Part 8 (1/2)
This time the guards exchanged glances but didnt reply.
'Our Sophos is no longer reliable. Their decisionmaking has been compromised by a virus. Are you still prepared to blindly follow their edicts, knowing that?
His statements were inflammatory, treasonous. He knew that and cared not. A sense of urgency had taken hold of him. There was little time to preserve his world.
One of the guards looked as though he might speak, but then he stopped and nodded at an instruction unheard by Thales. He walked to the inner door and opened it. 'Enter, he instructed.
The Robes followed closely behind him as he returned to the Sophos meeting room and stood in front of the polished table.
'You are fortunate, Thales Berniere, that one of our caucus has seen fit to support an investigation into your story, said Sophos Lauda.
Thales eyes flicked to Rene. Had it been his wife?
Her expression remained as serene and detached as that of the politic guard.
'You will show the Robes and myself to the offices of this man you call Gutnee Paraburd. If he can be located and questioned, we will review our decision.
Thales nodded. 'I th-thank you, for this much at least. However, it is possible that Paraburd has moved premises. I would imagine that a man of such criminal inclinations does not stay in one place for long. You may have to extend your search.
'You learned much about criminals on your travels? asked Kantos.
Thales heard the superior, mocking tone. 'It is logical that he would do that, Sophos Kantos. That is all, Thales answered firmly.
'Lets hope not, Msr Berniere. For your sake.
But Thales had not finished. 'While you pursue your investigation of my claims, I would beg you to take steps to disable the s.h.i.+ft sphere. The Post-Species are an imminent threat to our world.
'You believe we should cut ourselves off from Orion, said Rene.
He turned to his wife, imploring her. 'If we dont, well lose everything.
'But if we disable our s.h.i.+ft sphere, we lose our influence. OLOSS cannot function without our counsel, said Kantos.
Fury blazed through Thaless body, overcoming his intention of remaining calm. 'You speak of my insanity, Sophos Kantos. OLOSS forces will act with or without our counsel, to protect sentient life. We can offer them nothing else now. What we should have done is seen the possibility of this happening, and guarded against it. We should have been able to predict, or at least theorise that the Post-Species would return with a greater force after the Stain Wars. Instead, we have been isolationist and self-concerned. You-all of you-would do your job too late. His gaze roamed the line of preeminent thinkers. 'All that is left for us now is to survive.
SOLE.
Scurry scurry Littlens go Follow, follow Drinkm up Eatm up Seern truth TEKTON.
Tekton sat in a once luxurious, now filthy, lounge on board the hybrid biozoon. From his brief inspection, the craft appeared to have been beautifully and comfortably outfitted, but without regular cleaning or maintenance it now resembled a place for squatters-or at least what he imagined a place like that might be like.
He tried not to show his revulsion for the discarded food containers and empty flasks of alcohol. The stench was harder to ignore, though, a mixture of something sickly sweet and well percolated, probably musky Balol body odours.
He closed his hood and set his suit to filter the scents. He wasnt filled with confidence by his rescuers att.i.tudes, but his situation had called for decisive thinking and compromise. If they took the money for his pa.s.sage and delivered him to Mintaka, then he could put up with certain deprivations. A filthy s.h.i.+p was nothing, after all, compared to free-falling from an airborne taxi into the grips of detrivore, which had happened to him on Edo. He was, he told himself, able to take this eventuation in his stride.
Only a matter of months ago he would not have dealt with this change in fortune nearly as well.
Finally! said logic-mind. Rationalism.
Lowering your standards, you mean, sniffed free-mind.
Both minds were correct, he thought, and it didnt bother him that they were. For a while he stared at the brown biozoon secretions on the ceiling, contemplating this until the 'esque Jancz slipped into the room with the surrept.i.tious manner of a crook.
'Were out of Intel s.p.a.ce, he said quietly.
Tekton smoothed back his hood and nodded appreciatively. 'Msr Jancz, has my credit for the trip to Mintaka been transferred into your accounts?
Janczs eyes narrowed a little, and a small smile played about his lips. His face was so long and thin that it seemed almost deformed. 'With the excitement about the Extros and all, the lenders are off-cast. Too much demand has bogged their systems. Everyones trying to move their credit somewhere else. Well try again in a day or so, when thingsve calmed. Meantime, we got a few errands of our own to run. Not in any rush, are yer?
Of course I am, you filthy imbecile. 'No, said Tekton blithely. 'Whenever you deem it safe and appropriate is fine by me. Though I might, if I could, request a cabin.
Tekton knew he was being ridiculously polite to this low-life, but while the semblance of civility remained between them, he would hold up his end.
Dont trust him, free-mind urged.
Hes done nothing to suggest untrustworthiness, logic-mind countered.
'Sure, said Jancz, stepping back towards the door. 'This way.
Tekton followed Jancz to a small cabin not far from the galley. It was neat enough, if spa.r.s.e, with the appearance of not having being used for a long while.
'Help yourself to whatevers in the galley. We arent ones for makin meals. Eat as yer go on this beauty.
Beauty? That absurd notion stayed with Tekton as he closed the door and locked it.
Little was beautiful about this hybrid 'zoon. What luxury it had once entertained had now faded in the wake of abuse. Its corridors were acrid with astringent scents, and its walls the pale pink of poor circulation. Rubbish was piled in every corner, and sticky secretions layered surfaces. The poor sad creature is sick.
Tekton pared open the seal of his suit and fished around for Lasper Farrs DSD. With relief, he pulled the box free and set it on the bed. Then he stretched out alongside it without bothering to remove the rest of the suit. His back was raw from rubbing against the devices sharp corners, and suddenly, now that he was safely away from Commander Farr and Intel, he felt exhausted.
He slept for a while, woke, peeled off the suit, drank, and washed in the tiny san. He found some lotion in one of the cabinets and spread it over his body. Despite having to put on the suit again, he felt refreshed and more able to think.
His stomach complained of hunger, but Tekton ignored it. He did not want to venture out of his cabin into the galley just yet. Instead, he checked the door lock again, then sat himself down before the DSD.
Taking a deep breath, he settled into a comfortable position, leaning against the bulkhead.
'Balance, he said.
The undulating 3D image of a Lorenz Attractor sprang into being above the box. Tekton watched the fluctuating brilliance of the fractal structure for a moment before speaking the next pa.s.sword.
Was Cousin Ra really responsible for creating this magnificent device? What gifts did Sole bless my arrogant cousin with, to enable him to do this?
Tekton had a sudden and overwhelming craving for his life to be as it was-before Sole, even. Back at Tadao Ando studium hed been mired in politics and a certain level of intrigue, but nothing there had been beyond his experience or imagination. Since leaving Belle-Monde on his quest to win the Ent.i.tys favour, his life had become nothing if not chaotic and dangerous. Tekton longed for safety-and regular s.e.x.
His akula swelled a little and then deflated again. On an insalubrious hybrid biozoon, in a location that could well be in the teeth of an impending galactic war, and with only two obnoxious mercenaries for companions.h.i.+p, thoughts of carnal pleasure were neither easy to sustain nor really practical.
With a deep and heartfelt sigh, Tekton spoke the next pa.s.sword. 'Shame.
A beam shot from the centre of the Attractor and he was swallowed up by the devices stimulation of his visual cortex. Images appeared and spun quickly through his mind, coloured lights with no form or substance.
He let himself adjust to the speed and glitter of the data, then focused on a recurring speck. The spin slowed and his reality s.h.i.+fted as if he was sucked forward into it. He found himself in the buccal of another biozoon, watching Mira Fedor lying in the pilot vein, her hands resting on her swollen belly.