Du Cham et looked up at t he ceiling in exasperat ion. “ We m ust focus on t he village and incident s surrounding t he at t ack,” he said. They quest ioned m e for anot her hour. Thom as list ened carefully t o m y answers, no doubt weighing t hem against what I had already t old him . “ I don't feel as if we've got t en t he whole t rut h here,” FayeChinm oi said aft er t he end of t est im ony. “ However, t here is no evidence linking anyone ot her t han boat loads of renegades who m ay or m ay not be Brionist s, and t he only im m ediat e wit ness t o t hat effect is Ser Larisa St rik- Cachem ou, and perhaps t his Kim on Giorgios, if he can be found. I underst and t hat Ser Olm y t ook part in t he skirm ish wit h t he Brionist flat boat s, and helped t o save m ost of t he children from t he boat t hat sank. We express our grat it ude t o you, Ser Olm y. You are free t o go, but we request you st ay in Calcut t a and m ake yourself available for furt her t est im ony, unt il we release you of t hat obligat ion. We have t o report t o At henai and Jakart a by radio. We are dam nably spread out on t his planet , as a bureaucracy.” She sniffed. Larisa had fixed her gaze on m e for som e m inut es now. “ I t hink,” du Cham et said, “ t hat we're going t o have t o becom e m uch m ore efficient soon. This is t he nint h such raid on Elizabet h's Land, and by far t he worst , alt hough t he first in 145
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our dist rict . The nort h coast t owns have been t aking t he brunt . They are m ore accessible t han t owns and villages along t he Terra Nova.” Sulam it Faye- Chinm oi concluded: “ For t he first t im e, we have a num ber of prisoners t o use in negot iat ions. I don't know what good t hey'll do us, but if Brion's General Beys is in desperat e need of children, how m uch m ore desperat e will he be for t rained soldiers?” “ Who will prot est t o t he Brionist s?” Thom as asked. The cit izens rank glanced at each ot her, t hen du Cham et said, “ I 'll report t o t he dist rict adm inist er t hrough t he m ayor's radio. We'll ship t he prisoners t o At henai t om orrow.” Thom as followed m e t o t he bot t om of t he st eps and t he m ain st reet leading from t he river t o west Calcut t a. I saw t all poles in t he direct ion of t he river, rising bet ween a gap in a row of shops. Yards and rigging crossed t he poles—m ast s, I realized. Sailing ships in t he m ain harbor. A fair num ber of t hem , j udging by t he num ber of m ast s. That was where I would m eet Randall. For som e reason not clear t o m e—a kind of inst inct —I did not want t o explain all t his t o Thom as. “ Where t o now, Ser Olm y?” he asked. “ I 'm supposed t o st ay here,” I said. “ That was m y im pression...” Thom as closed one eye and sm oot hed his crown's short cut st ubble wit h a t hick, st rong hand. “ But what will you do here?” “ When I 'm free, cont inue wit h m y st udies.” “ You will wait ?” Thom as seem ed doubt ful. “ You won't j ust vanish back int o t he silva?” 146
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“ I don't seem t o sat isfy you, Ser Thom as. Not t hat you're alone. My poor m ot her had higher hopes for m e.” Thom as acknowledged t he shadow wit wit h a nod and a sm all sm ile. “ My m ot her want ed m e t o be a farm er. I preferred keeping an eye on people, m aking sure t hey were all right . Well, I haven't done m uch of t hat recent ly. I n t rut h, Ser Olm y, you've shown m ore courage t han I have.” Thom as st raight ened and clasped his hands in front of him , st ret ched his arm s and shrugged his shoulders. “ Cause no harm , eh, Ser Olm y? That 's what I ask of you while you're here.” I sm iled and held out m y hand. Perhaps because of his suspicions, I liked Thom as. He rem inded m e of inst ruct ors I had had in Defense School. He t ook m y hand and shook it firm ly. “ No harm ,” I said. Thom as st ared aft er m e as I walked away. When I had gone half a dozen m et ers, he said, voice raised only slight ly, “ You are not what you say you are, Ser Olm y. I don't know what your purpose is, but I hope t o,” I want ed t o see m ore of Calcut t a before I m et up again wit h Randall. I doubt ed t hat I would get lost in bright daylight . I st rode down t he st one- paved st reet s, walking nort h bet ween shops and t he blank front s of houses paint ed whit e and light gray and yellow, sm elling t he dust and pervasive odor of lizboo like dry dust y ginger. I walked beside a long st raight road flanked by freest anding houses, wellm aint ained fram e st ruct ures whose porches and decks had been allowed t o weat her t o a nat ural wheat en color, t he black 147
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edges and st om a- m arks of lizboo ext erior layers inlaid in sim ple floral pat t erns. No st reet signs were evident , and no m aps; Calcut t a was not built for st rangers. I at e lunch in a sm all, dark rest aurant at t he end of t he m ain nort h- sout h st reet . The cook and wait er, a t hin young wom an who kept her gaze on t he bright ness of t he single sm all window, described t he m enu t o m e: t hree kinds of grain bread t hey had baked t hat m orning, Liz cherries and hookvine past e—bot h from epidendrids, form s aclenophora and am pelopsis—and fried flockweed pat t ies. I ordered pat t ies and bread and a single Liz cherry. She looked at m y t icket for a long m om ent , frowned, and walked off t o get m y food. The bread was chewy, like sponge, but t ast ed good. The Liz cherry was ext rem ely t art wit h t he charact erist ic bit t er undert ast e of all phyt id fruit . Som e phyt ids creat ed nut rit ional packet s for m obile scions on long j ourneys, and t hese were generally what passed as fruit in Elizabet h's zone. Liz cherries were one of t he m ost com m on. They were not highly nut rit ious, but cont ained usable sugars, som e vit am ins, and few allergens or t oxins. Aft er eat ing, I st opped by a sm all park overlooking t he river and sat on a st one bench. I t ook out Nkwanno's slat e and ret urned t o a hist ory of t he years j ust aft er t he Crossing. “ Am ong som e who cam e wit h Lenk t o Lam arckia,” t he hist ory cont inued, a subst ant ial conspiracy arose. Where it began, and how large it was when it began, is not known; but it is assum ed it began in Thist ledown, and t here were event ually several 148
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hundred of t he conspirat ors who j oined Lenk's secret expedit ion. They regarded Lam arckia as an opport unit y all t heir own. They would follow Lenk, t hey would pret end fealt y, but t hey had t heir own plans and goals. Upon arriving in Lam arckia, t his conspiracy had no st rengt h. I t s part s and individuals could not agree on specific goals. Lam arckia, t hey t hought , would be t heirs, but which of t he splint ers would grow t he new t ree, none could decide. What was decided alm ost from t he beginning, apparent ly, was Lenk's unsuit abilit y t o rule. Yet wit hin a few years of t he Crossing, m ost of t he splint ers gave up t heir grand plans, discouraged by t he ext rem e difficult y of m aint aining conspiracies wit hin a grander and m uch- divided conspiracy. The last of t he splint ers, and t he m ost persist ent , was t he m ost hidden and t horoughly disguised. For t here soon arose a fact ion t hat had no Naderit e leanings what soever. Technophilic, arist ocrat ic, t he Urbanist s followed a persuasive wom an nam ed Hezebia Hoagland, who quickly professed Geshel t eachings. Hoagland believed in t he necessit y of fem ale cont rol of t echnology. “ Only t hrough knowledge can wom en rise above pat riarchy,” she proclaim ed. “ Naderit es, and part icularly Lenk's divaricat es, have t ried t o ret urn us t o pat riarchal servit ude: t o keep us const ant ly pregnant , in order t o populat e a new world wit h babies in t he m ost prim it ive condit ions im aginable; quit e against t he t eachings of t heir supposed m ent or, t he Good Man Nader. Who was, of course, a m an...” 149
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Hoagland t ook sevent y- seven followers—t went y m en and fift y- seven wom en—and crossed t he Darwin Sea t o Hsia. There, on a rugged coast line, t hey found a relat ively shelt ered harbor and began a set t lem ent in condit ions far cruder and m ore prim it ive t han t hose at Jakart a or t he newly founded Calcut t a. I nit ially, t he set t lem ent was called Godwin. At Godwin, condit ions im proved very quickly, and populat ion grew at a rat e double t hat of t he set t lem ent s on Elizabet h's Land. Som e have said t hat t he Godwinians t ook charge of secret ly sm uggled advanced m edical equipm ent —or t he resources for m aking such equipm ent —allowing ex ut ero birt hs. Soon, t he hopes of m any of t he discouraged t urned t o Godwin, a golden land across t he sea, where condit ions—so it was said—were ideal, where no one st arved, and where t echnological harm ony wit h t he zones of Hsia had been achieved wit hout predat ion upon scions. Here, it was claim ed, vast t ract s of land left open by t he ecoi, unused, were “ ceded” t o hum an farm ing, and “ seeded” wit h fast - growing grains. By t his t im e, grainlands had been cleared in Tasm an, and Able Lenk had m oved his governm ent t o t he newly founded port of At henai t o oversee food product ion. But t he at t ract ions of Hsia and Godwin were im m ense. Four hundred and five wom en and ninet y- t hree m en shipped across t he Darwin, causing crises in Calcut t a and Jakart a. The rem aining splint er groups finally unit ed behind a st rong and able leader, born on Lam arckia, nam ed Em ile Brion. A quondam ecologist wit h som e t raining in agricult ure, 150
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Brion early in life showed a rem arkable t alent t o convince and organize. This at t ract ed t he at t ent ion of Lenk's assist ant s, who could not , however, recruit him t o Able Lenk's cause. Som e say pressure was applied t hat Brion deeply resent ed. At age t went y ( Lam arckian years) , Brion t raveled in secret ( som e say in fem ale disguise) t o Godwin. I looked up from t he slat e and wat ched part of a t riad fam ily walk t hrough t he park: t wo fat hers wit h t heir respect ive wives; t hree girls and t wo boys in lat e infancy; and t wo adolescent s, one boy and one girl. Most adult s dressed in dull clot hes wit h bright sashes or scarves, and m ost children in happy t at t ers of play clot hes. I felt a wave of hom esickness for t he parks of Thist ledown, and wondered if I would ever serve as fat her in a t riad, or have any children at all. One of t he fat hers, t he younger of t he t wo, lim ped. He walked on one leg wit h a hip- swing m ot ion t hat showed it was a cent im et er short er. He had been inj ured and t he inj ury had been im perfect ly repaired. The fam ily passed, self- absorbed. The m an wit h t he lim p had survived his inj ury and adapt ed t o it . Perhaps t hey sim ply t ook t hese last few peaceful years as relaxat ion bet ween challenges, a t im e t o walk in parks and raise children. Life was m ade of challenges and dist ort ions. What Brion and his acolyt es found in t he secret and largely closed societ y of Godwin was chaos. By fiat of Hoagland, m ore fem ales t han m ales had been born. Hoagland believed t hat a societ y consist ing of nine wom en t o every m an would be ideal. She wrot e t hat wom en who lived t oget her in 151
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harm ony could do quit e well wit h m any fewer m en. Oddly, m ost of t he m en in Godwin did not obj ect . Aft er five years of com parat ive peace, t he plan went awry when several hundred young wom en, led by a young engineer nam ed Cait la Chung, form ed t heir own polit ical group, calling t hem selves t he True Sist ers. The True Sist ers disapproved of what t hey referred t o as t he Mat riarchy, claim ing it reduced all wom en t o workers, giving t hem no say in t he charact er of t he children t hey raised, not t o m ent ion no way t o exercise nat ural urges and desires. A kind of religious rebellion occurred, inst igat ed by t he True Sist ers—none of t hem older t han eight een—perhaps wit h Brion's help. Hoagland com m it t ed suicide, t hough som e claim she was m urdered. Bot h m en and wom en dism ant led—som e say dest royed—t he advanced m achines, and perhaps also t he m iniat ure fact ories t hat could be used t o m ake m ore m achines. The fields went unharvest ed, and st arvat ion becam e widespread in t he land of alleged plent y. I rubbed t he bridge of m y nose and eyes, t hen went t o a st one fount ain and dipped wat er t o drink. The wat er I drank t ast ed sweet and pure; even if t here was cont am inat ion from hum an sewage, it wouldn't m at t er. All rem aining hum an disease had been eradicat ed on t he Thist ledown during t he first years of t he j ourney, long before m y birt h. Mut at ion of m icroorganism s int o pot ent ial disease- causing form s had been elim inat ed by supplem ent s im plant ed in all children— even divaricat e children—during infancy. The Good Man had never disapproved of im m unizat ion, and t hese supplem ent s 152
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were, so ort hodox Naderit es ruled, m erely elaborat e form s of im m unizat ion. What m ut at ion of bact eria and viruses t hat occurred in such a sm all populat ion as inhabit ed Lam arckia would easily be handled by t hese supplem ent s and by nat ural defenses. The reservoirs of disease were sim ply not t here. Whet her Lam arckia's living t hings could produce disease—or could be infect ed by hum an pat hogens—was st ill an open quest ion, but m ost expert s t hought it unlikely. The hum an pat hogens of Lam arckia were cult ural and philosophical, not biological. I searched t he slat e, t rying t o find updat es of t he last t en years, but t here was not hing m ore about Brion and Hsia. Apparent ly Brion had renam ed Godwin, calling it Naderville. My ignorance felt like a deadly it ch I could not scrat ch fast enough. I walked t o a bare st ret ch of dirt surrounding a half- dead elm t ree. Digging m y fingers t hrough t he t ough, hard- packed soil, peering at t he grains in m y palm , I found bit s of fiber, grains of black sand, a dry dark powder—but none of t he living vibrancy of t he dirt in t he silva. Clearly, t his was hum an ground. The sky grayed again in t he aft ernoon and a gent le rain fell. The showers st opped and t he clouds passed, blowing slowly east ward. I walked along t he wat erfront , past long covered docks and warehouses, st one and concret e st eps. I shouldered m y rucksack and walked beside t he brick and st one wall, t hrough which st eps broke every fift y m et ers t o 153
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lead down t o t he wat er. I n a sm all building near t he m ain warehouses, adolescent boys and girls in ill- fit t ing black uniform s st ood in rows, list ening t o a large m an wit h beefy arm s and fist s like gnarled t ree root s explain riverboat handling and sailing skills. Seven sm all boat s and a t en- m et er single- m ast ed yacht were m oored near t he building alongside short float ing piers. I st opped t o list en for a m om ent , unt il t he large m an not iced m y presence, t hen m oved on. A riverside m arket was j ust closing for t he day. A few m en wit h a wagon t raded t he last of t heir t errest rial produce t o a vendor cleaning out a st all. I saw river cat ch in t he bucket s and on t ables covered wit h m ost ly m elt ed ice: sm all silvery “ sm elt y piscids” from zone five; river celery, purple t ubes as t hick as m y arm ; piles of apple- sized shining balls t he color of unbaked bread, called, reasonably enough, lum pfruit . From m y reading I knew t hat t hese cam e from dashers, scions t hat crossed large t ract s of Liz for purposes unknown, but which supplied t hem selves wit h lum pfruit along t he way. Where t he lum pfruit originat ed, or whet her t he dashers act ually m ade t hem , was not known. Com ing int o t he m argin of t he m ain harbor, separat ed from t he Terra Nova by a curving wall, I saw t he t wo Brionist flat boat s t ied up. Tract ors and ot her equipm ent were being offloaded on ram ps and wit h sm all cranes. Fart her along, t he largest ship in port was a full- rigged vessel about fort y m et ers long, wit h t hree m ast s and t wo cylindrical slat t ed windm ills for generat ing power. Two gangplanks linked t he ship wit h t he pier, and m en carried boxes along t he planks, loading t hem ont o t he ship. More sailing ships—t hree- m ast ed 154
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schooners, barques, a sm all ket ch, all wit h elegant sharp prows, all wide in t he beam —lay at anchor. One of t hese ships, a barque wit h a single low, large canvas windm ill m ount ed ast ern, glowed along it s rigging and rails wit h hundreds of lit t le elect ric light s, and, as if t hat m ight not be enough, addit ional gas lant erns hissed port and st arboard. As I wat ched from t he dockside, a sailor walked along t he deck, ext inguishing t he lant erns. She walked aft , reached int o a box, and t he elect ric light s went out . I sm iled in ant icipat ion. Here at last was som et hing I t hought I m ight be com pet ent t o handle. I had sailed m any t im es in t he fourt h cham ber wat erways on Thist ledown and had st udied sailing ships ext ensively for t his m ission, clued by t he inform er's descript ion of t ravel and com m erce. I knew t he naut ical t erm s—what I did not know was which t erm s t he im m igrant s had ret ained in t he decades since t he inform ant had m ade his gat e and left , and what t hey had added. Nkwanno's slat e had lit t le t o say about ships or t ravel on Lam arckia's oceans and wat erways. I walked a few dozen m et ers along t he pier, t o t he next vessel, a full- rigged ship. A t all, lank, discouraged- looking m an st ood by a pile of lizboo- plank boxes wrapped in net s, wait ing for a short , t hick crane t o lift t he assem blage and convey it int o t he ship's hold. I approached. “ I 'd like t o find Erwin Randall's ship—I m ean, Capt ain Keyser- Bach's ship.” The m an looked m e over woefully. “ I 'm t he chandler's assist ant ,” he said. “ This is t he Vigilant .” “ Keyser- Bach?” I persist ed. “ He's t he capt ain, yes.” 155
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“ Where's Ser Randall?” The discouraged- looking m an curled his lip. “ I 'm not from t he ship, m an. I deal wit h supplies.” “ Who would I t alk t o?” “ I don't want t o j udge, but by your dress ... You've not had work in som e t im e.” He chuckled and shook his head. “ She's an eccent ric ship, t he Vigilant . There's a short age of seam en here, but you don't look t he grade.” The m an sucked in his cheeks. “ I don't spread t ales, besides, but Capt ain KeyserBach is not t he m an I 'd sail under. A t hinking m an's t hinking m an, and what kind of a sailor would t hat m ake him ? All wrapped in chart s and st udies.” He t apped his head m eaningfully. I t hanked him and wait ed for som eone t o disem bark t he Vigilant . Wit hin a few m inut es, a m an of m iddle years in long brown breeches and a light coat , chest bare bet ween t wo half- t ied st rings, picked his way along t he plank wit h grace. I said, “ I 'm looking for Ser Randall.” “ Not a passenger ship,” t he m an said, regarding m e curiously. “ I don't know you.” He wait ed for a m om ent , t hen began t o m ove off again before adding, “ Not t hat I know everybody here.” “ Ser Randall t old m e t o report t o Capt ain Keyser- Bach.” The m an t urned and spent m ore t im e looking m e over. “ Nam e's French. Navigat ion and m et eorology. Randall isn't back yet . Here's what you do. You go t o t he researcher's m at e—he's in t hat lit t le shed wit h t he black lizzie fringe. He's seen Randall recent ly and he m ight know som et hing. But 156
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beware. He's arguing wit h t he chief chandler and he's in a whiney m ood, right ?” I crossed t he yard t o t he shed, and ent ered. I nside, bare dim bulbs cast a waxy yellow glow over a dust y desk. Two m en argued across t he desk, one sit t ing behind it on a bat t ered st ool, t he ot her, a chunky blond, st anding, leaning on t he desk wit h t hick arm s. I t was Shat ro. He looked surprised t o see m e. The m an behind t he desk looked up, fixed m e wit h sharp blue eyes, and said, “ Ship? Needs?” His narrow face and t hin cheeks gave him a skelet al appearance. “ Randall t old m e t o report t o t he ship,” I said t o Shat ro. “ I 'm chandler here,” t he seat ed m an said, a broad if not convincing sm ile displaying fine t eet h under his long pale nose. “ Do you know—” “ I know t his m an,” Shat ro said. “ Why did he t ell you t o com e here?” I did not really want t o explain m yself t o Shat ro and did not underst and why he asked t he quest ion. “ He did, and I 'm here. Where is Ser Randall?” “ He hasn't report ed in yet ,” Shat ro said. He gest ured for m e t o go away, but I st ood m y ground and he t urned back t o t he chandler wit h a look of one m ore weight laid upon his shoulders. The argum ent bet ween t he t wo cont inued. The chandler's prices had gone up t wice in t he past year, against Lenk's econom ic suggest ions, Shat ro claim ed. The chandler calm ly responded t hat wit h seven ships lost in t hat year and m et al at a prem ium , it st ood t o reason gear would cost , and especially 157
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gear useful for research. “ Good- qualit y j ars and st eel recept acles are at a special prem ium ,” t he chandler said. Shat ro faced m e in exasperat ion. “ We're put t ing foam on t he beard t om orrow m orning, and t his... m an cares not hing for science.” But t he argum ent seem ed t o have lost it s m om ent um . Shat ro sighed and st ood back from t he desk. “ I can't believe Ser Randall t old you any such t hing,” he said t o m e in a point ed undert one. “ Our crew is select . We need Lenk schooling and st rong secondary t raining. Seam anship desirable. Forgive m e, but you don't look it .” “ I have m any skills. Technical t raining and experience. And I 'm st rong.” The chandler looked bet ween us wit h som e am usem ent . “ Everybody's st rong, now,” he said wit h a low hoot of hum or. “ Just a few years ago, now—” “ Been under sail?” Shat ro asked. I nodded. “ You cert ainly don't look it ,” t he chandler said, shaking his head sadly. “ He want s you t o be a ship's hand, right ?” Shat ro asked. “ We're short of hands, but not t hat short . Excuse m e, Ser Cost a,” he said t o t he m an behind t he desk. “ Charge what your conscience suggest s. You can serve all knowledge, bring honor t o your children, and share t he advent ure, or you can prosper on our hunger.” The chandler received t his wit h a broad sm ile and squint . “ I t rust t he next ship you serve on—if t here is a next ship— you'll be back wit h a bet t er argum ent .” He swiveled on t he 158
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st ool t o look m ore closely at m e. “ I suggest you find yourself a less am bit ious vessel.” Shat ro walked heavily from t he shed, across t he st one paving. I followed, and behind, t he chandler began t o crow wit h laught er. “ You m ust have m isunderst ood Ser Randall,” Shat ro said. “ He's m ast er of t he Vigilant , but t he capt ain chooses t he crew. We've been in Calcut t a six m ont hs wait ing for funding from At henai and t rying t o put t oget her a scient ific t eam . How can you help us?” I crab- gat ed, alm ost skipped beside him , yet spoke firm ly—t o appear at once yout hfully obsequious and com pet ent , assured. Shat ro, I j udged, lacked t he basic elem ent s of self- confidence. Som ehow or ot her, I posed a t hreat t o him . “ I know physics and t he principles of m et eorology. I know t he basics of ships and t he sea. And I 'm a quick learner.” Shat ro st opped, held up his hands wit h palm s t oward m e, and said, “ Let m e add t o t he chandler's poor descript ion of our it inerary.” “ Ser Randall explained—” “ I doubt he gave you t he whole it inerary. I t 's going t o be a difficult voyage, t o say t he least . We'll go east along t he Sum ner Coast , t hen swing sout h- sout heast around Mount Pascal, drop in t o Jakart a t o pick up som e m ore real researchers, t hen sout h t o Wallace St at ion for anot her load of researchers. Along t he way, we m ight st udy t he pins in t he Chefla Lava Wast e, t hen sail out t o Mart ha's I sland. A j ourney of eight t housand naut ical m iles, fourt een t housand eight 159
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hundred kilom et ers t o you. Aft er Mart ha's I sland, we'll head sout h t o Cape Magellan, m ake landfall t here and st udy zone six, t hen round t he cape and run west wit h t he Kangxi current , if it exist s, around t he unknown side of Lam arckia, We hope t o reach Basilica and Nihon, if t hey exist , and t ouch Hsia from t he east ern side. Then we slip t hrough t he Cook St rait s. An addit ional t welve t housand naut ical m iles. And st ill we won't be hom e. We'll cross t he Darwin Sea at t he lowest longit udes t o La Pèrouse Land. Only t hen will we t urn nort h for At henai, if our ship last s so long. So, would- be- sailor, how m any days do we have left before we m iss t he spring nort hers and t he sout heast ers from t he Walking St icks?” “ I don't know,” I said. “ Right ,” he said, suspicions confirm ed. He t urned and boarded t he ship. “ Ser Randall will be here any m om ent . I t 's really up t o t he capt ain, and t o him .” I t ook a deep breat h and spent t he next t went y m inut es sit t ing on a bench at t he head of t he pier where Vigilant was m oored, wat ching m en and wom en com e and go. A sm all elect ric t ract or pulled a wagon of foodst uffs in casks and boxes t o t he side of t he ship. There it was left , t o be loaded aboard lat er. Randall cam e down t o t he docks wit h several ot her m en. He saw m e sit t ing on t he bench, gave m e a curt nod, and cont inued about his business, walking along t he pier, exam ining Vigilant , exchanging rem arks wit h his com panions, point ing, nodding heads. I had seen m en everywhere do t his—a rit ual of checking and m easuring and reassuring, liberally punct uat ed wit h out st ret ched arm s and fingers. 160
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When t he m en depart ed, st ill t alking and point ing, Randall st ood by t he Vigilant 's gangplank and waved for m e t o j oin him . “ St ill no luggage, eh, Ser Olm y?” he asked as I approached. “ Thom as will t hink you're a m an wit hout root s.” “ I am ,” I said. “ Sorry t o keep you wait ing. Have you been here long?” “ Not long,” I said. “ I had a t alk wit h Ser Shat ro.” “ Oh?” “ I don't t hink he approves of m e.” Randall grinned. “ The capt ain m akes t he choices,” he said. “ That 's what Ser Shat ro t old m e.” “ Shall we get on wit h it ?” Randall asked. We crossed t he gangplank and went aboard t he ship. A sm all, knobby m an wit h dart ing eyes, quick st ringy fingers and a high forehead t opped by t hick red hair, Capt ain Keyser- Bach gave m e a look of pinched concern. The m at e and Shat ro bust led in and out of his cabin, bringing form s on paper for signing, a print ed newspaper ( I had never seen one before) , a box of m anuals and t ext s, also on paper, and in t he m idst of t his, his right hand wielding a pen and his left pushing signed form s int o a folder held open by one aide, t he capt ain said, “ I assum e t he respect able m ast er has given you som e idea what we're facing.” “ Yes, Ser.” ‘" Capt ain," ’ Randall said. “ Capt ain.” I exam ined t he cabin, walls of whit e- paint ed cat hedral t ree wit h lizboo t rim , xyla floor wit h brass cleat s, ceram ic gut t ers beneat h a sm all lab t able, a wall covered by 161
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rolled chart s and a case filled wit h large, t hick books. A single slat e hung in a sleeve from t he bulkhead beside t he capt ain's narrow bed. The air sm elled of et hanol and ot her chem icals, arrayed on a t able beside an opt ical m icroscope. The m icroscope occupied t he focus of t he room , like an icon; I did not doubt such inst rum ent s were far rarer t han slat es, and t hat Randall and t he capt ain had fought for perm ission t o t ake one on t he voyage. Slices of a sm all unident ified scion were laid out on a board, pinned and labeled. But for t heir clot hes—long shirt s t ied up wit h belt s, loose pant s and sandals—we m ight have been in a lat e ninet eent h- cent ury Eart h laborat ory. “ No one at At henai is ent husiast ic about t his expedit ion. Som e profess int erest , som e give encouragem ent , none show ent husiasm . Lenk him self wonders about it s ut ilit y.” The capt ain finished signing and t ook up t he newspaper. “ Som e of us at least have rediscovered am bit ion. What 's your am bit ion?” I said, “ To learn about t he ecoi and our place am ong t hem , Capt ain.” “ I f t he m ast er says you're adequat e, I won't cont radict him . We'll sail short t hree hands—short t en, if we count seasoned sailors and A.B.s. But by Fat e and Logos, we'll sail.” He plucked a sheet from t he folder and waved it for Randall's benefit . “ Received t his while you were up t he Terra Nova. Perm ission from t he Adm inist er of Science and Met allurgy at At henai. Should have been here t hree m ont hs ago. We are forbidden t o ‘risk t he m et al- cont aining ship Vigilant unnecessarily, or t o report findings t o anyone ot her t han t he 162
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officers and m inist ers of Able Lenk.’ ‘Science and Met allurgy’ indeed. As if t he ship's m et al is m ore im port ant t han crew or m ission...” The capt ain t hrust t he perm ission form int o t he folder again. He shook t he newspaper, t urned t he headline t oward Randall, who bent t o read it . “ Villages raided on t he nort h coast and around Jakart a, and upriver here at Moonrise. Ships t aken. Crews let off in boat s or raft s.” He drew up his cheeks, squeezing his eyes t o slit s, and sucked on his t eet h, t hen st raight ened and lift ed one hand, as if aft er all t his m eant very lit t le. “ I 've a hunger for knowledge,” I said. “ I need passage for experience. I need t o reach At henai event ually—t hat 's all. My m ot her and fat her t old m e t o go where I can be educat ed. Apprent iced.” “ How old are you?” t he capt ain asked. He had an odd habit of t ouching t he prom inent knob of his chin wit h his fingers and t ugging unt il he had a space of one or t wo cent im et ers bet ween his t eet h, all t he t im e keeping his j aw m uscles clenched as if in defiance. “ Twent y,” I said. “ Fam ily?” “ Dat chet ong. A branch not reassigned.” “ Proscribed, wit h no educat ion, t hen?” t he capt ain asked. I appeared dist ressed, nodded. “ Bonded or linked?” “ No t riad connect ions,” I said. “ I 've been in t he silva for a couple of years, on m y own. Trying t o st udy.”
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“ Then at least you have som e survival skills ... Shall I check wit h t he disciplinary and m ake sure you're not fleeing his wrat h?” “ We've bot h m et t he disciplinary,” Randall said quiet ly. The capt ain leaned closer, eyes penet rat ing. “ You know not hing about our expedit ion?” “ More now t han I did a few days ago,” I adm it t ed. “ Two years in t he silva—Elizabet h's Zone? Breat h of Logos, you're t he m yst ery m an, aren't you? From Moonrise?” He swung around on his seat t o face Randall. “ You didn't t ell m e t hat , Erwin.” “ I didn't want t o prej udice you. We t raveled back t oget her.” “ I should have guessed ... And t he disciplinary gives him a fair m ark?” “ So far,” Randall said. Keyser- Bach pulled his chin vigorously, glancing bet ween Randall and m e. “ They say t he Brionist s and General Beys in part icular are working several sea rout es, com m andeering ships. I don't believe t hem —I t hink t he Brionist s are blam ed overm uch—but we can't afford not t o be—” “ Vigilant ,” I said. Randall seem ed t o enj oy such cheek. The capt ain seem ed less am used. “ This expedit ion has been in t he m aking for t en years, and it st art s wit hout t he ent husiast ic support of anybody in power. We set out wit h fait h and st rong drive and not m uch m ore.” He puffed out his cheeks. “ You'd be shocked at t he yout h around here, and t he courage of our seagoing breed. 164
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“ But if t he m ast er t hinks you're fit , we'll sign you on as an apprent ice. Don't expect t o do a lot of science. Expect calluses and shout ing.” I m ade m y way around t he boat before t he assem bling of t he crew, and m ade m y own assessm ent . I n t heir decades on Lam arckia, t he im m igrant s who had t aken t o t hese seas had pushed t he words for t hings naut ical t his way and t hat , delet ed or elided, added and com pressed, but st ill, m ost were recognizable. Recognizable as well was t he design of t he Vigilant , a fort y- m et er t hree- m ast ed full- rigged ship m ade largely of xyla, wit h brass and st eel t rim . A few det ails would have st art led sailors on Eart h ( or in t he fourt h cham ber of Thist ledown, where a replica clipper ship had once plied t he Lake of Winds) : broad in t he beam , forecast le prom inent , t he bow sharp but wit h a bulbous prot rusion at t he wat erline. Seen from above, t he overall out line of t he ship would have resem bled a short chisel wit h a drop of paint hanging from t he angled t ip. Two canvas- vaned windscrews rose abaft and slant ed out board of t he sails, t heir rot ors connect ed t o generat ors wit hin t he hull. What I knew of t he Crossing showed t hat Lenk had handicapped his flock deliberat ely, choosing t he m ost dedicat ed radical Naderit es—who would, of course, eschew t he fine t echnologies of t he cont em porary Hexam on. Cert ain inst rum ent s and t echnologies not available in t he t went iet h cent ury—t he bat t eries wit hin t he slat es, for exam ple—had been accept ed by fiat am ong t he divaricat es. But wit h t he significant except ions not ed in t he hist ory on Nkwanno's slat e, t he im m igrant s had com e t o Lam arckia rem arkably 165
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innocent of such skills as engineering, m at hem at ics, and physics, beyond t he m ost basic sort . Perhaps naut ical engineering had not yet recovered from Lenk's choices. I n st rong winds, wit h a high forecast le and elevat ed poopdeck, t he Vigilant would t end t o roll; t he windscrews seem ed past ed on, and sailing downwind, or wit h t he wind fine on t he st arboard or port quart er, could st eal from t he courses. The dearness of iron showed. The Vigilant was xyla- hulled and solid enough, but wit h very few iron or st eel part s; alum inum , bronze and brass, t in and copper were used sparingly. Sails and m ast s were suspended from and support ed by a m ix of rope and wire st ays and braces; shrouds alt ernat ed rope and wire, and all rat lines were rope or lizboo. Where wire was used, and where rope, seem ed t o vary wit h whim ; t he m ain backst ay being rope, forest ay wire; and yet t he backst ay t ook t he st rain of t he following wind. I felt a sudden shadow of worry. I hoped I was wrong, but for t he Vigilant I j udged t here would be t rouble at sea: cont inuous, nagging t rouble. Which could explain t he loss of so m any ships. As for t he crew: t hirt y- one m en t o t welve wom en, t he youngest apprent ices delivered by t heir t riad fam ilies t o a sea t rial, failures perhaps at Lenk school ( despit e t he capt ain's speech t o m e) ; t he eldest , largely able- bodied seam en or A.B.s, hired from t he rej ect s of t he none- t oo- large m erchant fleet s. Even wit h t went y t housand inhabit ant s, com m erce was slow, sea t ravel haphazard and hazardous besides. 166
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I saw m ore clearly why t he capt ain had t aken m e on wit h so lit t le resist ance. The sun hung wit hin a few degrees of t he hills behind Calcut t a. Aft er t he last of our food and equipm ent had been lowered int o t he hold and st owed securely, t he m at e, a blocky, red- faced m an of fort y wit h t he auspicious nam e of Salvat or Sot erio, assem bled t he crew on t he deck before t he wheelhouse. Randall sat on t he capst an, arm s folded, a roll of lizboo parasol under one arm . The sunset cast ship, crew, docks, and warehouses in a fiery glow; black dust from t he silvas, blown far out t o sea from t he cont inent , m ade for spect acular day's- end colors. Wait ing for t he capt ain, I st ood am ong t he apprent ices and A.B.s, who, shuffling t heir feet , t hose who knew each ot her m urm uring and exchanging knowing glances, ignored m e but for sideling glances and occasional gruff inst ruct ions, one of t hem being t o “ Wat ch his way, wat ch your way. Learn and be m eshed.” By which t hey m eant , follow t he exam ple of experienced crew m em bers and fit int o t he way of t he ship. The m at e called us t o respect ful at t ent ion. The capt ain em erged from his quart ers and gazed at t he set t ing sun wit h a squint as if he were som e bug em erging from under a rock. He cam e t o t he rail and swept his eye over t he crew on t he quart erdeck. “ We've received our orders and confirm ed our m ission,” Keyser- Bach began. “ Wit h first light t om orrow, we put out t o sea. Most of you are new t o t he Vigilant . New t o m e and t he m ast er, as well. You've signed on from Tasm an grain ships and m erchant vessels and a few from pleasure boat s, and you 167
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should know t he Vigilant runs a different course. We are out for learning, not for t rade. We will circum navigat e for t he glory of knowledge. “ We'll chart t he life of Lam arckia in it s m ost ext rem e form s. I t 's been t ried before ... Two m issions, four ships, t wo of t hem sunk, Fat e be kind and t he winds rest above t hem . There are hazards enough where we'll go, som e known, som e not . “ We are as infant s on t he face of Lam arckia. I 've spent t went y years on t hese seas and st ill know t hem only poorly. And half t he world has yet t o be seen at all. This voyage depends on all of us t o keep our senses sharp. “ Because what is t aught in Lenk schools, even in secondary, is so t ent at ive and inadequat e, I feel it is m y dut y t o t rain you all t o a finer sense of nat ure. That m akes t his as m uch a schoolship as a research and explorat ion vessel. “ Som e of you will t hink m e eccent ric. And if m y eccent ricit ies spread rum or along t he dock, and m ake m e a laughingst ock, so be it . “ So now all of you know m y st yle. Fairness follows perform ance. We'll all m ake hist ory, if we m ind our weat her and keep eyes bright and st raight ahead.” The gloom of t he past few days was lift ing. I glanced at t he crew around m e, at Randall. The m ast er's face seem ed t o t ake on a new light , his weariness fading. They t ruly were in t heir early age of explorat ion here, hazards enough for any advent urer. I looked on t he Vigilant , wit h all her eccent ricit ies and inadequacies, wit h blossom ing affect ion. 168
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I was t he last of t he new crew. The navigat or and provisions m at e, French, whom I had m et earlier, wrot e m e int o t he crew list and t he supplies rost er, gave m e a t hick oiled canvas coat and pant s, a pair of boot s m ore appropriat e t o shipboard dut ies, and t ook m e t o m y assigned bert h in t he forecast le. Thick- j awed, pouch- cheeked, wit h enorm ous shoulders and unforgiving black eyes, Sot erio, t he m at e, called t he crew t oget her before sunset on t he foredeck. Randall wat ched wit h lit t le apparent int erest , leaning on t he st arboard rail. I t ook m y place wit h t he apprent ices, scrawny fellows, lit t le m ore t han gangling, uneasy boys. “ Good evening,” Sot erio said, forcing what could be m ist aken for an am iable sm ile. “ Good evening,” we m urm ured. “ I t looks t o be a glorious one, t oo,” he said, his face bet raying no great ent husiasm . “ I 'll leave t alk about pride and accom plishm ent t o t he m ast er and t he capt ain. I 'm pract ical, m yself, and care only for m y life, m y ship and m y crew, in what ever order you find m ost com fort ing.” He huffed out his cheeks, shook his head. “ But t here's rules we lay down here and now.” He paced before us, t hick arm s crossed over his chest , j aw t hrust forward. “ What t he m ast er t ells m e, I t ell you, and you do. No flarking, no st um ping about , not hing lax. Flark and I 'm on you. There's no ship on t his world t hat runs herself, and none so com plicat ed a fool can't learn her, but learn we m ust .” He huffed again. “ This is no yacht , so put your days at Lenk 169
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school or wherever behind you. The Great Darwin is no lake, it 's a sea, foam ing and t hick, as unforgiving as any sailed by m an or wom an on any world.” He glared at us t hrough t hose cold black m arbles. “ Yes, Ser,” we responded. “ And when t he voyage begins, none of t his ‘Ser’ st uff. I t 's t he ‘sir’ of m any seagoing cent uries and not for polit esse.” “ Yes, sir.” “ Som e have sailed before, som e a lot , m ost not . Som e have sailed under t he m ast er and m e. But all will follow m e around t he deck t his evening and learn t his ship and her ways.” Sot erio t hen t ook us around t he boat , st em t o st ern, t alking rapidly for an hour. All t hat I had st udied of ships and seam anship for t his m ission only began t o prepare m e for t he shift of language, for t he invent ion of t he im m igrant s. Many sailing t erm s used by t he m at e were fam iliar, but t he im m igrant s had built t heir ships wit hout benefit of years at sea, using only what references t hey found in t he slat es t hey had brought wit h t hem . There were differences, and m ixt ures of naut ical t erm s across t he cent uries. The Vigilant was t hree- m ast ed, full- rigged, by old Eart h st andards, yet here she was called a spankered t hree- t ree. The m ast s, in t he m at e's lingo, were all t rees and he nam ed t hem foret ree, m aint ree, and m izzen. The nam es of t he m aj or sails were easy enough t o adj ust t o, t he lowerm ost called courses and nam ed aft er t heir t rees—fore course, m ain course, but t hen, on t he m izzen, t he christ ian, called croj ack or crossj ack t radit ionally; t he next pair, gallant and 170
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t opgallant ; above t hem , upper and lower t opsails becam e hight op and lowt op. But t he j ibs from bowsprit and j ibboom t o forem ast were called bellies, t he out erm ost called ( wit hout a single sm ile am ong t he apprent ices) t he flying belly. The seldom - used royals, above t he hight ops, t ook t he nam e skysails. St ays support ing t he m ast s rem ained st ays, and t he sails som et im es hung from t hem , st aysails. St udding sails, however, were called wings, bent or fast ened t o ext ensions of t he yards called out broom s. “ So it is,” t he m at e said, “ when t he Vigilant 's going t o sweep wit h t he wind up her ass, we beat wit h our wings, bellies in t he breeze, clear?” He dared anyone t o sm ile. The halyards, braces, sheet s and ot her rigging working all t hese reflect ed such changes. I labored t o m em orize—and t o forget som e of what I had learned on t he Lake of t he Winds. Fort unat ely, on t he upper decks and belowdecks, t he nam es had changed lit t le. Fore and aft st ill applied: bow, m idships, st ern; forecast le, foredeck or m aindeck, quart er deck aft of t he m aint ree, but t he poop aft of t he m izzen had revert ed t o t he original Lat in, puppis. The long superst ruct ure on t he puppis, which appeared t op- heavy t o m e, was called, wit h affect ion, t he pupcast le. On t he Vigilant , t he capt ain, m ast er, doct or, and researchers kept quart ers here, and t he t wo laborat ories were also in t he pupcast le. The ship's craft rat es—St ory Meissner, t he dark, sepulchral sail- m aker; t he sm all, dour fem ale carpent er Varia Gusm ao; William French t he navigat or; st ooped, grizzled and wrinkled Pyot r Khovansk t he engineer; and Shat ro, t he only researcher already on board—bunked in t he pupcast le as well, sharing a 171
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com m on cabin, or adj acent t o t heir work- cabins. The ablebodied seam en or A.B.s, and apprent ices ( som et im es called m onkeys, since t hey spent m uch of t heir t im e in t he t rees) were each allot t ed a bunk in t he forecast le. All below t he craft rat es served wat ches, four hours on and four off, divided int o port and st arboard. Each craft rat e and A.B. and apprent ice received t hree m eals a day. Grain from Jakart a and Tasm an provided t he st aple, supplem ent ed by flockweed flour. The m ainst ay was freechunk, a past e m ade of soy and flockweed, served up fried or baked, or ground int o flour and m ade int o bread. Packed and dried river celery and diospuros served for essent ial vit am ins. Fresh t errest rial fruit s and veget ables, grown on plant at ions out side Calcut t a, served as t reat s. Sailors, it seem ed, did not favor scion fruit s such as Liz cherries, and seagoing or pelagic scions, what ever ecos t hey cam e from , were by and large inedible, unlike t heir riparian count erpart s, which could at t im es be nut rit ious and not provoke im m une challenges. There were plans ( Sot erio t old us darkly) t o feed t he crew occasionally on land scions deem ed edible by t he cook—wit h t he second opinion of t he capt ain and t he chief researcher, t he m at e added. This was obviously som et hing of a sore point wit h t he m ore experienced crew, since nearly all—according t o whispers—had eat en one or anot her t ype of non- Liz scion t hat had not agreed wit h t hem . The t our finished wit h a brief lect ure from Sot erio on discipline. “ Each is expect ed t o do his work. Favorit ism of any sort is considered flarking.” The m at e used t he word “ flarking” const ant ly, t o describe anyt hing in opposit ion t o t he ship's 172
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est ablished order. Now, his brows alm ost obscured his black m arble eyes, and he crooked his m out h as if rem em bering a bit t er t ast e. “ There is t o be no sex bet ween crew m em bers at sea. No need t o explain why. We are all equally valuable here, and such leads t o serious disput es. Phylact ics,” m eaning drugs t o dam pen sexual drive, an int erest ing m isuse of a word, “ are available from t he m edical.” The m at e concluded t his lect ure wit h a list of punishm ent s. “ First - t im e offense, four hours at t he skysail t op. Second, confinem ent in st ores ant echam ber for a t im e deem ed sufficient by t he capt ain and m ast er. Third, we put you off at t he next set t lem ent landfall and t ake aboard som eone m ore suit ed.” The crew was t hen sent t o arrange t heir personal effect s. There would be no dinner served aboard t his evening; inst ead, t he crew could spend t heir last night in t own. I n t he forecast le, all had been assigned t heir bunks by num ber, but t he A.B.s quiet ly and wit h lit t le resist ance t raded assignm ent s wit h t he ot hers for a sect ion of t heir own. The social weaving t ook perhaps t en m inut es, wit h t he apprent ices left a st ep behind, som ewhat bewildered. Talya Ry Diem , t he senior fem ale A.B., a grizzled, st ocky wom an wit h t hick, well- m uscled arm s and legs and a bulldog count enance, t ook it upon herself t o explain. “ There's rat es and t here's ranks, even on a free cit izens’ ship. More experience, m ore t im e at sea, m ore privileges. The A.B.s know enough t o keep you from killing yourselves. I t 's only right . And what 's m ore, it put s m e in a bet t er bunk.” 173
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A curt ain was drawn form ing a part it ion for t he t welve wom en. All t he wom en were A.B.s, and t hey com m andeered a port ion of t he elit e sect ion and put an angle in t he curt ain t o m ark t heir special t errit ory. As t here were no fem ale apprent ices, we could divide no fart her, and received t he least desirable bert hs—wit h so lit t le difference bet ween t hem t hat arguing was useless. Nam es were exchanged again for t he benefit of t he newer crew m em bers. I shook hands wit h m y shipm at es, a pot of Tasm an t ea was set boiling, and sweet biscuit s passed around from Ry Diem 's chest . “ These are especially for t he new ones, who don't know how t his kind of ship works,” Ry Diem said. “ We all have t o get along in a special way—a seagoing way, t hat works across m ont hs or years wit hout m uch in t he way of fight ing. I f you have any quest ions or problem s, you can com e t o m e, or t o Ser Shankara. Or t o Meissner, t he sailm aker. He's a good m an. He and I have sailed before.” The apprent ices, aft er t rying t o bright en t he pict ure of being closest t o t he bow, in t he t ight est spaces and wit h t he sm allest bunks, set t o displaying and describing t heir few valued possessions, t hat all would know who m ight have st olen from whom . Already, t wo likely charact ers had been singled out as pot ent ial t hieves: t he youngest and scrawniest , bot h wit h narrow, lackadaisical faces, Uwe Kissbegh and Uri Ridj el, who seem ed t o wear perpet ual sm iles of shocked innocence. A t all boy of eight een, wit h a t hick shock of brown hair, shaven t hin at t he sides, shook m y hand wit h ext ra 174
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convict ion. “ My nam e's Algis Bas Shim chisko. My first ship. Yours, t oo?” I sm iled and nodded. “ Apprent ices have t o st ick t oget her,” Shim chisko said. “ The A.B.s lord it if we don't . From Calcut t a?” “ Jakart a,” I said. “ Meet Miszt a I bert ,” Shim chisko said, put t ing his arm around t he wide shoulders of a t hin boy of sixt een or sevent een, wit h a sm all, m ouse- like face and short foxfur hair. I bert sm iled. “ We j oined t oget her. We've bot h t aken science at t he Lenk schools. We spent five m ont hs in t he dept hs of Liz.” “ I nland from Cape Zhurait is,” I bert said. “ We t hink we know Liz very well.” “ What does she t hink of you?” I asked. The boys laughed loudly. Shim chisko slapped his knee. “ We t hink she favors us, of course. All t he wom en do.” Am ong t he ot her faces, I paid im m ediat e at t ent ion t o Ellis Shankara, senior m ale A.B., a quiet , dark- skinned m an wit h hum ored eyes, large and exam ining, but a st ern m out h. Shankara's alert expression and calm m anner im pressed m e. I spent a few m inut es wat ching a short - legged, round- faced wom an A.B. wit h a quick, birdlike m anner, whom I found oddly at t ract ive, but whose nam e I did not t hen cat ch. Kissbegh and Ridj el t ook it upon t hem selves t o play an illt im ed j ape as we put our valuables away in shallow drawers beside t he bunks. Kiss- begh leaped about in seem ing abandon, claim ing t o perform a farewell dance t o t he land. Ridj el t oot led him along wit h a raucous lip- warble, and as if 175
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by accident , Kissbegh swooped down upon, and fell t hrough, t he curt ain separat ing our bow space from t he space set aside for t he fem ale A.B.s. Hair on end like a furious cat , Talya Ry Diem yanked Kissbegh up wit h t wo st rong hands around his j aw and ears and dragged him unt il she j am m ed him against t he forward fiber locker. “ I 'm kind,” she growled, “ but I 'll kick your ass if you don't act t he m an.” Saying not anot her word, glaring fiercely, she left him t here m inus his sm ile. I liked all of t his. I t seem ed very alive and boist erous. I m ight slip sm oot hly int o t he im m igrant cult ure aft er all. Despit e m y earlier m isgivings, and what ever t heir skills, and however isolat ed, t hese people seem ed at heart decent and hard- working. They wished t o learn what t hey could, and t hey were willing t o t ake obvious risks t o do so. I could cheerfully go t o sea wit h t hese people, work wit h t hem , learn what I could; I could even forget , for a t im e, what m y m ission was. Before all int roduct ions could be finished, wit h t he crew's opinions of each ot her given an early shape, t he m at e ret urned. “ You'll st are at every block and line for t he next few years,” he chided. “ Grab t he shore for one m ore night .” All but one of t he wom en chose t o st ay aboard, boiling t heir own freechunk over a sm all st ove, st ringing m at fiber ropes t o air t heir clot hes. Most of t he m ale A.B.s and apprent ices, and several of t he ranks, left t he Vigilant j ust before sundown and t ook t he Hill St ep Road up and over a low rise, t o t hat part of Calcut t a where all sailors were supposed t o go. 176
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The night life of Calcut t a had been walled off, concent rat ed and capped, in a dist rict of t own away from t he cent er, surrounded by high st one walls, a dreary, river- dam p set of narrow st reet s and low, ram shackle buildings t he color of dust and cloudy sky. Here t he cobbles had gaping holes—I saw a suspicious congeries of holes before an em pt y building wit h broken windows, a broken sign over t he door reading ADVE— and t he gut t ers had not been swept . I t sm elled ancient ly hum an, yet seem ed quiet . The crews of several vessels wandered t hese few st reet s, m ost ly m ale. Wit hout t he wom en, t he m en becam e rest less, peering int o windows, m aking dull, unent husiast ic rem arks, t rying out t heir sailor's gait s, broad st eps and arm s swinging confident ly, com ing upon each ot her every t hird t urn, looking for cheer and som et hing t o brace up t heir spirit s for t he com ing absence from shore. Lit t le cheer or support was t o be found. A brief flam e of sunset t urned our faces and t he low, falsefront ed buildings orange. Dusk followed quickly, gray and dism al. The fit ful light ing, dim lam ps on xyla poles at corners, m ade us all shadows. Three scat t ered knot s of searchers, t went y in all—eight from t he Vigilant including Shim chisko and I bert ; t he eldest am ong us, Shankara; and t he roundfaced young fem ale apprent ice, Shift or Shirla—went from a sm all bar wit h five st ools and t wo t ables, serving bit t er rum , t o a larger est ablishm ent reput ed t o serve food, t o t he largest place of all, which t he m ost experienced m en seem ed t o avoid wit h dark faces. But t his, t he walk- in known as t he Fishless Sea, was where we ended up. 177
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Here was ent ert ainm ent , t he m ost perverse ( and t herefore fat ally at t ract ive) t hat t he divaricat e cit y could offer. Here a half dozen blank- faced wom en and a few pale m en offered t hem selves for conversat ion or dancing or t urns in t he room s upst airs. I t was fairly rit ualized and accept able; divaricat es had never been prudes. But som et hing else hung in t he air of t he Fishless Sea, a rest less, guilt y ant icipat ion m ade half of dread and half of curiosit y. The best ent ert ainm ent in t his est ablishm ent , t he older hands said, was supplied by Lam arckia it self. Shankara led us t hrough t hick xyla doors int o cool air, a sm all, dark room at t he very rear, t he sounds of t he kit chen com ing from som eplace t o m y left . The rum buzzed in m e, a novel and not unpleasant sensat ion. I sat wit h m y shipm at es before a low st age daubed wit h t arry black paint . A short , slender wom an wit h long brown hair and a fixed gaze, who som e said was t he owner, cam e on st age and st ood beneat h a bright spot . Her voice was deep and sandy and she did not look at her audience. Som e chewed m at fiber, t ast eless but scent ed of sweet ness and garlic and filled wit h a m ild st im ulant , and ot hers drank m ore rum . The young, round- faced fem ale A.B. sat beside Shankara and balanced a plat e of indifferent gruel on her lap, eat ing slowly, st aring up wit h doubt ful but wide eyes. “ We've all lived our lives in t he shadow of t he silva,” t he wom an said in a breat hless m onot one. “ We've been sam pled, and t he silva knows us. But can we ever know t he silva? There are curiosit ies ... peculiarit ies. The zones, rich wit h life, 178
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do t hey resent us? Do t hey not ice our exist ence? Can t hey t ruly see and t hink, or are t hey blind as st ones? Som et im es we feel we are wrapped in t he dept hs of a heedless m ot her, and we cry out in our sleep like children. There are m yst eries no one will ever fat hom . Absurd m yst eries, unexplainable phenom ena. How m any have heard st ories?” A few hands rose, t hen ot hers, t aking encouragem ent in num bers. “ I 've heard st ories,” t he wom an cont inued, nodding t o herself, her t one confessional, and t hen darkly m yst erious. “ St ories not t o be believed. Terrifying, st range, but not ... surprising. Does anyt hing surprise us on t his, our chosen world?” An edge of weary resent m ent in her words now, eyebrow raised, a flip of t he long brown hair. I sat wit h m y hands gripping t he sides of t he seat of m y chair. A fog of unrealit y st ole over m e, caused not by t he rum , but by t he sour anim al sm ell of bodies in t he close room , t he rough lizboo bet ween m y fingers, t he floor st rewn wit h bit s of dried parasol leaf t o soak up spilled liquid. The cloying sm ell of m at drift ed t hrough t he air, sweet and garlicky. “ When m y husband vanished in East ern Tasm an, hunt ing curiosit ies in Baker's Zone, I t ook off t o search for him . Long weeks and m ont hs by boat , t hen t hrough t hick swam p, over t all m ount ains—” “ Get on wit h it ,” grum bled a bearded m an near m e, swaying slight ly in his chair, j aw working a clum p of m at . “ To find... som et hing.” “ Som et hing! ” t he crowd shout ed in derision. “ Show us! ” 179
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“ Not pickled,” t he wom an said, leaning t oward t he crowd, hands sweeping out , fingers point ing, enj oying her own m elodram a. “ Not st uck in a bot t le.” “ Not like us,” a m an shout ed, and t he crowd laughed at it self, in a perverse hum or. “ Not in a bot t le. Alive. Alive and away from it s land, and so very lonely,” she chant ed. “ Like us,” several voices sang out . Nervous laught er now. “ St range,” t he wom an said, “ t o st are int o what it uses for it s eyes, and wonder ... Does it t hink? Does it m iss it s hom e, t housands of kilom et ers away? Does it m iss it s queen, whom no one has ever seen? Was I cruel, t o bring it here ... Was I seeking t o avenge m y husband?” “ Be cruel, be cruel,” a drunken m an, not of our ship, shout ed from t he front . This is t he dream , Lenk’ s dream , I t hought . Get his people away from Thist ledown, from people no longer shaped like people, from t he blasphem ous Way... The rum fogged and dist ort ed and was no longer pleasant . I set m y glass down, half em pt y, and drank no m ore. Two brawny m en in aprons rolled a large crat e ont o t he st age. Liquid slopped from bet ween t he boards and ran t hick and brown over t he black t arry floor, lapping up against t he raised edge, t he fiddle I t hought , t est ing out a naut ical t erm , like old port spilled on a ship's t able. Wit hin t he crat e, a sigh, a clat t er of st icks or branches. “ What possible use t o it s zone, t o it s queen?” t he wom an asked dream ily. “ Such a m onst er, perhaps no use at all. A sport , a dream gone bad, a night m are. The silva dream s and 180
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t wit ches in it s sleep. We hear it , breat hing it s black breat h across t he land, over our heads, in our skin and hair. We cut it s t rees, harvest it s leaves, fence it s helpers and at t endant s ... Will it not som eday know what we are, and hat e us? What will it m ake next ? Perhaps t his is a t est . Som et hing t hat will event ually grow large, and at t ack ... Let 's t ake a look, and perhaps see our fut ure...” “ Naah,” a m an sneered from t he rear of t he room , waving a hand. He st ood and pushed t hrough t he t hick xyla door. The wom an on st age wat ched him leave wit h sad, t ired eyes. The cool air set t led again. The wom an reached out for t he crat e, challenging t he audience wit h a piercing st are... Her hands fum bled at a corroded brass lat ch, opened t he front of t he crat e wide wit h a groaning creak... One of t he burly m en st ood beside a st agelight and dropped a colored gel over t he bulb. The st age becam e green, dark and cold. “ From t he nort h,” t he wom an m oaned, as if m ourning. “ I t m ight have killed m y husband. I t want s t o kill m e and go hom e. A m onst er, a queen's own night m are. Look upon it .” The door swung all t he way, and wit hin, rest rained by iron bars, a cage wit hin t he crat e, long t hin black legs, dozens of t hem , wit h red j oint s. The round- faced wom an leaned forward, eyes even wider. The audience fell silent . A chair leg racket ed on t he floor, several feet shuffled. “ Fat e and Pneum a,” said one voice. “ Hoping t o kill us all,” t he wom an on st age suggest ed dream ily. 181
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Light s swit ched on overhead, bat hing t he cage in bright er green and yellow. The form in t he cage st irred, legs t wit ching. The wom an pulled a large key on a brass ring from t he folds of her dress, slipped it int o a prom inent lock on t he cage wit hin t he crat e, t urned t he key, and pulled open t he cage door wit h a ghast ly unoiled screech. The sailors in t he first row of t he t heat er pushed t heir chairs back wit h a clat t er unt il out t hrust arm s and legs from t he people behind would let t hem push no fart her. “ What would we do if t hey freely walked am ong us?” t he wom an asked, spinning out her st ory, m aking herself a pot ent ial vict im as t he legs st ret ched reflexively across t he st age t oward her, flat cup- claw feet spat t ing int o t he leaking brown liquid. One sailor, a young fellow not from t he Vigilant , bolt ed. Shankara looked aft er him and gave m e a knowing sm ile. The creat ure squeezed and squirm ed slowly from it s cage and st ood in t he sickly light , rising t hree m et ers in height , gangly, loose. I t ried t o discern it s shape in t he glare: t hick t runk or abdom en dragging, t hin upper body, disks half rot at ing at it s shoulders, and em erging from t he edges of t he disks t he long, half lim p legs. I t had no head, but a long st alk pushed up from t he t runk and arched over t he form , and from t his hung t wo t ransparent globes—eyes, perhaps—t hat slowly rot at ed, black oblat e pupils absorbing t he sight of t he crowd. I t sighed, t horax expanding alarm ingly, t hen shivered it s legs t oget her. The audience as one groaned and backed away, t ables and chairs bunching, overt urning. 182
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The scion and t he wom an seem ed t o regard each ot her wit h equal det achm ent . “ What is it you wish, m onst er?” t he wom an asked coldly. The form lift ed it s legs as if beckoning. “ Me?” t he wom an asked, voice rising t o a kind of cheery glee. “ Me, as well as m y husband?” “ St op it ! ” shout ed t he m an half seat ed in front of m e. “ For t he love of God, it 's j ust a scion! A silvan child! Let it be! ” The wom an ignored him . The audience had com e here for rough ent ert ainm ent ; she was det erm ined t o give it t o t hem . The long pleat s of her dress cont ained m any t hings, apparent ly. She lowered one hand gracefully and brought out a m achet e. “ Which is it t o be?” she asked us. “ Revenge ... or forgiveness? Respect , or anger given an edge?” My own anger suddenly flared and I rest rained m yself wit h an effort . The wom an's face fairly glowed wit h ent husiasm . She seem ed half com m it t ed t o chopping t he form t o bit s; in t he cloud of rum , I t hought , No act , t his. But t he burly m en em erged from t he wings and rest rained her, one grabbing t he arm wit h t he m achet e, bot h bodily lift ing her, suddenly rigid as a board. The slow spidery creat ure, left alone on t he st age, sighed, bunched it s legs up and sidled back int o it s cage. The st agehands ret urned wit hout t he wom an and raised and locked t he door of t he crat e, t hen lowered t he curt ains. The audience sat st unned for a m om ent ; t hat was all? No exit m usic, no announcem ent s? Grum bling, disheart ened, we passed t hrough t he glass doors t o t he bar. I st ayed behind, st unned and heart sick, 183
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slum ped in m y chair. Som ehow, t his seem ed alm ost as wrong and perverse as t he slaught er at Moonrise. The round- faced wom an, Shift or Shirla, put aside her unfinished bowl of gruel and st ood before t he st age and curt ains. She wore a kerchief around her head t opped wit h a sm all black hat . Her face seem ed childlike in t he half light . She t urned t o Shankara. “ What is it ?” she asked. “ Not hing but a Tasm an west ern scion,” Shankara said, half in cont em pt , half in pit y. “ Not east ern. Not from Baker. Probably from Kandinski's Zone. But I 'm j ust guessing.” “ We'll see m ore like t hat ?” t he wom an asked dist ant ly. Shankara gave a brief, hollow laugh and looked at m e wit h dark brown eyes. “ Shocking, eh? We live in t he m ost boring zone on Lam arckia. We have t o im port our m onst ers.” “ I t was wonderful,” t he round- faced wom an said, and seem ed genuinely t o m ean it . “ Poor t hing. What does it do?” “ A m ulcher, I 'd guess,” he said. “ Som et hing t hat cleans arborid root s and prepares soil. About as dangerous as a cricket . I 've served on m erchant ships going t o Tasm an and seen st ranger t han t hat .” We walked t oward t he door past t he sm all t ables and overt urned chairs. “ Your nam e is Olm y, isn't it ?” Shankara asked. “ Yes,” I said. I looked at t he young- faced wom an. Her eyes flicked t o m eet m ine, like a bird's. “ This is Shirla,” Shankara said. “ Shirla Ap Nam ,” t he wom an added. “ Junior A.B.” She picked som et hing from her t eet h wit h one finger and shook 184
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her head as we pushed t hrough t he heavy doors. “ You know,” she said, “ if we had a zoo or som et hing...” “ The capt ain has a zoo,” Shankara said. “ A sm all one, in bot t les.” “ Not what I m ean,” Shirla said. “ I f we could go see all t he part s, all t he scions, we wouldn't act like such dam n fools.” By m idnight , beneat h a cloudless sky filled wit h t he double arc of st ars and one sm all, lant ern- bright m oon, t he crews wended t heir ways back t o t he docks and ships, neit her wholly drunk nor sat isfied. I walked a few m et ers behind Shankara and Shirla and t he rest of t he group from t he Vigilant . Shirla kept glancing over her shoulder at m e, as if I m ight be st alking her. Wit h her last glance, she gave a lit t le shiver and frowned in apparent disapproval. Som ehow, t his com plet ed m y sadness. As t hey rounded a corner ahead of m e, a m an st epped from t he shadows and held up an arm . I gave him a wide bert h by inst inct , but t he m an spoke m y nam e. I t was t he disciplinary, Thom as. He wore a dull green overcoat and a sm all clot h cap wit h a t ail t hat fell down his neck, int o his collar. “ I had hoped you would st ick around long enough t o answer m y quest ions. Now, you'll put out t o sea ... On a research ship, no less.” “ I s t hat suspicious?” I asked. I st uffed m y hands in m y pocket s. “ I 'm int erest ed in t he zones. I always have been.” Thom as looked at m e wit h a bland, pat ient expression. “ I 've had t im e enough t o run m y checks. No birt h records for an Olm y of t he Dat chet ong. No Lenk school or residence 185
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records. Unless you com e from Hsia, or som e unregist ered com m unit y, you don't exist .” I felt dist inct ly uncom fort able. Then I t ook a chance. “ Ser Thom as, nobody has com plet e records anym ore.” I st ood in t he dark beside Thom as, and silence fell bet ween us for several seconds. Finally, he looked away, t hen down at t he st one paving. “ I don't believe you're a Brionist . That doesn't m ake sense, j udging from your behavior ... and how we m et . You would have faded int o t he silva and t aken a passenger boat lat er, or m ade your own. I 've given a lot of t hought t o you. I t hink perhaps I will leave you alone and let you go where you wish.” “ Thank you,” I said. “ There was a sm all group of people, years ago, t hat kept a secret vigil. They called t hem selves Advent ist s. They were wait ing for som eone from t he Hexam on t o arrive.” “ Sounds Christ ian,” I said. “ ‘Advent ’ m eans t he com ing of som et hing big, som et hing m om ent ous. Not hing t o do wit h Christ ians. Not all of t hem m ade t heir views known. One of t hem st ole som et hing and vanished. Nobody knows t he det ails except perhaps Lenk him self. I had heard t here was an Advent ist in Moonrise. Was t here?” “ I don't know,” I said. “ I s it a crazy idea?” “ Why didn't t hey com e years ago?” I asked. Thom as sm iled. “ Now t hat I don't know, eit her. Som e say we erased t he pat h t o Lam arckia and we'll be here forever, alone.” 186
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“ Suit s m e,” I said. Thom as's bland expression ret urned. “ I f t hey did com e, t hey would t ry t o t ake us all back t o t he Way. That 's t he general opinion. I 'm not so sure, now t hat we've been here so long, and we've grown in num bers. We own t his world as m uch as any hum an owns anyt hing.” “ We don't own t he zones,” I said, t rying t o reest ablish som e fragm ent of m y role. “ No- o- o,” Thom as said t hought fully. “ Prom ise m e t his, will you? Som eday, if t here's t im e, and if you can, unravel a few m yst eries for m e.” I shook m y head, grinned, looked away, as if t o say, Crazy not ions. Thom as raised his hands, clasped t hem , and rubbed his palm s t oget her. “ The cit izens rank m ade t heir decision earlier t his evening. Brionist s or t heir renegades killed t he cit izens at Moonrise. Naderville will claim it was renegades. I t 's for t he rank at At henai t o decide what t o do. No need for m ore t est im ony from you. You're free t o go wherever you please.” Wit h a curt nod, Thom as t urned and walked up t he st reet , past a feeble st reet lam p and int o shadows. Calcut t a was a dull t own indeed, I t hought t o m yself as I walked up t he gangway t o t he Vigilant ; at least as far as it s vices were concerned. Divaricat es had no flair for debauchery. I was eager t o get t o sea. I st ood sleepless by t he t affrail, st aring ast ern at t he cold black wat ers and t he night , half- clouded, t he void bet ween black clouds t hick- st udded wit h st ars. I t hought about Lam arckia's sun and her five sist er planet s, about which I 187
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found very lit t le in Redhill ot her t han what t he original surveyors had recorded—a rem arkable lapse on t he im m igrant 's part , or an oversight on Redhill's, I t hought . What I could see bet ween t he clouds, by eye alone, was t ant alizing. Just a few degrees east of t he m ain skysail yard shone one very bright bluish point surrounded by sm aller point s j ust out side it s concent rat ed light : Pacifica, a gas giant wit h m any m oons t hat seem ed t o m ove as t he m inut es passed. High above t he west ern horizon gleam ed a yellowish point t hat I was fairly sure m ust be anot her planet , probably Aurum . All around shim m ered t he volum es and volum es of st ars, including t he double oxbow—part of t he encom passing galaxy, analogous t o t he Milky Way seen from Eart h. Randall's few books on ast ronom y called t his blurred t win loop by several nam es: t he Hills, t he Kraken, or t he Tet ons. No ast ronom ical aut horit ies had aut horized a final nam e, apparent ly. I preferred t he Tet ons m yself. I hoped t o find out m ore by exam ining t he ship's chart room . I left m y m at es in t heir bunks in t he forecast le when all seem ed t o sleep soundly. William French t he navigat or was snoring in his pupcast le cabin. The cont ent s of t he desert ed chart room , books and m aps opened or drawn down quiet ly, light ed only by a single dim lant ern, added m uch t o what I needed t o know about t he im m igrant s’ present st at e of knowledge. There were no com plet e and accurat e chart s of Lam arckia. No one had ever seen t he planet from space; no sat ellit es had ever been put int o orbit , and t he im m igrant s had m uch left t o explore, including t he ent ire hem isphere opposit e Elizabet h's 188
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Land, called t he Deep West by som e cart ographers, t he Far East by ot hers. The st ar chart s were fairly t horough, and som e im provem ent s had been m ade by t he im m igrant s on t he surveyor's originals. Ephem eris dat a was kept in several t hick volum es in t he chart room , m uch am ended by French's hand, and probably on t he capt ain's slat e as well. ( Nkwanno's had no such dat a.) The sailors on Lam arckia did not lack knowledge of how t o find t heir way around, and how t o calculat e lat it udes and longit udes. Working wit h t he planet 's m agnet ic field was relat ively sim ple: t here were few com pass deviat ions in t his hem isphere, and t hose well underst ood. St ill, any sailor on Eart h at t he t im e of Thist ledown's launch—or even by t he close of t he t went iet h cent ury—would have been appalled at t he prospect of using such lim it ed and inaccurat e m eans. What lit t le of Lam arckia had been chart ed in det ail, had been explored by brave m en and wom en indeed. Lenk's first Capt ain of Voyages, Alphonse Jidderm eyer, wit h t wo sailing ships, had set off from new- founded Calcut t a five years aft er t he im m igrant s’ arrival. His t wo- year j ourney t ook him along t he Sum ner Coast , nam ed aft er his first m at e, t o t he nort heast point of Elizabet h's Land, t hen sout h, discovering t he violent ly volcanic Agni I slands t hat lay four hundred m iles from t he cont inent 's east ern coast . ( Those islands did not figure on lat er chart s. Som e of t he hist ories m ent ioned enorm ous blast s heard fift een years ago, and clouds of ash set t ling across sout heast ern Elizabet h's Land, t he Darwin Sea, and even Hsia. Enorm ous waves had st ruck 189
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t he east ern Cheng Ho Coast and Jakart a, causing considerable dam age t o t he hum an set t lem ent , and t he islands were not seen again by m erchant ships or lat er explorers. Penciled on t he Vigilant 's chart s were specks in t hat general region, and quest ion m arks.) Aft er leaving t hese islands, Jidderm eyer's ships were relent lessly blown sout h by sout hwest , back t o t he sout hern ext rem it ies of Elizabet h's Land. Jidderm eyer and his researchers chart ed t he visible boundaries of what lat er becam e known as zones five and six, Pet ain and Magellan. They sailed around Cape Magellan, depending in a drawn- up curve from t he m ain body of Elizabet h like a giant fang in t he upper j aw of a sabert oot h cat , and found t he Kupe I slands. Here, a st orm sank one boat , and t he second—wit h Jidderm eyer and t wo t hirds of bot h crews—cont inued sout h. They found t wo long st rips of land, nam ed t hem t he Alicias aft er t he sailor who first sight ed t hem , and t hen were blown swift ly west t o t he environs of t he sout hern polar cont inent , La Pèrouse Land, seen only as a dist ant blue coast backed by huge m ount ains and glaciers. Here, t hey had encount ered vicious west erly winds t hey called t he I ce Knives. The winds blew t hem east along La Pèrouse Land, t he cold, st orm y bot t om of t he world. This ended Jidderm eyer's plans of circum navigat ing Lam arckia. Exhaust ed, Jidderm eyer slipped free of t he I ce Knives, repaired his ship on Sout hern Alicia, and sailed due nort h, close- hauled against t he seasonal nort herlies. Their last discovery, all by chance, was Mart ha's I sland, wit h it s st erile 190
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surrounding sea and fert ile, varied lone ecos. Thereaft er, t hey t urned sout hwest and put int o port at Jakart a. Jidderm eyer had t aken an awful chance. No one knew whet her edible scions exist ed in any of t he zones away from Tasm an or Elizabet h's Land. I ndeed, no one was quit e sure t hat t he basic biology of t hese t wo cont inent s would also be replicat ed in ot her t errit ories. Jidderm eyer's head researcher, Kia Ry Lenk—Jaim e Carr Lenk's sist er—believed t hey would find only ecoi on Lam arckia. Ot hers disagreed. But she had been correct , and no ot her schem e of life had been discovered. And wherever t hey went , t hey found no scions willing t o eat t hem —but sufficient edible form s t o sust ain t he crew. The voyage had been horrific, nonet heless— im proper nut rit ional balances and im m une challenges had played havoc wit h t he healt h of t he expedit ion. I n t he end, out of t wo ships and t wo hundred and five m en and wom en, one ship and sixt y- five had ret urned t o Jakart a. The sinking of t he second ship had drowned m any of t he crew, including Kia Ry Lenk and her husband and t wo sons. Explorat ion lost it s charm s for Able Lenk. He never quit e recovered from t he deat h of his sist er. He depart ed from Jakart a, sailing nort h t o t he sm aller cont inent of Tasm an, discovered t hree years earlier by m erchant ships. There, he founded what was now Lam arckia's second largest cit y, At henai. He had not since ret urned t o Jakart a or Calcut t a. This had left Elizabet h's Land t o an uneasy kind of independence. Short ly aft er, Hoagland and her splint er group had sailed for Hsia and founded Godwin, lat er Naderville. 191
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Only one ot her expedit ion—led by Dassin Ry Baker and Lucius Shulago—had carried on from Jidderm eyer's exam ple. Twent y- five years aft er t he Crossing, t hey sailed from Jakart a across t he Darwin Sea t o Hsia, t hen down t o t he Cook St rait s and Cook I slands, bet ween Efhraia's Land and Hsia. They rounded Efhraia's Land, ret urned t o t he Darwin Sea, and sailed nort h unt il t hey reencount ered Mart ha's I sland, quit e by accident . They headed sout h again, and one ship t urned back, carrying all t he records from t hat expedit ion. On t he far side of Hsia, in an ocean st ill alm ost com plet ely unknown, in search of t wo sm all cont inent s rum ored t o have been seen by m erchant ships blown ast ray—Basilica and Nihon—Baker and Shulago and t he second ship vanished, aft er sending a weak radio signal t hat all was well. Dawn began as a t hin pink line against t he east ern sky, m uch of it obscured by t he low arborid- crowned hills direct ly east of Calcut t a. The silva's great four- legged cat hedral t rees st ood against t he m orning glow like sent inels, feat hery fronds below t heir crowns waving gent ly wit h int erm it t ent puffs of breeze t hat had not yet reached t he harbor. The pink horizon t urned briefly red, t hen pale violet ; t he st ars gave way, and t he ent ire sky began t o fill wit h rays of gray and shallow blue. I st ret ched and swung m y arm s, working t he chill out of m y body, t hen ran around t he deck as warm - up, j oining French t he navigat or and t hree ot hers sim ilarly engaged. The sun st ood half above t he headland when wakeup was announced by t he ringing of a brass bell. Belowdecks, I j oined t he rest of t he crew at t he m ess. The cook, Leo Frey, a peaceful- looking m an of about fort y wit h a 192
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t hin body but a prom inent belly and fat face, and t he cook's sour- looking, heavy- set assist ant , called sim ply Passey, dolloped gruel int o xyla bowls and handed each of us a t hick slice of river celery. Officers shared t he sam e lines and at e t he sam e food, but sat at a separat e t able in t he officer's m ess beyond a narrow open doorway. The rest of t he crew— including t he navigat or, t he engineer, t he sailm aker, and ot her craft rat es—sat around rough- planed t ables in t he crew m ess in no part icular order. The crew went t hrough m orning rout ine in st olid silence punct uat ed only by half awake grunt s. When breakfast was finished, in less t han t en m inut es, t he crew lined up again t o drop t heir bowls int o a pot of boiling, frot hing wat er out side t he galley. A few m inut es at t ending t o personal hygiene ( t his was a clean ship, wit h a clean crew, for which I was grat eful) and t hey all gat hered on t he upper deck t o receive t he capt ain's words, inaugurat ing t he voyage. Capt ain Keyser- Bach st ood on t he puppis, looking down on t he crew wit h bright eyes. He st epped t o t he rail, sm iling confident ly, and his hands gripped t he sm oot hly t urned xyla. “ Today we begin our j ourney t o t he ext rem it ies of t his world, and t o underst and t he life upon it . We bow, all of us, t o Jidderm eyer, and t o Baker and Shulago, but we will not repeat t heir m ist akes. We add also years m ore experience on t he seas, a bet t er ship, and I am cert ain, a bet t er crew.” He spread his feet wide, balancing from one t o t he ot her, clasped his hands, and bowed his head. The crew did likewise. “ We set our fait h in t he lines drawn by St ar and Fat e, t hat all of our worlds here conj oin t o m ake one rope, each st rand a m an or wom an, all pulling in unison for t he j oy of life well- lived. I n 193
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t he nam e of St ar, Fat e, and Breat h, illum inat ed by Logos, inspired by t he exam ple of t he Good Man, we will not fail in our dut ies, t hough t he seas roar and m ount ains shoot flam e.” He added, in a voice barely audible, “ And t hough our own kindred set against us.” Wit h a shrug of his shoulder, t hree fingers rubbing his chin vigorously, he t urned t o Randall and said, “ Set our slat es for ship's t im e. We depart in fift een m inut es.” The occasional puffs of breeze had finally com e t o t he harbor in great er st rengt h, unit ed as a west erly blowing st eady at five t o seven knot s. On t he sea, dist ance and speed here as on Eart h were m easured in naut ical m iles and knot s, or naut ical m iles per hour. For Lam arckia, wit h it s radius of 5931 kilom et ers, a naut ical m ile cam e t o about 1725 m et ers. I t ook t o t he shrouds of t he fore and m ain t rees wit h t he least senior apprent ices—t hose who had been aboard t he ship a m ont h or less, six in all—and t wo j unior A.B.s. My group of four set t he fore course. Ot hers unfurled t he m ain course and m ain lower t opsail. We t hen set t he upper t opsails and lower t opgallant s, and t hree of us—m yself included—descended t o t he deck and forward t o bend and raise t he out er and inner bellies. Wit h t he breeze blowing across t he beam — perpendicular t o t he ship—t he capt ain and m at e skillfully ordered us here and t here, pulling on t his halyard and t hat , and t he ship began t o work about , pushing from t he dock in gradual zigs and zags. On t he dock, wives, children, fam ily, and friends—a fair crowd of about t wo hundred—sat waving hands or hat s or handkerchiefs, again in som ber dignit y, wit h few cheers. 194
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However m om ent ous t his occasion, however m onum ent al t he im port of t his expedit ion, t he cit izens of Calcut t a did not reveal t heir em ot ions. I rem em bered wedding or funeral gat herings on Thist ledown am ong ort hodox Naderit es—em ot ion aplent y locked in each breast ; but a st rong, dedicat ed face t o t he world. That rest raint had always m ade m e uneasy. As a youngst er, dream ing of glory and challenges, I had always wished for a m ore appreciat ive farewell from fam ily and friends. The Vigilant sailed wit h dream like sm oot hness t oward t he m iddle of t he river. Bot h port and st arboard wat ches were busy on t he deck and in t he rigging. The capt ain st ood at t he bow wit h one foot on t he bowsprit , inspect ing every m et er of t he wat er ahead. I scram bled high up t he rat lines, m uscles aching, t o adj ust a j am m ed block. For a brief m om ent , I looked across t he river and silva from a t op, hands aching, t oes and inst eps of m y feet feeling as if t hey had been broken. Then as quickly back down; on deck, dizzy wit h t he height , I pulled on halyards wit h m y t eam t o raise t he christ ian on t he m izzen and secured t hem t o belaying pins. Then we all scram bled aloft again. The wat ers spread wide in t he delt a, flowing around dozens of sandy black islands. Beaches sparkled like diam onds against velvet in shaft s of light breaking t hrough t he t hick clouds. Avoiding darker shift ing shallows and gnarls of rivervine required m ore deft m aneuvering. 195
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Aft er an hour, we saw lines of breakers fight ing t hrough t hick t angles of vine, an open channel fort y m et ers deep and a hundred wide, and beyond t hat , blue- gray and finally slat e gray, t he Darwin Sea. As we crossed t o brackish and finally ocean wat er, t he air t ook on a sharp t ang. Capt ain Keyser- Bach rem ained on t he bow, t hin nose point ing due west . The breeze had st iffened t o t welve knot s and we were m oving very briskly. “ Short en sail, Mr. Randall,” he inst ruct ed. “ Take t he m ain courses up t wo point s, t he fore t opgallant s t wo point s, and let 's loose and st ow t he windscrews for t he t im e being. St eer her nort heast by east unt il we cross t he St icks. Then due east .” Hanging on t o a yard, helping five ot her seam en lift and t ie t he point s on t he fore t ree's upper t opgallant , I felt t he t ouch of a new kind of wind and air, and m y skin prickled. The m ix of m inerals in t hese wat ers was not t he sam e as in Eart h's seas, not fam iliar t o m y blood; less sodium salt , m ore pot assium , m ore dissolved silicat es and carbon dioxide and oxygen. Yet despit e t he const ant faint hiss of oxygen bubbles in t he wat er, like a gassy soda, t his was undeniably an ocean. Lat er, as t he wind st rengt hened even m ore, t he capt ain am ended, “ Take in all but m ain and lower t opsails. Once we're out in open sea we'll set for our best speed, and keep well away from shore.” “ Yes, sir,” Randall responded, and called t he apprent ices out again. Twent y m iles and t wo and a half- hours out of t he delt a, t he foam of oxygen bubbles subsided. Surrounding Lam arckia's cont inent s, and in m any huge pat ches t hroughout 196
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t he oceans, m icroscopic scions of pelagic ecoi dissociat ed seawat er int o hydrogen and oxygen. Reducing m et abolism s had been chosen here, very early in life's hist ory, as on Eart h—t he rout es and processes were subst ant ially different , however. Ahead, spread across our course like t hick st raight fingers, five t all dirt y- brown t owers st uck up from t he sea, each over a hundred m et ers high. Huge purple and red “ sails” ballooned out from t he t ops of t he t owers, light - absorbing t issues each perhaps a hect are in area. From where I caught a few m om ent 's rest on a t op, I saw t he t owers were shot t hrough wit h m an- high t unnels. “ The St icks. Bunyan's walking st icks,” A.B. Shankara said, clinging t o t he m ast . “ From zone five. The capt ain will t hread t hem for luck, t hen we'll head east .” The ship slipped bet ween t he sout hernm ost t wo giant s. We wat ched t he waves swell and beat against t heir im m ense bases, sucking and boom ing t hrough t he worm - hole t unnels. Bulbous black shapes t he size of cow's heads poked from som e of t he narrower t unnels, sport ing t hree rows of eyes gleam ing in t he lat e- aft ernoon light as t he sun flashed beneat h a t hickening deck of clouds. Shankara had som et hing t o say about t hem , t oo. “ Sirens,” he shout ed over t he flapping of t he sails and hum of wind, as we hung from a yard, t ying reef point s. “ They wat ch all t he t im e, everyt hing. They wat ch our ships com e and go. Spies for t heir zone. Their bodies...”
