A. bovinia is a hybrid developed from a number of other acacia species including black wattle (ease of propagation), bullthorn (natural insecticidal ability) and some of the more phytochemically active species of Central America. Like bullthorn, it forms a symbiotic relationship with various species of ants, which live in the inner hollows of the large, intimidating thorns, and which are provided with sweet nectar by the tree. These ants protect the tree from other insects which would otherwise eat the bark and leaves. Bullthorn relies on periodic grazing by large herbivores, which seems to stimulate nectar production. Without these animals, nectar production flags and the ants abandon the tree, which then becomes resident to less effective species of insect protectors. Ironically, the tree becomes sicker and weaker without the presence of the grazing animals. Cownip is much the same except that the 2VL-DMT produced in its leaves has a rather pronounced effect on the domestic cattle (mostly kasmils and mookaus) which eat it. For this reason, outside of pharmaceutical circles, it is considered a nuisance plant.
Cownip in Spring, charcoal by Raoul Fitzroy, Princeling of Skarsia.
“Prince Briscoe?” said Lord Danak. “I thought that the Admiral planned to interrogate Earl Mac’kellr.”
“New plan,” said Briscoe. “I’m going to break Mac’kellr out of jail.”
“How exciting,” said Tara. “Is this really necessary?”
“We don’t have any leads. Infiltration is the only idea we have.”
“So the plan is to put a trace on him and then let him go?” asked Zosim.
“Nope. We don’t need to do anything that crude. The Twist could find him anywhere, but tracking him back to home base isn’t the point. The point is for him to trust me at some unspecified time in the future. We have nothing to lose by doing it – he’s not going to give us any information unless we torture him, and it’s likely that Merhna will continue with their plans unless we threaten him. Either action would gain sympathy for his side, and worse, drag the human aristocracy into the problem.”
“If we don’t attempt to question him, it will look strange,” said Danak.
“True,” said Zosim. “So I’ll interrogate him, but I’ll go lightly. He’ll probably think he’s getting special treatment for exactly the reasons that you mentioned.”
“While you do that, let’s have Cillian at a very public luncheon with Clive. Danak, arrange for some reason to have him called outside, and I’ll take it from there.”
“As you will. Oh, and one other thing – I should tell you that there have been reports of nul-boxes stolen from registered Cu’ensali trees.”
“Pardon me while I kick an inanimate object,” said Tara. “Just how petty is this going to get?”
“You have to remember that the Cu’ensali started it,” said Briscoe, “They’re likely to face this sort of harassment for some time to come.”
“You don’t sound too sympathetic,” said Tara.
“I’m not. I’ll do what has to be done in order to protect the peace and the rights of all sentient beings. Personally, however, the more I find out about the Cu’ensali, the more I despise them. I’m not Ailann. He seems to have some idea that he can save them from themselves. I’m not that hopeful. They have no empathy, no desire to love, no gratitude towards the trees which gave them the precious gift of life.”
My answer to Briscoe is that the Cu’ensali don’t know any better. Through some accident of fate, they were born into this world alone. I find it likely that if they had been incorporated into a proto-Cu’enashti, everything would be different for them. They are victims of a horrible misfortune, born incomplete. Take Chase, for example, who could’ve become a Cu’ensali, but luckily encountered us.
« If that’s what you’re thinking, » said Solomon, « then the solution is to force the Cu’ensali back into the nul-universe, so they’ll get a chance for a different start in life. »
« Mauve emphatically doesn’t want that, » said Dermot. « And it’s risky. Will they maintain some mark, some imprint of their earlier experience? Perhaps they could never integrate well into a more complex being. »
« Compassion has a dark side, » said Malachi. « There’s a human adage, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It’s a total fallacy. It assumes that everyone would want the same thing that you would want. »
« Ailann, you’re the one who cares about the rights of other species, » said Whirljack. « In my view, the only one who has rights in this universe or any other is Tara. I really don’t care how much I manipulate others to achieve her best interests. »
« You’re much more badass than you let on, you know that? » said Blackjack.
