uplift4.brightnessreef-第67章

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s　languish；　dead　or　dying；　in　the　twisted　tangle　of　their　buried　station？
　　The　male　sky…human；　Rann；　wears　torment　openly　as　he　rides　the　other　robot；　shouting　at　those　working　through　the　rubble；　directing　their　efforts。　A　tense　but　encouraging　sign　of　cooperation。
　　Ling；　the　other　sky…human；　appears　in　shock；　leaning　against　young　Lark　as　he　pokes　his　foot　through　debris　at　the　crater's　rim。　He　bends　to　lift　a　smoldering　plank；　sniffing　suspiciously。　We　perceive　his　head　rock　back；　exclaiming　surprise。
　　Ling　draws　away；　demanding　an　explanation。　Through　our　rewq；　we　perceive　Lark's　reluctance　as　he　shows　her　the　smoky　plank；　a　strip　of　burned　wood　from　a　Jijoan　box　or　crate。
　　Ling　drops　her　hand　from　his　arm。　She　spins　about；　hurrying　toward　Rann's　hovering　robot　steed。
　　Much　closer　to　this　stack　of　rings；　Ro…kenn　has　bee　embroiled　in　argument。　A　delegation　accosts　the　Rothen　emissary；　demanding　answers。
　　Why　did　he　earlier　claim　the　right　and　power　to　mand　the　Holy　Egg；　since　it　is　now　clear　that　the　sacred　stone　violently　rejects　him　and　his　kind？
　　Furthermore；　why　did　he　seek　to　sow　dissension　among　the　Six　with　his　baseless　calumny　about　the　human　sept？　His　groundless　lie；　claiming　that　our　Earthling　brethren　are　not　descendants　of　sinners；　just　like　the　other　Five。
　　〃You　Rothen　may　or　may　not　be　the　high　patrons　of　humanity；〃　the　spokesman　contends。　〃But　that　takes　nothing　from　our　ancestors　who　came　here　on　the　Tabernacle。　Not　from　their　crime；　or　their　hope；　when　they　set　us　on　the　Path　of　Redemption。〃
　　There　is　anger　in　the　voice　of　the　human　intercessor。　But　we/i　also　descry　thick　brushstrokes　of　theater。　An　effort　to　smother　the　fire　of　disharmony　that　Ro…kenn　ignited　with　his　tale。　Indeed；　urrish　voices　rise　in　approval　of　his　anger。
　　Now　our　second　cognition…torus　vents　yet　another　thought…hypothesis。
　　What　is　it；　my　ring？　You　suggest　disharmony　was　Ro…kenn's　intent；　all　along？　A　deliberate　scheme　to　create　strife　among　the　Six？
　　Our　fourth　ring　rebuts…what　purpose　might　such　a　bizarre　plot　serve？　To　have　Five　gang　up　on　One？　To　cause　vendetta　against　the　very　sept　these　Rothen　claim　as　beloved　clients？
　　Store　and　wick　this　weird　postulate；　oh　my　rings。　Argue　it　later。　For　now　the　Rothen　prepares　to　respond。　Drawing　himself　up；　he　surveys　the　crowd　with　an　expression　that　seems　awesome　both　to　humans　and　to　those　who　know　them…to　rewq…wearers　and　those　without。
　　There　is　kindness　in　his　expressive　gaze。　Overstrained　patience　and　love。
　　〃Dear；　misguided　children。　This　explosive　manifestation　was　not　rejection　by　Jijo；　or　the　Egg。　Rather；　some　malfunction　of　the　mighty　forces　contained　in　our　station　must　have　released…〃
　　Abruptly；　he　stops　as　Rann　and　Ling　approach；　each　riding　a　robot。　Each　wearing　looks　of　dark　anger。　They　murmur　into　devices；　and　the　Rothen　stares　back；　listening。　Again；　my　rewq　reveals　dissonance　across　his　features；　coalescing　at　last　in　raging　fury。
　　Ro…kenn　speaks。
　　〃So；　now　the　（dire）　truth　is　known。　Learned。　Verified！
　　〃No　accident；　this　（slaying）　explosion。
　　〃No　（unlikely）　malfunction…nor　any　rejection　by　your　（overly…vaunted）　Egg。
　　〃Now　it　is　known。　Verified。　That　this　was　（foul；　unprovoked）　murder！
　　〃Murder　by　deceit；　by　subterfuge。
　　〃By　use　of　subterranean　explosives。　By　sneak　attack。
　　〃By　you！〃
　　He　points；　stabbing　with　a　long；　graceful　finger。　The　crowd　reels　back　from　Ro…kenn's　fierce　wrath；　and　this　news。
　　At　once　it　is　clear　what　the　zealots　have　done。　Secretly；　taking　advantage　of　natural　caverns　lacing　these　hills；　they　must　have　laboriously　burrowed　deep　beneath　the　station　to　lay　chests　of　eruptive　powder…crude　but　plentiful…which　then　awaited　a　signal；　the　right　symbolic　moment；　to　burst　forth　flame　and　destruction。