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I held m y breat h against a sudden whoop of wind t hat sang t hrough t he braces and forced t he sails aback, nearly knocking our boot s loose from t he foot ropes. “ They t wist all t hrough t he insides, like worm s,” he cont inued. “ That 's what I 'm t old. I 've never explored t he holes.” “ You t hink t hey're int elligent ?” I yelled back at him . “ Hell, no! ” Shankara said. “ They j ust wat ch. Who knows what t hey see?” “ Work, don't flark! ” t he m at e shout ed from below. A hundred m iles out of Calcut t a, t he west erly picked up again, blowing at fift een and t hen t went y knot s, driving st rong seas beneat h night sky covered wit h a ceiling of black clouds. We rigged for a st eady blow. The dinner was cold for t he fift h wat ch—Leo Frey decided not t o risk cooking fires in such a wind or drain t he bat t eries wit h hot plat es. Seven of t he st arboard wat ch and I descended t o t he m ess as our wat ch ended, sit t ing t o eat wit h st iff fingers our plat es of freechunk and fruit , heads drooping in abj ect exhaust ion. Wit h t he windscrews st owed, and t he ship on backup bat t eries, t he elect ric light s glowed fit fully and in alt ernat ion, first t hree on one side, t hen t hree on t he ot her, as if t rading dut y. They cast long alt ernat ing flickers of brown shadow around us while we t ried t o eat . Wit h sails properly rigged, a st orm wat ch was called, and t he rest of t he crew ret ired t o t ake t heir dinner as well. Randall st ood at a podium forward of t he t ables and rang a sm all bell. Heavy heads rose, m out hs doggedly chewing, and Randall announced t hat t he capt ain wished t o give a short 198
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lect ure. The capt ain t ook t he podium , grabbing it wit h bot h hands as a swell lift ed and t hen dropped t he ship. “ Each night ,” he began, “ I hope t o cont inue our educat ion on t he goals of t his j ourney, t o discuss t he nat ure of t he ecoi and t heir benefit s and pot ent ial dangers...” Many of t he newer m em bers of t he crew—m yself included—did not yet have t heir sea legs, or rat her, t heir sea lungs. I t t ook som e t im e t o get used t o t he com binat ion of t he ship's m ot ion and t he invigorat ing but init ially upset t ing sm ell of Lam arckia's sea spray. One by one, cold past e heavy on our st om achs, but perhaps not heavy enough, t he newer sailors begged t he capt ain's pardon and ret reat ed, eit her t o go t opside or t o t he heads, t wo fore and one aft . I count ed six desert ions as t he ship pit ched and rolled. My own st om ach felt none t oo calm as t he seas becam e rougher. The air was beginning t o sm ell peculiar, like an old orange. “ Yes,” t he capt ain said, wat ching his audience decline. Then, “ Yes,” again, and finally he gave it up, post poning t he t alk unt il t he m orning. “ He's a good capt ain, really,” said Algis Bas Shim chisko. “ The best on Lam arckia, I bet . A t rue seam an.” Miszt a I bert went for a second helping of past e and brought it back, grinning as if he'd won a prize. “ He's a very good capt ain,” young I bert agreed, forking t he past e hungrily. “ Just ent husiast ic, and who's t o j udge against t hat ?” I wat ched him eat and felt m y insides quiver. “ Hooo,” said Shim chisko. “ Lost a few t his evening, haven't we, Mish?” “ A few,” I bert said. “ No m ore t han I expect ed.” 199
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“ They'll get right aft er t om orrow. I t 's t he sea,” Shim chisko explained. “ Som et im es when even a good sailor spends som e t im e ashore, t he sm ell of t he sea, t he broad foam ing sea, get s t hem .” “ You all right ?” I bert asked m e. “ Never bet t er,” I said. I refused t o go t opside. Once m y body had been equipped t o handle alm ost any em ergency, any illness, any unease. I was t ruly on m y own now, t his naked and nat ural body as unfam iliar as som ebody else's, a com plet e st ranger's, m ight have been. The days passed in a way I had never experienced before. Tim e t ook on a new qualit y. The ship becam e a world unt o it self; I had difficult y im agining anyt hing else, especially during wat ches, when one assigned t ask succeeded anot her in dizzying succession. St eady, exhaust ing work, day and night , clut ching rat lines or hanging ont o yards during driving rain st orm s and rugged seas, wat ching foam - ribboned billows as high as t he courses on each side ... Flat calm s when Vigilant drift ed m ot ionless or slid ahead slowly on a single screw driven by her reserve bat t eries. Up t he shrouds, int o t he t ops and out on t he yards, reefing or furling, set t ing broom s t o t ake advant age of running downwind, bending new sails when t he old needed repair, m anning t he winches when t he elect ric m ot ors failed ( as t hey did m ore oft en t han not ) . Greasing t he t rees, t he lowest and t hickest t rees consist ing of t hree st raight legs of a cat hedral t ree st rapped t oget her wit h t hick iron bands; pulling m at fiber st rands from great wads of j unk and spinning t hem int o t wine; drawing t he st anding rigging t aut as it st ret ched wit h use. Rubbing down 200
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t he rippled pat t erns on t he xyla deck wit h pum ice holyst ones, raising a faint scent of cloves and garlic; perform ing t he daily ablut ion of all deck surfaces... Only as I rolled int o m y bunk, lost in an alm ost spirit ual st at e of physical exhaust ion, did I t hink of any prior life, of im m ense cham bers wit hin an ast eroid and t he dream like infinit y of t he Way. None of t hat seem ed real. And yet I st ill did not feel firm ly est ablished on Lam arckia. I t seem ed anyone around m e—wise old Shankara, nonchalant I bert , clownish Kissbegh and Ridj el, cynical but int elligent Shim chisko, round- faced Shirla—could t ell j ust by looking at m e t hat I wasn't real. Only t he sensual det ails, m inut e by m inut e, gave m y self a solidit y m em ory could not corroborat e: t he invigorat ing sm ell of charged air as we sailed t he edge of a brewing st orm ; t owering cum ulus clouds swelling int o m assive anvils over t he flat sandy prairies and set back m esas of t he Sum ner Coast , t he crim sons and siennas of vivid sunset s over t he st ern. Under t he chafing of ropes and wires, t he press of capst an spokes, t he palm ing of m arlinspike, m y hands becam e a m aze of cut s, scrat ches, and bruises, unt il t hey seem ed lit t le m ore t han bloody claws; what would have healed in m inut es or hours on Thist ledown, now t ook days. St ill, t hey t oughened, and I no longer flinched from act ions t hat , in m y inexperience of days before, m ight have caused m e painful inj ury. I dodged, grappled, hung, pulled, shift ed, learned when t o groan and when t o swear. The sun burned bright m ost days and I t anned t o pale chocolat e. The skin on m y arm s flaked and peeled, and I 201
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followed t he exam ple of t he experienced A.B.s and sm eared m y cheeks and arm s wit h t hick, m ilky lizboo sap scooped from ceram ic j ugs. To cut t he glare, I sm eared m y lower eyelids wit h blackrouge—t he fine powder t hat fell from all arborid scions in Liz's silva. My hair dried t o a st iff wiry brush, crust ed bet ween infrequent fresh- wat er rinses wit h a residue of salt spray. I bert loaned m e a pocket m irror. I did not recognize m yself: whit e eyes underscored by blackrouge, dark- skinned, brushy- haired. A pirat e. I had not spoken m uch wit h Randall since being assigned t o m y bert h. Aft er dinner, when weat her perm it t ed, t he capt ain t old us m ore about Jidderm eyer and Baker and Shulago's visit t o Mart ha's I sland. Mart ha's I sland differed great ly from m ost of Elizabet h's Land. Volcanic, isolat ed from ot her landm asses by a t housand m iles of ocean, a t hriving ecos at t he cent er of a st erile sea, it was a perfect sit e for Keyser- Bach's science. Lit t le was known about m ost of t he island; and over a decade had passed since Baker and Shulago's j ourney. Few ships crossed now bet ween Hsia and Elizabet h or Tasm an; none had passed Mart ha's I sland since t he visit by Baker and Shulago. “ We are engaged in prim ary science,” t he capt ain ent hused, st anding before t he lect ure board, raising and fast ening his sheet s of illust rat ions from Shulago's art ist s, reproduct ions of phot ographs from Baker's cam eras. I exam ined t he phot ographs of Mart ha's scions, and Shulago's drawings, wit h a growing bewilderm ent . Snakes 202
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wit hout m out hs, arborids t hat picked up t heir root s every few days and slunk across t he rugged landscape like im m ense slugs; ent ire silvas m igrat ing from one side of t he island t o t he ot her in a few days’ t im e. Hard- carapaced guardians rolling on dozens of t ough calcareous wheels propelled by vigorous t iny cilia, searching t he beaches for int ruders, “ sniffing up” hum ans but paying t hem lit t le at t ent ion... Who could ever m ake sense of such diversit y? The capt ain som et im es expressed his ideas of ecos organizat ion, of hierarchies, but was reluct ant t o explain in det ail. “ All t ent at ive,” Keyser- Bach said at t he end of one lect ure, answering quest ions from t he researchers and crew. “ We know som e t hings ... but not nearly enough.” And behind it all, t he unproven t heory of cent ral queens or seed- m ot hers, perhaps reflect ing hum an needs for answers m ore t han any realit y. Aft er a few days, I relaxed com plet ely and let t he process of m y absorpt ion int o t he crew becom e com plet e. I quickly learned respect for nearly everybody on board, and for t he ship it self, which I had underest im at ed. I t gave us few problem s at sea, or no m ore t han any ship m ade of inadequat e and prim it ive m at erials. Only Shat ro, t he researcher, cont inued t o leave m e unim pressed. Bulky, wit h large but soft m uscles, short er t han m e, wit h a boyish face on a wide head, he was prone t o worries and ent husiasm s, suspicions and confidences, in equal m easure. He seldom spoke t o m e, but I could never t ell whet her he would t reat m e wit h suspicion or say som et hing light and cheerful. He never said anyt hing of m uch consequence, eit her way. He had a 203
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habit of st at ing t he obvious and t hen being em barrassed about it . I could not yet j udge his scient ific abilit y. While at sea, t he crew followed t he first m at e's rules about sex scrupulously, but flirt ing was ram pant , and som e couples were beginning t o pair off in ways t hat m ight as well have involved sex. Men t ook on wom en's t asks, and wom en conferred groom ing favors: cut t ing hair, t ending t o slight wounds. Som e m en act ually hid t heir cut s and cont usions from Shat ro, who act ed as ship's doct or, and revealed t hem t o sym pat het ic fem ale friends in privacy. I learned quickly t hat m any of t he wom en had brought aboard special bags or sm all t runks cont aining m edicines and sweet or pickled t reat s, which t hey doled out t o t he m en t hey favored. Shirla Ap Nam , t he round- faced A.B., reserved m ost of her at t ent ions for m e, and it would have been out of charact er, not t o say rude, for m e t o decline. I n t im e, I decided t o relax about t hese m at t ers as well. I was young, m y body was in com m and of it s own react ions and not buffered by im plant s. The flow of t im e com plem ent ed t he flow of m y horm ones, and I realized, wit h som e surprise, t hat socializing was a bodily funct ion, regulat ed by deep inst inct s. Aboard Thist ledown, m ost of us—and nearly all in t he Geshel com m unit ies—had acquired so m any layers of conscious cont rol and supplem ent al int ervent ion t hat it seem ed, from m y new perspect ive, we m ight have lost sight of our t rue anim al nat ures. And t hat , of course, had been t he point . We had risen above our inst inct s and t he rough grind of 204
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hist ory; we had given hum an societ y a new and sm oot her charact er. The im m igrant s had bot h t he best and t he worst of t heir own unenhanced nat ures. At first I found Shirla at t ract ive, but not deeply so. I would as soon have had t he at t ent ions of one or t wo of t he ot her wom en, but did not encourage t hem . Shirla was pleasant , however, and her conversat ion int erest ing enough. She did not seem t o t ake our flirt at ion wit h deep seriousness, so we avoided privat e adm onishm ent s from Talya Ry Diem , who regarded it as her dut y t o keep t he younger wom en from being hurt , as apparent ly she had been years before, by shipboard t ryst s, even unconsum m at ed ones. For t he ship was sm all enough ( and t he m at e rat - nosed enough) t hat sneaking off in privacy for anyt hing m ore was alm ost im possible. Randall and t he first m at e oft en deferred m ale- fem ale disciplinary problem s t o Ry Diem . And part ly t hrough her vigilance, t he m at e did not have t o follow t hrough on his m ut t ered t hreat s t o put various over- dem onst rat ive couples int o com part m ent s in t he bilge. To m y surprise, Ry Diem t ook Kissbegh and Ridj el direct ly in hand. Sot erio was glad t o leave t he t wo problem children t o her half- t ender m ercies. Ry Diem , Sonia Chung, Seim a Ap Monash, and t he ot her wom en A.B.s gave t he crew it s final social st ruct ure—t hat of an ext ended fam ily, wit h Ry Diem as surrogat e m ot her and finally, Shankara and Meissner as surrogat e fat hers. The capt ain becam e a t ough t askm ast er, com binat ion peculiar god and professor, and m ore t han once 205
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did I hear Ry Diem t hreat en Kissbegh wit h a t ree hearing— being called up before Keyser- Bach for what ever infract ions had m ost recent ly occurred. Kissbegh always relent ed. We t raveled for t hree days in t he sea- chopping west erly, t hen t urned sout h sout h- east , com ing wit hin a m ile of t he east ern Sum ner Coast , t hough st ill sailing in deep wat er. So lit t le of t he coast had been explored or nam ed, t hat a t housand m iles of it , filled wit h shallow bays and backed by desert s and hills, carried only one designat ion: Sum ner, aft er Lenk's second econom ist , Abba Sum ner, who had also laid out Calcut t a. The current s flowed dark and rich beneat h t he Vigilant , and in what lit t le t im e I had t o spare, I st ood by t he rail peering int o t he clear wat er. Keyser- Bach had finally got t en t he crew used t o a night ly round of lect ures, and m ost recent ly we had discussed zone five pelagic scions. I saw t hem swim m ing close t o t he surface: m assive piscids called eggplant sharks, t en t o fift een m et ers long, deep purple- blue wit h whit e spot s, t hick- bodied and t rilat erally sym m et ric, wit h blunt m out hless noses and lines of knife- shaped bony fins sweeping from nose t o screw- like t ails. They spun slowly in t he wat er as t hey glided beneat h t he Vigilant . We also saw bowfish like gigant ic t ied ribbons float ing on a gift - wrapped sea, long red st ream ers t railing from t heir winglike fins fift een or t went y m et ers behind. Tangled m asses of arm - t hick vine seem ed subst ant ial as rope, yet part ed like soapsuds as t he ship passed t hrough t hem , and regrouped in our wake. A st orm inland had broken loose balloon- t rees, close relat ives of lizboo, according t o Randall; on t he t hird day, t he 206
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gas- bag of one float ed off t he st arboard beam , t wist ing slowly, rum pled and half deflat ed, in t he current s. As I wat ched, coiling ropes and splicing a broken line wit h a m arlinspike, piscids t he size and rough shape of harbor seals but black and silver in color t ore at t he balloon vigorously wit h ext ernal fangs, called t horn- t eet h by t he capt ain, t hen sucked t he shredded fragm ent s int o orifices along t heir sides. Get t ing a closer look at one near t he ship, I saw no head or m out h as such, only broad paddle- shaped fins wit h sharp whit e claws, and in a line on each side, t he lit t le m out hlike openings wit h sky- blue int erior t issues revealed. They swam swift ly bot h backward and forward wit h rapid swishes, reversing t heir fins. Som e, Shim chisko and I bert am ong t hem , believed t he cucum ber sharks and ot her large piscids would eat anyt hing t ossed int o t he wat er. Shankara believed t hey act ed m ore as clean- up crews, and did not act ually digest t he fragm ent s t hey swallowed, but carried t hem t o special st at ions where t hey were processed. According t o t he capt ain, predat ion bet ween ecoi was rare bet ween Elizabet h's Land and Pet ain, or at least quit e form alized. “ They wat ch, t hey spy const ant ly, sending t hieves or sam plers, usually in t he air but also underground, or skim m ing across t he river or ocean. Bet ween zones, t he boundaries are clearly m arked, but on rare occasion, part ies of m obile scions will cross in a t ight herd, grab what t hey can of arborids or phyt ids, and ret urn ... We do not know why. Perhaps t he zones need t o challenge each ot her. Perhaps it is a kind of sport ...” 207
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Shirla equat ed it wit h love bit es, but I could not t ell if she was serious.
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6 As evening approached and m y wat ch ended, wit h t he day's work done and t he ship rigged t o slice on a beam reach across t he st rengt hening nort herlies, I leaned on t he st arboard rail am idships and st udied t he shore from our dist ance of five naut ical m iles. The high cliffs of t his part of t he east ern Sum ner coast were split wit h deep U- shaped grooves t hat spilled boulder- st rewn floors int o t he sea, t hen t hrust sinuously inland. I j udged glaciers had once cut t hese grooves. A scat t ering of rangy short arborids covered t he m esas and plains, and bet ween t hem , a velvet y, pat chy carpet of blue and brown phyt ids spread in gent le m ounds like fuzz on a rot t ing peach. The sun had reached it s vernal zenit h four hours before and now fled st eadily west ward, gent ly warm ing m y face and hands, bright ening t he cloudless skies t o a chalky enam el blue, alm ost whit e above Elizabet h's Land. The air sm elled round and sweet , unlike any air I had ever breat hed before, and t he ocean sang it s liquid rhyt hm s against t he hull, a m et ronom ic slap of waves and hissing t rill of swirling wat ers. Our wake fell ast ern in st eady whit e sm eared curves wit h a shiny roiling sm oot hness bet ween, vanishing when t he ship had advanced a few m iles. Randall st rolled beside m e and leaned on t he rail, in a m ood t o t alk. “ We've been at sea a week,” he said. “ The m at e and I have kept our eyes on you.” I nodded, unsure what t o say. 209
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“ You t old m e you'd cat ch on fast , and you have. I 'd swear you've sailed before.” “ I 've dream ed of sailing all m y life,” I said. “ You're t he best apprent ice on board, bet t er t han Shim chisko, even, and he's a decent fellow, t hough he does have a sharp t ongue. You could go for your A.B. rat e in short order if you want ed. I also not ice you at t end t he capt ain's lect ures no m at t er how t ired you are.” “ They're fascinat ing.” “ Yes, well, he's a fine capt ain, but m aybe t he best scient ist on La- m arckia ... Or a close t ie wit h Mansur Salap. We've t raveled Tasm an and Elizabet h and t he Kupe I slands t oget her for t en years now, at sea and ashore.” He let silence sit bet ween us for several m inut es, t he sweet wind providing enough dist ract ion. “ I t 's your face t hat int erest s m e, Ser Olm y. The apprent ices, t he A.B.s, t hey're fam iliar faces t o m e. I know t heir t ypes. I have t o j udge people, and I t hink I 'm good at it , but I cannot by face or Breat h or Fat e j udge you.” He looked at m e direct ly, elbows on t he rail, hands clasped. “ I swear you're older t han you look and know m ore t han you say.” I raised m y eyebrows t o acknowledge t hese unwant ed observat ions. First Larisa, t hen Thom as, now Randall. I seem ed part icularly t ransparent t o t hese people. “ How do you feel you fit in wit h t he crew?” he asked. “ Sir?” “ You don't scuffle, you don't argue, and you cert ainly don't aspire t o a sailor's t op bunk. You're calm and hum ble, Ser Olm y.” 210
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“ Thank you, sir,” I said. “ I 've m ade friends and t aken advice. List ening m akes m e popular, I suppose.” He laughed. “ But you're hiding som et hing.” “ Sir?” “ I suppose having your fam ily proscribed does som et hing t o your spirit . Two years in t he heart of Liz. Wit ness t o at rocit y.” He shook his head, t hen clucked his t ongue in sym pat hy. “ No easy way t o ret urn t o t he bosom of societ y. What I 'm com ing round t o, Ser Olm y, is t hat when we put int o Jakart a and Wallace St at ion and pick up Mansur Salap and our researchers, t here will be a lot of work t hat requires m ore t han a sailor's skills. We are short of t rainable assist ant s, wit h sharp eyes and sharp m inds. From t he m om ent we picked up t he children above Calcut t a, you've im pressed m e. I 'll wat ch you t he next few days—don't let it m ake you nervous—and aft er we pass t hrough Jakart a, I 'll consider suggest ing t hat you becom e an assist ant t o t he researchers. I t hink we underst and each ot her.” He nodded as if greet ing t he coast and said, “ I love t his st ret ch. So different from t he silva around Calcut t a.” As t he st arboard wat ch ended, Shirla and Talya Ry Diem called t oget her a circle of apprent ices and A.B.s. Shirla t ook m y elbow and pulled m e int o t he circle, and Meissner brought out t wo long st ringed inst rum ent s, each wit h t wo parallel rows of four st rings suspended above t wo adj acent resonat ing hem ispheres m ade from dried phyt id fruit . These were kim bors, developed by t he im m igrant s in t he first few years aft er t he Crossing. Meissner handed one t o Ry Diem and began t o t une one him self. Ry Diem hum m ed and sang a 211
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sequence of clear not es on a pent at onic scale, and all around t he circle, ot hers j oined in, t uning t hem selves t o t he inst rum ent s and Ry Diem . Their voices seem ed t o cut t hrough t he wind. Shirla put a xyla shoe on one bare foot , t ook Ry Diem 's kim bor, set up a st eady beat on t he deck wit h t he t oe of t he shoe, and t hum bed t he lower bole wit h her fingers. I m m ediat ely t he crew in t he circle began a high, singing chant . Meissner provided a boom ing bass line, sounding like a t alent ed bullfrog. Shim chisko st ood wit h hands out st ret ched and began a falset t o vocal. The hair on m y neck st ood up; I 'd never heard anyt hing like t his. I t sounded prim eval, but very com plex. I had no idea t he Lam arckian im m igrant s had developed such a different st yle of m usic. Shim chisko sang a list of nam es, st art ing wit h t he people in t he circle, t hen growing m ore and m ore exot ic, unt il t hey becam e nonsense words. Ot hers picked up wit h words t hat pleased t hem , and soon t welve voices wove in and out around each ot her, unt il t he whole becam e far t oo com plicat ed. The song collapsed in laught er, and Shirla t hum ped t he deck rapidly five t im es wit h her shoe. Next cam e a quiet ballad, sung by Shirla and Meissner, in clear words describing t he sweet rom ance bet ween a young lad and t he personified Queen of Elizabet h's Zone. This was an old song, apparent ly, and it s sent im ent st ruck Shim chisko and several ot hers deeply. Meissner's eyes filled wit h t ears as Shirla described t he inevit able end of t he queen's love, and t he suicide of t he boy, who leaped from a cliff int o t he dept hs of an unknown silva. 212
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The singing went on for t wo hours, punct uat ed by sips from a j ug of m at fiber beer. Randall j oined in t oward t he last , singing a song his m ot her had t aught him , about children nam ing t he scions t hey m et in a newly set t led silva. His voice was gravelly but well- m odulat ed; t hey all sang well. The evening ended wit h Leo Frey serving sm all sweet cakes. Keyser- Bach cam e down from t he puppis, and Gusm ao—t he reclusive carpent er—j oined us also, which brought a t oast from Sot erio t o t he craft rat es. A.B.s t oast ed t he capt ain and m ast er, and Randall offered a t oast t o t he apprent ices, “ Just growing in t he ways of Lam arckia's seas.” Kissbegh in t urned t oast ed Talya Ry Diem , “ Who cracked m y head early, and gives t his ship spirit ! ” Ry Diem act ually blushed. The st ars cam e out from behind t hin clouds. Head filled wit h t he m usic, I rolled int o m y bunk. The ship sailed around a barren, wind- whipped prom ont ory called Cape Sadness. Five ships had been wrecked t here, I heard from Shim chisko. The capt ain surveyed t he cape wit h a t elescope, looking for scion act ivit y. The winds and sea were favorable t his day, and we rounded t he cape wit hout incident . Fift y m iles sout h of Cape Sadness, wit h Jakart a only a hundred m iles away, t he capt ain cam e on deck, swearing and waving t he ship's slat e. “ We're warned off! ” he cried out t o Randall and t he m at e. “ I 've j ust spoken t o t he disciplinary and t he port rank. They say t hey've spot t ed raiding part ies off t he Magellan shore. They say t he part ies are looking t o com e in by night and fire t he t own, and t hey'll t ake any ship t hey find at sea. They're refusing all ships for t he next few days ... 213
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j ust in case t he t own com es under siege. Dam n t hem all ... t hat 's j ust not pure! ” I list ened from t he m izzen t op. The t rio conferred, j oined by t he sailm aker, Meissner, and t he senior A.B.s. I was dist ract ed by a silver sparkle t o st arboard: pt erids, glit t ering scions shaped like boom erangs and t railing long fringes, swooped and flapped over t he blue foam - st reaked waves, dipping t heir wings and fringes in t he wat er, flipping, m iraculously recovering t heir flight , zipping on t o t he next wave. “ We can sail on t o Wallace St at ion,” Randall suggest ed, but t he capt ain was not willing t o set t le for t hat . “ We have supplies and t wo m ore researchers wait ing for us,” he said. “ I 'll be dam ned if I 'll let a bunch of flip- chipping bureaucrat s keep us out of port ! ” He clapped his hands t oget her, face red and eyes reduced t o angry slit s. Then, as if wit h a passing st orm , t he capt ain's face cleared. He forcibly put his hands at his sides and said, “ Even so, I 'd hat e t o run int o one of Beys's ships at t his st age—or any st age.” His pacing grew m ore purposeful, energet ic; he nodded, t hen grinned. “ Yes, yesss,” he said. The m en t alked in lower voices, heads t oget her, t hen ret ired t o t he puppis and below t o t he capt ain's quart ers. The m at e, Sot erio, cam e on deck t o t ake t he m ast er's place and st ared at t he apprent ices and j unior A.B.s wit h a dour eye. I and t hree apprent ices descended t he rat lines and st ood on deck, await ing furt her orders. “ You know what t hat m eans, don't you?” I bert cried out , slinging a rope end sharply at t he deck. 214
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Shirla slapped t he young apprent ice soundly on one arm and t old him t o keep his voice down. “ We signed on for years at sea,” she said. “ Don't ache for a last day or t wo on land.” “ Not t hat at all,” I bert grum bled, shouldering a coil of m at fiber rope. “ What , t hen?” Shirla asked. “ The best dam ned t heat er on Lam arckia,” I bert said, st alking off. “ And now I 'll never see it .” Shim chisko slung his leg over a spare yard. “ I bert loves t he t heat er,” he said. “ Live t heat er. Jakart a's fam ous for it .” “ I know t hat ,” Shirla said, face screwed in irrit at ion. “ Such infant s.” The m ast er em erged and conferred wit h t he m at e. “ Closehaul! ” Sot erio shout ed. “ We'll anchor in t he redwat er at Sloveny Caldera.” “ Capt ain's going t o wait t hem out ,” Shim chisko said wit h som e sat isfact ion. “ Myself, I don't see why t he t owns are so aquiver.” “ You haven't been in a t own t hat 's been raided,” Kissbegh said. “ Have you?” Shim chisko asked, rushing for t he shrouds at t he m ast er's second bellow. “ No,” Kissbegh said. “ But I hear Ser Olm y has...” I j oined t he apprent ices aloft . “ Redwat er,” m oaned Shim chisko, hanging from t he fut t ock shrouds upside down beneat h t he t op. “ Sm ells like a sewer in redwat er.” The ship sailed wit h t he wind on t he port quart er. We swift ly rounded a sea- j ut t ing m ount ain covered wit h layered 215
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st ripes of purple and red, as if paint ed wit h cont ours from an old t opological m ap. The m ount ain, visible at sea for fift y m iles, was cleft on it s sout hwest ern flank by an im m ense crat er t hat seem ed filled wit h t hick, slowly waving hair; clouds st ream ed from t he high, j agged rim of t he crat er. I did not have t im e t o exam ine t his sight in det ail. The capt ain was on deck again, French t he navigat or by his side, st eering t he ship t hrough narrow alleys bet ween wave- sm ashed vine reefs. The sea swirled and sucked alarm ingly j ust a few dozen m et ers from where t he ship passed. Vines t hrust above t he waves and spread broad fans and bright red pet als t went y or t hirt y m et ers wide, like enorm ous wat er lilies. The crew called t hem “ cast le flowers.” “ I f we wreck ourselves, swim for t he cast le flowers. There's fresh wat er in t heir insides,” Shankara called out across t he deck as we leaned int o halyards. “ There'll be no wrecking of t his ship,” Sot erio grum bled, but he st ared overside nervously. We cleared t he vine reefs. The port wat ch rushed around t he deck under t he barking orders of t he m at e. The st eady wind was finally fading int o burst s of light breeze, leaving calm wat er. A sour scent began t o fill t he air; even t he cat 'spaws couldn't clear it . The wat er alongside seem ed quiet er, less effervescent . We half drift ed, half sailed int o t he m ount ain's aft ernoon shadow. Wit h som e respit e from hauling on t he braces, I gulped great lungfuls of t he light ly t aint ed air. “ Get it while you can,” t he m ast er advised from t he puppis. “ I t 's going t o st ink like a sour past e pot .” 216
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I t soon becam e obvious t hat t he m ount ain was m erely a lit t le sist er, a parasit e on t he flanks of t he m assive Sloveny Caldera. The caldera sat a kilom et er lower t han t he m ount ain but spread over eight kilom et ers in diam et er. I t s east ern flank had collapsed cent uries ago and ocean had rushed in. We passed under t he clouds st ream ing from t he higher, sm aller sist er, Mount Pascal, and t he sea t ook a purple t inge in t he shadow. The fart her we drift ed int o t he out lines of t he bowl, t he redder t he wat er becam e, and t he st ronger t he sm ell of hydrogen sulfide, unt il I spot t ed a solid m ass of what looked like flam e lying ahead, filling t he west ern curve of t he nat ural harbor. The air did indeed st ink now, and flakes of red bobbed in t he waves like lost chips of paint . Wit h t he sloping west ern wall of t he caldera less t han a hundred m et ers off, Vigilant set a sea anchor; t he dept h here was at least t hree hundred m et ers. I helped t he crew furl sails, t hen all scram bled down t o t he deck at t he m at e's orders and st ood in rows on t he m ain deck. The capt ain and Randall cam e aft and st ood before t he crew. Shat ro j oined t hem . Randall st epped forward. “ I 'll need t welve hands for a shore part y. The capt ain proposes t o go ashore and m ake observat ions, put our t im e t o pract ical use unt il we can get in t o Jakart a. I doubt any ot her ships will follow us here—it 's not easy t o get in or out , and it sm ells bad. The capt ain's been here before, as have I ; t he dangers are m inim al, so long as we exercise caut ion. Ser Shat ro and I , of course, will go. Volunt eers?” I raised m y hand. I bert scowled at m e from one side. “ I t is a m ost unpleasant region,” Shim chisko whispered from t he 217
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opposit e side. Shirla, t hree places down in t he sam e line, volunt eered as well, and Shankara. Grim acing at m e out of t he sight of t he m ast er and t he capt ain, Shim - chisko st epped forward, followed quickly by I bert . I n a few seconds, t he capt ain had his list . Kissbegh and Ridj el seem ed relieved. The t wo boat s pulled t hrough t he red- speckled and odoriferous wat ers wit h all but t he capt ain, Randall, and Shat ro t aking t urns at t he oars. Bet ween st rokes of m y oar, I saw t he red flakes as m ore t han j ust pat ches of pigm ent . They float ed at op t he waves wit h t he insouciance of j elly fish—but t hese blood- colored scions were flat , fringed wit h t iny cilia t hat som ehow st eadied t hem and separat ed t hem from t heir fellows. The capt ain direct ed us t o a defile opened in t he west ern wall t housands of years ago, t hrough which a t hin t rickle of wat er now flowed, leaving a whit e and yellow m ark on t he black and brown rock. The boat s were secured t o out cropping rocks near a rugged, sm all, rock- st rewn beach, and all but t he t wo who were left behind t o guard—Shim chisko and I bert —waded ashore. The sea wat er here felt rough bet ween m y fingers and curled around m y waist wit h an unpleasant t ingle. Once on shore, Randall offered all of us a bulb filled wit h whit e powder t o puff on our clot hes and skin. “ Sodium bicarbonat e,” he explained. “ The wat er here is m ildly acid, and while you are st ill dam p, it is best t o neut ralize.” The j ob was perform ed in a few m inut es. Clot hes st ill fizzing slight ly, we form ed a line, led by t he capt ain and m ast er, and m arched up t he cleft . 218
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On all sides, t he rock was covered wit h clust ers of sulfur flowers. No life was visible; t he air reeked and breat hing was not pleasant . “ Bear up, fellows,” t he capt ain said. “ I t 's only for a few hours.” His cheer was not infect ious. I felt m y eyes st ing and m y lungs burn. Com ing up behind, Shirla favored m e wit h a sm ile of encouragem ent . “ No worse t han t he lat rines on ship,” she offered. The defile led gradually t o t he t op of t he m assive m ain body of t he old volcano. Here, a broad black lava plain of broken chunks m ingled wit h sm oot h rivers of once- m olt en rock. Open pit s blew fort h st eam and clouds of yellow vapor. The wind drove t hese clouds away from t he defile, but I worried t he wind would shift and we would asphyxiat e. Randall and Keyser- Bach clim bed t o t he crest of a pressure ridge and surveyed t he t errain beyond wit h field glasses. The rest of t he crew and I sat , cat ching our breat h bet ween t he waft s of sulfurous gas. Shirla coughed int o her fist and wiped her eyes wit h a sm all clot h. Shankara, always calm , folded his leg, braced his foot against t he rock on which he sat , and wrapped his fingers around his knee. “ Don't rub your eyes,” he t old Shirla. “ I t won't help; it could hurt .” “ You've been here before?” she asked. “ I 've been near volcanoes before, in t he west . I nt erest ing places. Where I lived, t he only m obile scions t hat survived around volcanoes were fum e dogs,” he offered blandly.
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“ What did t hey look like?” one of t he younger apprent ices, a blocky, bright - faced fellow nam ed Cham , asked. He kept his face covered wit h a noserag. “ The size of a young child. Bright red, like everyt hing else alive around t here. Long, six or seven legs—t he last legs large, for j um ping—covered wit h fur, wit h t hree or four eyes on t he back or on t he ‘head.’ They harvest fum e fruit —florid scions clust ered around fum aroles. Very sparse—j ust t he dogs and t he fruit .” “ Why is everyt hing called a ‘dog'?” Shim chisko asked. “ I 've never even seen a dog.” Shankara t urned his at t ent ion t o m e, seat ed across from him on anot her black rock sloppily daubed wit h yellow and whit e. We all held our breat h as a cloud of sulfur st ench waft ed uncom fort ably close. “ My people were all int ellect uals,” he said. “ Not enough call for t hinkers here, let alone researchers. So we work where we can. The sam e for you, I 'd j udge.” “ Um ,” I said, adopt ing t he best nonchalant nasal t one of Shim chisko or Kissbegh. “ You have t he air of a m an who wanders free from his fam ily. I m ake it a st udy also t o learn t he people around m e. By t he end of t he voyage, I 'll know t he crew as well as t hey know t hem selves.” His t ear- st reaked cheek, const ant winking and st oic forbearance gave him an odd, Lewis Carroll aspect . He said, “ I wish t he capt ain would ret urn.” Randall, Shat ro, and Keyser- Bach had dropped out of sight on t he ot her side of t he ridge. The m ast er's head appeared 220
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first , and he quickly clim bed t o t he crest , waving t o at t ract our at t ent ion. “ Up here! ” he shout ed. “ Bring t he equipm ent .” We got t o our feet wit h lit t le ent husiasm , shouldered t he bags, and heft ed t he boxes. I followed Shirla and Cham ; Shankara followed m e, and Shim chisko and I bert t railed. We wound bet ween chunks of lava and vent s oozing viscous yellow sm oke t o j oin Randall. Beyond Randall, t he capt ain and Shat ro st ood in a sm all depression t hat widened t o t he east int o a larger valley. “ I t 's st ill here! ” t he capt ain shout ed. “ Just as I rem em ber! ” The valley beyond was filled wit h large, bright red j ugshaped scions, t he largest eight t o t en m et ers across and t went y high. They prot ruded from t he ground, m ost ly upright , like squat bowling pins st uck in t he black sand. We followed Randall, Shat ro, and t he capt ain bet ween t he red pins, deeper int o t he shallow valley. A sm elly yellow ooze dripped from gashes in t he side of t he pins like sulfurous honey and gat hered in pools t o suck at our feet . “ I t 's t he sim plest sub- zone on record,” Keyser- Bach explained, forging ahead, pushing and slapping t he red bulks as he passed t hem , like a light heart ed Sam son. “ This is where Jidderm eyer worked out his final t heory. He report ed his t heory t o Lenk t went y- four years ago t oday. I t 's wort h celebrat ing.” Randall st ruggled t o pull his boot from a part icularly obst inat e pat ch of m uck. The pins grew higher t oward t he m iddle of t he valley, and now cast considerable shade. Yellow m ist s drift ed bet ween 221
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t he loom ing red scions. “ Can you reason it , Ser Shat ro?” t he capt ain called over his shoulder. “ I 've read about it in your books, sir.” “ Of course. But m y books don't explain t he m yst ery. Anybody care t o reason it ? Ser Randall ... Shankara...” The capt ain st opped and surveyed us wit h a devilish, alm ost leering grin. “ Ser Olm y?” “ Ah, Olm y,” Shat ro m urm ured, st icking hands in pocket s and t urning as if bored at t his m asque. “ So good at t heory.” “ I haven't seen enough yet , sir,” I replied. The quest ion unanswered, we pushed over t he t hick, slowly sweeping scim it ar- shaped root s, t he yellow fluid swept along by t heir m ot ion spilling over our boot s and st aining t hem . Shirla passed by and m ut t ered, “ You'll soon help t he capt ain peel scions and Randall pickle t heir gut s. We'll m iss you when you graduat e, Olm y, sir! ” She gave m e a cheeky salut e. Ahead, I saw a clearing bet ween t he pins, a pool of st anding wat er in t he m iddle of t he valley. We clim bed on a plat form of layered lava, above t he sweep and slop of t he yellow fluid. Around t he pool, built - up deposit s form ed an irregular wall t hat kept out m ost of t he flow from t he scim it ar root s. I n t hree places around t he pool perim et er, purple and black valves laced wit h ornat e red bands filled gaps in t he wall, allowing dribbles of t he yellow fluid int o t he pool. I st ared at t he pool's glassy surface. Beneat h t he surface, layers of red and yellow m inerals form ed broad fans. Where t he wat er int ercept ed t he dribbles of yellow m uck passed by 222
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t he valves, oily sheens spread, cast ing rainbows where t he sun st ruck t hem bet ween t he shadows of t he surrounding pins. I felt uncom fort able here, and not j ust because of t he sm ell. “ The puzzle isn't com plet e, by any m eans,” t he capt ain adm it t ed. “ Harsh condit ions force sim plicit y on an ecos. I t hasn't t he evolut ionary versat ilit y, t he im m ense runs of t im e, t he lack of concern for it s offspring, t hat describe our evolut ionary upbringing. There's energy here, nut rient s t o be had, but specializat ion is t he key. And here's t he m iracle— t hese scions, t he pins, belong t o no ecos. They form a subzone of t heir very own, adj acent t o and dependent on bot h Pet ain and Elizabet h ... And in a m om ent , if we're lucky, we'll see what Jidderm eyer saw. I t happens every day, even in t he worst weat her.” The capt ain t old us t o place our bags and boxes on t he plat form , above t he yellow m uck. “ So hum an,” t he capt ain m used, pulling glass j ars and a m et al t ube from one box. “ They are t ruly social, t he zones. But t hey are also individuals. We are concerned for our arm s and legs, as well as for our children—concerned for our friends and neighbors. The ecoi feel sim ilar concerns for t heir scions. Now we wait for a few m inut es. Som et hing int erest ing will com e by.” I was st ruck by t he sim ilarit y bet ween t he way KeyserBach and t he gat e opener Ry Ornis ut t ered t hat word, int erest ing. For t he capt ain—even m ore so t han for Randall— life was a st eady succession of puzzles t o be solved and event ually linked t oget her. 223
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A m uffling quiet surrounded us, not hing but t he sighs of wind t hrough t he bizarre colonnades, m y breat h harsh in an irrit at ed t hroat , shufflings and whispers and grunt s as we helped t he capt ain t ake sam ples from t he m uck and t he pool. The capt ain had filled t wo j ars and was exam ining t hem wit h im m ense sat isfact ion when a buzzing sound becam e audible at t he far end of t he valley. The capt ain and Shat ro im m ediat ely pulled out box cam eras and t ripods, set t ing t hem up in t he black sand and m uck. “ Bees, you'd t hink, com ing t o suck up t he honey of t hese im m ense flowers,” t he capt ain said, face glowing wit h ent husiasm . “ Perhaps not so far wrong.” I list ened t o t he buzzing apprehensively. I f t hey were bees, t hey sounded like very large bees. We all st ared up at t he sky above t he t ops of t he huge red pins. The plum e of cloud from t he higher crat er had shift ed and now st ream ed over us, it s cont ort ed rolls of m oist ure arrayed in crosscurrent s of higher winds like fibers in t he m uscle of a fish. The plum e blocked t he sun, cast ing t he valley and it s scions in a cool half- light . The st ench was alm ost unbearable now. Shat ro bent over t he pool, insert ed a t hick m et al pipet t e, and drew up a sam ple of t he m inerals beneat h t he glassy slick. “ Here t hey com e,” t he capt ain said. “ Harvest ers. Dam nedest t hings you ever saw.” The buzzing rose t o a high, slapping drone, as if a hundred children were whacking long st icks t oget her. Three furry black saucers like flat t ened beet les flew int o view above t he pool and hovered. Each was about a m et er wide and sport ed t wo 224
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long t hin lim bs at t he front , and a kind of t ail at t he rear, which flicked a few cent im et ers side t o side wit h every adj ust m ent in t heir hovering. One descended t o t he t allest squat pin- shaped scion on t he edge of t he pool and raised it self, lim bs upperm ost , t ail drawn back delicat ely. The red surface of t he pin abrupt ly split and form ed five deep horizont al gashes—st om at a. The saucer insert ed it s t wo lim bs int o t he highest st om a and set t led in, it s buzzing subsiding t o int erm it t ent clacking. The rem aining t wo saucer beet les did t he sam e wit h ot her pins around t he pool. Pist on noises surrounded us, and fine drops of yellow, st inking sulfurous dew sprayed over us, st icking t o our faces and arm s, our clot hing. “ Wonderful! ” t he capt ain cried. Shat ro snapped pict ures quickly, adj ust ing t he t ripods. I held up a bag of inst rum ent s t o prot ect m y face from t he spray. Peering from under t he bag, t rying t o see how t hey flew wit hout visible wings, I observed t he leading edge of one saucer beet le. Eight or nine whit e rect angular apert ures opened and shut rapidly, producing t he buzzing, slapping noise. Som ewhere wit hin t he flat carapaces, t he saucer beet les pum ped t he air and ej ect ed it from t he rear. “ They're dirigibles,” I said, revelat ion com ing upon m e. “ Very good! ” t he capt ain said. “ Any one of us could lift t hem like feat hers. And t hey're not j ust here t o suck out what t hey need—t hey feed t he pins. Mut ual needs m et , from a subzone t o each of at least t wo zones! ” Dozens m ore saucer beet les cam e blowing over t he valley wit h a st eady west erly breeze. As t hey hovered, dart ing back 225
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and fort h wit h considerable dext erit y, t heir com panions, m ount ed on t he pins, suddenly leaped back, leveled off in flight , and buzzed away. Wit h a sidling m ot ion, t he pins whose product ion had been harvest ed pulled back slowly, a st at ely ret reat t hat allowed ot her pins t o com e forward and t ake t heir places by t he pool. “ We presum e t hey fly back t o som e int erior region, perhaps around a seed- m ot her, and drop t heir cargoes,” t he capt ain shout ed over t he buzzing. “ We've never t raced t heir pat hs. I 've always longed for a good airplane or helicopt er t o follow t hem . Perhaps we'd find our first queen! ” A fog of vapor now filled t he valley wit h an alm ost unbearable sm ell. Everyone began t o cough uncont rollably. Shat ro grabbed his cam era and ret reat ed. “ All right , enough,” Randall cried, swiping his hands at t he sm oke. The capt ain hesit at ed, said som et hing about wait ing for t he next flight , but t he vapor becam e unbearably t hick. Coughing, he agreed. We picked up t he bags and walked as fast as we could back t o t he caldera and t he sea.
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7 Unable t o sleep, head rest ing on folded hands, I lay on m y side in m y bunk aboard t he Vigilant , list ening t o an incessant spect ral hoot ing from t he m ainland. A deep boom ing sound underscored t he hoot ing and was it self t opped by flut ing t rills. We had weighed anchor in t he early evening and sailed several m iles sout heast , out of t he t ricky wat ers in t he shadow of Mount Pascal. We had t hen dropped anchor once m ore in a calm pat ch of ocean a m ile out side t he boundary of t he sunken caldera. The capt ain had been t oo t ired t hat evening t o give his cust om ary lam plight lect ure. I f his lungs were feeling as t ight and reluct ant as m ine, I didn't see how he could lect ure. Here, t he air at least was sweet er. I t ook up Nkwanno's slat e and scrolled t o t he last sect ion I had read in his j ournals. The soft glow of t he slat e screen filled m y curt ained bunk wit h false m oonlight . Crossing 29, 125 We have survived t his long, so m any disast ers, and have j ust begun t o feel confident , and now t he rules are changing and all t hat we have learned m ay becom e useless. For weeks t here have been rum ors from t rekkers and sm all villages in sout h Liz and at t he head of t he Terra Nova t hat som et hing is happening in t he t ruce bet ween Liz and Calder's zone, where few of us live. Thief act ivit y has increased across t he t ruce, according t o harvest ers at Lake Mareot is, and t he 227
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lake it self changed color from blue t o orange along t he east shore. Yest erday, a delegat ion of Lenk's m inist ers—t wo m en and one wom an—ret urned from Mareot is and st opped here for t he evening t o rest . I went down t o t he docks wit h Johanna Ry Presby and m et t hem walking up t he pat h. They appeared t ired and downcast and refused t o answer quest ions at first . Johanna invit ed t hem t o t he refect ory and we fed t hem a lat e cold m eal. Their gloom seem ed t o deepen as t hey at e. I t ried t o pry inform at ion from t hem . They were adam ant about saying not hing, which angered us. “ We should know, if it 's som et hing im port ant , t o give us t im e t o prepare,” I insist ed. “ Keeping secret s will do no good.” The wom an had t ears in her eyes but no one would t alk. “ I t will com e out soon,” she said. They t hanked us for our food and left early t he next m orning. Radio m essages from At henai and Jakart a have been received, m ost in Lenk's code, but som e have been open. The crisis has gradually been unveiled. From here and t here, we are put t ing t oget her rough pict ures of a disast er—not t ruly a disast er, but m om ent ous change, disast rous perhaps for us— but in t rut h we have no words yet t o describe what is happening. Crossing 29, 128 I have been invit ed t o accom pany Redhill and Shevkot i t o Mareot is. Shevkot i becam e t he village agro upon Ser Mural's deat h last wint er. Wit h Mayor Presby's blessing, we will go upriver and exam ine t he t ruce near Mareot is, in hopes of learning for ourselves what t he problem s m ay be. We have 228
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becom e discouraged about learning from At henai in t im e t o prepare Moonrise for what ever m ay be happening. Crossing 29, 134 At Mareot is for a day now. At som e peril, we have hiked along t he t ruce and seen wonderful, t errible t hings. The t ruce boundary—whit e dead soil bet ween t he ecoi—has becom e invaded wit h soil preparers, including what I am calling Tillers, a scion eit her unseen unt il now or new. These are m assive and crudely m ade form s as m uch as eight m et ers long and five high, resem bling wheeled spiders, t hat roll and crawl m et hodically— I had been reading about wheeled scions but unt il now had not considered how seriously im probable such creat ures were. Wit h a lit t le cross- referencing, I found a sm all piece in Redhill's encyclopedia about scions wit h wheels: Wheeled form s defy pract ical explanat ion in t erm s of t errest rial biology. We m ust not forget , however, t hat scions are very likely not creat ed from seeds cont aining t heir own genet ic inst ruct ions, but are assem bled in biological fact ories. Wheels and t he creat ures t hat bear t hem m ay not be m ade all at once and t oget her, but at different t im es and separat ely. The difficult ies of im agining a creat ure t hat can grow and m aint ain it s own wheels are overcom e. The wheels m ay even be t hought of as separat e scions, or as const ruct s m ade of organic m at erials, but no longer alive. Observat ions from Kandinsky's zone in Tasm an point t o wheeled scions t hat m ay act ually creat e t heir wheels from recycled, com pact ed arborid or phyt id t issues, replacing or repairing worn wheels as needed... 229
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I ret urned t o Nkwanno's j ournal: —churning t he soil and preparing it for occupat ion. But am ong t hese form s dart m any variet ies of t hieves and defenders, som e sight ed in t he silva—t hough infrequent ly— and ot hers never seen before. The t hieves and defenders do what t hey have always done, but on a scale and wit h a frequency never wit nessed before. Defenders—serpent s and art hropods, t ranslucent five- legged ursids wit h shining glassy saber- t eet h on t he leading and t railing edges of t heir forelim bs—keep behind t he old boundary of t he t ruce, grabbing and dispat ching scions t hat cross from t he opposit e side. But m ore and m ore scions cross, and t he defenders are overwhelm ed. We have seen worn- out defenders, sit t ing in t he redefined silva like exhaust ed warriors, t wit ching and spilling t heir fluids from t orn j oint s—and all around t hem , foreign scions pass, as if in glee at new freedom . Yet dead scions line t he silvas on bot h sides. I t seem s t hat here, a war is being com bined wit h an orgy. Crossing 29, 136 Our food has run out , and we risk st arving before we ret urn t o Moonrise. We st ay nevert heless. The carnage has increased t o such a level t hat we can't im agine t he out com e. Are t he ecoi caught in a st ruggle t o t he deat h? Has one seed- m ot her or queen t aken offense at t he act ions of it s neighbor, and declared dest ruct ion t hat m ust inevit ably becom e m ut ual? What Shevkot i fears—and his fears t ranslat e easily t o us, hungry and t errified—is t hat all of Liz's scions we have com e 230
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t o ident ify as edible or useful will be dest royed, leaving us wit h a m uch- reduced food supply. Crossing 29, 137 New t ransport er form s have arrived and are carrying away dead and dying scions. The once- fert ile st ret ches along t he t ruce and around Mareot is are denuded, or covered wit h a sad wreckage of scions, which of course will not decay. Pink worm s clust er on m any of Liz’ s casualt ies, consum ing m uch of t he rem ains, but t hen t he worm s t hem selves die and liner t he ground ... The process is never com plet ed, and we can see only endless hect ares of dest ruct ion and wast e. Crossing 29, 139 We have begun t o scavenge dead scions ourselves. Wit h our sm all radio, we have kept in t ouch wit h Moonrise, and t he dest ruct ion is happening t here, as well. The villagers are t errified. We have act ually fought against defenders and t ransport ers t rying t o rem ove edible scions, but scavengers t he size of ant s ent er our larders and rem ove any scion foodst uffs, however processed t hey m ay be. This is a purge, and all of t he old form s m ust go. I have sickened m yself t rying t o chew on rem ains of scions we have collect ed as sam ples. Fort unat ely I have eat en not hing t hat has done m ore t han m ake m e violent ly nauseat ed, and I have recovered quickly. Shevkot i is less fort unat e, and t he lining of his m out h and his gum s have becom e blist ered and hang in shreds. I t is as if we begin all over again, in a new Lam arckia, wit h new perils. 231
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Sm aller t ransport ers have begun t o arrive, filled wit h young im m obile scions whose event ual form s we can only guess at . Shevkot i, even in his agony, has discovered young arborids and classified t hem as com binat ions of elem ent s from Liz's arborids and Calder's. He believes t hat in t his conflict , Liz has predom inat ed, however; we see m any new scions t hat are quit e fam iliar, t hough wit h som e changes in design. Crossing 29, 141 We m ust ret urn t o Moonrise t o share our fat es wit h t hose of our neighbors. We can't eat even t he m ost fam iliar of t he new scions, which are growing rapidly and replenishing t he silva. I n a few days we will die if we st ay. The t ruce has been erased. Zone one and zone t wo seem t o have unit ed. From Moonrise by radio we hear t hat At henai's scient ist s believe t his m ay be a kind of sexual act . They are describing t his event as a sexing and a fluxing. Our fields in Moonrise have been t ram pled by m arauding scions, and our orchards dest royed. Buildings wit hin t he village it self have been dam aged. I t hink t his m ay be t he end, unless we can som ehow rem ove all t he inhabit ant s of Elizabet h's Land t o Tasm an. But t hat will be an im possible t ask. I t urned off t he slat e and sat in t he darkness for a few m inut es, t hinking of t he t errors and hardships Lenk's people had passed t hrough. I knew in rough out line t he out com e of t he sexing and fluxing bet ween Liz and Calder. There were no com plet e explanat ions of what had act ually happened, but Calder no longer exist ed, and Liz was forever alt ered. 232
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I clasped t he slat e wit h an em ot ion I had never experienced in m y brief and inadequat e life: som et hing like reverence. The body on t he dock had been a powerful and experienced m an, in som e respect s a bet t er m an t han I . Yet he had been rut hlessly slaught ered. I could not absorb it all. My m ind was crowded and I felt half- sick wit h sadness and confusion. But t hey survived. Wit hout m y help, wit hout t he help of t he Hexam on, Lenk's people survived and ret urned t o a kind of prosperit y. Sleep, it seem ed, would finally com e t o m e. I drift ed in a dark, cloudy void, neit her com fort able nor part icularly concerned about com fort , t hought s flit t ing in and out of m y awareness, which was fading int o som et hing deeper and m ore basic. I had not slept in m any years, and t he sensat ion was m ore unnerving t han t he sounds from t he shore, or what I had j ust read in Nkwanno's j ournals. I heard a rapping nearby, t hought for a m om ent it was a group of friends in m y apart m ent in Alexandria, in Thist ledown, t rying t o fix a broken t oy by st riking it gent ly on t he edge of a t able ... And t hen I opened m y eyes. Shirla's round face peered at m e, half- hidden by t he drape of m y bunk's curt ain. “ Good,” she said. “ You're awake. Randall and Shankara and t he m at e and a few ot hers are t alking on deck. They t hought you'd like t o j oin us.” I foggily wondered if I was about t o be drawn int o a conspiracy t o m ut iny. The day had not been t hat m iserable, however, and t he capt ain had cert ainly not shown him self t o be unfit for dut y ... I crawled out of t he bunk, slipped on m y 233
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pant s while Shirla wait ed, and followed her up t he ladder t o t he forecast le deck. A group of nine st ood around t wo elect ric lant erns: Randall, Shat ro, and t he m at e, t he sailm aker Meissner represent ing t he craft rat es, Talya Ry Diem and Shankara for t he A.B.s, and I supposed, Shim chisko and m yself for t he apprent ices. Beyond t he ship's bow, out lined by st ars and clouds glowing dim ly in t he light of a single sm all m oon, rose t he dist ant black shadow of Mount Pascal. Having brought m e on deck, at Ry Diem 's request , Shirla st ood t o one side, out of t he lant ern light . “ The capt ain's asleep,” Randall said. “ He's had a bit of a set back ... He overdid his st ay on Mount Pascal, I 'm afraid. He's asked m e and Ser Sot erio and Ser Shat ro t o t alk about what we'll do if we can't finish t his voyage, if Jakart a's t aken, in short , what if t he Brionist s m ove in t o Elizabet h's Land in force.” “ Which m any t hink m ay happen soon,” Shat ro said som berly. Randall cleared his t hroat . His own voice sounded hoarse. “ The capt ain's put his personal fort une int o t his ship. I 've cont ribut ed what lit t le I can spare. The rest of you get an adequat e wage, but ... if we put out t o sea, and not hing's cert ain on land, we could com e back, find our m oney's no good—Brion's appropriat ed everyt hing, shift ed currency ... We don't know, because frankly, we don't have m uch experience wit h t his sort of t hing. So we've brought som e of you t oget her, m em bers of t he crew we place t rust in, as int elligent t ypes, t o st art sounding out individuals, see 234
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whet her t his voyage is feasible. I f we can't go on beyond Jakart a, we need t o know now.” Shat ro st epped t o t he cent er of t he group and said, “ Som e of t he crew m ay even sym pat hize wit h Brion and hope t o j oin his forces.” He shift ed his glance from face t o face, fingered on m ine, squint ed, and m oved on. “ I don't know m uch about Brion, except t hat he's t aken over Hsia and been t hieving and killing,” Ry Diem said soft ly, glancing around t he circle. “ The capt ain had hoped we could spend a few days exploring t he Chefla wast e,” Randall said, “ wait ing t o see if t he Brionist s left . Then put int o Jakart a and pick up t he supplies and t he researchers. That 's not possible. Seem s t he Brionist s are in for a long blockade, t o force som e sort of set t lem ent . Jakart a advises we j ust clear out . I t m ight m ean war.” “ We're not equipped for a war,” Sot erio said in an undert one. “ We should get on t o Wallace St at ion and pick up Ser Salap,” Ry Diem said wearily. “ We should get on and do what we can.” “ That 's what t he capt ain t hinks,” Randall said aft er a pause. Shat ro considered t hat for a m om ent . “ Makes sense,” he agreed. “ But it put s us crit ically short of researchers,” Randall observed. “ Salap and I can do t he work,” Shat ro said. “ Perhaps he can spare a few ot hers from Wallace t o com e wit h us.” 235
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Clearly, Shat ro regarded t his as an opport unit y. A j unior, he m ight quickly advance. Ser Randall seem ed less convinced. “ You t hink t he crew will agree ... t hat we proceed down t he coast t o Wallace St at ion, and plot our course from t here?” Ry Diem shook her st iff, graying shag. “ We're not am at eurs,” she said. “ Speaking for t he A.B.s. We do our work. I t seem s wort hwhile work t o m e.” Shim chisko and I glanced at each ot her, and he nodded. “ The apprent ices have no ot her pressing dut ies,” he said. “ Wherever we go, t here m ight be war.” “ I agree,” I said. Randall seem ed relieved. “ I 'll t ell t he capt ain in t he m orning,” he said.
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8 During our t rip sout h, skirt ing Jakart a and sailing along t he shaggy black and brown Cheng Ho Coast , t he capt ain kept in const ant radio com m unicat ion wit h Salap at Wallace, less frequent ly receiving inst ruct ions or bullet ins from Jakart a and At henai. He shared t hese snat ches of inform at ion only rarely, passing som et hing along t o Randall or Sot erio for t he consum pt ion of t he rest of t he crew. None of t he news sounded good. Perhaps Keyser- Bach want ed us t o feel isolat ed from t he unfolding hist ory in Jakart a. He succeeded in part ; we kept our focus on handling t he Vigilant , t hough we always kept a sharp eye out for Brionist ships. Sout h of Jakart a, we saw no ships at all. There was lit t le com m erce in t hese wat ers. The coast nort h and sout h of Jakart a lay in Pet ain's Zone, which had been explored by harvest ers and m ineral prospect ors under t he leadership of Jorge Sao Pet ain j ust m ont hs aft er t he im m igrant s’ arrival. They had sailed in crude boat s along t he Cheng Ho Coast sout h from Jakart a, vent uring inland every few dozen m iles, finding lit t le of int erest from t he point of view of ores and m ineral resources. While Elizabet h's Zone, blessed wit h st eady rainfall, seem ed t o concent rat e on t hick silva wit h four m ain t ypes of arborid scions and perhaps t hirt y t ypes of phyt ids, Pet ain's Zone, wit h m any different clim at es, showed considerable variet y, bot h on land and in t he sea, which it favored. Most of Pet ain's variet y was found in seas and rivers. The land sout h 237
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of Jakart a it covered wit h a desult ory and uniform carpet of sm all black bushy phyt ids called soot brush, seldom reaching waist - high. The capt ain, when he resum ed his lect ures, showed us phot ographs and drawings of t hese form s, and t heir at t endant s: blue crowflies—pt erids t he size of a hum an hand, which funct ioned as cleaners, scavengers, and defenders; deadeye t rees, covered wit h shrunken whit e or gray berries t hat served as nut rient s for various sm all art hropod scions, induding crowflies; and a dozen or m ore ot hers, none as large or widespread as t he pelagic form s. I t had been Jidderm eyer's m ain t rium ph t o prove t he original surveyors’ t heory—using specim ens ret urned by Pet ain, analyzed wit h st andard m edical equipm ent —t hat zone one was one individual organism and zone five anot her. Jidderm eyer had first st at ed t he firm principles of Lam arckia's biosphere, t oppling cent uries of evolut ionary t heory—for t hat was all it t ook, one except ion t o t he est ablished rules. There was no com pet it ion bet ween what he first called “ scions” wit hin an ecos because t hey were in fact part s of one organism , one genet ic individual, grown or creat ed in som e unknown fashion t o play specific roles and accom plish cert ain t asks. His colleagues and st udent s—including young Baker and Shulago—had t ried t o chart t he life cycles of scions, t raveling deep int o t he silvas t o find t he fount , t he birt hplace or places of all scions. They had never succeeded. They had learned t hat arborids and phyt ids began as blue- gray sluglike form s, called pre- scions or neonat als, which t raveled or were carried across hundreds or even t housands of kilom et ers, led by t he 238
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silva's st at us singing t o find sick or dying scions and replace t hem . Arborids and phyt ids perform ed t he funct ion of Eart h plant s, and m ade up ninet y- eight percent of scions by count in Liz. Mobile scions, which fed from special st om at a rat her t han consum ing t heir com rades, t ended t he silvas, cleaning up t he environs, consum ing and rem oving dead scions, preparing t he soil and growing beds, and in general act ing t he role of expert gardeners. Ot her m obile scions, Jidderm eyer believed, act ed as scout s, t he eyes and ears of t he hypot het ical “ queens” or “ seed- m ist resses.” St ill ot hers—such as sam plers—m onit ored scion act ivit ies, searched for int rusions from ot her zones, or crossed zone boundaries t o act as spies. Jidderm eyer first found and described exam ples of disguised int ruders, boundary- crossing scions, t he carcasses of failed m im ics being cleaned up by processors and gardeners, or on several occasions successful m im ics discovered quit e by accident . Each zone had m anaged, wit hout direct com pet it ion, wit hout obviously obeying t he laws of survival of t he fit t est , t o fill all t he m aj or niches available, t o t ake com plet e advant age of sun, air, wat er, and m inerals—Lam arckia's environm ent al qualit ies and resources. The zones received t heir hum an- assigned num bers by order of discovery, not ident ificat ion as separat e organism s. Explorers heading upriver from Calcut t a had first discovered zones t wo and t hree, followed by zone four along t he west ern coast . Pet ain's expedit ion had set out short ly t hereaft er. What had ast onished t he early explorers—all searching desperat ely for good farm land and resources—was t he lack of variet y in 239
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t he various zones. Most zones cont ained less t han a t housand t ypes of scions—including m icroscopic variet ies. Even m ore ast onishing had been t he apparent lack of com pet it ion bet ween scions, except at zone boundaries, where a kind of long- t erm “ cold war” went on. The evening before our arrival at t he st at ion, about half a day's sail if t he wind m aint ained it s present direct ion and speed, we saw t he edge of a huge st orm . As t he sun burnished t he st orm 's leading edge, t urning it int o a dist ant red and gold t em ple of clouds, t he capt ain paced on deck, scowling deeply. He wat ched t he st orm closely t hrough binoculars, swinging t hem east t o west repeat edly. True t o his word, Randall invit ed m e int o t he capt ain's st udy and lab for a conference am ong Shat ro, t he capt ain, and him self. I sensed m y delicat e posit ion, having no est ablished role in t he proceedings yet , and list ened at t ent ively. The capt ain was st ill agit at ed. He m arched back and fort h in front of t he wall- m ount ed cages cont aining boxes of em pt y j ars and shelves of books, arm s swinging loosely at his sides. “ We had hoped for t im e and purit y of concent rat ion,” he said. “ We m ay have neit her. At henai m ay recall all shipping ... unless t alks begin soon wit h Naderville. Good Lenk can't afford t o lose his ships—whet her t o st orm s or pirat es.” Keyser- Bach st opped his pacing t o peer t hrough t he sm all window on t he wide cabin's port side. The st orm clearly worried him . “ Ser Salap want s us t o spend t wo weeks at Wallace, so he can put a cap on t his port ion of his work t here. He cares lit t le for t he Brionist t roubles. I wish I could afford 240
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his nonchalance, but we can't spend m ore t han t wo days at t he st at ion, m uch less t wo weeks.” “ Then our course is clear,” Shat ro said firm ly. His eyes shift ed around t he room , looking for t he flow of consensus. “ We need t o pick up Sers Salap and Thornwheel and Cassir ... and get on wit h our voyage.” The capt ain shrugged and t urned away, st aring again t hrough t he window at t he wall of grayness beyond t he horizon. “ I n t his at m osphere, no st orm should last decades.” He t apped his fingers on t he sill. “ We could be out of range of recall in a m at t er of weeks. Radio recept ion has always been chancy below t hese lat it udes.” “ Not t hat chancy,” Randall said. “ A problem , Erwin?” t he capt ain asked. “ I dislike avoiding or ignoring orders,” Randall said. “ As do I ,” Shat ro hast ened t o add. Then, unsure whom he m ight displease m ost , he st um bled on, “ But t he ... recept ion does fade now and t hen. Sout h, below—” “ Not a m at t er of disobeying orders,” t he capt ain said t ight ly. “ More a m at t er of riding ahead of t he st orm . I am an Ahab wit h t wo whit e whales, but I don't seek t hem out , I flee from t hem .” He flashed a grin at t his conceit . “ One is polit ics, which has bit t en one leg off, and which I shun at every opport unit y—” “ Unless it furnishes your ship,” Randall said gloom ily, hoping t o head off t his clum sy m et aphor. “ And t he ot her is t hat st orm .” The capt ain point ed em phat ically out t he window. “ I t nearly overt ook m e when I 241
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dropped off Salap at his st at ion t wo years ago. Which of m y whit e whales is worse?” Shat ro shook his head, unable t o follow t he capt ain. “ Sir, I am unclear about t he prom ot ion of Ser Olm y.” “ No doubt ,” Keyser- Bach said wit h an acid t one. “ I underst and t his young fellow is bright , and we are short of researchers. Salap t ells m e on t he radio t hat he cannot spare m ore t han t wo from Wallace t o accom pany us.” He held out his hand as if t o cue Randall. “ But how will Ser Olm y serve?” “ I leave t hat up t o Salap,” Randall said. “ I would like t o have as m any capable m inds as possible at work on t his expedit ion, and at t he chief researcher's disposal.” “ How does one m ore m ind help?” Shat ro asked wit h a sniff. “ This expedit ion should not face t he sam e problem we all face on t his planet ,” Randall said. “ We cam e here knowing we would be a sm all group, and com plet ely isolat ed. We did not underst and what t hat would cost us int ellect ually and cult urally.” “ What does cult ure have t o do wit h it ?” Shat ro asked. “ I underst and what Erwin is saying,” t he capt ain said. “ We face a huge puzzle t hat would challenge our great est m inds, even if t hey had access t o all t he resources of Thist ledown. But we don't have access t o t hose resources. And t his ship— all due respect t o all aboard at present —is not filled t o overflowing wit h creat ive geniuses. Right , Erwin?” “ Though by no m eans a ship of fools,” Randall said, waggling one hand slowly. “ By no m eans,” t he capt ain echoed, eyes half lidded. 242
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Shat ro shrugged and puffed out his cheeks. “ I recognized t hat Olm y was bright t he day he cam e aboard,” t he capt ain said. “ But I feel lit t le sym pat hy for t hose so- called explorers who launch t hem selves int o t he silva, uneducat ed and ill- prepared. I 've seen t oo m any of t hem com e back wild- eyed m yst ics, if t hey com e back at all. Did t he silva give you a fit of vast it ude, Ser Olm y?” “ I felt lost in it , sir,” I said. “ Overwhelm ed. But I cam e back st ill m yself, if t hat 's what you m ean.” “ All right ,” t he capt ain said. “ I will go along wit h t his prom ot ion, wit h Salap's approval, so long as we do not have t o sail wit h one less hand.” “ I 'll enj oy m y work eit her way, sir,” I said, t rying for t he proper hum ilit y. Shat ro scowled, t hen resum ed his m ask of pat ent neut ralit y. “ I 'd like t o be securely m oored at t he st at ion by t om orrow m orning,” t he capt ain said. Night had obscured t he ocean and t he coast as I cam e up on deck, but looking nort h, I saw bright flashes, orange and pink, dozens of m iles away in t he general darkness: t he capt ain's im m ort al st orm . By m orning, t he st orm had m oved out of sight , and t ension on t he Vigilant eased. The wind held, and we sailed sm oot hly over deep blue wat er, beneat h a sky filled wit h cot t on- puff clouds and high, fleecy cirrus. The land at t he sout heast ern ext rem e of t he Cheng Ho Coast consist ed of a line of low, int erm it t ent cliffs, dot t ed by granit e dom es, against which t he sea broke in t hin lines of breakers. I nland, what first caught t he eye were t wist ed, 243
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squat t owers like im m ense, t hick t horn bushes t rim m ed by giant gardeners. As we sailed closer t o t he shore, t hese t owers resolved t hem selves as t hickly int ert wined t runks spreading across several hect ares of ground, rising t o height s of m ore t han a hundred and fift y m et ers, and crowned wit h brilliant red discus- shaped leaves as m uch as t en m et ers in diam et er. Bet ween t he t owers, a pale t an uniform it y paint ed t he low, gent ly rolling hills, giving t he im pression of feat ureless sand st ret ching t o infinit y. This was not sand, however, but Pet ain's prairie, which covered t housands of square kilom et ers sout h of t he soot brush count ry. The prairie was m ade not of dried grasslands, which m ight have been a second guess, but of a t hick, shiny surface dot t ed every few m et ers wit h dim ples deep enough t o hide a hum an. I perform ed m y sailor's dut ies on t he st arboard m orning wat ch wit h t he ot her A.B.s and apprent ices. Shirla had been part of t he night wat ch, and passed m e on deck wit h a weary, sat irical grin. “ Kiss- up,” she whispered. “ Now you'll get t he best dut y. Never hang off a yard again...” “ Not so lucky,” I said. “ You're st uck wit h m e for a while.” She st opped, surveyed m e wit h an expression of m ock disdain, hands on hips. “ I hardly feel wort hy of your com pany.” I gave in t o a flush of irrit at ion. “ Shirla, I am what I am . I can't help being int erest ed in what t he capt ain and Shat ro st udy. Are you m ad at m e?” She sneered. “ Don't presum e t hat you arouse such st rong em ot ions, Sir Olm y. I t doesn't becom e you.” “ No m ore sweet s?” I asked. Now it was her t urn t o blush. 244
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“ Flirt s wit h a higher rat e are doom ed, you know,” she said. “ We've been so involved,” I chided. Her expression fell t hen, no m ocking, and I realized I had caused genuine pain. “ Screw t hat ,” she said, and t urned t o go below. The first m at e glared at m e, but before he could speak, I was down by t he m izzen wit h I bert and Riddle, unfurling t he christ ian and raising t he spanker before put t ing in t o t he cove near t he st at ion. The capt ain cam e on deck wit h Randall and st at ioned Shim chisko and Cham fore and aft t o drop dept h lines and report . I bert and Kissbegh clim bed t o t he t ops t o look for shift ing vine reefs, always a danger around Pet ain. Three m iles ahead, five low brown hut s st ood on t he beach above t he wave line—t here were hardly any t ides on Lam arckia— while a few sm all boat s bobbed offshore in t he regular, gent le surf. The wind blew offshore at t wo or t hree knot s, com plicat ing our m aneuvers; we t acked back and fort h across several m iles before dropping anchor in sixt een m et ers of effervescent wat er, about t wo hundred m et ers off t he beach. The capt ain ordered t he longboat lowered. Randall and Shat ro supervised t he loading of boxes of provisions for t he crew t hat would rem ain at t he st at ion and t he packet of m ail. I t had been t hree m ont hs since t he last ship visit ed t his cove. Shim chisko, Shirla, Ry Diem , Shankara, and I crewed t he longboat . All but Randall and t he capt ain pulled on t he oars across t he short dist ance. Ry Diem and I leaped out int o t he foam ing, hissing waves, pushed t hrough a t hick line of sea crust —dried foam wit h t he consist ency of baked m eringue— 245
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and t ugged t he boat ont o t he beach, t ying t he rope t o a t hick woody st em of sea vine root ed deep in t he sand. We walked up t he beach in line of rank. Shirla point edly said not hing, lips set t ight . I wondered how m uch of t his sea flirt at ion was a kind of hidden court ship, and what rules I had violat ed. Five m en and four wom en m et us on t he beach. The chief researcher, Mansur Salap, st epped forward and em braced Keyser- Bach wit h a warm sm ile. Salap was t he eldest of t he st at ion's nine personnel, fift y- seven years of age, st reaks of gray in his close- cropped black hair and narrow goat ee. Dressed in loose black pant s, black shirt , wit h a long black coat draped over t hem , feet shod in fiber sandals, he was sm aller t han t he capt ain, and a t ouch t hinner, t hough his t hinness seem ed m ore in proport ion. I n t rut h he was an elegant fellow, not a m ovem ent wast ed, his long fingers on fem inine hands m aking sm all, precise gest ures as he spoke in a pleasant t enor, explaining t he nat ure of t heir work t he past few weeks. The capt ain walked beside him , chin in hand, nodding and frowning in concent rat ion. Thornwheel and Cassir, t wo of Salap's assist ant s at t he st at ion, were younger t han I , t hough we appeared about t he sam e age. Yout h passed m ore quickly on Lam arckia t han in Thist ledown. The capt ain preceded us int o t he m ain lab building. The walls were m ade of t hin fram es covered wit h dark leat hery sheet s; t he roof was t hat ched sea vine st rips. The capt ain t ook a seat and Salap gave us a t our of t he apparat us on t he t ables wit hin t he lab, relat ing t he out com es of som e of his m ost recent experim ent s. “ The prairie is not 246
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j ust one cont inuous scion, as we t hought a year ago ... I t consist s of at least five different t ypes, adapt ed from one form across cent uries or even m illennia, a new kind of growt h and developm ent in our experience ... I nst ead of recalling and reshaping t he scions at som e point far from t heir habit at , t he ecos provides t hem wit h m odified t em plat es and t hey change t hem selves.” The capt ain list ened at t ent ively, clearly feeling at ease wit h Salap, and fascinat ed by his discoveries, but not eager t o speak his m ind. “ Wit h t he equipm ent on Vigilant , we could easily underst and t he prairie's relat ions t o t he sea vines and ot her pelagic scions. There is a reciprocal arrangem ent , of course, as Jidderm eyer t hought —a const ant for all ecoi—but t he nat ure of t he arrangem ent bet ween land- dwellers and t he pelagic or riparian scions has not been clearly est ablished. Here, we've chart ed t he deliveries of nut rient s from t he sea, m easured and est im at ed t he rat es of exchange and what get s ret urned t o t he sea ... We begin t o underst and t he m et abolism , as it were, of all Pet ain.” “ Very good,” t he capt ain said, t apping his chin wit h one finger. Salap folded his arm s. “ Som et hing you wish t o say, Capt ain?” he asked coolly. “ We can't st ay long. Two days at m ost —” “ Because of t he t roubles,” Salap said. “ Randall agrees wit h m e,” t he capt ain said, as if t here m ight be a debat e, and he wished t o squelch it early. 247
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The m ast er sat on a st ool across from t he capt ain. He raised his eyebrows and sm iled uneasily. “ Do you t hink it will be war?” Salap asked. “ I t 's going t o be a bureaucrat ic night m are, what ever it is,” Randall said. “ We've endured enough of t hose.” “ We'll need as m any researchers as you can spare,” t he capt ain said. “ Erwin's already been recruit ing from am ong t he crew.” He looked at m e. Salap st epped forward and looked m e over crit ically, as if I were a peculiar anim al, perhaps a scion. “ This is... ?” “ Ser Olm y Ap Dat chet ong,” Randall said. “ A st udent of Elizabet h. More com pet ent t han m ost .” “ A pleasure t o m eet you, Ser Olm y. The m ast er has always had a soft heart ,” Salap said. “ Fort unat ely, he's also a good j udge of people.” “ I 'd like t o leave as soon as possible,” t he capt ain said. Salap shook his head, clearly disliking t he pressure. “ Give m e t wo days. We will pack up t he equipm ent I need on t he ship, t ransfer t he equipm ent you are delivering t o t he st at ion, and finish our m easurem ent s of noct urnal weat her- born t ransfers.” The capt ain looked surprised. “ Weat her- born?” Salap gave us a coldly sm ug sm ile. “ My special surprise. We've learned m uch about t he st orm t hat lies out t here now, t hat chased us bot h around t he Darwin Sea, but never caught us.” “ What have you learned?” Keyser- Bach asked. “ That it is alive,” Salap said. 248
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9 By lat e aft ernoon, t he last boat load had been delivered, and t he capt ain and Salap st ood on t he beach, st aring out t o sea. The st orm had swung in close t o t he coast again, t hirt y or fort y m iles offshore, filling t he nort hern horizon alm ost east t o west wit h pillars and whorls of cloud arranged in spreading, st acked layers. This close, t he clouds had a scint illant qualit y, as if filled wit h flakes of m ica. Shat ro, Thornwheel and Cassir st ood by t he boat , wait ing t o be t aken t o t he ship. I st ood beside Randall, a few m et ers from t he capt ain and Salap. “ He st ill hasn't explained,” Randall said in an undert one. He looked around anxiously. “ We should put out im m ediat ely or we'll be blown ont o t he beach or t he vine reefs. I 'd hat e t o weat her t hat bast ard in any case—but I 'd rat her m eet it at sea.” The capt ain m ot ioned for all of us t o j oin him and Salap. “ We've been t alking,” he said. “ We bot h agree t hat t hings can be finished here by t om orrow aft ernoon, or by m orning if we put our backs int o it . We'll need t o help rig and t est t he equipm ent we j ust delivered, and t hen we'll—” His words t railed off, and he st ared at t he st orm as if lost in a dream . “ I t never com es ashore. I t sends em issaries,” Salap said. “ Mansur, you have m y infinit e adm irat ion, but I 'd like t o know what t o expect ,” t he capt ain said sharply, “ in clear language.” 249
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Salap seem ed t o enj oy t he capt ain's discom fit ure. “ The em issaries are sm all front s of cloud, rich wit h wat er and m at erials picked up wit hin t he st orm it self. Difficult t o describe.” “ How st rong?” Randall asked. “ A few knot s of wind. Enough t o blow t hem in gent ly—not enough t o hurt t he ship, or rip up t he fabric on t he prairie.” Fabric was what Salap and t he st at ion's researchers had com e t o call t he shiny brown t issue t hat spread over t he prairie— and concealed t he inner workings of t he five t ypes of scions. “ I n t rut h, t he st orm serves m any purposes. I t st irs t he sea, grows nut rient s like a gigant ic bio- react or ... and it cont rols t he weat her. For hundreds of m iles, t here is no st orm but t he one st orm .” The capt ain was t orn bet ween scient ific elat ion, concern for t he st orm , as a sailor should be concerned about all st orm s, and what m ight have been incredulit y. “ A rem arkable discovery,” he allowed, “ but I t hink I 'll feel m ore secure when we're all on t he boat .” The capt ain ret urned t o t he boat before dark, t aking Salap wit h him t o arrange t he equipm ent and specim ens aboard Vigilant . Shat ro had been wait ing for t his m om ent , and when Randall was out of sight —walking off t he dinner Salap had prepared, a dubious feast of unfam iliar bit s of prairie fabric— t he t hree researchers found m e on t he beach, wat ching t he st orm in it s unm oving, ever- changing grandeur. “ We have som e quest ions,” Thornwheel said am iably enough. He wore a roughly t rim m ed beard, which gave his high forehead and plum p boyish cheeks som e m at urit y, but 250
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not a great deal. They sat beside m e on t he m ot t led dark sand, picking at t he rough rounded quart z and granit e pebbles. “ Mat t hew t ells us you have lit t le form al t raining,” Cassir said. He gave m e a hard look. “ We wonder how lit t le.” “ Enough t o get by,” I said. Their expressions—a lit t le flat , wit h unconvincing sm iles—forecast som e sort of t rouble. “ We're j ust curious,” Cassir said. “ We like t o know who we're working wit h. What you're capable of.” “ I 'm self- educat ed,” I said. “ Lenk school, but no secondary aft er.” “ Shat ro t ells us you were lost in Liz for t wo years,” Thornwheel said. “ Hardly lost .” “ Liz is old and fam iliar by now,” Shat ro said. “ I never got fam iliar wit h Liz,” I said. Thornwheel chuckled. “ Our scient ific param ours, right ? Scholar's m ist resses ... books and dream s of queens.” Shat ro was not m ollified. “ What did you hope t o learn? Wit hout equipm ent , wit hout t raining ... We've been t rained by Salap and Keyser- Bach. There are no bet t er t eachers on Lam arckia.” “ I haven't been so fort unat e,” I adm it t ed, t rying t o avoid t he confront at ion Shat ro seem ed t o want . “ I spent m ost of m y t im e t rying t o t rack t he behavior of m obile scions. Whit ehat s, verm ids, but especially aquifer snakes...” I had read enough in Randall's library about t he kilo- m et ers- long fluid- bearing t ubes, part of which I had seen out side 251
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Moonrise, t hat I felt I could hold up an argum ent for several m inut es, at least . “ I t racked one when I was a second in Lenk school,” Thornwheel said. “ Never found t he beginning, and never found t he end.” “ I t racked one t hat was t hree kilom et ers long, at least . I t dipped int o t he Terra Nova at one end...” “ What about t he pink shells?” I asked, t rying t o get t he focus off m e and m y experiences. “ I never did see where t hey cam e from . Do you t hink t hey're rem ains of scions?” Cassir t ook t he subj ect eagerly. “ Whit ehat s,” he said. “ We don't know t hat ,” Thornwheel said cont em pt uously. “ Don't rely on folk gossip. But we've never seen living t hings inhabit t he shells.” “ Salap says he's sure whit ehat s deposit t hem as soil enrichers.” Thornwheel shook his head. “ They're t he cast - off rem ains of verm ids.” Shat ro shook his head in t urn, m ore vigorously. The t hird degree had been avert ed, at least for now. He t ook one last shot at m e: “ What did you learn t hat we don't know anyt hing about ? You spent t wo years t here—did you see pink shells being deposit ed? Did you see aquifer snakes hooking up t o feed anot her scion, or wat er a silva bed?” “ No,” I said. “ Nobody's seen any of t hose t hings,” Thornwheel said. “ There j ust aren't enough of us, and t oo m any m yst eries.” 252
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Randall walked along t he beach and j oined us as t he last ribbon of light in t he west faded. “ I 'd like t o t ry t o reach At henai on t he radio, now t hat it 's night ,” he said. “ The st orm doesn't seem t o want t o t hrow m uch light ning now, does it ?” “ No, ser,” Shat ro said. “ Maybe we'll get lucky.” Cassir got up and we ret ired t o t he sm all cabin t he researchers shared wit h t he sm all radio. We were not lucky, however. The radio produced not hing but hiss and voices t oo dist ort ed t o underst and. “ The capt ain could do anyt hing he want ed, under t hese condit ions,” Shat ro said. Randall gave him a passing glare, but said not hing. I n t he m orning, before dawn, I cam e awake from a vivid dream of Thist ledown Cit y. The cit y had been alm ost em pt y of people, and t he buildings had becom e like lim p balloons. The m essage was clear enough: a cit y was not hing wit hout it s people. But what about people, wit hout t he cit y? I walked along t he boundary of t he prairie, savoring it s ext raordinary m onot ony, wondering what Lam arckia had t o offer t hat could replace a cit y, or all t he com ponent s of civilizat ion. Salap and his assist ant s seem ed cont ent ed enough. The capt ain and Randall found challenges enough t o am use t hem . But what about m e? I wondered what I would grow t o m iss m ost ... Already I m issed Thist ledown. I m issed t he st raight forward flirt at ions and court ships I had been so good at ; t here was 253
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not hing t o eit her const rain or slake m y physical needs but willpower, and t hat left m e blunt ly frust rat ed, unable t o respond in kind t o even t he sim plest gest ures, which were all t hat Shirla seem ed capable of. Cassir and Shat ro m et m e as I doubled back along t he boundary. “ Go ahead,” Cassir shout ed. “ Walk on it . I t 's like spongy wood.” The edge of t he prairie resem bled knobby m elt ed wax, slum ping over t he shingle beach. Cassir j um ped up t o st and a m et er above us, hands out st ret ched, grinning. “ Biggest single t hing on Lam arckia, what do you bet ?” “ Salap said it was m ade of five scions,” Shat ro obj ect ed. “ All m elt ed t oget her. Only m ast er researchers—such as Salap and yours t ruly—could discover t he com ponent s. Com e on.” Cassir walked inland. Shat ro j um ped up before I did, and we bot h followed. The t ext ure of t he prairie was very m uch like hard cork, springy and pleasant t o walk upon. We left no last ing im pressions. Cassir ran in a happy circle. “ I t 's been great here, working wit h Ser Salap ... But I 'm glad t o be off, I 'll t ell you. What are t he wom en like on your ship?” “ Hard- working,” Shat ro said. “ The m at e and a senior A.B. keep us in line,” I added. Cassir grim aced. “ Pit y we can't go t o Jakart a right away. I 'd love t o spend t im e in a cit y again. A real chance t o m ingle ... I 'd even sign on wit h a t riad, if t hat 's what it t ook.” “ Who knows where we'll be going?” Shat ro asked gloom ily. “ We'll probably end up kidnapped and working for Brion.” Cassir said, “ Mat t hew says you were in a village t he Brionist s pillaged.” 254
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“ Pret t y awful,” I said. “ Sure it wasn't pirat es?” Cassir asked. “ We've seen ships wit h no flags. Had t o happen event ually. Anot her t hing t he Good Lenk didn't consider when he brought us here.” “ What ?” Shat ro said. “ Should he have expect ed pirat es?” “ No,” Cassir said, laughing. He seem ed ready t o laugh at anyt hing, refreshed t o see new faces. “ Fat es, I 'm giddy j ust t o have com pany. We've been up all night t alking, haven't we, Shat ro?” “ And drinking,” Shat ro said. “ Prairie solvent .” He pulled a sm all glass bot t le from his pocket , filled wit h m ilky fluid, and offered it t o m e. I t ook a sm all t ast e. Like pure fire, and st ill wit h t he bit t er aft ert ast e of all alcoholic beverages on Lam arckia. “ We t ook t hree scion m em branes from part of t he prairie, arranged t hem in a way Lam arckia and Pet ain did not int end, m ade et hyl alcohol ... and wit hout yeast ! Salap says we can m ake all sort s of m at erials from t he scions we've found. We'll m ake t his planet m ore pleasant , given half a chance ... And I hope Lenk gives us t hat chance.” “ He's ill, t hey say,” Shat ro said. “ Get t ing old.” Cassir suddenly sobered, glanced at t he bot t le, and pocket ed it . “ We'll all get old. Nobody asked us whet her we want ed t o or not .” He lift ed up his shoulders, t ook a deep breat h, and swung his arm out t o t ake in t he inland prairie. “ Quiet , m y God, unt il t he rain falls, and t hen it 's like a dull, soggy drum . Do you t hink it worries?” 255
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“ I never saw a queen, or anyt hing t hat seem ed int elligent ,” Shat ro said. “ I like t o t hink it 's alive and t hinking, som ewhere.” “ Oh, it is t hat ,” Cassir said. “ Very m uch alive and t hinking ... Som ewhere. Deep in t he int erior. Com pared t o Pet ain, Liz is a sweet ie. Pet ain ... I im agine it , or him if I be t rut hful, t o be a crust y, conservat ive old m iser, except when he set s foot in t he sea ... Then he get s ext ravagant . I f we have t im e before t he boat goes, we should swim out wit h som e m asks and look at t he vine reefs. Proper big nut rient fact ory out t here. Giant anchored m em branes like net s, j ust bubbling away. Fast piscids, dozens of variet ies. All of t hem t ast e awful. Pet ain is spect acular out t here, but hidden by all t hat wat er. That 's Pet ain, however. Rich and not at all generous wit h his beaut iful daught ers ... Fat es, I 'm drinking t oo dam ned m uch.” Cassir reeled dram at ically, drew him self up again wit h a grin, and st am ped his foot on t he slick t an surface of t he prairie. “ Rain due in a few m inut es, I t hink.” He st ared out t o t he sea, where a low front of oily- looking clouds were m oving in rapidly. “ Let 's get off t his or we'll be drum m ed and sponged. St randed unt il it pushes t he wat er and nut rient s down below. You can't walk t went y feet when your feet keep get t ing m ucked.” Cassir ran swift ly for t he edge of t he prairie. We ran aft er, springing along on t he surface, skirt ing t he deep dim ples. “ Does t he capt ain m ake t he researchers do sailor work?” Cassir asked as we leaped off t he edge, landing in t he em pt y sand and pebbles. 256
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“ Only Ser Olm y,” Shat ro said. “ He isn't quit e a researcher yet , however.” “ Right ,” Cassir said, as if it didn't m at t er. “ I like t o clim b aloft now and t hen ... but not if som eone orders m e t o.” The clouds slid rapidly across t he beach, bringing at first a curt ain of fine m ist t hat spun in t he m orning light like whirlwinds drawn in gold dust . A few sm all brown disks fell and clung t o m y hands and face. I shrugged t hem off wit h a convulsive shudder, as did Shat ro, but Cassir plucked t hem off his bare arm s and at e t hem . “ Quit e good,” he said. “ Coins, we call t hem . Tast e like bread, and no im m une challenges.” I t ried one, bit ing it in half. I t did t ast e like bread—st ale bread. “ What 's in t hem ?” I asked. “ What t he prairie needs,” Cassir said. As t he clouds blew inland, I saw a haze of coins falling on t he broad t an surface. “ Sucks t hem right up. The st orm —t he big st orm our capt ain is so worried about —it m akes food for t he prairie.” “ Salap t old us t hat ,” Shat ro said, blinking m iserably against t he m ist and t he t iny slaps of brown disks. “ Yes, but t here's m ore t han even t hat . I t m akes lot s of food. Som e of it we can eat . Pet ain keeps it s sea creat ures pret t y unpalat able, but it seem s t o cat er t o t he prairie—if t he st orm is really alive, and belongs t o Pet ain, as Ser Salap t hinks.” “ How could it be alive?” Shat ro asked. The rain fell in t hick sheet s now. “ Run for cover! ” Cassir shout ed. We j oined Randall and Thornwheel in t he cabin, list ening t o t he rain on t he prairie, like hundreds of anim als running. 257
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Thornwheel brewed a kind of t ea from prairie skin harvest ed near t he beach. He explained t he process as t he wat er cam e t o a boil. “ We flense it wit h our knives, peel a sheet off about t he size of a blanket , t ake it back, cut it up ... let it dry in sheds. Not hing ever st ays dry out side here. The prairie grows it back next day. Am azing polysaccharide com plexes, and fast duplicat ion, t oo.” He poured t he wat er over m inced skin and handed m e a cup. “ Go ahead,” he said, expression hum orless. Thornwheel seem ed quit e t he opposit e of Cassir. Handsom e, a lit t le som ber and sad. The wom en on Vigilant would have m ore variet y now, and would give t heir sweet s and m edical at t ent ions t o t he new m en... Especially Shirla. And what was t hat t o m e? I sipped t he t ea caut iously. I t t ast ed m uddy and rich, like a yeast y brot h. “ Drop a few coins in ... lunch,” Cassir ent hused, lift ing his cup in a t oast . “ When we get t o Jakart a and present our papers, we'll be fam ous. Enough food in Pet ain t o feed m illions.” “ I f Lenk allows it ,” Shat ro said. “ Could use som e spice,” Randall suggest ed. The rain ended t went y m inut es aft er it began, and t he clouds blew clear, leaving bright sunshine. The st orm had disappeared again, as if following som e fam iliar and habit ual t rack.