But according to my vision, Jack – that is, Whirljack and Blackjack – was created by Atlas. Could it be that the legendary sense of n’aashet n’aaverti which transformed I and I into the Living God of the Domha’vei actually came from our tree?
*****
Cillian sat across the table from Rivers, wondering how he managed to get stuck having lunch with a person he detested. He glowered, a scowl that would have made most men uneasy. Cillian has an impressive glower.
Clive Rivers was not most men. Clive Rivers had made a career of being audaciously obnoxious. He met Cillian’s eyes, shoving a fork full of bhotweed into his mouth with exaggerated delight. “My one regret is that I like red meat far too much to become a vegetarian. It’s healthier, and so delightfully offensive to trees.”
“I didn’t know that trolls were herbivores,” said Tara, shooting a look at Cillian that said don’t give him the satisfaction.
Cillian attempted to smile pleasantly, but it was not a skill he possessed. He grinned so maniacally that one of the servers nearly dropped a large tea tray.
“You were right,” Tara said to Rivers, “According to Marty, Tellick is doing a thousand deals, but none of it is any threat to us. In fact, a lot of it would make good blackmail material if things get out of hand.”
“And the Alliance of Mankind?” Rivers asked.
“They’re stalling because the Alliance is at the breaking point. CenGov in exile doesn’t want to deal with us, but the Arthveans are scared out of their minds. The most probable outcome is that Arthvea will switch sides back to the IndWorlds. Then hostilities with the Alliance will resume.”
“And the SongLuminants will solve the problem.”
“You sound decidedly gleeful. Personally, I’d rather avoid all that loss of life.”
“You should learn to appreciate the finer things, like fresh bhotweed in season and the utter destruction of your enemies.”
“I prefer chocumber torte and protracted orgies.”
At that moment, Lord Danak approached the table. “Admiral, perhaps you should take a look at this.” He handed Cillian a datapad.
Clive shook his head. “I’ll never get used to those ridiculous antiquities.”
“Can’t exactly wear my shadehuds in a restaurant,” muttered Cillian, pretending to scan the information with a frown.
“You could always legalize data implants like civilized planets.”
“That’s heresy,” said Tara. “A diplomat should know better than to bring up such a sensitive topic.”
“Are you going to tell us what’s going on?” Rivers asked, ignoring her.
“A military matter,” said Danak, “of little interest to a diplomat, such as yourself.”
“In other words, you’re keeping secrets. Don’t think I can’t find out. I don’t need PLOT-Twist in order to hack into your communications hub.”
“There’s a toxic waste leak at the Point Epsilon Base,” said Cillian. “Want to come with me, Rivers? Of course we’re keeping it quiet to avoid panic, but we could use some help with the cleanup.”
“Tara and I have important matters to discuss,” Rivers replied. “Besides, I’m sure that you can alchemically change that waste to water in about 30 seconds, so there’s no need for me to don a hazmat kit.”
Cillian shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
*****
Earl Mac’kellr was in the process of being escorted back to his cell when he heard a few sharp popping noises, followed by smoke. He felt himself grabbed from behind, and a gas mask was pushed in his face. “Run!” a voice shouted.
Under the cover of the smoke, he was hustled into a hovercar which went speeding towards the supply entrance of the War Cathedral. Suddenly, the smoke dissipated, and Mac’kellr saw they were barreling towards the wrought iron gates of the entrance. Instinctively, he covered his face with his arms, but the gates opened just in time for the car to pass through.
When he opened his eyes, he could see that he was in the car with Briscoe and two masked men, heading over the fields in the direction of the blue zone. “I’m sorry we couldn’t warn you in advance,” said Briscoe. “There was some kind of toxic waste spill. One of the servers at the café overheard Danak telling the Admiral about it. With the Archon distracted, it was the perfect time for us to move.”
“Well, that was a spot of excitement,” said Mac’kellr. “Are we going to see my wife?”
Briscoe shook his head. “We’ll take you to a safe location, and then have her brought to join you when we’re sure she’s not being followed.”