　　〃With　scanners　tuned　for　chemical　sleuthing；　we　now　perceive　the　depth　of　your　shared　perfidy。　How　undeserved　were　the　rewards　we　planned　conferring　on　murderous　half…beasts！〃
　　He　might　say　more　to　the　cowering　throng；　adding　terrible　threats。　But　at　that　moment；　a　new　disturbance　draws　our　focus　toward　the　smoldering　pit。　The　crowd　parts　for　a　phalanx　of　soot…stained　rescuers；　coughing　and　gasping　as　they　bear　pitiable　burdens。
　　Rann　cries　out；　bounding　from　his　mount　to　inspect　a　crumpled　form；　borne　upon　a　litter。　It　is　Besh；　the　other　female　sky…human。　From　her　mangled　figure；　our　rewq　reads　no　life　flicker。
　　Again；　the　crowd　divides。　This　time　it　is　Ro…kenn　who　exclaims　a　distinctly　unhuman　wail。　The　litter　brought　before　him　bears　the　other　of　his　race；　Ro…pol；　whom　we　guessed　to　be　female。　（His　mate？）
　　This　time；　a　slim　thread　of　breath　swirls　in　the　near　infrared；　from　the　victim's　soot…stained　but　still　splendid　face。　Ro…kenn　bends　close；　as　if　seeking　some　private　munion。
　　The　poignant　scene　lasts　but　a　few　moments。　Then　the　reed　of　living　tension　is　no　more。　A　second　corpse　lies　in　the　hollow；　under　bitter…bright　stars。
　　The　living　Rothen　stands　to　his　full　height；　a　terrible　sight；　emoting　vast　anger。
　　〃Now　es　the　reward　（foul）　treachery　deserves！〃　Ro…kenn　cries；　reaching　skyward；　his　voice　reverberating　with　such　wrath　that　every　rewq　in　the　valley　trembles。　Some　humans　drop　to　their　knees。　Do　not　even　gray　queens　whistle　awe　and　dismay？
　　〃For　so　long　you　have　feared　（righteous）　judgment　from　above。　Now　behold　its　incarnate　form！〃
　　Along　with　the　others；　we/i　look　up；　our　gaze　following　Ro…kenn's　extended　arm。
　　There；　crossing　the　sky；　we　perceive　a　single　glaring　spark。　A　pitiless　glimmer　that　ponderously　moves；　passing　from　the　Spider's　Web　into　the　constellation　humans　call　The　Sword。
　　The　great　ship　is　still　a　distant　point；　but　it　does　not　wink；　nor　does　it　twinkle。　Rather；　it　seems　to　throb　with　an　intensity　that　hurts　those　who　watch　for　long。
　　One　can　hardly　fault　the　zealots'　timing；　suggests　our　ever…thoughtful　second…torus…of…cognition。　If　their　objective　was　to　bring　an　end　to　pretense；　they　could　have　chosen　no　better　way。
　　
　　Sara
　　SAGE　TAINE　WANTED　TO　SPEAK　WITH　HER　BEFORE　she　left　for　Kandu　Landing。　So　did　Ariana　Foo。　Both　wished　she　would　delay　her　departure；　but　Sara　was　eager　to　be　off。
　　Yet　with　just　a　midura　to　go　before　the　gopher　set　sail；　she　decided　on　impulse　to　visit　her　old　office；　high　in　the　cathedral…tower　housing　the　Library　of　Material　Science。
　　West　from　the　Grand　Staircase；　her　ascent　first　took　her　by　the　vast；　rambling　stacks　of　physics　and　chemistry；　where　the　recent　evacuation　had　taken　a　visible　toll。　The　maze　of　shelves　showed　frequent　gaps。　Scraps　of　paper　lay　in　place　of　absent　volumes；　to　help　staff　put　things　back　if　the　present　crisis　passed。　In　places；　the　wood　surface　looked　almost　new；　implying　this　was　the　first　time　a　book　had　budged　since　the　Great　Printing。
　　Glancing　down　one　crooked　aisle；　Sara　glimpsed　young　Jomah；　teetering　under　a　load　of　heavy　volumes；　lumbering　gamely　behind　his　uncle　to　begin　the　ornate　rituals…of…borrowing。　None　too　soon　if　they　hoped　to　make　the　Gopher　in　time。　The　explosers　and　quite　a　few　others　were　bound　the　same　way　as　Sara；　first　by　boat；　then　donkey…caravan　to　the　Glade　of　Gathering。
　　The　winding　labyrinth　triggered　plex　emotions。　She　used　to　get　lost　back　in　the　early　days；　but　never　cared；　so　happy　had　she　been　to　dwell　in　this　splendid　place。　This　temple　of　wisdom。