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10 The Vigilant put out t o sea lat e next evening. The capt ain was relieved t o be away from Wallace. He walked t he deck while deep in conversat ion wit h Salap, accom panied on occasion by Thornwheel or Cassir. My elevat ion t o assist ant researcher had not yet been approved by Salap; t he m at e st ill gave m e orders, and I rem ained wit h t he st arboard wat ch, working hard from j ust before dawn unt il j ust aft er dusk. I n t he t wilight , m ost of t he crew rest ed before dinner. The winds were light , t he st orm t hat worried t he capt ain and t hat Salap claim ed was alive seem ed t o have vanished for good, t he air was fresh, and t he sea frot hed like beer in our wake, hissing soft ly, a susurrat ion beneat h every word, every shipboard sound. I m used over Cassir's descript ion of t he offshore m em branes, bubbling away oxygen from wat er ... com plet ing t he t wo- part respirat ion cycle. Shirla st ood by t he rail am idships, keeping away from t he scat t ered labors of t he port night wat ch, now occupied wit h binding a crack in t he gaff on t he spanker. Cat hedral t ree xyla was liable t o split aft er a few years at sea; t he Vigilant was t en years old and m any of her yards and m ast s wore t ight wound rope binders t o keep t he split s from spreading. I sat next t o Shirla, back against t he gunwale. She did not walk away, as I had feared she m ight . She sm iled down upon m e where I squat t ed, past irrit at ions apparent ly forgot t en, and said, “ I t 's begun, you know.” “ What ?” I asked. 259
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“ The pairing off,” she said. “ Don't t ell Sot erio,” I caut ioned. “ I t 's a gam e,” she said. “ You can't st op life even at sea.” “ I suppose not .” “ Talya fancies t he sailm aker, but he's m arried,” she said. “ Not t hat t hat will st op t hem if we get m ore t han a day on shore. She likes his voice. They m ake good m usic t oget her.” Shirla was finely t uned t o t he wavelengt hs of t he crew. She seem ed in a m ood t o t alk, bot h a lit t le anxious and a lit t le sad. “ Nobody's aft er m y st ern, of course,” she said, gaze fixed on t he horizon. “ I 've never at t ract ed fast eyes.” “ You reward close st udy,” I said, hoping t o cheer her a bit . “ You'll never know,” she said light ly. “ You're a loner. You don't want anybody knowing anyt hing about you. So what can a m ere wom an do t o you?” I laughed. She wrinkled her nose and flicked one of her ears wit h her fingers. “ I heard Salap arguing wit h t he m ast er yest erday.” “ Oh?” “ They were arguing about you. I n t he research cabin.” “ How did you happen t o hear?” “ I was paint ing t he lizboo wit h choker oil. Sot erio says I have a velvet brush hand. I didn't hear a lot , but Salap said he'd pick his own researchers.” I lift ed m y eyebrows. “ Oh.” “ I didn't know you were held in such est eem .” “ Randall seem s t o like m e,” I said. 260
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“ Maybe you should be aft er his st ern,” she suggest ed, not so light ly. “ He's a m arried m an wit h four children.” Shirla squat t ed beside m e, bit ing her lower lip. “ I could m at ch you wit h anot her wom an,” she said. “ The A.B.s in our bunk area t alk about you. You at t ract som e of t hem . Wom en wit h fast eyes like you.” “ Thanks,” I said, “ but no. Besides, I favor you.” Shirla st ared at m e as if m ildly offended, t hen looked away, j aw clenched. “ I 'm no fool,” she said. “ I t 's not as if I can't hold up m y end of a conversat ion.” “ I never t hought you couldn't ,” I said. “ Don't t ease m e.” “ I don't m ean t o—” She int errupt ed. “ Salap said he'll wat ch you closely. The capt ain went back t o t he radio. He's been list ening t o it a lot .” “ What does he hear?” I asked. She gave m e a caut ioning look. “ He hears what he chooses t o t ell us. That 's all he hears.” “ Oh.” She paused, st ill squat t ing on her haunches, and said, as casually as if she hadn't j ust warned m e, “ Jakart a m ight be closed for m ont hs. We'll never get in. Salap said he was angry wit h Randall, but Randall got him t o adm it ... t hat t hey're going t o need m ore researchers. So I guess you're in.” “ Thanks for keeping an ear out ,” I said. She shook her head, pursed her lips, and st ood. “ The engineer is elegant ,” she said. “ A first er. He cam e over wit h Lenk. Maybe I 'll t ry him .” 261
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Khovansk t he engineer was perhaps sevent y, t he oldest m an on t he ship. He spent m ost of his t im e belowdecks forging old broken m et al int o new pieces. He also m aint ained t he ship's feeble and prim it ive elect rical syst em . “ Maybe t he Brionist s will capt ure us and we won't have t o worry about anyt hing,” Shirla concluded. She got up and walked forward, leaving m e ut t erly confused. Two days out of Wallace, t he first m at e spot t ed a pelagic scion float ing list lessly off our st arboard beam . I t was far from Pet ain or any ot her zone ocean t errit ories and seem ed lost , it s back burned gray and blist ering in t he sun. We circled, put out t he longboat , and invest igat ed t he creat ure. Salap led t he boat crew, and soon t hey had roped t he scion and dragged it slowly back t o t he ship. Alongside t he Vigilant , float ing in t he ship's shadow, we had a m uch bet t er view of t he creat ure. The crew on free wat ch—eight of us, including m yself, roused from m y bunk by Shim chisko—wat ched from t he gunwale as Salap supervised t he float ing of a xyla plat form . “ I t 's st ill alive,” I bert said, clucking sym pat het ically. “ Looking for it s m am a,” Shim chisko said, only weakly sardonic. The scion was a piscid, a slender orange and black t orpedo shape wit h t hree lines of st iff dark purple fins spaced equidist ant on back and sides. The Capt ain wat ched from t he puppis, t apping his fingers on t he rail and m urm uring com m ent s t o Randall. “ I t 's a long way from any of it s brot hers and sist ers,” Shirla observed from t he rigging above. 262
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“ No flarking! ” t he m at e shout ed. Curious onlookers scraping t he decks or clinging t o t he shrouds, or bellied over t he yards, working sails, ret urned t o t heir j obs—but only for a few m inut es. Soon, even t he m at e wat ched Salap and t he researchers hoist t he piscid ont o t he plat form , m easure it , and t ake pict ures. “ Good Man preserve us...” sailm aker Meissner said, peering over t he side in passing. He shuddered. “ Hope it won't call it s queen from t he deep.” I bert scoffed. Meissner shook his head darkly and walked on. “ Sailor's superst it ion,” I bert said, but drew his lips t ight as Salap prodded t he piscid. The creat ure undulat ed slowly on t he plat form , lift ing it s pink, eyeless snout . I t opened and closed a four- part j aw, each part sport ing a horny serrat ed t oot h. “ I t 's j ust a fish,” Sot erio said, looking at us wit h an expression of m ixed defiance and guilt , as if he m ight be blam ed for t his sacrilege. “ A scavenger, I bet . The kind sent out t o chew up lost scions from ot her ecoi or t o recycle dead scions.” “ What 's t his?” Randall asked, approaching t he group by t he rail wit h a m ast er's concern for brewing t rouble. “ Sir, sailm aker Meissner com m ent ed we should be leaving t his one alone,” Sot erio said. “ We've never had t rouble t aking scions on land or in t he rivers,” Randall observed. “ Rarely t ake t hem t his far at sea, sir,” t he m at e cont inued. “ So? Most of t hem aren't even edible.” 263
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“ Ocean queens...” Sot erio said in a lowered voice, shaking his head. “ Ah, t hat t he queens live in t he oceans ... I 've heard t hat ,” Randall said. “ That t hey'll rise up and punish us som eday. Good t heory. I 'll t ell t he capt ain.” “ Not m y own t heory, sir,” Sot erio hast ened t o add. “ Of course not .” “ I t is no longer alive,” Salap called up from t he plat form . He bent down, wat er slapping at his boot s, and lift ed t he beaked snout . I t fell back, lim p. “ Very far from it s hom e wat ers. Lost in current s.” “ Use it ,” t he capt ain called from t he puppis. Salap looked up, uncert ain what t he capt ain m eant . “ Our first specim en,” t he capt ain said. “ Bring it aboard and we'll st udy it .” “ He t hinks t he queens won't know,” Shim chisko said t o I bert and t o m e. “ Why so afraid, all of a sudden?” I bert asked his friend. “ You don't respect anyt hing.” “ Not afraid,” Shim chisko said huffily. “ The Good Man t aught proper respect for t hings in t heir places.” “ So,” I bert said. “ This poor fish is out of it s place.” Shim chisko, who had t urned very pale, walked t o t he st arboard side of t he boat , t o be away from t he sight of t he dead scion. “ What do I know, what do I know?” I bert m ut t ered, st alking off aft er Shim chisko. That evening, Salap dissect ed t he piscid on a t able on t he m ain deck, elect ric light s supplem ent ing t he t wilight set t ling 264
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over our spot of t he Darwin Sea. The wat er was calm , t he wind st eady; a light crew t ended t he ship, while m ost of us wat ched Salap at work, circled around t he t able like an audience at a sport ing event . Salap seem ed t o enj oy t he focused at t ent ion. The capt ain st ood by t he piscid's t ail as t he head researcher cut and drew his knife along t he t hick, t ough skin bet ween rows of fins. This t ook several m inut es of effort , drawing grunt s from t he usually unflappable Salap, but finally he revealed t he piscid's int erior—ropy, surrounded by pale orange fluid, int erspersed wit h orange and purple grapelike clust ers. A fam iliar gingery, garlicky sm ell waft ed out of t he carcass, m aking t he crew m urm ur and shake t heir heads am ong t hem selves. I t sm elled like one of Liz's scions, yet Liz was not supposed t o vent ure out t o sea. “ We should not draw conclusions t oo soon,” Salap warned, list ening t o t he m urm urs. “ We have no records of t his kind of scion, t hough it does bear som e resem blance t o a river whale. I nt erior anat om y is not unfam iliar for a piscid—t hese ext ensive ropy t issues are m uscular analogs, but of course t here is no cellular st ruct ure as such. We call t hem t issues by com parison only. They are m ore like bundles of act in or m yosin fibrils, surrounded by net works of m acrot ubules which t ransport cyt oplasm ic com ponent s, m uch as do m icrot ubules in our fam iliar cellular st ruct ure.” He lift ed t he grapey clust ers. “ All organelles are creat ed and cont rolled by t hese, what Shulago called st aphyloform m asses, which also supply and direct t he flow of chem icals and nut rient s. Scions are self- repairing, and have sufficient 265
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inst ruct ional genet ic m at erial t o carry out t hat funct ion, but no scion can reproduce it s own form . That is left t o t he reproduct ive cent ers of t he ecos it self, which, of course, are m yst erious.” Salap sliced t hrough t he ropes, which sprang aside like st ret ched rubber bands, flinging orange fluid across his apron and int o t he capt ain's face. The capt ain shook his head and asked for a t owel. Salap checked t o see if any fluid had got t en int o t he capt ain's eyes, but it had not . “ Pelagic scions cont ain m any subst ances t hat can cause severe chem ical or allergic react ions,” he warned t he crew. “ Not only acet ic acid in various concent rat ions, but et hanol, m et hanol, and organic com pounds ... am ines, st eroids, enzym es and ot her prot eins, and m any t ypes of polysaccharides. Merchant ships becalm ed, out of fuel, wit h st arving crews...” He shook his head “ Som e have t ried t o eat piscids from t he deep wat ers. Som e have died.” This was not news t o t he crew, of course. Heads nodded around t he circle. Meissner, st anding wit h arm s folded t wo m et ers away from m e, shook his head em phat ically and said, “ The queens prot ect t heir own.” More crew gat hered closer as dusk deepened. The piscid seem ed t o hold a fascinat ion even for t hose disint erest ed in t he ship's scient ific m ission. “ Where's t he brain?” asked a t all, nervous A.B. nam ed Wernhard. Salap t urned t o t he piscid's “ head” and t ook out a sm all bowed saw wit h a t hin blade. He cut around t he head bet ween t he beak and fins and pulled t he skin aside. “ No brain like ours,” he said. “ Net works of t ubules carrying free 266
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am ino acids, chiefly lysine, and m ildly acidic fluids, m ay act as prim it ive processing cent ers. Do t hey t hink? Not as we do. Do t hey see? This one has no eyes ... I t probably t ast es wit h it s ent ire skin. “ No brain, and no digest ive syst em . I t s only source of energy, once it is set free upon t he ocean, is phot orecept ive pigm ent , an advanced form of rhodopsin, in t ranslucent m em branes j ust beneat h t he skin of it s back and fins. Not as concent rat ed as sim ilar m em branes in phyt ids and arborids ... I t s m ain funct ion m ay be t o gat her dead sist er scions or scraps from ot her ecoi, and ret urn t hem t o som e cent ral analyzer or digest er, which t hen rewards t he piscid by replenishing it s energy st ores, or absorbs it and m akes m ore. Then again, m aybe it is a t hief or spy ... a kind of enlarged sam pler, like som e piscids in t he rivers. I n som e ways, it is sim pler t han a planarian worm .” Salap pushed his lips out as if about t o kiss som eone, eyes going slight ly out of focus, an expression I had learned m eant he was deep in som e speculat ion. “ Maybe t his is a one- of- akind specim en, drawn from som e past cat alog of designs, sent out on a specific m ission. Now it 's worn and lost and useless.” I wondered if t hat could ever describe m e. Salap cut away a grayish m em brane and revealed a st art ling rainbow of com ponent s wit hin t he piscid's cent ral cavit y. The capt ain becam e involved. “ As Ser Salap t ells us,” he said, pulling on gloves and exam ining t he organelles before dropping t hem in j ars of wat er dosed wit h pot assium salt s, “ scions are m ore like single cells t han m ult icelled 267
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organism s. They have evolved—if I m ay use t hat word, wit h it s Eart hly connot at ions—t o a condit ion t hat has been called m egacyt ic.” The capt ain st epped around t he t able and dug his hand deep int o t he cavit y, felt for a m om ent wit h a squint at t he st arry sky, and pulled out a m arble- sized lum p. Sm oot hing away nacreous connect ive t issue, he held it up in t he lant ern light . “ Scions carry t heir genet ic m at erial in st ony nodules. Ser Salap is fam ous for being t he first t o analyze t his m at erial, and t o discover it s chem ical and st ruct ural relat ionship t o our own RNA and DNA. However, t he am ount s of genet ic m at erial—roughly one t ent h of one percent of t he DNA in our own cells—and t he genet ic gram m ar, even t he ancillary support st ruct ures, differ from our own. “ Each ecos at t em pt s t o hide and prot ect it s genet ic m at erial, perhaps wit h ornat e codes or decoys, yet , for t he m ost part , I believe ecoi can sam ple and analyze scions wit h fair efficiency. We have seen new scions quickly im it at ed by ot her ecoi, and t hat leads us t o believe t he ecoi spy on each ot her, and t hat t hey are m ast er genet ic engineers.” Salap pulled fort h a long t ranslucent t ube filled wit h a gelat inous fluid. “ Swim bladder, very fine oily subst ance,” he com m ent ed, passing t he t ube t o t he capt ain, who lift ed it , weighed it on a scale, and let it slide int o a pan for lat er exam inat ion. “ Can anyone t ell us why ecoi would want t o disguise or encode t heir genet ic inform at ion?” t he capt ain asked, t reat ing his crew once again as a class of st udent s. 268
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The A.B.s and apprent ices shrugged, glanced at each ot her, sm iled sheepishly. Finally, A.B. Talya Ry Diem vent ured her opinion in a gruff voice. “ Don't want ot hers st ealing t heir designs.” “ Precisely.” The capt ain sm iled at Ry Diem , and she beam ed like a lit t le girl. “ An efficient form requires m uch effort t o design and creat e, m uch t rial and error. Theft is easier. Baker wit nessed scion kidnapping in Thonessa's Zone, a sm all zone on Tasm an, near Kandinsky. He never saw act ual analysis—no one has—but found t he discarded carcasses in Kandinsky lat er. Short ly aft er, adapt ed copies of t hese scions from Thonessa were produced by Kandinsky.” Salap lift ed his slim e- covered hands. “ I suggest we nam e t his form Elizabet hae Macropisces Vigilans—t hough t he connect ion wit h Elizabet h's Zone is unproved.” He pulling a clot h over t he dead piscid. “ We have so m any quest ions t o answer. How does an ecos deal wit h deat h? What is t he nat ure of it s energy cycle, it s feeding and respirat ion? Why have t he ecoi creat ed an oxygenat ed at m osphere, yet rely prim arily on a non- respirat ory phot osynt het ic cycle? Do ecoi in fact reproduce over long periods of t im e, or do t hey m erely sex and flux—m erge wit h valuable sub- zones, or wit h each ot her? I f t hey do reproduce, since virt ually all t he land and m ost of t he ocean are already populat ed by ecoi, where do young ecoi go t o grow and m at ure? I s it possible t he young exist wit hin t he ecos, and we do not recognize t hem ?” He bat hed his hands in a t ub of seawat er, t hen rem oved his gloves. “ Many m yst eries indeed, and I for one am eager t o solve t hem .” 269
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Twent y- t hree days out from Calcut t a, one of t he younger apprent ices, Cham , st anding wat ch on t he foret ree t op, spot t ed what he t hought were ships t o t he sout heast . The capt ain cam e up from t he cabin, followed by Randall. Thornwheel and Cassir em erged, t hen Shat ro. Salap cam e last , and binoculars were passed bet ween t hem on t he forecast le deck near t he bow. “ They're com ing closer,” Randall observed. Ry Diem was helping m e repair a net on t he quart erdeck. “ Fat es and breat h of us all,” she m urm ured, lift ing her eyes. “ Brionist s.” “ Not ships,” t he capt ain said, loudly enough for all of us t o hear. “ Moving quit e fast , however.” Salap t ook t he binoculars eagerly. He seem ed ready t o leap int o t he wat er. “ Wonderful,” he cried. “ Speeders, racers ... largest I 've ever seen.” “ From where?” t he capt ain asked. “ Pet ain, perhaps,” Thornwheel suggest ed. “ No way of knowing,” Salap said, binoculars focused on t he obj ect s, now visible t o everyone about a m ile from t he ship and bearing down rapidly. “ They are m oving fast er t han t hirt y knot s.” The capt ain t ook t he binoculars again. “ Pelagic scions big as longboat s. Biggest I 've seen except for river whales.” Four of t he creat ures zipped across t he ocean's choppy surface, sending up spray from wavet ops, bouncing like speedboat s and alt ernat ely singing and droning. “ Baker 270
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observed t hese,” t he capt ain said, as if t hat m ight m ake t hem less int erest ing. “ I have seen sm aller ones m yself,” Salap said. “ What do t hey do?” t he capt ain asked. “ Where are t hey from ?” Throwing long roost er- t ails, t he high- speed scions circled t he Vigilant at fift y or sixt y m et ers. They seem ed lit t le m ore t han a t all sail or st abilizer m ount ed on a flat body. The forward part of t he body dropped t wo lim bs or fins int o t he wat er, where t hey spread t o form hydroplanes. The aft sect ion of t he body whirled long- bladed cilia like propellers, driving t he anim als over t he ocean at high speed, at least com pared t o t he Vigilant . They circled us for t en m inut es, t hen one dart ed closer, flashing by t he port beam . I t s colors were blue and dark purple across t he st abilizer, gray and whit e along t he body and fins, wit h red t rim on all forward edges. I t was breat ht akingly beaut iful. Shirla t ook m y arm as we wat ched. I glanced at her and saw her face flushed wit h an em ot ion I knew I shared, but which was difficult for eit her of us t o express. “ Blessings upon Lenk for bringing us here,” she said. She held m y hand t o her lips and kissed it , bit ing a knuckle gent ly, and ran aft t o t rim t he m aint ree skysail wit h ot her A.B.s. The capt ain and Salap argued over t he sight ing for hours aft er, reaching no conclusions t hey could agree upon. Meissner spread a sail across t he m ain deck t o check his repairs. “ Messengers, t at t let ales,” he m ut t ered for t he benefit of no one in part icular. “ Checking t hings out across t he 271
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Darwin, report ing back t o t heir queens.”
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11 At t he end of t he fourt h week, Mart ha's I sland lay t hree m iles off t he port bow, due nort h, visible beneat h puffs of gray evening cloud as a sawt oot h of six j agged m ount ains. Dark spit s of lowland connect ed t he rugged m ain island t o headlands east and west , giving t he broader m ass t he look of a bird wit h a feat hery head prost rat e upon t he sea, it s wings spread flat wit h t ips raised weakly for flight . The Vigilant proceeded slowly over shallow sandy banks devoid of apparent life, t opsails and spanker t aut in a st eady breeze and all ot hers furled. The sea spread calm and deep blue for m iles around. We had ent ered t he prot ect ed void of Mart ha's I sland, and approached t he island's sout heast ern shore, t he only safe place t o land a boat on t he m ount ainous m ain body. I f we had t ried t o land on t he lowland beaches or t he headlands and hike inland, we would have encount ered ext rem ely rugged and barren t errain; so Jidderm eyer had learned on his first visit , and Baker and Shulago had confirm ed. Most of t he crew wat ched our approach t o t he island, evenly spaced in t he m iddle and port side on t he shrouds, m ast s, quart erdeck, and on t he forecast le deck wit h t he m ast er and researchers. The capt ain had unfolded his port able chair on t he quart erdeck and surveyed t he coast and m ount ains t hrough binoculars. Shirla and Shim chisko and I bert wat ched wit h som ber expressions. “ What 's wrong?” I asked. 273
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Shim chisko hit ched up his shoulders and shook his head wit h a whist ling release of breat h. “ Mart ha's I sland doesn't know us,” he said. “ We'll be get t ing acquaint ed.” I bert nodded grim agreem ent . “ Sam plers aren't always t he sam e,” he said. “ Not always sm all. Not always gent le.” “ Nonsense,” Shirla count ered. “ Every ecos is ‘polit e.'” That expression found favor am ong a cert ain large segm ent of t he im m igrant s, who idealized t he landscape and ecos. A kind of m yt hology had sprung up. The “ m any m ot hers of life,” it was said, were “ polit e, always nurt uring.” “ That 's not what m y fat her says,” Kissbegh observed. He had descended from t he m aint ree shrouds wit h Riddle. Bot h had pushed t heir way t hrough t he crew t o t he port rail and st ood beside us. “ Jidderm eyer lost t hree of his crew here. Nobody ever found t hem . My fat her sailed wit h Jidderm eyer.” We wondered why he had not m ent ioned t his before. “ He did. Two m en and a wom an vanished and m y fat her said t hey were sam pled.” “ Why didn't you t ell us about your fat her before?” I bert asked. “ He wasn't proud of m e. I 'm a clown.” Shim chisko snort ed. Riddle and I bert seem ed m ore sym pat het ic. “ No, I know what I am , and so did he,” Kissbegh said. “ But t hat 's how I got m y bert h on t he Vigilant . Not every zone need be as sweet as Liz,” he concluded port ent ously. “ We should list en t o experience.” Shirla shook her head, unconvinced. 274
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Rum ors passed quickly. The crew's anxiet y increased as we approached t he east ern headland and sailed t hrough m ore st ret ches of shallow, dead wat er. We could not m ake out any scions, even from a few hundred m et ers; t he spit s bet ween t he island's cent er and headlands were sandy desert . As we prepared for our st ay on t he island, I helped Salap arrange his equipm ent in t he longboat . “ I hear you do not have a st rong fam ily,” Salap said, helping m e carry t wo crat es of specim en j ars t o t he boat . “ No,” I said. “ I don't .” He was a sm all m an wit h a face t hat seem ed suit ed t o sardonic opinions, dark eyes set unevenly above st rong cheekbones sm eared wit h blackrouge, a finely t rim m ed, graying black goat ee, and square pat ches of hair t rim m ed free, like islands, at his t em ples. He wore loose- fit t ing black pant s and a long black coat t hat seem ed t o fill out his t hin body. “ The m ast er t ells m e you learn quickly.” He gave m e a look t hat seem ed at once bot h unconcerned and challenging, as if daring m e t o disagree—or t rying t o provoke m e. “ So I have agreed t o t ake you on.” “ I am honored,” I said, clim bing t he ladder t o t he longboat in it s chocks and carefully lowering t he box of bot t les. We loaded a wire- wrapped cube of st acked folding lizboom esh cages, for capt uring sm all scions alive. “ St ill,” he cont inued, “ t here could be resent m ent . I f you boast , I will send you back t o t he apprent ices. And your dut ies will rem ain t hose of a sailor when we are not ashore and I have no use for you. Does t hat seem fair?” I nodded. 275
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“ Good. We will accom pany t he first part y t o go ashore.” He wiped his hands on a t owel and looked across t he blue sea t o Mart ha's I sland. “ Shulago and Baker said t he cent ral island and Mount Jidderm eyer were covered wit h t hick silva. Som et hing has changed. Perhaps we won't need so m any cages...” The Vigilant weighed anchor in a sm all cove j ust below t he t allest of t he island's cent ral peaks, Mount Jidderm eyer. The sun had dropped behind t he west ern headland and t he m ount ains were black against t he yellow t wilight sky. Elect ric lant erns were swit ched on and t he deck becam e a pat ch of bright st ars against t he gray- blue ocean and t he silhouet t e of t he island beyond. The apprent ices and A.B.s were relieved of t heir dut ies and sat on deck at leisure, enj oying t he warm evening air, yet st ill keeping nervous eyes on t he loom ing blackness of Mount Jidderm eyer, out lined by st ars and faint ribbons of m oonlit cloud. Dinner was served on deck as a kind of celebrat ion, and t he capt ain and officers and researchers j oined t he crew t opside. The ot her researchers t ook m y prom ot ion from t he ranks wit h fat ed nonchalance. “ I t 's only what I expect from Randall and Salap,” Shat ro said t o Thornwheel, j ust wit hin m y hearing. “ Nine days out of t en, Ser Salap's a m art inet and by t he rules t his, by t he rules t hat . On t he t ent h he's as generous as a bot t om less bucket .” Aft er dinner, a keg of m at fiber beer was shared out on t he m ain deck. I sat on t he port gunwale wit h I bert , Meissner, Shim chisko, and Shirla. We dangled our feet over t he side, backs t o t he light , facing t he darkness and list ening t o t he 276
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waves as we sipped t he weak, bit t er brew, wit h it s faint ginger- garlic t ang. From t he night bound shore cam e t he soft grum ble of breakers on t he black lava sand beaches. We had not seen any scions at all so far, even on t he m ount ain slopes, and t hat worried t he capt ain. “ I t 's wrong,” he said from his chair as Randall brought him a m ug. “ Mart ha's I sland had a rich and lively ecos when Baker and Shulago last explored, a full silva bot h sides of t he island. We haven't seen anyt hing. I t looks as if t he whole island is dead.” That seem ed t o excit e him . He t urned t o Salap, who st ood wit h arm s folded a few st eps away. “ I t 'll be prim ary science, pure and direct , eh, Mansur?” “ I t will, sir,” Salap replied, sm iling calm ly. “ By t he Good Man it will,” t he capt ain m urm ured, eyes glit t ering, and sipped from his m ug. He licked his lips wit h broad sat isfact ion. “ Think of it , friends...” He swept t he deck wit h his happy gaze, t aking in t hose of us who sat on t he gunwale, his researchers, t he ot her apprent ices where t hey lounged and at e or drank. “ How m any scient ist s, how m any hum ans over t he years, have had a chance t o do prim ary science?” “ We will not j ust clean up lit t le det ails,” Salap said, echoing t he capt ain's ent husiasm . He rubbed his chin. “ Here's t o Ser Korzenowski, designer of t he Way,” he said, lift ing his m ug. “ To his audacit y.” The crew sat in silence, all conversat ions st opped in uncert ain em barrassm ent . Salap's gaze m et m ine. He was as int erest ed in m y react ion as I was in his. 277
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Randall broke t he silence. “ And t o Good Lenk, who used t he Way as it was m eant t o be used, and broke t he evil slide of fat e and pneum a.” “ Hear, hear! ” t he capt ain said, his face flushing deeper red. He lift ed his m ug. “ To Good Lenk, who guides us all! ” The crew j oined t he t oast . The awkward m om ent did not pass com plet ely, however. The m ood of t he evening, set by t he warm breezes and t he com fort able bright glow of elect ric light s, t he keg of m at fiber beer, broke, and t he crew wandered about t he deck, finishing up sm all chores, preparing t o sling ham m ocks abovedecks and sleep in t he warm night air. When t he ot hers were set t led, Shirla and I st ill st ood by t he gunwale, list ening t o t he breakers. “ We're awfully confused, you know,” she m urm ured. “ I wish I knew what t o t hink, som et im es.” The longboat set out wit h first light , com m anded by Salap; t he capt ain st ayed aboard for t his first sort ie, in case t he island m ight prove dangerous. He clearly did not enj oy t his precaut ion, and gave Salap det ailed inst ruct ions on what t o look for, what t o record on bot h of t heir slat es, and when t o ret urn wit h a prelim inary report . On t he boat were t wo apprent ices, Scop and An Sking—low- profile t ypes who seldom volunt eered, but were picked by Randall for t his reconnaissance—and Randall him self. Shat ro, Thornwheel, and I filled out t he com plem ent . The boat crossed t he few hundred m et ers t o t he shore, a narrow black- sand beach scat t ered wit h lum ps of pum ice and broken bit s of t oughened scion fiber. We dragged t he boat 278
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from t he shallows up ont o t he beach, t hen walked up and down t he st rip of sand, t he sm oot h glassy grains squeaking beneat h our feet . Salap ordered us t o gat her several boxes of sam ples—t he flot sam and j et sam of ecoi from around t he Darwin Sea. “ The ocean brings t hem t o us for free,” he said. Beyond t he beach, a st orm - eroded cliff t en m et ers high revealed layer upon layer of volcanic ash fall, alt ernat ing gray and black. Buried wit hin t he layers, Randall and Shat ro found dessicat ed rem nant s of scions, perhaps cent uries old. We dug out t hese delicat e specim ens wit h sm all rock picks and shovels—shriveled brown husks, vict im s of ancient erupt ions from t he sam e volcanoes t hat pushed up from t he sea and gave birt h t o t he island t housands of years ago. “ This m uch we know about Lam arckia,” Salap said, kicking at t he black scoria capping t he cliff. “ I t is younger t han Eart h by a billion years, m ore act ive volcanically—but five hundred kilom et ers less in diam et er. There has been m uch less cont inent al weat hering of deposit ed crust from t he era of lim e t est at es, shelly m icrofossils. Nearly all t he m et allic ores are volcanic in origin. Likely if we really wish t o find rich veins of m et al ores, we will have t o look five t housand m et ers beneat h t he cont inent s, or deep beneat h t he waves.” We left t he boxes of dessicat ed scions on t he beach, at op som e low flat lava boulders t o avoid t he waves. Beyond t he beach cliffs, gent le rolling hills—ancient fum aroles, eroded by wind and rain—st ret ched half a kilom et er t o t he razor- ridged, st eep slopes of Mount Jidderm eyer. Lava boulders, scoria, and crum bled, eroded flows of t wist ed lava covered t he hills. The 279
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ground was cool, however, and no vapors em erged from t he cracks or from t he inland m ount ains. Salap surveyed t he m ount ains, sucking on his cheeks t hought fully. Wit h a sm all t ongue- cluck, as if in m oral disapproval, he t urned t o Randall and Shat ro. “ When Shulago and Baker were here, t hey could sm ell sulfur for dozens of m iles out t o sea. I t 's very quiet now, and no sm ell.” “ We'll spend a half- hour looking over t his sect or,” Randall said. “ Chief obj ect s of our search will be pet rids.” He showed us a reproduct ion of a sket ch by Baker of hand- sized flat scions clinging t o lava, leaving t rails of whit e behind. Serving t he place of lichens, pet rids or rock- grinders of various sizes and shapes were found in all known ecoi. “ We'll also be looking for scion fum et s.” Droppings—generally flat , sm oot h disks, were rarely visible in act ive ecoi because of collect ion and clean- up. I f t his ecos was declining, we m ight find m ore droppings—or none at all. “ Wat ch your st ep. Shulago calls t his very t reacherous t errit ory—lot s of old lava t ubes and sinkholes.” We spread out over t he hills in t he hot sun. I clut ched a fiber hat and a bag for sm all specim ens. I fell t wice before adapt ing t o t he t errain, skinning m y knuckles and knees. The best place t o look for fixed scions, I t hought , would be inland a few hundred m et ers. I visualized t hem soaking up sun bet ween t he boulders. Think energy. An ecos m anages energy t he way any organism does. Sunlight , air, wat er, m inerals ... Scions specifically adapt ed t o t aking advant age of cert ain niches for energy and raw m at erials. 280
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Treading black sand pat hs t hrough a m aze of fragm ent ed lava, I peered int o shadows beneat h overhangs, scuffing at t he sand wit h m y boot s, scraping several cent im et ers deep wit h a sm all shovel. Not hing. When t he half- hour had passed, we regrouped on t he beach. Salap shaded his eyes against t he sun and t urned down his lips at our em pt y bags. “ So, t he ecos is hiding, or...” He shrugged, refusing t o speculat e out loud. “ We will find Shulago's t rail, not far from here if it 's st ill m arked. There is a sm all shelt ered valley at t he base of Mount Jidderm eyer. I t is a hike, but I believe we can find it and be back before t he capt ain get s upset .” He gave us all an enigm at ic look, part ly conspirat orial, part ly rueful. I det ect ed a hint of rivalry here—Salap want ed t o explore t he island on his own t erm s. As we walked down t he beach and searched for t he t railhead, Shat ro picked up a piece of leat hery scrap and passed it around for exam inat ion. Dark brown, dried t o t he consist ency of xyla, it st ill held a few t hreads in punched holes. “ Part of a shoe,” Randall offered. “ Not a scion,” Shat ro said. “ Disappoint ing,” Salap said, shaking his head sadly. “ What has happened here?” We did not find any t rail m arkings, but a sandy pat h bet ween t he boulders showed prom ise, The pat h clim bed t he side of t he m ount ain and veered around an andesit ic out crop. “ This is Shulago's t rail, but t he arborids are gone,” Salap said, point ing t o em pt y circles of st ones and conical depressions in t he ground on eit her side. “ When t he arborids 281
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were here, t hey pushed boulders away and t ook root ... They have crawled away, or died.” We followed t he pat h for a hundred m et ers, around t he out crop, and t hen t hrough a t um ble of large boulders, som e st acked in arches over t he t rail. The sun warm ed m y arm s and m ade m y scalp sweat wit hin t he hat . I felt sad and sleepy. Aft er four kilom et ers, a few purple and dark blue st alks showed over a close rise. “ At last ,” Randall said. “ Som et hing alive.” Beyond t he rise st ood a copse of sm all, squat , palm like arborids. Spiky leaves spread over round boles in a furry cap. Translucent brown root s form ed net s over t he ground bet ween t he arborids, and along t he root s crawled shiny orange verm ids—worm like creat ures, each about four cent im et ers long. We paused by t he edge of t his pit ifully sm all and confined silva. Randall, Shat ro, and Salap exam ined t he scions quickly, m aking not es on Salap's slat e. I recognized none of t hem from t he illust rat ions and phot os of eit her t he Jidderm eyer or Baker- Shulago expedit ions. “ Big differences,” Salap said. “ Fluxing and reissue of new scions. The island is no longer hospit able.” “ Com pet it ion?” Shat ro asked bright ly. “ War ... a sexing?” Salap looked t o t he skies and shook his head. “ There was only one ecos on Mart ha's I sland, and we're a t housand m iles from Elizabet h's Land, fift een hundred m iles from Hsia. Scions from pelagic ecoi st ick close t o t he islands and cont inent al shelves; except for unfort unat es who st ray ... And bot h 282
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Shulago and Baker and Jidderm eyer said t he ecos on Mart ha's I sland dom inat ed it s zone, even out t o a hundred m iles from land. I t was well fort ified. How could t here be a sexing, m uch less a t akeover?” Shat ro was st ill hopeful his idea m ight be proven possible, if not correct . “ We saw racers from Pet ain—or perhaps from Hsia or Efhraia's Land. Why are t hey out here, unless a zone senses opport unit y?” “ What opport unit y?” Salap asked, his t em per rising. “ I t is em pt y, Ser Shat ro! A zone has subsided here. I t is in decline.” “ Old age,” I suggest ed, part ly t o break Salap's fix on t he unfort unat e Shat ro. Salap rolled his eyes heavenward again but said not hing, walking ahead bet ween t he arborids, t o t he bot t om of t he sm all valley. The air was cooler and m oist er in t he shade of t he arborids. I t sm elled of not hing in part icular. I t ouched t he t runks and leaves as we passed, but no st om at a opened; t here seem ed t o be only t hese t wo kinds of scions, unknown arborids and verm ids. “ We haven't been sam pled,” Randall said as we approached t he lowest part of t he valley, half a kilom et er from t he rise. “ That I don't m iss,” Shat ro said. “ St ill, it 's significant ,” Randall said. “ The ecos m ay no longer be curious. Unique in m y experience.” “ We've only been here a few m inut es,” Shat ro said, glancing around. “ Maybe t hey're wait ing for t he right m om ent .” 283
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The t rail broadened int o a sandy flat . At t he cent er of t he flat , a hip- high wall of lava boulders surrounded a clear, sparkling pool. A spring bubbled t o one side, and t he wat ers rippled over a bed of black sand, sparkling in t he bright sun. From t he walled spring t o t he copse, a pat h was m arked by sm aller lum ps of reddish lava. “ Not scions,” Randall said. “ Som eone's living here.” We t ook t he m arked pat h back int o t he copse. Fift y paces from t he spring, a dark gray, weat her- beat en house rose on short st ilt s, surrounded by pink and gray arborids. The roof was m ade of som e sort of gray leat hery skin, as were t he walls; t he rest of t he square, ungraceful st ruct ure was m ade of st rips and beam s of pinkish xyla. At t he sound of our voices, a wom an st epped out ont o t he narrow porch, dressed in sacklike brown robes, face pale, her long black hair prom inent ly st reaked wit h gray. I guessed her t o be about sevent y years old. She st ood wit h hands on t he rail, st aring at us for a m om ent wit h pale blue eyes. Her skin was dark, her lim bs skinny, and she worked her m out h as if searching for words under her t ongue. “ I am Liasine Trey Nim zhian,” she said in a squeak. She cleared her t hroat and repeat ed her nam e. “ I live here. What do you want ?” “ Are you alone?” Randall asked. “ Not t o alarm you, Ser Nim zhian,” Salap said, t ouching Randall on t he shoulder. “ I am honored t o m eet you. I did not know you were st ill here.” He t urned and whispered in Randall's ear. 284
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The wom an looked at us one by one, eyes wide. “ My husband died five years ago. I 've been alone since. Hum an voices and faces quit e st un m e.” Salap int roduced us form ally, and t hen explained, “ Sers Liasine Trey Nim zhian and Yeshova Nakh Rassik were feared dead. They were researchers wit h Baker and Shulago.” “ We did not choose t o st ay,” Nim zhian said. She held out her hands. “ Do you have a ship? Of course, you m ust . I would dearly love t o see a ship, t o ... dine wit h t he capt ain?” “ I t would be our privilege,” Salap said, bowing his head. That evening, m ost of t he crew sat down t o t he best t hat Frey t he cook could offer on board t he Vigilant . I sat at t he t able next t o t he capt ain's, wit h Randall, t he first m at e, and t he j unior researchers, including Shat ro. Nim zhian sat wit h t he capt ain and Salap and Talya Ry Diem and Shirla, t he fem ale A.B.s at t able t o m ake her feel at hom e. I ndeed, t he wom en spent m uch t im e fussing over her as t hey m ight over a revered elder. Liasine Nim zhian seem ed t o fall int o a t rance even before t he dinner began. “ So long...” she cooed as she sat at t he head t able in t he m ess. “ This seem s wonderfully elegant t o m e. I t 's been years since I at e hum an food ... Bread! And so m uch news! I do not believe all I have m issed.” “ Your st ory m ust be ext raordinary,” t he capt ain said. She drew herself up proudly. “ I have lived on our island for t welve years now. The first years were good, but aft er m y Yeshova died ... m ost ly work.” She leaned t oward t he capt ain. “ You're following in t he pat h of Baker and Shulago. You are going t o circum navigat e.” 285
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“ That we are,” t he capt ain said. “ That explains Ser Salap and his wonderful int erest in Mart ha's I sland. Who else would go t his far out of t he way, t o visit such a lonely place? Well, for you all, t hen, I have a st ory t o t ell. I t is about secret s, and t he deat h of t he only living t hing I have com e t o know and t o love, besides m y husband. “ Tom orrow, I will show you where it all happened, and t onight and t om orrow, perhaps I can explain why.” Aft er t he m eal, we ret urned t o t he quart erdeck, t o sit under t he double oxbow and list en t o Ser Nim zhian's st ory. “ When I j oined t he Baker and Shulago expedit ion, I was an agro—a farm ing specialist . I had learned how t o care for t errest rial crops, wit hout dist urbing t he ecos and bringing on a defensive response ... Som et hing rarely seen now, I suspect , but com m on enough t hen. My sponsor was Yeshova, t he m an who would becom e m y husband. Yeshova.” She lingered on t he nam e in silence for a m om ent , sm iling soft ly. “ He t hought I could t each Baker and Shulago a t hing or t wo about specializat ion in ecos populat ions. “ We put t o sea wit h t wo ships, t he Hanno and t he Him ilco. They were sm aller t han t his one, and less well prepared. Baker and Shulago m ay be heroes and m art yrs t o m any now. I 've only j ust learned t hey never ret urned ... That only Chuki m ade it back in t he sm aller ship.” She paused and drew several deep breat hs, as if t o calm herself. Wit h one hand t o her neck, absent ly st roking t he brown and wrinkled skin t here, she gat hered her t hought s. “ Not so long ago, it seem s. My life has t aken on a cert ain sam eness t he past few years. 286
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“ You know of our j ourney from At henai t o t he nort hern cont inent , where no ecos grows, and from t here t o Hsia. We sailed along t he west ern coast of Hsia, t hen sout h t o t he Cook St rait s, and found a passage ... discovering six m ore zones on t he Cook I slands, sm all, sim ple ecoi really, com pared t o Elizabet h's Land and Hsia. “ We capt ured specim ens, dissect ed t hem , and wherever we went , t he ecoi were curious. I was personally sam pled t hirt y- t hree t im es.” She lift ed her arm s t o show us t iny pockm arks, som e as large as t hum bprint s. She also point ed out pocks on her neck and lift ed her robe t o show several on her ankles and legs. “ We followed t he east ern coast of Efhraia's land t o t he sout hernm ost point , which we nam ed Cape Manu, aft er our navigat or. We rounded Cape Manu and ret urned t o t he Darwin Sea, rat her t han face icebound wint er seas t o t he east .” She looked up at her audience, face drawn wit h m em ories. “ I t was a difficult j ourney. We lost seven t o accident s ... My brot her am ong t hem . We could not fight t he West ers sout h of t he Shaft I sland group. We could not cross in t hat direct ion ... We were running out of food. We put int o t he Shaft I slands. Shulago did not want t o ret urn t o Jakart a, t hough it was only six hundred m iles away at t he t im e ... There were sm all farm t owns in t he Shaft I slands. We visit ed t hem . We were lucky t o get enough supplies t o go on.” “ All t he islanders died during t he fam ine of 26,” Salap said. Nim zhian looked vague, as if t his bit of hist ory did not have any real m eaning for her. Then she m ust ered what she t hought would be a polit e response. “ I 'm sorry. They were 287
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nice people, very eager t o hear our st ories. They t hought Baker and Shulago were heroes. They t hought we were all heroes. But we were j ust t ired and hungry.” Nim zhian seem ed reluct ant t o cont inue. “ You sailed nort h ... so Chuki's j ournals say,” t he capt ain prodded. Nim zhian rubbed her hands t oget her as if t o warm t hem . “ Baker and Shulago had an argum ent ,” she said. “ They always seem ed like angry m onkeys in t oo sm all a cage. Yet t hey always insist ed on living aboard t he sam e boat . They want ed t o keep wat ch on each ot her. “ Baker want ed t o head west , around Cape Magellan, but Shulago insist ed it was t he wrong season, t hat t he west erlies would kill us. He m ay have been right . Event ually, we sailed nort h, t o m ake t he passage west bet ween Tasm an and Elizabet h's Land. My husband was arguing wit h Baker cont inuously by t hen. We found Mart ha's I sland by accident ... Yeshova t hought we could profit ably spend years st udying t here. Well, we got our wish.” She st opped again, j aw m uscles t ensing, and looked around t he circle of faces, alt ernat ely sm iling and shaking her head. “ Baker was a very disagreeable m an,” she said. “ He m ust have felt Yeshova was t oo m uch of a dist urbing influence. He arranged for us t o go ashore t oget her. The ships sailed while we were ashore. I don't know what he t old t hem ...” “ The j ournals were lost ,” Salap said. “ Chuki m ent ions not hing.” 288
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“ Well, Chuki sailed before t he Hanno abandoned us. We were very afraid at first . We knew about t he t hree m em bers of Jidderm eyer's crew, lost here over a decade before. We never found t hem .” She rubbed her eyes wit h t he fingers of one hand, t hen blinked in t he light of t he elect ric lant erns. “ I n a way, Baker did us a favor. We've had a good life here. Mart ha provides. We never st arved, t hough we were hungry oft en enough, and sick a few t im es from eat ing t he wrong t hings. We cam e t o love her. She never bored us. Som et im es, Yeshova wondered if our work would ever be discovered ... We wondered why no one ret urned t o Mart ha's I sland. But we weren't unhappy.” “ There haven't been any expedit ions since,” t he capt ain said. “ The island isn't on any of t he shipping rout es—and t here isn't m uch shipping across t he Darwin now, anyway. Unless it 's Brionist s.” Nim zhian did not recognize t he nam e. “ Baker and m y husband confirm ed t hat t he t heories of t he original surveyors and Jidderm eyer were correct . The only feasible explanat ion for Lam arckia's biological nat ure was inherit ance from acquired t rait s ... And yet , inherit ance was t he wrong word. Jidderm eyer had speculat ed about t he designers and observers, who t ook t he specim ens gat hered by sam plers and t hieves and st udied t hem . We have been adding m ore and m ore det ail t o t hat t heory. “ We've seen an ecos die,” Nim zhian said. “ We've seen it s preparat ions for deat h. The island disrobed. I t revealed it s skelet on t o us, in a way...” 289
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“ And was t here a seed- m ot her, a queen?” t he capt ain asked, t apping his fingers on his chin. “ I 'll show you in t he m orning,” Nim zhian said craft ily. She sm iled and rocked back and fort h on her chair, enj oying t he hold she had on us. “ I expect you'll want t o explore before you m ove on.” “ You're welcom e t o t ravel wit h us,” t he capt ain said. She shook her head firm ly. “ Thank you, but no. I 'll ret urn t o m y island in t he m orning. Much work rem ains. I do hope you'll t ake our result s wit h you, and carry t hem t o At henai or Jakart a.” “ We would be honored,” t he capt ain said. Nim zhian let t he dark m em ories pass and was full of cheer now, basking in hum an com pany. Three boat s put out t he next m orning under a low ceiling of t hick, knobby gray clouds. Puffs of cool wind and spat t ers of light rain greet ed us as we put ashore where t he longboat had landed t he day before. Wit h Ser Nim zhian t aking t he lead, walking along t he black sand shore wit h a pract iced leggy waddle, our part y of t hirt y—t he capt ain, Salap and t he assist ant researchers, m yself, and eight of t he crew who had chosen lot s, hiked over t he Shulago t rail. The part y form ed a long line up t he slope t o t he valley. Som e of t he crew sang songs at first , but t he desolat ion, and windy silence, and t he gray cast of t he day, soon subdued t hem . The researchers count ed t he circles of st ones in t he old silva and m ade an est im at e of t he ext ent of t he silva and t he past num ber of arborids. Nim zhian explained t hat t he silva had declined from t he shoreline inward, wit h scions 290
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disappearing night by night , t heir rem ains absorbed by ecos cleaners. Rock scrubbers had died aft er arborids, and t hen all t he sm aller form s, m ont h by m ont h ... and year aft er year. I nland, t he larger scions had died first as well, and t hen t he sm aller. “ The arborids and phyt ids gave nut rit ion t o all,” Nim zhian said. “ We believe t hey died because of t he decline of m icroscopic scions.” The decline's cause was unknown. At first , husband and wife had speculat ed t hat hum an- borne m icrobes were infect ing t he scions, but found no evidence support ing t hat hypot hesis. “ We always blam e ourselves,” Nim zhian said, approaching t he rise wit h t he last st and of arborids visible beyond. “ We seem t o be guilt y about everyt hing, even j ust being hum an. But soon we realized hum ans were t rivial.” She could walk and t alk easily wit hout losing her breat h. We st ruggled t o keep up wit h her. “ Mart ha t olerat ed us, even let us t ake a few of it s phyt ids and arborids and ot her scions for food and m at erials. When Mart ha was alive, every spring season we would hike inland, int o t he m ount ains, t o st udy t he blazing red efflorescence, t he shedding and burst ing of new growt h am ong t he phlox t rees and divericat a, t he huge and rare hem oham at ids and t he coast al halim ids. Mart ha sam pled us for five years aft er we first arrived as if we were new ... t hree- legged scions t he size of m ice springing out of t he lower alsophileids, nipping our arm s, lat e in t he sum m er, wit h t he penult im at e warm ing of t he Jidderm eyer current . That was unusual in it self ... We 291
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never discovered why Mart ha needed t o sam ple us so oft en, and so regularly.” She paused on t he rise, bent t o adj ust her leggings and t he socks t hat had slum ped around her ankles. “ Then, aft er eight years, all by it self, Mart ha began giving up and fading away. At night we heard what m y husband called garbage t rucks, t he size of elephant s, rolling down t he naked hills int o t he ocean. There, t hey exploded like huge balloons, scat t ering half dissolved rem nant s t o t he waves and current s. The ecos t ook it self apart hect are by hect are, in an orderly fashion. I believe she knew she was dying, and want ed t o leave t he island clean aft er she was gone. I realize t hat is very ant hropom orphic of m e...” She glanced at us, face saddened by t hese m em ories. “ We m issed her being curious about us. We had t aken com fort in t hose seasonal nips, t hose lit t le sam plings. “ We even cam e t o believe t he ecos wat ched over us, t hat she accept ed us as independent part s ... But t hat was m y husband's idea, m ost ly. “ Five years ago, Yeshova suffered a st roke, or som et hing like a st roke. Som et hing went badly wrong inside of his head. No doct ors, no clues. The ecos didn't save him . He died aft er t welve days of paralysis. I buried him , but scavengers dug him up and put him wit h t he ot her scraps, and cart ed him out t o sea. Mart ha has always kept herself clean, very clean.” We ent ered t he grove as large drops of rain fell, drum m ing on t he fine- fringed arborid leaves and dappling our clot hes. “ These are decadent s,” Nim zhian said, t ouching t he fringe of 292
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leafy growt hs wit h a gnarled hand. “ They are barren, of course, like old bees dying on a dry rock.” She pushed on, ignoring t he rain, and t he capt ain kept up wit h her, using his st ick t o prod aside brown creepers t hat writ hed across our pat h. Salap peered at t he leaves t hrough a pocket m agnifier, observing t heir react ion t o t he rain. “ Ser Nim zhian,” he called up t he line, j ust as we reached t he house, “ I believe t his sm all silva t akes all it s wat er from t he spring. Am I correct ?” “ You are correct ,” she responded, her voice rising over t he hiss of falling drops. Salap nodded in sat isfact ion and wiped m oist ure from his brow. Nim zhian clim bed t o t he porch and addressed us in t he narrow court yard. We were soaked by now, but t he rain was subsiding, t hough t hick gray curt ains st ill cloaked t he slopes of Mount Jidderm eyer. “ I have som et hing t o show you,” she said. “ You can't all com e in at once, but you're all welcom e.” We t ook our t urns, in groups of six, clim bing t he st eps and shaking hands wit h her, at which point she int roduced us t o her t rue t reasures—cabinet s filled wit h hundreds of wat ercolor sket ches done by herself and her husband. Salap was speechless, and st ayed inside wit h Keyser- Bach as each group cam e t hrough, st aring again and again at t he paint ings as Nim zhian revealed t hem , a new group for each part y. She glowed wit h pride. “ When t he silva was healt hy,” she said, “ it covered m ost of t he cent er of t he island, in t wo sim ilar groupings, t wo silvas act ually, as Jidderm eyer and Baker and Shulago saw ... As we 293
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saw when we first arrived. The m ount ains were m ore act ive t hen. There were even eart hquakes a few t im es a year, and t he beach where you landed was rich wit h fum aroles vent ing sulfur.” The wat ercolors glowed wit h delicat e life, revealing as m uch about t heir creat ors as t hey did about Mart ha's I sland, sket ched in wit h m et iculous care using very fine pens cut from t he cent ral st alks of arborid leaves, colored by dyes t aken from verm ids and phlox t rees high up in t he m ount ains. “ We recorded all we could on t he slat e left t o us by Shulago,” she said. “ But it soon st opped t aking dat a. We learned how t o m ake a kind of paper, and t aught ourselves how t o paint . Mart ha was very generous. She supplied everyt hing—pigm ent s, st em s for brush handles, even brush hairs. “ We at e her scions, and we paint ed her as a kind of gift ... Not t hat it was any t rue bargain.” A set of paint ings showed t he vernal efflorescence in t he high m ount ain valleys, when t he arborids and phyt ids shed old growt h and produced bright new leaves of vivid reds and oranges, sky blue, and dark purple. The ecos it self seem ed t o have a paint erly plan, t he hills covered wit h zebra st ripes of purple against red and sky blue. “ The air sm elled like t he sweet est , finest wine in t he spring,” Nim zhian said, her fingers caressing t he paint ings, lift ing t hem from t heir folders and replacing t hem wit h religious care. Som e of t he paint ings were of specim ens of t he largest arborids, nam ed yggdrasils: hollow- cored net s of st iff creepers rising in fat cylinders up t o a hundred m et ers high, 294
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t hrowing out t iers of purple- black sun- absorbing leaves. Yeshova had clim bed int o t he hollow t runk of an yggdrasil and depict ed it from t he inside, like an int ricat e weavework narrowing t o an open circle of sky. “ We used t he few pieces of laborat ory equipm ent , over and over again, unt il all was broken or ruined and we could only look and see and t ast e ... And som et im es what we t ast ed m ade us sick, and we not ed t he sym pt om s.” She shook her head ruefully. “ Our own bodies becam e our laborat ories. And t hen...” She flipped t hrough sket ches of barren lava, slum ped and t angled yggdrasils, unt il t he st yle becam e m uch sim pler, cruder: t he work she had done by herself, aft er t he deat h of Yeshova. The capt ain's eyes filled wit h t ears and he dabbed at t hem wit h his knuckles, glancing around in som e em barrassm ent . When all of us had seen t he sket ches, Nim zhian st ood by t he unglazed window, st aring at t he sm all grove circling t he spring, her voice hoarse and cracking wit h weariness. “ I need t o rest before we do t he next part of t he t our.” “ Of course,” said t he capt ain, and he ordered food brought out of our backpacks. We set up a picnic lunch around t he house and on t he porch, and Ser Nim zhian presided like a t rue m at riarch, rest ing on her chair assem bled from fallen yggdrasil leaf st em s. She wore a broad, bat t ered woven fiber hat t o shade her eyes against t he infrequent glare of sun peeping bet ween t he clouds. “ Capt ain,” she said, “ I give all our work t o you. I see it all in m y head, and it can only be useful t aken away from t his 295
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island. I won't be alive m uch longer, and t he weat her would only break in again and ruin everyt hing.” The capt ain waved his hand as if dism issing her confession of m ort alit y, and was about t o speak, but she cont inued, “ Four years ago, we lost fift y- nine sket ches when t he roof leaked. Mont hs and m ont hs of work. Lam arckia is indifferent . And so was Mart ha, I suspect , but we loved her even so. They were com fort ing delusions, ghost s of benevolence and care when we were so alone.” We rest ed in t he flowing pat ches of sun and cloud shadow, alt ernat ely warm ed and cooled, surrounded by t he rust ling furred leaves of t he grove. Salap and t he capt ain and Randall sat on t he porch wit h Nim zhian, who had closed her eyes and slum ped in her chair, her breast rising and falling evenly beneat h t he folds of her robe and j acket . Shirla and Shim chisko lay on eit her side of m e, Shirla on her back, eyes t racking t he clouds above, Shim chisko dozing light ly. “ I 'd like t o sneak off and explore,” Shirla said. “ I 've been bunking on t he ship t oo long, wit h t he m at e wat ching every t ickle.” She rolled on her side facing m e. “ Shall we run off t o t he hills?” I sm iled. “ No flarking,” I said. Shirla surveyed m e crit ically, one eye half- closed, and lay back again. “ I t 's a bold offer,” said Shim chisko, waking from his doze. “ What do you see in him ?” “ I can't help m yself,” she said light ly. “ I t 's his m yst ery. Where did you com e from ? I know ... from Jakart a, before you lost yourself in Liz. But you don't t alk like a Jakart an, and 296
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you don't act like anybody I know ... There's a coolness about you.” “ I f m yst ery get s m e out of cleaning t he shit house, I 'll be m yst erious.” “ Well said,” Shirla com m ent ed. “ Droll defense. Com e wit h m e,” she whispered conspirat orially int o m y ear, “ inland t o t he hills,” she lift ed her chest and t ucked in her chin, “ and you'll see m y t it s.” I nearly choked on m y laugh, and she laughed wit h m e. But her eyes had fixed on m ine. “ The old wom an's going t o walk us som ewhere. I 'd love t o run away behind everybody and sneak back in lat er. I f you don't want t o see m y t it s, okay, but keep m e com pany.” The heat in m e alm ost overrode m y sense of dut y—if t hat was what it was now. Dut y had t ransm ut ed int o a burning curiosit y and a rush of ot her conflict ing em ot ions: fascinat ion, anxiet y, even a kind of pat riarchal concern. “ I 'd love t o,” I said. “ Sot erio will dock us,” she said. “ You m ight be cut back t o apprent ice. Am I wort h it ?” Shirla had never gone quit e t his far in her coquet t ishness. “ You are wit hout doubt t he loveliest creat ure on t he ship,” I said. “ Tell m e m ore,” she said. “ Much lovelier t han Shim chisko here.” Shim chisko opened one eye, t hen closed it again. “ And you're m uch t oo sm art t o ruin a good sea career.” She poked her t ongue out bet ween her lips like a forget ful cat and broke our gaze, looking again at t he clouds. “ One 297
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day,” she said, “ I will see your secret nakedness, and I will gloat .” “ You m ay see m y nakedness any t im e,” I said, “ by appoint m ent .” On Thist ledown, I had been successful wit h wom en, t oo m uch so. I had com e t o t hink of t hem as delight ful and valuable com m odit ies, wort h m uch effort , but not like m e in any serious respect . I could see now, m iddled in t his dream like experience, t hat m y at t it ude carried a t aint of yout h and foolishness. Shirla was very m uch like m e; Shim chisko was not , nor was t he capt ain or Salap. A st eady pat ch of sun had set t led over us, a long gap bet ween clouds m aking t he sun seem t o roll down a race course, occasionally fet ching up against a wall of cloud and flashing it bright yellow- whit e. “ I 'm t oo st upid,” I said. “ See?” Shirla said. “ Nakedness. Show m e m ore.” I poked her calf wit h t he t oe of m y boot . “ Don't provoke m e,” I grum bled. Nim zhian had st ood up from her chair. “ I 'm rest ed,” she announced. The capt ain, Salap, and Randall rose beside her like reverent servant s. “ Com e wit h m e,” she said, and descended t he porch st eps. “ You m issed your chance,” Shirla said, get t ing t o her feet . “ Foolish Olm y,” Shim chisko said wit h a grin. The billows and runnels of clouds had fled t owards t he sout heast . We m arched inland, up t he nort hern rise of Nim zhian's valley, t he last preserve of Mart ha's m ot herless scions. The grove ended at t he rim of t he valley, and on t he slopes of Mount Jidderm eyer and t he hills and m ount ains 298
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beyond, we found t he t rails and roads of t he dism ant ling. Nim zhian point ed out various feat ures as we walked on t he pat h she and Yeshova had t rained t hrough t he silva over t heir first eight years on Mart ha's I sland: here, t he sit e of t he yggdrasil t hat had st ood nearest t he valley and t heir house, now a conical depression t en m et ers across, filled wit h st erile chunks of lava and a bot t om of fine silt y m ud, cracking in t he sun; t here, t he beginning of t he pat h t o t he t op of Mount Jidderm eyer, where t hey had found phyt ids and verm ids suit able for m aking wat ercolor dyes; here again, a kilom et er on, a lean- t o t hey had m ade in case t hey were caught in a st orm far from t he house, now fallen t o ruin, wit h not hing left t o lean against . Higher st ill, in t he cup bet ween Mount Jidderm eyer and t he cent ral Mount Tauregh, aft er an hour of hiking, we st ood for a m om ent in what had once been t he t hickest silva on t he island. “ Millions of yggdrasils and t ripod oaks,” Nim zhian said, shading her eyes at t he glare. I n a few hours, t he floor of t his décollet age bet ween t he m ount ains would rise t o m eet t he sun, and all would be in shade. For now it was bright gray desolat ion, kilom et er aft er kilom et er of conical depressions filled wit h m ud. Shim chisko rubbed his knees as we paused and looked up at Shirla and m e. “ Suicide,” he said darkly. “ The queen chose for her ecos t o die. Out of sham e.” Shirla curled her lip. She had lit t le use for Shim chisko's m yst ical t heories. The capt ain, Salap, t he researchers, and Randall t ook in t he view wit h puzzled awe. They could no m ore explain what 299
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had happened here t han Shim chisko. I looked t o t he sum m it of Mount Jidderm eyer, however, and wondered at t he dog t hat did not bark in t he night : no m ore st eam , no m ore eart hquakes, no m ore sulfur from t he fum aroles near t he sout hern beaches. Nim zhian sighed and waved us on. She t ook t he lead, her long, scrawny legs pum ping st eadily, her t ireless gait m arked by a lean t o t he left wit h one st ep, a lean t o t he right wit h anot her. From t en or t welve paces behind, I list ened t o her exchanges wit h t he capt ain and Salap. Shim chisko com plained beneat h his breat h about t he alt it ude and t he effort , about t he sham e of all t his dest ruct ion; I shushed him so I could list en t o Nim zhian, and he regarded m e wit h m ild resent m ent . “ We cam e t o t his place t wo years ago, before Mart ha finally died,” she said. “ Yeshova and I t oured around t he island t hen, going where we could never have gone when t he silva was so t hick. Wit h t he phlox arborids and m ost of t he phyt ids gone, we could go pract ically anywhere we pleased, and it was here we first cam e upon st ruct ures unlike any we had seen before, in any ecos. Yeshova nam ed t hem palaces. I t hought it a m isleading word. St ill, it 's his.” Bet ween lava boulders worn sm oot h by rock grinders and t he ceaseless rubbing growt h and procession of t he silva's t ree- form s, we looked out across a deep bowl cut from t he side of Mount Tauregh. “ There are five ot her palaces, all sim ilar t o t his one. When t hey died, Yeshova believed, Mart ha died as well. These ruins and t he orphaned grove are t he only m onum ent s.” 300
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The bowl st ret ched eight y m et ers edge t o edge. Wit hin, curving piers and crossbeam s t he color of old ivory radiat ed from t he cent er of t he bowl like giant rib bones arranged by an ancient hunt ing part y. Dried shreds of m em brane st ill clung t o t hem . I n t he bot t om of t he bowl, beneat h t he t ilt ed and fallen ribs, hexagonal cham bers had been carved in t he old lava flow. Rainwat er pooled in t he bot t om of t he cham bers. We gat hered abreast , in a line along t he rim of t he bowl. The capt ain's face was pale. He prodded his j aw forcibly wit h an index finger and his lips t wit ched. Salap st ood wit h arm s crossed, lost in concent rat ion, as if rem em bering a long- ago gam e of chess. “ The queen's cham bers,” t he capt ain m used. “ What do you t hink?” he asked Salap. “ Perhaps.” The m ore int ensely int erest ed Salap becam e, t he less he showed any react ion what ever. “ By t he Good Man,” Shat ro said t ent at ively, looking t o t he ot hers t o det erm ine t he dept h of his own react ion. “ Bilge,” Nim zhian com m ent ed. “ Hardly a queen's cham bers. I never did like t he word ‘palace,’ so m isleading. We found five of t hese, all dead, all t he sam e. The ‘queen’ t heory allows only one.” “ Here,” said t he capt ain, point ing t o t he cham bers and vent s in t he rock along t he out er walls of t he cham bers, “ is where t he scions are m ade and released. Given birt h ... There m ust be out let s. We should search for t hem .” “ Night 's com ing in an hour, Capt ain,” Randall rem inded him gent ly. 301
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“ Yes. Of course. But if we found t he out let s—or even if we don't find t hem ... Here is where t he cent ral cont roller, t he seed- m ist ress, or m ist resses...” He t urned t o Nim zhian, who regarded him skept ically. “ I f t here are five, what of it ? I f t here is no cent ral and unique sit e, no single palace, what of it ? I 'm not wedded t o t he not ion of a lone and exclusive seedm ot her. I f t here were five of t hem ... we m ight t hink of t he ot hers as cham berm aids, helpers ... One m ight be larger.” “ They're all t he sam e size, give or t ake a m et er,” Nim zhian said. “ All t he sam e st ruct ure.” “ But you did not see t hem alive! ” t he capt ain fairly shout ed. “ One m ight have been fest ooned, plum ed, wit h bright decorat ions, signifying her st at us, highest of all; t he ot hers secondary. There m ust have been... one cont roller, one head, one aut horit y! ” He was st ill wedded t o t he queen, aft er all. Nim zhian t apped her walking st ick on t he ground, irrit at ed in a way reserved for t hose who have been alone for a long while and are now subj ect t o cont rary com pany. “ Have it your way,” she m ut t ered. The capt ain ordered Shat ro and Thornwheel t o begin m easuring t he palace and gat hering sam ples of what ever rem nant s of t issue rem ained. Shat ro gave m e a lizard- lidded glance of sat isfact ion as he st epped past . I felt like punching him , not because t he capt ain had chosen him for t his t ask, but because he put so m uch st ore in it , and seem ed t o t hink I m ight care. “ Wat er from t he bot t om of t he cham bers...” t he capt ain m used, oblivious of t his brief int erchange. “ Might be t issues, 302
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residues, genet ic m at erial t here st ill. We can preserve it now, read it lat er.” Shat ro, Thornwheel, and Cham began t o clim b down t he rough scree t o t he cham bers at t he bot t om of t he bowl. A surveyor's m easure was pulled from t he equipm ent box, t o be sit ed on by t he capt ain's slat e for lat er com parisons. Randall glanced at t he sun and t hen over his shoulder at t he long, winding walk back t o t he beach. “ Capt ain, Ser Nim zhian probably want s t o ret urn t o her house ... And we should get word back t o t he ship.” Keyser- Bach st opped, his hands and shoulders quivering wit h excit em ent . His face screwed up like a lit t le boy's. I t hought for a m om ent he would pit ch a t ant rum , but he sat abrupt ly on a nearby lum p of lava and clapped his hands on his knees. “ All right ,” he said soft ly, t hen, shout ing t o t he m en on t he pat h down t he slope, “ Wait ! We'll com e back t om orrow. We'll bring m ore equipm ent ... Let 's do t his right .” Randall nodded. Shirla and t he rest of t he crew were obviously glad not t o be spending a night in t his desolat ion. Shim chisko st ared at t he palace wit h dread. He would not t ell Shirla or m yself what m ade him so uneasy unt il we were back on t he t rail, walking t hrough t he em pt y conical pit s in t he failing light . “ I t 's ugly,” he finally m urm ured, following a few paces behind m e. “ I t hought t hey would be beaut iful. Queens. But it 's j ust like an old collapsed m eet ing hall. Roof- beam s and room s. Not hing m ore t han a hot el.” “ We don't know what it looked like when it was alive,” Shirla said. “ I t m ight have been lovely.” 303
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“ Hidden. No one can get t o t hem wherever t hey are,” Shim chisko said gloom ily. “ That m eans t hey're ugly, dead or alive.” He would not be persuaded ot herwise. “ And what killed t hem ?” I kept m y ideas t o m yself. I n t he grove of orphans, t he capt ain inquired whet her Ser Nim zhian would prefer sleeping on t he Vigilant . “ Fat es and breat h, no, t hank you,” she said. “ I 'm an old wom an of deep habit . I cam e here wit h Lenk when I was a grown wom an, and I m arried Yeshova when I was in m y m iddle years, and now I am old and I have all m y rem aining fam ily here.” “ Tom orrow, we'll ret urn and conduct a full survey,” t he capt ain said. “ We'll set up a base cam p and exam ine t he ot her palaces. To be sure, we're beginning a long j ourney, but you'd be safer if you cam e wit h us...” “ No,” Nim zhian said. “ I have no t ast e for anot her expedit ion.” “ We can provide com fort able accom m odat ions...” “ Capt ain, I 've spent t he best years of m y life here,” Nim zhian said sharply. “ Baker and Shulago did us a favor. From what you've t old m e, we've m ade our world even m ore confused and cont ent ious. I 'm sure you know t he profound peace of devot ion t o research—t o seeing and m easuring. I 've been present at t he end of an ecos—som et hing no ot her has seen. But t he st ory is not over yet . Why t he orphans rem ain— how t hey m anage t o st ay alive—why t he palaces chose t o dism ant le t hem selves and die rat her t han m ove ... so m any quest ions. Enough t o fill t he rest of m y life.” 304
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The capt ain sm iled. “ I am envious. But t here are larger puzzles t o solve.” “ This is a puzzle on m y scale,” she said. “ Do what you m ust , t ake our drawings and result s wit h you. But I am cont ent .” Randall ordered Shat ro, Cham , and Kissbegh t o st ay. The rest of us hiked back t o t he beach in t he last of t he t wilight and ret urned t o t he Vigilant . I n t he longboat , I t ook a spot on t he t hwart beside Shirla, who sat wit h head in hands, pensive. “ Sad?” I asked. She half frowned, drawing up her cheek and wrinkling one eye shut , t hen lift ed her head and said, “ A lit t le lost .” “ Why?” “ Queens can die.” “ Yes?” “ I t 's not som et hing I want ed t o know, or ever want ed t o see.” “ Everyt hing dies event ually,” I said. “ Back on Thist ledown—m y fat her t old m e—people could choose t o live forever. They had m achines for inside t he head, m achines for t he body. New bodies. Ext ra brains. I suppose I 'd always hoped...” She t hrew up her hands. “ Forget it . I can't even t hink st raight .” “ You want ed t he queens, t he ecoi, t o be st ronger and bet t er t han anyt hing hum an and t o last forever.” She shook her head, t hough a glint in her eye, a slight nod before denial, indicat ed m y guess was close t o t he m ark. “ I want ed t o visit a queen som eday. I j oined t his expedit ion— went t o Lenk school and specialized in ecology—and even 305
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t hough I didn't get on as a researcher, I shipped on as a sailor, an apprent ice, j ust t o m eet a real queen. I suppose I want ed t o sit down and t alk wit h her.” “ One wom an t o anot her?” “ Of course. Mot her Nat ure herself.” She grim aced, daring m e t o laugh. “ I t 's a lovely m yt h,” I said. “ Myt h.” She wrinkled her nose. “ I want ed her t o t ell m e what was wrong wit h being alive.” Uneasy m yself now, I looked out across t he wat er. The light s on t he Vigilant sat on t he border bet ween t he black sea and t he st arry night . I had never been com fort able around vague dream s and poet ic associat ions. I had abandoned t he Naderit es in hopes I 'd find a philosophy not fogged by uncert ain wishes and self- enlarging dream s. “ But what ever t hey are, t he queens here are j ust dead,” Shirla went on. “ I st ill t hink we killed t hem . A disease or m aybe j ust disgust .” “ What did Nim zhian or her husband or anybody else do t o disgust Mart ha?” I asked in a j ocular t one, hoping t o break her m ood. “ I heard what t he old wom an t old t he capt ain,” Shirla said. “ Baker and Shulago left t hem here. Abandoned t hem .” “ Even if t hey were bet rayed, what would t hat m ean t o a queen?” I asked. “ I don't know,” she said quiet ly. “ A queen has t o fight off ot her ecoi and prot ect a t errit ory and m ake her scions. She brings t hem back when t hey're worn out and she m akes new ones. She has t o t hink about 306
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t hings different ly. She couldn't have hum an concerns. I doubt she's a fem ale at all.” “ I don't care about t hat ,” Shirla said st ubbornly. Shim chisko, sit t ing on t he t hwart behind us, had list ened wit hout com m ent unt il now. “ She m ay not be a fem ale, but she's cert ainly a m ot her. That 's t he way I see her.” Shirla st ared at t he bot t om of t he boat . I n t he light of t he lant ern on t he longboat 's bow, I saw t ears in her eyes, and I was filled wit h a sudden urge t o com fort her. I put m y arm around her shoulder but she shrugged it off. As we clim bed up t he rope ladder ont o t he m ain deck of t he Vigilant , I t ook Shirla aside for a m om ent and said som et hing t hat m ade lit t le sense t o eit her of us, but especially not t o m e. “ When we go int o a live, lush silva,” I said, “ and you ask m e t o go wit h you—if you ask m e t o go wit h you—I will go.” She seem ed about ready t o snap back wit h som e angry reply, and her face flushed in t he deck's elect ric light . Then she pulled away from m y t ouch and walked across t he deck t oward t he forecast le. Aft er a few paces, she st opped and cam e back, wit h a deliberat e swing in her st ep. She put her hand on m y forearm , looked up at m e wit h st ern eyes, and said, “ Ser Olm y, I was j oking.” She swung around again and walked t o t he forecast le wit hout looking back. But aft er helping t he capt ain and Salap st ore t he day's specim ens in t he cabinet s out side t he capt ain's cabin, I went t o m y bunk in t he forecast le, and t here I found t wo paper- wrapped sweet s sit t ing on m y pillow, given wit hout clue or com m ent . 307
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I t was sim ply not in m y nat ure t o st ay aloof and isolat e m yself. I had t o blend in; Shirla would provide a kind of cover. That could be m y excuse, at least . I n fact , t he gift of candy had brought back t he horm onal heat . Her sadness, her graceful sway as she ret urned t o give m e m y com euppance, put her round face and dark eyes in a new light . By com parison, t he wom en I had known on Thist ledown all seem ed deliberat e and calculat ing. The com parison was unfair, of course, because m y m ood was det erm ined by t he set t ing, and t he set t ing was dream ily exot ic and m ore t han a lit t le eerie. I , t oo, had st ared at t he ribs and rem ains of t he palace and felt som et hing I could not express. I , t oo, had secret ly hoped t hat perhaps t he ecoi represent ed som et hing higher and bet t er. But t he deat h of Mart ha, m ade even m ore poignant by t he sad grove of orphans, proved t o m e, as it m ight not yet have proven t o Shirla, t hat Lam arckia was no heaven spoiled by t he presence of hum ans. Life here followed t he sam e round of nat ure as on any ot her world. Things lived, com pet ed, succeeded for a t im e or failed, and died. We had sullied not hing. St ill, som e of Shim chisko's m yst icism had com m unicat ed it self t o m e. What was eerie, even fright ening, as I lay back in m y bunk and chewed t he first sweet , was t he inevit abilit y of conflict , not j ust bet ween hum ans, but bet ween t he ecoi and hum ans. The ecoi were curious. Perhaps we irrit at ed t hem . Perhaps t hey had a plan. 308
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I awoke t he next m orning early wit h t he st arboard wat ch bell ringing. Those not on wat ch slept t hrough t he clam or. I rose and dressed and chewed t he second sweet , back t o t hinking about m y m ission. Wit hout reason, t hese t hought s carried m e back around t o Shirla, and our flirt at ion on Mart ha's I sland seem ed absurd and not product ive. Virt ually all of m y relat ions wit h wom en had t aken on aspect s of t he absurd; especially m y abort ive at t em pt at bonding. Naderit e wom en—part icularly divaricat es—seem ed a different breed from Geshel wom en. Som ehow, when I had been younger, before and even a lit t le aft er shift ing m y at t it udes t oward t he Geshels, t he charact erist ics of Naderit e wom en st acked up in a different way, different result s from t he sam e general blend. I had t aken up wit h Geshel wom en, and found t hem charm ing, but som ehow less at t ract ive, m ore deliberat e, even harder. All wom en, I t hought , were calculat ing—even if t heir calculat ions t ook place som ewhere sout h of t heir conscious awareness. All wom en weighed and m easured; did not always list en t o t he result s rat ionally, but m ade effort s in t hat direct ion t hat m ost m en I knew could not duplicat e or underst and. Naderit e wom en, however— especially t hose born t o t he fam ilies and not convert ed—t ook on a gent ler, m ore innocent approach t o t his calculat ion. They did not m ake you feel inferior when you did not m easure up. They sim ply did not encourage you, or t hey let t he press of social prot ect ions discourage you, all t he while convincing you it was not t heir doing or act ual opinion t hat you were unsuit able. 309
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Uleysa had shown m e how ignorant I was. I n her gent leness, in her shy ret icence and quiet st yle, I had found all I t hought I needed. What I learned from her past lovers— for bonding am ong Voyager Naderit es did not require eschewing all ot hers—was t hat she present ed very different faces t o different m en. She gave us what she t hought we m ost want ed, and she was usually correct . But knowing who Uleysa really was ... t hat I saw would never be possible. Her at t em pt s t o please hid som et hing t hat dist urbed m e: a kind of underground disapproval, as if I m ight be a sm all boy who needed her, but whom she did not t ruly respect . I knew of bet t er places t o search for uncert aint y and m yst ery—and disapproval, hidden or overt . But I st ill had a weakness for Naderit e wom en. An old st ory, I t hought as I prepared t he equipm ent and longboat for t he t hird j ourney t o Mart ha's I sland. I saw Shirla, who would not go ashore t his t im e. She regarded m e wist fully. She could not know m y t hought s. Fort unat ely, we would not be t oget her enough, or alone oft en enough, for m y at t it ude t o m ake m uch difference. And I had m y m ission. Mem ories and sense of dut y could quell t he horm onal heat . Over t he next t hree days, we t ram ped t he slopes of Mount Jidderm eyer, and I accom panied a t eam t o t he sum m it , where William French surveyed t he island, t ook elevat ions and com pared t hem wit h m easures m ade by Baker and Shulago. Nim zhian observed our com ings and goings from her porch, accom panied t eam s on som e hikes, and looked over our result s. Her crit ical eye and experience was invaluable. 310
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Working from t he m aps she and Yeshova had m ade, we walked t he denuded m ount ain valleys flanking Mount Tauregh and exam ined t he five ot her palaces, all in ruins, even m ore decrepit t han t he first . As Nim zhian had t old us, t here was very lit t le difference bet ween t he debris- filled bowls. The capt ain t ook t his inform at ion wit h a disappoint ed persist ence I found irrit at ing. I f t he evidence cont radict ed t heory, I t hought , t hen t he t heory should be discarded. Keyser- Bach was unwilling t o discard his pet t heory yet . He even cam e up wit h one of t hose sm okescreen revelat ions t hat hide a weak t heory in clouds of unverifiabilit y. “ The addit ional palaces m ay be decoys,” he suggest ed blit hely on t he quart er deck of t he Vigilant one evening. “ Only one m ay be t he real queen's dom icile ... shell ... what ever.” Salap seem ed const ant ly irrit at ed as t he days passed. He barked his inst ruct ions t o t he j unior researchers, and received t heir result s wit h a nod and a scowl. Randall t alked wit h him infrequent ly, and walked away grum bling t hat t he island was not good for us. “ Too dam ned bleak,” he said. “ I 'd j ust as soon leave.” Shirla cam e ashore wit h I bert and Kissbegh, but t here was lit t le cont act bet ween us. I was inland, m easuring palace t wo; and by t he t im e I ret urned, a day and a half lat er, she had been sent in a boat t o accom pany Thornwheel as he surveyed t he west ern wing of t he island and it s bulbous headland. I n lat e aft ernoon, wit h t he j unior researchers and Randall off t o t he east ern wing of t he island and t he capt ain on t he ship st udying t he result s, Salap cam e t o find m e in t he grove of orphans, where I was rest ing and eat ing a spare lunch. 311
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“ I t hink we should go dip our feet in t he spring and t alk,” he said. Puzzled about what he was up t o, I followed t he head researcher t hrough t he arborids t o t he pond, which lay pale and st ill in t he aft ernoon shadow of Mount Tauregh. “ Erwin insist s t here is lit t le for us here, and he m ay be right ,” Salap said, rem oving his shoes and sit t ing on t he edge of t he pond. The gravelly basin of t he pool was em pt y, visit ed only by t he root s of t he scions. Nowhere on Mart ha's I sland would we find any of t he profusion of life t hat Eart h's ecosyst em would have quickly provided, given such a broad opport unit y: no seeds, no m icrobes, no birds. “ I am afraid t he palace cham bers will be clueless, as st erile as t he rest of t his island. I do not enj oy being here, even am ong t hese orphans.” He gest ured at t he arborids. “ She st ill has her place,” he cont inued, waving his hand around t o t he house, where Nim zhian sat alone, dozing on t he porch. “ She will happily die here. But ...” His voice t railed off. He splashed his feet in t he wat er for a m om ent . “ This place m akes m e feel m y m ort alit y like a knife in m y ribs. And you?” I shook m y head. “ I t affect s us all different ly,” I said. The island did not dist urb m e as m uch as it did ot hers. Salap had never before confided in m e—or t o m y knowledge, anyone else. I was int rigued. The head researcher never did anyt hing—even engage in casual conversat ion—wit hout having som e goal in m ind.
