Part 16 (1/2)

198.

Phase Creatures Above the disk nothing made of metal or ceramic can survive.Perpetually the great turning disk grinds down the stuff of stars. Tides suck inward, shredding.The Eater itself holds eternally captive the gathered ma.s.ses of a million dead suns. The ancient matter itself vanished in seconds of stretched agony, drawn down the steepening slide of s.p.a.ce-time. But the memory of these transient ma.s.ses lingers in curvature.To the outside, a ghost warp testifies to the dead. Ten billion years of sacrificed matter--stars and dust, planets and cities, lost civilizations and their records, their hopes--have their single tombstone in the mute remaining distortion. A galaxy's ancient pain persists as silent gravitation.Blobs of already incandescent matter spiral in, skating on the curvature at speeds higher than found anywhere else in the galaxy. Incessant pull whirls doomed matter in a final frenzied gyre.The blobs collide, smash, reform, rub. Magnetic fields mediate the friction. Snarls of plasma stream and whirl. Currents churn.Magnetic vortices grow. The fields twine and loop through the condemned kernels. In tight collisions, fields themselves annihilate against each other. More energy flares forth.Above such brutal furnaces skim the phase creatures.They had once been of the mechanicals. Now they exist not in hard circuits or ceramic lattice-intelligences. They have evolved out of self-directed necessity. To drink more energy they have learned to dissolve.i As torrents of hard radiation lance through them, they are plasmas. This ers in fluxes and stores them in long-range correlations.When the flood ebbs, the phase creatures change. In the cooler spots above the disk they can condense. Lacy filaments become gaseous discharges.

The power so generated they broadcast outward, to lesser ranks whocan store it.The phase creatures themselves use these fluxes to organize themselves into free-floating networks. Circuits without wires. Electrons flowing only in their own self-consistently generated magnetic fields. Pinched currents thatsnake and flare. Voltages and switches. Light-quick, gossamer-thin.Lively intelligences dance there. Inductive, silent, invisible.They enter the discussion that has been teeming above them, in the cooler realms. With silky elegance their thoughts merge with the hard beings who are the cruder, earlier forms of mechanicals.But the phase creatures still know their origins. They share the thought patterns of the metallic forms. They converse.

199.I/We do not understand why these odd, primitive primates should be studied at all. And what is this arrival?You/I summoned ]>A<], who=”” was=”” concluding=”” the=”” elimination=”” of=”” remaining=”” organic=”” life=”” on=”” the=”” planet=”” of=”” these=”” primates'=”” origin.this=”” [=””>A<] is=”” a=”” strange=”” mixture=”” of=”” intelligences.i/we=”” know.=”” tolerate=”” it.=”” here:greetings.=”” i=”” employ=”” the=”” single-consciousness=””>

This you may find uncomfortable.Regard: How narrow.We/You tried it before and found it stifling.We should accommodate *>A<.very well.=”” but=”” what=”” a=”” demented=”” limitation!bear=”” with=”” ]=””>A<[ for=”” a=”” moment.to=”” plumb=”” the=”” recesses=”” of=”” primate=”” thinking=”” such=”” strictures=”” are=”” necessary.why=”” study=”” them,=”” then?their=”” sense=”” of=”” beauty=”” is=”” like=”” no=”” other.=”” variant=”” organics=”” are=”” unique,=”” as=”” well,=”” but=”” these=”” have=”” long=”” duration=”” here=”” at=”” true=”” center.beauty?=”” we=”” are=”” arbiters=”” of=”” that.i=”” seek=”” to=”” find=”” wholly=”” fresh=”” reaches=”” of=”” grace=”” and=””>

These are species-specific, lavish in lore.A needless luxury. We face sterner issues now.

200.Beauty is as vital to our being as any of your raw pursuits.Is that an insult?

Never--but a fact.

Careful, then.

I intend no offense. I am a specialist intelligence, with my own drivers. Let me point out to you gathered minds what a richness these primates have! These are the creatures who developed the Five-Digit Motif. It grips the perceptual centers as can no other! And then there are their inner, colorful emotion-curtains. Wondrous! Their Subverted-Maximal Abstractions. All wonderful creations!

I/We are more concerned with their possible danger to us. All because of some semi-mythical knowledge they carry.

But without knowing they carry it.

That is important. They must not learn what they possess!

I believe they sense some special destiny which they carry. But they do not know its nature, that is clear. Such beings carry deeper knowledge as narratives. To primates, a myth is a deep story which answers the difficult questions of their lives.

I/You thought that myths were simply someone else's religion.

Of course, but I speak of primates. I have studied themwell.

Then you are the one who must enterthe Wedge and act for us there.

Why? I have other matters-- You know them best.

201.But I have never been to the Wedge.I do not wonder, with your time spenton the beauties of underlife.

The Wedge is treacherous.

Indeed. But we/you have breached it with minor forms. Even now the tiny informants have filtered into their portal city. They are keeping close watch on the primates of the s.h.i.+p--those we allowed to enter.

A move you/I opposed.

It gained us valuable information. This Legacy of theirs--it hints at much we do not know.

We/I would not need to know it if wehad expunged the primates.

No! You should not think this way. The primates are a valuable form, approaching extinction. Protect such beings for their last moments.

That is a luxury.

We command you to follow close upon the important primate members which their own Legacy has identified.

The Wedge is perilous. I cannot even be sure, entering it,where I shall be. Or when.

We/I shall give you/I resources.

I could become lost in the chaotics.

A risk we/you must take.

I have heard that there are agencies in the Wedge whichcan harm even higher systems such as ourselves.

202.True. We do not know what they are.But I am in single-consciousness mode! If I perish, the ”I- form” shall vanis.h.!.+IWe cannot help that.You/We elected this state.,,':,.

Though of course we will archiveyour present state. A copy of you willcarry on.,.To venture into such turmoil--I am not qualified.'i You/We seem reluctant. Yet youwehave trained in the most importantil skill--you have dealt with primates.I!':,.

You moved them to their intersectiont,i with the quasi-mechanicals.

Very adroit.And we/you have other motivations. What motivations? To risk so muchm Think of beauty. C)f art.

Part IV

G RVI'IS G U LLET.

I.

The Esty indThe city of the dwarves slipped away behind them.

Toby and Quath moved quickly, using scattered buildings for cover and then a dense grove of curious spindly trees. These rose to greater and greater heights as they fled into a gorge of arched and tangled rock. Toby's attention fled as well, veering away from the confrontation with his father, taking refuge in the pure bliss of flight. He ran hard.

”More dangerous to stay back there.”

Dangerous? Toby asked himself. To whom? The word was wrong but he was not going to inspect his inner feelings now. Time to act.

”Great help, those [untranslatable]s.”

<you are=”” still=”” troubled,=””> Quath sent.

”Hey, leave me alone, yeasay?”

”Humans aren't so easy to figure, you said once.”

<he has=”” been=”” obsessed=”” with=”” coming=”” here,=”” that=”” i=”” knew.=”” his=”” shadow=”” falls=”” across=”” his=”” memories=”” of=”” s.h.i.+bo.=”” that=”” his=”” love=”” of=”” the=”” woman=”” would=”” in,rude=”” upon=”” your=”” relations.h.i.+p--this=”” i=”” could=”” not=”” antic.i.p.ate.=””> ”Me either. Some way he needs it, more than the Legacy... or me.”

He swallowed hard but the lump in his throat would not go away.