　　Her　long　year　away　had　hardly　changed　her　little　office；　with　its　narrow　window　overlooking　the　green…flanked　Bibur。　Everything　seemed　much　as　she　had　left　it；　except　for　the　dust。　Well；　I　always　figured　I'd　be　back　before　this。　Many　peted　to　be　chosen　by　human　sept　for　this　life；　subsidized　by　a　race　of　farmers　and　gleaners　whose　one　great　sinful　pride　lay　in　their　books。
　　Tacked　to　the　far　wall　lay　a　chart　showing　the　〃devolution〃　of　various　dialects　spoken　on　the　Slope。　Like　branches　splitting　off　from　parent　roots；　there　were　multiple　downward　shoots　for　each　Galactic　language　in　current　use。　This　older　depiction　showed　the　bias　of　scholars　over　in　Linguistics；　and　was　colored　by　one　unassailable　fact…the　billion…year…old　Galactic　languages　had　once　been　perfect；　efficient　codes　for　munication。　Deviation　was　seen　as　part　of　a　foretold　spiral　toward　the　innocence　of　animal…like　grunts…the　Path　of　Redemption　already　blazed　by　glavers…a　fate　variously　dreaded　or　prayed　for　by　folk　of　the　Slope；　depending　on　one's　religious　fervor。
　　Human　tongues　were　also　traced　backward；　not　over　a　billion　years　but　ten　thousand。　Earthling　authorities　like　Childe；　Schrader；　and　Renfrew　had　carefully　rebuilt　ancestral　languages　and　many　of　those　grammars　were　more　primly　structured；　better　at　error…correction；　than　the　〃bastard〃　jargons　that　followed。　What　better　evidence　that　human　devolution　began　long　before　the　landing　on　Jijo？　Did　not　all　Earth　cultures　have　legends　of　a　lost　Golden　Age？
　　One　conclusion…the　missing　Patrons　of　Earth　must　have　been　interrupted　in　their　work；　forced　to　leave　humanity　half　finished。　True；　the　ensuing　fall　was　masked　by　some　flashy　tricks　of　precocious　technology。　Still；　many　scholars　believed　Earthlings　had　much　to　gain　from　any　road　leading　toward　re…adoption　and　a　second　chance；　especially　since　they　appeared　to　be　heading　that　way　anyway。
　　That's　the　orthodox　view。　My　model　takes　the　same　data；　but　projects　a　different　oute。
　　Her　most　recent　chart　resembled　this　one…turned　upside　down；　with　lightless　roots　transformed　into　trees；　showing　the　Six　heading　in　a　new　direction。　In　many　directions。　If　no　one　interferes。　Yesterday；　she　had　shown　her　latest　work　to　Sage　Bonner；　whose　enthusiasm　reignited　the　pleasure　of　a　colleague's　praise。
　　〃Well；　my　dear；〃　said　Jijo's　oldest　mathematician；　stroking　his　bald　pate；　〃you　do　seem　to　have　a　case。　So　let's　schedule　a　seminar！　Interdisciplinary；　of　course。〃
　　He　punctuated　his　enthusiasm　with　a　sloppy　GalTwo　emotion　trill　of　anticipation。
　　〃We'll　invite　those　stuffy　pedants　from　Linguistics。　See　if　they　can　bear　to　hear　a　bold　new　idea　for　a　change。　Heh。　Heh…cubed！〃
　　Bonner　probably　hadn't　much　followed　her　discussion　of　〃redundancy　coding〃　and　chaos　in　information　theory。　The　elderly　topologist　just　relished　the　prospect　of　a　brisk　debate；　one　that　might　knock　down　some　ensconced　point　of　view。
　　If　only　you　knew　how　good　an　example　you　are　of　my　thesis；　she　had　thought　affectionately。　Sara　hated　to　disappoint　him。
　　〃We　can　have　it　when　I　get　back　from　Gathering；　with　luck。〃
　　Alas；　there　might　be　no　return　from　her　ing　journey。　Or　else；　it　might　be　to　find　that　the　explosers　had　done　their　duty　at　last；　bringing　down　the　stony　roof；　and　with　it　a　prophesied　age　of　darkness　and　purity。　She　was　turning　to　go；　when　a　low　thunk　announced　a　message　ball；　landing　on　her　desk。　Above　the　in…box；　a　fleshy　tube　bounced　in　recoil；　having　spit　the　ball　from　a　maze　of　pipes　lacing　the　Biblos　plex。
　　Oh　no。　Sara　backed　away；　hoping　to　leave　before　the　furry　sphere　unrolled。　If　the　messenger　found　no　one　home；　it　would　simply　reenter　the　tube　and　report　the　fact　to　whoever　sent　it。
　　But　the　ball　uncoiled　swiftly　and　a　tiny　mouselike　form　scrambled　up　the　box　to　see　her；　squeaking　delight　over　achieving　the　purpose　bred　into　it　by　the　anci