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“ I f t his can die, t hen ot her ecoi can die as well—and perhaps t hey do. Can you im agine t he effect on Calcut t a or Jakart a if t he zones were t o die?” “ Disast rous,” I said. “ French t ells m e you are t he best wit h t he surveying inst rum ent s. Bet t er even t han m y researchers.” “ I enj oy t he work,” I said. “ My privilege t o help.” “ Yes, yes.” Salap dism issed t hat as so m uch cam ouflage. “ Randall believes you should j oin t he researchers. I have not been sat isfied wit h t hem in all respect s. You have only t agged along so far. Perhaps we should m ake it form al?” “ I wouldn't want t o cause frict ion,” I said. Salap gave m e a piercing look. “ Randall also says you seem t o have som e goal in m ind, and it is not necessarily wit h t he ship ... or wit h us. But I would like t o speed up our work on t his island before we all succum b t o t he bleakness. I t is like conduct ing a huge aut opsy. Will you agree?” Salap looked away from m e and st ared across t he pond, his t oe m aking ripples in t he clear wat er. “ I would be honored,” I said. “ Good. Do not worry about crew resent m ent . The capt ain will query you about your background again. He is ever proud of his own educat ion. But I believe in nat ive t alent as well, as valuable as nat ive ore. I will convince him .” I nodded as hum bly as possible. Salap dism issed m y act wit h a wave of his fingers. “ Sit here and t ell m e about t his pond. I have m y suspicions.” “ About t he pond?” 313
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“ The spring and t he pond. The orphans. Every so oft en, sit t ing here, I sm ell t he faint est t races of hydrogen sulfide. The pool is m ildly acidic.” “ I 've t ried not t o advance opinions ahead of t im e...” I said. “ Yes?” Salap encouraged. “ We know so lit t le about what an ecos needs t o survive.” “ I suspect we t hink along t he sam e lines, Ser Olm y,” Salap said, using t he respect ful form wit h m e for t he first t im e. He waggled his fingers, encouraging m ore. “ Vulcanism has died here. Mount Jidderm eyer was t he last volcano t o die. I n t im e, t he ecos would leach out what ever t race elem ent s it needs—” “ Chrom ium , selenium , cobalt , zinc, m anganese,” Salap suggest ed. “ All found in scion t issues in st able concent rat ions, what ever t he ecos, but seldom found in nat ive soils.” “ And for an isolat ed ecos like Mart ha, t here's no place else t o go.” “ She wit hers,” Salap said. “ But t his spring...” He dipped his t oe again. “ The last source of t race elem ent s. A sm all fissure below ground, st ill warm .” “ She leaves her orphans here,” Salap said. “ Perhaps for Nim zhian? A last gift bet ween friends?” He sighed, t he closest t o sent im ent I had seen him com e. I m at ched Salap's pensive silence for a while. He looked up, dark eyes st eady. “ My great est regret , living on Lam arckia, is t he povert y of int ellect ual variet y. I t m ight t ake us several m ore generat ions t o build a base of int ellect sufficient t o underst and Lam arckia, t o solve t he biggest 314
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puzzles. When int ellect is found, we cannot afford t o ignore it .” He t urned away and pulled his feet from t he pond. “ I will convince t he capt ain.” The capt ain had for t he past t wo days been spending m ost of his t im e on t he ship, t aking advant age of unusual radio condit ions and list ening wit h som e concern t o m essages bet ween Hsia and Elizabet h's Land. He hadn't revealed t he cont ent of t hese m essages t o anyone but Randall, but Randall seem ed t wit chy and drawn as well. I t did not t ake m uch foresight t o recognize signs of growing t ension in t he sm all but ext ended polit ical world of t he im m igrant s. The pools in t he palace cham bers had t urned dark and opaque wit h debris from t he leaking, brit t le walls. One apprent ice, Scop, had fallen int o t he pool when a wall collapsed, giving Randall t he idea of cut t ing holes in t he cham ber walls t o drain t hem , creat ing a kind of canal across t he bot t om of t he palace. I helped set filt ers t o cat ch solid debris, and Salap t ook sam ples of t he liquid in all t he cham bers before t he breaching began. The wat er sm elled of m ud, coldly m ust y. I spent half m y t im e t he next week ashore, and half on t he boat , where m y new st at us caused som e ribbing am ong t he crew, good- nat ured and ot herwise. Shirla was polit e, but lit t le m ore. Was I above her, or st ill equal t o her, in rank? Would I shun a m ere A.B., even one wit h scient ific pret ensions? For m y part , I was m uch t oo busy t o do m ore t han sleep and eat on ship, and m ake preparat ions for t he next t rip t o t he island. 315
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Around a cold cam p dinner on t he island one evening, we nam ed t he palaces aft er ancient royalt y: Cleopat ra, Hat shepsut , Cat herine, Sem iram is, and I sabel. On our t welft h day on t he island, Salap and I presided over t he draining of Palace One, Cleopat ra. At t he sam e t im e, Randall, Shat ro, Cassir, and Thornwheel began t o drain t he ot her palaces. The wat er from Cleopat ra cascaded down t he dry, rocky slopes for t went y m inut es. A few cent im et ers of liquid rem ained in t he cham ber cells. Rising from t he wat er, surrounded by wat ery reflect ions of t he sky, lay t he rem ains of t he last scions of Mart ha. Salap clim bed along t he t op of a cham ber wall, beneat h t he curve of a dark ivory roof- beam , snapping pict ures of t he decrepit , half dissolved rem ains. We t hen brought up ropes and clim bed int o t he cham bers. The m elancholy t hat filled us was universal and difficult t o explain. I n a sodden m ass at t he bot t om of t he cham bers lay half- form ed larvae of arborids and phyt ids. Leached of color, m ingling wit h t heir silvan cousins, were pt erids wit h t hin segm ent ed bodies and leat hery wings as delicat e as sodden t issue paper, hundreds of t hem , each no m ore t han t went y cent im et ers across. Salap lift ed one on a piece of close- weave net and said, “ These m ight have been Mart ha's eyes and ears. I t hink t hey are t he sam e as Nim zhian's art hropt erids.” “ Sam plers,” I suggest ed. “ Perhaps. But are t hey all nascent , or were t hey brought back here for disassem bly?” “ Nascent ,” I said. “ Rem em ber, Nim zhian saw t he dead scions being t ossed out t o sea.” 316
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“ Did Mart ha st ill have hope enough t o m ake m ore children, t hen?” Salap asked. Ridj el and Kissbegh and Cham , st anding in t he pools or on t he crum bling walls, said lit t le as we passed up fragm ent s of carapace, lengt hs of rubbery m uscle cable, horny claws, brown “ bones” arranged as long slender rods or delicat e basket weaves, hanks of fibrous insulat ion. Clearly, som e of t he larval form s were pelagic. They m ight have pat rolled Mart ha's offshore wat ers, guarding against int rusions and m aint aining t he st erile zone around t he island. Equally clear was t he st rong relat ionship bet ween t hese scions and t hose in ot her ecoi; however independent t he ecoi m ight have been, t hrough convergent design or copying, m any scions resem bled t heir count erpart s. When Baker and Shulago had visit ed t he island, however, years of isolat ion had produced m any unique scions, som e of unknown ut ilit y. We found early- st age rem ains of som e of t hese in Cleopat ra's cham bers: legged balls connect ed by t ough cables t o form am bulat ory chains; great drum s wit h ridged grips along t he rim s and t ight - fit t ing lids, perhaps t o haul nut rient s from one locat ion t o anot her, or t o convey volum es of m icroscopic scions from t he palaces; t iny fourlim bed creat ures wit h t hree equilat eral snipping j aws t hat Salap called m uscids. By t he end of t he day, when we crawled out of t he palace and rest ed on t he barren hillside, we had cat aloged sevent y different kinds of scions, and found fragm ent s of perhaps t went y m ore, t oo difficult t o quickly reassem ble and visualize. Of t he sevent y, t went y had been cat aloged by Baker and 317
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Shulago, and fort y- five m ore by Nim zhian and Yeshova. Five no one had ever seen before. “ Mart ha was creat ive t o t he very last ,” Salap said, back propped against a boulder, lift ing a j ar filled wit h bony fragm ent s and feat her- edged scraps. Early t he next m orning, Shat ro st um bled int o cam p in t he dark, awakening Salap first by nearly falling over him , and t hen shining his lant ern on all of us. “ I sabel,” he said, sucking in lungfuls of air. “ Num ber five. Ser Randall says com e quickly.” He knew not hing about what was so im port ant , and his hike in t he darkness across t he rough t errain had t aken his breat h away. We packed quickly and refilled our cant eens; t here had been lit t le rain t he last few days, and t here were not likely t o be wat er- filled reservoirs in t he rocks. Shat ro led us back along t he pat h in t he dawn light . Mount Bedouin st ood bet ween us and t he sunrise, a black serrat ed t riangle against t he bright ening sky. One sm all m oon rose over t he nort hern slope of t he old volcano, and aft er a kilom et er or so, we t urned t oward t he m oon and t hat slope, where I sabel lay. I t was a t en- kilom et er hike from Cleopat ra, t hrough what had once been im penet rable silva, and we reached t he fift h palace by lat e m orning. Randall and his t eam had drained t he cham bers and surveyed m ost of t hem by t he end of t he previous day, leaving only t hree cham bers t o breach. Wit h a lit t le energy left over, Randall and Cassir had decided t o knock a hole in t he wall of an inner cham ber, t o get a head st art on t he next m orning's work. “ We were about t o ret urn t o our t ent s when Cassir shined a lant ern int o t he cham ber,” Randall explained, t aking us 318
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down int o t he bowl. We carefully avoided t he crum bling support s for t he roof beam s, crawled t hrough a succession of holes knocked t hrough t he cham ber walls, and cam e t o t he second- t o- last cham ber. Randall had no words t o describe what t hey had seen. He ent ered t he cham ber reluct ant ly behind Salap. Above, st anding gingerly on t he walls, Shim chisko—t he only sailor present —waved down at m e, but wit h lit t le energy and no cheer. “ I 've never heard of ecoi eat ing hum ans,” Cassir said, his voice quiet in t he shadowed st illness. We splashed carefully bet ween piles of odorless, colorless brown and whit e bones. From t he walls, uncat aloged scions t he size of soccer balls, shriveled lim bs t ight ly curled close, like dead spiders, hung from t wist ed brown cords. Drops fell from t hese int o t he dark, cloudy puddles below. Salap pushed aside t he piles t o see what Cassir and Randall had spied from above. I t lay half subm erged, em pt y eye socket s st aring at t he sky, t oot hless lower j aw slum ped t o one side, giving it a grim ly j oking expression. Salap hesit at ed before st ooping, and held his hands out for several long seconds before t ouching t he round shape, or t he scat t er of slum ped and broken bones and a sect ion of feeble gray carapace, like a t arnished cuirass, covering what m ight have once been a chest or t horax. “ I t 's sm all,” Salap said. “ Less t han a m et er long.” “ A child,” Randall said, his voice shaky. “ Never a child,” Salap said, shaking his head. “ Not a hum an child.” “ The skull,” Shat ro said loudly, lips curled as if offended. 319
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“ Leg bones and ... hands,” Cassir said. I knelt beside Salap and t urned m y at t ent ion t o t he hands. They had five fingers, but t he fingers were unj oint ed, flexible as rubber. The wrist was likewise one unit , and t he j oint t hat connect ed it t o a long, t wo- boned forearm —t he bones given one t wist around each ot her, wit h a sm oot h cart ilaginous m at erial bet ween—was not t he j oint of any hum an. “ I 've doubt ed her st ory from t he beginning,” Shat ro said. “ Why would t hey leave her here? What could she and Yeshova have done—or did she bury her husband—” “ This isn't Yeshova, or any ot her hum an, and t here's been no m urder here,” Salap concluded, st anding and coughing. “ What ever it is, it isn't fully grown. I t 's unfinished.” Randall's face becam e even m ore pale, his eyes st aring at us as if we were dreadful angels. “ My God, what , t hen?” “ Made here,” Salap said. He held up his left hand im periously, palm up, and coughed again int o his ot her hand. Som et hing in t he cloudy wat er irrit at ed him . Then he looked bet ween Randall and m e, and said, “ Get t he largest j ars. Throw ot her specim ens out if you have t o.” He suddenly swore under his breat h and glared at t he m en and wom an st anding on t he walls overhead, and peering t hrough t he hole gouged in t he cham ber. “ Not a word of t his t o Nim zhian, and not a word t o anyone on board ship. We will t ell t hem aft er we've st udied t he specim en, and in our own good t im e. Mast er Randall, will you guarant ee t his for m e?” Randall nodded, face st ill pale. “ Good.” 320
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Digging around t he bot t om of t he cham ber, wit hin an hour we found t hree of t he unfinished scions—if indeed t hat was what t hey were. I helped Salap phot ograph t he rem ains, using our hands and a m et ric ruler for size com parison, in case t he specim ens disint egrat ed, as som e already had. “ Send down som e hot wax,” Salap inst ruct ed as t he glass j ars were lowered. I filled t he j ars wit h wat er from t he cham ber, and one by one, we lift ed t he fragile rem nant s and lowered t hem delicat ely int o t he j ars, t hrough t he m uddy fluid t o t he bot t om . As he sealed t he j ars wit h paraffin, Salap looked up at m e and said, “ A fair im it at ion, no?” He gave m e a grin t hat seem ed m ore t han a lit t le ghoulish. We st ored t he specim en j ars in a sm all volcanic cave near t he beach, out of t he sun, and covered t hem wit h wet t arps t o keep t hem cool. Leaving us t o guard t hem , Salap and Randall t ook t he longboat t o t he Vigilant and spent several hours offshore. Shat ro and Cassir becam e involved in an argum ent about what t he hum anlike rem ains signified. Shat ro was arguing for som e sort of conspiracy bet ween Nim zhian and t he ecos queen; he had m ade som e ridiculous elaborat ions on t he capt ain's obsession. Shat ro, I saw, would always lim it him self t o t he opinions of t hose in aut horit y, and rat her t han im prove upon t hose opinions, he would m ake t hem seem ridiculous. Shim chisko had fallen int o a silent funk, head bowed, st aring at t he sand bet ween his feet as he sat near t he cave ent rance. I sat beside him , concerned t hat his cynical cheer had vanished so com plet ely. 321
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“ Olm y, t his is t he worst t hing t hat 's ever happened,” he confided. “ Why?” “ I t 's going t o t ear us apart . Salap can't keep it secret forever. Randall doesn't like it ; I don't like it .” He shook his hand loosely at Cassir and Shat ro, as if dism issing t hem . “ The first t im e we're in port ...” I was cont ent j ust t o list en for t he m om ent . I n t rut h, I was st unned m yself. “ I t shakes m y fait h,” Shim chisko said. “ First , t hat t his island has died. Now, t hat it was t rying t o m ake one of us...” He shrugged. Shim chisko was craft y, but not a quick t hinker about large issues. “ Why?” he st ared direct ly at m e. “ I don't know,” I said. “ They all sam ple us,” Shim chisko cont inued, frowning deeply. “ They st eal from each ot her—are t hey going t o st eal from us now?” The capt ain cam e ashore wit h Salap an hour lat er. They ent ered t he cave alone and Salap showed him t he j ars and described what was in t hem . When t hey em erged from t he cave t he capt ain seem ed feverish. His face was flushed and he lurched a lit t le and t ook Salap's arm . Looking at Randall and m e, he said in a gruff voice, “ We need t o set sail in t wo days. We'll t ake a direct course t o Jakart a. We don't know what we have. We could st ay here and st udy for years. Prim ary science. But we don't have t he luxury. Tell Nim zhian we'll be leaving. We'll deliver t he supplies we prom ised t om orrow.” 322
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“ Should we t ell her anyt hing?” Shat ro asked, deep int o his suspicions of conspiracy. Everyone ignored him , and he lowered his head, st aring at us sullenly. The capt ain whispered in Randall's ear. Randall t urned t o Shim chisko and Shat ro, lift ed his hand, and swung it t o include Cassir and m e in t he sweep of his orders. “ Back t o t he boat . We need t o t alk in privat e.” Thornwheel did not seem happy t o be left behind. “ Let Olm y st ay,” Salap said. “ I 'll need him .” The capt ain blinked at him , but did not argue. When Shat ro's eyes m et m ine, he closed t hem and looked away in pure disgust . He j oined t he ot hers as t hey walked t oward t he capt ain's boat . “ I wish I could t alk t o t he good Lenk or som e of his officers about t his,” t he capt ain cont inued. He pounded t he black sand wit h his walking st ick, st aring out across t he blue expanse of st erile sea. The sand m ade lit t le barking noises wit h each poke. “ What t he radio m essages say is t hat Lenk is on a ship t o Jakart a right now. Brion him self is going t o m eet him t here. There's going t o be a conference. For now, we can't t alk t o Lenk, even if t he airways are clear.” Randall had apparent ly heard of t his, but Salap had not . “ Why should we consult wit h Lenk?” Salap asked caut iously, puzzled by t he capt ain's line of reasoning. Keyser- Bach's face reddened t o a shade of sienna, his cheeks and chin a bright er pink. “ We have a responsibilit y here, and not j ust as scient ist s.” Realizat ion dawned on Salap but st ill eluded m e. I had not worked wit h t he capt ain very long and did not know his at t it udes. Salap was ahead of m e and Randall as well. 323
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“ You perceive t his as a t hreat ?” Salap asked. “ What else would it have been, if t he ecos had survived? And for t hat m at t er, how do we know it hasn't m erely gone dorm ant ? Hidden t he queen som ewhere, encyst ed t o ride out som e condit ion or anot her...” “ I do not agree t hese are possibilit ies,” Salap said. “ The grove is t ruly orphaned.” “ The danger is im m ense,” t he capt ain said. “ We've learned m ore on t his expedit ion t han any before us, in all t he decades we've been on Lam arckia. And what we've learned burns.” “ Perhaps it is innocuous! ” Salap argued, heat rising. Randall saw t he argum ent com ing and t ried t o int ervene, but Salap and t he capt ain bot h raised t heir hands, fending him off. “ Ser Salap, how can it be innocuous or innocent t hat an ecos seeks t o m im ic us?” “ They have always been curious! ” Salap said. “ We are st rangers, a new kind of scion, but we do not evoke t he responses t hat guard against t hieves or spies ... We do not sm ell as a scion from anot her ecos would sm ell, perhaps. The sam plers st udy our shape, t ake sam ples of every individual, carry t hem ... som eplace, we assum e for analysis. But t hese sam ples are m uch m ore enigm at ic t han t he t issues of a scion from anot her ecos. The language of our genes is different in it s very gram m ar. I t t akes a long t im e t o puzzle out , even for a m ast er ... or a m ist ress.” Salap's eyes burned wit h ent husiasm , as if he expressed his own secret dream or night m are—a religious hope, perhaps. “ Som ewhere, t here is a part of t he ecos, a seed- m ist ress or queen, or m any of t hem , 324
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exam ining t he problem , st udying our genet ic m at erial, laboring over t he puzzles of hum an DNA, t rying t o underst and t he funct ions it codes for and duplicat e t hem , beginning wit h t he sim plest prot eins. They have so m any problem s t o solve— t here is an im m ense gulf bet ween a m egacyt ic scion and a m any- celled organism .” I pict ured secret fact ories hidden in t he silvas—perhaps in organic fort resses m uch like t he palaces—where unknown int elligences worked t irelessly for decades... We m ight as well call t hem queens. “ That m uch is obvious,” t he capt ain said. “ They feel t hreat ened by us. We st eal t heir scions, we cut t hem down and m ake ships of t hem , or we harvest t hem and eat t hem . We have t he pot ent ial t o fill Lam arckia and t ake all resources ... A queen would sense t his, wit h what ever inst inct she has. She would know. Ser Salap, didn't you expect t o find som et hing like t he palaces, som eday?” “ Yes, yes, of course! I t was m y great hope,” Salap said. “ I know what we have t o do,” Keyser- Bach insist ed. “ We cannot t ake chances. We m ust m ake cert ain t hat Mart ha is dead.” Salap seem ed ready t o spit . He walked back and fort h on t he beach, glaring at t he capt ain, at us. “ You would have us dest roy all we have st udied?” “ We keep our own sam ples, t o show Lenk. But we burn t he grove and t ry t o find t he hidden queen.” “ There is no hidden queen! ” Salap shout ed. He had lost all of his rest raint and spit t le flecked his black m ust ache. “ Mart ha is dead! ” 325
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The capt ain flinched at t his out burst . He set his st ick down on t he sand and squat t ed, laying his arm s across his knees. Salap knelt beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. “ I t is not necessary t o act wit h such brashness,” Salap said, som e of his calm ret urning. “ What ever Mart ha set out t o do, clearly it has com e t o a st op for now. I t appears at least t o be dead, or so weakened and reduced t hat it m ight as well be dead. We have t im e t o t hink and t o consult . We go t o Jakart a, we explain our discovery t o Lenk. You can request an audience, even when he is busy wit h Brion. And you can ask Lenk and his councilors what should be done. “ They cannot deny us now,” he said. “ Our own curiosit y is not a luxury. We m ust answer our quest ions. We m ust underst and t hese processes.” The capt ain's face had com e back from it s dangerous color, and his anger and anxiet y had cooled. “ Do you t hink Nim zhian knew?” he asked. “ Shat ro is a fool. She knew not hing,” Salap said. While t he capt ain had cooled, Salap had becom e infect ed by an ent husiasm t hat he t ook som e pains t o hide. He knew he could win t his argum ent and gain an advant age in a larger war. He approached m e and said, loudly enough for t he ot hers t o hear, “ How am bit ious are you, Ser Olm y?” “ I 'm eager t o learn,” I said. “ The capt ain and I , and t he m ast er Randall, have t ried for t en years t o m ake our case, t hat ignorance is dangerous, t hat we live on a dangerous world, however calm and benign it m ay seem . There are m any m ore dangers t han st arvat ion.” 326
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The capt ain looked up at his chief researcher wit h an expression m ixing irrit at ion, puzzlem ent , and wonder, one eye squint ed, one hand pulling on his chin. What ever his connect ions, Keyser- Bach had never been m uch of a polit ical t hinker. Salap, however, m ore t han m ade up for t hat lack. “ We have fought and been denied t oo m any t im es,” Salap said. “ Our vict ory wit h t his expedit ion—one ship, and a crew barely adequat e—was a sm all one. But Mart ha has left a legacy m ore fright ful t han anyt hing seen on Lam arckia. And m ore precious t o us t han any m ount ain of m et als.” The capt ain ret urned t o t he ship wit h Shim chisko, Shat ro, and Cassir. The necessit y for silence had been im pressed on all by Salap. Shim chisko t ook t he warning wit h a som ber expression. As t hey pushed t he boat off, t he capt ain said, “ Give m y farewells t o Ser Nim zhian.” “ I will,” Salap said. “ Tell her...” “ I will t ell her what she needs t o hear,” Salap said. The capt ain seem ed sat isfied, and relieved not t o have t o com e up wit h t he words him self. “ Why doesn't he want t o t alk wit h her?” I asked Salap and Randall. Randall shrugged, but Salap's energy had spilled over, and as he went t o prepare Nim zhian for our depart ure, he gave a long discourse on t he capt ain's charact er. “ He is a scholar,” he said. “ He is a shy m an, act ually, and som et im es a fearful one. He was raised by st ern parent s, as I was, but by and large m y parent s were correct ; his were a lit t le m ad, I t hink. He has a fondness for hidden m ot ivat ions 327
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t hat surfaces during t he worst t im es. I t 's m ade his t alks wit h Lenk's adm inist ers even m ore difficult . I believe he st ill holds t he opinion t hat Nim zhian m ust be involved wit h t his.” “ How could she be?” I asked. “ I t is not m y opinion, so I will not explain or defend it ,” Salap said. “ Alt hough Shat ro expresses it succinct ly. Som et im es, he is like a younger, st upider version of t he capt ain, wit h few of his redeem ing qualit ies.” He glared at Randall. “ You should not have brought him aboard.” “ Well, perhaps Ser Olm y m akes up for m y lapse in t hat regard,” Randall said. “ We will see,” Salap said. Nim zhian seem ed t aken com plet ely by surprise. “ There's so m uch m ore t o st udy,” she said t o Salap, her face wrinkled wit h concern and disappoint m ent . “ Surely we don't have t he broad pict ure yet .” “ No,” Salap conceded. “ Yet great er st orm s are brewing. We believe our t im e is bet t er spent elsewhere.” She walked t o t he door of t he porch. For a m om ent , I t hought she m ight cry. “ Half our drawings and paint ings are st ill here.” “ They will be picked up t om orrow. And your supplies will be replenished from ship's st ores.” “ I need so lit t le, act ually. I 've enj oyed t his com pany, all t his t alk. You're going t o Jakart a next ?” “ Wit h perhaps one or t wo ot her st ops, if t he sit uat ion perm it s.” Nim zhian sat in her graceful woven chair. “ I s t he capt ain com ing back?” 328
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“ He expresses his deepest regret s, and says he will never forget our m eet ing, our associat ion. Your work bright ens our expedit ion.” “ Tell t he capt ain I will m iss his com pany. I adm ire his dedicat ion. My husband would have enj oyed all of you.” She frowned and shook her head. “ You seem ed so int erest ed in t he palaces, so eager t o underst and t hem . Why, t hey could easily t ake years t o st udy.” “ I t is not ent irely m y wish t hat we leave,” Salap said. “ As I said, t here are pressures.” “ When you leave, will t he Brionist s com e?” Nim zhian asked, her blue eyes wide. She lift ed her hand and Salap im m ediat ely clasped it in bot h of his, a court ly gest ure. Randall st ood in t he doorway, t all and st ooped, lost in his own t hought s. “ I doubt t hey will st op here if t hey see t he island is barren,” Salap said. “ But if scient ist s arrive, Brionist scient ist s, would you m ind if I am candid wit h t hem , as well?” “ Not at all,” Salap said. “ I t is your dut y. I hope t rut h will m ake us all reasonable. This is no t im e for division and war.” The t hird boat had ret urned, carrying Shirla, Meissner, Ry Diem , and Thornwheel. The replacem ent part y had hiked from t he beach t o t he orphan grove and m et us beside t he pond as we left t he house. Shirla and I had a m om ent t o t alk as Salap relayed inst ruct ions t o Thornwheel. “ We passed t he capt ain's boat ,” she said. “ He said we're leaving, but t o com e ashore and keep Nim zhian com pany. He 329
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looks proper serious. Anyt hing you can t ell us, now t hat you're rank?” I t ried for a conciliat ory sm ile. She gave in ret urn a sharp sniff. “ Shat ro looked like he want ed t o kill som ebody, and Shim chisko like he want ed t o die. I s everybody crazy?” I shook m y head. “ Pressures from across t he seas,” I said, “ and t hat 's t he m ain reason.” “ Brionist s?” I nodded. “ Where are we going, t hen?” “ To Jakart a. Aft er t hat , t o At henai.” “ No lush silvas for m e and t hee, hm , Olm y, sir?” She was clearly in a dirt y m ood. I found m y own m ood t oo com plicat ed t o t olerat e any unpleasant ry. I pat t ed her arm and got in st ep behind Salap as we left t he valley. Nim zhian wat ched aft er us, m out h open, head shaking slight ly from side t o side. Then she fell t o t alking wit h Shirla and Ry Diem . We m oved t he specim ens from t he cave t o t he second boat and rowed t hem over m ildly choppy wat ers t o t he ship. There, we carried t hem under blanket s t o t he capt ain's quart ers, where t hey were st owed in a locker behind t he boxes of specim ens already put aboard. A padlock was provided, and a bolt , and Randall inst alled t hem and handed t he key t o Salap. “ We will sacrifice one specim en t o a general anat om ical st udy t his evening,” Salap said. “ Olm y, you will assist .” I went t opside and observed t he st arboard wat ch perform ing t heir aft ernoon dut ies, clam bering up t he t rees t o 330
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prepare t he sails for t he next leg of t he voyage. I felt a st rong urge t o j oin t hem . But I had m ade significant progress, and t here was no ret urning t o t he com fort s of an apprent ice's life. Twilight would be on us soon, and t he sailor's hours of rest . I t hought of t he gat e opener's words in t he Way. I look for t hings of int erest t o hum ans, Ser Olm y, and I find t hem . I f t he capt ain was going t o have an audience wit h Lenk, perhaps I could com e along. I would be t hat m uch closer t o finding t he clavicle. At dawn, one last part y of t welve went t o t he island t o deliver Nim zhian's prom ised supplies. I accom panied t he part y on t he longboat . Shat ro seem ed resigned t his m orning t o t he shift in ranks. He sat on his t hwart and pulled his oar wit h apparent good hum or. Shim chisko, Kissbegh, Cham , and French t he navigat or were also on t he boat . French want ed t o check a few last elevat ions. Nim zhian sat on her porch, barely glancing at us as we deposit ed boxes of food and supplies. Kissbegh and Cham began t o st ow t he boxes beneat h a shelt er behind t he house. French spoke t o t he old wom an, but she m erely nodded, saying lit t le in ret urn. He t hen went off int o t he int erior for a few hours, accom panied by Shat ro. Nim zhian st ood up aft er t hey had left and waved for Shirla and m e t o com e up on t he porch. “ I 've been doing a great deal of t hinking,” she said, “ Could you relay m y t hought s t o Salap? They are not very com plicat ed, cert ainly not com plet e.” “ I 'll t ry,” I said. 331
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“ You're j unior am ong t he researchers, aren't you?” Nim zhian asked. “ Yes.” Shirla gave m e a wry, brief sm ile. “ I was j unior aboard t he Hanno, as well. Marrying Yeshova was a good social m ove for m e. You and I haven't spoken m uch, but I feel it 's right t o t alk wit h you. You'll t ake m y t hought s t o Randall and t he capt ain. The capt ain ... m ay not be very clear about what is act ually happening here. As for you, m y dear Shirla, it 's been so wonderful speaking wit h t he wom en...” Nim zhian's eyes m oist ened. “ I m ust st ay here. I 'll m iss t he com pany, but m y life is here. Yeshova is st ill here, his spirit .” Shirla t ook her hand and st roked it . Nim zhian leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She seem ed t o have aged t en years since we arrived. Dut y had kept her going t his long; I wondered if she would pass on one final secret , and t hen be ready t o die. “ Do you realize how sim ple and prim it ive all life on Lam arckia is? How delicat ely balanced? Yeshova and I , t he m ore we explored and learned, becam e m ore and m ore ast onished at t he delicacy and crudit y of Mart ha. I t is all like a dream . And t hen we wake up.” “ Why like a dream ?” Shirla asked. “ There is no com pet it ion or synergy bet ween anim als and plant s t o propel change. All change com es from wit hin, from t he observers, what ever and wherever t hey m ay be—queens or fact ories or palace wom bs. And t here's precious lit t le com pet it ion bet ween t he ecoi. Day in, day out , nearly all of 332
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life on t his planet st ruggles sim ply t o get enough energy t o st ay alive ... Som et hing is m issing, som e vit al st rat egy or t rick. Lam arckia m ay som eday blossom . But are t he hidden designers creat ive enough t o supply what is m issing?” “ Maybe we're what 's m issing,” Shirla said. She did not know about t he half- form ed skelet ons. “ But now we're here. The queens—t he observers have t o learn how t o use us.” “ Adm irably hom ocent ric,” Nim zhian said soft ly, eyes st aring bet ween us dream ily. “ That is part of our st rengt h, t o always place ourselves at t he cent er. But despit e all recent evidence...” She looked at m e sharply, resent ing t he secrecy im posed by t he capt ain. “ Despit e t hat , I do not t hink we are t he m issing elem ent . I believe it is a t echnique, a t rick, none of t he ecoi have st um bled across. Poor Mart ha—so reliant on t he st ingy t race elem ent s ... Mart ha did not have t he st rengt h t o survive when t hings changed.” She sat forward now, and gripped Shirla's hand t ight ly. “ What is m issing on Mart ha's I sland, and everywhere else we've visit ed on Lam arckia?” “ What ?” I asked. “ Green,” she said. “ Brilliant , lovely green. Shirla, you were born here, and you spend lit t le t im e t hinking about Eart h. But Eart h was a green world.”
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12 For t wo days aft er we left Mart ha's I sland, t he ocean overside and t o t he horizon lay glass- sm oot h and t he st ill air hung hot and wet and sm elled st ale. Thunderheads t owered in t he west . Each evening, chores done—choke- oiling t he decks, t ight ening t he st anding rigging yet again t o t ake in a few cent im et ers slack ( m ost ly, I t hink, a figm ent of Sot erio's im aginat ion) , and spreading dragnet s t o cat ch sam ples ( t he ocean here was barren and t he net s cam e up em pt y) —t he crew not on night wat ch at e cold freechunk and dried fruit and drank m at fiber beer in t he m ess, t hen lay out on t he deck as t hey had t he day before, as t hey m ight t he next day and for a t housand years aft er. Each t ook a piece of t he deck for his or her t errit ory. As t hey lay, flat and st ill, t hey wat ched t he few unfort unat es st ill in t he rigging or hauling on sheet s and braces and halyards, and spoke soft ly am ong t hem selves. I st ood on t he puppis, wait ing for t he st ifling laborat ory below t o cool. The researchers m et in t he laborat ory next t o t he capt ain's cabin each day several hours aft er sunset , working in t he coolest port ion of t he night , som et im es int o t he next m orning, dissect ing and m easuring t he com ponent s of a hum anoid skelet on. This night , however, t he air on deck was not m uch bet t er t han t he air below. We all hoped for a cooling breeze, but no relief cam e. Randall did not expect t he discovery t o st ay secret for long, and it did not . The ship was dispirit ed. Randall sensed it ; t he capt ain was t oo preoccupied t o care. Shim chisko 334
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carried t he burden of his knowledge badly. While not t elling t he t rut h of t he m at t er even t o I bert , his best friend, he had let on t hat som et hing very bad had been found on Mart ha's I sland, som et hing im port ant t o all of t hem . The crew picked Ry Diem and t he sailm aker Meissner—surrogat e m ot her and fat her as t hey had becom e—t o ext ract m ore from t he capt ain and t he researchers. I felt guilt y at not volunt eering t he inform at ion, but m y allegiances had shift ed, t aking m e away from t he crew. Ry Diem and Meissner pet it ioned Randall, and Randall spoke t o t he capt ain in privat e. Finally he gat hered a m eet ing of t he ent ire crew and provided full det ails of what had been found on Mart ha's I sland, in t he palaces of t he st ill- t heoret ical queens. They were st ill digest ing t his news. I t changed t he way t hey t hought about Lam arckia. For Keyser- Bach, I t hought , t his voyage was at an end. He would sacrifice it for t he chance at a larger, grander expedit ion. The capt ain was seldom seen wit hout an expression of shrewd calculat ion, already adding up t he pieces of equipm ent he m ight order m ade by Lenk's craft sm an, or com m andeer from around Elizabet h and Tasm an. We had only t o proceed t o Jakart a and report our findings t o Lenk's officers. The capt ain's cause—t he cause of science and explorat ion on Lam arckia—would be elevat ed beyond all expect at ions. At m idnight , Salap clim bed up ont o t he puppis, weary and oppressed by t he heat , bare t o t he waist , brown skin shining in t he lam plight . “ We m ight as well get st art ed. I t isn't going 335
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t o get any cooler.” Shat ro, Cassir, Thornwheel, and I followed him below, t o resum e our st udies of t he hom unculi. Cut t ing cross- sect ions t hrough t he lim bs, we found fibrous polysaccharides, not t rue calcium - rich bone. The “ head” was m ade of t hree sect ions, and where t he brain would have rest ed in a hum an, t here lay a soggy lum p of oily t issue support ed by a m at of t hin, t ranslucent fibers. Cassir, who had had ext ensive m edical t raining in Jakart a, com m ent ed: “ What ever Mart ha learned from sam pling hum ans, she didn't learn how t o m ake a brain.” The capt ain perform ed t his work wit h grim resolve. He did not like t hese poor im it at ions. They were his t icket , his shining hope, but it was obvious he regarded t hem less wit h scient ific dispassion t han revulsion. Shat ro, Thornwheel, and Cassir arranged t hese dissect ions so t hat I perform ed t he sim plest and least elevat ed t asks. I m ade sket ches of t he separat ed pieces of t he pseudoskelet on, laid t hin sheet s of gridded paper over t hem , and com pared t he dim ensions wit h t hose for hum an bones. I fet ched wat er for all, and m ixed solut ions for preserving t he specim ens. Aft er anot her few hours of work, Salap dism issed t he researchers. I cam e up on deck and found t he crew as I had left t hem , sprawled under t he bright early- m orning st ars, t he double oxbow rising, one lone m oon cast ing a wan light in t he west , sinking fast . They were rest less, and m ost were awake and st ill t alking.
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I heard Kissbegh's scrat chy t ones and walked forward t o list en. “ I f we're all going t o be replaced by scions,” he said, “ t hen why did Lenk bring us here?” “ He didn't know,” Ry Diem said wit h weary disdain. “ No, I m ean, we've all been t aught we owe so m uch t o Able Lenk, for t aking us away from t he ‘dist ort ions and presum pt ions of Thist ledown.’ That 's what m y t eachers called it .” “ They were right ,” Shim chisko said. “ Thist ledown would have been worse.” “ But we're all going t o die here,” Kissbegh said. “ How could t hat be bet t er, and why didn't Lenk at least sense what he was get t ing his people int o? Aren't great people supposed t o be lucky?” “ We don't know we're going t o die,” I heard Shirla say. She sounded sleepy. “ I f t he zones rise up against us...” Kissbegh persist ed. “ We don't know t hat , eit her. We don't know what Mart ha's queens want ed t o do,” Shirla said. Her voice carried t hrough t he night , clear and sensible. I want ed t o go down am ong t hem and sit next t o her. We had not spoken for som e days. I felt m ore at hom e wit h t he sailors t han I had wit h any ot her people in m y adult life—but I was no longer one of t hem . Their t alk seem ed at once naive and perfect —t he t alk of hum ans who lived t heir lives in a direct and sim ple fashion, wit hout t he kinks and knot s I had t wist ed int o m ine. “ I wish I had a wom an who loved m e back hom e,” Kissbegh said. “ I 've always been t oo m uch t he clown t o m ake friends or at t ract serious wom en.” 337
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“ I 'm your friend,” Ridj el said. “ You're no wom an,” Shankara observed placidly. “ Thank our fat e,” Ry Diem m urm ured. “ Yes, you're m y friend,” Kissbegh said, “ but you're here, and if I die, you'll probably die, t oo. I want som eone alive t o rem em ber m e.” “ My wife's a good wom an,” Shankara said. “ But she's a perfect sailor's wife. Right now t hat m akes m e sad.” “ Why?” Shirla asked. “ I f I don't com e back, she'll m iss m e for a while, but she'll get along. My being gone won't t ear her heart out .” “ I t 's t he way,” Ry Diem said, in a voice int ended t o soot he. “ I 'd like som eone t o always m iss m e, always t hink of m e,” Shankara cont inued. “ My wife will find anot her husband and he'll fill her heart as m uch as I 've ever filled it . Not t hat she's uncaring...” “ I f I had a good wom an on shore,” Ridj el said, “ I 'd love her so hard and so long she'd never forget m e. Her heart would break if I didn't com e hom e.” “ All m em ory's like t his ocean,” Ry Diem said. A short silence followed as everyone t hought t his over, and t hen decided t o ignore it —it could not be riddled quickly enough. “ Will Lam arckia rem em ber us?” Shim chisko asked. The t alk t urned t o how m uch Lam arckia knew about each of us, and how m uch t he queen ( or now, t he queens) of Elizabet h's Land or Pet ain would keep us in som e sort of biological m em ory if we did not ret urn t o Calcut t a or Jakart a ... or, by im plicat ion, if t hey act ually did get around t o replacing us. Shim chisko began t o speculat e wildly. He 338
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wondered whet her t hey would duplicat e us so com plet ely we m ight live again, even if we died. Randall st epped up behind m e. “ They're get t ing far t oo m et aphysical,” he com plained in a low voice. “ Shim chisko's becom e a very religious fellow. But it 's infect ing us all.” I nodded, but asked m yself who, back on Thist ledown, would ever rem em ber m e... On Lam arckia, I would leave no im pression at all. My hom esickness for Thist ledown had becom e a dark shadow, m ingling doubt and dream , wish and self- disgust . The flaws in m y arm or m ult iplied and were glaringly apparent : I did not know who or what I was, m y past seem ed a confused j um ble, m y present a m ess I would never successfully resolve. I f I was any exam ple, I doubt ed Lam arckia's ecoi could learn anyt hing useful from hum ans, yet Nim zhian's last words before we left t he island haunt ed m e. Lam arckia's m arvels were t ruly sim ple and delicat e, as if she had suffered som e nat ural handicap at t he beginning of her t im e. She had flowered in a wonderful but hesit ant way. Our nat ural passengers—t he select ed bact eria and viruses hum ans found valuable—had left no m ark on Lam arckia's ecoi. But we ourselves were a kind of infect ion, inj ect ed int o t he planet 's t issues by t he m ost sophist icat ed of delivery syst em s—t he Way it self, an infinit ely long syringe wit h infinit ely m any openings. What would I report t o m y superiors in t he Axis Cit y and on Thist ledown, if I could m ake a report now? 339
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Lam arckia is st ill healt hy. But hum ans and t he ecoi will change each ot her im m easurably, and very soon. Lam arckia is not for us. We are far t oo robust . We com e from a green planet . I did not have t he luxury of t im e. To preserve Lam arckia, I had t o act quickly. I had t o locat e Lenk's clavicle and report m y findings t o t he Hexam on soon. Fift een days out from Mart ha's I sland, our bat t eries drained, our windscrews idle, sharp- eyed I bert st ood his wat ch on t he m aint ree t op. Lat e in t he m orning, he spot t ed som et hing on t he horizon, and called down t o t he m ast er. I sat repairing a dragnet on t he forecast le deck near t he bowsprit . Sot erio pulled him self out of his ham m ock belowdecks and groggily followed Randall forward. The capt ain st ayed below. Randall surveyed t he horizon following I bert 's direct ions—fine on t he st arboard quart er. I st ood and shaded m y eyes against t he st eady beat of t he sun. At first , I could not see anyt hing, but soon I resolved a t hin line of sm oke, and t hen anot her. “ No land here,” Ry Diem said, com ing forward. “ Couldn't be fires.” Shirla and Shankara followed, t hen Cham and Shim chisko. Sot erio t railed Randall like a fait hful dog, a worried expression on his dark- bearded feat ures. Salap em erged on deck, as elegant and seem ingly unconcerned as ever. He glanced at t he group of us near t he bow, t hen saunt ered around t he skylight t o j oin Randall. “ I s it a racer?” Sot erio asked. “ Racers don't sm oke,” Randall said. “ Two ships. They're burning som et hing.” 340
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“ St eam ships, t hen,” Salap said. “ Likely.” “ Brionist ,” Sot erio said, hoping he would be cont radict ed. “ Sure as hell not out of Calcut t a or Jakart a or At henai,” Randall said. “ Get t he capt ain up here.” Keyser- Bach cam e on deck in an apron, hands st ill gloved. He shed t he apron and gloves and handed t hem t o Thornwheel, t hen t ook t he binoculars from Randall. Aft er a few m inut es’ scrut iny, he said, “ No flags. Of course, t hat m ay not m ean anyt hing.” He looked up and shook his head. “ We didn't set our flag aft er leaving Mart ha's I sland. They're t en m iles away. They've seen us.” He lowered t he binoculars. “ They're t urning t o cross our course.” Shat ro t ook t he apron and gloves from Thornwheel and handed t hem t o Cassir. They all needed som et hing t o do. Nobody spoke for a few m inut es. Keyser- Bach wat ched t he lines of sm oke wit h a face as blank as a child's. Then he pulled his chin wit h t hree fingers and said, “ Ser Sot erio, bring her about and we'll hope for som e wind.” I looked up at t he sails. A puff of wind had st ruck m y back, and I saw t he lim p, sad clot hs bat and slap. Every m orning at t his hour, winds of varying speed and direct ion would slip up on us, form ing fine sm all chop on t he wat er but neit her refreshing t he air nor offering m uch speed t o t he Vigilant . The wind did not m ean m uch. There had been no good wind for four days. The capt ain, however, st art ed t o whist le t hrough his t eet h. He st rode t o t he bowsprit and wat ched t he four of us 341
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gat hered t here. Sot erio followed him and said, “ There isn't enough wind t o bring her about .” “ There will be,” t he capt ain said, pulling t he whist le back t hrough his t eet h, t hen sucking on t he t eet h speculat ively, m aking a sm all, sharp hiss- squeak. “ He can feel it ,” Randall said. They bot h looked up at t he sails, and for a m om ent , I felt as if I were in a dream , an ent ert aining m use about being lost am ong superst it ious savages som ehow m ore deeply connect ed t o nat ure, able t o feel t he presence of gods and spirit s ... and wind. “ Can't you cat ch it ?” t he capt ain asked, as casually as if we were discussing t onight 's dinner in t he m ess. “ The sea has t he color,” Randall said. Sot erio peered over t he gunwale, t hen st raight ened. He looked lost . “ I f t hose are Brionist s, and t hey're riding st eam , t hey don't need any wind,” Shat ro said, j ust t o be part of t he conversat ion. The capt ain raised his binoculars and peered sout hwest , four point s abaft t he port beam . “ There it is,” he said. We all t urned. A bank of t hick cloud had risen beneat h t he sout hernm ost t hunderheads, like a predat or st alking im m ense gray giraffes. “ We've been carried int o it s circle,” Salap said. “ I t 's far nort h on it s accust om ed t rack.” The capt ain raised his hands t o his chest and gripped t hem t here, supplicat ing.
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Salap sat on t he but t of t he bowsprit . “ I t 's been st roking us wit h it s feelers for t hree days,” he said. “ The lit t le puffs of wind each m orning.” “ What are you going t o do?” Sot erio asked, licking his lips and glancing around t he sm all circle. “ Not hing right now,” t he capt ain answered. “ We'll wait unt il we see who's going t o cat ch us first .” “ There'll be m ore wind,” Salap said. “ Enough t o m aneuver. I f we wait here, t he st orm will suck us t oward it .” The capt ain handed t he binoculars around for us t o see. Shat ro t ook t hem from Thornwheel; I was st ill ranked last . He handed t hem t o m e aft er a few seconds, face pale. I looked. “ What do you see?” Salap asked. “ Sparkles,” I said. “ Like m ica flecks in wat er.” I swung t he glasses around. Beneat h t he lines of sm oke I could m ake out t wo funnels, one each surm ount ing long whit e hulls. The st eam ships were sailing at about t en knot s. They'd be upon us wit hin an hour and a half. The st orm 's cloudy m ass was perhaps fort y m iles away. The feelers, as Salap called t hem , had already gained st rengt h. “ Should we hail t hem on t he radio?” Randall asked. “ No,” t he capt ain said. “ I do not doubt where t hey're from , or why t hey're here. We're a prize if t hey can cat ch us.” He j erked abrupt ly, m uscles t aut in his j aw and neck, and gave his orders. The sails bellied and Sot erio im m ediat ely pulled t he st arboard wat ch t oget her t o bring t he ship about . We would face int o t he wind and t ack across a course headed due 343
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sout h. The st eam ships would see t he st orm and perhaps decide t hey did not want us so m uch. Sot erio called out t he port wat ch. Salap crossed t he deck and put one hand on m y shoulder, t he ot her on Thornwheel's. “ This is t ruly going t o be what t he capt ain calls prim ary science,” he said. The wind pulled his black beard and hair. “ I will st at ion all m y researchers around t he ship, and one in t he t ops ... Ser Shat ro, please j oin I bert on t he m aint ree.” Shat ro put on a face of unexpect ed hurt , but went t o t he shrouds. He had clim bed shrouds before, but not for som e t im e. “ Ser Olm y, you will st ay at t he bow wit h Ser Thornwheel. Ser Cassir, you and I will st and by t he bulwarks port and st arboard am idships. We will record wind speed and direct ion, and anyt hing else t hat happens t o be int erest ing.” He pulled slim paper not ebooks from his pocket , and sm all carbon pencils. The capt ain kept t urning t he glasses from t he st eam ships t o t he st orm . “ I t is going t o be very com plex,” Salap said. “ The sparkles in t he clouds m ust be how it regulat es it s t em perat ure and pressure. I suggest t hey are very light t issues of different reflect ivit y born by winds cont rolled and direct ed by form at ions in t he ocean.” A sharp gust hit us and t he ship shuddered, swung around by t he fore course and j ibs like a horse on a rope. When t he wind was on our port beam , Sot erio ordered t he j ibs furled, t he fore course reefed and t he spanker raised. We pract ically spun about in t he wat er. 344
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“ I f we end up in t he t hick of it ,” Salap said, “ we can learn how it keeps it self going.” He clapped t he capt ain on t he shoulder and walked aft wit h Cassir. The capt ain did not seem t o not ice. The ship heeled over t en degrees. Salap lurched on t he t ilt ed deck, yet st ill kept som e dignit y, his long coat flapping out like a t ail. Cassir grabbed a brace for support and Sot erio snat ched it from him . “ Not t hat one, sir,” he said, chin j ut t ing. “ Sorry,” Cassir m urm ured, and t ook his posit ion. Sails set , Sot erio put Shirla at t he wheel, replacing an exhaust ed Kissbegh, and st ood behind her. Now cam e t he wait ing. The dist ance bet ween t he st eam ships and Vigilant briefly increased. Then t hey t urned as one and followed, applying m ore st eam . The sm oke from t heir st acks billowed t hick and gray like t he breat hs of t wo t iny volcanoes on t he head of t he sea. “ I t 's a chase, all right ,” Sot erio called from behind t he wheel. Thornwheel, st anding beside m e, braced him self as t he wind kicked at t he ship from ahead wit h increased force. The deck lurched. Sot erio ordered bot h wat ches t o unfurl all courses and t he lower t opgallant s and swing t he yards about t o t ake full advant age of running close- hauled. The capt ain was int ent on narrowing t he angle of each t ack, t o give us m axim um speed away from t he st eam ships. But it was clear from t he beginning t hat we were not going t o win t his part icular race. The st orm grew t all and showed long, t hick black skirt s; t he sea becam e a lively green all around t he ship, flecked by vigorous t all whit ecaps. We veered ont o t he next t ack and t he ship heeled t o st arboard. 345
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Aft er half an hour, wit h t he st orm barely t hirt y m iles away and t he wind increasing t o t went y knot s, t he capt ain kept t he ship on a st eady course, running on a beam reach at t en knot s, clearly hoping t o round t he nort hern ext ent of t he st orm and slip away from bot h st orm and pursuing ships. But t he ships were not dissuaded by t he advance of t he st orm . “ They're fools,” Thornwheel m ut t ered. “ They don't know t his m onst er.” “ Will t he capt ain t ake us int o t he st orm ?” Thornwheel asked. “ You've sailed wit h him longer t han I have.” “ He m ight ,” I said. “ But it t errifies him ,” Thornwheel said, raising his voice over t he hum and whist le of t he wind in t he rigging. I shook m y head and sm iled. “ Bet t er t hat t han Brionist s. He's no coward. But he want s t o get t his ship t o Jakart a.” On t he m ain deck, Cassir and Salap st ood by t he rails port and st arboard. Aloft , Shat ro clung m iserably t o t he shrouds, and I bert st ared ahead and t o t he west int ent ly, shout ing observat ions t o t he capt ain and Sot erio t hat we could not hear. Randall cam e forward, grinning like a happy dog. “ Breat h and fat es,” he shout ed at us, “ we're in t he claws now, if not t he t eet h. Tim e t o show m ore courage, eh, Olm y?” I had never seen him in such a m ood. We t acked back and fort h for anot her hour. The st orm t owered above us, having swallowed and decapit at ed t he t hunderheads, which spread out above t he dark gray and brilliant whit e m ass in long separat e st ream ers of cloud. These were quickly dissipat ed. 346
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I wondered if t he capt ain had m iscalculat ed. We m ight soon be faced wit h winds sweeping around from behind, hit t ing us from t he st arboard quart er, and we'd have t o fight t o keep from bring drawn int o t he body of t he st orm . Som ehow, it did not seem t o m at t er. I had always known t he t rivialit y of m y life, som et hing not com m on am ong m y peers, surrounded by t he t hick arm or of Thist ledown's im m ensit y. I had always calculat ed t he risks t aken against m y basically ephem eral nat ure, gam bling t he benefit of sensat ion and knowledge against t he danger. To fall int o t his st orm would be an experience t o rem em ber, and if t hat m em ory last ed only a short t im e, fell quickly int o oblivion, at least t here was t he real m om ent of experience ... Like not hing I would ever have seen on Thist ledown. I held t his brave at t it ude, st alwart and adm irable, for only a few m inut es before m y unfet t ered body t old m e, wit hout allowing for debat e, t hat it was t errified. I sweat ed despit e t he chill of t he winds, and m y hands t rem bled. Thornwheel squint ed west and t hen nort h, and t ied a short coiled rope around t he but t of t he bowsprit . For a m inut e, I ran around t he deck looking for anot her coil, cursing m y luck, and finally found one hanging from a belaying pin. I wrapped it around t he bowsprit and squat t ed on t he deck. Along t he lengt h of t he ship, sailors st at ioned on deck were t ying sim ilar lines from bulwark t o bulwark, or t o t he hat ch t ie downs and t he t rees. Looking aft , as t he fore and m ain courses were reefed t o give t he helm m ore cont rol, I saw Shirla at t he wheel, and Sot erio behind her, and felt a st ab of regret . 347
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Then m y calm ret urned. There was not hing m ore I could do. I held m y pencil and not ebook and clenched m y j aw. Thick spat s of rain hit t he deck and blew across t he sails. Behind us, t he flying j ib t ore wit h a loud bang and was carried out beyond t he j ibboom like a m ad ghost . Kissbegh and Ridj el leaped past us and clim bed out along t he bowsprit t o cut it loose. Over m y shoulder, I saw t he sky suddenly dip below t he bow, as if pushing hard on t he horizon of rough wat er. The ship shivered and leaped. The sky suddenly ret reat ed at t he rise of a wall of wat er; t he bow plunged int o a t rough bet ween waves and we nosed int o t hat green wall. I t slam m ed against m e and I snapped t o t he end of m y line like a fish and seem ed t o half swim , half crawl along t he subm erged deck. Then t he wat er fell away like a heavy curt ain and sloshed t o all sides, running in rivers, and I spread out on m y back on t he deck, coughing wat er, wiping m y face. My pencil and not ebook were gone. Forward, Thornwheel clung t o t he rail, hair in his eyes, sput t ering. Kissbegh clim bed back along t he bowsprit , very lucky t o be alive; Ridj el st ood on t he j ibboom like a sea sprit e, arm s wrapped around t he forest ays, and I laughed at his grace and presum pt ion. “ Shit on you! ” Kissbegh shout ed at m e, scram bling ont o t he deck and helping Ridj el over t he t angle of ropes. “ Shit on you all! ” Thornwheel got t o his feet despit e t he pit ching of t he deck. The waves had com e on us so suddenly t hat t he ship t ook several long, t ense m inut es t o t urn int o t hem . Bot h wat ches 348
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reefed and furled sails frant ically. The fore course had ripped halfway and snapped it s ragged t ails like a cracking whip. The wind now cam e st rong from t he st arboard quart er, as I had feared, drawing us int o t he st orm . I could see not hing of t he st eam ships. We had m ade our gam ble, and chosen what suddenly seem ed t he great er of t wo evils. I could pict ure m yself surviving am ong pirat es; surviving t he st orm seem ed m uch less cert ain. “ How m any knot s?” Thornwheel shout ed. He st ill gripped his not ebook, t hough it was sodden t hrough. I wat ched t he spray being whipped from t he dripping gunwales, and from t he forest ays and j ib sheet s. “ Fort y,” I guessed. Thornwheel t ucked one arm under his rope where it was t ied t o t he but t of t he bowsprit , squat t ed, and wrot e t he figure m et iculously int o t he lim p not ebook. Then he looked up and cried out , “ What t im e is it ?” I did not know. Our world seem ed confined t o t he forecast le deck. The st orm and sudden waves had knocked loose all sense of m inut es or hours. I could not get t o m y slat e, st ill secure—I hoped—in m y bunk a few m et ers below. “ Aft ernoon,” I said. Thornwheel screwed up his face and shook t he dripping not ebook in disgust . The wind quickly grew t o fift y knot s. The Vigilant was now rigged for a st orm , all but her fore and m ain courses furled and t hose reefed close t o t heir yards, st raining alarm ingly at t heir gasket s. I could see m en and wom en running along t he deck, a few descending t he shrouds wit h exquisit e slowness, 349
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hanging on for life, but could not pick out t heir feat ures t hrough t he st inging spray. Personalit y did not seem t o m at t er in t he noise. So long as I kept m y posit ion, I could not be accused of shirking m y dut y—and t hat m at t ered suddenly m ore t han I would have believed it could. I did owe everyt hing t o m y shipm at es, m y capt ain, t he ship it self; if I did not owe t hem all, t hen I was not part of som et hing st rong and capable of surviving. I m ight as well be lost in t he foam on t he waves. I could pict ure t hat vividly. I saw m yself surrounded by volum es of cold wat er. My lungs halt ed in t he sudden whoop of spray- heavy wind and m y body t hought I was drowning; it no longer t rust ed m y senses. The capt ain sidled forward, gripping t he ropes t ied at regular int ervals bet ween t he m ast bit s and t he gunwales. Salap followed, and at one point we shipped anot her sea across t he port bow and bot h of t hem had t heir legs swept out from under. St anding again, t ight ening t heir safet y ropes about t heir waist s, t hey m ade t heir way t o t he forecast le desk, clim bed up, and cam e t o t he bows. Salap saw t hat I had no not ebook and shook his head sadly. “ Ser Olm y, how will you pass t his on t o post erit y?” he chided. “ I hope you've kept a record,” he shout ed t o Thornwheel. “ We don't know t he t im e,” Thornwheel said. That st opped Salap. He looked at t he capt ain, who looked at all of us, and t hen broke int o a braying laugh. “ My god, it 's half past sixt een hundred,” Keyser- Bach said. “ I t hink.” We all seem ed t o be m ade equals by t he st orm , like sm all children at play. 350
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“ Cassir j ust dropped a not e st uffed int o a spare deadeye. Dam ned near brained t he m at e,” Salap said. “ They claim t o see st ill wat er ahead, about a m ile off t he st arboard bow.” “ They're out of t heir m inds,” Keyser- Bach yelled, st raining t o see t hrough t he spray from waves slapping at t he st riker and part ing along t he bow. The waves had declined a lit t le in t he past few m inut es, however. “ Do t hey see any ships?” Thornwheel asked. “ No,” Salap said. “ I hope t he bast ards sink! ” His sm ile was broad and wild, his eyes black and wide like a m an caught in a fight he deeply enj oyed. The wind blew as st rong as ever—t he gauge regist ered fift y- five knot s—and t he ship clim bed and bounced and cut t hrough waves, but t he waves were dim inishing even m ore. I saw float ing obj ect s in t he glist ening hills of wat er flying past , gray and pink shapes like closed um brellas rising from t he wat er. We shipped anot her form idable scoop of ocean and clung m iserably t o our ropes and what ever else we could grab. Thornwheel raised his not ebook t rium phant ly above a rushing floor of blue sea, t hen rose sput t ering and whooping. Salap slipped and was washed along t he deck unt il his line snapped him t o a halt ; he swung at t he end of t he line, his robe drenched and wrapped around scrawny, scram bling legs, his face and beard st ream ing. The capt ain m anaged t o st ay on his feet , but he looked bat t ered and kept his eye out for t he pat ch of calm as if it m ight be our only hope. I looked up at t he t rees and yards, t he furled sails, t he rigging, t he greenish- gray sky beyond. All leaped and surged but t he sky, which form ed t hick gray bands perpendicular t o 351
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t he lengt h of t he ship. Wit hin t hose bands I saw a const ant t winkling, a coruscat ing flow of m yriads of corpuscles one m om ent brilliant whit e and t he next black. The ship spun about like a skat er suddenly t hrown down and sliding on his rear. Wit h a shudder, t he Vigilant seem ed t o leap over t he border bet ween one kind of m adness—t he sea t hat t hreat ened any second t o break her back and kill us all—and anot her. Ast ern, as t he hull set t led, it s pit ching and rolling m uch reduced, we saw furious waves and a haze of driving spum e. But all around and for hundreds of m et ers ahead, t he waves were flat t ened, subdued, by t hick layers of brown and red and yellow pads. I n t he cent er of each pad rose a growt h like a folded um brella, and at t he t ip of each um brella, a fan or paddle spread, perhaps t wo m et ers in diam et er, black on one side, whit e on t he ot her. We seem ed caught on t he field of som e im possible sport . The wind st ill blew unabat ed t hrough our rigging, but it could not ruffle t his t ight ly cont rolled field of sea wit hin t he st orm . The wind blew off t he st arboard quart er. I t urned and t he wind whooped t hrough m y half- open m out h, m aking m e a living bot t le- organ. I st ruggled t o pull air back int o m y lungs. Salap gripped t he gunwale and leaned out t o peer int o t he wat er beneat h t he bow. I did t he sam e, and saw t he cut wat er pushing t hrough t he broad pads, shoving aside t he fans, som e of which bent and spun before our faces, j ust beyond t he forward rails. On t he edges of t he pads, t hick flat t ened growt hs like gear t eet h m eshed wit h adj acent pads and propelled t hem as t hey slowly spun. When t he ship's bow 352
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forced t he pads apart , wit h a sound like t iny suckers popping, t he wat er bet ween was black as night . Above t he ship, great flocks of silvery t riangles from a few cent im et ers t o half a m et er on a side blew t hrough t he sky, half hidden, and t hen ent irely revealed, in t hick curt ains of m oist ure. The air blew alt ernat ely freezing cold or hot and m oist , as if t he ship were caught in som e uncert ain gradient bet ween wint er and t ropic sum m er. “ I t is alive! ” Salap shout ed above t he st eady, shrill scream of t he wind. “ I t 's in cont rol! ” “ What ?” Keyser- Bach shout ed back. “ What 's in cont rol?” A flight of t riangles caught up against t he m ast s, shat t ered, and slipped away in t he st orm . Pieces fell and whirled forward, blowing and flipping across t he deck like leaves. “ I t 's a st orm - beast ! I t 's m ast er of t he warm wat er and t he rising and falling air. We're not yet anywhere near t he m iddle of it . We're on it s out skirt s. What m ust it be like fart her in?” Thornwheel scribbled quickly in his not ebook. The pages bunched and t ore beneat h his pencil. St ill, he kept writ ing: wind speed, pressure, t he t hings we saw in air and wat er around us. He looked up, lips pulled back, squint ing int o t he hot and cold winds. Salap point ed dead ahead. “ Everyt hing in here is alive and growing, prospering! A garden in a whirlwind! Even so, if t his is a cyclonic, t here m ust be a calm cent er! ” Randall worked his way forward, st epping carefully over each safet y rope, fast ening his line, t ugging it free wit h t he secondary loop- line, refast ening. He clim bed ont o t he 353
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forecast le deck. “ We're t aking wat er like a colander,” he shout ed at t he capt ain. “ Every board's been j arred. I 've got half t he crew below pum ping and caulking, but I don't t hink we can last m ore t han anot her hour.” “ Set t he fore course and m ain lower t opgallant s,” KeyserBach said. “ Keep t he wind on our port quart er.” “ That will put us right int o t he cent er! ” Randall shout ed. “ That 's where Salap want s t o be! ” t he capt ain replied. The winds nearly drowned him out . “ Fine! ” Randall said, raising his hands and preparing t o head aft . He shook his fist s at t he chaot ic sky unt il he reached t he ladder, t hen glanced back and said som et hing t hat nobody heard. I t urned t o sight along t he bowsprit . The waving and whirling fans had passed. Ahead, t he ocean seem ed covered wit h silvery grass t aller t han our upper t opgallant s, m aking great st eady clockwise waves like cilia on t he skin of a cell. “ St orm cell! ” I said t o Thornwheel. Salap t urned t o m e. Bot h called out , “ What ?” “ We're inside a st orm cell,” I said, but I could not convey m y j oke, if it was a j oke; it m ight have been a serious observat ion, a clever m et aphor, a crazy way of dealing wit h incom prehensible phenom ena. I did not care. I felt so bat t ered and dazzled, beyond fear, sliding sm oot hly int o exhaust ed disengagem ent . The waving silvery grass ahead could have becom e t he hair of som e huge giant , rising from t he sea like old Nept une, and I wouldn't have been m uch surprised. 354
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Wit h t he sails set , our speed increased, and Vigilant m oved at fift een or t went y knot s t oward t he im m ense rolling wall. The crew worked st eadily on deck and in t he rigging, Sot erio guiding t hem as best he could from t he m ain deck. Randall had clim bed halfway up t he shrouds, inspect ing som et hing on t he foret ree. I wondered if Shirla had been relieved on t he wheel. I saw Ry Diem and Meissner hauling t he t at t ered rem ains of a blown- out sail aft . The fore and m ain t rees and sails st ood out brilliant ly in a shaft of light like a searchlight beam , and I t urned int o it s dazzle, high above t he wall of grass. The sparkles had coalesced int o a concent rat ed shim m er, t hrowing light on t he sea around us like a lens or concave m irror. The whole st orm was a syst em of reflect ion and absorpt ion of sunlight , t he scions in t he at m osphere encouraging t he heat ing or cooling of t he surrounding air even as t hey flew t hrough it , t urning silvery whit e or dark black. The scions on t he ocean's surface shift ed and cont rolled t he surface winds, and perhaps also conserved or radiat ed heat from t he wat er it self. Salap m arched back and fort h across t he forecast le deck, st aring hawklike port and t hen st arboard, t rying t o see and underst and everyt hing. The capt ain paid at t ent ion t o lit t le but t he ship and it s im m ediat e obst acles. He lift ed his arm , bellowed som et hing, and we all t urned t o look off t he port bow. I f we could t urn t he ship a few point s m ore on t he st arboard bow, we could pass t hrough an opening in t he wall of grass, a space of wide wat er like t he gap left by a swinging scyt he. 355
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Randall cam e forward and t he capt ain gave his inst ruct ions. The crew worked—Ridj el t ook a st arboard brace wit h Shankara and Kissbegh and t urned t he fore course yard—and slowly, as t he wall approached, Vigilant aim ed for t he opening. “ We're going int o it s belly,” Thornwheel said. “ How far in are we already?” “ I don't know,” I cried. “ Seven, m aybe eight m iles.” “ Twent y at least , wit h t hat wind,” Salap said. On eit her side, t he grass rose around us, silvery t ops swaying. Vigilant sailed int o t he gap. Abrupt ly, t he wind st opped and t he sails hung slack. Keyser- Bach looked at t hem wit h a furrowed brow, obviously st um ped. What t o do next —put on m ore sail t o t ake advant age of what lit t le wind rem ained, or drift and wait for anot her blow? Salap offered no advice. We were all beyond any hum an experience. Alt ernat ing red and black disks covered t he wat er around t he ship, a polka- dot sea as lurid in t he glit t ering light as any child's drawing. The disks rose and fell on a gent le swell, while above t he grass, and beyond t he opening of t he gap, t he wind wailed like a fading echo. The sky above filled wit h t hick black st ream ers of cloud. Rain spat t ered down. A warm wind blew from direct ly ahead and t he ship yawed t o st arboard. The wind ceased as abrupt ly as it began. We lay in st illness, if not com plet e silence. A current in t he wat er around Vigilant pushed us slowly, sm oot hly ahead, along t he curve of t he gap bet ween t he walls of grass. 356
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Randall went belowdecks t o supervise t he pum ping. I felt guilt y at not pit ching in; but Salap shook his head at t he look on m y face, pinched his lips t oget her, said, “ Eyes and ears. Let t he m uscles work now. We'll pit ch in if t he m ast er dem ands it .” This did not m ake m e feel any m ore com fort able, but it was an order. A few hundred m et ers int o t he gap, we heard a st eady t hum ping sound, like t he beat ing of a huge heart , t hough rapid as a bird's. The sails had been set t o t he capt ain's sat isfact ion, t he hand pum ps seem ed t o be gaining on t he wat er in t he hold, and bot h m ast er and m at e were on deck t o t ake in t he scene around us. Thornwheel had m ade all t he not es t here were t o m ake at t his point . The wind was light and st eady at about five knot s, t he grass undulat ed as it had for t he past t en or fift een m inut es, and he had recorded t he beginning of t he sound. We glanced at each ot her, nodded as if m aking acquaint ance across a busy boulevard, and ret urned t o gazing at t he grass, t he polka- dot t ed wat er, t he bands of cloud and spinning scions high above. “ I s it wort h it ?” t he capt ain suddenly asked Salap. We had grown so used t o shout ing t hat his voice boom ed across t he deck. “ You m ean, is it wort h m y life, t o experience t his?” Salap asked in ret urn. “ We've seen a lot t oget her,” t he capt ain said. “ I t would be fit t ing t o die like t his.” 357
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Lam arckia is a good place t o die. Swallowed by a living st orm , wit h no chance t o be of any use t o t he Hexam on, no longer seem ed t he best end t o m e. I had answered t heir quest ion hours ago, but had changed m y m ind since. “ I have a lot m ore I 'd like t o see,” Salap said. “ Things even m ore rem arkable. And t o die wit hout t elling ... Wit h what we know...” “ I don't int end t o die,” t he capt ain said. “ But m y int ent ions don't m ean m uch here.” Salap said, “ Cassir and I are going t o t ake a few specim ens at t he st ern.” He descended t he ladder and walked aft , t aking Cassir from his post . Pieces of shat t ered winddriven scions lay brown and wit hered on t he deck, t heir glory of whit e and silver fading quickly. Cassir ret rieved a few and bot t led t hem , t hen st owed t he bot t les belowdecks and ret urned wit h a specim en net and gaff t o j oin t he head researcher. The t hum ping grew louder. Ahead, t he walls of grass t urned reddish brown, t hough each blade was st ill silvert ipped. The t ips becam e flat t ened, and t he st alks short er, t he rhyt hm of undulat ion m ore rapid. Breaks in t he walls t o eit her side allowed st rong breezes t o blow across t he ship, heeling and pushing it one way and t hen back t he ot her. Sot erio cam e forward. The capt ain asked who was st eering, and t he m at e replied t hat Shim chisko had replaced Shankara, and t hat Ry Diem was on backup. Shirla had been relieved j ust aft er t he beginning of t he st orm . I t all seem ed m ore t han j ust dream like; it seem ed feverishly m ad. The light on our faces was m ot t led whit e and 358
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pink, wit h flashes of silver from t he clouds above. The fore course luffed and bellied in t he alt ernat ing winds. All around us, t he waving blades rose no higher t han t he yard of t he course, and from t he t ops, I bert called down t hat he could see an end t o t he grass a few hundred m et ers ahead. Vigilant em erged from t he grass t en m inut es lat er. Ahead, a dense wall of gleam ing whit e cloud churned. I n t he broad lane of sea before t his wall, dozens of different kinds of scions eeled and float ed t hrough t he wat er, passing broad black m asses like sm all low islands. At op t he m asses rose t ranslucent pillars t hat gleam ed like glass, but shivered wit h each t hum p like st iff j elly; wit hin t he pillars, long gray and blue cylinders clust ered like wires t hrough insulat ion. The pillars were about t wice as high as t he t ruck at t he t op of t he m aint ree and t wo- t hirds as broad as t he Vigilant 's lengt h from j ibboom t o st ern. Above and ahead, t he sky filled wit h det ail t hat eluded explanat ion, confusing m y eyes and m ind. I saw pinwheels of darkness spinning lit he as snakes t hat fell behind t he wall of cloud. One of t he vort ices broke t hrough t he wall and fell apart , scat t ering as sheet s of very dark rain int o t he sea, which seet hed like living soup. The t hum ping began t o hurt our ears, a rapid surge in pressure as m uch as a sound, and we could not t alk at all and be heard. Vigilant would not be cont rolled. No m at t er which way we set t he sails or st eered, t he t hick m ass of scions around us carried us in t he flow, leaving t he waving grass behind, like brown beach cliffs rising t o a silvery prairie on a sloping hill. All behind was wrapped in drift s of brilliant whit e cloud, 359
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pierced by searchlight beam s; and above, rising several t housand m et ers int o t he air, an im m ense curt ain of black shot wit h spreading fans of powdery gold. I had never seen anyt hing so awesom ely beaut iful, not even t he advancing wall of a Jart offensive... I felt like a Jonah lost in t he belly of a godlike m onst er, t his st orm - beast as Salap had called it , t he capt ain's nem esis, and m y chest hurt wit h fear and som et hing like sham e. My t hroat clut ched and even if I could have been heard, I couldn't have said a word. Suddenly all m y t hought s focused on Shirla. She was t he closest t hing t o a wom an and a friend I had on t his planet ; she was fem ale. Being near her seem ed essent ial. I looked back along t he deck, act ually m ade a st ep t o go aft , caught m yself and looked over m y shoulder at Thornwheel. He had put away his sodden not ebook and now lay curled up by t he bowsprit , hands over his ears, t rying t o hide from t he pounding t ripham m er pressure. Salap had fallen t o his knees beside t he port gunwale, his safet y line t angled around his legs. The capt ain st ill st ood, but leaned against t he curved black vent over t he galley, his face locked in a grim ace of pain, eyes m ost ly shut . So m uch energy, I t hought . I t urned about m yself where I st ood, t aking it all in, for t he m om ent losing all t he pain in m y ears, m y lips calling for Shirla. I wondered if she were dead or alive. I f I got out of t his, I t hought , I would give up everyt hing—m y m ission, m y reluct ance t o becom e part of t he im m igrant s—everyt hing, j ust t o be wit h Shirla. 360
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But Shirla becam e an abst ract ion. Suddenly I m issed Uleysa, on Thist ledown. The faces of several dozen ot her wom en, friends and lovers, chance acquaint ances, cam e wit h ext raordinary clarit y. I was surrounded by t hem . I saw m y m ot her, her angular, half- angry, half- puzzled face unable t o com prehend t hat she had j ust hurt her sm all son wit h a sharp, unsym pat het ic word, and I loved her, forgave her, needed her. The t hum ping st opped. Vigilant float ed for t he m om ent in com parat ive quiet . The ot her sounds—whist le of wind from our st arboard quart er t hrough t he rigging, sloshing and slapping of wat er and t he confused sliding whisper of scions in t hat wat er, cam e back only gradually, as if having been in hiding and only now em erging. The quiet seem ed like an indrawn breat h before a scream , but no scream cam e. “ We are going t o get out of t his,” Keyser- Bach said, enunciat ing each word like a schoolm ast er. He went t o t he rail. “ I hope t o breat h and fat e Cassir is t aking specim ens.” He point ed int o t he wat er, lips count ing soft ly. “ I can't count how m any different t ypes of scion t here are. What do t hey do?” The wat er around t he ship seet hed wit h color and form , as if Vigilant had been scooped up in a net filled wit h t he concent rat ed creat ures of an ent ire t errest rial ocean. Sot erio cam e forward, a dirt y whit e clot h wrapped around his head and ears. He rem oved t he clot h sheepishly and cocked his left ear close t o t he capt ain's m out h t o receive orders. But t he capt ain said one t hing, t hen belayed it ; anot her, and belayed 361
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t hat , as well. There was nowhere t o go, no clear direct ion for safet y. We were t urned around in t he creat ure, and our com pass was of lit t le use. The st orm could have shift ed course around us as m uch as we t urned wit hin it . We had been inside t he syst em for five hours; we could be as m uch as t hirt y m iles from t he perim et er, or even fort y. “ Shit ,” t he capt ain finally said, t hrowing up his hands. He t urned, st ared t oward t he wall of m ist , t urned again and looked down a corridor bet ween t he false brown hills and silvery grass prairie, his eye following t he curve off int o m ore m ist , black shot wit h gold and silver. “ I t 's pure inst inct , or guesswork, Ser Sot erio.” “ Let it be inst inct , sir,” Sot erio said. Salap and Cassir cam e forward. Cassir deposit ed t he cont ent s of a bulging net int o a barrel, t hen poured a bucket of wat er over t he cont ent s, which seet hed. Wit h a look of fascinat ion and caut ion, and a t ouch of disgust , Cassir clam ped t he lid down on t he barrel. “ What do you see?” Randall shout ed t o I bert and Shat ro in t he m aint ree t op. I shielded m y eyes against anot her flash of light and saw t he t wo draped lim ply on t he sm all plat form high over t he ship. Shat ro raised an arm and pulled him self t o a kneeling posit ion, gripping t he shrouds. He scanned t he surrounding sea. “ I don't know,” he called back. I bert st ood beside him . “ None of it m akes any sense,” he added. “ We're looking for a way out ! What do you see?” Randall called up angrily. 362
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“ What would it look like?” I bert asked plaint ively. “ A door,” Thornwheel said, uncert ain on his feet . “ Wit h a big brass knob.” A large drop of black ink fell at his feet , splashing his shoes and pant s. He st ared at it dum bly, t hen looked up at us, What next ? More drops fell, st eam rising from t he spreading st ains. One st ruck m e on t he back and was hot enough t o st ing. “ Wonderful! ” Shat ro scream ed from t he plat form . “ We've gone st raight t o hell! ” We scram bled on t he deck t o get away from t he sudden barrage of hot inky drops. All around, t he sea was dappled and roiled wit h t he dark rain, and t he m ass of writ hing scions sank wit h a chorus of bubbling gurgles. I n t he t ops, Shat ro and I bert scream ed. I bert cam e down t he shrouds as fast as he could, st opping t o shriek as a splat t er of st eam ing rain st ruck his head and back. He nearly fell. Shat ro lay on t he plat form , hands wrapped behind his head, yelling incoherent ly. There was no place t o hide on t he forecast le deck. I saw Meissner run forward wit h scraps of ruined sail, t hrowing t hem at sailors cowering on t he deck. I bert t um bled t he last few m et ers from t he shrouds, landing heavily on t he deck, and snat ched a shred of canvas from t he sailm aker. Everyone, covered or not , m ade a dash for t he hat ches and pushed and shoved t heir way below. I n t he press of bodies, I found m yself st anding beside t he carpent er, Gusm ao, in her workspace in t he ship's waist , beneat h t he upper deck. She blinked at t he unwelcom e 363
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int ruders. She had not been on deck since we ent ered t he st orm . She was not a curious sort . “ My god, you're a m ess,” she said t o t he four of us. “ What 's going on up t here?” Nobody answered for long seconds. “ Black rain,” said Kissbegh, his face covered wit h t hick splot ches, alm ost unrecognizable beside t he st ocky, oily- black figure of Ry Diem . “ Who's st eering?” Shirla asked, walking down t he aisle bet ween t he carpent er's shop and t he sail locker. “ Shim chisko's st ill up t here. Sot erio's wit h him ,” Shankara said. The ship rolled. The deck drum m ed wit h heavy rain. The air becam e st ifling, and m oist ure t hickened it unt il we could hardly breat he. Shirla put her hand on m y arm , solicit ous. I laid m y hand over it and felt like a young boy. Thornwheel cam e down t he aisle, calling m y nam e. “ Salap's forward,” he said, “ in t he lab. They got t he specim ens inside.” I wiped black goo from m y face. Where it had t hickened, not quit e dry, it caked and fell away, leaving no st ain on t he skin beneat h. I t ouched Shirla's face and t ried t o wipe it . She held m y hand and drew back slight ly, but sm iled. “ I t 's in m y eyes,” she said. Gusm ao recovered enough t o order us out of her workshop. “ I don't know what 's happening t opside, but t he capt ain want s his barrels and boxes.” She shooed us int o t he corridor, where t he air, away from t he shop's vent s, was even t hicker. “ You're going t o work in t his?” Kissbegh asked, peering around t he door int o t he carpent er's t iny workspace. 364
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“ I 'm going t o breat he, dam m it ,” Gusm ao said, and shut t he door in his face. Aft er a few m inut es, t he drum m ing st opped. We heard t he wind pick up, and t he creak of t he t rees and rat t le of yards and rigging. We delegat ed Ridj el t o poke his head up and see what t here was t o see. He clim bed t he st eps, lift ed t he hat ch cover, and said, “ Salap's out t here. The black st uff's st opped falling, but it 's all over t he deck. There's t he capt ain—and Randall.” We hast ily clim bed out on t he quart erdeck and ret urned t o where we had been before t he black rain began, all but I bert , who st ood by t he shrouds, calling up t o Shat ro. Shat ro answered and said he was com ing down. Sot erio passed by, half- inked, half- clean, like a fest ival harlequin. He did not com m ent on I bert 's reluct ance t o go t opside again. All around, t he ship drift ed t hrough t wist s and curls of fog. The air t em perat ure had clim bed at least t en degrees and our st ained clot hes clung t o us. My t hroat was parched, but t he wat er but t s on deck had been bum ped, losing t heir caps, and were fouled by ink. Leo Frey, t he cook, and his assist ant Passey em pt ied t he cont ent s of t he but t s and went below t o bring up m ore wat er. Salap's face and beard glist ened wit h ink. His vivid whit e eyes st ared from his black face, t he ink glazed and cracking on his skin. “ This warm wat er,” he said, “ will be pushed out ward, t o power t he out skirt s of t he st orm . I f we st ay wit h it , we m ay get out .” The capt ain st ood beside Salap, a blackened t owel in his hand. “ Why do you t hink t hat ?” he asked. 365
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Salap lift ed his hands. “ Som ewhere high up in t he st orm , scions spray black pigm ent int o suspended m oist ure, and t he pigm ent absorbs sunlight . When t he clouds have reached t heir m axim um t em perat ure, t hey drop hot rain int o t he sea, warm ing it . I t 's part of t his m onst er's infernal engine. Scions in t he wat er absorb t he black pigm ent , t urn t he sea m ilky, and ... it is pushed out ward, full of heat ...” He shrugged, as if t his were elem ent ary. “ I im agine at t he heart of t his beast , t here are great sheet s of ice, like t he inside of a freezer ... The air cools and falls.” He t ook t he capt ain's t owel and wiped his face. “ The ship looks sad,” he said. The capt ain shook his head. “ We j ust follow t he current .” “ I t will get rough again, I im agine,” Salap said. “ But perhaps we can get out , and get washed clean in t he process.” All around t he ship, t he sea was beginning t o t ake on a m ilky pallor. Salap nodded his sat isfact ion. Thornwheel sm iled and shook his head, as if am used by anot her m agic t rick. The capt ain st ood deep in t hought , fingers t ugging at his chin, eyes dist ant . “ The st orm will put t his wat er on t he out er edge som et im e aft er dark. I s t hat what you're t hinking?” he asked Salap. “ Precisely,” Salap said. “ The night air will warm all around t he edge, and rise rapidly as t he surrounding air cools. The air over t he cent er of t he syst em will fall ... And t he st orm will build up enough energy for t om orrow.” “ We'll have t wo m iracles t o present t o Lenk,” Keyser- Bach said. 366
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The wind began t o pick up again. Around t he ship, processions of eel- like black scions, drawing long, t hin curved lines following t he direct ion of t he wind, channeled t he m ilky sea. We t urned t he ship t o go wit h t he wind, and slid bet ween t he lines as if following t he surface of an im m ense chart . The waves grew as we sailed t oward t he wall of fog, now in ragged pat ches, revealing dept hs of t ort ured, billowing whit e cloud beyond. Our passage out of t he st orm was lit t le less rem arkable or st renuous t han our j ourney in. We were blown wit h t he m ilky sea for dozens of m iles, t hrough rank aft er rank of m ist s, enveloping clouds, fleet ing rain showers t hat left long st reaks and sm ears and whorls of black st ain on our deck and hull. The spanker, christ ian, and all t he courses, unfurled t o push us swift ly, carried sm eared and bleeding m eanders of black. Behind us now, t he t hum ping st art ed again, t ripham m er pounding t hat cooled m y blood. I did not want t o ever hear such a sound again. I felt like a germ invading a huge pulsing heart . I st ill expect ed t o die. So did m ost of t he crew, I t hink, and t heir behavior was a credit t o t hem . They worked quiet ly, focused on t he ship. There was cert ainly t he t em pt at ion t o st are at t he m yst eries, t he powers surrounding us, unt il we were filled like bot t les wit h t error. Flight s of bat like pt erids filled t he sky, piercing t he boiling, ragged cloud- ceiling, rushing t o som e unknown place in t he st orm 's schem e. The m ilky sea t hrashed wit h eight - m et er waves like peaks in living m eringue, slapping pale spray and silvery rivulet s across t he deck; t he waves increased t o t en 367
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m et ers, and t hen becam e form less, all- consum ing m onst ers again, t he lines of eel scions vanishing in t heir fury. Blast s of cooler air poured down t hrough rent s in t he clouds, m aking t he seas st eam , unt il we could see not hing in a general whit e- out . Thornwheel and I cont inued t o m ake m easurem ent s wit h t he barom et er and t herm om et er, holding t he inst rum ent s up t o our eyes in t he im penet rable fog, t rying t o writ e t hem down in fresh not ebooks, or calling out figures t o t he capt ain, who recorded t hem on his slat e. Aft er a t ense half- hour, t he fog cleared. Out side t he st orm , night was falling, but wit hin, t he sea scint illat ed wit h a pale radiance t hat bounced from t he clouds. For t he first t im e, light ning flashed in t he clouds above us, silent and vague, like candles behind draped windows. These brief glows popped up here, t here, ahead and behind, warm orange in t he general lividit y. The wat er crashing across t he bow and sloshing over t he decks sm elled rem arkably like wet soil, and t hen began t o give off an offensive st ench, com bining m olasses sweet ness wit h am m onia. We wrapped our faces in what ever fabric was available, including t he crust y, sm ot hering sheet s of canvas Meissner had brought up t o prot ect us against t he rain of hot ink, but t he sm ell persist ed. Since t he black rain, t he air around t he ship, and across t he sea, had generally been warm , t opping out at t hirt y- t wo degrees. Now, m ore frequent ly, we sailed t hrough t he cool m asses of air t he sea was int ended t o warm . But in it s silvery pallor, t he sea could not release it s heat efficient ly. The next st ep—if I followed Salap's reasoning—would be for t he ocean 368
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t o t urn black again, or t o effect som e ot her art ifice t o release t he heat m ore rapidly. The m at e had gone below and checked t he ship's clock. He t old us it was eight een- t hirt y hours—t went y m inut es past sunset . We sailed in ghost ly t wilight , barely able t o see across t he deck, lant erns com ing on fit fully as t he engineer m anaged t o put t he windscrews t o work. The ship's bat t eries had been soaked during t he heavy seas; t heir m em branes would have t o be washed and t he dist illed wat er replaced before t hey would funct ion again. We were working on circuit s connect ed direct ly t o t he windscrews, and t heir vanes were wet and whirled uncert ainly in t he st eady wind. All I could see, st aring ahead, were dull flashes of orange behind greasy black clouds and lum inous wave peaks. The plunging and leaping of t he ship m ade m y knees and head hurt . I felt sick t o m y st om ach—whet her because of t he st ench, t he pit ching, or exhaust ion, I could not decide and didn't care. Salap handed m e a sm all t herm om et er and I read off t he t em perat ure every few m inut es, and Thornwheel replied wit h t he barom et er. At m ospheric pressure at sea level on Lam arckia was about nine- t ent hs of Eart h norm al, rich for Thist ledown's cit izens, who were used t o quit e a bit less t han t hat ; and by consensus t hat was called one bar. Thirt y degrees and nine hundred and fort y m illibars. Thirt y- one degrees and nine hundred and fort y- t hree m illibars. The capt ain recorded our figures when he wasn't shout ing orders t o t he m at e, and we t ried t o keep t hem in our not ebooks. Aft er a while, sick as I was, I couldn't help 369
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laughing as we shout ed out new figures. Thornwheel grinned as well, his face a sm udge in t he obscurit y. The light ning grew bright er j ust as we em erged from a t hick wall of cloud. Ahead, lost in t he m iasm a, we heard a chorus of chirrups and whist les, crossing from off t he port bow t o off t he st arboard bow, as if a flight of unknown birds t aunt ed us in t he dark. Flashes of forked light ning revealed serpent heads rising from t he wat er, out lined in pale blue, bobbing, chirping and singing. “ Sirens! ” I shout ed t o Thornwheel. The capt ain glared at m e, but t he sound grew louder. I t ried t o see t he serpent s m ore clearly, but t hey were always feat ureless, sm oot h, rising and uncurling slowly, or sinking wit h t ips half- curled, like lim p hooks. Again we saw low, flat islands float ing bet ween t he crowds of serpent s, but lacking t owers, covered inst ead wit h rounded bum ps. What lit t le t hinking I could m anage was half delirious. I im agined cybernet ic cont rol syst em s wit hin t he st orm , sensing and guiding, t he queens of t his st orm - beast , sending fort h flight s of pt erids t his way, ordering t he shoals of scions t hat way, bringing up serpent s and lining eels across whit e seas, m aking t he waves rise and t he winds blow hot and cold. Som ehow m y t hought s becam e t angled and when I called out t em perat ures, t he air seem ed t o respond; I believed m yself in cont rol, orchest rat ing all t hat we barely saw and did not even begin t o com prehend. We shipped a part icularly large wave right over t he bow, which plunged us all int o a darker and deadlier night . Again I 370
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lost m y not ebook, slid t o t he end of m y safet y line and spun, t hen hit and rolled over t he deck. I n t he wat er, I heard m uffled sounds like m urm uring, bubbling whispers, and felt som et hing explore m y leg. I reached down, blind, t o push it away, and m y fingers closed on a sm oot h, cold surface like hard rubber. I t shift ed beneat h m y fingers, and t hen it st ung m e. I alm ost opened m y m out h t o scream , but som e inst inct kept m y j aws shut t ight . Eyes burning in t he sea wat er, t rying t o find m y way t o t he surface and safet y, m y head suddenly bobbed int o air. I t hought I had gone overboard for sure. The safet y rope had broken. I hit hard on deck again, got t o m y feet , and resist ed t he wash of wat er int o t he scuppers. Light s burned above and t o each side of m e. I had been swept off t he forecast le deck, ont o t he m ain deck. My crewm at es huddled around m e. “ Where's t he capt ain?” I shout ed. “ Where's Thornwheel?” The nearest person t o m e, Meissner, had been washed against t he bulwark and huddled t here like a fright ened child. I glanced at m y hand in t he light of t he swaying lant erns, vision blurred, saw a t hin t rickle of blood from m y palm , wondered if I was going t o die, and t hen realized, I 've been sam pled. That m ade m e laugh again. Hearing Thornwheel call from t he bow, and hearing t he capt ain cursing loudly and shout ing orders t o keep t he ship st eady, I began t o bray like a m ule. Shat ro rushed past , glanced at m e, shook his head, off on som e errand. That seem ed even funnier. Cham and Shim chisko poked t heir heads over t he edge of a hat ch cover. 371
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Shim chisko cam e around t he hat ch and t ook m y shoulders in his hands. “ Don't shake m e,” I shout ed. “ I 'm not hyst erical. I t 's j ust funny.” To prove m yself sane, I inst ant ly m ade a sober face and poked m y nose against his, peering wit h bloodshot eyes. “ The wat er's black! ” he yelled, pulling back. I looked around, and indeed, t he deck was covered wit h ink, as was I . “ What does t hat m ean?” he asked. “ I t hink it 's good,” I answered. Then I yanked one of his hands from m y shoulder, shook it vigorously, sm iled, and headed forward t o m y post . I didn't m uch care about anyt hing for t he m om ent but being alive. I f som eone had asked m e about m y m ission, about any ot her secret I had ever held in sacred t rust , I would have revealed everyt hing. Not hing m at t ered but t he laught er and being alive.
