Part 107 (2/2)

Those two stars were still without planets, mindless. But in every direction lay suns with living worlds, of a number too great to count.

”Listen!” Elizabeth cried. ”It's not true Unity, but they're close, Marc. Really very close. Perhaps it won't be so hard after all.”

”It will be hard, but we'll manage.”

He called.

The star-strewn sky was suddenly alive with enormous crystalline creatures and the aether rang with Song.

THE END OF THE ADVERSARY.

Thus concludes The Saga of Pliocene Exile.

There are others, most notably the Milieu Trilogy, which tells the root-tales leading to this one, in books t.i.tled JACK THE BODILESS, DIAMOND MASK, AND MAGNIFICAT.

Gaudete.

Appendix

SOME ASPECTS OF HYPERSPATIAL TRANSLATION AND D-JUMPING In the Galactic Milieu, superluminal transport, or faster-thanlight travel, is accomplished through the ”warping” of normal s.p.a.ce by means of an upsilon-field, one of the primary manifestations of reality. The field can be mechanically generated by a device called a superluminal translator (u-field generator, etc.) or-very rarely-by a metapsychic individual possessed of the ”teleportation” faculty.

In a typical trip, a stars.h.i.+p generates a u-field to break through the superficies (boundary) between normal s.p.a.ce and the hyperspatial matrix.

The latter is also called simply hypers.p.a.ce, the ”hype,” subs.p.a.ce, the matrix, or the grey limbo. Sentient creatures experience varying degrees of pain during translation.

Once into the hyperspatial matrix, the stars.h.i.+p's navigation equipment programmes a hyperspatial catenary, or subs.p.a.ce vector (vulgarly called ”limbo track”, ”slice of the hype”, etc.).

For a period of subjective time, the s.h.i.+p and its riders can be said to move along the catenary. Their position at any specified subjective moment is called the pseudolocus.

s.h.i.+ps are quite capable of halting within the matrix or changing the catenary (with certain limitations) en route. When the catenary is fully described, the stars.h.i.+p has effectively reached its destination and once again breaks through the superficies into normal s.p.a.ce.

A power breakdown during the hyperspatial portion of the trip strands the s.h.i.+p in the matrix. Similarly, a person attempting a d-jump might be stranded if his concentration failed to maintain the correct vector, ”visualizing” the intended goal. The rubberband effect is a complex phenomenon that must be neutralized, either mechanically or through mental programming, if the stars.h.i.+p or d-jumper is not to be pulled back to the point of origin at the completion of the translation.

Stars.h.i.+ps utilize superluminal translators of varying power.

For slower-than-light, or subluminal transport-and invariably within the atmosphere of inhabited plants-the s.h.i.+ps switch to inertialess drive, made possible by rho-field generators operating on gravomagnetic principles.* The upsilon-field is not usually generated within a planetary atmosphere. The ”large aperture” u-field necessary to admit a stars.h.i.+p into hypers.p.a.ce generates collateral electromagnetic phenomena, especially ionization, that may const.i.tute a nuisance or even an endangerment to civilized ent.i.ties and their delicate contraptions. The much smaller u-field generated by the djumping individual mind would have a negligible effect upon the environment unless large numbers of people engaged in the activity. Since the faculty is so rare, the contingency is moot.

When a stars.h.i.+p captain undertakes a voyage he must consider (a) How far am I going? (b) How fast do I want to get there?

(c) How much pain am I, or my pa.s.sengers and crew, willing to tolerate in the process?

A ”slow” translation, or deep catenary, takes the longest subjective time to accomplish and causes the least amount of pain in the breakthrough. A ”fast” translation, or tight catenary, (called also the ”fast track,”

”tight leash,” etc.) gets one to the destination more quickly, but at the expense of wear and tear on the nervous system. Hotdog s.p.a.cers who habitually schuss must make use of medications or other anodynes to deal with the severe pain. Such stout hearts refer to slow-track travellers as bunny-hoppers. On very long trips, the ordinary pa.s.senger-carrying stars.h.i.+p would reach its destination via a series of slow jumps. The displacement factor (df. ”speed,”

”warp factor,”

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