“I think that’s too dangerous,” said one of the masked men, actually an undercover SSOps agent. “Now that you’ve escaped, she’ll be followed everywhere. We should just set up an encoded communications channel.”
“You don’t understand,” said Briscoe. “Of course, you’re human, so I don’t think that you can. There’s no way to keep her from going to his side. The best we can do is minimize the risk.”
Mac’kellr nodded. He knew his wife. “Besides, once we reach the blue zone, all bets are off. The trees know how to hide themselves from the satellite scanners.”
“Really?” squeaked the SSOps agent. It was news to him.
« That seems both obvious and irrelevant, » said Cüinn. « But we forgot one important thing: it’s possible the Cu’ensali can do it too. Which means that Puce could be hiding his nau’gsh, and the only way we’ll find it is to scour every meter of the forests on foot. »
« Basically, you’re saying that the only Cu’ensali that will show up in a satellite scan are the innocent ones, » said Cillian.
« Oh wonderful, » said Lorcan. « No wonder we can’t find them. »
« No, » said Mickey, « it is wonderful. I see where Cillian is going with this. It would take humans forever to find those trees on foot. But mothmen doing a flyby? We can easily sense where the trees are, and our memories are perfect. Then we just compare with the satellite imagery, and any trees that are missing are immediately suspect. »
« How many Cu’enashti can we really trust to help us? » asked Solomon. « It’s going to take a long time to map the entire surface of Dolparessa. »
« We don’t need the whole thing, » said Cillian. « Not the oceans, and not the northern forests, where only Arya grow. That eliminates almost half of the area. »
« That’s still about 22 million square kilometers, » said Lugh. « That’s a lot of trees. »
« There are 1.67 x 10²¹ molecules in a drop of water, » said Cüinn. « We can handle it. »
« It’s a matter of range, not acuity, » said Lens. « They’ll have to travel a good bit of those 22 million square kilometers to get in close enough. »
« I’m a little uncomfortable with this, » said Tarlach. « Maybe the missing trees just want privacy. Some Cu’enashti shield themselves from snooping. »
« He said suspect, not guilty, » said Cillian. « It’s a lead, at least, and so far, we’ve had goose egg. »
« I’ve never understood that term, » said Tommy. « Geese lay large eggs, pretty substantial. How did they get equated to nothing? »
« It’s because a zero looks like an egg, » said Owen.
« But why a goose egg? Why not a chik-henn egg? Or a dukk? »
« The phrase ‘chik-henn egg’ lacks the pithiness of ‘goose egg,’ » said Evan. « But I think ‘dukk egg’ would do just as well, and dukk eggs are smaller than goose eggs. »
« A zero doesn’t really look like an egg, » said Driscoll. « Zeroes are perfectly symmetrical, except for some fonts wherein the bases are slightly weightier, but not noticeably to the untrained eye. Eggs, on the other hand, tend to be bulbous at one end and pointy at the other. »
« Will you weed-whackers shut the fuck up? » growled Cillian. « The point is we’ve got a way to look for those little pink pricks. »
At that moment, the hovercar stopped. “I’ve got to get back to the palace before I’m missed,” said Briscoe. “As soon as you’re at the safe-house, I’ll contact your wife.” He hopped over the side and began to jog back through the fields at a faster pace than the average human could run – but much slower than his real capacity. We wanted Mac’kellr to underestimate him.
« Pink pricks could be construed as an ethnic slur, » said Tarlach. « What is this grove coming to? »
« But they’re Cu’ensali, » said Ethan. « They’re not like us. »
« If we think about it rationally, they’re in every way inferior, » said Lorcan. « Then again, if we think about it rationally, we’ll turn into the SongLuminants. »
« So what do you want us to call them, persons of pink? » said Cillian. « Say that they have pinklike tendencies? »
« They started it, » Ethan defended. « Or are you claiming that ‘oozing bag of snot-spit-semen-digestive waste’ is not an ethnic slur? »
« The argument is moot, » said Dermot. « The question of whether language is offensive is not decided by the party using the language – it’s decided by the party the language is directed towards. In the case of the Cu’ensali, I doubt they could give a rotten root what we called them. »
Briscoe strolled in through the servants’ entrance to the palace. The people there did not recognize him, but the retinal scanner did. If someone were really paying attention – Rivers had once caught out Rand using the same trick – the palace security records could identify him as one of our emanations. It was highly unlikely, however, that anyone would access the records unless some problem occurred.