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13 The wat er's sudden blackness seem ed t o calm t he waves, or at least reduce t hem t o frisky youngst ers no higher t han t he bulwarks. These hit t he ship like a drum m er's pounding fist s, but t he deck did not leap and roll nearly as m uch, and we had a chance t o clear t he broken yards and t angled rigging. Everybody pit ched in, even t he capt ain and Salap. Sot erio had broken his wrist in t he deluge of wat er t hat had part ed m y safet y line, but he let Cassir and Ry Diem set and wrap it , and gave us as m uch help as he could wit h his rem aining good arm , t hough his face was gray wit h pain. The black wat er carried t he ship t hrough dancing pillars of rising fog. The air was alm ost unbearably hum id, and t he wind cam e from t he st arboard quart er, no fast er t han t he current t hat gripped t he hull, so we seem ed suspended in m ot ionless air. Through gaps in t he t hick deck of clouds, I could see pat ches of st ars. French t he navigat or was quick enough at sight ing const ellat ions t o get a rough idea which way we were being pushed—due sout h. No one was cert ain what t hat m eant ; t he horizon was blocked by an im penet rable darkness, unrelieved by light ning or any ot her det ail. The wat er grew calm er st ill. We st ood about t he deck, wobbling wit h exhaust ion; Kissbegh and I bert lay where t hey fell, sound asleep. I m anaged t o find Shirla in t he dim light of t he few funct ional lant erns and put m y arm around her. She did not push it off; inst ead, she reached up and gripped m y 373
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hand in hers, t ugging on t he fingers like a child. I t was such a casual, fam iliar gest ure t hat one m ight have t hought we had been lovers for years. “ Did you know it would be like t his?” she asked. Her eyes were lovely, brown and alive. “ No,” I said. “ Do you t hink it 's over?” “ No.” “ We're st ill inside of it ?” “ I t hink so.” Randall walked slowly along t he deck. The work t hat could be done had been done, he said; it was t im e t o get what ever rest we could. Most of us collapsed where we st ood and curled up on t he deck in t he t hick, st icky puddles of black wat er and t he wret ched heat , sweat ing. Shirla lay beside m e, knees drawn up, and im m ediat ely slept . We had been inside t he st orm beast for nine hours. My own need t o sleep had fled. I was exhaust ed yet wideawake. My m ind, however, becam e as clear of t hought as a fine sum m er sky. I st ared up at t he pat ches of st ars and wat ched t hem be obscured, one by one. The clouds were t hickening overhead. Far t o t he east , t he t ripham m er pulse cont inued. I t did not shake t he air or upset our bodies, t hough Shirla t wit ched and m oaned. Som ewhere aft , t he generat ors whined faint ly and t he windscrews st illed. I recognized t he sounds of t heir gearing 374
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being disengaged. The rem aining elect ric lant erns im m ediat ely went out . Som eone, I could not see who, walked past wit h a sm all elect ric t orch, whispering a st ring of curses. St ill inside. St ill Jonahs. The black wat er gave off it s heat around t he ship and, by m orning, as grayish light filt ered t hrough t he clouds and curls of m ist , t he sea acquired a dust y greenish color. I got t o m y feet , leaving Shirla t o sleep as long as circum st ances allowed, and looked around t o see who else was up and about . Salap st ood on t he puppis, facing forward. He saw m e and nodded but did not sm ile. Cham squat t ed in a half- doze by t he m izzen t ree. The rigging pulled and caught wit h lit t le popping sounds and t he rem aining yards creaked and rat t led. The ship was riding in a norm al sea—waves about half a m et er at t heir crest s, racing past us in long swells as if eager t o win a race. Peering overside, I was left wit h t he im pression we were sailing backwards. I j oined Salap on t he puppis deck. He had j ust finished t railing a net in t he wat er, back and fort h over t he st ern. He showed m e t he net : em pt y. The capt ain had gone below; Randall sat near t he st ern, behind t he wheel, which was t ended by Ry Diem . “ Do you have any idea where we are?” Salap asked. “ No,” I said. “ How would I know?” Salap chuckled hum orlessly. “ You're a sm art m an. I t hought you had som e consoling t heories.” “ Well, I don't ,” I said. Our t im e in t he beast had changed m e, at least for t he m om ent , and I felt respect for no m an, and no sense of discret ion, eit her. 375
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Salap seem ed t o find m y new t one unexcept ionable. Clearly, he did not care m uch for rank or prot ocol. “ I would have guessed we'd be out side of t he st orm by now.” “ I 'm surprised we're st ill alive,” I said. Ahead, t he blackness had changed t o an alm ost equally uninform at ive charcoal gray. “ There is a pat t ern, a process,” he said. For a m om ent , I expect ed him t o reveal som e religious belief, but he cont inued, “ The st orm is a well- organized syst em , m aint ained by hundreds of t ypes of scions. I wish we could have capt ured a sam ple of each. We have a few of t he flying form s, a barrel or t wo from t he rich sea, and what ever else washed up on deck.” “ Som et hing sam pled m e,” I said, holding up m y hand. Salap st ared at t he gouge wit h int erest . “ The st orm is not part of zone five, t hen,” he said. Nearly everyone on Elizabet h's Land had been sam pled by a river scion at one t im e or anot her, and t hese all cam e from Pet ain, so it was believed. “ I guess not .” “ I t is a separat e ecos. Yet it feeds t he prairie.” I nodded. “ So we learn m ore and m ore. The zones cooperat e wit h sub- zones, as at t he Chefla wast e ... And t he st orm has som e connect ion wit h Pet ain, t hough not a part of it . I am proven wrong all t he t im e now.” He t ook a deep breat h and sm iled broadly. “ I t m akes m e feel young t o be wrong so oft en.”
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“ The wat er here seem s em pt y,” I said. “ There were so m any scions back t here...” I waved m y hand ast ern. “ Why none here?” “ Even t hough we are not out of t he st orm , we m ust be near it s fart hest ext ension, it s caudal port ion, if I m ay be anat om ical. There m ay be lit t le of im port ance here.” “ I t hought t he black wat er would j ust push t oward t he out side of t he cyclone, not t oward t he rear.” Salap shrugged. “ I t was j ust a t heory. A hope, perhaps.” The grayness ahead part ed as t he dawn advanced. We seem ed t o be near land—a long dark line of hills rose on t he horizon. Ry Diem said hopefully, “ We can find a harbor and fix t he ship.” The capt ain clim bed t o t he puppis, his head wrapped in a black- st ained st rip of clot h. “ Good m orning, if it is m orning,” he said. “ I t seem s t o be,” Ry Diem said. Randall point ed out t he hills on t he horizon. The Capt ain st ared at it , j aw clenching and unclenching wit hin t he bandage. He glanced at m e, hooded his eyes, and said, “ Slam m ed m y j aw last night . Ruined a few m olars. Sot erio up and about ?” “ His arm 's giving him hell, but he swears he'll be on deck as soon as he can get dressed. One of t he wom en is helping him ,” Randall said. “ That is not land, what ever it is,” t he capt ain said. “ There is no land in t his part of t he world.” He lift ed his binoculars, t hen handed t hem around. All looked but Ry Diem . When m y t urn cam e, Shat ro and Thornwheel and Cassir j oined us, and I barely glanced at t he form at ion before passing t he glasses on 377
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t o t hem . I could not m ake out any det ail, j ust low knobby prot rusions like hills, all of a uniform dark brown. The grayness above t hem seem ed light er, rent here and t here t o reveal darker, t hicker clouds beyond. “ I t 's part of t his dam ned beast st ill,” t he capt ain said. “ We're com ing up on it rapidly,” Cassir said. “ Cast a logline and let 's see how fast we're going,” t he capt ain t old Randall. Randall assigned t he t ask t o Shankara, who cam e back a few m inut es lat er wit h a speed of four knot s. Keyser- Bach exam ined t he dist ant m ass, lips m oving as if in calculat ion. “ Our speed wit h respect t o what ever t hat is, is about nine knot s. And I 'd guess it 's no m ore t han five m iles away. Erwin?” “ Six at m ost ,” Randall said. “ I t 's part of t his beast and it 's going t o ram us.” “ Or we'll beach on it ,” Randall said. “ I t is not a solid m ass, t hat I guarant ee,” Salap said, shaking his head. “ I t m ust be divided int o sm aller st ruct ures.” There was lit t le wind t o m aneuver in. The capt ain ordered t wo boat s put out wit h lines at t ached t o t he bow. This t im e I had t o volunt eer, if only t o keep m y sanit y, and I clam bered int o t he longboat . Neit her Salap nor Randall obj ect ed. Shat ro volunt eered j ust aft er I did, loat h t o let m e one- up him in any way. Shirla clim bed int o t he longboat and sat beside m e, favoring m e wit h a faint sm ile. Her skin was pale, however. She was t errified. The m ass was less t han seven m iles away by t he t im e we had rowed t he line t aut and swung t he Vigilant about . Twent y 378
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in t he longboat , t welve in t he capt ain's boat , we pulled wit h all we had. Vigilant seem ed m ount ed on t he t op of an underwat er m ount ain, im m obile. The sea barely st irred past t he cut wat er. The gloom all around had light ened t o dism al light gray. Sweat st ood out on m y brow in t he m oist ure and heat . My shirt clung t o m e. I t seem ed all wrong; I want ed t o be anywhere but where I was. Shirla beside m e, pulling wit h m e on t he oar, was sm all com fort . I knew, wit h an anim al inst inct I had not felt even during t he st orm , t hat som et hing bad was com ing. Behind us, Shim chisko and I bert shared an oar, swearing st eadily and rhyt hm ically under t heir breat h, as if singing a sport st er's chant . Across from us, on t he sam e t hwart , Shat ro and Cham concent rat ed on t heir oar. Shat ro glanced sideways at m e, but our eyes did not m eet for long. We worked t oo hard t o care about anyt hing but m oving Vigilant . I t was useless. Half an hour and we reduced t he ship's speed in t he current by perhaps a knot . The capt ain ordered t he boat s back, but did not haul t hem aboard. Leaving crews of four in each boat , he ordered t he rest of us t o our st at ions. Sot erio followed at t he crew's heels, voice sharp. Less t han a m ile away, t he long dark m ass whispered like children in a room , heard t hrough a half- shut door. At it s base, wat er foam ed like breakers hit t ing a shore. The knobby surface now clearly resolved int o vert ical corrugat ions, not so m uch a range of hills as an irregular wall, cut like sliced cheese, bearing down on us. I t ext ended t o eit her side as far as t he eye could see, no escape. 379
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All around t he ship, t he wat er suddenly filled wit h scions. They rose and t wist ed and rolled like breaching whales, spraying t hick dark plum es t hat float ed off as brownish m ist . Above, t he cloudy ceiling showed pat ches of blue. Light shaft ed down t hrough t hese pat ches across t he awful fecund wat ers, and I t hought of an ancient engraving, a phant asm a of Eart h's seas, filled wit h bat - finned, slack- j awed, m anyeyed grot esques. These scions—what det ail we could see in t he m asses—did not resem ble any part icular baroque creat ures, st icking inst ead t o t he st orm 's st eady run of designs: serpent s of m any colors; long black or purple piscids, feat ureless except for sm oot hly t apered fins; writ hing hollow cylinders a m et er wide, lined along t heir inner lengt h wit h coarse brist les like hairy nost rils ( and som e of t hem t urning inside out as I wat ched) ; t hree- cornered flat shapes reddish brown t rim m ed wit h blue t hat filled t he int erst ices bet ween all t he ot hers. I did not have t he concent rat ion t o keep t rack of ot her designs; t here were hundreds. “ They're spit t ing blood! ” Shim chisko scream ed. Before t he advancing wall, t he scions’ expelled vapors t urned brilliant red. Less t han half a m ile away, we saw t he wall push against t he scions, bunching t hem at it s base where t hey leaped and t hrashed against t he swell, t hen rushing over t hem it seem ed, t hough t hey m ay have m erely subm erged and swum away. But before t hey vanished, t hey spewed plum es of brilliant red fluid t hat st ained t he wall. And when t he wall whispered, t he st ain vanished, sucked wit hin t he sliced- cheese corrugat ions. I last saw Capt ain Keyser- Bach on his knees, praying. We had abandoned our lines despit e Sot erio's yells, and finally 380
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even t he first m at e st opped his frant ic shout ing, for it no longer m at t ered. William French, Frey t he cook, and Gusm ao t he carpent er—who had finally com e up on deck—st ood by t he gunwale, t ransfixed. Shankara rushed past , heading forward. Shirla and I m et in t he m iddle of t he deck, as far from t he bulwarks as possible, as if t rying t o st ave off t he rush of t he sea. Salap I caught a glim pse of, heading t o t he bow wit h a bag in his hands. I suddenly realized t he bag cont ained t he rem ains of a hum anoid skelet on; he was t rying t o save it . Shirla clung t o m e. We knew we were dead. The wall's whisper, less t han a dozen m et ers away, sounded like shrill flut ing. The corrugat ions had becom e blades, t he edges of knives pressed t ight against each ot her and arrayed int o an endless wall t aller t han t he ship's highest m ast by at least a hundred m et ers. The shadow of t he wall fell over t he ship and, alm ost gent ly, it bum ped t he st ern. Wit h a j olt , it pushed t he ship, and for a few m om ent s, we began t o cheer, despit e our t error. I t had all been a false alarm : our fat e was sim ply t o be pushed along by t he wall, perhaps forever. I im agined clim bing t he vert ical face, seeing what was on t he ot her side. I looked down at Shirla, folded in m y arm s, and she looked up, and we sm iled. Then t he knives grabbed t he st ern and chewed it t o splint ers. The ship shuddered and lurched up and down, back and fort h, caught in grabbing, grinding blades. Shirla and I fell down. Chips and splint ers of xyla showered down on us. I heard t he suck of a breached hull, wat er rushing in, and som e of t he hat ches lift ed or were blown aside as air pushed out . 381
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Cracks in t he deck ran along board seam s and puffs of caulk rose along t heir lengt hs. Hauling Shirla up wit h all m y st rengt h, I held her hand and we bot h ran forward, t o where we im agined t he boat s st ill were, som ehow m anaging t o st ay on our feet as t he deck t ilt ed five, t hen t en degrees. Ot hers had t he sam e idea. Cham , I bert , Kissbegh, Riddle, t he sailm aker Meissner and cook Leo Frey and Passey and Thornwheel, Gusm ao, Pyot r Khovansk t he engineer, all ran wit h us. I saw Khovansk slip int o a crack, which clam ped down on his leg; he shrieked in agony. The ship rolled t o port and Kissbegh fell and rolled wit h it , behind us. The m ast s and rigging t hat had survived all of t he st orm beast so far now gave way and yards fell, t heir parrels st rained open, st riking people t o each side. Cassir was crushed. The forecourse yard writ hed on t he foret ree, t hen broke loose and fell direct ly before us, pulling blocks and sheet s and shrouds down about us. I lay st unned under a web of fallen rat lines and shrouds. Shirla cut m e free wit h her knife. “ No boat s,” she said, pulling m e out . Ahead, we saw bot h boat s loaded wit h five or six crew, pulling for all t hey were wort h. The ship had been half chew ed t o pieces. The deck cant ed back at t went y degrees, awash behind us, scions crawling and flopping across t he wreckage before t he grinding wall. “ We'll have t o swim ,” I said, and Shirla shook her head, lips t ight . The deck rolled t o st arboard t his t im e, and we cam e up hard against t he splint ered shaft of t he forem ast , t hen fell 382
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and rolled t o t he bulwarks. Shirla's face was bloody. Wat er sprayed over t he gunwale and sluiced her clean. I m m ediat ely her nose and a cut on her cheek began t o bleed again. “ Jum p! ” I shout ed. “ We're dead! ” she scream ed. She did not want t o j oin t he t hrashing scions. Neit her did I , but Vigilant had no fut ure. We could last a few seconds or m inut es longer in t he wat er. I grabbed her by t he upper arm s and j um ped, carrying bot h of us over t he bulwark. We went in headfirst . Wat er filled m y nose and I t hrashed t hrough rubbery, slippery m asses, t rying t o fight m y way t o t he surface. Shirla and I cam e up at t he sam e t im e. She gasped and scream ed as a large gray shape slit hered t hrough t he wat er bet ween us. Blood- red spray shot up a few m et ers away and drift ed across us, a choking m ist t hat sm elled of sour breat h and fresh bread. Shirla could swim as well as I , but t he scions blocked our effort s t o m ove away from t he Vigilant . I m anaged t o push t hrough t he welt er t o her, and t oget her, we fought t o st ay afloat and t o get away from t he hull, now m ore t han halfway chewed. I had no t im e t o t hink of anyone else; Shirla seem ed an im port ant obligat ion, but I was willing t o give her up, give up anyt hing t o keep m y head above wat er, t o keep from being dragged under by t he m ash of frant ic bobbing, slapping creat ures around m e. We m anaged t o st ay afloat independent ly. Facing each ot her, separat ed by a couple of m et ers of hissing, bloodspraying, m ult icolored soup, she cried out , “ Where?” 383
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“ I don't know,” I said. A m assive eyeless snout poked up beside us, st riped blue and gray lengt hwise, it s slashed skin flapping back in ribbons. I t sank wit h a sucking wash t hat nearly pulled us under. “ The ship,” Shirla called aft er spit t ing out wat er. I t urned m y head around t o see what was left of t he Vigilant , st ill uncom fort ably close—five or six m et ers away. The packed, oscillat ing knives t hat form ed t he wall had chewed it t o wit hin seven or eight m et ers of t he bow, pushing ropes, yards, and chunks of cat hedral xyla int o a t angle t hat t hreat ened t o t opple on us at any m om ent . I could see no one on deck. Everyone had leaped off, yet I saw no one around us. We seem ed t o be alone. Bloody spray shot up on all sides. I reached for Shirla, one last t ouch before we died; and t hen t he wat ers swirled violent ly and we were pulled apart . Unable t o breat he in t he t hick red vapor, I spun in an eddy, choking and t hrashing m y arm s and legs. My eyes filled wit h t he yeast y m ist , leaving m e alm ost blind. I gained a dark and blurred im pression of walls rising, m asses passing t o each side. Shirla m oaned and I heard ot her voices now, som e praying, ot hers sim ply scream ing. My vision cleared t o see t he Vigilant 's st em post loom ing over m e, rising and falling wit h m aj est ic slowness. Ridj el clung t o t he shat t ered bowsprit like a m onkey, eyes t ight shut . The hull t urned bet ween t wo advancing walls, dragging m e in it s wash. Everyt hing whirled violent ly and I sank for a few seconds. Eyes open, I saw pale shapes around m e, som e sinking int o 384
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darkness, ot hers t wist ing and writ hing in t he wat er. I had no doubt at all t hat I was dead. All I had t o do was open m y m out h and I wouldn't prolong t he agony. My m out h st ayed shut . I kicked and waved m y arm s. The wat er around m e seem ed clear; I could not feel t he passing bodies of scions, or anyt hing else. I rolled in a universe of bubbles and lancing beam s of sun. Gradually, I orient ed m yself and float ed t oward t he bright ness, arm s hanging lim p, legs dangling, m y body an enorm ous burning hunger for a single breat h. I lay m y head back, and m y face broke t he surface. I exhaled, felt m y lungs cat ch as if a t ight band const rict ed t hem , and t hen m y chest filled like a balloon. I becam e giddy wit h air. I float ed on m y back, rising and falling in a gent le swell, t he sky above cloudless and blue. When I rose t o t he crest of t he swell, I saw a sloping shore, dark brown and corrugat ed, capped by a t hick brownish m ist . I n t he wat er around m e, t iny brown disks float ed like chips of xyla. At first , I t hought t hey were rem ains of t he Vigilant , but sm all piscids rose and plucked t hem from t he surface, leaving spreading ripples across t he sm oot h rolls of ocean. St ill alive. St ill breat hing, st ill float ing. None of it seem ed real. Wit h a lazy nonchalance, I t urned over in t he wat er and t ried t o look around. I could not rem em ber at first what had happened. I knew t here had been a ship, and crewm at es in t he wat er, but not hing else seem ed clear. I found t he ship—t he bowsprit and prow rising and bobbing in t he wat er a dozen m et ers away, ropes dangling. Ridj el had 385
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vanished from t he bowsprit . Bit s of wreckage slid down t he gent le slopes of sea. I reached out for a long yard, perhaps from a lower t op- gallant , but it passed by and I could not grab it . A flat piece of xyla, part of a hat ch cover, caught m y at t ent ion, and I swam t oward it , grabbing t he fram e and crawling halfway out of t he wat er. I t m ade a fair raft , t wo m et ers on a side, t wo edges chewed, but float ing even under m y weight . Mem ory cam e back as I realized I did not need t o die soon. I t hought of Shirla and clum sily pushed up ont o m y knees on t he chewed hat ch cover, shielding m y eyes against t he sun's glare. A body float ed facedown about t hirt y m et ers away, on t he ot her side of t he ship's bow and t he swaying bowsprit . I recognized t he t hick shoulders and short hair of Talya Ry Diem . I m oaned and t urned again, hoping t o see som eone alive. I looked back at what Salap had called t he caudal end of t he st orm . More wreckage drift ed in t hat direct ion, a t rail of broken planks, snakes- nest rigging, a few round obj ect s t hat were eit her fiddleblocks or deadeyes ... or bobbing heads. I t ried t o get t o m y feet , but t he hat ch cover t ilt ed dangerously and I fell back on hands and knees. “ Shirla! ” I yelled. “ Salap! Capt ain! Anybody! ” Two or t hree weak voices answered. Am ong t hem , a wom an—t oo hoarse t o ident ify im m ediat ely. I grabbed a splint ered lizboo plank and began t o paddle t oward t he bobbing heads. Awkwardly, I whirled t his way and t hat unt il I found t he best part of t he hat ch cover t o assign as a bow. 386
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The st orm st ill filled t he east ern horizon, colum ns of brown m ist rising in air current s, part ing in dist inct st ream s, and being sucked back int o gray m asses of clouds on eit her side. I t was about six m iles away. I rowed and wat ched t he rem aining brown disks being plucked from t he surface by st ray scions, and t ried t o piece t oget her what had happened, how we had survived, but m y t hinking was t oo ragged. Three people hung along t he lengt h of a slender skysail yard. They could not all rest t heir weight on t he yard or it would sink, so t wo were swim m ing and a t hird was rest ing. They called t o m e hoarsely, voices m ere squeaks above t he slosh and hiss of t he wreckage in t he gent le waves. “ Olm y,” said one, and left t he yard t o swim t oward m y hat ch cover. I saw it was Shat ro and was very disappoint ed. But t hen I saw Shirla clinging t o t he yard, her face sm eared wit h brown, hair in st icky st rands, but alive, and I welcom ed Shat ro aboard as if we were t he best of friends. Toget her, we paddled wit h hands and t he single plank t oward t he yard, and Salap, wearing only black pant s, swam weakly t oward one side of t he hat ch. Shirla held out one arm and I pulled her ont o t he ot her side. Four were t oo m any, and t he hat ch began t o founder, so I j um ped int o t he wat er and let t hem set t le t hem selves as best t hey could while I clung t o one side. We were all t oo exhaust ed and em ot ionally drained t o say m uch. Shirla t ook hold of m y hand and pat t ed it , looking at m e wit h wide, haunt ed eyes and a weak sm ile. “ Where?” she said, and coughed. “ Wherever,” I answered. Shat ro st ared over our heads blankly. 387
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“ Have you seen Randall or t he capt ain?” Salap m anaged t o ask, balancing him self half- on, half- off t he unst able raft . “ No,” I said. “ The ot hers,” Salap said. “ They m ight have been swallowed...” “ We were spat out ,” Shat ro said. “ I saw it . The wall broke in t wo and let us slip t hrough.” “ Not before it at e our ship,” Shirla said. “ A t iny m orsel it did not want ,” Salap said. Rest ing on t he hat ch cover, breat hing for once wit hout swallowing wat er, t hey seem ed t o revive a lit t le. The wat er was cooling rapidly in t he wake of t he st orm . Soon it would be chilly. The sun, on t he ot her hand, was brilliant and would soon t oast us. Salap st udied t he depart ing m ass of clouds wit h halfclosed eyes. “ The whole expedit ion,” he said, and shook his head, his face hard and eyes narrowed. For a long t im e nobody said anyt hing. I t ried t o feel som et hing, grief or elat ion at having survived, but m y t hought s were j um bled and I felt not hing clearly. “ Where now?” Shirla asked again. “ Nowhere,” Shat ro said. From a few dozen m et ers away, anot her voice called. Wit h a sudden burst of energy, we arranged ourselves t o swim and push t he hat ch cover t oward t he new voice. Erwin Randall clung t o a large piece of hull, five m et ers long and t wo m et ers across, st ill at t ached t o several ribs. This float ed planks- up and he lay flat on it . Wit h a quick reconnoit er, we lashed t he 388
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hat ch cover t o t he larger piece of hull and all clim bed from t he wat er. “ The capt ain's dead,” Randall said. “ I saw his body before t he st orm spat us out .” Salap rubbed his cheeks wearily wit h his palm s and nodded, down- t urned lips and deep black eyes asking wit hout words, What is t here t o be done? We lay back t o cont em plat e our last hours in t his, or any, world. Night cam e as a great relief. We were very t hirst y and t he sun only m ade our condit ion worse. We bobbed gent ly under t he pure welded- m et al sm ear of sunset , in a cloudless t wilight sky, t he wat er splashing us, st inging cold at first , t hen num bing. Salap and Shirla slept for a while. A few sm all m et eors lanced t he st arry night . I felt dead weary but not sleepy. I realized wit h a calm ing cert aint y t hat we were as isolat ed as could be, on a sparsely populat ed world, and t hat deat h was t he only likely out com e. Randall did not agree, however. He responded t o m y unspoken gloom y cert aint y wit h, “ You know, t here's st ill t he st eam ships.” Shat ro grum bled. I did not want t o argue t he point . My m out h was dry and m y t ongue st uck t o t he roof so t ight ly t hat I t hought I m ight choke. The ocean wat ers of Lam arckia were not oriously drying. Pot assium salt s and ot her m inerals crust ed on m y legs and arm s. “ We could cat ch a scion,” Randall cont inued, his words t hick. “ We really should paddle around and look for ot hers.” 389
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I m ade no response. We had no t ools, no bait a scion would go for—all t he brown disks left by t he st orm had been gobbled before night fall. We could have eat en t hem ourselves, had we had t he presence of m ind t o scoop a few out of t he waves. “ Thirst y,” Shat ro m urm ured. He curled up on t he far end and slept , snoring loudly in burst s every few m inut es. I had heard t hat disast er bred a wonderful clarit y of t hought . All I felt was layers of t hick t angled fuzz pulled t hrough m y brain. I would die com fort ably enough: as I was t oo dum b t o rem em ber anyt hing, deat h would m erely snuff a dull inst ant of unconnect ed being. Olm y was already gone. I gave lit t le t hought t o m y responsibilit ies back on Thist ledown. Fam ily, Nexus, t he Hexam on it self—secret dut ies—seem ed like half rem em bered dream s. “ The capt ain was a fine m an,” Randall said. Salap had awoken. “ He was.” Shat ro and Shirla st ill slept . I pulled her close for warm t h, and she m oaned, but shut her eyes t ight er. “ I wish t here could be m ore like him on t his world,” Randall said. “ Lenk chose it so,” Salap said, his t one neut ral. “ The best divaricat es. Few like t he capt ain or like us.” “ Pneum a forbid,” Randall said, and he repeat ed t his several t im es, voice fading, before he fell asleep. “ Olm y,” Salap said. “ Are you curious about t he st orm beast ?” I did not know whet her Olm y m ight be curious or not . I cared lit t le, m yself. 390
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“ I see a diagram of it s anat om y in m y head,” Salap said. “ A loose anat om y. I t cam e t o m e while I napped.” “ Good,” I croaked. “ A cent ral void, like t he eye of a st orm , filled wit h bergs of ice. Air and Ocean are brought t oget her, m ixed violent ly, churned t o cont rol t he energies used t o grow t he scions wit hin. The caudal port ion m ust be a vast fact ory of nut rient s, nourished wit hin t he st orm and harvest ed by t he wall of knives. Scions, perhaps t hose no longer useful—worn out by t he act ion of t he inner st orm —are sacrificed, t ransform ed int o t he brown disks, which are whisked away t o t he upper reaches, and spread out m uch lat er over land ... or wherever t he st orm has forged alliances wit h ot her ecoi. I am sure t he st orm is a separat e ecos, all t o it self. Mast er of it s circle of t he Darwin Sea.” I t hought vaguely t hat he had been t alking a very long t im e. “ We weren't t ast y, I assum e,” he concluded, and fell silent . More m et eors. That m eant t here were com et s and ot her lat ent debris in t he Lam arckian syst em , as well as t he five planet s spot t ed by t he original surveyors. No ast eroid belt s; all swept away by gigant ic Pacifica, visible t o m e now as a brilliant blue point , bright est of all t he point s in t he sky. This level of t hinking ast ounded m e. I did not know where it cam e from . “ Do you know m uch about Ser Randall?” Salap asked lat er, int errupt ing m y survey of t he st ars, which I had done m any t im es already, forget t ing t he pat t erns I saw each t im e. 391
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“ No,” I said. “ I like him .” I t seem ed a pleasant t hing t o say, if m eaningless. “ He speaks highly of you. But t hen, he believes you're special. He believes you're recent ly arrived from Thist ledown.” This was int erest ing enough t o arouse a few brain cells, and I t ried hard t o focus on what Salap was saying. “ He heard t his from Thom as t he disciplinary at Calcut t a. Many people in posit ions of aut horit y have been expect ing an appearance such as t his ... as t his m ight be, at any rat e. Randall t old m e you're different , t hat you have a quiet about you not found here. He used a few code words ... Yes, I know t hem . I used t o be one of t he Advent ist s, years ago. I n m y st udent days at Jakart a.” “ Advent ist s,” I croaked. “ Wait ing for t he Hexam on t o open anot her gat e. I im agine if a gat e was opened, Lenk would know about it , since he has t he rem aining clavicle. Keeps it always close t o him .” “ There was an old m an in Moonrise,” I said. “ When I found him , he t hought I was from Thist ledown.” I laughed, m aking an unpleasant half- croak, half- bark. “ I wish I was,” I said. “ Som ebody would com e rescue m e now. A gat e would open right over us.” I sket ched t he phenom enon against t he st ars wit h a t rem bling finger. “ Randall t ook you on t he ship and elevat ed you, he was so cert ain.” “ Oh.” “ Few know t hat we were Advent ist s. I t doesn't lead t o m any prom ot ions.” 392
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Randall st irred, and Shirla began t o push against m y chest . Salap, a blurred shadow in t he bright st arlight , held his finger t o his lips. “ Dying people say t hings. St upid t hings. Confidences.” “ What 's st upid?” Randall asked. Neit her of us answered. Shirla st ret ched, pushing her foot int o t he cold wat er. She j erked it back. “ No ships?” she asked over t he slap of t he waves. “ No,” I said. Shat ro st opped snoring and sat up abrupt ly. Wide- eyed, he said, “ Did som ebody t ry t o push m e off?” “ No,” Shirla said. “ But I 've been asleep.” “ I belong here as m uch as any of you.” “ No denying it ,” Shirla said soft ly, as if t o soot he him . “ I 'm st ill st rong,” Shat ro said, shaking his head like a t ired bull. Randall leaned over and t ouched his shoulder, pat t ing him as if he were a child. Shat ro gave him a sideling look, eyes hooded, and hung his head bet ween his knees. Dawn was a long t im e com ing. Shirla and I held each ot her, and Salap t alked now and t hen of t he st orm 's design, and Shat ro kept his silence. Randall sat upright on t he planks, t wit ching his bare t oes. Som et im e in t he dark, t he wat er all around us whispered, and long, blunt - headed necks or t runks rose from t he sea. Curdlike clouds dappled what old cowboys would have called a but t erm ilk sky, swim m ing in st ar- t hick black whey. The t all shapes glit t ered in t he broken st arlight , and t hey st ood st eady, pat ient , and I could not help but t hink t hey were 393
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int erest ed in us. I lift ed a hand and said, “ Take a bit e. You'll know who I am .” But t hey slipped back int o t he wat er, and t he whisper in t he low waves st opped. Wit h m orning, a feverish clarit y gripped m e.
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14 The sky t o t he east grew yellow, t hen copper, and spread it s sm oot h sheet of faded blue west ward. A few dying shreds of clouds lurked t o t he sout h, none overhead. The st eady weat her in t he wake of t he st orm - beast was becom ing m ore changeable. I saw m y com panions, t he planked rem ains of t he Vigilant , t he som ewhat rougher waves around us, wit h t he sharpness of a fine line drawing, each line vibrat ing faint ly and seem ing t o zizz in m y ears. I knew wit h absolut e cert aint y t hat we were not going t o die. There was a great dram a playing it self out here, and we were in t he cent er of it : t he gat e opener had placed m e in an event of great int erest , t he hum anizing of Lam arckia. Hum ans would populat e t he planet t o exact ly onehalf it s capacit y, and hum anoids would fill t he ot her half. The dividing line would be t he equat or. I chose t he nort hern port ion for t he hum ans, t o avoid inconvenience. I seem ed t o hear Shim chisko t elling m e det ails. Tim e sm udged it self and som e t hings happened before t heir proper place in t he sequence of second t o second, and som e happened aft er. What cam e lat e was Salap's hoarse cry t hat he saw a ship. Of course he does, I t hought . I t 's inevit able. I f we're not going t o die, t here m ust be a ship. “ One, t wo, t hree,” he said. “ Four ships. Two st eam ships, and t wo schooners, fore and aft rigged ... Must be from At henai. They like schooners t here.” 395
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I looked wit h lit t le int erest in t he direct ion of his finger. Two st ripes of sm oke rising high over t he cold st ale sea, and in t ow perhaps, sails slack or furled, t wo sailing ships. They were quit e close—perhaps a m ile off. Salap st ood. Shat ro t ugged on his ragged black pant s, im ploring him t o sit down. “ I f t hey have st eam ships, t hey're Brionist s,” Shat ro insist ed, hunching his neck. “ They're our only hope, wherever t hey com e from ,” Randall said, and st ood awkwardly, m aking t he raft sway, t o j oin Salap's arm - waving. Shirla wat ched t hem , m out h open t o keep from pressing and split t ing her dry lips. We were ghost ly t hings, crust ed whit e wit h salt s, hair st anding up t hick from our heads. “ They won't see us,” Shat ro said m iserably. “ They're t urning,” Randall said, and grinned down at us like a sm all boy who sees his fat her com ing hom e. “ I believe t hey see us,” Salap agreed. All inevit able. I t t ook t he ships half an hour t o surround us and send out a lifeboat t o pick us up. The st eam ships were a hundred m et ers in lengt h and about t went y- five m et ers across t he beam , t he largest ships I had seen on Lam arckia. Their broad, bulbous whit e- paint ed hulls were m ade of t hick planks, but long sweeps of m et al form ed m uch of t he superst ruct ure. Each ship carried t wo- barreled guns fore and aft , and a single sm okest ack put fort h an opaque cloud. Wit hin t heir hulls sounded t he great t hum ps of powerful engines. The ships were blocky and ungraceful, but t hey looked st urdy. 396
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Men and wom en in gray and black uniform s st ood by t he rope railings and near t he bows, wat ching and t alking am ong t hem selves as a boat was lowered from one of t wo schooners. The schooners had dropped t he t owlines. The wind was picking up, and crews were set t ing t he broad sails on each of t heir t hree t rees, get t ing ready t o proceed once we were aboard. They were longer t han t he Vigilant but not as t hick across t he beam , and t hey looked fast , like slender greyhounds beside t he powerful barrel- chest ed m ast iffs of t he st eam ships. Shirla kneeled on t he planking as t he boat approached, her arm s crossed over her breast s. Five occupied t he boat , four rowers and a plum p m an in t he prow, dressed in whit e and wearing a sm all black cap. The st eam ships displayed num bers on t heir whit e- paint ed bows, 34 and 15, but no nam es. The schooners were sim ply labeled Khoragos and Cow. Cow seem ed an odd nam e for so graceful a ship. The plum p m an in t he bow of t he boat waved t o us, sm iling cheerfully enough. “ What ship, and from what port ?” he asked as t he boat cam e wit hin t went y m et ers. “ From Vigilant out of Calcut t a,” Randall said. “ What happened?” “ Sunk in a st orm ,” Randall explained. “ How long ago?” t he m an asked, face showing great sym pat hy. “ A day. Maybe t wo.” “ Three- t reed full- rig?” t he m an asked. “ Yes,” Randall said. 397
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“ We saw her, and we saw t he st orm . A t errifying t hing. We pulled out of it s paws j ust aft er we lost sight of you.” “ Your ships?” Randall asked, and t he boat pulled up beside our raft . “ We did not see any schooners.” “ We were way behind. The st eam ships look ugly, but t hey're fast , especially when t he wind's asleep.” “ Who are you?” Shat ro asked. “ We're out of At henai,” t he plum p m an said, looking uncom fort able. “ Bound for Naderville. The st eam ships are escort . They cam e from posit ions off Jakart a, I underst and. My nam e is Charles Ram Keo.” He offered his hand and Randall shook it . Then t hey helped us aboard. Once on t he boat , we saw how flim sy our raft had been. But it was t he last we saw of any of t he Vigilant , and as t he rowers pulled us t oward t he Khoragos, I felt sad at t he sight . Shirla st ayed close t o m e, accept ing a cup of wat er poured from a j ug, while a t hin wom an wit h a worried face asked about our healt h, what we had had t o eat , and ot her quest ions. She was Julia Sand, a physician aboard t he Khoragos. “ They wouldn't have sunk us,” Shat ro m urm ured. Salap seem ed very solem n, unwilling t o speak m uch. I wondered if he had guessed at som et hing we were m issing. Randall was ebullient . “ You're a t rue gift of t he winds,” he t old Keo, sipping from his cup as inst ruct ed: sm all swallows. We were near t he larger of t he t wo schooners when Salap leaned forward and whispered in m y ear, “ Khoragos. That m eans a leader of a chorus. She is Able Lenk's boat .” He pulled back. Keo and Randall had caught part of his whisper and t he plum p m an looked even m ore uncom fort able. 398
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“ You'll have t o com e wit h us, of course,” he said. “ You know what 's happening, I suppose.” “ I s Lenk on board?” Randall asked. “ He is,” Keo said. “ Going t o Naderville ... t o negot iat e wit h Brion,” Salap vent ured. Keo did not reply. We were brought aboard in slings and deposit ed on t he deck of t he big schooner. The ot her ships had already pulled away. They were now spread across nearly a m ile of wat er, t he t wo st eam ships leading t he way. Lenk was going t o parlay.
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15 The Khoragos was a solem n ship. Of t he sevent y aboard, her crew was m ade up of t hirt y A.B.s, five apprent ices ( all children of At henai cit izens of rank, we were t old) , and fift een craft rat es and officers. The rem aining t went y were advisors, diplom at s, and aides, and t here was of course Lenk him self. The Cow carried a crew of fort y and fift een m ore diplom at s. No rest rict ions were placed upon us, ot her t han t hat we were not t o bot her Able Lenk should we m eet him on deck, which was unlikely. He spent m ost of his hours in t he largest cabin, t he capt ain's quart ers in t he forecast le, in t he com pany of his advisors and diplom at s, working day and night , Keo said. From t his Randall and Salap surm ised t he ships were indeed going t o Naderville. Officers and select ed guest s of rank bunked in t he st ern. The crew bunked am idships. The bert hs on Khoragos were all filled. We were provided wit h new clot hes, and Randall, Shat ro, Salap and I were given places in a privat e cabin form erly occupied by t hree j unior A.B.s. Where t hey went we were not t old. Shirla shared a bert h wit h t wo fem ale A.B.s. We were being t reat ed wit h rem arkable polit eness, and I soon discovered why. Keo, assigned t o m ake sure we were com fort able, inform ed us t hat t he Good Lenk was great ly upset at news of t he loss of Capt ain Keyser- Bach and t he Vigilant . “ He believes t he capt ain could have opened our eyes about Lam arckia,” Keo said, st anding in our cabin, handing out shirt s and pant s. Salap surveyed t hese fresh clot hes wit h 400
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som e displeasure—t hey were not black, and not loose—but put t hem on wit hout com plaint . “ Able Lenk looked forward t o hearing about his discoveries in person.” “ We have lost all of our evidence,” Salap said. “ St ill, I request an audience wit h t he Good Lenk, on behalf of Capt ain Keyser- Bach.” “ I 'm sure he plans t o m eet wit h all of you,” Keo said. “ You will dine wit h t he officers and crew t his evening. Food will be brought t o your cabins t his aft ernoon, should you request it .” He sm iled at us rosily, as if he were a st eward welcom ing us t o a luxury cruise. “ I 'm glad t o hear you are lit t le t he worse for your ordeal.” Shat ro fingered his red face delicat ely and winced. “ What 's going t o happen in Naderville?” he asked. Keo shook his head. “ Not m y place t o say. Event ually, we'll ret urn t o At henai.” Randall finished but t oning his shirt and st ood, st ooping t o avoid t he beam s of t he low ceiling. “ I need t o m ake a report on t he loss of a ship t o t he capt ain and first officer,” he said. “ Of course. I 'll arrange for a form al hearing t om orrow.” “ There's no blam e, no reason for an inquest ,” Randall said soft ly. “ The st orm killed our ship. The capt ain did t he best he could.” “ I 'm sure of it ,” Keo said, appearing as solem n as was possible for him . “ We need t o assess t he losses for t he shipping board in At henai, of course.” Randall nodded gloom ily. Keo asked what else we required. Shat ro wondered if any lizboo sap was available. “ For our burns,” he said, poking at 401
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his arm and wincing again. We were all red, our skins in sad shape from sun and exposure t o t he wat er. “ I 'm sure we have som et hing sim ilar,” Keo said, and closed t he door behind him . “ I t 's all funk,” Shat ro said as we heard Keo's foot st eps down t he corridor out side. Salap pat t ed t he t hin m at t ress and blanket s on t he upper bunk, peered t hrough t he single port hole, lift ed a ceram ic washbasin. “ Are you going t o t ell t hem about t he skelet ons?” Shat ro asked. “ Yes,” Salap said. Shat ro's face suddenly seem ed t o collapse and he covered it wit h his hands, not crying, but rubbing fiercely, as if t o wipe away t he burn and all t hat had happened in t he past few days. “ Everyt hing we worked for. My t raining, educat ion...” “ We're lucky t o be alive,” Randall said. I t ouched Shat ro's arm , pained by what he was doing t o him self. “ Leave m e alone,” he growled, j erking away. “ Please,” I said. “ Don't rub your face like t hat .” “ What do you care?” he dem anded, st anding up from t he lower bunk and bum ping his head on t he rail. “ Enough,” Salap said. “ Why are you so angry wit h t his m an?” Shat ro st ood in silence for a m om ent , hands lim p by his sides. “ We're all equal now,” Randall said dryly. “ Let 's m ake t he best of it .” 402
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“ I t will be a long t im e unt il we are back in Calcut t a,” Salap said. Shat ro went t o t he port hole and looked out at t he ocean, his face peachy- red in t he glare. “ I request t o be relieved from m y cont ract ,” he said. “ I m ay seek em ploym ent in Naderville.” He glanced around at us. “ I 'm sure t hey need researchers.” “ They probably do,” Randall agreed. “ Though I doubt t hat Good Lenk will appreciat e it .” Shat ro dism issed t his wit h a wave. “ He's going t o Naderville t o surrender,” he said. “ Brion isn't com ing t o him .” Again, Shat ro st at ed what seem ed obvious t o all. I n t he aft ernoon, aft er a lunch of real wheat bread and salt ed redbriar cheese—a delicious specialt y from Tasm an's silva—I walked wit h Shirla around t he ship, exam ining t he Khoragos's graceful lines, adm iring t he craft sm anship of Lenk's personal ship. I t was said t hat Lenk had t urned down his advisors when t hey suggest ed such an appurt enance, and it had t aken t hem years t o convince him t o change his m ind. He needed t o be able t o t ravel in com fort wit h t he people necessary t o t he growing governm ent , of which he was st ill spirit ual and polit ical head. His presence on t he ship gave t he Khoragos a special qualit y t hat Vigilant had lacked: a sense of grandeur. I n design and rig, however, she was sim ply graceful, and very well- appoint ed. I n t rut h, I devot ed less at t ent ion t o t he ship's det ails t han I did t o Shirla. Bet ween m eet ings wit h curious crew, who exchanged greet ings and asked about our healt h, we walked in silence, shoulder t o shoulder. There was no longer a 403
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Sot erio t o cat ch us “ flarking” or a Ry Diem t o cluck at us in her m ot herly way, and no real sense of direct ion or dut y; we had been relieved of t hat . Nearly being relieved of our lives had sparked som et hing in m e I could neit her deny nor j ust ify—an im m ediat e need for confirm at ion. My life was t oo flim sy not t o get on wit h basics, and Shirla sat isfied one very real basic: fem ale com panionship. How far we were t o go, I did not give m uch t hought t o. The direct ion seem ed obvious. I f and when t he t im e was right , I would m ake love t o her. As we walked, I exam ined Shirla wit h different eyes. She was not beaut iful, not ugly; face and arm s red wit h exposure, skin shiny wit h oint m ent and beginning t o flake, hips am ple, legs short but well- shaped, t runk long, neck long, head and face round, hair of course ragged, brown eyes sm all but int ense and focused, she seem ed ready at any m om ent t o becom e sat irical or crit ical, but she did not . I n her m ot ions and few words she seem ed very vulnerable, very open. On t he bow, away from t he general act ivit y of t he crew, we wat ched t he broad blue ocean and cloudy, m ilky sky, t he blurred ball of t he sun. “ Do you ever t hink we should have died?” she asked, eyes crinkled, lips drawn up in a half grim ace. “ Why?” I asked. “ They were our shipm at es. Our capt ain died.” “ No reason for us t o j oin t hem ,” I said, wit h perhaps t oo m uch briskness. “ I wonder...” 404
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“ Don't ,” I said, irrit at ed. “ That nonsense j ust m akes t hings worse. We're here because we survived, by chance and our best effort s. We can't be blam ed for t heir deat hs.” “ Will you ever be part of anyt hing?” she asked, glancing at m e wit h quizzical eyes. I could give no honest answer. “ You have always been a t errible risk, Ser Olm y,” she said, looking away. I t ried t o st eer our t alk in anot her direct ion. “ I 've been incredibly lucky, act ually,” I said. “ Why lucky? And why do you never—” “ I was lucky t o find a bert h on Vigilant . I was lucky t o survive it s sinking. And now I 'm lucky t o be sailing t o Naderville wit h Able Lenk.” She could not guess how t rue t his was. I f I was t o be at t he cent er of t hings, I had been placed in rem arkably apt sit uat ions m any t im es. The gat e opener had found his m ark wit h supernat ural skill. She puffed out her cheeks dubiously. “ You don't m ake any sense,” she said. “ I 'm lucky t o be placed beside you.” There; t he m aneuvering was fairly begun again. “ You want t o see m y t it s?” she asked, t ot ally serious. Again I laughed, and t his t im e her eyes narrowed in pain. “ You are rem arkable,” I said. “ Do you know what I m ean when I say t hat ?” she asked. “ Not really.” “ The obvious. I 'm j oking, and t his t im e, I 'm not j oking. All right ?” 405
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She had m e baffled. “ Ser Olm y, whoever you are, what ever you really want , I t hink I know one t hing about you, one t hing cert ain right now. We alm ost died. That m akes us horny. Your body want s m e. You want t o t ake m e som eplace privat e but we'll do our lit t le social dance on t he deck first . Your m ind t hinks you'll m ake a sm all com m it m ent and t hat 'll be enough, and t hat I 'm weak enough and m y body want s you enough t o m ake it happen.” While she said t his, a lit t le sm ile form ed. “ And you're not wrong.” “ Your body want s m e?” She nodded. “ When t he t im e is right . I t isn't right now, of course, because we're very t ired, and I 'm sad. But I 'll get over t hat . And when I do, you'd bet t er say yes and m ake your m ove t he next t im e I ask, or you'll never get a chance again.” I n all m y experience wit h wom en, I had never encount ered such an analyt ical and verbal approach. I n t he com pany of lovers on Thist ledown, t he graces of cent uries of spaceborn civilizat ion, of t he highest of t echnologies and t he closest of associat ions, t he m ost sophist icat ed of cult ural educat ions, had finally produced so m any easeful ways for part ners t o j oin in t he physical act of love t hat , it now seem ed t o m e, m uch of t he int erest in such proceedings had been drained away. I had som e sm all clue for t he first t im e why I had broken m y proposed bond in Alexandria. I st ared out over t he rail. “ I put you at a loss,” Shirla observed. 406
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“ Not for t he first t im e,” I said. “ My t it s,” she said, “ are not m y finest feat ure.” “ What is your finest feat ure?” I asked. “ My heart ,” she said. “ I t is a st rong heart . I t could beat wit h yours.” The warm t h spread from m y cheeks t hrough t he cent er of m y chest , t o m y groin. I was in t he presence of nat ural genius. As cast aways, we were t reat ed wit h a delicat e deference, as if we were ghost s or sm all gods of ill om en. Cast aways rarely survived on Lam arckia. Hum ans were few and far bet ween on t his world. Losing a ship was t ant am ount t o losing your life. St ill, t he officers and polit icians t reat ed us polit ely enough, and around our first dinner, in t he rank's m ess, Randall t old our st ory t o t he assem bled officers and craft rat es. The capt ain, Lenk him self and m ost of his aides were not present , but Lenk had sent his second, a slender wom an of m iddle years nam ed Allrica Fassid, who list ened t o Randall's t elling wit h solem n fascinat ion. He did not m ent ion t he hum anoid skelet ons, by prior agreem ent wit h Salap, who t hought t hat news should be reserved for Lenk's ears only. I suspect t hey st ill t hought t hey could get anot her expedit ion out of t he news, once t hese t roubles blew over. Aft er t he st ory, t he first officer, a t all, well- built wom an nam ed Helm ina Leschowicz, called for a t oast t o “ survivors, one and all.” Three st ewards cleared t he t ables efficient ly and sharp Tasm anian wine was served in cryst al goblet s. I had st ill not 407
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developed a t ast e for Lam arckian alcoholic beverages, but Salap, Randall, and Shat ro savored t heirs wit h an int ensit y t hat brought sm iles from t he assem bled m en and wom en. Shirla accept ed her glass, but barely t ouched it . The light s over t he long t able swayed in t he gent le sea. Around t he walls, A.B.s and som e apprent ices had crowded in t o list en t o t he proceedings. “ Your st ory is grim ,” Fassid said, as we worked in t radit ional fashion t oward anot her t oast . “ Your survival is surely a gift of fat e. Your courage is an exam ple t o us all.” Lift ed glasses around t he t able. “ Beyond t he loss of good hum ans, t he great est loss is wit and knowledge,” she cont inued. “ Lenk him self funded Capt ain Keyser- Bach in his endeavors.” I st udied Fassid, but she was t oo pract iced t o reveal m uch about herself. As wit h t he best polit icians I have known, she seem ed at once present and real, yet gave out lit t le useful inform at ion. She had learned her t rade in rough t im es, at t he knees of a m ast er. As we left t he officers’ m ess, she approached Salap and whispered som et hing in his ear, t hen hurried off. Salap approached Randall, who st ood by Shirla and m yself in a corner. Shat ro st ood in t he shadow of a doorway. When we were on t he deck and alone, a firm cool breeze blowing on us all, Salap said, “ Able Lenk request s our presence lat er t his evening, about m idnight .” Shirla sighed. We were all st ill very t ired. Salap cont inued, “ He wishes our advice. There is dist urbing news from Hsia, from Naderville. Lenk only brought one 408
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expert researcher wit h him , t hinking t his would be purely a polit ical j ourney. We m ay be of use.” “ Shall we t ell t hem t onight about what we've seen?” Randall asked. Salap frowned and cocked his head t o one side. “ I do not know. None of t his feels right .” We had four hours bet ween t he end of dinner and our scheduled appoint m ent wit h Lenk. The deck was light ly crewed at night , in such fine weat her. Shirla and I walked t he deck again, saying lit t le, but keeping our eyes open for privacy. At t he bow, behind an equipm ent locker, a bale of m at fiber lay in shadow. The m oons were down and we sat in st arlight only, and aft er five m inut es t alking undist urbed, we undressed each ot her t o t he ext ent t hat caut ion and need dem anded. She accept ed m e wit h a t ense and earnest eagerness t hat I found very excit ing. I had seldom m ade love wit h such sim plicit y and speed—fashions and cent uries of developm ent on Thist ledown had given sex a rich clut t er of nuance as form al as a cerem onial feast . Shirla knew none of t his. As she had said, her body want ed m e, and t hat was m ore t han enough. When we finished, her face was slick wit h bot h sweat and t ears and gleam ed in t he st arlight . We caught our breat hs, t hen fum bled t o clot he ourselves in t he dark. “ You haven't done t his in a long t im e,” she said. “ How do you know?” “ Have you?” “ No,” I answered. “ I didn't show you everyt hing,” she said. 409
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“ What , your t it s?” I asked, but m y face was in shadow and she could not see m y sm ile. “ No, idiot ,” she said gent ly. “ I n m y village, when a wom an chooses a m an—” “ Not t he ot her way around?” She put her finger on m y lips. “ When t hat happens, we m ake a fine picnic and t ake it in a basket int o t he silva, find an open place, m aybe beneat h a cat hedral t ree, spread a blanket ... I ask about your fam ily, and you ask about m ine. We t alk about m ut ual friends, what our plans are. The rule is t hat we have children soon. We t alk about t hat .” “ I 've m et a wom an here who resent ed being m ade int o a brood m ot her.” Aft er saying t his, I realized t he phrasing m ight seem odd. I was speaking like a newcom er. Shirla m ulled in silence before asking, “ Who was t hat ?” “ The m ast er's bondm ot her. I n Calcut t a.” We sat up on t he m akeshift m at t ress. Shirla idly poked fiber back int o t he bale. “ Som e wom en feel t hat way. Maybe m ore t han j ust a few.” “ And you?” She lift ed her eyes. They glit t ered faint ly in t he dark. “ I t hink Lam arckia will be t he next Eart h,” she said. “ I don't know why, but I see us prospering here ... And I st ill do, despit e what Salap found.” “ So you won't m ind having m any children.” “ I 've never had any,” she said. “ Would you m ind?” I had never given t he least t hought t o having children. On Thist ledown reproduct ion was if anyt hing m ore rit ualized and 410
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nuanced t han sex; m ost Geshel couples chose ex ut ero birt hs. Many Naderit es did as well; it was cleaner and cert ainly less painful. But none of t hat had ever seem ed real t o m e. I was m uch t oo young t o be a fat her. The one art ificial capabilit y not rem oved from m y body was conscious choice of whet her or not t o be fert ile. “ I asked you first ,” I said. My t hroat caught and I coughed. “ Makes you nervous.” “ I suppose it does. I t cert ainly should.” “ Me, t oo. I 've always been a lit t le odd. I don't know whet her t he world needs children like m e.” “ Everybody feels t hat way,” I said, t hough I could hardly know t hat . “ Not m y sist ers. They're already lost in t hicket s of kids. At any rat e...” She held m y shoulders and squeezed light ly. “ I do not do t his t o obligat e you.” I said not hing. I could not t ell her how unobligat ed I was forced t o be. “ But I 've never prot ect ed m yself, eit her. I follow Lenk's dict at es. I 'm a lit t le in awe t hat he's on t he sam e ship wit h us...” I had a sudden im age of Lenk personally encouraging Shirla t o propagat e. “ He'll be such a som ber m an now,” she said. “ And old. All t his m ust wear him down.” “ What , m eet ing us, out here?” She pinched m y nose. “ I 've always had bad t ast e in m en.” Salap, Randall, Shat ro, Shirla and I walked forward along t he corridor t o Lenk's quart ers. Keo m et us m idships. The 411
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craft sm anship on t he Khoragos was part icularly beaut iful as we approached t he forecast le. The walls gleam ed black and gray and brown, using t he inlaid cores of som e Tasm an arborid I could not ident ify. Elect ric light s gleam ed st eadily every t wo m et ers, shining down on elegant carpet woven in eart hly floral pat t erns. Our m uffled foot falls alert ed a m ale guard, who cam e t o st iff at t ent ion, a short , broad rifle cradled in his t hick brown arm s. “ This is t he first t im e in our hist ory on Lam arckia t hat Able Lenk has felt it necessary t o keep arm ed securit y around him ,” Keo explained, nodding at t he guard, who glanced at us wit h flat , em ot ionless eyes. I t was warm in t he corridor and his face beaded wit h sweat . Keo knocked on t he door t wice. I t was opened by a t hin, graceful young m an dressed in a form al gray suit . He swung his arm wide wit h a caut ious sm ile. “ Able Lenk is j ust finishing a nap. He'll be wit h us in a few m inut es. My nam e is Ferrier, Sam uel I nm an Ferrier.” We shook hands form ally. A m echanical clock m ount ed on t he bulkhead over t he door chim ed m idnight . Salap sat on a couch. Shat ro sat beside him , eyes dart ing nervously, as if he were a lit t le boy about t o see a doct or. Shirla, Randall, and I sat in individual chairs spaced around t he cabin, which st ret ched across t he bow of t he ship. The cabin beyond, Lenk's sleeping cabin, was m uch sm aller. I t hought it odd t hat he would choose t he bow; apprent ices m uch preferred t o st ay out of t he bow, especially in heavy seas. Perhaps he had a perverse sense of ascet icism . Shelves on t he bulkhead opposit e m y seat cont ained a few dozen books, none of t hem ornat ely bound, and all of t hem 412
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well- used. They seem ed t o include st at ut e books and cit y record sum m aries. I wondered where t he clavicle was kept . Would Lenk t ake it wit h him on a j ourney as uncert ain as t his? Ferrier served us m at fiber t ea on a black lizboo t ray. As we drank, I heard faint shuffles behind t he door of t he sleeping cabin. The door opened, and Jaim e Cart Lenk ent ered. I had seen pict ures of him from fort y- five years before. Then, he had been a vigorous m an of nat ural m iddle age, handsom e and conservat ively dressed, wit h a presence even in t he records t hat radiat ed assurance and power. Now, Lenk was st ill t all, unbent by his years, his hair st ill m ost ly dark, his face deeply wrinkled but in all t he right places: laugh lines at corners of lips and eyes, lines of st ernness near t he laugh lines, and a brow t hat seem ed m onum ent ally sm oot h and unt roubled, a t all, unfurrowed brow whose owner had slept cleanly and in assurance of t he t rut h for m any decades. He wore a sim ple long green robe. His sandaled feet , peeking from beneat h t he hem of t he robe, were broad and splay- t oed. He slowly t urned t o face us and shake hands all around. “ Thank you for being pat ient ,” he said, st aring at us one by one as if we were old friends. “ Ferrier, I 'll t ake a cup of t hat t ea.” He sat in a large black high- backed chair bolt ed in t he corner, beneat h t he books, and when he was set t led, he looked up in sadness and said, “ I deeply regret t he loss of Capt ain Keyser- Bach and his researchers. The loss of a ship full of m en and wom en is one t hing, evil enough and hard t o bear, but t he deat h of such a m an...” He shook his head and 413
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accept ed t he cup of st eam ing t ea, t hen set it on a side t able, ignoring it . “ I am grat ified, of course, t hat you survived. Sers Keo and Fassid have t old m e som e of your st ory—about t he st orm , how our escort of Brion's ships m ay have fright ened you int o it s winds...” He swallowed, his Adam 's apple bobbing in his wrinkled, corded t hroat . His sadness was genuine. Despit e his clear brow, he had obviously experienced a lot of sadness recent ly. “ You could not have known, Ser Lenk,” Salap said. “ I t is rem arkable fort une t o be rescued by you.” “ These seas are so rarely t raveled ... I f any ships would have picked you up, t hat t hey would be part of t his absurd ent ourage only adds a peck t o t he im probabilit y. And t hat is t he m ain part of our problem , no? I go t o Hsia, t o Naderville, precisely because we have had so lit t le t raffic wit h t he people who live t here.” He exam ined us closely, his j aw working. He lift ed t he cup and sipped from it . The warm liquid seem ed t o invigorat e him . “ You are Ser Salap.” He t urned his head t o Randall. “ And you are Ser Randall. Bot h of you sailed oft en wit h Capt ain Keyser- Bach. When he m ade his request , he spoke of you as necessary m em bers of t he expedit ion.” Randall inclined his head, t hen looked up at Lenk wit h calm , large eyes. “ We've m ade im port ant discoveries, Ser Lenk,” Salap said. Lenk followed his own line of t hought . “ I 'll read your report s when t hey're writ t en. Now, t here's so lit t le t im e ... I have been in need of m ore researchers. Quest ions of considerable im port ance have arisen. Difficult ies of som e m agnit ude.” 414
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Salap, rebuffed so sm oot hly, st ared a lit t le pop- eyed at Lenk, but even he lacked t he gall t o int errupt Jaim e Cart Lenk. “ The Naderville researchers claim t o have m ade great st rides wit h t he ecos on Hsia. The researcher on m y ship does not credit t hese report s. I don't know what t o t hink.” “ What sort of st rides?” Salap asked. Lenk looked over our heads and lift ed his cup. He sm iled as if at som e great j oke, t oo large t o deserve laught er. “ Queens and hidden m ast ers, palaces in t he clouds, Cibola, At lant is, t he Aft erlife. I do not know which Brion m eans. But I see his ships, and I know t he power t hat he shows us, t hat he's am assed in t he past t wo years and has used against us.” He m ade a lit t le shrug and lowered t he cup. “ He is not m ad, what ever his generals do.” “ Blockades, sieges, piracy,” Randall said. Lenk leaned his head t o one side, scrat ching at t he lobe of one ear. “ General Beys accom panies us,” he said. “ He raided ninet een villages before we left Calcut t a,” Randall cont inued. His face colored wit h anger. “ St ole t ools and m et al st ores. Took children. Killed som e or all of t he cit izens.” “ I t pains m e t o t hink of t he children and cit izens,” Lenk said soft ly. “ I hat e t o bargain under t hose circum st ances, but t here was no choice.” “ Brion denies it all, of course,” Allrica Fassid said, ent ering t he cabin on soft slippered feet . She closed t he door behind her, nodded casually t o Lenk, gave Randall a st ern, halfpuzzled look, and apologized for being lat e. “ I 've j ust com e 415
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back from num ber fift een. Beys and Capt ain Yolenga say t hey've received t heir final inst ruct ions. May I speak before our guest s?” Lenk gave perm ission wit h a lift of his hand. “ We're t o sail t o t he m ain port and up a canal t o an inland lake. Our chart s indicat e t his canal has been m odified by t he ecos, and t hat t he lake is isolat ed from Naderville proper. I t m ay be t he sit e of t hese alleged researches. Ser Keo, have you t old our guest s what t o expect ?” “ As m uch as we know,” Keo said. “ A m agnificent lack of det ail.” “ Good. We'll have lit t le t im e t o t alk once we arrive, and not m uch m ore on t he way t here. But you m ust keep your eyes open and digest what you see. I t m ay be crucial t o our negot iat ions.” “ We need t o know if it 's a bluff,” Keo said, t hen his face flushed as if he had spoken out of t urn. “ No bluff,” Lenk said, shaking his head. “ Not everyone agrees wit h you, Jaim e,” Allrica said. “ I personally regard Brion as a com pelling liar.” “ He is a force of nat ure,” Lenk said. “ I unleashed his kind when I brought us all here.” “ We shouldn't confuse Brion wit h t he Advent ist s.” Her glance at Salap seem ed part icularly significant . “ Brion has no honor. He's int erest ed in power and posit ion. He uses Beys as his iron fist , and hopes t o isolat e him self from t he m oral consequences.” Fassid st ood beside Lenk and exam ined him solicit ously, t ouching his wrist like a doct or. “ You're t ired, Jaim e,” she said. “ Tim e for a good night 's sleep.” 416
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He st ared at us wit h a wry sm ile. “ I do not sleep t he night t hrough. That leaves m e wit h far t oo m uch t im e t o t hink. But Allrica, Ser Salap seem s t o have som et hing he want s t o t ell us...” “ Can it wait ?” Allrica asked Salap, eyes flashing a challenge. “ I would prefer t o speak now,” Salap said calm ly. “ So im port ant ?” “ We believe so.” “ What is it ?” Lenk asked, leaning forward, elbows on knees, clasping his hands. I glanced at Shirla and Shat ro. Shat ro seem ed lost in his own t hought s, st aring at t he richly woven carpet on t he floor. I wondered about his quiet concent rat ion. Shirla appeared out of her dept h, fright ened by t he social alt it ude, yet fully alert . Salap t old t hem what we had found on Mart ha's I sland, concluding wit h t he loss of all our specim ens in t he st orm . Allrica's lips pressed t oget her unt il t hey form ed a grim st raight line. Lenk's shoulders hunched around his neck. “ Dear God,” Lenk said. He gave no sign of eit her believing or disbelieving. “ That doesn't m ake sense,” Fassid said, t hough wit hout convict ion. Keo and Ferrier st ood in silence, as if absorbing news of t he deat h of a loved one. “ I t is t rue, what ever we wish t o believe,” Salap said. “ Som e m isint erpret at ion ... Rem ains of hum ans, not scions,” Fassid m urm ured. “ You said t hree vanished from t he 417
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Jidderm eyer expedit ion ... and her husband's body was exhum ed and carried off by ... scions.” Salap shook his head, and Randall finally spoke. “ The capt ain and I saw t hem . They were not t he rem ains of hum ans, and t hey were real. Are real. There m ay st ill be specim ens on Mart ha's I sland.” “ We all saw t hem ,” Shat ro spoke up, st ill st aring at t he carpet . “ Anot her expedit ion,” Fassid huffed. “ The capt ain pressed us hard for years ... Now aft er hearing t his, we're t o st art all over again. This sounds m uch like Brion's idiocy.” Salap let t his pass wit hout react ing. Randall edged forward on his seat , but Salap t ouched his arm and he rem ained silent . “ We'll be in Naderville in t wo days,” Lenk said soft ly. He st ood and Ferrier and Fassid each t ook an arm , helping him t oward t he door t o his sleeping quart ers. Ferrier opened t he door, and Lenk t urned t o Salap before passing t hrough. “ Was I m ist aken t o bring us here? Are we t o be rej ect ed like a plague by t he ent ire world?” No one spoke. Fassid saw him t hrough t he door, and Ferrier accom panied him . Then she t urned t o us and her eyes drilled int o Salap. “ How dare you,” she spat . “ How dare you bring us such nonsense for your own polit ical gain! ” Salap's eyes becam e hooded and dangerous and he gripped t he arm s of his chair unt il his knuckles whit ened. “ This wonderful m an has t he weight of t he ent ire planet on his shoulders, and you bring him ghost st ories! All t o m aint ain your beloved scient ific st at ure! ” 418
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Randall sat up, his voice harsh in t he sm all cabin. “ Ser Fassid, you're very m ist aken—” Fassid pushed her hands out in disgust and t urned away. Keo seem ed in an agony, caught bet ween support ing Fassid and rem aining a genial host . Randall squared off wit h her in t he m iddle of t he cabin. “ I have had enough of ships and t he sea for a lifet im e. I will gladly ret ire t o Jakart a or Calcut t a, or Naderville, if it com es t o t hat ... But t hat will not st op t he t rut h of what we saw. “ You opposed all our research out of ignorance and devot ion t o som e faded philosophy t hat has served none of us well,” Randall cont inued, his words sharpening t o hisses or dropping t o growls. “ Capt ain Keyser- Bach debat ed you over and over, hoping t o find som e shred of sense. You have poorly advised Good Lenk, Ser Fassid. And if you cont inue t o play t he fool, I will bring you low.” The grim pronouncem ent carried an elem ent of com ic opera, but it was heart felt . Fassid's eyes seem ed lost in shadow. “ There's no t im e for t his,” she said sm oot hly. “ What ever happens in t he next few days m ay bring us all low. Com pared t o General Beys, your t hreat s are sm all rain.” She walked around Keo and left t hrough t he port side door. Randall t ook a deep breat h and looked at Keo as if he had a lit t le m ore anger t o vent should anyone want t o challenge him . Keo raised his hands. “ I t hink we should all rest ,” he said. “ I t 's been very t ense.”
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“ I 'm sure it has,” Salap said, t aking Randall's elbow. Randall t ook a deep breat h, st ared around t he room , and lowered his head. “ Let 's go.” We ret ired t o our own cabins. Randall j oined Shirla and m e on t he deck t he next m orning t o survey t he ships and t he surrounding wat ers. The weat her was calm , t he ocean sm oot h. “ Salap's asked for not ebooks. He's preparing a full report for Lenk,” Randall said. He shook his head sadly. “ I should have kept m y m out h shut . I 've j ust m ade us a st ronger enem y.”
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16 Hsia becam e a dark line on t he horizon early in t he m orning, half obscured by t hick pat ches of cloud heavy wit h rain. As t he four ships drew closer t o land, we were hit by several squalls, and wit h t heir passing, Khoragos and Cow t ook advant age of a fresh, vigorous wind, set t heir sails, and cast loose of t he st eam ships. Ten m iles out , all four ships were m et by t hree fast sloops. One carried t wo pilot s for our schooners, and t hey boarded t o guide us int o t he harbor. Our pilot t ook his post by t he wheel and gave quick, precise orders. I knew t heir t ype. Young, earnest , nervous, t erribly afraid of m aking a m ist ake. They had been raised under harsh condit ions, I guessed, in a societ y pushed t o t he very edge. Shirla st ayed by m y side. “ I don't like it ,” she said. “ The st eam ships, t he crews, t he pilot s ... They all look st iff.” The clouds blew sout h. Lenk's ships put on a glorious show, sails brilliant whit e in t he m orning sun, and even pulled ahead of t he st eam ships for a t im e, unt il t he pilot s ordered us t o furl our sails. Us. Our. I had t aken sides in t his disput e. Perhaps from t he m om ent I arrived and saw t he slaught er at Moonrise, I could not be obj ect ive. The m ore I saw, t he firm er m y com m it m ent becam e. Yet I could not sim ply dum p all m y obj ect ivit y. I owed not hing t o anyone but t he Hexam on, and all of t hese people were equally in violat ion... 421
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The coast of Hsia was paint ed by bright sun. From t he sea, t he shore had appeared deep brown, spot t ed wit h red and dark purple. Now, from less t han t wo m iles, Hsia's zone showed it self as a forbidding hedgerow t angle fift y or sixt y m et ers high, dark and uniform , it s upper surface covered wit h leat hery growt hs t hat screened all sun from t he ground below. The dark t hicket st ret ched back t o far m ount ains t opped by whit e clouds. Baker had believed t hat Hsia was older t han m ost ot her ecoi, and had developed early in t he biosphere's hist ory, before oxygen had reached current levels. The leat hery covering on t he hedgerow silva m ight have prot ect ed against ult raviolet light , which penet rat ed t he at m osphere easily before t he buildup of an ozone layer. I t hought of t he im m igrant s surveying Lam arckia from t he hast ily opened gat e, t rying t o pick t he best place t o set t le, choosing Elizabet h's Land because it m ost resem bled an Eart h landscape, even t hough t he colors were wrong. Salap cam e on deck, not ebook under his arm , and looked at t he coast line, black hair t ossed by t he wind. He squint ed and point ed a long finger. “ I t is like t his everywhere on t he cont inent ,” he said. “ Dreary. A t errible place t o set t le. Hoagland's followers had t o hack t heir way in, do wit hout sun for m ont hs at a t im e, live like beast s in a cave. St ill, for all t hat , t hey founded a cit y.” Naderville was sm aller t han Calcut t a; even now, according t o t he best guesses, it cont ained less t han four t housand cit izens. I had t o adj ust m y sense of scale t o regard such a lim it ed populat ion as a m ilit ary force t o be reckoned wit h. 422
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Shirla and I sat near t he bow, a lit t le awkward t hat t here was no work for us t o do. The habit of t he sea had got t en int o her m ore t han int o m e, and t he nervousness of being on a ship and not working m ade her open up as she never had before. She t old m e about her fam ily in Jakart a—act ually, in a lit t le village called Resorna at t he t ip of a spit of land five m iles sout h of Jakart a. The past did not com e out of her easily, and she frequent ly had t o pause, eyebrows drawn in concent rat ion, not because her m em ory was fault y, but because she had expended so m uch effort t o forget t he hard t im es. During t he fluxing, when she was a young girl, her fam ily had t aken her from Calcut t a and t raveled wit h a dozen ot her fam ilies t o Jakart a, in Pet ain's Zone, where edible phyt ids grew in m ore abundance, and where som e land had sufficient nat ural m inerals and was easily cleared for farm ing. The wint ers in Jakart a were always m ild, but t here had st ill been hardship. Pet ain's Zone had prepared it self for som e onslaught by t he newly unit ed zones, and m ost of it s scions— arborids, phyt ids, and m obile t ypes alike—had coat ed t hem selves wit h waxy arm or and gone dorm ant for t hree m ont hs. “ We had enough food from our own crops, by t hen,” Shirla said. “ But I was scared. My brot hers and I kept a pet scion, a dipper, and I found it sealed up on t he porch in front of our house one m orning. The next day it was gone. I t had broken it s rope som ehow ... I t had never done t hat before. Then, Pet ain ret urned t o norm al. I guess it decided Elizabet h wasn't going t o at t ack.” 423
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She t old about her fam ily: uncles and aunt s, first fat her and first m ot her—her biological parent s—and her second fat her, and second m ot her, who had no children of t heir own and t reat ed her and her brot hers wit h dot ing kindness. She rem em bered no t hird set of parent s. That m ade sense; t riad fam ilies, designed by a societ y where children seldom num bered m ore t han t wo t o a set of parent s, becam e unwieldy when t here were six or seven children t o each m ot her and fat her. She was lucky, she said, t o have had a second set , t hough she felt sorry for t hem , not having biological children. She t alked about several wom en in her village com ing down wit h an odd m alfunct ion, not exact ly a disease; som e sort of im m une challenge t hat caused t heir ovaries t o becom e inflam ed. Several had had t o have t heir ovaries rem oved. “ The rest were fort unat e,” she said. “ They kept t heir ovaries.” That seem ed t o her m ore im port ant in a way t han t heir survival. Som et hing had changed in t he divaricat es on t heir arrival in Lam arckia. Lenk had encouraged new birt hs, of course. But divaricat es had generally had no m ore children on Thist ledown t han ot her Naderit es, no m ore even t han m ost Geshels. On Lam arckia, having children had becom e a ruling passion, as if som e hidden drive had been awakened, and t he hum an race—isolat ed as t his weak lit t le seed on a huge world—had needed t o spread it s lim bs and foliage far and wide once m ore. The ships were guided int o Naderville's harbor in t he early aft ernoon. The cit y perched on a headland on t he nort hern 424
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side of t he harbor, it s back t o a wall of t horoughly t unneled hedgerow t hicket ; t o t he sout h was a nat ural spit of rock and sand t hat served as a breakwat er. Naderville looked rem arkably like Calcut t a, golden and beige and whit e buildings rising on low hills facing t he harbor. On t he east ern ext ension of t he headland, however, in t he crat er of a sm all ext inct volcano, a m ilit ary encam pm ent had been est ablished som e five years before. The Khoragos's physician, Julia Sand, had been t o Naderville som e years before as part of an abort ive diplom at ic effort , and explained t hese feat ures t o Shirla and m e. Fart her inland, t he harbor connect ed wit h a wide canal, which m ay have once been a nat ural river, but had been adapt ed by t he ecos t o it s own needs. St urdy lit t le t ugs t ook us in t ow, t hen pulled us t o t he west ern ext ent of t he harbor, and t he m out h of t he great Hsian canal. I wat ched t he st eam ships as we drew apart , wondering if I m ight ever m eet General Beys in person. A sharp, but t ery scent m ixed wit h som et hing herbaceous, like oregano, and an undercurrent of t ar, blew wit h t he wind from inland. I t was not unpleasant , but I t hought in t im e such a sm ell m ight grow irrit at ing. We cruised wit h great dignit y behind t he t ugs for several m iles, t hen were t aken nort h t hrough a narrow brickwork gat e int o a sm all lake. Hills rose on all sides, covered wit h dark, ancient t hicket ; on t he higher hills, a few sm all whit e and sky- blue buildings seem ed t o clam ber up t he t hicket s and perch on t op. I could m ake out holes hacked t hrough t he t hicket s like t unnels where roads m ight pass; on a bluff at t he 425
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nort hern end of t he harbor, t he t hicket had been cleared com plet ely, leaving chalky barren soil and buildings, a wat cht ower and st orage sheds. Julia Sand had not seen t his part of Naderville in her last visit . “ I t 's all new t o m e,” she said. On one side of t he lake, ram ps and large drydocks st ood, a shipbuilding and repair sit e now idle. Randall and Salap cam e forward t o j oin us. Shat ro was st ill belowdecks. He seem ed t o be depressed and we had not seen m uch of him for a day. “ I t 's a dreary land,” Randall com m ent ed. Salap scanned t he sm all lake and announced, “ Three ships. I was expect ing m any m ore.” The t hree ships in t he lake were not even st eam ships; t wo were sloops, and one was a cat am aran wit h t at t ered fore and aft rigged sails hanging on t wo m ast s. I t was not m uch of a navy. “ They're all out raiding or keeping a blockade on Jakart a,” Shirla said. “ Perhaps,” Salap said, but he seem ed dubious. The pilot s guided us past t he em pt y drydocks, t oward a sm all pier at t he nort hern end of t he lake. I est im at ed t here was room for perhaps five or six ships t he size of t he st eam ships, no m ore. That would be a subst ant ial navy on Lam arckia, but t here was no way of t elling how m any st eam ships had been built . I looked for fuel bunkers— what ever t he fuel m ight be—but could not find any. A few dozen m en and wom en st ood on t he docks, wat ching us, but 426
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t he pier was em pt y. No form al recept ion com m it t ee await ed Lenk's arrival. The t ugs let us loose. The light breeze was sufficient for our schooners t o m oor at t he pier. Ferrier and Keo cam e up on deck dressed in dark gray pant s and long black coat s, form al wear for a solem n occasion. They surveyed t he pier wit h wounded expressions, like dogs who half expect ed t o be st ruck. Bot h shook t heir heads at t he indignit y. “ This is no way t o t reat t he Good Lenk,” Keo said. “ I wonder why we cam e at all, if t hey're going t o rub our noses in it .” “ I t 's weakness,” Ferrier said wit h an edge of anger he had not revealed before. Keo t ook his arm and t hey assum ed t heir posit ions by t he gangway. Lenk cam e up from below on t he st airs, aided by Fassid, who blinked at t he bright sunshine. Lenk wore sunglasses. He seem ed for a m om ent t o have gone blind, st um bling slight ly, sm iling, reaching for Fassid. But he rem oved his sunglasses aft er a m om ent and st ared at us owlishly, t hen st udied t he drydocks sout h of us, t he west ern shore of t he lake, t he pier. Five m en and t hree wom en st epped out of a gray shed and wait ed for our ships t o m aneuver close. Three young m en near t he bow t ossed lines t o t hem , and our ship was pulled in and t ied up. All sails were furled. We wait ed several m inut es. The lake was st ill and quiet ; t he silva had not m ade a sound since our arrival. A single road st ret ched from t he harbor t hrough t he hills t o a t unnel in t he high t hicket beyond. I t did not look prom ising. 427
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“ Are t hey expect ing us t o walk?” Ferrier asked in disgust . “ I nt olerable,” Fassid said, but Lenk raised his hand. “ He's feeling his power,” Lenk said. He pressed his t eet h t oget her and drew his shoulders up. I t hought I saw a brief spark of anger, but it m ight have been som e int ernal t winge, a sore j oint or ot her infirm it y of age. “ Let him have t hat m uch.” A recept ion com m it t ee, of sort s, was j ust now com ing down t he road. An elect ric t ruck passed t hrough t he m ain gat e t o t he harbor and pier, followed by four sm all elect ric cars and a wavering line of m en and wom en on bicycles. Shirla whist led at all t he vehicles. “ There aren't t hat m any in all of Calcut t a,” she said. “ Except for t ract ors.” What had seem ed at first glance, t hen, t o be a palt ry show of cerem ony, was sufficient t o im press t he people around m e. The gangway was pushed across t o t he dock and secured. The dockhands arranged along Khoragos's m oorage craned t heir necks curiously, looking for Lenk. What ever Brion's social changes and polit ical pressures, t he cit izens of Naderville st ill expressed an int erest in t he Good Lenk who had brought t hem here. The t ruck and cars and bicycles rolled out ont o t he pier. The t ruck whined t o a st op. The cars parked behind, and t he bicyclist s, all dressed in gray and brown, braked t o a halt around and bet ween t hem . Everybody paused for several seconds, wait ing, and t hen t he doors of t he t ruck opened and a m an and a wom an got out . The cars’ drivers opened t heir doors and got out as well. They all wore black, wit h lit t le round hat s pulled t ight on t heir heads like swim m ing caps. 428
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The m an and wom an from t he t ruck were dressed in whit e form al suit s. They resem bled socialit es at an early first cent ury Thist ledown full- dress occasion. Producing a walking st ick, t he m an st ood beside t he wom an, and t hey advanced t oget her t oward t he gangway, where t hey paused. Clearly, t hey expect ed our part y t o disem bark now. Up t o t his point , however, not a word was said on eit her side. The only voices were t hose of t he crew, arranging t he sails and rigging, and even t hey spoke in hushed t ones. Ferrier and Keo crossed t he gangway first and bowed t o t he m an and wom an in whit e, who ret urned t heir greet ings wit h slight ly reduced bows. Allrica Fassid cam e next , advancing her hands along t he rope guards in nervous arcs, gripping t he ropes carefully, as if som eone m ight t ip t he plat form and m ake her fall int o t he wat er bet ween t he dock and t he ship. Aft er t hem cam e Lenk, m arching across t o t he dock by him self wit h a good show of assurance and vigor. Five m en and four wom en followed, all wearing green and t an, t he colors of Lenk's personal guard. Last of all, t hree m en we had not m et —elderly enough t o have served Lenk since t he im m igrat ion—j oined t he part y on t he dock, giving and receiving brief bows. We were not going ashore, apparent ly. Salap sm iled his m ost philosophical sm ile and t urned back t o go below. Randall wat ched t he crew reclaim t he gangway and close t he gat e in t he bulwark. “ I 'll be dam ned,” he said. Shirla sighed as m uch wit h relief as disappoint m ent . “ I don't like being at t he cent er of t hings,” she said. 429
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Randall said, “ I feel about as necessary as a m an's nipples.” A few m inut es lat er, a t rain of four gray elect ric buses hum m ed t hrough t he gat e t o t he docks and parked by t he Khoragos and Cow. Twelve grim - looking m en in gray and black st epped down from t he buses and spoke t o t heir colleagues on guard by t he gangways. Guards cam e aboard t he ships and inform ed t he m ast ers and m at es t hat all but a skelet on crew of four would have t o get on t he buses. The ships were going t o be im pounded, it seem ed. Randall wat ched t hese act ivit ies wit h a heavy frown. “ That 's not diplom acy,” he m ut t ered. “ I t 's an act of war.” We sat crowded t hree t o a seat , t wo seat s across and seven deep, on rough unpadded benches m ade of pit hy t hicket - xyla. The buses were driven by older m en in whit e and gray. Seeing t he preponderance and variet y of uniform s, I felt a shiver of recognit ion: a regim ent ed societ y, each j ob given it s rank and place and dress, ancient grand schem es reenact ed on Lam arckia. The buses t ook us int o t he t unnels t hrough t he t hicket s and we were surrounded by int ense gloom . Shirla huddled close t o m e, Shat ro beside her. I n t he gleam of headlight s reflect ed t oward t he back, I saw Shat ro st aring grim ly ahead, sweat ing t hough it was cool. He had said very lit t le t he past few hours, and did not look at anyone for very long. Randall sat on t he bench ahead of us, and Salap t wo benches behind. We did not t alk. We all felt as t hough we were going t o an execut ion, perhaps our own. 430
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The t unnels form ed a kind of road net work t hrough t he t hicket and t he drivers seem ed t o know t he rout es well. Aft er t went y m inut es, we saw daylight ahead, and t he buses em erged int o a broad nat ural clearing. Behind, t he t hicket rose up in a gent le curve like t he rim of a bowl, and we seem ed t o be in a broad crat er paint ed wit h red and brown foliage. Ahead, across a level plain covered wit h a carpet of m ot t led orange and brown phyt ids, t he int erior of t his part of Hsia's ecos was haunt ingly t errest rial. We m ight have been crossing a t ropical grassland, but inst ead of t rees, t angles of t hicket woven from m et er- t hick vines rose like wat cht owers, capped wit h spreading branches whose t ips lanced skyward. Fart her inland, aft er anot her t en m inut es of t ravel, we saw great purple hem ispheric m ounds like m old growt hs, but each perhaps t wo kilom et ers wide and a kilom et er high. At t he t op of t he m ounds, a single m onum ent al black spike rose, a t horn t o prick t he t hum b of a god. The guards on t he bus t ook t his all in wit hout excit em ent ; t his was t heir landscape, fam iliar for decades. Salap seem ed as lit t le int erest ed. Shirla, however, leaned forward and looked past m y chest t hrough t he window. “ They're t aking us t o a grand hot el,” said t he m an behind us, dressed in a whit e uniform —one of Khoragos's st ewards. “ They'll feed us like kings.” “ Tom 's t he j oker,” grum bled a wom an across t he aisle. The bus lurched and we t urned ont o a dust y bare dirt road. Ahead, anot her wall of t hicket loom ed, but t his was brilliant green—t he first green I had seen in a Lam arckian silva, 431
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t opped wit h red lances. Above t his t hicket flew bat like pt erids wit h wingspans of at least a m et er. As we approached, t he pt erids all dropped and grabbed hold of t he red lances, like flies alight ing on t he bloody point s of swords. The buses swung int o anot her dark t unnel, following closely t hrough t he darkness, light s bloom ing and fleeing on t he backs of our heads. “ I nner com pound,” t he bus driver called over his shoulder, voice husky. “ We'll all get out here and walk int o t he Cit adel.” “ Cit adel,” Shirla repeat ed, eyebrows raised. The buses drew up in single file beside a road paved wit h broad flat black st ones, whit e cem ent bet ween. We left t he buses and st ood in groups on t he edge of t he road, t he sun brilliant and hot overhead, t he sky t int ed orange. Shading m y eyes, I saw t he sky was filled wit h t iny flying t hings, orange, yellow and brown, each no m ore t han a cent im et er square, flocking in t hick clouds about t went y m et ers over our heads. At t he end of t he road, a blocky st one wall rose high enough for it s t op t o be blurred and half obscured by t he yellow and orange clouds. The wall reached across a gap bet ween t wo st ret ches of green t hicket . The guards t ook us from t he buses wit h a m inim um of cordialit y, lined us up in t wo rows, and urged us forward, t oward t he st one wall. Shirla st ayed resolut ely beside m e, Shat ro, Randall, and Salap ahead. “ Excuse m e, is t his where Able Lenk is st aying?” a sailor from t he Cow asked a bulky, t hick- faced guard. The guard shook his head, raised his lips in what m ight have been a sm ile but m ore resem bled a grim ace of discom fit ure, and 432
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point ed t o t he wall. I st udied t he faces of t he guards wit hout cat ching t heir at t ent ion. Flat expressions and m uscle predom inat ed. Hair cut short but for a lock on t he left side, which t railed t o t he shoulder. Uniform s neat ly pressed, but j udging from t heir m ovem ent s, only fair m ilit ary order. Som e m anaged t o t alk or sm ile briefly t o t he t wo lines as we were m arched, but t heir charact er and behavior did not reassure m e. I felt as if I were back in t he slaught ered village of Moonrise, and m y neck hair brist led as it had not even during our t im e in t he st orm - beast . The longer I st ayed on Lam arckia, t he m ore I felt sure I was going t o die here, in an ancient and degrading fashion. I longed for Thist ledown and could not im agine why I could ever have accept ed such an assignm ent . “ I wish t he st orm had eat en us,” Shirla m ut t ered. I t ouched her elbow wit h m y hand, a brushing gest ure t hat st ill caught t he at t ent ion of t he t hick- faced guard. He gazed at m e out of t he corners of his eyes, pulled his lips t oget her, and shook his head slight ly. At t he gat e in t he wall, a sm all deep- sunk pair of doors barely wide enough for t wo t o ent er abreast , t he lines were halt ed and t he guards m illed about , m aking last - m inut e checks for anyt hing we m ight be carrying. They poked and prodded us like anim als, conferred, and t hen t he senior officer—a t all, st oop- shouldered fellow whose uniform sleeves rode up on his arm s—called out , and t he doors swung wide. We ent ered t he wall.
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17 Dark st one, cool shadow for several m et ers, t hen an int ense m ilky green light t hat seem ed t o hang like a canopy of fog. The air sm elled sweet and slight ly bit t er. “ Don't be alarm ed,” t he st oop- shouldered senior officer called out as t he lines m arched int o t he greenness. “ I t 's no worse t han t aking a shower. We've all done it . Your Able Lenk has done it and said it was a pleasure.” Sm all scions, no larger t han m idges, filled t he air in a swirling m ist and light ed on our skin and crawled beneat h our clot hes unt il we each wore a pale green coat . Shirla squirm ed and t ried t o brush t hem off, but t hey clung t enaciously, like living green oil. “ Do not be alarm ed,” t he guards repeat ed, and t he t hickfaced fellow reached a xyla st ick past m e and poked her in t he back, bobbing his head at her. I rest rained a st rong urge t o grab t he st ick and shove it back. “ These are servant s, not pest s. They clean you up for your visit wit h Ser Brion.” Aft er a few m inut es of m ild discom fort —m ore at t he t hought t han t he act ual sensat ion—t he t iny creat ures rose int o t he air again and hovered above our heads, filling t he upper reaches of a large, whit e- walled cell, open at t he t op t o t he sky. I t urned t o look at Randall and Salap. Salap lift ed his arm s, t he last of t he t iny scions rising from him like green st eam . He seem ed st unned, his face slack, m ore surprised t han he had been upon seeing t he hum anoid skelet ons. 434
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Never, in t he hist ory of t he im m igrant s on Lam arckia, had scions ever served hum ans, or st rongly int eract ed wit h t hem in any way. Randall st ood st iff as a board, eyes half closed, and shook his shoulders t o m ake sure he was free of t he creat ures. The guards m oved us t hrough t he door at t he opposit e end of t he whit e cubicle, and we cam e t o a broad court yard surrounded by densely packed, flat - front ed gray brick buildings. The court yard, except for us, was em pt y, and it quickly becam e obvious t hat we were not in Naderville proper, but in som e special com pound—t he m ost likely conclusion being t hat t his was a kind of prison. Shirla t ook hold of m y arm despit e t he poking st ick of a guard. When t he guard poked at her hard, m aking her flinch, I could not st and st ill any longer. I t urned and grabbed t he st ick, wrenched it from his grip, and broke it in t wo. The t hick- faced fellow st ared at m e in dum b surprise. Around us, t he ot her guards began t o break us int o groups of four or five. St ill, I m et t he t hick- faced m an's st are for several seconds, unt il he point ed t o t he broken st ick on t he ground and said, “ Pick it up.” Shirla st ooped t o do so, but I brought her back t o her feet wit h a not - very- gent le j erk. She looked bet ween us wit h eyes squint ed, but t ook hold of m y arm again. “ Pick it up,” t he guard repeat ed, his face reddening. He advanced a half st ep. None of t he guards had guns. All m y senses sharpened and I exam ined t he sit uat ion alm ost dispassionat ely, seeing how m any guards were close, j udging how m y fellow capt ives would react t o an incident . 435
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Randall int ervened. “ What in t he nam e of t he Good Man is t his about ?” he shout ed, charging bet ween us and st anding st iff- legged, arm s held up, fist s clenched, as if he m eant t o fight t he m an him self. “ What is t his brut ishness?” The t all, st oop- shouldered officer had also seen t he brewing confront at ion, and st rode t o Randall's side. “ Pardon t his, please,” he said, his voice soft . “ No harm is m eant . No harm is m eant .” Thus soot hing and separat ing us, t he incident was brought t o an end, and we were divided peacefully enough and led t hrough different doors around t he com pound. Shirla and I were separat ed, but t here was not hing we could pract ically do, ot her t han provoke anot her incident , which I felt we would not be able t o conclude in our favor. Shirla looked at m e, eyes wide, t hen swung her head away abrupt ly and walked wit h her group of wom en t hrough a narrow xyla door. I could not t ell whet her she felt bet rayed or sim ply had resigned herself t o what ever was going t o happen. She hat ed confinem ent . I dreaded t he prospect m yself. The room s wit hin t he gray brick buildings were uniform , four on t he ground floor and I presum ed four on t he upper floor, accessible t hrough a st airwell rising from t he m iddle t o t he rear. Each room was equipped wit h a single sm all square window, t wo double bunks, a t able, and chairs. They sm elled clean enough, but t he sanit ary facilit ies were prim it ive: a hole in t he floor in one corner, a single t ap for wat er t hat also served t o flush t he hole. “ You won't be here for m ore t han a few hours,” t he t hickfaced guard said. He closed t he door on Salap, a st eward nam ed Rissin, m yself, and a young sailor nam ed Cort land. 436
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We set t led ourselves as best we could, int roduced ourselves, t ried t o pass t he t im e. Lying in m y bunk t o doze, I saw som et hing scrat ched int o t he bricks of t he wall: a crude drawing, a head wit h round eyes and a downt urned m out h, arm s and legs st icking out of it , hair in j ags. Beside t his figure, five crude let t ers: B- O- B- R- T. We looked for and found ot her drawings scat t ered around t he room , on t he floors or walls. “ Children,” t he young sailor, Cort land, said. Salap let his shoulders droop, and lay on his bunk wit h a sharp expulsion of breat h. “ Ser Olm y, I am asham ed,” he said. I shook m y head, but could not t hink of anyt hing t o say. The hours passed, and it grew dark out side. No one cam e for us, and no one brought inform at ion. A single light bulb cam e on wit hin t he room , cast ing a dism al pale pink glow, a sick and depressing color under t he circum st ances. “ Do you t hink t hey're going t o kill us?” Rissin asked. “ No,” Salap said. Rissin began t o fidget on his bunk above m ine. “ This is not what I t hought would happen,” he said. “ Not as long as we were wit h Lenk.” I t ried t o puzzle t he sit uat ion t hrough. Eit her t he Brionist s were savages on t he order of t he worst hum an hist ory had produced, or we were sim ply in crude det ent ion, unt il Brion and Lenk had finished negot iat ions. I t ried t o im agine what st rengt hs Lenk would negot iat e from . 437
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18 The door opened and t he t hick- faced guard wat ched as a m an and a wom an in light blue aprons brought four covered plat es. The guard was now arm ed, I saw—a sm all pist ol. We t ook our plat es and t he door was closed. The plat es cont ained a t horoughly cooked green veget able and a scoop of past et hick wheat gruel. The light went out . The st eward and t he young sailor did not not ice; t hey were asleep. Salap gave a lit t le grunt and m oved around in t he darkness. “ Olm y, are you awake?” he asked. “ Yes.” “ Lenk said Brion had a great secret . Do you t hink he m eant using t he scions as servant s?” “ Perhaps.” “ Do you know what t hat im plies?” “ I t hink so,” I said. “ I t could dwarf t he im port ance of our lit t le skelet ons,” Salap said. “ I t changes t he way we have t o t hink about t he ecoi...” He lapsed int o silence, st anding in t he m iddle of t he room , facing t he dim glow of t he square window. “ I am lost ,” he said. “ Everyt hing I knew is t urned upside down. All m y st udies ... Everyt hing t he explorers found, or t hought t hey found. Brion has gone beyond us all.” Salap cam e closer t o m y bunk and whispered, “ What are you going t o do?” 438
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“ I 'm going t o st ay here, like you, unt il t hey com e and get us.” “ Unless you're from t he Hexam on.” “ What do you t hink, t hat t hey'd send som e sort of superhum an? You want m e t o break down t he walls and let us escape?” Salap chuckled dryly. “ I f you were from t he Hexam on, would you reveal yourself t o Brion, or t o General Beys? I t could m ake a significant im pression.” “ This is st upid t alk,” I said. “ The disciplinary was crazy. Randall was gullible. I 'm no superhum an.” Salap st ood. I heard him rubbing his hands t oget her in t he dark. “ I have no wife and children, no alliance wit h a fam ily,” he said. “ I have never cared m uch for fam ily life. But I have always t aken care of m y researchers, m y assist ant s, m y st udent s. I 've failed.” “ We're all helpless,” I said. “ You don't get m y m eaning. I have always seen a single bright t hread of dest iny st ret ching ahead of m e. And I 've felt t hose around m e would be safe, as long as t hat t hread st ret ched t aut ...” “ We're not dead yet ,” I said, finding t his line of t alk no m ore useful t han t he last . “ I have never known what t o t hink of t he Good Lenk,” Salap said. “ When we followed him here, he seem ed allknowing, very t horough. But he has not handled t he fact ions well. So m uch rancor, so lit t le resolve ... Unwilling t o crack heads, I believe.” “ You t hink he should have cracked a few heads?” 439
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“ I t hink he should have been prepared t o do what needed t o be done. Ready for what happened. Perhaps t he dream is over for Lenk.” Cort land st irred and poked his head over t he edge of t he bunk. “ Have som e courage,” he said in a harsh whisper. “ Don't speculat e about t hings you can't know. Brion m ay be in for a surprise.” “ What kind of surprise?” I asked, suddenly int ensely curious. The sit uat ion had been ent irely t oo sim ple, when hist ory dem anded t hat it should be com plex and dynam ic. “ I 'm j ust a sailor. I don't know m uch of anyt hing. But Lenk never plays from weakness.” Salap m ade a sm all chuff of disbelief. “ Let him surprise m e, and I will be in his debt even m ore.” “ We're all in his debt ,” Cort land said wit h lit t le- boy confidence. “ He t ook us from Thist ledown. General Beys doesn't know everyt hing.” “ You were born here,” Salap said. “ You never saw Thist ledown.” “ How old were you when you cam e here?” “ Twent y,” Salap said. “ And you?” t he sailor asked, aim ing his voice in t he dark t o where I sat on t he lower bunk. “ I was born here,” I said. “ I never saw Thist ledown. I 've read about it .” Salap said not hing. “ I never liked hearing st ories about Thist ledown,” Cort land said. “ Too m uch for any hum an t o t hink about .” “ And Lam arckia is not ?” I asked, chuckling. 440
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“ Lam arckia is like Lenk,” t he sailor said. “ Benevolent , but full of surprises.” “ The green,” Salap said. “ Yeah,” Cort land said. “ Why green?” Salap did not answer. Rissin t he st eward snored on. I dozed a few hours and cam e awake j ust before m orning. Through t he window, I saw a reddish nat ural st one surface m ot t led wit h drooping dark green shapes like m elt ed fern fronds. Banging noises in t he court yard of t he com pound awoke Salap, Rissin, and Cort land. They used t he m eager facilit ies and we st ood expect ant ly near t he door, await ing breakfast , freedom , or what ever m ight present it self. The t hick- faced guard opened t he door and waved us out side. We st ood blinking and st ret ching in t he bright ness, wat ching ot hers em erge from t he doors around t he court yard. Salap adj ust ed his long shirt and pant s, saw m e observing him , and sm iled at his pret ensions. Tables had been set up in t he cent er of t he court yard. Shirla st ood by one, and I glanced at t he guards, who seem ed t o have t heir at t ent ion on ot her m at t ers—conferring wit h m ore servers in blue aprons, or count ing t he people com ing t hrough doors. I walked across t he st one floor of t he com pound and hugged Shirla. “ Not a com fort able night ,” she said, clinging t o m e. Wit h a sm all shudder, she let m e go and looked around t he court yard, lips pressed t ight ly t oget her. “ But we aren't dead. This seem s t o be breakfast ...” 441
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Servers brought plat es on rolling cart s and food in big ceram ic bowls. Randall, his st iff brown hair awry, sat at t he t able across from Shirla and m e. We were served m ore greens and gruel. The guards st ood back as if we were not im port ant , or perhaps not even t here. All were arm ed. Randall at e his serving in silence, st aring at not hing in part icular. Shirla spoke about t he accom m odat ions, no different from ours, and t hen asked, “ I see Salap, but where's Shat ro?” “ Not here,” Randall said. “ Why?” “ Said he had som et hing t o t ell Brion. The guard let him out last night .” Randall gazed at m e over a poised spoon. “ He's going t o t ell t hem about you.” Shirla t urned and asked, “ What about you?” I frowned and shook m y head in disgust . “ A st upid st ory,” I said. Randall focused on not hing again. The st oop- shouldered officer walked t o t he nort hern side of t he com pound, followed by anot her guard carrying a sm all crat e. The guard placed t he crat e on t he ground and t he officer st epped up ont o it , shift ing one of t he odd curved bat ons from hand t o hand. The t hicket above and behind t he west ern buildings of t he com pound glowed brilliant gold- green in t he m orning sun. All around t he com pound, a dist ant whirring alt ernat ed wit h faint , high- speed chuckle- ducks—t he first sounds I had heard t hat seem ed t o com e from t he ecos. 442
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“ Hello,” t he officer said t o t he assem bly around t he t ables. He shift ed his weight from one leg t o t he ot her, clut ching t he bat on in bot h hands now, ill at ease. “ I realize t his part of your visit has been a lit t le boring, but I hope you underst and. I can t ell you t hat t alks bet ween Ser Able and Ser Brion have been going well.” He st opped here, and we glanced at each ot her, clearly not feeling m uch encouraged. “ There is no danger. Our m anner m ay seem harsh, but we m ean no harm . We have react ed t o very difficult circum st ances wit h increased resolve and order. You should not believe all t hose st ories ... t hose t hings t hat we have been accused of.” This awkward phrasing seem ed t o irrit at e him , and he drew his eyebrows t oget her, slipped t he st ick int o a loop in his coat , and clasped his hands before him . “ Now t hat you've finished your m eal, we will clear t he t ables, and you will...” He conferred wit h t he guard, who whispered in his ear. “ You will gat her in a single group in t his corner of t he com pound.” He wit hdrew t he st ick again and used it t o point t o t he nort hwest ern corner. “ What t he hell is t hat ?” Shirla asked. “ A whip?” “ Looks like a t hin boom erang,” said an older wom an A.B. beside her. “ So please, let us begin,” t he officer concluded. Then, as an aft ert hought , “ My nam e is Pit t , Suleim an Ab Pit t . Your host at t endant s will answer individual quest ions.” Shirla's concern of t he night before had dissolved int o quiet cont em pt . “ What a cargo,” she m ut t ered. “ They t hink we're idiot s.” 443
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All around, wit h fat uous sm iles, t he guards urged us t o our feet and we followed t hem t o a broad double door at t he far end of t he court yard, st ill in shadow. Brion m ust have had som e reason for subj ect ing newcom ers t o t his passage t hrough door aft er door, I t hought , but none cam e t o m ind. My old cynicism ret urned in force. Not hing m ade sense. I t ried t o keep m y m ind blank. The only posit ive in t his personal cloud of negat ive em ot ions was Shirla's closeness. I t seem ed t hat t hrough her, I could at t ach m yself t o t he sim ple fact of being hum an; however m uch bad exam ples cam e t o m ind, she count ered t hem . But Shirla was not in an opt im ist ic fram e of m ind, eit her. We followed t he st oop- shouldered officer, Pit t , surrounded by guards, t hrough t he broad door, four and five abreast , and cam e t o a flat green space on t he ot her side. For a m om ent , m y eyes refused t o believe, but t hen I saw it for what it was: a well- m anicured lawn, covering perhaps fift y acres. Trees— t errest rial variet ies, oaks, m aples, elm s—rose all around, t hrowing t heir shadows t hrough a rising, pat chy ground m ist . At t he borders of t his garden, int ensely green t hicket rose in a t ort ured wall t o a height of t went y m et ers, cast ing it s own shadow over t he grass. The guards encouraged us t o walk ont o t he lawn. Salap bent down and t ouched t he grass, and across t he nine or t en m et ers bet ween us, his eyes m et m ine. He seem ed now always t o seek out m y face when confront ed by t he unexpect ed, as if I m ight explain t hings t o him . But he called out , “ Not grass.” Shirla's shoulders t rem bled and she shivered all over, as if t ouched by a ghost . “ I 've never seen grass,” she said. 444
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“ We didn't bring t his kind of grass wit h us,” Randall said. The sailors and ot her m em bers of t he crews st ood like sheep on t his unexpect ed sward, uncert ain what was expect ed of t hem . “ Brion shows you t he beaut ies of t he world he foresees,” Pit t called out . The role of m ast er of cerem onies did not suit him . His eyes rem ained flint y, his shoulders drawn down, no m at t er how broad his sm ile and generous his t one. “ We have form ed an alliance wit h t he ecos, and it works wit h us, for us.” Salap shook his head, st ill disbelieving. One by one, em barrassed but gaining in courage, t he crews kneeled and felt t he grass, or walked over t o t he nearest t rees and t ouched t he apparent bark, t he branches and leaves. Not a leaf out of place, t he lawn as perfect as a carpet . I kneeled and t ouched t he blades. They were cool and st iff, m uch st iffer t han t he grass I had walked across in parks in Thist ledown. A com m ot ion began at t he sout h side of t he garden. I looked up from several blades of grass I had pulled loose: t hey writ hed slowly in m y hand like t iny worm s. Keo and Ferrier were arguing wit h several guards. Pit t walked over briskly like a t all gray crow, point ing his bat on st raight down by his side. More words were exchanged. Salap and Randall cam e closer t o Shirla and m e. “ Som eone's upset ,” Salap said. A t all wom an wit h golden- brown skin and long black hair, wearing a rich whit e and gray gown, ent ered t he garden and t ook Pit t aside. Pit t list ened int ent ly. 445
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Keo and Ferrier looked on in som e sat isfact ion. The crews st ood frozen, scat t ered across t he false lawn, wat ching t he wom an and Pit t as if t heir lives m ight depend on t he result . Finally, Pit t approached a group of four guards, gave t hem quick inst ruct ions, and shout ed, “ There has been a m isunderst anding. The following people will com e forward.” He t ook a list from Keo and read: “ Nussbaum , Grolier, Salap, Randall, Olm y, Shat ro.” Shirla let go of m y arm and st epped away. I glanced at her, puzzled, but she nodded t oward Ferrier, Keo, and Pit t . “ Go,” she said. I did not want t o leave her. Salap walked a few paces and st opped, looking back. Randall j oined him , and Shirla gave m e a nudge. “ Maybe it 's som et hing im port ant ,” she said. “ Com e back and t ell m e.” Keo and Ferrier greet ed Nussbaum and Grolier, and t hen t urned t oward us. “ Able Lenk didn't suspect t hey'd t ake you off t he ship,” Keo said, walking t oward t he gat e. “ He's very upset .” We all followed. The t all wom an in whit e and gray st ayed behind, st ill t alking t o Pit t . “ He's calling for his researchers. Where's Shat ro?” “ He left t he com pound last night ,” Randall said. “ We don't know where t hey t ook him .” “ Well, we'll find him . We've seen pret t y t errifying t hings. Changes our perspect ive, I 'll t ell you.” We passed t hrough t he doors and crossed t he com pound. “ Grass,” Ferrier said, shaking his head in am azem ent .
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19 “ Brion's confessed t o sending t he pirat es,” Keo said. We walked bet ween t hree guards and behind t he auburn- haired wom an, whose ubiquit ous presence had not yet been explained. We did not even know her nam e. “ Everybody else denies it . I t hink he m ay be a lit t le m ad.” “ He is not m ad,” t he wom an said sharply. She carried herself erect , foot st eps delicat e and precise, gliding over t he ground, her dark- red gown swishing around her ankles wit h a sound like lit t le rushes of wat er. Her skin was a rich, pale brown, and her eyes deep black, surrounded by ivory- colored sclera. She did not seem at all im pressed by us. Keo cleared his t hroat and raised his eyebrows. We cam e t o a wall m ade of round st ones t he size of a hum an head and sm oot h as pearls, glued t oget her wit h a t ranslucent , glist ening m ort ar. The wall rose alm ost fift een m et ers and was capped by t he drooping, m elt ed fern shapes I had seen t hrough t he window of our room in t he com pound. A hole had been knocked in t he base of t he wall, and a sm oot hly planed xyla door had been set in t he hole. I t looked out of place. Salap t ouched t he surrounding st ones light ly as we passed t hrough. Our eyes adj ust ed slowly t o t he dark beyond t he door. The auburn- haired wom an t ook a lant ern from t he wall and swit ched it on. From all around, t he st ones ret urned m ut ed reflect ions, surrounding us wit h t housands of dim , sleepy eyes. The st ones rose in a free- form arch t hat cam e t o a point 447
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about t en m et ers overhead. Beyond t he arch, pillars m arched unevenly int o gloom relieved only by a few lant erns. The floor felt resilient underfoot . I st rongly doubt ed t hat Brion's people were responsible for t his const ruct ion. I t seem ed poorly adapt ed for hum an use. I f t he archit ect ure called t o m ind anyt hing, it was t he palaces on Mart ha's Land. While t hese cham bers were em pt y, however, t hey were not in ruins. Hsia seem ed t o build for t he ages. The wom an guided us t hrough t he pillars t oward a point of orange light , surrounded by a peculiar granular halo, t went y or t hirt y m et ers away. The light and halo resolved int o a large lant ern m ount ed on t he pearl- st one wall beside anot her inset doorway. The wall around t he door glowed faint ly, sunlight seeping t hrough t he t ranslucent m ort ar surrounding t he st ones. A guard st epped forward and opened t he door. Tem porarily blinded by daylight , we st epped t hrough int o a rich veget al t angle of green vines, sm oot h branches, spreading leaves, helical creepers and aerial root s, m elt ed ferns, pendulous waxy fruit s: an orgy of green growt h. Bright lat e- m orning sun cast speckles of t int ed light on a carpet of discarded and shriveled leaves and branches. Randall m ut t ered som et hing I did not hear clearly. Salap wore a wise half sm ile, as if not hing would surprise him now. “ This is t he vivarium ,” t he wom an said. “ My sist er spent m uch of her t im e here, before she died.” “ I t 's wonderful,” Salap said. The wom an walked ahead. 448
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A few dozen m et ers down a t rail, we cam e t o a broad clearing covered wit h t he sam e st iff, well- m anicured “ grass” we had seen before. A lat t ice of sm oot h bright - green branches, like t he weave of a wicker bowl, overarched and shaded t hree square gray brick buildings on t he edge of t he clearing. “ Som e of your people are quart ered here,” t he auburnhaired wom an said. She st opped at t he door t o t he nearest building, st ill refusing t o look direct ly at us. The guards st ood aside and we passed t hrough t he door. I nside, a sm all, square room wit h narrow windows, light ed by t wo elect ric lant erns on poles, was furnished wit h couches and t wo chairs. Allrica Fassid ent ered t hrough a door opposit e t he ent rance, skin pale, deep lines around her nose and lips and across her brow. She whispered a few words t o Keo, t hen faced Salap, Randall, and m e. She pushed her shoulders forward and inclined her head, looking t o one side, like a young girl about t o perform som e unpleasant chore. “ One of your researchers t ried t o visit Brion. I t appears Brion received him . We don't know what t hey t alked about .” Her face t ensed and her eyes bore int o us, but t hat passed and her weary expression ret urned. “ Did Ser Keo t ell you what we've learned?” “ Only t hat Brion has done som e confessing,” Randall said. “ Of a sort ,” Fassid said. “ I 'd call it bragging. He has a sm ile t hat m akes m e want t o kill.” She sniffed and drew her head back, speaking m ore forcefully. “ He's m ade som e 449
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unbelievable claim s. We need all t he expert ise we can m ust er t o evaluat e t hem .” “ They've done ext raordinary t hings wit h t he ecos,” Salap said. “ That 's obvious.” Fassid faced Salap squarely and t ook a sm all, shivering breat h. She was swallowing pride, anger, and frust rat ion, and t he effort m ade her seem like a m arionet t e in t he hands of a nervous puppet eer. “ My apologies. I wish I could apologize t o Capt ain Keyser- Bach, as well.” Salap's grin faded. He st ared at her wit h t he com plet e lack of em ot ion t hat I had learned t o int erpret as ext rem e irrit at ion. “ Why?” he asked. “ Brion has caught us by surprise,” Fassid said. “ I f we had known m ore ... about Lam arckia, about Hsia, we m ight have ant icipat ed som e of what we've seen t he past few hours...” Salap folded his hands, t aking no obvious pleasure in t his t rium ph. “ How can we help t he est eem ed Lenk?” he asked quiet ly.
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20 Lenk st ood by a broad window overlooking t he vivarium . The furnishings and decor of t he large but spare room s assigned t o Lenk and his aides fit t he deliberat e air of drabness seen everywhere. Brion did not revel in luxury. Lenk showed all of his eight y- four nat ural years, and m ore. Wit h his slum ped shoulders and inclined head, his chin drawn deeply int o his neck, he looked painfully old. “ Brion keeps referring t o his t rium ph,” Fassid said, pressing t he window wit h one ext ended finger, unt il t he adj acent knuckles m et t he glass. “ He also calls it his m ist ake. He says he m ade Hsia an offering. Som ehow, he's collaborat ed ... allied him self wit h t he ecos.” “ I s t hat cert ain?” Salap asked. We sat on fram e chairs opposit e t he window, suffused by t he cool green light of t he vivarium 's lush growt h. “ I t 's what he says,” Lenk m urm ured. “ What does your researcher say?” Salap asked “ Ser Rust in won't vent ure an opinion,” Lenk said. “ Brion and his wife som ehow persuaded t he ecos t o grow t hem food,” Fassid cont inued. “ They brought Naderville out of t he worst fam ine t hey had experienced, but according t o our int elligence, Brion very nearly had a rebellion on his hands. Som e of his people t hought a sacrilege had been com m it t ed.” “ We did not hear t hat from Brion,” Keo said dryly. “ Brion's t enure here has not been all t hat sm oot h. But our inform at ion about Hsia has always been fragm ent ary,” Fassid 451
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said. “ We learned even less aft er Brion gave alm ost all governm ent aut horit y t o Beys.” Salap shook his head, plainly t rying t o get past what were t o him irrelevancies. “ There was so m uch of our own pain t o deal wit h,” Lenk said, his deep voice quavering. Randall asked, “ Do you know where Shat ro is now?” “ No,” Keo said. “ Our chief negot iat or says he's offered his services t o Brion.” “ He's been t hrough a lot of t rouble,” Salap int erceded, like a m ot her prot ect ing a wayward child. This sudden m ildness surprised bot h Randall and m e. Salap regarded us wit h eyes half closed, t he elfin sm ile back on his lips. “ He would not be m uch help t o us now. St rict ly a t echnical fellow. No brilliance in him .” Salap folded his hands in his lap. The door t o t he room opened and a t all, loose- j oint ed m an about m y age, wit h sandy brown hair and a broad, sheeplike face, cam e in, followed by a short young wom an wit h int elligent eyes. Fassid int roduced t he m an, Lenk's head researcher, Georg Ny Rust in. Salap and he seem ed t o know each ot her, and Rust in was not com fort able in Salap's presence. “ We've learned not hing new,” Rust in said t o Lenk, Keo, and Fassid. “ Not hing m ore surprising, at any rat e.” Salap t urned t oward Lenk's researcher. Rust in had been on t he Cow and, unt il t his m om ent , we had not m et . “ Ser Rust in, I assum e we will be working t oget her...” “ I disagree t hat I 've reached m y lim it s,” Rust in said quickly, glancing at Fassid and Lenk. Then, realizing he had 452
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showed his suspicions t oo plainly, he said, “ Of course, I welcom e your opinions.” “ I s it your opinion t hat t he ecos here has underst ood our genet ic language?” “ Not at all,” Rust in said. “ All we've been shown so far could be adapt ive im it at ion. We've seen it before. I m it at ion of t he out ward physical form of scions, but not t he int ernal st ruct ure.” Salap leaned his head t o one side. “ These form s t hat resem ble t errest rial plant s ... are purely im it at ive?” “ I 've only been able t o m ake prelim inary t est s, and t hat wom an Chung has hovered around us ... but yes, I 'd say t hey're purely im it at ive, wit h lit t le deep- st ruct ure resem blance.” “ Have Brion's researchers learned whet her t hese new form s ... t hese collaborat ions, let 's call t hem ... use our genet ic m et hods? Terrest rial genet ic synt ax?” Rust in shook his head again. “ They do not . They're m egacyt ic, wit h fluid- filled spongelike t issues rat her t han t rue cellular st ruct ure. We've confirm ed t hat posit ively wit h sam ples put t hrough our own lab kit s.” The dark young wom an lift ed a black case t hat presum ably cont ained t he lab kit s. She seem ed eager t o speak, but prot ocol held her back. “ Have you given any t hought t o what Brion int ends t o do wit h t hese new form s?” Rust in shook his head. “ Ot her t han what we've been t old ... no.” “ Well,” Salap said. “ You were never one for going beyond t he im m ediat e evidence and drawing far- fet ched conclusions.” 453
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Rust in did not know whet her t o receive t hat as a com plim ent . “ Are t hese new green scions sim ilar t o t he food variet ies Brion claim s saved t hem ?” “ I don't know,” Rust in said. “ You have found chlorophyll in t hese im it at ions?” “ We've exam ined t he ent ire pigm ent range. Besides t he usual variet ies of Lam arckian pigm ent s, t hey cont ain chlorophyll alpha and bet a. These pigm ent s do not occur elsewhere on Lam arckia,” Rust in said. “ And what does t hat im ply t o you?” Rust in blinked nervously. “ I t 's new,” he said. “ I t 's possible Brion's som ehow m anaged t o...” He raised a hand, waved it vaguely. “ Pass on clues t o t he ecos. But I don't see how.” Salap t urned his gaze t o t he red- haired wom an. “ You are Jessica McCall, or do I rem em ber incorrect ly?” “ You have a m arvelous m em ory,” t he wom an said, clearly pleased t o be in his presence. “ What do you t hink, Ser McCall?” Salap asked. McCall swift ly st udied t he faces of Fassid and Rust in, glanced at Lenk, who had his back t urned t o us, and said, “ I 'm very concerned, Ser Salap. I f t he ecos underst ands t he benefit s of t hese far m ore efficient phot osynt het ic pigm ent s— ” “ I am also concerned,” Salap int errupt ed. “ Ser Rust in, you have done your j ob well.” “ Brion's people are not at all cooperat ive,” Rust in said. Then, in a frust rat ed rush, “ This Hyssha Chung in part icular has been very difficult . She claim s t he vivarium is a m em orial 454
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t o her sist er. She refuses t o let us conduct t horough st udies on t he rem arkable scions it cont ains.” Salap m ade a hum m ing noise and nodded. “ Able Lenk, I would like t o reorganize t his t eam of researchers ... t o t ake advant age of all our t alent s in t he m ost efficient m anner.” “ Why?” Rust in asked, Adam 's apple bobbing, dism ayed by t he sudden request . Lenk looked at Salap sadly, one eyelid t wit ching. “ I f it 's necessary,” he said. “ I t is,” Salap said. Rust in began t o st am m er a few words about resigning. Salap laid one hand light ly on his shoulder and said, “ We have no t im e for social gam es.” “ I have earned t his posit ion, and I have always relied on t he confidence of Able Lenk! ” Rust in cried out , t ears rolling down his flat , red cheeks. “ We can all be useful,” Salap concluded aft er a m om ent of painful silence. Rust in wiped t he back of his hand across his m out h, blinking rapidly. “ I would be honored t o have Ser Salap t ell m e what 's happening here,” Lenk said. “ Clearly, Brion reveals part of t he t rut h,” Salap said. “ Som e form of collaborat ion has occurred.” “ Are t hey capable of doing m ore?” Fassid asked. “ What do you fear t hem doing?” “ You m ent ioned Mart ha's I sland m aking hum an- shaped scions.”
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Salap shook his head. “ That m ay m ean not hing here. What Brion has done could be m uch m ore dangerous. Brion m ay be right —it could be bot h t rium ph and m ist ake.” “ He's not an easy m an t o underst and,” Fassid said. “ I underst and him well enough,” Lenk said. “ What else did Brion confess t o?” I asked before I gave t he words m uch t hought . Fassid looked at m e as if I were som e sort of noisy insect . “ Ser Olm y wit nessed t he deat h of a village, not t oo m any m ont hs ago,” Randall said, neat ly giving m e a reason for speaking up, st epping out of m y place. All but Lenk and Fassid nodded sym pat het ically. There were m any undercurrent s in t his room , and I could not t rack t hem all. Lenk t urned back t o t he window. “ I t 's a good quest ion,” Keo said. “ Brion has given m ilit ary and even m ost civilian aut horit y t o General Beys. Beys has been m aking m ost of t he m aj or policy decisions for at least t wo years. He began sending ships out t o gat her supplies— t hat is, raid villages—last year. This year, he accom panied t he raiders personally, planning t o force Able Lenk t o concede aut horit y. He raided all around Elizabet h, and he st ole children. He built sail barges along t he coast and sent t he st olen equipm ent and food and children back t o Naderville. They're alive, Brion says, and are being well- cared for.” “ Their parent s are dead,” Fassid said bit t erly. “ I despise t he m an.” “ Why did Beys t ake t he children?” I asked. Lenk looked direct ly at m e, as if t o reevaluat e what he had seen earlier. 456
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Randall and Salap regarded m e wit h a fixed int ensit y t hat m ight have been fascinat ion, or a warning. “ They lost over half of t heir children in t he fam ine,” Keo said. “ I t was t hat bad.” “ He did not com e t o m e,” Lenk said. “ I f we had known, we would have shared what lit t le we had.” “ He didn't want your help because it would have m ade him look weak,” Fassid said. “ Beys m ay not have act ed on his direct orders, but he knew what Brion want ed. A fut ure, a people t o rule.” Randall said, “ Children were kept in t he com pound where we spent t he night .” “ Yes. Som e of t he children are here,” Lenk said. His t hroat bobbed and his eyes narrowed. “ Makes t hings very com plicat ed. Host ages now.” The children could not be considered host ages unless Lenk was being pressured t o do som et hing, t o agree t o som et hing—or unless he planned t o exert pressure him self, and felt Brion m ight refuse. “ I don't see t hat t his t alk get s us anywhere,” Rust in said. “ We're here t o discuss t he ecos and what Brion has accom plished.” “ So we are,” Salap said, eyes languid. Lenk's face becam e lax, alm ost dead- looking. I saw again t he feat ures of t he soldier on t he prow of t he flat boat . I n t he grip of overwhelm ing hist ory. Not all t he t rut h was being t old; perhaps very lit t le. I had hoped t o adm ire Lenk in som e way, for his leadership and presence, as a force of divaricat e societ y. 457
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I nst ead, he m ade m e uneasy. I felt his power, could not help but respect his presence, but it seem ed only half t he m an was t ruly wit h us. The ot her half was hidden and would never be shown. “ We have no furt her m eet ings scheduled.” Fassid said. “ Brion canceled t om orrow's m eet ing wit h Able Lenk. He's suggest ed we discuss cert ain issues wit h General Beys—” “ I will not m eet wit h t hat m an,” Lenk said. “ No, we've agreed t hat Brion is who we m ust t alk wit h,” Keo said wit h a regret ful sigh. “ He is an enigm at ic and difficult m an, and t his Chung wom an is anot her enigm a.” “ She escort ed you here,” Fassid explained. “ Cait la Chung, Brion's wife, was her sist er. I t hink she's also Brion's m ist ress, t hough t hat 's hard t o j udge—he could have so m any of t hem .” Lenk's face underwent a sudden and very brief t ransform at ion. I n what had, unt il now, been flat weariness, I saw pass a shudder of deep anger. I n a blink, t he weariness ret urned.
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21 I awoke in darkness and did not im m ediat ely know where I was or where I had been. I rem em bered being in bright ness going down a long hallway, perhaps int o anot her room . That was a dream . Finally t he dream ing had begun. I did not welcom e t he ret urning m em ory of where I was: st ill in Brion's night m are. I felt st rongly t hat anot her gat e would open soon and I would be t aken t o t he presiding m inist er for debriefing. I t would be a grim st ory but not so grim as t he fear I had felt in t he dream at t he t hought of going int o t hat ot her room . I rolled over in t he bunk and pinched m y earlobe unt il it hurt , st ruggling t o sharpen m y t hought s. An elect ric light cam e on in t he darkness. I sat up. The room seem ed even m ore drab and im personal t han it had t he night before. Salap, Randall, and I had each been given privat e quart ers near t he com pound, away from t he palace of st ones and t he vivarium . There were no windows; it was lit t le different from a prison cell, but for t he furnishings, which were at least com fort able, t hough worn. The elect ric light on t he ceiling sang faint ly. Through t he door, a wom an's voice said, “ Ser Olm y, you are expect ed.” I t was Hyssha Chung. “ By whom ?” “ Ser Brion and General Beys.” 459
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I swung m y legs out of t he bed. “ I 'm get t ing dressed,” I said. “ What t im e is it ?” “ Early m orning.” Chung regarded m e wit h som e int erest t his t im e, as I cam e t hrough t he door. “ Your shirt is out in t he back,” she said. From her, t hat seem ed a st at em ent of great affect ion. I t alm ost m ade her charm ing. I t ucked m y shirt in and followed her out of t he building ont o a dirt pat h bet ween high brick walls. Beyond, t he t all, dense t hicket began, and we ent ered a t unnel t hrough t he densely woven growt h. The walls of t he t unnel rust led slight ly as we passed t hrough, dark int ert wined branches m oving less t han a cent im et er as t he great m ass of t he t hicket above our heads m ade m inor adj ust m ent s. “ Do t hese t unnels ever fill in, or grow back?” I asked Chung. “ No,” she said. We m et up wit h Salap and Randall at a j unct ure of four t unnels. They were accom panied by t wo m ale guards. Each guard wore a holst ered pist ol. Elect ric light s hung from t he roofs of t he branching t unnels, suspended from dry, hard vines as t hick as a m an's leg. Chung t ook t he left - swinging branch—I believed it headed sout h, but could not be sure— and we followed, t he guards close behind. Fift y m et ers down t he t unnel, we cam e t o a bend, and around t he bend we saw daylight . The t unnel ended, and we em erged at t he bot t om of a bowl- shaped crat er, perhaps a kilom et er across. We st ood in a gap where t he crat er wall had collapsed and t he gap had been filled in wit h t hicket . 460
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The air wit hin t he crat er was warm and st ill. The t hicket above and behind rust led like waves on a dist ant beach. I n t he cent er of t he crat er, a m ass of shiny black hem ispheres, st udded wit h spikes and surm ount ed by arches, resem bled a pile of huge, dead spiders. A pat h led down t he rocky bot t om of t he crat er t o t he pile. Chung proceeded down t he pat h, and again we followed. I wondered if she relished t he role of silent guide. The crat er appeared barren. I t rem inded m e of Mart ha's I sland, but here and t here, st eam and drift s of sulfurous gas st ill rose from vent s around t he bowl. “ Do you com e here oft en?” Randall asked. “ Too oft en,” Hyssha Chung said. The pat h skirt ed t he base of a shiny arch, curved bet ween t wo black hem ispheres as perfect as blown glass bubbles, and we st ood before a sm all, low whit e st one building t hat had been hidden unt il now. “ This part we m ade,” Chung said. She opened a double door of t hicket - xyla, cleverly fit t ed and int erwoven, and we ent ered a cool, dark room t hat sm elled st rongly of cut grass. A radiance of long gaps in t he ceiling allowed sun t o draw bright lines on t he lava gravel floor. I looked up from t he sunlines t o see t wo m en st anding in shadow by a t able at t he cent er of t he whit ewashed blockwalled room . We crossed t he room , feet crunching in t he lava gravel, dazzled by t he brilliant shaft s of sun. This room cont ained shelves lined wit h large bot t les of liquid, m ost of t hem green or dark brown in color. The sm oot h concret e floor sloped t o a drain at t he cent er. The 461
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floor was covered wit h green and brown st ains, despit e it s appearance of having been recent ly scrubbed. Dam p spot s and a rivulet of wat er darkened t he concret e. The air sm elled overpoweringly of veget at ion. Three elect ric light s in t he ceiling cam e on, and I saw t he t wo m en clearly for t he first t im e, in t he cent er of t he room . A sm all sinewy m an st ood t o t he right of t he t able, his face t hin, pushed- up nose and high, hollow cheeks giving him an exaggerat ed boyish appearance, verging on t he sim ian. He seem ed at first glance t o be m y height , but he st ood a few cent im et ers short er. Lank brown hair hung past his ears. His eyes were large and liquid, dark green, and his skin was sallow. He seem ed ready t o sm ile wit h any provocat ion: glad t o see us, as if we were friends long absent . He wore a sim ple silver- gray coat and pant s, t he coat laced at t he front , half open t o reveal a collarless whit e shirt , and his hands were covered by dingy brown gloves. I n one hand he carried a piece of st ring, which he wound and rewound around t he finger of his ot her hand. “ Ser Brion, General Beys, t hese are Sers Salap, Randall, and Olm y.” Brion looked m e over shrewdly, rubbing his shoulder wit h one hand as if it pained him , t hen t apped his fingers in a silent t at t oo on his biceps. He approached and looked m e over as if he were deciding whet her or not t o buy m e. He sm iled. “ General?” Beys wore a gray t ailored suit . Lit t le t aller t han Brion, he was t hickset and broad shouldered, a sm all bull, powerful, wit h t hick, ruddy hands. His eyes seem ed alm ost m erry, set deep in a m ilky count enance above reddish cheeks. Beys 462
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shrugged. “ I can seldom j udge m en by t heir appearance. We hide ourselves so well.” Randall st ood st iffly, hands clasped behind his back, eyes focusing on t he ot hers in t he room , one at a t im e, m echanically. I could sense by his post ure and t he t ight , whit e- j oint ed t angle of his fingers his passion against Beys and Brion. Brion lift ed his eyes and st ared direct ly at m e, his sm ile genuine, his eyes gleam ing wit h int ense int erest . “ All right . Show m e som et hing. Kill m e now rat her t han wait . I 'm sure you've been filled wit h hat red by Lenk's people.” I t hink he half expect ed m e t o lift a finger and blast him t o ashes. He seem ed happy wit h t he t hought , and a lit t le disappoint ed when I did not hing. His eyes dulled and his sm ile weakened. “ You don't want t o kill m e?” “ No.” “ Could you kill m e if you want ed t o?” “ I don't have any weapons,” I said. He exam ined m e again, as if t he first t im e had not been sufficient . “ I nside or out ?” “ No weapons,” I said. He focused suddenly on Salap. “ You are Mansur Salap. I know your nam e, of course. Your assist ant , Shat ro, seem s t o t hink he's been useful t o m e. Act ually, I 've been aware of Ser Olm y's presence on Lam arckia for som e t im e now.” He t urned his gaze on m e again and his sm ile grew, as if he were reading m y t hought s. “ Usually I hear about poseurs and unfort unat es. I n your case, m y cont act s m ay have 463
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st um bled on t he real t hing.” Brion's sm ile broadened. “ How long have you been here?” he asked. “ One hundred and fort y- t hree days.” “ Does Lenk know who you are?” “ I don't know.” Brion st epped back but st ill st ared at m e. “ I expect ed t he Hexam on would send an arm y t o punish us and t ake us back t o Thist ledown.” “ I never expect ed t hat ,” Beys said m ildly. “ Well, I hoped for one,” Brion said. He m ot ioned for us all t o sit on t he t hicket - xyla chairs. We form ed a circle around t he t able in t he cent er of t he square room . “ Ser Shat ro t hought he would gain som e advant age or revenge by t urning you in. He doesn't like you. He doesn't like anybody m uch now. He's a very disappoint ed m an.” “ Not m y best st udent ,” Salap said. “ I t 's int erest ing, t he first t im e I have a chance t o m eet wit h Lenk, and he brings people far m ore int erest ing t han him self ... Am ong t hem , key scient ist s rescued from a shipwreck. A ship capt ained by Keyser- Bach. I 'd have enj oyed m eet ing t hat m an. I regret his deat h. I 'm honored t o m eet you, Ser Randall, and you, Ser Salap. I 've received copies of all your j ournals and publicat ions.” Salap nodded, but said not hing. My adm ission had t hrown t his m eet ing int o confusion. Only Brion seem ed t o have a sense of direct ion. He t urned t o m e, hands on his knees, and asked, “ Are you here t o j udge us?” “ I 'm here t o see if hum ans have dam aged Lam arckia.” 464
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“ I t 's t aken t hem a long t im e t o get around t o us,” Brion said. “ Tim e enough for a new generat ion t o be born—and for a lot of us t o die. I s t he Hexam on going t o descend on us and reclaim our planet ?” “ I 'm not in com m unicat ion wit h t hem .” “ Do you have a clavicle?” “ No.” “ No way t o com m unicat e wit h Thist ledown?” “ No,” I said. “ Did Lenk bring his clavicle on t he ship?” Brion asked Beys. “ Yes,” t he general answered, lift ing his chin and scrat ching his neck. His fingers left pale m arks on t he reddish, st ubbled skin t here. His eyes seem ed sm all in such a broad face, one eye brown, one eye pale green. “ I t doesn't work anym ore,” Brion confided. “ He st ill carries it wit h him , but he broke it in anger years ago. That 's supposed t o be a secret .” Brion sniffed and flicked his gaze back t o m e wit h birdlike speed. “ So, if nobody com es for you, you can't ret urn t o t he Way. You're one of us now.” Beys shook his head. “ He can never be one of us. Shat ro t ells us you wit nessed t he dest ruct ion at a village on t he Terra Nova River.” “ I did,” I said. “ The village of Moonrise.” “ Are you here t o j udge us for t hat , and pass word back t o t he Hexam on t hat we're crim inals?” I did not answer. Beys shook his head again, slowly. “ Som et hing's gone wrong, hasn't it ?” he asked. “ They don't t hink it 's wort hwhile t o send an arm y.” 465
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“ Maybe t hey can't open a gat e long enough,” Brion said. “ I was fift een years old when m y parent s brought m e here,” Beys said. “ I suffered st arvat ion and illness. I wat ched m y sist er and m y m ot her die in childbirt h. Lenk did t his t o us all. I f t he Hexam on com es, I am prepared t o be j udged. We have done what we m ust t o survive.” He t urned away. “ He's an agent ,” he concluded, looking down at t he floor. “ He has t he look. None of t he ot hers did. We probably should kill t hem all.” Brion seem ed m ildly alarm ed by t hat suggest ion. “ I don't t hink t hey're a t hreat t o us.” The news—or rum or—about Lenk's clavicle was slowly sinking in. I f it was broken, and nobody else had arrived on Lam arckia by now, t here was lit t le chance I 'd ever finish m y m ission. Or rat her, m y m ission had becom e m y life. That dist urbed m e m ore t han I want ed t o deal wit h now. I had t o keep calm before t his boyish, sim ian- faced m an and t he cheerful, st ocky Beys, wit h his m erry cheeks and deadly words. “ St ill, you have som e int erest ,” Brion said. “ I 've respect ed Ser Salap for m any years. Som e of his works have given m e t he clues I 've needed t o m ake m y biggest discoveries. General Beys shares m uch of t he responsibilit y, as well. He's given m e t he t im e t o concent rat e.” “ I hope we have t im e, lat er, for a long conversat ion,” Beys said. “ I regret I won't be able t o st ay m uch longer. I 'd enj oy hearing about what 's happened on Thist ledown and in t he Way.” 466
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“ There's diplom acy t o be t aken care of, m ore discussions wit h Lenk,” Brion said. “ I f t hey can be called t hat . The Able Man doesn't do m uch list ening. So m any t hings t o plan, arrangem ent s t o be m ade. We all have t o be wat chful. Ser Salap, why did you com e t o Lam arckia?” “ I believed in Lenk,” Salap said. “ Do you believe what you see here—t he vivarium , all our work?” “ Yes.” “ A collaborat ion, com m unicat ion?” Salap nodded. “ Ser Randall?” “ I t seem s real,” Randall said. Brion chuckled. “ All of t his—t he crat er, t he st one cham bers—used t o be t he hom e of a seed- m ot her. Thousands of years ago, t he seed- m ot her m oved t o anot her locat ion, up t he canal. That 's where we'll go. I want t o show you som e of what we've done. My wife and I . I haven't been up t he canal for m ont hs. But wit h such learned gent lem en here, and Ser Olm y, a very special visit or, I t hink t he negot iat ions can wait .” He nodded decisively. “ I t 's m ore im port ant t hat you all see what we've m anaged t o do.” Brion leaned t oward m e, as if addressing a child. “ I can't t ell what you're t hinking. You have som e charact er and discipline, Ser Olm y. That m akes you different from m ost of us. We were brought here by a fool, on a prom ise t hat was broken as soon as we arrived. We've been sinking ever since. “ Com e wit h m e up t he canal t om orrow and I 'll show you how m uch furt her we have t o go before we reach bot t om .” 467
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General Beys regarded m e wit h his sm all deep- set eyes and crinkled his pink cheeks in a friendly sm ile. He nodded as if saying farewell t o a fellow soldier. This t im e, t he guards put us t oget her int o a single room along anot her t unnel, presum ably closer t o t he lake. I did not sleep m uch t hat night . I lay in m y narrow, hard bunk and wondered what ot her agent s would have done, sent t o Lam arckia. Would t hey have revealed t hem selves t o so lit t le purpose? Salap st irred on t he bunk above m e. He descended t he ladder. “ I t feels like m orning t o m e,” he said. “ I feel like a dam ned soil t ender, walled up in here.” At t he bot t om , he st raight ened his black robe and ran his hand t hrough his hair, t hen went t o t he wash basin and splashed wat er on his face. Randall swung his legs over t he edge of his bot t om bunk and st ret ched. “ What do you t hink t hey're up t o?” he asked. “ I don't know,” Salap said. “ I refuse t o be surprised.” Randall t urned his gaze t o m e. “ Anyt hing you can do t hat will surprise us?” he asked. “ I don't t hink so,” I said. “ How are you any different from Mansur or m e?” he asked. “ I 've never claim ed t o be different .” “ You were all t hey could send—a scout , t o check out t he t errit ory? And nobody aft er you?” “ I assum e t hat 's what 's happened.” Salap st ood wit h one hand braced against t he brick wall. Randall looked up at t he wall, eyes m oist . “ All t hese decades we've been wait ing like children for som eone t o 468
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rescue us from our own st upidit y. And all t he Hexam on sends is one m an.” “ A m ort al, like us,” Salap m urm ured. “ Bot h of you were Advent ist s?” I asked. Salap nodded. Randall said, “ I sym pat hized, but I knew which side t o st ick wit h.” Salap sm iled like a devil t hat underst ands hum an nat ure only t oo well. “ Do you t hink Ser Shat ro was list ening, on t he raft ?” “ Apparent ly,” I said. “ I t m ight have been bet t er if you had j ust t old t he first person you m et who you were,” Randall said. “ The first person I m et was Larisa St rik- Cachem ou,” I said. “ I t didn't seem a good idea at t he t im e.”