« True, » said Ross, « but the clock is ticking now. The law is that he has to disclose within fourteen days of emanating on Dolparessa. We could potentially fudge his prior emanation since only our close allies saw him, but now there’s a record of his existence. »
« I don’t intend to let this go on for more than fourteen days, » said Cillian.
« Optimist, » said Lorcan.
« Nope, » Cillian replied, « I’m just a determined droidfucker.* »
*****
When Briscoe returned to our suite, Tara was waiting with Lord Danak. “We’ve got another emergency,” he said. “We received a message from the President of CenGov in exile.”
“I’ll look at it later,” she grumbled.
“It’s live.”
“Live? How can it be live?”
“He’s on Memehaven,” explained Danak. “They have incredible communications wormholes. Expect a thirty second delay.”
Briscoe proposed that he would stay out of the broadcast range of the holoprojector, observing. Danak enabled the communication.
“At last we meet,” said Gweseki. “Or so to speak, which is exactly what this call is about. I’m of the belief that real leaders should do business with each other, and not through the manipulations of their underlings.”
“A significant policy shift since President Harmoulis,” said Tara.
“Many years have passed since the demise of my predecessor. Times have changed.”
“Many things have changed, including the fact that you are no longer president of a government recognized by the Skarsian Matriarchy,” said Tara.
Too late, we realized that we were relying on Tara’s limited diplomatic skills. I wondered if Briscoe should step aside so that we could emanate Patrick.
“I speak not only with the authority of CenGov, but as representative of the Alliance of Mankind,” he replied, putting a slight emphasis on the “man.”
“Is sexist language another policy shift? Then might I suggest you allow your women to be free of those heinous hairstyles.” Strictly speaking, only CenGov military personnel were required to shear their hair in the unisex cut to which Tara was referring.
“The name was suggested by our Arthvean allies, who have had perhaps too much influence on the collective. They are now suggesting that we capitulate unconditionally based upon the threats of some absurd flying goldfish and an unfortunate incident between the Archon and their rather ill-prepared fleet.”
“And you, I take it, are not in favor of our offer of peace?”
“I am merely stating that, as I said, I am unwilling to leave such matters of gravity in the hands of underlings. I prefer to negotiate directly – in fact, I prefer to negotiate face-to-face. It would hardly be seemly for the mighty Central Government of Earth to make concessions to a government whispered to be a paper tiger, a government whose leaders seem to be afraid to stick their noses out of their own territory.”
That clunk was the sound of the other shoe dropping.
“I’ll need to check my calendar,” said Tara. “I trust that we can leave the arrangements for an Ipsissimal visit to our advisors – or shall the Archon make his own hotel reservations?”
Lord Danak looked ready to swallow his beard. When the transmission had ended, he said, “You should’ve put him off. It’s an obvious trap. Now we can’t refuse without losing face.”
“It’s not unreasonable,” said Tara. “Other heads of state make diplomatic visits all the time. I think we should go.”
“Yes, but have you forgotten our troubles with the Cu’ensali?” Briscoe asked. “We should at least delay until things are more stable at home.”
“I disagree,” said Danak. “Now that it’s done, to delay too long will be perceived as a show of weakness. Worse, the troubles here are with your people, Your Holiness. They’re supposed to be the strongest base of support for the Matriarch.”
“Then I’m just going to have to settle this situation as soon as possible.”
“I have an appointment in the pleroma,” she reminded him.
“Actually, I’m being recalled,” Briscoe said miserably. “Driscoll wants to work on his portrait series. He says he’s fallen behind.”
“What – now?”