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22 The boat wait ed beside t he m inist erial dock on t he canal, it s t wo- m an crew dressed in im m aculat e whit e. The boat was t en m et ers long, m ade of whit e- paint ed xyla wit h a single m et al t ree am idships, on which flew a gray flag wit h a cent ral whit e spot . Two elect ric m ot ors wait ed beneat h a bare m et al com part m ent at t he rear. A whit e canopy ahead of t he t ree shaded a square of padded benches, sunken below deck level. Forward of t he canopy, a sm all cabin and galley wait ed t o serve Brion and his guest s. Salap and I walked down t he dock and boarded t he boat , escort ed by our guards. Randall had not been invit ed. What m ade Brion different —m ore like Lenk t han like any leaders on Thist ledown—was his apparent role as t he figurehead in a cult of personalit y. Leaders on Thist ledown generally ruled like bureaucrat ic adm inist rat ors—hence t he unglam orous t it les of t heir higher offices. Brion was a t ribal ruler, given unlim it ed discret ion by his people, but wit h lim it ed resources and lim it ed num bers of people t o rule. Underst anding him , knowing what t o say and t o ant icipat e, could save our lives. I hoped Salap was t hinking along sim ilar lines, and I was glad Randall was not accom panying us. Randall had had enough of Naderville and Lenk and Fassid and t he m ess of Lam arckia's hum an world- lines. He m ight not care what would t rigger Brion's anger. Brion arrived several m inut es lat er, wit h four arm ed soldiers and a lit he brown m an wit h spiky, short - cut black 470
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hair. Brion seem ed anxious. “ This is Ser Frick,” Brion said. “ He's been wit h m e for m any years, since I cam e t o Godwin.” We int roduced ourselves as if we were going on a social cruise, t hen set t led on t he padded seat s, and our guards and t hree of t he arm ed m en ret urned t o t he dock. Brion wore gloves, khaki- colored pant s, and a dark brown shirt . I n one hand he carried a piece of st ring wrapped t ight ly around his index finger. Frick wore a t hin, loose black coat , faded rose- colored vest , and baggy dark brown pant s. “ The weat her's going t o be warm up t he canal t oday,” Frick said, set t ling int o t he bench seat . “ She's been keeping it warm for weeks.” Brion nodded and st ared across t he canal at t he opposit e shore, one eyebrow raised. He wound and unwound his st ring. “ How long is t his t rip?” Salap asked. “ Two days up, t wo days back,” Frick said. The pilot swit ched on t he elect ric m ot ors and t he boat pushed out int o t he st ream , which flowed west from t he int erior of Hsia. “ That wom an is awful,” Brion said a few m inut es lat er, lift ing his chin from his hand and sit t ing st raight on t he seat . “ Which wom an?” Salap asked. “ Fassid. We had a bad discussion t his m orning, very unfair. I explained m y posit ion yest erday very well, I t hink, t elling t hem I could do lit t le m ore even if we negot iat ed for m ont hs. They asked m e again t o keep General Beys and his soldiers here, and I t old t hem I was unable t o do t hat .” 471
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“ Beys kidnapped children and slaught ered villagers,” I said. “ I do not defend all of his act ions, but he is m uch t oo useful for m e t o j ust recall him . He's a t horn in Lenk's side.” Brion would not m eet m y eye, but his face went t hrough a spect rum of t wit ches and half frowns as he gazed across t he river. “ I doubt I would defend m y own act ions, if you decided t o challenge m e in a Hexam on court ,” he cont inued. Salap sat like a pat ient cat , face relaxed but eyes alert . We bot h knew t hese m en could order t he crew t o kill us and t hrow us int o t he canal at any m om ent , and t here would be few if any repercussions. Clouds m oved in above t he canal and surrounding t hicket silva. The dark cliffs of arborid growt h declined t o height s of less t han a dozen m et ers as t he boat pushed up t he canal, and broad areas had been burned and cleared for farm s. The open fields of chalky rubble beneat h t he t hicket s had apparent ly yielded lit t le in t he way of crops, however, and t he land seem ed t o have been abandoned, leaving sad, naked scars along t he canal. A whit e- j acket ed st eward st ooped out of t he forward cabin and served us glasses of wat er and slices of sweet green m elonlike fruit . Frick persist ed in asking for det ails on Thist ledown as we at e. “ What 's it like t here now? I 've t ried t o grasp t he possibilit y of t im e lags in t he geom et ry st acks ... How m any years have passed t here, since we left ?” I saw no reason t o dissem ble. “ About five years, Way t im e.” 472
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Frick's face fell. “ That 's all? I 've spent m y whole life here and I 'm less t han five years old...” “ No one underst ood what we would be facing, least of all Lenk,” Brion said. “ I t hink Able Lenk recognizes his m ist akes,” Salap said soft ly. “ I t is t oo lat e t o wallow in accusat ions and recrim inat ions.” “ I f we j udge who will lead, and who will prevail when m aj or decisions have t o be m ade,” Brion said, “ surely we m ust j udge. Mist akes m at t er.” “ Lenk regret s not sending m ore help t o you,” Salap said. Brion's eyes narrowed t o slit s and his lips curled wit h cont em pt . “ I t was a policy, not an oversight . First Godwin, and t hen Naderville, was an affront t o his legit im acy, t o his record.” “ I am concerned wit h what you are going t o show us,” Salap said. “ I am less concerned wit h how you and Lenk disagree, or who is going t o overcom e whom .” “ I appreciat e your blunt ness,” Brion said. “ I t 's what I expect ed of you, Ser Salap. So few people care t o speak direct ly t o m e. I 'm t reat ed like a willful child. I 'm not all t hat t em peram ent al.” He seem ed t o relax. “ I don't worry about m y m ist akes wit h Lenk, or t he m ist akes of m y predecessors. Though t hey t ruly est ablished our isolat ion before I ever arrived ... But perhaps you're right . There's no end t o t hat kind of recrim inat ion. Lenk is no saint . No saint at all.” I quelled t he urge t o ask about t he orders given t o General Beys, and whet her t here would ever be an account ing and 473
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reckoning for him . However well Brion t ook Salap's words, he m ight react quit e different ly t o m ine. The st eward laid out breads and sm all, bluish grapelike fruit on a t ray. “ We have fundam ent ally m isunderst ood t his planet ,” Brion said. “ I 'm as m uch t o blam e as anyone. We looked at it wit h blinkered eyes, expect ing sim ple relat ionships bet ween sim ple organism s, however large. We t hought in t erm s of cent ral aut horit ies, self- aware int elligence or personalit y. There has been neit her self- awareness nor personalit y on Lam arckia. There has been vit al direct ion, order, and of course change. Som et im es frant ic change. But not what we could call a self.” “ What were your m ist akes?” Salap asked aft er a m om ent of silence. I wondered if perhaps Salap had not been such a fort unat e choice aft er all. Randall m ight have shown m ore discret ion. I hoped he knew what he was aft er, and what it m ight cost us. “ I was grieving,” Brion said. “ I was not rat ional. I felt I had no friends on t his world, except for t he land, t he ecos. I felt very close t o it . I st ill do. My great est m ist ake.” “ Why grieving?” I asked. “ Cait la died,” Brion said. “ My wife. Hyssha's sist er. We were born in t he sam e t riad fam ily on Elizabet h's Land, grew up t oget her, lived t oget her pract ically all our lives. We were t he first t o t ravel t o t he head of t he canal. I depended on her.” Frick, out of Brion's view, lift ed his fingers t o his lips and shook his head slowly, warning us away from t hese t opics for now. 474
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I suddenly cared lit t le for Lam arckia's secret s, as if Brion's int erest and passion had t aint ed t hem . Hour aft er hour, kilom et er aft er kilom et er, t he canal t hreaded due east int o Hsia's int erior wit h a series of barely percept ible bends and j ogs, faint curves on it s st eady j ourney. The wat ers, Brion said, had been flowing here for at least t en m illion years; t he canal and t he hundreds of branch canals t hat drew from t hese wat ers, suffusing t hem int o t he inland reaches like blood int o t issue, had once been part s of a nat ural river syst em , but had been adapt ed by t he ecos t o it s own purposes. “ Unt il recent ly, t hese wat ers carried replacem ent scions in float ing clust ers, like raft s,” Brion said. “ The canal was t hick wit h t hem .” The wat ers flowed clear and em pt y. “ What happened t o t hem ?” Salap asked. “ They st opped com ing down about a m ont h ago. Som et hing's going on, perhaps a fluxing. I haven't been up t he canal t o t he Valley of Dawn in several m ont hs ... I left Cait la t here, and ... I suppose I didn't have t he courage t o ret urn. Besides, preparing for Lenk's visit has dist ract ed m e. Now t hat he's here, I wonder why I 've worked so hard.” Frick t ried t o change t he subj ect , t o st eer him back t o affairs in Thist ledown, anyt hing t o keep Brion occupied and his m ind off t his subj ect , but t he sm all m an gravit at ed back t o it . “ I 've becom e lonely wit hout m y wife.” His face went blank as he st ared in m y direct ion. “ Being wit h her is a different kind of loneliness.” 475
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“ Your wife?” Salap asked, puzzled. Frick's face went pale. “ No,” Brion said dist ant ly. “ Cait la died.” “ I 'm m ost curious about t he current Nexus's at t it ude t oward Lam arckia,” Frick said, fidget ing on t he bench. Brion t urned t o him , his large liquid green eyes filled wit h hurt as if Frick had som ehow insult ed him . Frick's j it t ers becam e serious. For a m om ent I t hought he m ight suddenly spring out of t he boat . Brion looked away from Frick, and his eyes focused on m ine. “ I get very dark, t hinking about it ,” he said. “ I t m akes m e feel so inferior. And I 've worked hard t o earn t his pride. I 've t aken t he wreck I found in Godwin, and pat ched it , and st eered it t hrough bad st orm s. I t 's a m iracle any of us are alive—and no t hanks t o Lenk. “ I should be free t o have m y pride, but she's t aken it from m e. I 'm sure she has. The canal's been em pt y for weeks now.” Salap gave m e a lidded, dubious look. Conversat ion lapsed, m uch t o Frick's relief. The sun em erged from behind clouds and t he air becam e t hick and hum id. We had passed t he barren gaps of old farm land. Along t he shore, t he black cliffs of t he t hicket s t owered t hirt y and fort y m et ers above t he canal, and t he wat er echoed and splashed as it raced down side t unnels like so m any swallowing t hroat s. The st eward laid out padded sleeping m at s on t he deck and we slept under t he double arc of st ars. I st ared up at t he 476
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st ars t hrough a t hin night haze over t he canal, wondering if I would dream again when I slept . My m ot her would recognize m e now. Helpless, m ort al, sleeping, and wit h dream s. The canal wat er lapped at t he hull of t he boat , lulling m e. Toward t he bow, Brion and Frick slept , one of t hem snoring faint ly. Salap lay on t op of t he cabin. I f he slept , he did not snore. “ Unless you know where you are, you don't know who you are.” I began t o know where I was. We awoke in a golden fog. The m ist - t hick m orning air burned gold over t he canal. The st eward brought a hot , yeast y decoct ion in a silver pot and poured it int o cups, t hen served warm , crisp cakes for breakfast . We sat beneat h t he canopy as t he fog burned off, all but Brion, who kept t o him self near t he bow. Frick chat t ed light ly about incident als, filling t he t im e wit h st ories of t rivial social event s surrounding Brion. I did not find his st ories am using, but what he said filled t he t im e and offended no one. My but t becam e sore wit h sit t ing. I st ood and walked aft , st anding near t he st ern t o wat ch our wake in t he em pt y wat er. On t he shores of t he canal, t he t hicket s becam e gnarled, t heir black clipped edges t urning light purple and irregular, lum py. Only once did I see som et hing m oving t hrough t he branches, like a huge brown eart hworm . Salap cam e aft t o sit beside m e as t he hours passed int o evening. 477
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“ The capt ain and I st udied t his coast years ago,” he said. “ Though we never went up t his canal, or even as far as t he lake. Wit hin t he t hicket s, t here are m any dozens of t ypes of scions. That was back when Lenk was t rying t o rom ance t he wom en who ran t hings in Godwin. Bring t hem back int o t he fold ... But I don't see m uch scion act ivit y now. Perhaps Brion is right , and som e sort of fluxing is im m inent .” “ Are you sure t here's no ot her ecoi on Hsia?” I asked. “ None t hat have been discovered. This one is old, old, perhaps older t han any ot her on Lam arckia. Baker t hought it m ight be t he ancest or of all ecoi. I believe it covers t he ent ire cont inent .” That aft ernoon, we passed a large flat boat loaded wit h m ounds of dark, fine dirt —som e sort of ore. Brion sat on t he bow wit h knees drawn up and wat ched it pass down t he canal. Several bare- chest ed m en on t he flat boat waved cheerfully, and Brion waved back once. He said t o Frick, “ A light er haul again. She's not piling it up like she used t o.” Salap squat t ed beside m e and frowned. “ Who is t his ‘she’ he keeps t alking about ?” he whispered. “ What does ‘she’ have t o do wit h piles of dirt ? I 'm sick of m yst ery.” “ I t 's his show,” I said, and t hought of t he Fishless Sea and it s m yst ery at t ract ion. As evening cam e, we passed anot her flat boat , half loaded wit h piles of brown and red logs like st acked sausages. “ Food,” Frick said. “ More t han we could ever hope t o grow ourselves.” But som et hing bot hered him about t he boat , and he went forward t o st oop beside Brion. They t alked in 478
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whispers for a while, and Brion becam e agit at ed, finally waving Frick away. Ahead, t he canal broadened int o a sm all lake. All around t he lake shore, long dark st ruct ures like huge cocoons, wit h fibrous gray walls, prot ruded halfway int o t he wat er. Bet ween t he cocoons lay flat open spaces, and offshore from one of t hese spaces, a float ing crane wit h a shovel at t achm ent was busily clearing four m ounds of ore and loading t hem int o a t hird flat boat . The ore lay in dim inishing piles in a clearing t hat m ight have once held a dozen or m ore m ounds of sim ilar size. “ Are you curious?” Brion called back t o us. “ Very curious,” Salap answered. “ Let it build, let it build,” Brion said. “ I t 's seldom I have so m any int elligent wit nesses. Allow m e a lit t le dram a.” Salap t apped his fingert ips on t he rear gunwale, head lowered. “ Pit y us, Ser Olm y. Lenk has always behaved like one kind of child. Brion is anot her.” There had been a m axim in Thist ledown polit ical science classes: t hat t he governed shaped t heir governors. This was not quit e t he sam e as saying t hat t he people got t he governm ent t hey deserved, but it point ed in t hat direct ion. What galled m e was t he pain and suffering of t he innocent , t hose t oo young t o m ake a choice, t hose born on Lam arckia. But Brion had been one of t hose, t oo. “ I f I had been a scient ist on t he Thist ledown, or in t he Way,” Salap said, “ how m any m ore int elligent , m ore capable m en and wom en would st and ahead of m e, occupying t he finest posit ions, m aking t he great est discoveries?” 479
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“ So?” I asked, puzzled. “ I know m yself, Ser Olm y. I am one of t he m ost int elligent people on t his planet .” “ And t hat worries you,” I said. “ I t t errifies m e. I long for m y superiors.” He peered across t he calm wat ers at t he shores of t his st range lake. “ Who m ines t he ore? Where does it com e from ?” “ She does,” I suggest ed. “ His dead wife, Cait la.” Salap m used, “ We are in a land of dream s, Ser Olm y.” The lake passed behind, t he canal narrowed and deepened, and we saw no m ore flat boat s, or any ot her boat s at all. The pilot pushed us against t he slow st eady wat ers, t he elect ric m ot ors hum m ing, t he screws leaving a shim m ering wake behind, set wit h j ewels of fire from t he west ering sun. The sunset light m ade Salap a gilded pirat e. We said lit t le t o each ot her. I t hink bot h of us expect ed t o die soon; eit her Brion's prem onit ions of change would be t rue, and t he change, what ever it was, would kill us, or Brion him self would change and kill us... Our chances seem ed slim . I t hought oft en of Shirla, and hoped she was being t reat ed well, but in t rut h, all t he people we had left behind—dead or alive—seem ed t o ret reat in m em ory as well as t im e. My universe narrowed t o t he boat , t he canal, Salap, and Brion. All ot hers—even Frick and t he boat 's crew—were supernum eraries. Frick crept aft oft en enough and spoke t o us. He seem ed even m ore acut ely aware of his m ort alit y. His nervous chat t er 480
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becam e an irrit at ion, and was seldom inform at ive. He would not answer direct quest ions, deferring inst ead t o Brion, who sat near t he bow like a sad, unappeasable m onkey. Before our dinner was served, I walked forward and st ood beside him . I was cat ching som e of Salap's at t it ude and feeling im pat ient , even reckless. He peered up at m e expect ant ly. “ You m ake everybody nervous,” I said soft ly. “ I s t hat what you want ?” “ I am a powerful m an, Ser Olm y. But I 'm not capricious. I 've ruled t his part of Lam arckia wit h a st eady hand and done well, under t he circum st ances. Rough t im es m ake for rough decisions.” “ At t he risk of displeasing you, I 'd like t o describe what I saw upriver from Calcut t a.” Brion t urned away wit h a roll of his eyes. “ No doubt som e of General Beys's doings,” he said. “ Not one of his successes.” “ I haven't spoken about such t hings wit h General Beys,” Brion said. “ You gave him orders t o look for resources, t o gat her children and equipm ent from undefended villages?” “ I know him well. He is not a m onst er. I appoint ed him aft er t he worst fam ine, aft er he had lost his children and his wife ... He had no fam ily at all t hen. He had a look in his eye t hat t old m e he would be useful. So lit t le left t o live for.” “ I arrived on Lam arckia near a village called Moonrise. Nearly everybody in t he village had been killed. They would not agree t o give Beys sm all deposit s of ore. I presum e Beys 481
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want ed t o t ake t he ore wit hout working t hrough Lenk ... and t hat t he ore you get here was not sufficient .” “ Are you going t o put m e t hrough som e sort of inquisit ion? I gave up self- crit icism aft er Cait la died.” “ I j ust want t o pass on t his bad m em ory.” He blinked slowly. “ I f you have t o.” I t old him about t he bodies piled high wit hin t he buildings in Moonrise, t he im placable soldiers on t he flat boat s on t he Terra Nova, about t he t rap above Calcut t a and t he children spilling int o t he river. I described t he expression on t he face of t he soldier as he m et hodically and dispassionat ely fired his rifle from t he prow of t he flat boat . “ He was shoot ing at everybody. Even at t he children in t he river.” “ He was fright ened out of his wit s,” Brion said. “ He was your hand,” I said. “ Your killing hand.” My anger had built so suddenly I heard a hissing in m y ears, m y heart pounded, and I bit m y lip unt il I felt under cont rol again. Brion had been saying, alm ost unheard, “ I don't underst and what you m ean. He was a soldier.” “ You m ade him ,” I said, voice low. Salap cam e forward, concerned. I was put t ing us in danger. I was t he one who should have st ayed behind. But Brion's face was bright , alm ost cheerful. “ Tell m e how you t hink I am responsible for everybody on Lam arckia,” he said. “ That 's a curious idea.” “ What good does it do your people when you set loose m onst ers and fools, who kill wit hout need, who dest roy what you can't use?” 482
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“ I expect bet t er from t he Hexam on. Are you sure you're not a pret ender?” He chuckled and shook his head. He was right , of course. I was not expressing m yself clearly. “ General Beys did not hing t o help Naderville or you,” I said. “ You have caused people t o be killed for no reason. You've opened t he gat es t o old, evil hist ory. You won't be able t o close t hem when Lenk is gone.” Brion leaned forward, eyes wide and sharp, lips drawn back in a feral grin. “ I have t hought long and hard about t hese t hings, Ser Olm y. What you call ‘old, evil hist ory’ is t he growt h and m at urat ion of sm all groups of hum ans. I f Lam arckia were ever populat ed t o t he densit y of Thist ledown, we'd behave very different ly. Lenk opened t he doors t o hist ory when he brought us here, four t housand people alone on a huge world. I f you want t o find t he fat her of t hat poor bast ard on t he flat boat , don't look t o m e ... Look t o Lenk.” He waved his hand t hen, and Frick hast ened us back t o t he benches am idships, under t he canopy, t elling som e inane st ory about how m any celebrat ions t here had been when t he food on t he flat boat s first began arriving. A light shower fell as evening set in. Brion st ayed out in t he wet , st aring at t he nort hern bank of t he canal, now and t hen wiping t he rain from his face wit h a m easured and exact ly duplicat ed swipe of his hand. The st eward, a m an whose qualificat ions were efficiency, quiet reserve, and such a presence t hat he would fade from m em ory and pass unnot iced, served a dark sweet beer and cold cakes wit h a t angy syrup. He swit ched t he light s on around t he boat . We kept t o t he cent er of t he canal, t he 483
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m ot ors hum m ing and pushing us along at seven or eight knot s, t he boat a sm all spot of light in fixed and endless obscurit y. Brion cam e back t o t he seat s beneat h t he canopy, dripping and soaked, his hair hanging dark and shiny, and accept ed a t owel from t he st eward. “ I 'm no m onst er,” he said. “ I 'm no m onst er,” he repeat ed aft er he sat , hoist ing t he glass of sweet beer. “ I did not com e here t o im pose a single m ind's philosophy on st rangeness and wonder. I did not convince four t housand people t hat m y every word was t rut h and t hat t he world t hey had grown up in, t hat had shaped t heir t hought , was an evil place full of evil schem es t hat had t o be escaped from .” “ You blam e all t his on Lenk,” I said. “ Even what you do, or order done.” Frick sank back int o a shadowy corner. Salap m urm ured t hat t his discussion was useless. But Brion flared. “ Do you know how t his all began, Ser Olm y? Has anyone discovered m y lit t le personal bit of hist ory in Lenk's privat e dom ain? Cait la and I loved each ot her from a very young age. We went t o At henai as Lenk school t eachers, and were privileged enough t o m eet wit h Lenk him self, Good Lenk, Able Lenk. Lenk becam e enam ored of Cait la and her sist er—” “ Ser Brion—” Frick at t em pt ed t o int errupt . He seem ed ready once again t o leap overboard. “ This is m y st ory, dam n us all,” Brion said, reaching out and pushing against Frick's out st ret ched hand. “ I f Ser Olm y is from t he Hexam on, t hen he plays a j udge—he m ust ! he 484
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cannot do ot herwise—for t he people I would m ost like t o em ulat e. I was very young when m y parent s brought m e here—seven years old. I had no choice. Neit her did Cait la.” He leaned back against t he rear pad of t he bench and glared at m e, t hen cursed under his breat h and leaned forward, folding his hands as if in prayer, t ouching his nose t o his t hum bs. “ Lenk becam e enam ored of Cait la. He paid form al suit t o her. He was already m arried, of course, and she refused him . He would not t ake her refusal. He was an old and revered m an, t o us. Hyssha knew we were in love and went t o him . He t ook her ... But t hat was not enough. He want ed Cait la. Finally, Cait la and I had no choice but t o leave At henai. We could not go anywhere in Lenk's dom ain wit hout being found and brought back. He would not kill us, no, he was not t hat kind of m onst er. But he considered cert ain t hings his privilege, his paym ent for being who he was, what he was t o all of his people. He would t ake a few choice t idbit s now and t hen, t o m ake up for t he m isery of being a leader, a prophet , alm ost a god. So we st ole a boat and crossed t o Hsia, t o Godwin. That 's how it began, Ser Olm y. Ten years ago.” Frick closed his eyes and sat across from Brion, t rem bling as if wit h his own grief. “ We grew up in Lam arckia. To m e when I was young it seem ed a rich and wonderful world t hat did not act ively fight us, but did not accept us, eit her. I learned early t hat we are not part of t he flesh of t his living place. We have suffered and died because we st ood bet ween t wo philosophies—t o m ake t his place ours, and m ake it fit our rules, and t o let it develop 485
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as if we never exist ed. Lenk ... could not decide.” He st ared at m e, t he whit es of his eyes prom inent . “ What have you decided?” I asked. “ I am all for Lam arckia,” Brion said. “ Yet I have fought against it , ordered it s t issue ripped away and t he land exposed for hum an farm s m aking hum an food—and when t he crops died, t ried t o harness t he ecos, t o fit m y people in t o what was available ... And st ill we st arved. Because I loved m y people, I profaned t his cont inent , as ot hers had before m e. Unt il I learned anot her way. “ I did not bow down t o Lenk, would not surrender m y wife t o him , so he let m y people die wit hout lift ing a finger.” “ He claim s you did not ask for help,” Salap said. This finally drew out Brion's full fury. He t urned t o Salap, face t wist ed, cheeks red, wit h red spot s and a vein st anding out on his forehead. “ Dear Fat e and Breat h, I t old him all t hat was happening! I had responsibilit ies. I asked for his help despit e m y hat red. There were no secret s bet ween us about how m y people suffered! ” Salap rem ained cool as ice. His t hin black m ust ache barely t wit ched at one corner. “ Whet her Ser Olm y is here t o j udge us or not , I expressly do not j udge, and I have been sequest ered from polit ics for so long I am clearly out of t ouch.” Brion st ared bet ween us wit h a wild, despairing expression for long, painful seconds. Then his expression ret urned t o alert calm wit h a speed t hat could be explained only by great skill, or t he presence of a deep chasm in his em ot ions, a kind of fault - line t hrough his being. I had seen t he abilit y in ot her 486
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leaders, t o assum e m asks so oft en and wit h such convict ion even t hey could not know t heir t rue feelings. Self- t rut h is a luxury leaders can seldom afford, or perhaps t olerat e. But in Brion, t he t alent had becom e som et hing m ore, even an illness. I had Brion's m easure now. He was not a great m an, not even in t he im pure sense of prom pt ing or guiding great event s. He was a m an of sm all, specific t alent s. And he had been badly scarred. Whet her he t old us t he t rut h, I could not j udge, but t he pain was real. “ Lam arckia is about t o flower,” he said soft ly. “ Cait la and I did t hat , at least . And when it does, what place will she give us, what place can we have?” The count ryside covered by t hicket , t he black or purplish edges of which rose along t he sides of t he canal like t opiary walls, cam e t o an end as t he boat pushed int o m orning. I awoke having dream ed of a hall and t he unpleasant door again, t o t he sm ell of cakes sizzling in a pan, and som et hing else pungent and herbal, like fresh hot t ar m ixed wit h black t ea, m olasses wit h roses, spruce gum wit h t he scent of newm own grass—a perfum e I have not since been able t o replicat e eit her in life or m em ory: t he sm ell of t he living palaces of t he great seed- m ot hers of all Hsia. We had com e int o a huge fresh- wat er inland sea or lake, t he sout hern and east ern shores lost beyond t he horizon, t he nort hern close by, perhaps t wo kilom et ers off. The waves lapped cryst al blue around t he boat , and from t he shore—a brilliant green shore, low and flat , covered wit h im m ense t apering green st alks like t he shoot s of young plant s but 487
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wit hout leaves—cam e a windy, shooshing, t rilling sound, as alien as anyt hing I ever heard on Lam arckia. “ Eart h was a green world,” Nim zhian had said on Mart ha's I sland. Nowhere on Lam arckia had t here ever been t his im m ensit y of green. Brion st ood on t he bow, caught half- dressed and t ransfixed by t he sight . Salap calm ly washed his face in t he lake wat er, glancing up at m e as I put on m y shirt and accept ed a cup of yeast y brot h from t he st eward. “ Look at all she's done! ” Brion called out . “ I t 's been only t hree m ont hs, and how m any t housands of hect ares she's changed! ” Salap st ood beside m e forward of t he single m et al t ree and st ared at t he shore, eyes narrowed. The st eward brought a t ray of cakes forward and offered t hem . Frick leaned on t he canopy. A light wind blew t hrough his hair, his whit e shirt hung open beneat h his faded rose- colored vest , and he grinned as if drunk. “ How do you claim t o have done t his?” Salap asked Brion. “ I don't j ust claim it ,” Brion said. “ I know t he t rut h, because aft er she m ade t he ones in our own shape, and we showed her where she had gone wrong ... Aft er she m ade t he food we could eat and filt ered from her ground t he ores and placed t hem where we could gat her t hem , I paid her back. I have st udied her for years, and I knew her weakness, her inefficiency.” He st ared at Salap, eyes blinking rapidly. “ What did you give her?” Salap asked. “ What is she?” I asked sim ult aneously. 488
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Brion shook his head, plainly awed and even a lit t le fright ened by what he saw on t he shore. He scram bled aft and grabbed a cake from Frick's t ray, gobbling it like a hungry child. “ More t han I could have im agined,” he said. “ Forget t rying t o replace our dead children. Forget t rying t o t each her scions t o speak. None of t hat m eant anyt hing t o her. She did not underst and. She could im it at e, but she could not underst and. I t was our bot t le t hat she t ook and gloried in.” “ We don't underst and,” Salap said pat ient ly. “ I dist illed it and purified it from weeds in a pond out side our sleeping quart ers. Decorat ive weeds Lenk brought from Thist ledown, lovely sim ple t hings. Easy t o isolat e what she needed and present it t o her in a bot t le, concent rat ed, unm ist akable.” “ Chlorophyll,” Salap said. Brion sm iled. “ Lam arckia's weakness,” he said, crum bs falling from his m out h. “ Not j ust chlorophyll, but t he chloroplast s, t he whole int ricat e phot osynt het ic st ruct ures of our plant s, isolat ed and in cont ext . St arches and sugars and t he ent ire cycle, all in a bot t le. And she underst ood. She gave us t he experim ent s you saw in Naderville. Cait la's garden. The cleansing airborne phyt ids. More food. I could have signaled Beys t o ret urn hom e, because I knew t hen t hat we had won. We would be able t o feed our people and m ake m achines and creat e our lit t le enclave ... We did not need anybody else.” “ But you didn't call him back,” I said. 489
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“ No. Cait la said we had t o be t rue t o our prom ise. We had t o look for you, Ser Olm y, t he agent or agent s of t he Hexam on, and we had t o bring Lenk low, t o m ake it clear t hat hum ans could not survive here. And t hen we would leave Lam arckia wit h t he gift we had given her.” “ You keep m ent ioning a she. Who or what is she?” I asked again. “ The seed- m ot her, t he queen?” Brion point ed t o t he east . Above a blue horizon haze, we saw seven huge black t runks or t owers rising inland. Each was at least four or five hundred m et ers t all, and sevent y t o a hundred m et ers across at t he base. “ I don't know what she is, exact ly. What part she is, wit h a new shape, I m ean ... Or whet her she's som et hing com plet ely new. She m ay not have even been creat ed yet . But we will know her when we see her.” Brion t urned t oward Salap and m e. His eyes wavered bet ween us, t hen fixed on m e wit h a look of bot h det erm inat ion and desperat ion. “ The Hexam on m ust com e and t ake us back. She has what she needs. No ot her ecos can challenge her now.” The pilot pulled t he boat int o a narrow inlet t hat curved east and t hen nort h from t he shore of t he lake. We m ot ored quiet ly bet ween dense walls of int ense blue- green growt h, broad fernlike leaves wit h wat er glist ening on t he m yriad t ips, t hin helical st alks corkscrewing t hrough t he growt h and rising dozens of m et ers above t his m oving, shuddering m ass, t he im m ense green st alks or shoot s we had seen from t he dist ance, sprout s t he size of giant sequoias. Salap wore an expression I had not seen on him even when we found t he 490
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hom unculi on Mart ha's I sland: baffled wonderm ent . “ I t is a new silva,” he said. “ Everyt hing is different .” The lat e- m orning light reflect ed from t his new ebullience of green m ade us all look like creat ures swim m ing in ocean shallows. Brion's pale skin in part icular t ook on a greenish cast . He crouched on t he bow, elbows on his knees, fingers st raight ening and folding like spider's legs, and licked his lips const ant ly. “ I hope we can find t he landing,” he called back. “ I t 's not far now ... I hope she hasn't knocked it down in her ent husiasm .” The scions in t he vivarium had im it at ed specific variet ies of t errest rial plant life. Here, t he im it at ion was superficial or parallel. Clearly, what ever cont rolled t he new growt h was st art ing from sim ple beginnings and creat ing new plans and schem es at a prodigious rat e. Shadows passed overhead: im m ense balloons t railing long black cables passed over t he new silva, t heir undersides fest ooned wit h lacework basket s filled wit h green balls t he size of m y fist . The cables curled and danced over t he silva, t ouching down, cont ract ing, pulling t he balloon in one direct ion, and t hen anot her cable j erking it at a t hirt y or fort y degree angle in anot her direct ion. The balloons t raveled at five or six knot s, and t hree passed over us before we reached t he landing Brion was searching for. The pilot worked t he boat carefully back and fort h t o bum p against t he t ip of t he xyla dock, which had alm ost been overgrown. Brion j um ped ont o t he dock and lift ed his arm s. A 491
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t hick t angle of fernlike leaves and yellow- green st alks curled up and part ed at his feet like grass rolled in a m an's palm . “ She rem em bers?” Brion said. “ Com e on. I t 's a brisk walk from here—t hree kilom et ers t o t he t owers.” The crew of t he boat and Brion's guards would not be com ing wit h us. They seem ed relieved. Frick t ook several bags of food and four cant eens from t he st eward, who looked at t he t eem ing silva nervously. Before we st epped off t he boat , Frick pulled a slat e from his pocket and unfolded it , t hen gest ured for Salap and m e t o look at t he screen. A dark- haired wom an, som ber and coldly beaut iful, wit h a dist inct resem blance t o Hyssha, looked back at us wit h skept ical eyes. “ This was Cait la,” he said soft ly. Then he nodded for us t o proceed. Brion plunged t hrough t he part ing growt h wit h m anic energy, like a boat plowing it s own wake in reversed t im e. Aft er several m inut es we could not see him , but followed on his pat h t hrough t he new silva. Salap asked Frick, “ How does he know which direct ion t o go?” “ I t 's m aking a t rail. I t shows us where t o go,” Frick said, sweat ing in t he hum id heat . I caught a faint whiff of sulfur— m ore volcanic act ivit y. Every few dozen m et ers, we passed t hrough a kind of clearing where t he new green scions clung low t o t he ground, and we could see t he t owers. They were hung wit h a t hick pelt of creepers and growt hs not green, but purple or black. We m ade st eady if not beeline progress t oward t hem . Anot her dark balloon j erked and glided overhead, bearing it s cargo t o t he west . 492
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“ I t experim ent s wit h t he new green form s,” Salap said, “ but keeps it s cent ral part s unchanged.” He point ed t o t he t owers. “ I s he t aking us t here?” he asked Frick. Frick nodded. “ I 've been here wit h t hem five t im es,” he said. “ I t 's never looked like t his.” Aft er fift een m inut es of st eady walking, we caught sight of Brion. He st ood facing nort h at t he t op of a hill rising t en m et ers above t he level ground, covered wit h a knee- deep t angle of long green creepers lit t le t hicker t han st rings. He t urned t o call down t he slope t o us, “ You can see what she's up t o. You can see t he whole plan from here.” We clim bed t he hill and st ood beside him . The sm ell of t he creepers, pressed against our shoes, was int ensely fruit y, and t iny puffs of red dust shot up above our knees. On a level now wit h m ost of t he new silva—only t he im m ense green shoot s rose higher t han t he hill—we saw a spreading carpet of int ense blue- green, banded wit h concent ric loops of light er yellow- green. We could see t he edge of t he growt h t o t he nort h, and a boundary bet ween old silva and new—green supplant ing brown, black, and purple t hicket . Across t he ecoscape, em erging from bet ween t he seven pillars, an effervescence of hundreds of black and purple and red t ransport er balloons t ugged and drift ed t o t he out er perim et ers, replacing dying scions from t he air wit h new green growt hs. “ How long unt il t his reaches Naderville?” Frick asked. “ I don't know,” Brion said. “ A week or less, I est im at e,” Salap said. “ Are your people prepared?” 493
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“ I don't know how we can be prepared,” Brion said. He st art ed down t he opposit e slope of t he hill. I t urned and surveyed from our relat ively high vant age, locat ing t he inlet , t he wat ers of t he lake reaching t o t he horizon in t he sout h, and back around t o t he pillars again. A breat hy warbling whist le, soft and plaint ive, cam e from t he sout h, perhaps from t he lake shores. The sound m ade m e shiver. That so m uch power and m oving change would m ake such a sim ple, birdlike noise, seem ed bot h t ypical of Lam arckia, and t errifying. To t he west , cum ulus and glowering t hunderheads built soft m ount ains. Brion called from t he m argin of t he silva, as it again part ed before him , “ The ecos m akes it s own weat her. There will be rain wit hin a few days—wait and see.” “ Yes,” Salap m ut t ered. “ We've experienced t hat phenom enon.” We caught up wit h Brion again five m inut es lat er. He st ood in a blind alley, t he scions ahead refusing t o part . He paced back and fort h, sweat st ream ing down his face. Frick handed him a m arked cant een and he drank deeply and wiped his m out h on his sleeve. Frick handed us ot her cant eens. Brion drank from his own and nobody else's. Brion t ook a deep breat h. “ I t wouldn't lead us t his far and no fart her...” He cont inued pacing, brushing past m e. Again, from t he sout h, t he breat hless warbling. Salap t ook advant age of t he pause t o m ore closely inspect t he m orphology of t hese new green scions. “ I t hink t hey are all experim ent al variet ies of foodm akers,” he concluded. “ She—t he ecos, I m ean—is 494
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experim ent ing wit h t he m ost efficient st ruct ures. St oring nut rient s, using t hem t o prom ot e scion product ion in t he cent er ... Where we are going.” Beneat h our feet , brown t angles and shreds like t wist ed and splint ered dead branches form ed t he floor of t he silva. Pale whit e t ubes pushed t hrough t he det rit us. Where one of us had st epped on a t ube near t he surface, it leaked a m ilky fluid in st eady drips. Salap applied a drop of t he fluid t o his t ongue. “ I t 's sweet ,” he said. A new m achine, a new experim ent . “ Would you have done t his?” I asked Salap as Brion rest lessly st alked back along t he t rail, out of hearing. “ I don't know,” Salap said t hought fully. He cocked an eyebrow at m e. “ I f I had t hought of it , who knows what I would have done? We do not know what he was bargaining wit h ... What sort of form , organism , he and his wife were com m unicat ing wit h. Or how t hey com m unicat ed.” “ I saw t hem ,” Frick said, hunkering down t o wait . He nodded and wiped his forehead wit h a clot h. “ They were sm all, black worm t hings, on seven or nine legs. They m ade sounds like hum an speech, and t hey t ook t hings from us, our food and equipm ent , and brought back ot her t hings in exchange. Brion and Cait la showed t hem plant s in pot s and in bot t les, and in days, t he black t hings brought back im it at ions. Cait la was ecst at ic. Lat er, on t he t hird t rip, I saw t he first one t hat t ried t o look hum an. I t even t ried t o speak. We com m unicat ed by gest ures, but it didn't have real eyes. I t — she ... it t ried t o appear fem ale—t racked us by our heat , I t hink. Ser Brion and Cait la showed it m ore plant s. Cait la's 495
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favorit es. I t m ade even bet t er im it at ions and we t ook t hem back wit h us t o t he vivarium . “ But I 've never seen her. The one he's hoping for. When we were last here, aft er Cait la died, I st ayed on t he boat . None of t his j ungle was here.” “ I s he hoping for som et hing like his wife?” I asked. “ An im it at ion?” Frick didn't enj oy t hat t hought at all. He shift ed from one crooked leg t o t he ot her and wiped his eyes wit h his fingers, grim acing. “ I knew Cait la,” he said. “ She was a st ern but fine wom an. She suit ed Ser Brion wonderfully. When she died, we all felt her loss deeply. Ser Brion was devast at ed. Hyssha, t oo.” I could not equat e any of t his wit h t he raids and m urders. I n t he m iddle of so m uch change, deat h and cruelt y and incom pet ence m ight lose all t heir im port ance. My own deat h m ight be com plet ely appropriat e, or m eaningless. I would give up t rying t o reconcile t hose cruelt ies. Aft er m y out burst in front of Brion, I had lost any sense of m ission or role; I was no bet t er, no m ore powerful, t han Frick. I had finally earned m y hum ilit y, m y perfect sense of m ort alit y. I wondered what it would be like t o be in t he m iddle of t his greening, growing silva, alone, for days or weeks. Shirla provided t he only fram e of reference I could not shake m yself loose from . I want ed t o see her, t o m ake sure she was well. I f we could m eet again, I would have new bearings, a new sense of purpose, free of Thist ledown and t he Way. 496
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Brion ret urned t o t he t rem bling barricade again and st ood silent , head bowed. “ I am pat ient ,” he m urm ured. “ I am pat ient .” St ill, t he barricade rem ained. “ We have enough food and wat er,” he said. “ We'll wait here unt il t om orrow. I 'm sorry. This hasn't happened before.” “ None of t his has happened before,” Salap said. We slept on t he det rit us wit h t he silva shivering and growing around us. Every few hours, a sudden rush of m ot ion t hrough t he walls around t he pat h m ade a sound like wind blowing t hrough t rees. I slept fit fully and did not rem em ber any dream s, and awoke feeling groggy, not prepared for anyt hing. Several m inut es aft er waking, aft er eat ing a cake and drinking from t he cant een Salap and I shared, I regained m y alert ness. The rat ion of wat er was not sufficient and I felt t hirst y, but not parched. Brion knelt before t he barricade. “ She's preparing som et hing,” he said. “ She would not lead us t his far j ust t o block us.” “ She is int elligent , t hen?” Salap asked. Brion laughed and shook his head. “ How m any t im es have I asked t hat quest ion? How m any t im es did Cait la and I t alk about it ? And aft er Cait la died ... Of course, I would like her t o ret urn. That would be wonderful. To have her som ehow absorbed in all her beaut y, her t hought s ... by som et hing larger. I nt elligent .” I t hought of t he discussion on t he Vigilant . Lam arckia would be a poor subst it ut e for et ernal bliss, but a fair com prom ise com pared t o t he nullit y of em pt y deat h. 497
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I n t he cleared pat h behind us, we all heard sim ult aneously t he t ones and gut t urals of hum an voices. Brion j erked his head sharply around. The look of panic t hat cam e t o his face, and t he searching of his eyes across t he whispering, t rem bling walls flanking t he t rail, st ruck m e alm ost like a knife. Here was t he face of a m an who did not act ually want t o see t he ghost he desired above all else. Frick's conscience m ight have been clear. At any rat e, it was he who first recognized t he voices. “ I t 's Hyssha,” he said. “ And Grado, I t hink ... And Ullm an.” A t all m an wit h close- cropped black hair and suspicious black eyes cam e around t he corner t en m et ers from t he pat h's dead end, saw us, and st opped. He glanced t o his right down t he pat h and m ade a sm all gest ure wit h his half- raised hand, as if he had com e upon wild beast s and whoever followed m ust be as quiet as he. The st at ely, som ber wom an wit h auburn hair, Hyssha Chung, walked around him wit hout hesit at ing and approached us, or rat her, approached Brion, for she did not pay any at t ent ion at all t o Frick or Salap or m yself. “ You shouldn't be here,” she adm onished. “ Dam n your breat h, you should not be here, and cert ainly not now! ” Brion raised his hands as if in defense. “ There's not hing happening back t here,” he said. “ What is m ore necessary and im m ediat e here?” she asked. For an inst ant , she seem ed t o acknowledge t hat I at least exist ed, wit h a flicker of her eye in m y direct ion, but t hen her scowl deepened and she leaned t oward Brion, whose hands rose higher. “ Lenk is packing up his people and preparing t o 498
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ret urn t o t heir boat s. Fassid says your absence leaves t hem no choice.” “ They won't t alk wit h Beys?” “ What m ade you t hink t hey would?” “ Beys handles all t hat . What difference does it m ake where I am ?” Brion asked. “ And what can Lenk do, anyway?” Before t his resolut e wom an, his voice t ook on t he t one of a defensive child. “ How do you know what Lenk can or can't do?” Chung pursued, pushing her nose alm ost int o Brion's face. “ There's m ore t han t his m onst rous silva at st ake.” “ Look how it 's changed,” Brion said, holding his ground against t he t aller wom an, but hoping t o persuade, not chast ise. Frick looked on t his exchange wit h som et hing like boredom . Chung did not overawe him —at least not when she had her at t ent ion on Brion. “ I don't give a dam n how it 's changed.” Her voice broke and she t ook his hands in hers. “ What can you do here?” “ Our legacy is here,” Brion said. His face creased like soft leat her and he shook his wrist s gent ly, not t o break her grip on t hem , but t o m ake som e obscure point physical. “ She is here. I hoped t o convince t he Hexam on—” Now Chung rounded on m e, wit h ut t er disdain and cont em pt . “ Fassid t old m e about t his pret ender,” she said. “ They've been em barrassed by him and by t his foolish m an's gullibilit y.” She point ed t o Salap. “ Even Lenk couldn't t hink of a way t o use him against us. But you believe! ” 499
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“ He has no proof,” Frick said in a m ild conversat ional voice, “ but he is very convincing. I t hink Ser Brion is j ust ified—” She t hrew her hand out and nearly st ruck him in t he face. “ Who or what he is doesn't m at t er. Where are t he arm ies, t he forces t hat would pull us out of here?” “ They haven't com e,” Brion said, as if t hat were a t rifle. Her brown eyes narrowed and her lip curled again. She regarded m e from t he corner of her eyes. I could not help m y react ion. I had never been t he m ost gent lem anly when faced wit h ram pant fem ale anger. I n t rut h, hist rionics of any kind had not been a regular part of m y life on Thist ledown. I laughed. Chung did not m ove or change her expression. “ You are dead m en,” she said quiet ly t o Salap and m e. “ You will not carry any of our words back t o Lenk.” “ Hyssha,” Brion said, pulling her hand from his wrist , “ None of t hat m eans anyt hing. What Lenk does m eans not hing, and what I do ... Not hing. Look at t he green. I 've given her t he t ools. The advant age. I m ade m y request clear.” “ Cait la is dead,” Chung said. “ My sist er won't com e back.” The wall of green at t he end of t he pat h t rem bled violent ly, a cleft form ing in t he m iddle and deepening, while t he edges pushed t o eit her side. I n t his part ing green sea, our biological Moses seem ed as surprised as any of us. A haze of red dust lingered in t he air, drift ing slowly back t o t he ground. The pat h soon ext ended a hundred m et ers beyond where we st ood, t o t he inner edge of t he new silva, and t he beginning of t he grounds whose boundary post s were t he pillars. 500
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“ I t wouldn't open for m e,” Brion said t o Chung. “ I t 's opening for you. She sm ells you. You sm ell like Cait la.” Chung st ared down t he t rail, far less cont em pt uous and angry t han a m om ent before. Her dignit y broke and her arm s shook, and she looked t o Salap. “ That 's ridiculous,” she said. “ Let 's go and see,” Salap said, following Brion, who had already resum ed his walk. “ She is dead,” Chung said t o Frick and m e, wit h no cert aint y. “ Not hing can bring her back.”
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23 At t he end of t he t rail lay a desolat e st ret ch of broken lava chunks no bigger t han m y hand, as regular as gravel in t he bed of an ancient river. This field of broken lava st ret ched across several kilom et ers, int errupt ed by six squat dark reddish- brown m ounds, each fift y or sixt y m et ers high, capped wit h crat ers rim m ed wit h pale yellow, like m iniat ure m ount ains t ipped wit h im pure snow. Hot springs flowed from t he cent er of t hese m ounds and m ade irregular darker slicks down t heir sides, pooling around t he bases. Spaced around t he perim et er of t he lava field, t he vinecovered purple and black pillars cast long lat e- m orning shadows over t he gravel and t wo of t he m ounds. Surrounding t he field, t he new green silva cont rast ed sharply wit h t he flat dark colors of lava and t he brilliant yellow- whit e caps of rim e on t he m ounds. I n t he sky over t he field, t heir num bers increasing wit h t he warm ing rays of t he noonday sun, hundreds of balloons lift ed t heir cargoes of larval scions, cables dropping st raight t o t he lava plain, only t heir t ips m oving, t ouching delicat ely on t he inhospit able gravel and j erking back like t he weary ends of oct opus t ent acles, pulled from a fam iliar sea. The balloons rose from t he cent er of t he field, hidden from our view by t he nearest m ound. Salap could not conceal his enchant m ent . “ We have seen a great m any t hings and survived, Ser Olm y,” he whispered t o m e. “ But we have never seen anyt hing like t his.” 502
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Direct ly in front of us, a pool of st eam ing reddish- brown liquid—not lava, but supersat urat ed, m ineral- rich hot wat er, t he consist ency of m olt en glass—rose bet ween t he chunks of lava and solidified wit h sm all crackling sounds, it s sm oot h surface darkening and fogging. Beyond t hat pool, a num ber of pools had already hardened, m aking a series of sm oot h t rails across t he rugged gravel. Brion st ood on t he fogged brownish surface, t hen walked light ly t o t he next . The vit rified pools led us around t he nearest m ound. Sulfurous wat er, st eam ing, bubbling, slipped down t he side of t he m ound barely t en m et ers from us. On t he ot her side, we had a clear view of t he cent er of t he field. A dark red hem isphere as large as a st adium lay at t he end of t he t rail like an im m ense bubble of blood, but solid and glist ening in t he sun. Around t he hem isphere, t he laden balloons rose slowly, doggedly, from red- rim m ed crat ers, and began t heir aerial crawl t o t he greening silva and beyond. “ I t 's no different . Except for t he balloons, t his hasn't changed,” Brion called over his shoulder, j um ping from st ep t o st ep. All of our faces t ook on a bloodred t inge as we approached t he dom e. Chung's earlier bravado had subsided; she wat ched everyt hing wit h quiet , nervous alert ness. Brion, on t he ot her hand, had becom e m anic, dart ing back and fort h in t he red glow of t he hem isphere, eyes flashing wit h t ears, as if he had finally com e hom e. Salap walked apart from all of us, lost in his own cont em plat ions, plant ing his feet carefully, as if t he brownish 503
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st eps of t he t rail m ight crack and suck us all down. Frick st ayed close t o m e. The t rail ended at a puckered line like a scar drawn in t he dom e. Brion t ouched t he long scar in t he dom e's side, but by him self could not get it t o expand. Salap t ook Chung's elbow, pushing her t o st and beside Brion. “ Your place,” he m urm ured as she resist ed. “ She sm ells you. She believes in you,” Brion t old her. “ She believes in us.” Wit h Chung by his side, t he scar part ed wit h a t iny sucking noise, and t he edges wit hdrew like a curt ain t o form a sm oot h round orifice in t he side of t he hem isphere. We walked t hrough. I nside, our eyes adj ust ed t o a bloodcolored shadowy int erior. Translucent arches lift ed from t he floor on our left , support ing t he dom e's perfect ext erior. A few dozen m et ers t o our right , anot her set of arches rose. Bet ween t he arches, suspended on t hick knot t ed slings, or depending direct ly from t he inner curves of t he arches, enorm ous sacs like deflat ed balloons hung, t heir lower ext rem it ies bulging round wit h deposit s of dark fluid. To left and right , t ranslucent blist ers int errupt ed t he resilient floor, each t hree t o four m et ers broad and rising above t he level of our waist s. Wit hin t he blist ers, coiled t ubes and flat t ened oblongs pressed t oget her against t he m em brane, pale in t hem selves, but surrounded by a dark, t hick fluid like pet roleum . A dozen st eps ahead, t he arches m et at an inner cham ber, it s walls curved inward, like t he cubic int ersect ion bet ween six enorm ous bubbles. All t he surfaces wit hin t he hem isphere 504
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were sect ions of large bubbles, expert ly fashioned and cut or int ersect ed by ot her bubble surfaces of varying diam et ers. We m ight have ent ered t he int erior of a vast radiolarian, one of t he silicat e- skelet oned m icroscopic sea creat ures of Eart h's oceans. We walked slowly bet ween t hese m ingled wonders. A new odor filled t he air, sweet as perfum e, m usky. “ The out er veil. Sm ell it ,” Brion said, waving his hand. “ There are eight veils, eight airborne layers of scent . I carried a sm all scion here once, six m ont hs ago. I t st ruggled in m y arm s, and when it passed t hrough t he t hird scent ed veil, it collapsed in a t hick liquid and fell t hrough m y fingers. What lies wit hin t olerat es none of it s children ... unless t hey have perm ission. And t he only scions who have perm ission are t he spies, t he sam plers and gat herers t hat bring inform at ion. What lies wit hin is always hungry for pat t erns, blueprint s, diagram s ... inform at ion.” Halfway across t he int erior, we saw a st orage area for slabs and chunks of rock—slat es, sandst ones, conglom erat es, flint s, and ot her variet ies, arranged in piles wit h lit t le apparent sense of order, covering perhaps a hundred square m et ers in t he overhang of a m ain support ing arch. The piles rose over our heads in t he cent er, and j ust t o one side, an elephant - sized, m any- clawed scion st ood unm oving except for a slight t rem bling of it s forward lim bs: m any- spiked- gripping claws as long as m y legs, som e wit h sharp chisel- shaped t ips. At it s base lay split sect ions of st one, revealing beaut iful im pressed fossils. Brion st epped bet ween t wo st acks and pulled out a shallow slab of lim est one about t hirt y cent im et ers 505
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on a side. “ She had t hese rocks collect ed and brought here. She uses t hem as a kind of library.” He held t he t went y- kilogram slab out t o us. Em bedded in t he lim est one was a black out line, a m any- legged art hropod surrounded by broad feat her- shaped feelers. “ When m y wife and I first cam e here, she couldn't see. She st ored t hese fossils and st udied t hem wit hout eyes, t ast ing and feeling t hem .” Salap st ood beside Brion, hands held out , fingers greedily spread. He t ook t he fossil, eyes nearly st art ing from t heir socket s. “ Was t his a scion?” he asked. “ I don't know,” Brion said. “ I t 's at least t ens of m illions years old. I f it 's older, it com es from t he era of shelly creat ures t hat covered so m uch of Lam arckia wit h t hick layers of lim est one and m ade it so difficult t o find m et als and ot her m inerals. How old do you t hink t he ecoi are?” “ I 've guessed hundreds of m illions of years...” Salap said. Brion shook his head. “ Hsia was t he first , and it m ay be less t han t went y m illion years old. As for t he rest , at m ost t hey're only a few m illion years old. Life was sm all and very sim ple before Hsia. “ When Hsia vent ured out on land, t here was very lit t le oxygen, and no ozone in t he upper at m osphere. I t covered it self wit h a t hick, prot ect ive layer. I t m ay have t aken fift een m illion years for oxygen t o reach it s present levels.” From ahead cam e a sharp, sweet sm ell. As we advanced t o t he inner cube, we passed t hrough several variet ies of t his sam e sm ell, like veils of scent surrounding t he body of a revered saint . 506
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Brion st opped. The shriveled husks of what appeared t o be hum an bodies lay crum pled at t he spreading foot of an arch. The arch rose at least sixt y m et ers t o t he vague red- suffused height s of t he dom e. The bodies ranged in size from less t han a m et er t o over t wo m et ers, desiccat ed t issues st ret ched over int ernal fram es t hat only crudely resem bled skelet ons. Blank hard- t issued faces st ared at us wit h glazed eyes, t he heads of dolls m anufact ured by a t oym aker who had failed, and cast t he inanim at e result s aside. “ These were experim ent s,” Brion said in a low voice. “ She showed som e t o us t he first t im e we cam e here. She knew what she want ed—som et hing t o com m unicat e wit h us. She knew we weren't part of any ecos, and she desperat ely needed t o discover what we were. The best way for her t o learn ... her way of learning ... was t o im it at e us.” The cubic fram e ahead was larger and fart her away t han I had first t hought . I t lay fift y or sixt y m et ers beyond t he graveyard of rej ect ed hum an- shapes. The last of t he dist inct ive scent s waft ed around us, t his one at once prim ally offensive and st art lingly at t ract ive: baking bread, hot t ar, m et hane and hexane, sm elling salt s, and m uch m ore. Brion approached t he fram e at t he cent er of t he hem isphere, walking like a t ired old m an. I t ried t o im agine his em ot ional st at e and could not . What he expect ed, what it was possible he m ight see, would have driven m any m en m ad. As he walked ahead of us, he gave a broken explanat ion, in slow fragm ent s, of his last visit . He had brought his dying wife inside t he blood- bubble hem isphere, st ayed wit h her, list ening t o her last breat hs, her last words. 507
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“ She was in pain,” he said, voice shaky and hoarse. He wiped his face wit h t he back of his hand, t he st ring st ill wound around his finger. “ Nobody could save her.” He t ouched t he m em branous wall of t he fram e and looked back at m e. “ She was ext raordinary. We bot h prayed for t he Hexam on t o com e and bring t he m edicine of Thist ledown t hat Lenk left behind. He finally had his revenge on us. A lot of m y people died t he way she did. She last ed longer t han m ost . Her liver and kidneys were rot t ing away. Such a sim ple disease t o cure on Thist ledown. But you did not com e. When she died ... She died.” He pulled his hand back. “ I t was a relief. I felt as if I had died wit h her, and t hat was a relief, t oo. I placed her on t he floor, inside ... I left and cam ped for five days on t he edge of t he lava field. Ser Frick brought m e food from t he launch. Not hing happened; nobody cam e out of t he dom e. I couldn't go back inside. We all ret urned t o Naderville.” Frick st ared at t he deepening shadows on all sides wit h a fearful squint . Hyssha Chung st ayed close t o Brion. Looking at m e, she had only hat e in her eyes. I represent ed all lost hope, final disappoint m ent . I was a failure t o all of t hem : no rescue im m inent , no change and explanat ion, no reem bracing in t he arm s of secure and all- knowing parent s. “ She's in t here,” Brion said huskily. “ I m ean, she's all around, but t he heart of her heart is in t here. Heart of Hsia's life.” Out side t he hem isphere, clouds m ust have covered t he sun, for shadow enveloped us. All around, faint gleam s pricked against t he deep red and brown gloom , like st ars in 508
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t he heavens. Violet lum inosit y flickered wit hin t he fram e. A low sound grum bled beneat h our feet . Met ers away, beyond several ranks of t ranslucent walls and braces, som et hing swelled like t he t hroat on an enorm ous bullfrog, t hen subsided, expelling a sweet ly repulsive scent of t ar and burning resin. Brion leaned against t he wall of t he fram e, a pale shape against t he darker m em brane. This t im e, t here was no preference for Hyssha. The wall seem ed t o absorb him , and t he t issue beneat h our feet grum bled again. We heard a rem arkable voice, and Salap j um ped as if poked in t he ribs. High, sweet , like t he chirrup of a large insect m ixed wit h a whist ling flut e, childlike, yet m annered and m at ure, it cam e from wit hin t he fram e. “ Nam es clear now,” it said. “ Nam es all are and clear?”
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24 Tim e has becom e very unclear. My recovery is going sm oot hly, t he at t endant s t ell m e. I am a celebrit y in t he Hexam on. Yanosh float s beside m y couch. “ Was it Brion's wife?” Yanosh asks m e. We are in t he Way, in free fall, in t he hospit al unit of t he Axis Cit y. I do not know for cert ain if I am dream ing or even dead. I rem em ber t elling m y st ory t o Yanosh and perhaps t o ot hers, but it has t aken som e t im e—som e indefinit e t im e—t o reach t his point . Event s are j um bled. Yanosh has changed. He has assum ed an older face, t o give t he appearance of m any decisions m ade, of polit ical m at urit y. Only a few years have passed here, perhaps t en. What does t hat m ean? “ Was it Brion's wife?” he asks again, pat ient ly. He is first assist ant t o t he newly elect ed Geshel presiding m inist er but has been spending m uch t im e in m y unit , t alking t o m e, await ing t he ret urn of all m y m em ories. I know I am an old m an, ninet y or ninet y- one Lam arckian years. I m ust be dead, or dying, and t his is all a shrinking fragm ent of im aginat ion. “ She was dead,” I m anage t o say. “ What spoke t o you, t hen?” His curiosit y offends m e, as if his wishing t o know what t he seed- m ot her or t he queen looked like bet rays a childish and t rivial fram e of m ind. So m uch else of m ore im port ance. What Lenk did, or allowed his people t o do. The greening, a wave of 510
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change, a fluxing across t he generat ions, Hsia's use of Brion's gift , his nam e. All seem s com pressed t o m e, and I have t o regat her m y t hought s and find t he t hread again. Flight added t o pain and st arvat ion. The m igrat ions from wherever t he greening st ruck, wherever Hsia dom inat ed. And how t he nam e of Brion's wife was given t o t his t ide t hey had begun, t his t ransform ed ecos now called Cait la, a vast vibrant spect er t hat had so m uch t o do wit h t hat voice, and not hing t o do wit h Cait la herself, for she was dead. Her body lay unt ouched where Brion had placed it , wit hin t he fram e, in t he dept hs of t he seed- m ot her's arena, t he huge foam - bubble t he color of blood. “ Nobody behind t he voice,” I say. “ You m ean, no int elligence.” “ No m e, no you. No her.” I rem em ber pain in m y legs, in m y arm s, all m y j oint s burning, having burned for years. That pain is gone now. I m ove m y fingers and t heir j oint s bend wit h a purit y, a sm oot hness I have forgot t en. “ I do have work t o do, Olm y,” Yanosh says. “ I can't st ay here forever. I did order t he m assive effort t o open t he geom et ry st acks. I won't t ake credit for proposing you be given a second incarnat ion. You earned t hat and t he Nexus approved it , and it will not even count against your allowed rebirt hs...” I am not grat eful. I underst and t he value of deat h. My body—t he body I no longer have—prepared m y soul by decaying across a full and nat ural span of life. Because of so m any years of st arvat ion and flight , of grief and t rial, m y 511
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body becam e t ough, and refused t o die easily. But m y m ind knew t he value of deat h. I am not grat eful if life is what has been given back t o m e. I had out lived t wo wives. My people had set t led in t he Kupe I slands, em braced by Cape Magellan in t he sout h of Elizabet h's Land. I only rem em ber broken pieces of Yanosh's agent s ent ering m y hut and finding m e on a soft cot of m at fiber reeds, a special bed for dying. “ Elizabet h knew how t o die,” I say t o Yanosh. “ The ecos,” he says. “ Yes. The ecos. My wife's nam e was Rebecca.” “ She would not leave t o com e here,” Yanosh says. “ She t old us we were angels and we could have you, t ake you back t o where you were born.” “ Yes.” “ She was your t hird wife.” “ Yes,” I say. “ Do you want m e t o t ell you everyt hing t hat happened? I 've lived a very long t im e, Yanosh.” Yanosh appears genuinely dist ressed. “ I t was not our int ent ion t o abandon you, Olm y. You m ust believe t hat . The Naderit es cam e t o power and we could not m ount t he effort for years. When t he Geshels t ook power again, t he Jart s pressed us back. And when we finally ret urned, t he geom et ry st ack had becom e even m ore t angled, and we could not open a gat e. We t hought Lam arckia was lost .” “ I underst and,” I say. My t one is st ill t hat of a t ired old m an, t hough m y voice sounds young. I do not care t o press blam e. I have had a long and full life. I knew Shirla, and aft er 512
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her, Sikaya, and finally, Rebecca, who was an old wom an when I discovered her beaut y and loved her. Wit h m y deat h, I will finally be hum an. I will know where I am . “ You want t o know what she looked like,” I say. “ Not hing of t he field or t he dom e exist s anym ore,” Yanosh says. “ The pillars are bare, t he dom e is gone. The j ungle t ook over everyt hing. Only what you saw and rem em ber rem ains.” He calls it a j ungle, not a silva. And t hat is what it had becom e. “ All green. The last of t he old on Hsia.” I see ghost s around him , incorporeal im ages of ot hers list ening in. I am t elling all t he Hexam on. I am a celebrit y.
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25 I approached t he fram e. Chung would not ent er. Frick followed Brion next , for he had been here before. He did not like being here, but he was loyal t o Brion. Salap was having an epiphany. His face glowed wit h ent husiasm , skin cream y wit h brown shadows in t he redness and m urk as blocks of st orm clouds crossed t he sky above t he dom e. He pat t ed m y shoulder, sm iled broadly, and passed t hrough t he curt ainlike m em brane, int o t he inner cham ber. The m em brane sealed sm oot h behind him , like t he invert ed wall of a t hick soap bubble. The voice spoke again, perfect and high. I heard Brion sobbing like a child. I pushed m y hand against t he m em brane, felt it rush around m y fingers and wrist and arm like a lip of slick flesh. Wit hin t he fram e, she st ood in t he m iddle of a m ass of shiny black hem ispheres, st udded wit h black spikes and surm ount ed by black arches. She wore no clot hing and her skin m oved, rippling slight ly as if she were a badly proj ect ed im age. Brion st ood t wo st eps from her, Frick by his side. Brion shook his head, chest wracked wit h sobs. Salap cam e closer t o t he fem ale shape, chin in hand, st udying her. Her hair hung long and m uddy red, m ot ionless and dull, in t uft s and spikes t o her shoulders. Her face was crudely fashioned, t he face of a puppet m ade by a t alent ed am at eur. She paid none of t hem any at t ent ion. 514
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Her m out h did not m ove as she spoke. “ Know not nam es.” Or, “ No not nam es.” “ May I speak t o it ?” Salap asked. Brion dropped t o his knees and lowered his head t o t he floor, palm s flat against t he ridged, hum ped surface t hat slowly raised and lowered him as if on a swell of ocean. Frick said, “ I t isn't what he was hoping for.” Salap approached t he shape. “ My nam e is Mansur Salap. I would like t o speak wit h you,” he said, as if int roducing him self at a soirée. The shape inclined it s head in his direct ion, but it s eyes— pallid gray- blue wit hin fixed eyelids, wit hout expression— could not m eet his. I t lacked refinem ent s and could not express anyt hing hum an except in broad st rokes. What ever it had learned, it was woefully incom plet e. “ You represent anot her, don't you?” Salap asked. “ Brion wit h nam es not ,” t he voice said, com ing from all around. The walls of t he fram e vibrat ed like diaphragm s, m aking t he sounds, along wit h ot her noises: windy flight s of whispering, a st eady low frog- t hroat grum ble. “ Do you recognize Brion?” Salap asked. “ Talks.” “ I t alk and m y nam e is Salap.” “ I brought Cait la here. Where is she?” Brion asked. Anot her m em brane of t issue wit hdrew, and t he body was visible on a raised hum p in t he living floor, slack wit h deat h, m ont hs int o it s own privat e decay. “ You underst and us,” Salap said. 515
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Chung had ent ered wit hout m y not icing and st ood one st ep behind m e. “ St ar, Fat e, and Breat h,” she said. The figure t urned t oward her voice. “ Two speak gave and use what use. Two now here.” Chung seem ed aghast t o be confused wit h her sist er again. “ I am not Cait la,” she said. “ You've t ried t o becom e Cait la.” She shout ed at Brion, “ She's dead, and you want ed t o bring her back! ” Brion had st opped weeping and st ood before t he figure, exam ining it crit ically. “ You could t ry again. More work ... More det ail.” “ I t will t ake a long t im e t o underst and us,” Salap said. “ Why?” Brion asked. “ Why so long? I t sam ples us, it m ust know what we're like...” “ We've been m ist aken,” Salap said. The figure, I realized, had not t aken a st ep. I t grew from t he floor and could not lift it s feet . I t was only a lit t le m ore sophist icat ed t han t he discarded husks behind us. “ Cait la and I gave her t he chlorophyll,” Brion argued. “ She t ook t he bot t le and used it . She m ade Cait la plant s for her garden, working wit h t he real plant s Cait la showed her.” Salap looked back at m e. “ Can you t ell him , Ser Olm y? Bring t he sophist icat ion of t he Thist ledown t o t his lit t le exercise in m onst rosit y?” For a m om ent , I hadn't a clue what Salap want ed m e t o say. Then a t hought t hat had been below conscious expression for som e m ont hs broke t hrough. “ They've never sam pled our genet ic st ruct ure.” 516
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“ Yes?” Salap encouraged, face seem ing t o glow again like a beacon. The figure shivered, som e rudim ent ary adj ust m ent in t urgor. “ Sam pling is a way of ident ifying ot her scions. Each ecos carries it s own m arkers, it s own chem ical schem e. We don't fit any schem es. We don't com e from ot her ecoi. They can't analyze our st ruct ure from t he level of our genet ic m at erial. So t hey have t o copy us from t he evidence of ot her senses.” “ But what about t he chlorophyll?” Brion dem anded. Salap said, “ I t underst ands chem ist ry. I t can t est and find uses for organic subst ances. You m ust have provided t he final clues necessary ... given t he pigm ent s a cont ext it could underst and. But it can't break our genet ic code. We are t oo different .” “ Nam es,” t he figure said. “ Nam es know not .” Chung seem ed st art led. “ Does she act ually underst and what we're saying? Or is she ... is it j ust st ringing words t oget her?” “ She underst ands,” Brion said. “ That 's a m iracle by it self,” Chung said. She st epped closer t o t he figure and t o Brion, overcom ing som e of her repugnance. “ What did you t alk wit h before?” Salap asked Brion, point ing at t he figure: before t his was creat ed. “ When Cait la and I cam e here, t his inner room was filled wit h t issues ... t ools. I t was a prot ot ype fact ory. Part of a scion could be grown here, anot her t here ... We saw t hem being carried by giant hairs—cilia—across t his cham ber, and 517
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m at ched wit h ot her part s. And we wat ched t hem being dissolved in large pools, t urned int o j elly or slim e. Rej ect ed. “ Cait la realized what t his was. She said t hat we were in a huge cell, all of it s part s m ade large, but because of t hat , not a cell at all ... None of us knew why we had been allowed t o com e in here. On our last visit , before Cait la becam e ill, t he seed- m ot her...” He gest ured around t he cham ber. “ She showed us t he best of her hum an- shaped scions, st ill m uch cruder t han t his. I t could only hum and whist le and m ake part s of words. Cait la spent a week t eaching it , her, before we had t o ret urn t o Naderville. We knew she want ed t o com m unicat e wit h us direct ly.” “ Bring,” t he voice said. “ Know bring nam es.” “ I brought Cait la back here when she was dying. Cait la t old m e t o leave her here. ‘Put m e where we put m y plant s,’ she said. We knew she could do bet t er.” Brion t urned, st aring up at t he red walls of t he fram e. He seem ed uncert ain whet her t o address t he figure direct ly, or speak t o t he fram e, t he hem isphere as a whole. “ There is so m uch m ore you can do! ” “ No m aking m ore for t his child,” t he voice said, acquiring a cello- like t im bre. I t had also t aken on a qualit y I m ight have called convict ion if it had been hum an. “ New nam es, no m aking m ore, no m aking m ore, for t his child.” “ Why?” Brion asked, dism ayed. The figure swelled again, filling it self wit h fresh fluids from below. I t raised it s arm s. The color of it s skin im proved, and t he m ot ions in t he skin subsided, coordinat ed, m ore nearly like t he m ovem ent of m uscles. I wat ched wit h queasy 518
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fascinat ion t he developm ent of it s facial feat ures, t he refinem ent of abdom en and breast s, st ill doll- like, but a bet t er im it at ion of what Cait la m ight have looked like. Or Hyssha. “ I t 's learning from you,” Salap said t o Chung. She looked up at t he gloom y height s of t he fram e, searching for eyes am ong t he glint s and t iny sea- floor glows. Brion seem ed st ung by t his. He t ook a st ep back. “ I t isn't Cait la,” he said. “ I t never will be,” Salap said. “ You've m isunderst ood what t he ecos can do ... We've all m isplaced our night m ares and our hopes.” The figure t urned it s head, opened it s m out h, and t he voice issued from t he m out h now. “ Sounds like sm ells, nam es deeper t han I know. Two are not one, yet cling. Make t hird, but wit hin. Third is child, but not like t his child. Not of I , not of any I , from where.” Then it added t he lilt of quest ion: “ From where?” None of us quit e underst ood. “ We're not from t his planet ,” Brion said quiet ly, as if t his were a devast at ing adm ission. I t hink he was t rying t o shed t he last hope for Cait la, and it was cost ing him dearly. He had som e courage or som e curiosit y left , t o speak wit h t he figure at all. “ There only is. There only is.” The figure lift ed one foot , t urned slight ly on t he ot her, and placed t he free foot down awkwardly, bending forward t o com pensat e. I t ret urned t o it s original post ure, but where t he foot had lift ed away, a sm all pucker rem ained. Though it knew t he figure of Cait la/ Hyssha 519
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would never pass, never ent er t he realm of a hum an ecos undet ect ed, it st ill worked t o finish it s peculiar scion, t he int erface for it s own selfless and et ernal curiosit y, t he purest and m ost biological urge t o know. “ There's m ore,” Brion whispered. “ Planet s and planet s and planet s. I n t he sky. Wherever t here are st ars.” At t he m ent ion of st ars, t he light s wit hin t he inner fram e, scat t ered in profusion over t he braces and walls, dim blue and whit e, shone out in sudden splendor. “ St ars,” t he figure said. Brion t urned t o Frick and Chung. “ I know it isn't Cait la. I know I 'll never see Cait la again. But I could st ay here and t ut or her. I could be happy doing t hat .” Frick rubbed his hands t oget her in front of him , not relishing what he had t o say. “ Ser Brion, you are needed. We need you.” Brion's brief resurgence of hope wit hered. He screwed his face up and im it at ed Frick's gest ure of rubbed hands, t hen pushed his nose wit h t he t ips of his fingers. “ Beys can t ake care of t hose t hings,” he said. Chung said, “ You put far t oo m uch on Beys. Som eday he'll discover he doesn't need any of us.” Brion j erked his head up at t hat , as if t o m ake a sharp reply, but his eyes t urned inevit ably t o t he figure, and all expression m elt ed away. “ You have ot her responsibilit ies,” Salap said soot hingly. “ Everybody else here has ot her responsibilit ies. None of you ... pardon m e, Ser Brion, not even you ... is prepared t o st udy and t each here. I am .” 520
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“ What would you t each her?” Brion asked resent fully, unwilling t o give up t his last possibilit y of fulfillm ent , of peace. “ I would st udy her,” Salap said. “ And t hen I would wat ch her die. I do not t hink t his palace, t his field, will be alive m uch longer, nor any of it s kind across Hsia. You and Cait la gave her a very powerful ‘nam e.’ I t hink she uses ‘nam e’ t o m ean t he chlorophyll you present ed t o her. She used t he nam e. And t hat changes everyt hing.” “ The balloons,” I said. Salap nodded. “ They carry larval seed- m ot hers, not j ust scions. I f I 'm right , in a few weeks, all t his will wit her.” “ Old nam es die,” t he figure said. “ Night m are,” Brion said, words venom ous wit h disappoint m ent . “ I t 's all night m are.” Brion t urned t o m e. “ Ser Olm y, you know hist ory. That m uch change m eans deat h and dest ruct ion everywhere. The Hexam on m ust com e. I 've said it ... I 've felt it . You m ust repair Lenk's clavicle, t ell t he Hexam on what 's happened here.” There was not hing I could say. For Brion t o m ake a plea on behalf of t he hum ans on Lam arckia seem ed ludicrous. Yet he was right . There was one last t hing left t o do: find t he clavicle, and see if it could be repaired. Brion st epped closer t o t he figure and t ouched it s face. I t did not react , but even as he st roked it s cheek, it said, “ Are m ore nam es? Bring m ore nam es.” We left Salap wit h several weeks’ wort h of food from t he t wo boat s, Brion's and t he one t hat had carried Hyssha Chung and her at t endant s. 521
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“ I won't die here, no fear of t hat ,” Salap t old m e, walking back wit h m e t hrough t he sea of green. “ I 'm a t ough old vult ure, as you doubt less know. Brion, on t he ot her hand...” Brion had ret urned t o t he boat in an im penet rable daze, ignoring us all, and squat t ed on t he bow, st aring down t he wat erway. He had let t he st ring unwind and carried it pinched bet ween t hum b and forefinger, lying in loose coils on t he polished and paint ed xyla deck. “ Wat ch him ,” Salap t old m e. “ He st ill holds a dangerous am ount of polit ical charge, as does Lenk. They m ust be eased t oget her ... or apart .” We st ood on overgrown dock, wit h t he new silva—t he j ungle—rust ling like grass in a wind, t hough t here was hardly a breeze. Salap held m e by m y shoulders. “ Even if you never get t hrough t o t he Hexam on, even if t hey never com e, som e of us can survive.”
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26 “ Did you ever find t he clavicle?” Yanosh asks. I am finishing m y st ory out side t he hospit al. Yanosh has been dragged away by great er responsibilit ies, and has ret urned t o find m e m aking progress. We leave t he hospit al t o see som e of t he sight s of t he Axis Cit y. I am rem oving m yself from t he m em ories of one long and difficult life. Now we drift and t ract beside each ot her in t he Wald, t he great weight less and t erribly green forest in Axis Euclid. My body is so m uch sweet er and m ore com fort able, yet I st ill m iss m y old life, m y im pending deat h, and st ill ache so m uch I have incessant t hought s of suicide. I f I ret urn t hrough t he gat e t o Lam arckia and t ry t o find Rebecca... But I can't do t hat . Yanosh t ells m e t he gat e is sporadic, t hat years have passed on Lam arckia even since I was ret rieved. I do not want t he new life, but I will not rej ect it . I n t his I have a sense of dut y t o som et hing m uch higher t han t he Hexam on. “ I found it ,” I say. The Wald's green oppresses m e, as it did on Lam arckia, where we ran from cont inent t o cont inent , and finally from island t o island... Fleeing t he power of t he “ nam e” of chlorophyll. “ What did you do?” Yanosh asks. What he really want s t o know is, did I finally act ? The st ory I have t old so far is one of observat ion and hiding, of t rying t o 523
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put pieces t oget her and underst and a pat t ern. But I never did underst and com plet ely. The pieces never fit sm oot hly. I m ade m y decision in ignorance and uncert aint y.