“I think it’s a convenient excuse. I think they want me to stay out of trouble.” Briscoe took her hand. His skin rippled with blue electricity which transformed into a reddish flame when it touched her. Then she vanished.
« I wish I understood how that works, » said Owen.
« I think she’s like a kyanoplast, » said Cüinn.
« What? »
« Kyanoplasts – they’re a variation on chloroplasts. Cu’endhari have them, the other varieties of nau’gsh don’t. Geez, I just don’t get why the Cantor refuses to believe we’re nectarines. Just check it out – our kyanoplasts have a different genome – DNA instead of the DHTA found in the rest of the tree. In the Arya, for example, kyanophyll is embedded in the cell wall – a totally different mechanism. »
« Cüinn, » inserted Cillian, « we still don’t have a worm’s chance in a compost heap of understanding a fucking thing you’ve said. »
« Chloroplasts are a classic example of endosymbiosis. A proto-plant cell swallowed a bit of algae that didn’t get digested. It became a chloroplast and wham! Photosynthesis. »
« You’re saying that Tara is indigestible? » asked Tommy.
« He’s saying that she’s incorporated into the life-system without being absorbed by it, » said Dermot. « It’s different than when we incorporated proto-consciousness from the nul-universe. »
« Perhaps it’s because she was far too complex to incorporate fully, » said Malachi. « Or more likely, the Mover just didn’t want to do it. He defines Himself in relationship to her. If He became her, where would that leave us? »
« This sort of stuff makes my head hurt, » said Daniel.
At that point, the door to Tara’s room opened. There was a moment of silence as we all basked in her warmth.
« So where’s Rain? » she asked.
He was nowhere to be found.
« Is he really that stubborn? » Tara continued. « Because I refuse to evoke him. »
« He’s got some nerve, » said Cillian. « I ought to clobber him. »
« Tara wants him here, » said Whirljack. « This is a complete violation of n’aashet n’aaverti. »
« I can’t believe it, » said Axel. « Rain had some issues, but he’s devoted to Tara. »
« I agree, » said Beat. « There’s something terribly wrong. »
« No one can reach any of the memories in his branch, » said Dermot. « Something has happened to him. »
« If it’s that much of a problem, why doesn’t Ash emanate him? » asked Tara. « I just don’t think it’s a good idea to give in…»
There was a momentary shadow, like the passage of a hawk with wings of ice. We shuddered, and then for a moment, the pleroma shook.
« What the hell was that? » asked Till.
« I remember that, » said Patrick. « When Whirljack was first injured, and I and I couldn’t emanate him. »
« Is there something physically wrong with Yggdrasil? » asked Tarlach. « Maybe we should emanate someone at Nightside to check. »
There’s no damage, said Jamey. Not to the tree – I would’ve felt it.
« Then it’s something in the pleroma, » said Malachi. « Let’s all go over to the Yggdrasil Tower. »
« We searched everywhere, » said Lens. « Our flats, the CCPR offices, the amphitheater…»
« There’s a lot of empty space, » said Axel. « The offices and the amphitheater just appeared one day – or at least, we found the entrances. They might have been there all along, but hidden or overlooked. »
« What if Rain got trapped in an area that wasn’t supposed to be found yet? » asked Owen. « Is it possible that he’s somehow screened off from us? »
« Who knows what’s possible? » said Ethan. « All we know is that it never happened before – but we never had an emanation vanish from the pleroma before either. »
« I’ll go with you, » said Tara. « Ash won’t resist me unless it’s something vital to my safety or my destiny. If there’s something hidden from view in Yggdrasil, it’s likely that I’ll be able to find it. »
By the time we reached the lobby of the Yggdrasil Tower, we had been joined by every emanation, except, of course, Driscoll and Rain.
« There are fifteen levels, » said Axel. « The top seven are the apartments. We were able to get inside of the rooms meant for Cord and Dirk when they emanate, but they’re absolutely empty. The amphitheater is in the basement, and the CCRP offices are on level 3. Everything else is unused. »
« Hey, » said Beat, « I never saw this doorway before – it says ‘Emergency Access Stair.’ »
« That would be a clue, » said Tara.
Lens cleared his throat. « The fact that the hilift panel has also changed would be another clue, » he said.
« Changed? » asked Till, stepping towards the hilift.
Lens indicated the digital readout. « It used to have two digits, » he said. « Now it has three. »
Till pressed the call button. « State program, » said the hilift.
« Level, um, level 16, » said Till.
The klaxon rang three times, then extended the protective field around the circular section of floor. A few seconds later, Lens and Till were on the non-existent level sixteen.
« This sucks, » said Till. « I used to have the penthouse. »
« Archon’s penthouse, level 120, » said the hilift.
Owen craned his neck. « I can’t even see how far up they’ve gone. It wasn’t that high before. »
The hilift returned to the lobby. « How can you hide 105 floors? » asked Till.
« Maybe more, » said Beat. « Have we checked the basement? »
« Basement level amphitheater, » said the hilift.
« All right, » said Mickey. « We can handle this. There’s only one basement level. »
Barnabas emerged from the emergency stair. « But there’s a huge maintenance section in the basement that we never saw before. »
« Wait, what? » said Tara. « Maintenance? »
« Yeah, janitor droids and plumbing conduits and generators and ventilation…»
« The pleroma is a mental construct, » said Tara. « Why would you need any of that stuff? »
« Maybe, » said Lugh, « maybe, um…»
« I’m really at a loss for a plausible theory, » said Cüinn.
« Xylem and phloem, » said Hurley. « Kyanoplasts. It’s the structure of the tree represented symbolically. »
« I get it, » said Owen. « The Physical Plant is literally the physical plant. »
« So if I messed with the generators, » asked Ethan, « would it affect our ability to photosynthesize? »
« I really don’t think we have time to consider that now, » said Mickey. « This is a crisis. »
« We’d better consider it sooner or later, » said Cillian. « It’s impossible to defend a city if you don’t know the layout. »
« Layout? » asked Dermot. « It’s more like we don’t understand the laws of the universe. »
« I understand, » said Suibhne. « And so does Davy. »
« Don’t volunteer me, » said Davy. « I can’t possibly explain anything. Like when I found out there are 120 levels, I wasn’t surprised at all. It was obvious to me. But I couldn’t have told you that, even when we were discussing hidden spaces in Yggdrasil. »
There was something in Davy’s voice that disturbed me. In situations like these, he usually looked either smug or annoyed at our ignorance. But this time, there was a certain desperation. He was frustrated – more, he was frightened.
« All will be well, » said Suibhne. « I think. »
« So basically we’re going to search 120 floors plus the basement, » said Cillian, « and hope that the Cu’ensali don’t decide to attack the tourist beaches in the meantime. »
« We’ll never get it done if we don’t get started, » said Mickey. « We can skip the levels we’ve already searched. So let’s each take two levels and if we haven’t found him by then, go from there. »
« We still can’t sense him, » though, said Valentin. « Even though we can perceive the new levels now. »
« Is there even a point in doing this? » asked Ethan.
« Yes! » said Davy. « We have to. I can’t figure out the words to say why. It’s sort of like this. » He groped frantically in the air. « He’s, y’know, in the thingy. »
« Come on, » I said. « Let’s go. »
We piled onto the hilift, letting one person off at every other floor. Soon, surprised exclamations were coming from the other searchers.
« I can’t believe this, » said Harsh. « Level fourteen is an arcade full of antique pinball machines. It’s got high glass ceilings, and there are all these pigeons flying around in it. »
« Can we go play? » asked Suibhne.
« There’s a food court on level twenty-nine, » said Chase. « I’m getting a fish fry. »
« Wow, » said Cüinn, « there’s an aquarium on level forty-six. You should see these sharks. »
« Maybe that’s where the fish come from, » suggested Chase.