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27 Brion did not say a word t o anybody in t he eight een hours it t ook us t o navigat e t he lengt h of t he canal, back t o Naderville. The green had progressed dozens of kilom et ers t hrough t he silva, and along it s borders wit h t he t hicket , t he old growt h had wilt ed, m aking way for t he new. Balloons dot t ed t he horizon and flew overhead, lift ing free of t he land, blowing wit h t he winds out ward. I wat ched t his wit h a grim num bness and a sense of abj ect failure. I could not j udge Brion as I once had; if anyt hing, I had becom e m ore angry wit h Lenk. But Lenk was old and could not bear t he weight of all blam e. The fut ilit y of blam e was apparent , but did not lift m y gloom . I needed Shirla t o bring back m y sense of life and realit y. Frick t ook coded m essages on t he radio wit hin t he cabin, and brought t hem forward for Brion t o read. He read t hem and handed t hem back, shaking his head. Frick becam e increasingly agit at ed. Som et hing was happening. Brion sat on t he bow, arm s wrapped around his drawn- up knees, and st ared int o t he sunset , eyes alm ost closed, lips drawn int o a sim ian grim ace of puzzlem ent . We m ot ored past t he ent rance t o t he lake. I t ried t o persuade Frick t o ret urn m e t o t he lake so t hat I could rej oin t he ships docked t here. He looked at Brion, shook his head as if I were a buzzing fly, and finally j ust ignored m e. 525
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The guards st ood on t he rear deck of t he sm all, elegant boat , wat ching m e int ent ly. I t hought of diving int o t he canal and swim m ing t o t he shore, or up t he offshoot t o t he lake, but knew t hey would shoot m e if I did. Sm oke rose above t he t all cliff edge of t he silva as we approached Naderville, but for som e m inut es, t he t own it self rem ained hidden. The harbor cam e int o view first , and it was filled wit h sailing ships. I count ed eight , t en, t welve, and as t he full harbor was revealed, sevent een—of all t ypes, full- rigs, schooners, big- bodied four- m ast ers, sm all barks. Flashes erupt ed from t he sides of several of t he ships, followed by t he heavy blast s of cannon fire and t he rushing whist les of falling shells. More flashes from t he shore, puffs of sm oke, and deep t hum ps announced explosions. The pilot im m ediat ely increased t he speed of Brion's boat , and Chung's boat hast ened t o keep pace. As t he boat s cruised out of t he canal ent rance, I saw Naderville again, hundreds of hom es and buildings arranged along several hills, backed by high dark t hicket . Gout s of flam e crept from st reet t o st reet up t he hills, and m ore shells fell, shearing t he roofs off buildings and sparking m ore fires. At least a t hird of t he t own had been set ablaze. Shout s and scream s carried far and t hin across t he harbor. Brion st ared at t he black pillars of sm oke wit h an ast onished, hurt expression, t hen crawled t he m iddle of t he boat and ordered his binoculars. “ Lenk lied,” Brion said t ight ly, swinging t he binoculars right and left across t he cit y. “ He used him self as a blind.” 526
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Brion lowered t he glasses and scream ed across t he wat er, “ Why didn't Beys know? General Beys, where are you?” We swung t oward t he nort hern shore and docked in t he early evening at a sm all privat e wharf. Chung's boat pulled alongside, and Chung st ared at us, grim and fright ened. Her assist ant s, Ullm an and Grado, leaped from t he boat and t ied it , t hen helped her ashore. A hundred m et ers away, warehouses burned sluggishly, t hrowing up t hick, sour black sm oke. The house adj acent t o t he wharf was beginning t o burn as well as em bers landed on it s roof. Brion st ood wit h one foot on t he gunwale and st ared down at m e in ut t er cont em pt . “ You are not hing,” he said. “ The Hexam on has sent us not hing.” He seem ed ready t o order m e shot , but he shook his head and t ook Frick's hand, clim bing up ont o t he wharf wall. Brion, Chung, Frick, and all t he servant s and guards ran from t he wharf, leaving m e alone in t he boat . They ran up t he harbor road t hat point ed t o Naderville. For a few m inut es, I could not m ove. My legs and arm s t ingled. I was m esm erized, wat ching t he fire sweep down t oward t he wharf and t he boat s, t he xyla burning wit h slow, curling orange flam es, t hick oily sm oke sm earing across t he dark blue sky. I clim bed out of t he launch and st ood on t he harbor road. Wind blew against m y back, rushing t o feed t he fires in Naderville. A wom an in a long black dress wit h a sash of red ran along t he shore road, alone; t his part of t he t own had already been evacuat ed, probably as soon as t he ships appeared in t he harbor. 527
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My first im pulse was t o get back on t he boat and cross t he harbor, wait on t he sout h shore unt il t he conflagrat ion and fight ing had set t led. I knew m y m ission: I was not t o int erfere, and I was t o bring inform at ion back t o t he Hexam on. I could not do t hat if I was dead. I searched t he ships in t he harbor for Khoragos and Cow, but as I had suspect ed, neit her were visible. Lenk was no doubt keeping t hem out of t he harbor and away from t he fight ing. I hoped Shirla was wit h him , and of course Randall. I was sick of t he divaricat es and t heir polit ics; Lenk's obsessions and calculat ions, all gone wrong, and his hounding of Brion and Cait la ( if in fact t hat was t rue) . I could not fat hom Brion's handing power t o Beys, and Brion's gift of green t o Hsia seem ed t o m e obscene, t he ult im at e m onkeyplay arrogance. I f a gat e was t o open now and pluck m e out of t he pilot 's seat on t he boat , and close forever on Lam arckia, I would not regret leaving— Except for Shirla. She was essent ial, an anchor against m y drift int o t his m adness. She was not part icularly beaut iful, not part icularly int elligent ; not hing about her shone wit h an ineffable flam e. She was m erely a wom an wit h a decent set of presum pt ions and a sim ple set of goals. She want ed t o live a life am ong friends and peers, live wit h and love a decent m an, raise children t o be hum an beings in a known and fam iliar place. I loat hed any part of m e I had seen reflect ed in Lenk or Brion. Their sm allnesses and failures could easily be m y own. Even Brion's grief for Cait la seem ed cheapened by his 528
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arrogance, his presum pt ion t hat people of such a high st anding could not die, t hat som e m agic m ust keep t hem alive. How did t hat differ from m e? On Thist ledown I would undoubt edly opt for j uvenat ion—life ext ension and even body replacem ent . Cait la and Brion had act ed on t heir beliefs, however skewed or inadequat e, and so far, I had done not hing—used none of m y expert ise, exercised none of m y ( adm it t edly few) opt ions, m anaged t o always find m yself in posit ions where aloofness was t he best choice. Lenk's act ivism had brought his people here and subj ect ed t hem t o im m ense suffering. Brion's brash m ilit ancy and drive had led t o war and m urder and had culm inat ed in t he m adness of t he spreading green. What had once dwelled in com parat ive balance was now overt urned and could not be set upright again. My inact ion seem ed saint ly by com parison. Shirla's face kept popping int o m y t hought s. My m ission was over. I had t o m ake a decision, or I would be not hing m ore t han a m an filled wit h vacuum , a nonent it y st anding always on som e t hin line. I st epped back from a rush of flam e as t he wall of t he house collapsed. The gust of burning hot air and em bers j arred m e and I t urned t oward t he wharf. Wit h t he flam es roaring behind m e, I st udied t he harbor, j udging t he st rat egic posit ion of t he ships and boat s, t he layout of Naderville it self. There was fight ing in t he t own—I 529
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could see t roops m oving t hrough t he st reet s, hear t he crack and cont inuous popping of sm all- arm s fire. Lenk had indeed lied t o Brion, or expect ed t he worst , and had been prepared. He had kept in reserve a ragt ag navy assem bled of m erchant ships and t ransport s. They were now laying siege t o Naderville. The fourt een vessels had crept int o t he harbor a few hours before, perhaps signaled by t he depart ure of t he t wo diplom at ic ships Khoragos and Cow. The st eam ships were not visible—Beys m ust have t aken t hem out of t he harbor, perhaps heading back t o put m ore pressure on Jakart a. Lenk's ships had surprised t he sm all defense force and had landed several hundred t roops. I t had all happened very quickly. There were no m ast ers on Lam arckia, t here were only children. Som e of t he children, however, were m ore craft y t han I had im agined. Lenk had t urned out t o be sm art er—or luckier—t han Brion, aft er all. I suspect ed t hat Lenk had t he superior force, select ed from t he m ore capable of t he angry cit izens of Tasm an and Elizabet h's Land. Brion's t roops—t o j udge by t he poor fool on t he flat boat —m ight t urn out t o be lit t le m ore t han opport unist ic t hugs, poorly t rained and cruel, no m at ch for t hat kind of avenging passion. All of Brion's invincibilit y had crum pled. The ult im at e failings of a fright ened, grieving, and angry lit t le m an were writ t en all over t he hills and st reet s of Naderville. As t he flat t ened house behind m e crackled and exploded, I ret urned t o t he desert ed boat s and exam ined t heir supplies and reserves of power. The bat t eries in Chung's boat were alm ost drained. Brion's boat , however, had a spare set , fully 530
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charged. I carried t he spare set of bat t eries t o Chung's boat — less ident ifiable t han Brion's elegant launch—rem oved t he flag at t he bow, and prepared t o push off. I cruised quiet ly t hrough shrouds of dense, choking sm oke, not t o t he sout h side of t he harbor, where t here were few if any buildings and no visible fight ing or shelling going on, but west , along t he shore, under t he line of fire of t he ships in t he harbor. Twilight was fading fast . I guided t he boat around a sm oldering hulk t hat had once been a wooden m erchant vessel. I t s crooked t rees st uck up out of t he wat er like broken fingers. I want ed t o t horoughly underst and t he st rat egic sit uat ion, find t he best vant age point , and t hen walk int o t he t own and j oin Lenk's t roops. The gat e opener had placed m e in a very int erest ing t im e indeed, st uck m e here like a fly in am ber. There would be no ret urning. Naderville rest ed on t wo m ain hills, wit h a line of sm aller hills along t he peninsula bet ween t he harbor and t he ocean t o t he nort h. East of t he t wo m ain hills, bet ween t he t own it self and t he lake and Cit adel, a pat ch of t hicket silva had been allowed t o rem ain. The silva would be m ined t hrough wit h t unnels, and if Beys or his subordinat es had posit ioned any last defensive t roops—or hoped t o fight a final act ion—I surm ised t hey would be hidden in t hat pat ch of t hicket , or perhaps at t he Cit adel it self, and when opport unit y arose, cert ainly aft er t he art illery barrage, st orm up one or bot h of t he hills. I saw a group of soldiers m arching down a st reet on a hill, alm ost hidden in t he shadows of a row of buildings st ill int act 531
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in t hat quart er of t own. They m arched about a kilom et er and a half from t he boat . I could not t ell whose t roops t hey were, of course—it was possible t hat none of Lenk's t roops had uniform s, but I couldn't m ake out t he cut of t heir clot hes, or even det erm ine t he color. I t was necessary t o survey t he t own from fart her sout h, t o get a bet t er view of t he st reet s and buildings, t he cent ers of pot ent ial conflict . I guided t he boat sout h, away from Lenk's ships. Locking t he wheel for a m om ent and searching t hrough t he cabin, I found a piece of paper in a drawer, and quickly sket ched t he harbor, t he t own, and t he st reet s visible. I used t he binoculars t o gat her det ails—likely adm inist rat ion buildings, a wat er t ower, and what seem ed t o be a radio m ast on t he west ern side of t he t own. Any one of t hese could be crucial obj ect ives. By t his t im e, I was st art ing t o at t ract unwant ed at t ent ion from Lenk's ships, less t han t wo kilom et ers away. A gunner had t arget ed t he boat and a shell landed barely a dozen m et ers away. I did not know what t ype of guns t hey had, and how accurat e t hey m ight be, but I could not risk st aying on t he wat er any longer. I headed for t he docks again. Anot her shell drenched m e wit h spray. I was less t han a dozen m et ers from shore when a direct hit split t he boat in t wo and flung m e backward int o t he wat er. Dazed, I float ed on m y back in t he black wat er of t he harbor for several m inut es before swim m ing for t he docks. I crawled up a ladder and st ood in t he darkness bet ween t wo warehouses, one of t hem shat t ered by t he shelling but not on fire. I t ried t o get m y wit s t oget her. A piece of xyla had cut a 532
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bloody groove across m y forehead. I wiped t he blood away wit h m y wet sleeve. The m ap was gone, but I had m ost of t he det ails firm ly in m em ory. Naderville was divided by four m ain east - west st reet s and seven or eight wide st reet s running nort h- sout h from t he harbor t o t he hills. The buildings t hat seem ed m ost likely t o be adm inist rat ive—st ill int act , surprisingly—lay on t he slopes of t he east ernm ost hill, off of a nort h- sout h boulevard. I walked t oward t hese buildings. A few civilians st ill lingered in t he t own, and t he scenes I saw, heading for t he east ern hill, could have been several t housand years old. Bodies lit t ered a sm all court yard where a shell had exploded: t wo large ones, t wo sm all. Children. I wondered if Lenk had killed som e of his own children. Five older m en and several wom en, heads wrapped in clot h against t he sm oke, pushed t heir belongings on a m akeshift cart t hrough brick and xyla rubble. I hid in t he half open doorway of a hollowed- out building t o avoid a st raggling line of young m en and wom en, not knowing whet her t hey were soldiers; t hey crossed along an east - west st reet , shout ing encouragem ent t o each ot her. A few carried elect ric lant erns. By t he glare of one lant ern, I recognized a face—Keo, one of Lenk's assist ant s, following close on t he line. I called out his nam e and he j erked around, t hen raised t he lant ern and spot t ed m e in t he doorway. “ Olm y! Fat e's breat h,” he said. “ You're st ill alive! We were sure you'd all have been killed when t he at t ack st art ed.” He shout ed at t he ret reat ing backs of t he young m en and 533
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wom en, “ Hold on! ” They t urned and clust ered around us, t he whit es of t heir eyes showing like st art led deer, breat hless, at once fright ened and cocksure. “ What 's happening?” I asked. “ Where's Salap?” he asked in ret urn. I did not want t o wast e t im e by explaining. “ I s t he t own t aken?” Som e of t he young people shook t heir heads. Several laughed nervously, m illing like dogs. I count ed heads and sexes: eight m en, five wom en. “ Not yet ,” Keo said. “ There's an act ion up around Sun Road. Lot s of resist ance. Beys was back at sea—m issed our ships—but swung around t o t he nort hern side of t he peninsula, landed t roops. They're m oving back int o t he t own now, t o replace t he soldiers who went t o t he west ern peninsula. A diversion. Lenk's auxiliaries—we're all auxiliaries now—grounded a sm all ship t here and burned som e houses and buildings. I didn't know about t his—” Keo's chest j erked. He was hypervent ilat ing in his nervousness. “ Randall t old us ... before he left , and ... about you...” “ I s Shirla wit h Lenk?” Keo's face fell. “ The wom an? No,” he said. “ She and Randall were t aken by Brion's police t wo days ago, j ust aft er you and Salap left wit h Brion.” “ We have t o go,” shout ed one of t he young m en, an apprent ice sailor from one of t he schooners t o j udge from his clot hing. He confront ed m e. “ Whoever you are, we can't st ay here clacking t eet h—we have t o report if t here are any t roops com ing around t o t he east of t own.” 534
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“ That 's t rue,” Keo said, clearly uncom fort ably wit h leadership. “ He's t he Hexam on m an,” a young wom an said, peering at m e curiously. Dirt and sweat st reaked her lean face and she seem ed st upid wit h fear and excit em ent . “ He was on Khoragos. He's t he one t hey've been t alking about .” I hardly heard all t his. My t hought s raced, t rying t o t hink of where t hey m ight have t aken Shirla. She could st ill be back at t he lake, hidden in t he buildings wit hin t he old seedm ot her palace. “ I 've been out in t he harbor, and t here's no act ion t o t he east —not yet ,” I said. “ But t here could be a cont ingent of t roops back at t he lake. Beys m ight use t hem t o pinch us all ... Where are his st eam ships?” “ Nort h of t he peninsula, t he last we saw.” Clearly, Beys's m ost likely plan—t he best plan under t he circum st ances—sket ched it self in m y head. He had landed t he soldiers t raveling wit h t he ships in t he nort h, perhaps t wo com panies of well- t rained m en and wom en, a fair force under t he circum st ances, but not enough t o have m uch im pact . Troops at t he old palace could num ber in t he hundreds. I f t he t own had been light ly defended—concent rat ing t he t roops in Beys's ships and around Brion's quart ers—t hen t hat was likely all Beys had t o work wit h, a few hundred t roops. The rest would be working Tasm an and Elizabet h's Land. “ How m any soldiers does Lenk have?” Keo st ared at m e, uncert ain, sweat ing in t he lant ern light . St ars poked t hrough drift ing pat ches of sm oke. The shelling 535
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had st opped for now. “ You're a soldier from t he Hexam on,” he said. “ Who are you for?” “ Not for Brion,” I said. “ I need t o find Shirla ... and you need t o secure t he t own. As you said, I 'm a soldier—I have a lot bet t er t raining t han Lenk, and probably bet t er t raining t han Beys.” I could alm ost see t he out line of Keo's t hought s. He had been put in com m and of t hese young m en, but he had no m ilit ary educat ion—few com ing t o Lam arckia had. They would m ake a haphazard force at best . I had no idea of t he level of t heir st rat egic planning—clearly, Beys had been unprepared for anyt hing like t his, but he was likely t o put t oget her an effect ive defense soon. Keo was sm art enough t o see t his. “ Lenk didn't confide in us unt il t he last ,” he said. “ We have m aybe six hundred volunt eers.” “ Seven or eight com panies,” I said. “ Lenk has t hem ordered different ly, I t hink.” “ Who's his general?” “ He designed t he operat ion. Fassid helped.” I shook m y head in disgust . Keo st art ed t o defend Lenk's expert ise, but I cut him off. “ You have t o set up a st rong defense in t he east ern part of t own. At least t wo hundred t roops. Beys will alm ost cert ainly deploy t he forces at t he lake. Do you have a radio?” “ Yes,” Keo said. One of his m en, lit t le m ore t han a boy act ually, lift ed a sm all box. “ Not a lot of range, unfort unat ely.” The young m en and wom en clust ered around us, no longer prot est ing. I felt a queasy exhilarat ion. 536
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Here, am ong am at eurs, going up against a but cher who was sly at best , I could be useful. Lenk's soldiers occupied t he cape and headland in st rengt h, Keo said. To t he nort h and west , posit ions had not yet been consolidat ed. “ I need five of t hese good soldiers,” I said. “ We should split int o t wo groups.” “ I have a m ap ... of sort s,” Keo said, lift ing a clot h sat chel and pulling out a sm all, folded piece of paper. He spread it out in t he lant ern light . I t was an original sket ch in pencil and ink, and supplied m ore det ail t o what I had seen from t he harbor, in part icular chart ing t he roads t hrough t he silva from Naderville t o t he lake. The Cit adel area was not shown. “ We can use it . You t ake one group and keep wat ch on t he east ern edge of t he t own. I 'll t ake m y five, and we'll reconnoit er t he silva bet ween Naderville and t he lake. For now, t ell Lenk's com m anders—or Lenk him self, whoever's in charge—t hat he needs t o post at least one hundred wellarm ed m en t o m eet you at t he edge of t own.” “ I don't t hink we have one hundred well- arm ed m en,” Keo said. “ Not t hat we can spare.” What had seem ed a m aj or coup in t he beginning was looking m ore and m ore uncert ain. No m ast ers, only children. “ Don't t ell Beys t hat ,” I said. I picked t he five who seem ed m ost fit and ent husiast ic, and Keo's group and m ine ran in t wo lines along t he st reet , unt il we cam e t o a clearing beyond t he last of t he houses. Beyond lay t he cliff edge of t he t hicket silva and t he dark holes of t wo t unnel roads. “ Good luck,” Keo t old m e. I felt incredibly alive, and very, very st upid. 537
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28 We m ade our way down Sanger Road, t hrough a t hicket t unnel. Sanger was one of t wo parallel roads t he m ap showed going t o t he lake. The t unnel light s had gone out ; we probed ahead wit h a lant ern. I expect ed t o m eet a cont ingent of Beys's t roops at any t im e. The night t im e t hicket was st ill. We walked down t he t unnel road for t hirt y m inut es, t hen em erged under a brilliant st arrich sky, t he double oxbow rising in t he east . A few light s flickered ahead. We were in a broad clearing, once perhaps a farm area, now barren fields. The road crossed t he field t oward anot her t hicket , perhaps a kilom et er off, and ent ered anot her t unnel at t hat point . I guessed t he Cit adel lay about t wo kilom et ers beyond. I did not know t he palace grounds t horoughly; we could easily get lost . A sm all young wom an nam ed Meg, wit h a sm oot h dark face and wide eyes, kept close t o m e. She carried one of t he t hree guns Keo had been willing t o spare. “ This is going t o be rough, isn't it ?” she asked. “ Probably,” I said. “ Do you know where we're going?” “ I 've been t here.” “ And you say t here are a lot of soldiers.” “ Meg worries for us all,” said t he oldest m ale, a t all, st ooped fellow of t went y- five nam ed Broch. 538
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“ There are a lot of soldiers,” I said. “ But we're going t o avoid t hem . We don't want t o fight ; we want t o learn t hings.” “ How?” Meg asked, licking her lips and st aring ahead of us, at t he wall of t he next st ret ch of t hicket silva. “ We're going t o hide bet ween t he t unnel openings. That is, t he five of you are. I m ay t ake one wit h m e. I 'm going on t o t he old palace. Soldiers will likely com e t hrough one or bot h of t he t wo t unnels. You can see bot h roads from where you'll hide. I f t hey appear before I get back, we send t he fast est runner—” “ That 's Youk,” said Meg, point ing t o a sm all, slender wom an wit h fawnlike feat ures. “ Youk,” I said, “ You run ahead of t he soldiers, and report t o Ser Keo. He'll give warning wit h his radio.” “ What if t hey use t rucks?” Youk asked. “ Then we'll change our plans. But t he t roops will probably be on foot .” From what I had seen, Beys had concent rat ed all t heir vaunt ed t echnology where it would be highly visible. I doubt ed t hat t hey had m any m ore t ransport s or t ract ors t han Calcut t a. “ What will you do?” “ I 'm going t o t he old palace,” I said again. “ The Cit adel.” “ You keep saying ‘palace'... What kind of palace?” Rashnara, t he short est m ale, asked. “ I t 's where Brion lives,” I said. No need t o explain furt her. Closing on t he opening t o t he next t unnel, we cut away from t he road cat ercorner t oward t he t hicket wall bet ween t he nort h and sout h openings. I st um bled once and Youk helped m e t o m y feet . The ground was hard and chalky and had not 539
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been plowed for m ont hs, perhaps a year. We hugged t he t hicket , backs against t he sm oot h out er t runks of t he arborids t hat int ert wined t o m ake a flat dark wall. “ Why did Ser Keo t urn us over t o you?” Meg asked. “ We're not supposed t o ask t hat kind of quest ion,” Broch said. “ I t 's a good quest ion,” I said. “ Always ask quest ions.” “ Why, t hen?” Meg asked. We were about fift y m et ers from eit her road. We could see t he pavem ent of each road clearly enough, t hin lines of light er gray against t he gray- black soil. “ A friend of ours t old him I had been a m em ber of Hexam on Defense once.” Broch sniffed in t he dark. “ Are you t hat old?” “ No,” I said. “ Not so very old.” Not m uch older t han t hese kids, I rem inded m yself. “ So what does t hat m ean?” Meg persist ed. I saw som et hing block out st ars and looked up. Balloons float ed across t he night sky. One dropped it s t railing t ent acles ont o t he field, scraping t hem across t he dirt barely t went y m et ers from where we squat t ed. “ What is t hat ?” asked Olivos, a short , brist le- headed m an wit h a brushy beard. Youk st ood t o run out and invest igat e, but I grabbed her arm . “ I t 's from t he int erior,” I said. “ A new kind of t ransport er.” I st ood and looked down at t hem . “ Ser Broch, you have a gun. Will you com e wit h m e?” “ You're asking, not ordering?” Broch said, incredulous. “ Yes, because what I have t o do is part ly personal.” Broch st ood. “ You worked in Way Defense?” he asked. 540
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“ A long t im e ago.” “ I 'll com e,” he said. “ I f we're not back in t wo hours, you can assum e we've been capt ured,” I t old t he rest . “ Meg, you're in charge.” “ Thank you, I t hink,” Meg said. “ Does anybody have a wat ch?” Nobody did. “ Count , t hen,” I said. Broch and I walked nort h t o t he Godwin road and st ood in t he m iddle of t he st one slab and gravel pavem ent , st aring int o t he t unnel's im penet rable darkness. We had no lant ern. The t unnel was quiet , except for t he sound of dripping wat er. “ Let 's go,” I said. “ What are we going t o do?” he asked. “ See what t he t roops are up t o, and rescue a friend,” I said. “ I f t hey're st ill t here at all.” “ You t hink t hey m ight have com e by wat er?” “ Not if t hey're sm art . The harbor belongs t o Lenk for t he t im e being.” I t seem ed likely Beys would t ry t o ret ake t he harbor. I hoped we could be back before t hat happened. “ We're not going t o t alk while we're in t he t unnel, okay?” Broch nodded. “ Brush your hand against t he left side. I 'll st ay t o t he right .” We walked for fift y m et ers in com plet e darkness. The air was get t ing t hick and sm elled st ale. Broch coughed and apologized in a whisper. Whiffs of an am m onia- like sm ell, t angy and very unpleasant , m et us fart her down t he t unnel. Sounds from above filt ered down t o us: rust ling, shift ing. 541
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Wit h som e relief, we cam e t o t he end of t he t unnel and st ood in a field. A few light s gleam ed across t he field, elect ric lant erns bobbing t o and fro, and we heard subdued voices. From t he west , m ore explosions and t he dist ant pop of cannon. I guessed we were at t he nort hern end of t he lake, west of t he Cit adel. I could barely m ake out t he black shapes of buildings. A light cam e on in a dist ant window. A voice called out , and t he light was quickly ext inguished. “ Brion's soldiers,” Broch whispered, st anding close beside m e. “ They could be evacuat ed civilians,” I said. “ We don't know yet .” I doubt ed anyone would see us if we cut across t o t he right , where t he silva m assed again as a solid wall. Wit h a few words and gest ures, I m ade our rout e clear, and we set out across a flat , em pt y field t hat had never been plowed. “ Give m e your gun,” I said. “ Why, Ser?” “ Do you want t o have t o kill som eone?” He handed m e t he gun. I t was a heavy, short - barreled rifle of sim ple design. We followed t he line of t he t hicket slowly, t rying t o keep on our feet over t he uneven ground. A shape sprawled across t he dirt a few m et ers in front of us, a black blur in t he st ar- lit darkness. I t hought for a m om ent it was a hum an body, but it gave off a t hick am m onia sm ell. I bent over it briefly and saw a t angle of lim bs, a long cylindrical body, sharp digging barbs around it s t ail. My neck hairs t ingled. I t was a dead scion. Not hing had com e t o pick it up and t ake it away. This was t he 542
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sm ell of deat h on Lam arckia. The closeness in t he t unnel had also been deat h. “ Fat e and Breat h,” Broch said. “ What is it ?” “ A scion,” I said. “ I t 's dead.” “ Why don't cleaners com e and get it ?” “ Things are changing,” I said. We edged around it . I had lit t le doubt it was one of t he t hicket 's m obile scions, so seldom seen out side t he t angle of arborids. The t hicket silva, aft er t ens or hundreds of m illions of years, was being t old t o die. I n buildings t o our left , we heard foot st eps and voices, orders given. Soldiers were get t ing organized. I heard snat ches of conversat ion. “ ...We'll get t hem in a vice at Jalipat ...” “ They're fools. Blood- t hick fools.” “ Who's got t he squadron radio?” So t hese were t he t roops, com prised of m ost of t he old palace's guards and securit y. I could not j udge how m any t here were; at least a hundred. “ Form up,” a loud, aut horit at ive fem ale voice said. “ West in t en m inut es.” I st opped and Broch bum ped int o m e. “ Hear t hat ?” I whispered very soft ly in his ear. He nodded. “ That 's what we need t o know. Run back and t ell t he ot hers t o report t his t o Ser Keo.” “ You're not com ing wit h m e?” he asked. He was clearly unhappy at t he t hought of going back alone; unhappy, also, I surm ised, at t he t hought of going back down t he st rangesm elling t unnel. “ I t hought you needed m e.” 543
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“ I needed you for t his. I t 's t im e,” I said. “ You have your dut y. I 'm going t o find m y friends.” I handed him t he rifle. “ Take t his wit h you. I hope I won't need it .” Broch hesit at ed for a m om ent , backed away wit h arm s folded, t hen dropped t hem by his sides, t urned and walked int o t he darkness. He skirt ed t he dead scion and I could no longer m ake him out in t he darkness. Som ehow, I had cont rived t o be alone again. I had always preferred working alone, even in Way Defense. I wondered if one's life hist ory was t he result of world- lines collapsing in response t o sim ple force of charact er. The dilem m a had not been solved in a t housand years of hum an philosophy. I walked quiet ly and quickly bet ween t wo buildings. A single m oon rose and cast som e ext ra light . That was not good. I t ried t o st ay in deeper shadow wherever possible. I had t o be wit hin a hundred m et ers of t he old palace com plex. I ent ered a court yard t hrough a narrow open corridor. A fount ain in t he cent er of t he court yard t hrew a st eady ribbon of wat er int o t he air, splashing and chuckling t o it self. St aying close t o t he wall, m y feet scuffing light ly on a gravel- covered walkway, I passed a line of doors and darkened windows, t hrough anot her corridor. A few light s danced in an alley bet ween t he court yard and a wall. I flat t ened m yself against t he wall and felt large, sm oot h round st ones: t he old palace. The light s—t wo m en gripping lant erns—m oved past t he ent rance t o t he alley. I f whoever was in charge felt t he sit uat ion was desperat e, and Brion was no longer here, t his area m ight be alm ost desert ed. 544
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I n a couple of hours, dawn glow would begin light ing t he sky. I followed t he curve of t he ancient st one wall for fift y or sixt y m et ers before reaching a gat e. Three m en st ood by t he gat e, t alking soft ly in t he darkness. I pit ched m y voice t o j ust t he right volum e and t one of concern. “ Excuse m e. Don't be alarm ed. Ser Frick—” All t hree guns inst ant ly point ed at m e, and I heard t hree sim ult aneous snick- clacks as rounds were cham bered. “ I 'm one of Brion's guest s. I 'm not arm ed. Ser Frick left m e in a boat at Naderville.” “ Who are you?” “ My nam e is Olm y,” I said. “ Frick isn't here,” t he t allest guard said, a bulky shadow wit h a gravelly voice. “ Where am I supposed t o go?” “ We don't have any inst ruct ions about you.” “ Ser Brion t old m e t o com e back here on t he wat er, but t he boat was dest royed ... I had t o walk. I t was fright ening.” “ You were wit h Brion?” t he gravel- voiced guard asked. “ I 've heard about you,” anot her guard said, and t hey conferred in whispers for a m om ent . “ You went wit h Frick and Ser Brion ... didn't you? Where did you go?” “ Up t he canal,” I said. “ Com e here.” I st epped up and t he t all guard allowed a t hin beam of light t o play across m y face from a slit in his lant ern. “ I t hink he's t he one,” t he second guard said. “ Go inside and find out if anybody want s him .” 545
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29 Hyssha Chung st ood in t he vivarium , t he early dawn cast ing a blue and indist inct light over her sist er's garden. The sm ell was at rocious—am m onia and st ill, st ale air. All around her, t he garden lay in dark t at t ers. The t wo guards who escort ed m e covered t heir noses wit h clot hs t o filt er t he dust raised by our feet . “ Have you found your gat e back t o t he Way yet ?” Chung asked, her voice t ired but st ill acid. “ No,” I said. “ I 've com e back t o see where m y friends are. A wom an nam ed Shirla. And Randall, t he scient ist who worked wit h Salap.” Hyssha said not hing for several seconds, t hen dism issed t he guards wit h a wave, saying she knew m e, and I was no risk. The guards depart ed, and we were alone in t he t aint ed st illness. “ You m anaged t o get in here wit hout being killed. That 's a kind of m agic,” she said. “ I act ed st upid and innocent ,” I said. “ Lost .” “ You m ay be t he only innocent person on t his planet ,” Chung said. “ I nnocence is a luxury for out siders.” “ Why are you here?” I asked. “ I don't want t o wat ch t he fight ing.” “ Where's Brion?”
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“ I n Naderville. Maybe Beys picked him up. Act ually, I don't know where he is. Your wom an and your friend Randall ... I t hink Beys t ook t hem wit h him on t he ships.” I felt sick. “ Why?” “ I don't follow Beys closely. We don't like each ot her m uch.” She looked around her, st aring at t he dead garden wit h lips set in a rigid line. “ A balloon t ransport er dropped a few larval seed- m ot hers here yest erday. All of Cait la's creat ions ... dead in hours. The food supply ... gone. Rot t ed. There's probably very lit t le food anywhere in Naderville by now. The air is filled wit h inst ruct ions from t he green seedm ot hers ... orders t o die and rot in place, t o m ake nut rient s for t he new form s.” “ You know for sure t hat Shirla and Randall aren't here?” “ I don't care where t hey are. We're all going t o die, unless Lenk wins and sends us food, or Brion wins and we all sail t o Elizabet h's Land or Tasm an. She did t his t o us.” Then, st epping closer and looking int o m y face, she said, “ You hat e Brion, don't you?” “ Yes,” I said. The em ot ions were not so clearly expressed, but t o say anyt hing else would have been lying. “ You'd kill him if you could?” “ No,” I said. “ And Beys?” “ I 'm not here t o kill,” I said. “ You t hink Brion's weak now, and Beys is going t o ret urn and t ake over com plet ely.” “ He already has, hasn't he?” 547
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Hyssha Chung bit her lip, her eyes filling wit h t ears. “ I feel what Cait la would feel,” she said. “ Everyt hing wast ed, all t he suffering and dying. She was devot ed t o Brion. He loved her very m uch. But love doesn't excuse us, does it ?” “ No.” “ You have j udged us, haven't you?” “ Not you,” I said. “ I don't know m uch about you.” “ An accom plice,” she m urm ured. “ Will Lenk t ake us back wit h him ?” “ I don't know,” I said. She t ouched her finger t o her cheeks and sm eared her t ears. “ You don't believe in dram a, do you? Brion believes in dram a, t oo m uch, I t hink. But Beys is like you ... He has your wom an and your friend. Maybe he'll be expect ing you. Go kill Beys.”
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30 Dawn had t urned t he sky gray- green in t he east . The guards st ood by t he m ain gat e int o t he old palace, saying not hing, holding t heir rifles wit h barrels raised a few degrees above horizont al, as I walked away. I expect ed a bullet in m y back at any m om ent . The pat h back t hrough t he buildings t o t he road was desert ed. The t roops from t he Cit adel had depart ed hours ago. On t he Godwin road, heading west , I found t wo bodies in t he barren fields: Broch, lying face down in t he dirt , had been shot in t he chest and j aw. Youk, t he fast young runner, lay on t he ot her side of t he road a few m et ers away, on her back, calm eyes st aring at t he dust y m orning sky. Ahead and behind, t he t hicket silva m ade ugly groaning and rat t ling sounds, set t ling, t hrowing up billows of gray dust . The t unnel was a night m are, dust falling all around in drift s like ash, sect ions half- collapsed, t he air alm ost unbreat hable. I t hought I would suffocat e before I st um bled out int o daylight again. Behind m e, t he t unnel collapsed and I was surrounded by a t hick cloud of acrid powder and am m onia. I closed m y eyes and ran clear, t hen lay gasping on m y knees by t he road, eyes burning, covered wit h clinging grim e. My skin it ched furiously. I had sent Broch t o his deat h, I had guided Youk and perhaps t he ot hers int o deat h, and I did not know if I had accom plished anyt hing. The soldiers had passed t hrough t he roads and m ight be in Naderville even now, fight ing Keo's 549
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unprepared young m en and wom en. Lenk would lose; Beys would com m and. I pict ured Shirla already dead, and Randall wit h her. As I lurched along t he road, rubbing t he skin on m y arm s and chest and head, I st opped m y scrat ching long enough t o reach up t o t he skies and shout , “ Com e t ake m e now! Where are you? Take m e now! ” I t hink I was asking for a gat e t o open, but I m ight have been asking t o die.
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31 Yanosh and I have set t led in a secluded dist rict of t he Wald. We are eat ing a m idday m eal and sharing a bot t le of wine. I have paused from m y st ory, t rying t o keep m y com posure, even aft er all t hese decades and int o t he fullgrown infancy of a new life. Yanosh fills in for a few m inut es wit h t ales of his m ont hs as assist ant t o t he presiding m inist er. Then we drift in silence, and finally, as if t o get m e going again, he says, “ I 'm list ening.” This is a part I know I will have great difficult y describing. I t has been sixt y years and m ore since t hat day, by t he t im e of m y older body, now abandoned som ewhere, all of it s hist ory so m uch useless t issue. “ The t own wasn't pret t y, was it ?” Yanosh asks. “ The ships had dest royed about half of it . The soldiers from t he old palace fought t heir way t hrough t he east ern part of t own t o go nort h. There was st ill fight ing in t he nort h. The bat t le bet ween Lenk's t roops and t he soldiers from t he old palace ... quick and bloody. I found Keo, dead, and t wo of his boys st um bling around t hrough t he bodies of t heir friends. Lenk had not sent reinforcem ent s.” Yanosh looks off across t he green expanses of grass and spherical t rees and huge t hick vines and long, int erwoven t ree t runks t hat form a lacework around t he perim et er of t he weight less Wald. “ Som e would say t hat such dest ruct ion is t rivial, com pared t o what 's happened bet ween us and t he 551
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Jart s. There was a t im e t wo years ago when we t hought t hey would capt ure Axis Cit y—” I shake m y head in violent disagreem ent . “ Not hing t hat fills an eye wit h horror is t rivial. I t was on a scale t hat I could alm ost get used t o it . That horrified m e.” “ Lenk had been building weapons for som e t im e, t hen,” Yanosh says. “ I n secret .” “ He didn't t hink Beys or Brion would list en. He m ade cannons out of cat hedral t ree lim bs, hardened by heat ing over fire and t hen st eam ing. They could only shoot four or five t im es, but he filled his ships wit h replacem ent s...” I don't like t alking t act ics and logist ics. That has all becom e vague and unint erest ing t o m e. When hum ans set t heir m inds on som et hing, when we are forced int o a corner, we can work m iracles of dest ruct ion. “ Tell m e what happened t o Shirla. She m ust have been a fascinat ing wom an.” “ She was sim ple. When I was wit h her, I was sim ple.” “ Tell m e,” Yanosh says. I am back at Naderville again. I t is rem arkably t he sam e as m y first hours in Moonrise. I am back where I began in Lam arckia. Bodies lay in t he st reet s, m en and wom en, a few children. Brion had valued his cit izens, and especially children, so m uch, needing t hem for a fut ure on Lam arckia t hat he lat er abandoned, and here were so m any, wast ed, and t he bodies of Keo and his young m en and wom en lying wit h t hem . The fight ing had been fierce and Keo had t aken m any wit h him . 552
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I walked t hrough t he st reet s weeping, and finally I would not look at t he dead. Medical t eam s—I did not know whet her t hey were Brionist s or civilians—had set up cam ps in t he cent er of t own, at t he base of a low hill, and I carried a few inj ured people t here from t he blocks nearby t hat had been shelled int o ut t er rubble. Nobody asked who I was or where m y sym pat hies lay. Naderville was finished. Brion's polit ical m ovem ent was at an end. All around t he cit y, t he silva was t urning gray and crum bling. The great dark t hicket s were collapsing, roads were being cut off by falling debris, balloons were dropping t heir cargo and som e had even fallen in t he rubble of t he t own. I had t o go where t he fight ing was. I heard shot s and m ore cannon fire t o t he nort h, so aft er doing what lit t le I could at t he east ern end of t own, I walked nort h. Em pt y buildings, shat t ered houses and m arket s, warehouses, t he ruins of t he adm inist rat ion building, I passed t hem all, m y t hought s clearing again. From t he t op of t he west ern hill, I looked across t he harbor and saw one st eam ship com ing around t he west ern headland, leaving a t rail of gray sm oke. Most of Lenk's ships had left t he harbor. Only four rem ained, and t hey im m ediat ely fired broadsides on t he st eam ship. Several shells m ade direct hit s. The st eam ship's guns were st ill act ive, however, and it closed. The big guns boom ed once, and t he direct hit on t he sout hernm ost of Lenk's vessels broke t he ship in half. The rem aining t hree ships had reloaded and fired again. The st eam ship t ook t wo m ore hit s and for a few m inut es, it 553
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slowed and followed a gent le curve t o t he m iddle of t he harbor. My heart rose; I hoped it was disabled. But again t he guns fired, fore and aft , and t wo m ore ships t ook large shells, one in t he m iddle, one forward, blowing t he bow off. One ship rem ained. I did not want t o see any m ore, but I could not leave. There was an even chance t hat Shirla and Randall were aboard t he st eam ship, t hat t hey had already been inj ured or killed by t he cannon shells. The last of t he sailing ships in t he harbor fired t wo m ore cannon shot s. The first raised a t ower of spray fift y m et ers in front of t he st eam ship. The second blew t he bridge t o pieces. The st eam ship drift ed first left , t hen right , leaving a frot hing wake, and t hen set t led against a sand bar and rolled on it s side. The st ern sank below wat er. The rem aining sailing ship st ood out in t he harbor, t rium phant , but only for a m om ent . Fire had st art ed on her deck and was spreading swift ly. The t rees and furled sails caught and flared, and sm oke drift ed across t he harbor, t o t he sout h. I had had enough. I walked anot her block along Sun St reet , t o where I could see t he nort hern edge of t he peninsula on which Naderville sat . A t hick fog covered t he ocean t here, but t hrough t he fog I heard m ore cannon fire, and saw a bright orange flash. A m ushroom puff of sm oke and flying debris rose above t he ceiling of fog, about t hree kilom et ers from t he shore. A deafening t hud went off, seem ingly at m y feet . I swiveled and looked t o m y left , along t he nort hwest ern ext ent of t he peninsula. A lazy curl of sm oke and t he residue of flam e st ill hung from where a large gun had been fired. I t had 554
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been dragged on a wheeled carriage along a dirt road and was now m ount ed under cam ouflage, backed up against t hick, low- lying arborids at t he t op of t he hill west of where I st ood. I wondered who com m anded t he gun, and quickly decided it m ust be Beys's forces. The fog would soon be lift ing. Som ewhere out t here, very likely, was t he second st eam ship, wreaking havoc on Lenk's sailing ships. The gun was useless for now, firing once j ust for pract ice, but when t he fog lift ed, it would quickly finish t he j ob. I ran down a st reet t o t he east , past bewildered civilians ret urning t o t his part of t he t own now t hat t he shelling and fight ing had subsided. I encount ered t he first picket s for Lenk's t roops on t he out skirt s of t he low hills. I knew t hey belonged t o Lenk because t hey wore no uniform s, as Beys's t roops did, and because t heir discipline had broken com plet ely. They saw I was unarm ed, and were t oo exhaust ed t o pay m e m uch at t ent ion. The fight ing here had also been vicious, and bodies lit t ered t he t hin scrub of phyt ids and arborids in t he fields around t he hills. A few shacks had been reduced t o rubble, and m en and wom en—m ost ly m en—rest ed while ot hers went am ong t hem wit h wat er and m edicine. Moans and shrieks broke out from t he wounded, laid out in rows on t he ground, wat ched over by exhaust ed m edical at t endant s. I t looked like any ancient bat t le, any fragm ent of war long past , som et hing I had once t hought would never be possible for hum ans again, and cert ainly not hum ans born in Thist ledown. 555
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I cam e upon four m en st anding t oget her beside a lone st one wall, passing a bot t le. They eyed m e suspiciously as I approached. “ Who's in charge?” I asked. “ Nobody, now,” one of t he m en said. “ The ranks are back on t he cape, or dead. We're wait ing t o be called back ... t o wherever. Who are you?” I t old t hem m y nam e and point ed out t hat a gun was in place and would soon be firing on t he fleet . I was about t o lay out a plan for t aking t he gun, knowing I had t o begin som ewhere, when a fleshy m an wit h a pat chy beard and t hick eyebrows lift ed a t hick fist and poked his finger at m e. “ You're t he Hexam on agent , aren't you?” he asked. “ You're going t o bring a gat e down and t ake us back t o Thist ledown.” I st ared at him for a m om ent , t aken by surprise, not sure what t o say or do. “ We're sick of t his,” t he fleshy m an said. “ I killed four people t oday. I killed a wom an. That 's m ort al error.” He backed away, head dropping. “ I killed a wom an.” “ You can t ake us back now, can't you?” The youngest in t he group reached out t o grab m y arm . Bat t le shock and hope gave his face a pallid glow. “ We need t o go hom e. Som et hing awful is happening here. Can't you sm ell it ?” “ Are you what t hey say?” t he t allest and oldest of t hem asked. He was about m y age, and he had bandages wrapped around his arm and leg. “ I don't know what we'd do if you t urned out t o be a lie.” I heard a com m ot ion behind us. A few m en wit h rifles ran t o confront an approaching group of uniform ed Brionist s, t en 556
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or t welve in all. They held several whit e flags and carried no weapons. They were quickly surrounded, and t he shout ing died down int o t ense discussion, gun barrels pushed against hands held up, palm s out , heads leaning, subdued words passing quickly. “ They can't be surrendering,” t he bandaged m an growled. “ They're j ust rest ing before t hey push us back out t o t he headland.” I heard wind- blown scraps of t he conversat ion and walked t oward t he group. Again I felt t he queasy excit em ent , t he t ingling sense t hat som et hing significant was happening. “ That 's him ,” one of t he Brionist s said, point ing at m e as I approached t he crowd. I recognized t he officer who had addressed t he ships’ crews at t he Cit adel and t ried t o rem em ber his nam e: Pit t , I t hought . His uniform was t orn and covered wit h m ud. He approached m e wit h hands out st ret ched. “ I know who you are. Word has been passing everywhere t hat you're here.” He st ared at m e wit h wolflike int ensit y. “ Your nam e is Olm y. You know what 's happening. The silva is dying. You know.” My hands seem ed t o pulse. “ I do know,” I said, let t ing som e deeper inst inct , deeper personalit y t ake over. “ You cam e wit h t he t roops from t he Cit adel?” Pit t nodded. “ We fought west of here.” He glanced at t he encircling m en and wom en, eyes j erking back and fort h bet ween st iff, unsym pat het ic faces. “ The t hicket is dying. We can sm ell it . Scions are crawling out everywhere and dying. The food is rot t ing in t he st orage houses.” “ Are you in charge?” I asked. 557
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“ I am a capt ain, rank second over m y com pany.” “ Are you done fight ing?” “ What good is it ? What can we do?” he asked plaint ively. “ The food is going bad. The food in our kit s is t urning int o dust . Since last night ... All t he food from t he silva, all of it . We rely on it . There is so lit t le of anyt hing else...” Most of t he able- bodied m en and wom en on t he hill, about a hundred and fift y of t hem , had gat hered around, looking t o m e for explanat ions. Voices clam ored for answers. I saw t he gray Brionist uniform s absorbed in t he m ot ley of Lenk's soldiers, exhaust ion and bat t le and com m on fear rem oving t he last barriers. I felt a roaring in m y ears and m y vision t unneled for a m om ent as blood pum ped int o head. I found a low broken wall and clim bed precariously on t op of t he ragged st ones. “ List en,” I shout ed, raising m y hands. “ Ser Brion has let loose som et hing new on Hsia. I spoke wit h him ; I saw it . The ecos is in a m aj or fluxing. I n a few days or weeks t here isn't going t o be any food from t he ecos, and very few are going t o be able t o survive here. The bat t le is over.” “ I t 's dying,” voices cried out . “ We have t o let everybody know so t he fight ing will st op.” “ We don't have any m ore radios,” t he bandaged m an shout ed at m e. “ The ranks have t hem .” I looked down at Pit t . “ Do you have radios?” I asked. He shook his head. “ They're cont rolled by General Beys's at t achés,” he said. “ Where is Beys?” I asked. 558
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“ On t he 15,” Pit t said, point ing nort h. “ They're going t o sink t he rest of Lenk's fleet . They hope t o cat ch Lenk and kill him , as well.” “ Able Lenk,” a wom an m ut t ered. I could not t ell whet her she was correct ing Pit t 's disrespect or expressing her own. I bent over on t he wall and put m y hand on Pit t 's shoulder. I had m anaged t o lose all sense of m y lim it at ions. A sm all rat ional voice t old m e, Now you really are like Lenk and Brion. But t here was not hing else I could do, not hing else t o be done, but follow t he inner pressure. I had fleshed out a legend, once half- dreaded, a bogeym an of anot her place and t im e. I could feel a coalescing, upt urned faces, despair and hope and weariness all around m e, weaknesses and passions int o which I could fit like a plug in a socket and where no one else could fit so well. “ How m any soldiers will follow you?” I asked Pit t . “ Fift y,” he said. “ They're wait ing for m e t o com e back. I rem em bered you when t he word st art ed spreading. There was a m essage from t he Cit adel, t elling about you. Som e ot hers saw you walking t hrough t he t own.” I scanned t he crowd again for t he face of t he bandaged soldier, saw so m any bandages, so m any wounds and dirt y, fright ened faces, found t he m an again. I fixed on him . “ How m any here will follow m e?” “ What are we going t o do?” t he bandaged m an asked. “ There's a large gun on a hill below us. I t 's going t o help Beys sink Lenk's ships. We need t hose ships. We need t o capt ure t hat gun.” 559
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Pit t 's face wrinkled again, t his t im e in genuine anguish. I bent down again and shook his shoulder firm ly. “ You've com e here for a reason,” I said. “ Beys will never give up, will he?” “ I don't know what Beys will do,” Pit t said. I picked up t he phrase t he fleshy, bearded m an had used. “ Beys has led you int o m ort al error.” Pit t closed his eyes and t ook a deep breat h, brows squeezed t oget her. “ I f t he ships are sunk ... What can we do?” I asked. “ They won't need t he gun. 15 can dest roy m ost of t he ships by it self.” Pit t 's face gleam ed one last t im e wit h esprit de corps. “ Lenk slipped his ships int o t he harbor when our st eam ships were out t o sea. Beys cam e back as soon as he heard, and Lenk ordered his ships out of t he harbor. But Beys pushed t hem up against t he bight nort h of t he peninsula, and now, t he ships are as good as sunk.” “ Beys will never give up,” I repeat ed. A quiet fell over t he crowd. Those at t ached t o Lenk knew t he t rut h of t his, and t he soldiers of Beys and Brion were absorbing t he im plicat ions. “ Ser Brion did t his?” voices am ong t he gray and t an uniform s asked. “ He poisoned t he silva?” Heads shook, and bit t er whispers passed. Pit t roused him self, m aking a decision wit h a quick spasm of his body. “ There was a rebellion t wo years ago. We felt t he ecos m ight have been profaned. We warned him and his Cait la Chung, but t hen Brion brought us t he food. We were hungry.” 560
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The crowd absorbed t his inform at ion in silence. I exam ined t he faces, t rying t o find where t he river of consent and passion would flow. A wrong word, a j arring phrase, could shat t er t his crowd like a cryst al vase. The Brionist soldiers would be beat en t o deat h, t he bat t le would resum e, and I would be able t o accom plish not hing. I t hought of com m on sufferings and deep fears. “ No m ore food,” I said. “ Join us! ” t he bandaged m an shout ed. The crowd coursed around m e, arm s raised, hands gripping in t he air. I could hardly believe what I was seeing. The crowd had becom e one, and was ready t o absorb m ore.
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32 The gun, Pit t inform ed us, was approachable only by t he dirt road. The fog nort h of t he peninsula was already t hinning, pat ches of ocean and a few ships revealed, and m orning was giving way t o noon. We had Pit t 's fift y soldiers and, keeping well behind t hem , fift y of Lenk's t roops, all of t hem now following m e. I considered t he sit uat ion carefully. I f we put t he gun out of act ion, Beys's st eam ship could st ill cause considerable dam age t o Lenk's fleet . Wit h four ships sunk in t he harbor, having t aken t he 43 down wit h t hem , t here were t en vessels st ill in t he fog, at severe risk. The sit uat ion was also clear t o Pit t . He sat on a rock at t he bot t om of t he hill road, j ust below a det achm ent in place t o guard t he road. The det achm ent had already exchanged a few words wit h Pit t and recognized him . I sat beside Pit t . Krist of Ab Seij a, t he bandaged m an, st ood behind us. “ I can t alk t o t hem som e m ore,” Pit t said, “ but I don't know what good it will do. They're a special crew. They t ake orders direct ly from Beys and no one else. Aft er t he st eam ships, t hat gun is his pride.” “ We don't have m uch t im e,” I said. The gun blast ed a great gout of flam e and sm oke from t he side of t he hill. The shell flew out over t he wat er, sounding like a huge shoe grinding boulder- sized gravel. Seconds lat er, 562
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kilom et ers away, an explosion answered like t he sam e heavy shoe dropping. “ I t can shoot seven kilom et ers,” Pit t said. “ Maybe m ore.” “ We m ay have t o kill t hem ,” Seij a said. Pit t lowered his face int o his hands and rubbed his eyes. “ I t 's not easy,” he said. “ To kill t hem ?” Seij a asked. “ To be a t rait or,” he replied sharply, and looked up at m e, eyes pleading for som e sort of inspirat ion. I had put m yself int o t his posit ion; I could not back down now. I list ened int ent ly t o t he conflict ing m essages inside m e, t rying t o find t hat convict ion of invincibilit y I had known before. My neck hair t ingled again. I nt erest . The word t hat described so m uch and explained so lit t le. I heard m ore voices com ing from t he flat bet ween t he hills, m ost ly fem ale. The bearded m an, Ham sun, ran up t o j oin us. The det achm ent fart her up t he dirt road began t o m ill rest lessly, weapons raised, sensing som et hing was about t o happen. “ Wom en,” Ham sun said, out of breat h, pant ing heavily. “ From Naderville. Older wom en com ing back. Now t hat t he fight ing. Has st opped.” I n a t own or cit y as sm all as Naderville, everybody should know everybody else. They had shared m ut ual grief and m isery; I t ried t o im agine t he dept h of t he social connect ions, t he influence som e people m ight wield. Beys m ight have been a t rue aberrat ion, his support shallow; t he dull calm on t he face of t he m an in t he flat boat could as easily have been num b acquiescence. 563
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And now t he wom en were here, perhaps t he m ot her or wife of t hat m an. For a m om ent I felt lost in t his new sym pat hy. All t he energet ic loat hing I had carried left a confusing vacuum . “ Ser Pit t ,” I said, “ can you explain t hings t o t he wom en? Bring som e of t hem up here?” “ You want t hem t o go up t he road first ?” “ Mot hers, sist ers, wives,” I said. Pit t st ood. “ I 'll t ry t o explain,” he said. “ I know som e of t he gun crew. I know t heir fam ilies.” Yanosh is t rying t o absorb t his. “ So you becam e a general,” he said. “ You learned how t o m ove t he m asses.” His words are ironic, perhaps a lit t le disbelieving. “ Pit t and I walked wit h t he wom en. We walked up t he road. The soldiers could not shoot t heir own wom en.” “ You t old t hem about t he food,” Yanosh says. “ I t was m ore t han food,” I say. “ I t was exhaust ion, and t hirt y- seven years of frust rat ion and recrim inat ion and m isery. And now t he profanat ion of a sacred t hing.” “ That is what I have t he m ost t rouble underst anding,” Yanosh says. “ How could anyone revere such a t hing as t he ecos? Wasn't it part of t heir m isery?” “ No,” I say, not knowing exact ly how t o explain. Yanosh will never see t he ecoi as t hey were. Nobody will ever see t hem again. The wom en walked past t he guards and t he chain barrier and up t o t he gun. Lenk's t roops st ayed behind; t hey were not necessary. 564
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The gun crew were not t he devot ed warriors Beys m ight have hoped. They succum bed rapidly t o t he pleas of t heir wives and m ot hers, and radioed for inst ruct ions t o 15. Beys could not explain t he fluxing t o his soldiers, nor why t hey should cont inue support ing Brion when t he sust enance of t heir hom eland was rot t ing. The gun did not fire again. Beys had lost his const it uency, and word was spreading against Brion. Pit t sat wit h m e aft erward, and t he capt ain of t he gun crew j oined us in t he shadow of t he big weapon, looking out across t he ocean at t he st eam ship and Lenk's bot t led- up fleet . The capt ain t ossed his hat down int o t he dust beside t he m assive wheel. “ I have t wo young ones,” he said, glancing at m e like a shy, fright ened child. “ My wife didn't com e here wit h t he ot hers.” He swung his hand at t he wom en on t he road and surrounding t he em placem ent . “ I f t hey're st ill alive, where will t hey go? What will t hey eat ? I t ried t o speak wit h Beys, but he hasn't answered t he radio since we st opped firing.” “ I s t here a boat ?” I asked. “ On t he beach,” t he capt ain said, point ing down t he hill. The launch had once served t he governm ent 's needs on t he nort hern side of t he peninsula. Less fancy t han Brion's launch, or Chung's, it st ill had a fully charged set of bat t eries and a st urdy elect ric m ot or. Pit t st epped aboard wit h m e, carrying a radio from t he gun crew. Ham sun followed. Seij a would st ay behind t o keep t he peace bet ween t he Lenk t roops, t he gun crew, and t he rest of t he Brionist soldiers, m any seeing t heir wives and m ot hers for t he first t im e in days. 565
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On t he beach beside t he launch lay wilt ed gray devast at ion. The beachfront t hicket had died. A balloon had dropped t he last of it s green larval seed- m ot hers and now lay half- collapsed on t he spit of black sand and lava gravel nearby, pushed at by slow, persist ent waves. The new, young seed- m ot her had t aken residence in a t angle of phyt ids t he night before and had im m ediat ely enslaved t hem , t o prot ect it self against what ever weat her t here m ight be. They had form ed a sm all shelt er over it s delicat e green body, and in t he m iddle, beneat h t he canopy, it grew and sent fort h broad flat green folia, spreading wide in t he aft ernoon sun. The balloon's wrinkled, rapidly deflat ing bag rolled back and fort h in t he low surf. As we prepared t o board t he launch, t he green cent er beneat h t he dry, crum bling prot ect ion of t he phyt ids exploded and t hrew out t iny corn- kernel grains. They im m ediat ely pushed probing t endrils int o t he dirt and wet sand. Pit t regarded t he new ecos wit h disgust . I did not bot her t o t ell him what it was; we had lit t le t im e. The st eam ship sailed in a t ight loop four kilom et ers offshore. The last of t he sailing ships t hat had dropped off Lenk's t roops and shelled Naderville had got t en t hem selves int o a t ight sit uat ion, bot t led up in a bight t hat st ret ched seven kilom et ers nort h from t he peninsula. I t was obvious from t he st eam ship's t hreat ening post ure and st rat egic posit ion t hat if t hey t ried t o leave, t hey would be shelled, probably dem olished. But for t he t im e being, no act ion was being t aken. The sailing ships could not shell 15 at it s present 566
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dist ance from t hem , but it could cert ainly fire on t hem , and Beys seem ed t o be weighing his opt ions. Ham sun and Pit t insist ed t hat t hey be allowed t o run t he boat . “ You need t im e t o t hink,” Pit t said. His deference m ade m e nervous. Again, all m y confidence had fled. The way Pit t looked at m e m ade m y st om ach churn. I dreaded t he t hought of m eet ing wit h Beys. I knew his kind of evil would rise above any sm all t alent I m ight have at persuasion and polit ics. He would know I was no prophet ; he m ight sim ply shoot m e, or order m e shot . I did not fear t hat , however. Deat h seem ed t he least of m y worries. I hoped Shirla was on board, and Randall. On t he ot her hand, I was uncom fort able at t he t hought of her seeing m e in t his new, false role, of diplom at and put at ive avat ar. She would inst ant ly know it for t he sham it was. I f Beys saw her react ion, he would know, t hen, also. And yet —what could Beys do? He could kill us. He could fire on t he sailing ships. But Lenk and t he Khoragos were not in t he bight . Wit hout support from Naderville, Beys was not hing m ore t han a pirat e. His st rengt h would rapidly wane. The sit uat ion in Naderville was far from st able, however. Brion could reappear at any m om ent , from wherever he was hiding, and draw his people back t oget her, back t o t heir accust om ed ruler and ways. He was far bet t er at playing his role t han I could be. Beys m ight be in t ouch wit h Brion; t he pair of supposed opposit es m ight again be drawing lines of force bet ween t hem , nort h pole and sout h, on t he brink t his t im e of regaining not j ust Naderville but all t he ot her hum an set t lem ent s as well. 567
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Pit t had t old t he st eam ship t hat we were approaching, and t hat I was aboard t o parley. He st ood beside m e on t he prow; Ham sun pilot ed t he boat from t he st ern. “ Will he blow us out of t he wat er?” Pit t asked. “ I was j ust about t o ask you t he sam e t hing,” I said. “ I feel sick t o m y st om ach,” Pit t said. “ So do I .” Pit t squint ed up at m e. “ The general is a powerful m an,” he said. “ I t hink he'll squash m e like a bug.” “ What does he believe in?” I asked. Pit t frowned. He was a t hin, weary bureaucrat in a uniform t hat no longer seem ed t o fit him . His long wrist s hung out of t he sleeves, and he clasped his bony hands t oget her t ight ly. “ A few hours ago, I would have said he believed in Brion and Naderville. I n bringing rat ional planning and t hought t o Lam arckia. I was a st udent in t he academ y before m y enlist m ent began and t he call- up put us all in uniform . I didn't see any dut y away from Naderville ... I st ayed here and wat ched t hings change. Brion becam e m ore aloof. Beys m ore prom inent . I did not disapprove. Should I have?” I shook m y head. I f I could not j udge Brion, surely I could not j udge t his m an, or any like him . The confusing vacuum persist ed. No right , no wrong, only forces of nat ure, like winds blowing us back and fort h. My st om ach knot t ed t ight er. We were less t han a kilom et er from 15. The st eam ship had slowed. She had dropped a sea anchor t o m aint ain her posit ion. Pit t rubbed his nose and said t hat was a good sign. “ 15's given us perm ission t o put alongside,” Ham sun called from aft . 568
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Pit t arranged his uniform and sm oot hed back his hair, blown about by t he sea breeze. The sm ell of am m onia and flat st aleness was apparent even t his far from shore; on t he land it m ust have been awful. “ Som e of us worshipped Hsia,” Pit t said. “ I t wasn't her fault she couldn't feed us. Som e t hought she did what she could, t hat we had j ust overst epped our bounds. That 's why so m any were upset when Brion said he was going t o m ake her fruit ful, he was going t o change her. Brion alm ost lost everyt hing t hen. But he brought t he food down t he canal in ships, and we had been so hungry for so long ... The rebellion ended before it really got st art ed. “ The last t wo days ... I don't know. I 've lived here all m y life. The t hicket silva's been here for m illions of years, so t hey say. I t hink if I were som eone else, I 'd cry. How could Brion have done som et hing like t his?” I could not give any useful answers. The launch pulled alongside t he st eam ship and a gangway was lowered level wit h our deck. We lashed t he launch t o t he gangway and clim bed t he st eps. A narrow- faced m an wit h a short st iff cap of brown hair greet ed us st iffly at t he rail. “ General Beys is busy now. He'll be wit h you short ly.” We were t aken forward, past t he big forward gun, seabased t win of t he gun t hat had been rolled up t he hill. I t m ust have t aken im m ense effort t o m ake such weapons, and yet , t hey had not saved 43 from being sunk by prim it ive xylawrapped cannon. I could not fat hom t he reasoning behind such a m ilit ary buildup. Had Brion or Beys ant icipat ed a m aj or showdown at sea? 569
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The brist le- haired m an int roduced him self as Maj or Som pha, t hen sat us under an observat ion canopy erect ed in front of t he forward gun. “ I s it as bad as it looks?” he asked soft ly, nodding in t he direct ion of t he m ainland. From where 15 float ed, t he st ret ches of silva looked pale and irregular, t he sharply defined boundaries t urning ash- gray as t he day progressed. “ I t 's all changing,” Pit t said. “ What 's t he worst of it ? We haven't heard m uch.” “ The food,” Pit t said. Ham sun described t he sit uat ion in t he st orage barns. Maj or Som pha t ook it wit h as m uch st oic calm as he could m ust er, but it obviously hit him hard. He asked about his fam ily in Naderville. “ Som e are com ing back int o t own, but ...” Ham sun shook his head. “ Are you wit h Lenk?” Som pha asked m e. “ No,” I said. “ He says he's from t he Hexam on,” Pit t said. “ A lot of people believe him .” Som pha nodded, put t ing fact s t oget her and drawing his own conclusions. “ I t hink General Beys believes him ,” he said. “ Why let you com e here, ot herwise? We're wait ing for night fall, and t hen we'll sink Lenk's ugly fleet one by one.” “ There's no food,” Pit t growled. “ What good will it do t o sink t he ships t hat m ight t ake som e of us away, or bring food from Tasm an or Elizabet h?” “ Lenk wouldn't do a t hing for us before,” Som pha said. “ I need t o know if t here are t wo people on board,” I int errupt ed, m y pat ience ending. “ A m an and a wom an. One is nam ed Shirla Ap Nam , t he ot her is Erwin Randall.” 570
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“ The host ages,” Som pha said. “ They're here. Beys is keeping t hem below. Maybe he is worried about you.” He shrugged and left us sit t ing out of t he m ilky sunlight , in t he shade of t he canopy. An hour passed, and Som pha ret urned wit h glasses of wat er. He st ood wit h us for several m inut es, grim ly st aring across t he wat er at t he ash- colored shore. “ Looks like a huge fire hit it ,” he said. “ Do you t hink it 's happening everywhere?” “ I t will,” I said. “ We'll put in t o t he harbor t om orrow m orning, aft er we sink t hese ships, if it 's clear,” Som pha said. “ I need t o see t hings for m yself.” An hour lat er, he ret urned again. The dist ant shore appeared cream y whit e in t he lat e- aft ernoon light . The sun crept t oward t he west ern horizon. Wit hin t he bight , t he rem ains of Lenk's fleet had anchored. To t he m en and wom en on t hose ships, I t hought , it m ust seem as if t he world was ending. They'd probably t ry t o break out in an hour or so, and chance t hat Beys's m onst er would m iss a few, not be able t o t rack t hem down, or t hat t hey could ret urn sufficient fire t o put t he st eam ship out of act ion. I im agined m yself on one of t hose ships. “ General Beys says he's ready t o m eet wit h you now,” Som pha said. We st ood and Som pha placed him self in front of m e. “ I f you are t he j udge, from t he Hexam on, I need t o t ell you som et hing now. My wife and I were ordered t o t ake in t hree children from Elizabet h's Land,” he said. “ We were ordered t o. We have t aken good care of t hem .” 571
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We looked at each ot her for a long m om ent , and t hen Som pha t urned away, m urm uring, “ I j ust want ed you t o know t hat .” He led us t o t he bridge, up a st eep com panionway and around an out side passage t o cabins on t he upper deck. Som pha opened a door, and an im posing dark wom an, t aller t han I and probably st ronger, st ared at us wit h sharp clear eyes, t hen st ood aside. General Beys sat at a t able wit hin t he cabin. All was paint ed whit e, and t he t able was set wit h a whit e clot h. A glass pit cher of wat er and several cups had been placed around t he t able, and folding xyla chairs drawn up. Beys looked at t he m en beside m e. “ You're Rank Two Suleim an Pit t . I don't rem em ber t his m an's nam e...” “ Ham sun, sir. Tarvo Ham sun.” “ I s it as bad on shore as it looks?” “ Yes, sir,” Pit t said. Beys indicat ed we should sit . His ruddy cheeks had blued t o a pale violet in t he last few days, and his skin was sallow from fat igue. His left hand t rem bled slight ly on t he whit e clot h of t he t able unt il he rem oved it and hid it beneat h t he t able. “ Brion should have killed you all, and Lenk, days ago,” Beys said. “ We had Lenk in our hands. We bot h m iscalculat ed badly.” “ What good t o kill m ore?” I asked. “ My m ist ake,” Beys said short ly, his voice clipped but calm . “ I underest im at ed Lenk, and in m y profession, t hat 's a crim e.” 572
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He leaned forward. “ St ill no help from t he Hexam on? Lenk's clavicle no good for you?” “ I haven't seen it ,” I said. “ Brion t ook you up t he canal and showed you m ore t han you cared t o see, I 'll bet .” “ He t ook us up t he canal,” I said. “ The scient ist , Salap ... what did he t hink?” “ He's st ill t here.” “ I s Brion responsible for what 's happening on shore? He and his wife?” “ I t looks t hat way,” I said. “ He knew, dam n him ,” Beys said, looking up at t he ceiling, t hen back at m e. “ He behaved like a kid whose dirt y lit t le secret s are going t o com e out soon. Do you know where he is?” I shook m y head. “ Neit her do I . I can't reach him by t he radio, and no one on shore has seen him .” Beys leaned back and glared at Pit t and Ham sun. “ Get out ,” he ordered loudly. They st ood quickly and t he im posing dark wom an escort ed t hem t hrough t he hat ch. “ Aphra, shut t he door behind you and st ay out side yourself.” “ Yes, sir,” t he wom an said. Beys put bot h hands on t he t able. “ We're equal now. Fat e dam n eit her one of us who lies.” “ All right ,” I said. “ The oat h assum ed,” he added, st aring at m e wit h brows drawn t oget her. “ The oat h assum ed.” 573
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“ Brion gave you t he im pression t hat I 'm responsible for all t he m ayhem , didn't he?” Beys asked. “ I believe you carried out your int erpret at ion of vague orders.” Beys t hrust his j aw out and leaned his head back. “ Did Brion show you t he arm y he want ed t o m ake? Or rat her, have t he seed- m ot her m ake? “ Designs for scion soldier- weapons... ?” He read m y feat ures int ent ly. “ No,” I said. His face shift ed from a wry sm ile t o disgust . “ He want ed t o st art over again. He want ed all of Lenk's people t o realize what Lenk had done t o us. Anyt hing t o furt her t hat cause ... was legit im at e. We were working t o st abilize all set t lem ent s on Lam arckia, t o t ransform t his planet . Food was t he first accom plishm ent . The scion soldiers would have been next ... But his wife died. That broke him . I t hought he was st rong, or I wouldn't have allied wit h him , but t hat broke him .” Beys m et m y silence wit h a lift of his lip and a cluck of his t ongue. “ I f I dest roy t his fleet of Lenk's in t he next hour, what will you do?” I avoided direct ly answering t hat quest ion, inst ead explaining about t he larval seed- m ot hers, t he rot t ing scions of old Hsia. “ Everyone in Naderville will st arve,” I said. “ I f I let Lenk go free, and ... what ever you m ight t hink is honorable or j ust , what will you do?” “ Naderville will need t o be evacuat ed. That could t ake m ont hs. A lot of people will die, but not all of t hem .”
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Beys considered t his, rubbing his cheek wit h a short , fat finger. Then he lift ed one eyebrow. “ What would you have done, if you were m e?” “ Why did you kill so m any?” I asked in ret urn. Beys j erked slight ly in his chair, but his expression did not change. “ Why kill t he adult s?” I asked, t aking anot her angle. “ I rrat ional loyalt y t o Lenk and all he st ood for,” he said. “ Yes, but why kill t hem ?” “ To end t he old and begin t he new. How would you have done t hat , if you were m e?” “ You really don't know why you ordered t hem killed, do you?” Beys lowered his eyelids unt il he resem bled a sleepy farm anim al, a dog or a pig. “ You j udge m e. Have you j udged Brion?” “ I 'm not a j udge,” I said. “ Brion believed you were powerless,” he said. “ He t hought you were a gnawed- off piece of som e abort ed effort . I t old him t he Hexam on does not work t hat way. He laughed and said I was an idealist . I t hink t hat all you have t o do is wink j ust t he right way, and all t his will end. Why not wink?” I did not answer. He refused t o look m e in t he eye, and I saw sweat on his lip. “ I have som et hing for you. Brion asked t hat I t ake your com panions, Ap Nam and Randall, wit h m e on t his ship. He learned t hat you and Ap Nam were lovers. They're here.” “ I 'd like t o see t hem ,” I said. 575
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Beys clenched his hands on t he t able and knocked it sharply wit h his knuckles. “ I would have done anyt hing t o have never com e here. I would have worked m y way up in Way Defense.” His voice t ensed. “ I am in a backwat er, wit h nowhere t o go. When m y fam ily died, Brion was all I had.” “ Show m e Shirla and Erwin,” I said. “ I f I give t hem up t o you, and let t he fleet go, what t hen?” I did not hesit at e t o t ell a half- lie. “ I will not t urn you over t o Hexam on j ust ice.” “ Where will I live?” “ Wherever you can t ravel wit hout m y help.” Beys m ulled t his over. “ You can have t his ship. I t 's hell t o m aint ain. I can t ake one of Lenk's schooners and a crew of t en. I can m anage wit h t en. I f you want , I 'll sink t his ship.” “ We'll need all t he ships,” I said. His once- florid face had t aken on t he cast of wet freechunk past e. Beys lift ed his eyes t o m eet m ine. “ A sm all ship. A boat . Where do you suggest I go?” “ I don't care,” I said. “ Lenk m ight have shelled his own children, you know,” Beys m urm ured. “ They m ight have been kept in Naderville as prot ect ion.” “ Were t hey?” “ I f I had t hought about it , I would have ordered t hem kept t here, but I was sixt y m iles out at sea when t he at t ack began. I was going t o Jakart a, and t hen t o At henai.” I shook m y head. “ I st ay here on Lam arckia, what ever happens. You will not let t hem t ake m e back t o t he Way.” 576
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“ All right ,” I said. Beys brought his hands up on t he t able. St ar, Fat e, and Pneum a be kind, I shook hands wit h t hat m an. Shirla and Randall st ood in t he shadow of t he aft gun, guarded by t hree soldiers in gray and t an, and Pit t and Ham sun wait ed nearby. I walked along t he passage t o t he rear deck. Shirla saw m e and ran forward. Nobody t ried t o st op her. She grabbed m e and I squeezed her t ight ly, burying m y face in her neck and sweat - scent ed hair. We said not hing for a t im e. “ Are you a prisoner, t oo?” she asked. “ I don't t hink so,” I said. “ Are we going back t o Liz now? I keep hearing t hat we can't possibly st ay here, t hat t he ecos is sick.” So word was spreading around t he ship. I wondered if Beys or Brion could possibly survive. “ I hope we can go, and soon,” I said. “ There's a lot of work t o do. A lot t o prepare for.” “ No m agic?” she asked. I shook m y head. “ I 'm afraid not .” “ Just you?” “ Just m e,” I said. Randall cam e closer and j oined us. “ I hope you'll be enough,” he said.
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33 Yanosh and I have m ade our way t o m y newly assigned apart m ent . He has t o leave soon; t he presiding m inist er has been affording him considerable t im e t o arrange for m y care and debrief m e, but ot her m at t ers are pressing hard, and Yanosh can assign only so m any incorporeal ghost s t o do his work before his em bodied aut horit y becom es necessary. Much has changed in t he Hexam on in t en years. The art of ghost ing—of proj ect ing part ial personalit ies t o do one's work—has advanced t o ast onishing sophist icat ion. “ Did you ever learn why Lenk dest royed t he clavicle?” Yanosh asks. Shirla was wit h m e when we went ashore, in Lenk's m ain part y, t o pay hom age t o t he dead. Brion, Hyssha Chung, and Frick had been found m urdered, t heir bodies m ut ilat ed. Lenk claim ed disgrunt led soldiers from Brion's arm y had caught t hem and killed t hem . I never heard any reason t o believe ot herwise. Their alleged killers were going t o be put on t rial in Tasm an. They were being buried wit h a full divaricat e Naderit e funeral, allowing Lenk t o show t hat t im e and honor can heal all wounds. A few days lat er, t he Khoragos depart ed Hsia. Because of t he ext raordinary fluxing, boat s were being sent from Tasm an and Elizabet h's Land, and som e effort was being m ade t o evacuat e t he cit izens of Naderville. I t would t ake m ont hs, and 578
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Lenk did not want t o be t here if t hings went wrong. He insist ed Shirla and I accom pany him t o Tasm an. Beys left Naderville in a sm all schooner, wit h a five- m an crew, all t hat would go wit h him . None was ever heard from again. Shirla sat on t he deck of t he Khoragos in a sm all folding chair, sipping from a bowl of t ea. She sm iled up at m e as I approached, afraid but t rying hard not t o show her fear. I sat beside her and she offered m e t he cup. I t ook a sip. “ When is he going t o show us?” she asked. “ Tonight . He's busy arranging t hings now. He's st ill Able Lenk.” Shirla gazed out t o sea and her t eet h began t o chat t er. Wit h a j erk, she st illed t he quiver in her j aw and looked m iserable. “ You'll be going soon,” she said. There had been so lit t le t im e t o t alk, so m any m eet ings and arrangem ent s before leaving Hsia. None of t his had been worked over bet ween us. “ I don't t hink so,” I said. “ I f you can fix t he clavicle...” “ Ferrier says he doesn't believe t hat 's possible, now.” “ But if you can ... You'll go back t o t he Way.” I t ook her hand. “ I don't know what will happen.” “ You com e from a larger place t han anyt hing I can conceive of,” Shirla said. “ I 've been t aught all m y life t o be afraid of t hat place, t o despise it . Now you're m y love and you com e from t here.” “ We all com e from t here,” I said. “ But I don't want t o leave here. You m ust .” 579
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I squeezed her hand. I n t rut h, nobody knew what would happen. “ He want s you t o be t here, t oo,” I said. “ Good Lenk invit ed m e?” “ He did.” “ Olm y,” she said, put t ing her ot her hand over m ine, “ I want ed—” She t ried valiant ly again. “ I want ed—” Tears dripped down her cheeks. “ I want ed,” she m anaged again, and shook her whole upper body t o rid herself of t his foolishness. “ Never, ever, ever want anyt hing wit h all your life, ever. Never want . They will t ake it away. You will go away.” “ I want , t oo. I know where I am now,” I said. “ Who are you?” she asked. Lenk sat in t he cabin where we had m et it seem ed years earlier. Allrica Fassid st ood beside him , but left as Shirla and I cam e in. On t he t able before him was an ornat e xyla box. “ Nobody can offer any proof t hat you are from t he Hexam on,” he said as we sat in t wo chairs opposit e. “ That is rem arkable. I accept t hat you are, because of what you have done. I know t he ways of hist ory, and it all sm ells right t o m e.” He t urned t o Shirla. “ You are a good wom an, and have never want ed m ore t han t o have a fam ily and live a decent life.” Shirla blinked at him , t hen looked at m e, t oo st unned t o answer. “ I sn't t hat so? There's no need t o be shy.” She nodded. I t was so. Lenk knew his people well. 580
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“ You have m ade love wit h t his m an, in a cert ain way, under difficult circum st ances, and t hat m eans you are com m it t ed t o him , and believe he is com m it t ed t o you. Do you accept him for what he is?” “ I don't t hink we cam e here t o t alk about t hat ,” Shirla said soft ly. Lenk focused his deep- set , dark- lidded eyes on m e. For a m om ent he looked rem arkably like a dead m an. “ I hear t hat Brion and Beys t hought you could pass j udgm ent , t hat Beys worried you would split him like a ripe fruit . They were cowards. The Hexam on cannot j udge us.” He leaned forward and opened t he box. I nside, t he clavicle lay in m any pieces, som e of t hem m elt ed. Even aft er years, at t he end of t wo proj ect ions wit hin t he shat t ered sphere, a t iny bit of glim m er showed, t he last t race of a sm all finit e art ificial universe sym pat het ic wit h t he Way. None of t he cont rols rem ained, however, and I saw it could never be repaired. “ You were a fool t o com e here alone,” Lenk said. “ Whoever sent you here was a fool. I have wit hst ood Lam arckia and t reachery and t he devils of m y own nat ure. I do not fear you or t he Hexam on. Brion is dead, and t hat is a kind of wast e— t hough he had t oo m uch of t he Hexam on in him —and Beys is gone. So what are we t o do, you and I ?” I st ared across t he t able at t he m an who had st art ed all t his, saw his weary defiance and his st rengt h. I saw t hat Shirla was st ill in awe of him . He had his cent er of power, and t he force necessary t o oust him from t hat cent er would cause 581
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m ore bloodshed and, in t he end, wit h all of Lam arckia changing, do nobody any good. “ You've m ade a beginning for yourself,” Lenk said. “ You've gat hered a following. You could be like Brion, only I suspect you'd be a lit t le colder t han he was, and never t rust som eone like Beys. You could be form idable, Olm y.” I st udied Lenk and felt t he rem ains of m y hat e dissolve, not because of any lessening of indignat ion and anger, but because he was part of a river of hum an hist ory t hat could not be shift ed wit hout im m ense pain. He was not t he worst , far from t he best ; but inevit ably, he was in his place, and for m e t o oppose him would be anot her kind of cruelt y, not t o him —he m ight relish t he bat t le—but t o his people. To Shirla. I could guarant ee not hing. The Hexam on m ight never com e, and I could not ret urn t o t he Way. My m ission was over. Aft er a m om ent , Lenk leaned back and said, “ I t hank you for what you've m anaged t his far. I bless you for your work. You're a sm art and decent m an, Ser Olm y, but you are not like m e, and not like Brion. Go and live a life wit h t his wom an.” I did not want m y children on Lam arckia. Shirla want ed children; we com prom ised. Shirla and I lived in At henai for t en years. I t was t here we adopt ed our first boy, Ricca, one of t he m any orphans called Beys's children. I cam e in t im e alm ost t o forget t he Hexam on. For weeks on end I t hought lit t le or not hing of m y past . I was well- known wherever we lived for being t he Hexam on agent , 582
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but even in t he worst of t im es, nobody resent ed m e, or at least nobody expressed t heir resent m ent s t o m e. The Advent ist s, what rem ained of t hem , cam e now and t hen, and Lenk did not oppose t heir com ing. He knew I would not encourage t hem . When Lenk died, Allrica Fassid t ook over t he reins of power for a while, but t he first st arvat ion set in five years lat er, and she com m it t ed suicide. Ot hers followed. The divaricat es kept t heir polit ical schem e, and never did I sense a place for m e in t hat schem e. For t his, Shirla was grat eful. We left Tasm an aft er it began it s own fluxing. We adopt ed our second son, Henryk, in Calcut t a. As t he years passed, m ore and m ore t he change spread. So m uch of t he beaut y and variet y of Lam arckia was fleeing before Brion's gift of green. What replaced it was sim ple and direct , t iny ecoi, covering only a few acres, and get t ing t inier. Som e of t he scions—phyt ids, even m obile scions—seem ed capable of independence, and perhaps even replicat ing on t heir own. Randall st udied t hem closely and wrot e m ore papers. We visit ed oft en. Shirla and I and our t wo sons had our happiest five years t oget her in Jakart a. Pet ain's Zone resist ed t he green longer t han any but t he island zones in t he sout h, where m ost of t he survivors clust ered for decades. I n t hose five good years, however, Jakart a becam e a wonderfully feverish cit y, an island of creat ive ferm ent and relat ive prosperit y in t he change. We act ually saw Salap again. Yes! —he had survived, and was back at Wallace St at ion, but he m ade a t rip t o Jakart a. 583
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Many of us were dying from new im m une challenges as Pet ain t ried different defenses against Hsia and t he green. Salap had been chart ing t he spread of new scion chem ist ries, and he arrived when Shirla was very ill, m aking t he t rip especially t o see us, I suppose, but also as part of t he research effort . Shirla and I m et wit h him in her room . Henryk and Ricca, ages t en and fift een t hen, cam e in and out , carrying food, clean bedding, wat er. Shirla had becom e a real m ot her t o t hem , and I had done m y best , in m y dist ract ed way, t o be a real fat her. Salap m ade his t est s, t ook sam ples from her wit hered body, t old us t hat t here m ight be ways t o t urn back such challenges in a few m ont hs. I dle hopes, as it t urned out . Salap finally relat ed t he st ory of his last few days wit h t he fem ale figure in t he hem isphere. “ She st ruggled t o becom e hum an,” he said. “ Having wat ched t he Chung sist ers and Brion, and finally paying close at t ent ion t o m e, t he only m odel left t o her—observing m e while I observed her—we t aught each ot her m any t hings. But she could never t hink like us, m uch less underst and our shapes. She was never m ore t han a m et iculous and craft y observer, wit hout t he cycling knot of self- awareness t hat m ust always separat e us from t he ecoi. At t he last , t hough, she broke her second foot free and becam e independent for a few days. She m anaged t o walk. She did pret t y well, under t he circum st ances.” “ What did she want ?” Shirla asked. “ The ecos had observed hum ans having sex. I t was curious about t he process. Thought it m ight result in anot her ‘nam e,’ 584
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like Brion's gift of chlorophyll. She act ually becam e seduct ive, at t he end.” He st ared at us, eyes flicking back and fort h. For t he first t im e, Salap seem ed ill at ease. “ Did you?” Shirla asked. Salap sm iled and leaned his head t o one side. “ Three m ont hs aft er you left , t he hem isphere wit hered,” he cont inued. “ The last of t he balloons had been m anufact ured and sent away wit h t he winds.” “ What happened t o her? To t he im it at ion of Cait la?” Shirla asked. “ She wit hered, t oo. She m aint ained her int erest t o t he end, t rying t o speak, t rying t o ext ract biological secret s, hoping for m ore gift s of ‘nam es.’ Finally, she could not m ove, and she m ade only shrill whist les and rasping, barking sounds. “ When she died, I cut her open and st udied her, but t here was not hing part icularly novel about her anat om y. I buried her beside t he body of Cait la Chung, in t he new silva.” “ She was a queen,” Shirla said, and she swallowed and st ared up at t he m at fiber ceiling, and t hen looked at m e. “ You saw a t rue queen, Olm y. I wish I could have seen her. I don't t hink we'll ever have t hat chance again.” Shirla died t hat wint er. So m any died t hat wint er, as t he weat her it self changed, and Pet ain began it s final decline. The green arrived wit h it s own disast rous spring, but by t hen I was a different m an, wit hout Shirla. I flowed wit h t he people, wit h Lenk's river of hist ory.
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34 I go wit h Yanosh down t he Way in a flawship t o t he gat e on t he geom et ry st ack. Transport ships are loading t he last of t he evacuees from Lam arckia. The sit uat ion t here has becom e crit ical, and t he Hexam on has ordered t hat all be rem oved. Because of t he difficult ies of a gat e in t he geom et ry st ack, fift een years have passed since I was ret rieved. Rebecca has died. All but t hree hundred of t he rem aining nine t housand Lam arckians have been brought t hrough t he gat e. My t wo sons are not am ong t hem . They have chosen t o rem ain, t o ride out t he worst of t he changes, t hough t heir chances of surviving are alm ost nil. Som ehow, I feel t hat I have given t hem a part of m yself, m ade t hem like m e, and done t hem no favor. I wat ch from a delt oid craft as t he last of t he Hexam on agent s evacuat e t he gat e. The gat e is closing by it self, t he st acks becom ing unst able despit e t he best effort s of t he best gat e openers. The wall of t he Way glows brilliant violet , t hen flashes rich, vibrant green. The dim ple fills and sm oot hs over, and t he surface assum es t he color of fresh- cast bronze. The green flash lingers in m y eye. I becom e who I am now.
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