« No, there’s a hatchery on level twelve, » said Sloane. « And a farm, and a grenstag preserve. It’s all rather pastoral. »
« Wait a minute, » said Tara. « Is there some kind of directory? »
« I don’t know, » said Till. « It seems like it would be useful. »
« Hilift, » said Tara, « take me to the planetarium level. »
« Level ninety-seven, planetarium, » said the hilift.
« How did you know there was a planetarium? » said Cillian, clearly impressed.
« A hunch, » said Tara. « It seems like Ash put everything he could imagine ever needing into this tower – and where would an astronomer go? »
« A planetarium or an observatory, » said Dermot. « Excellent thinking. »
We arrived at the proper floor. There were still fifteen of us, and we all decided to accompany Tara, as her theory seemed quite plausible. The planetarium was a holographic projection, and it was already in operation when we entered, displaying a view of the night sky from the position of Dolparessa. « This is awesome, » said Manasseh, « but I don’t see Rain. »
Davy started suddenly, gesturing inarticulately at the figures projected against the blackness.
« What is it? » asked Malachi. « I don’t see it. »
« It’s wrong, » said Davy. « The universe is wrong. »
« I wouldn’t know if it were, » said Tara. « I’m not an astronomer. »
« It’s likely Rain would know, » said Dermot, « but that doesn’t help us much right now. »
« I’m here, » said Suibhne, appearing from the darkness. « The fish fry was delicious. The arcade would be better with penguins instead of pigeons, though. »
« Suibhne, » said Davy, tugging at the stiff wool sleeve of the madman’s military uniform. « Look up there. »
« Oh, » said Suibhne, « it’s him. That galaxy. »
« What galaxy? » asked Tara.
« The mangosteen-colored one, » said Malachi.
« That’s it! » said Davy. « The spinny-thing was hiding in the galaxies. »
I walked towards it. And walked. And walked. It seemed as though it were a tiny thing, hiding itself amongst the projected astronomical objects. But the planetarium was much bigger than I anticipated, and the spiral grew larger and larger as I approached. In truth, it was no longer a little spinner – it was enormous.
« Help, » said a faint voice.
« Rain? Is that you? » I asked.
« I’m here, » he said, inside of the spiral. « I came up here to be alone, to think things through. And this thing was waiting for me. It ambushed me. It won’t let go. »
The others joined me. « I hate to say this, » said Cillian, « but I don’t exactly have an action plan for fighting purple spirals. »
« Please help, » said Rain. « I feel really sick. Disoriented. »
« It’s no wonder if his branch is inaccessible, » said Dermot.
My roots went cold. No, we absolutely couldn’t leave him like that, not a moment more than necessary.
« The problem is our lack of information about the nature of these things, » said Solomon. « Lens, you observed Ailann’s reflecting pool for a while. What did you find out? »
Lens made a deliberate gesture of pushing his spectacles up his nose before he began. « The nul-beings behave according to fixed principles based on their original color. The sparks absorb free nul-energy. If the pink ones grow to a certain size and don’t interact with other sparks, they change color and texture, becoming pink gelatinous blobs – the Cu’ensali. They can continue to grow larger by absorbing free energy, but – this is interesting – if they get too big, they’ll split in half, like an amoeba. »
« That’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard, » said Evan.
« When green sparks collide with sparks that are blue, green or yellow, they form a big green spiral. The spiral will continue to absorb other sparks of appropriate colors, and as long as all the collected sparks are either green or a 60/40 ratio of yellow to blue or blue to yellow, the spiral is stable. If it ever gets more than 60% yellow or blue, then it breaks apart, sending tiny sparks of blue, yellow and green everywhere. We observed that happening earlier. If the green spiral gets big enough, it will suddenly dissipate into a greenish vapor, which will continue to absorb free energy, but from that point on, the sparks pass right through it. »
« Cu’enmerengi? » asked Malachi.
« That would be my hypothesis, » said Lens. « The puzzling thing is this – I’ve watched sparks of different colors – red, purple, brown – get sucked into the pudge-well of those big green spirals. If physics alone were the determining force, then they should get absorbed, but they don’t. They get close enough and then fly off in the opposite direction. »
« Maybe factors other than pudge are at work, » Cüinn mused. « Something analogous to magnetism? »
« In any other spark-interaction scenario, » Lens continued, « the two participants start spinning, and an energy field which looks like a furry moiré pattern is generated. I know this is subjective, but if the pattern is ugly – if it seems that they can’t get in synch, then the furry field deteriorates, and the two sparks go flying apart. But if they don’t go flying apart, the furry field turns blue. The sparks continue to absorb energy, and get bigger, but they always stay in synch within the furry field. It’s pretty common to see a third or fourth spark come along and undergo the same selection process – it will either be incorporated into the furry field or be ejected from it. What’s rare, but I’ve seen it happen a few times, is when two big furries come into contact. Then it doesn’t feel like physics anymore, it feels more like, well, like mating. Like two animals sniffing at each other. The sparks try to synchronize while inside the furry field, and if they can do it, then they touch fields and the two furry fields become one. »
This seems in keeping with that vision I had, except that it felt so much more subjective. Not like a physical phenomenon, but more like non-conscious urgings and desires. Instincts.
« In other words, Cu’enashti don’t eat Cu’ensali, » said Cillian. « That’s a lie. Debunked. »
« On the other hand, it’s impossible to save them, » said Briscoe. « Once a Cu’ensali, always a Cu’ensali. »
« Then there’s no problem with sending them back to the nul-universe? »
« Except their fear that they’ll just get caught in the trees again, » said Cüinn. « Maybe we’re back to the politically unacceptable solution of mycorrhizal filters. »
« It was sexy, » said Daniel.
« Mycorrhizal filters? »
« No, » said Davy. « It was sexy when we met Dermot because the green ones play hard-to-get. »
« I just didn’t want to be swallowed by one of the big spirals, that’s all, » said Dermot, clearly uncomfortable.
« You can remember now, too? »
« I suspect it’s because we’ve had no access point for those memories, » said Malachi. « The more we learn, the more it triggers a response. I wish the Goliath emanations could remember our origin. »
« I’ll look, » said Darius. « Give me a minute. »
« It isn’t so much a memory as an impression, » said Daniel. « It’s not like a sequence of events, or something that can be organized by thought. Like when we encountered Ailann and Cillian. »
« We thought – well, it wasn’t really thinking – whoa, that’s big, » said Davy.
« I recognized it as being like us, » said Dermot. « That was the first time I realized that we were something. »
« That’s true, » said Daniel. « It wasn’t that I felt happy when Davy appeared. There was just happiness. »
« Not so much happiness, » said Davy. « It’s that feeling you get when everything is going smoothly. Sort of. The same feeling I get when I know I’ve made something right. If I have the same feeling as when I first encountered Daniel, then I know it’s going to be fine. I had that feeling when we encountered Atlas. »
« And Tara? »
« Hell no! When we saw that vision of Tara’s destiny, it felt like the universes had all turned inside out. Of course it wasn’t going to be fine. »
« How could Ragnarok and the Rapture rolled into one be fine? » said Dermot.
« This is unbelievably important, » said Malachi. « That’s why everything seems so simple to Davy, and so difficult to the rest of us. »
« But even I get fooled sometimes, » said Davy. « I got faked out by that whole Goliath thing. Sometimes, I and I just doesn’t want us to know. »
« Davy, » I asked, « what do you feel right now about the purple spiral? »
Davy shook his head miserably. « It’s making me dizzy, » he said. « I can’t seem to get my bearings. »
I heard Rain moan slightly, then quickly suppress it. He was trying to be brave, trying not to let us know that he was frightened and hurting.
« All of this theory is wonderful, but we have to do something, and soon. »
« Maybe we should go back to the original idea, » said Tara. « I’ll use the candle to force Rain’s emanation. It couldn’t hurt anything, could it? »
« We don’t seem to have any better ideas, » said Malachi.
*In the Domha’vei, the word “droidfucker” is considered to be stronger than “motherfucker” since it is heretical as well as vulgar. One’s mother is, at least, organic. – trans.