按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
as there erected…in those spires and domes and artificial lakes…was not to be denied。
And suspended between…in the boundless chamber that confined them…was this place of instrumentality nodes and info…networks； the material interface with the Awareness…Haydon had set in place to mind his clever works。 So this place was neither one nor the other but a middle ground from which to know creator and created； sacrosanct； then； truly suspended。 For from； where else could one take the proper measure of things？
Exedore ceased his mystical musings even before he sensed the soft intrusion of Veidt's sendings。 This was what mingling with humans and Garudans had wrought； he told himself； a penchant for the metaphysical。 Questions mencing with why。
How far he had e from the directed； purposeful nature of the Imperative！ he would catch himself thinking。 Feeling as remote from that now as his recontoured physical self was from the genetic vats that had conceived him。 Normalized in both size and aspect and drained of the conquering urge； the pulsion to obey without question。 Given to metaphysical ponderings。 How un…Zentraedi； indeed！ And how Great Breetai would have mocked him！
〃A moment more and the requested correlations will be available；〃 Veidt sent from the data column。
Exedore swiveled in his chair to regard the limbless Haydonite…his partner these past years。 A response formed on the tip of his tongue； though there was little need of it。 An old habit； difficult to break。 〃I； um 。 。 。〃
Veidt hovered through a quarter turn to face him with what nearly approximated a smile。
〃I am well aware that my workings please you； Lord Exedore。 Your words are an echo； you understand…an unnecessary redundancy。〃
Exedore favored him with a genuine grin； as difficult to suppress as the habit itself。 This was as close as they came to jesting or arguing； he still was not sure which。 Veidt's face had already resumed its normal configuration； which was to say； blank。 As featureless as an unfinished mannequin's； a tech aboard the SDF…3 had once mented in Exedore's presence。
〃Featureless； yes；〃 Veidt sent； 〃but hardly unfinished； Exedore：〃
Early on Exedore had found it somewhat unnerving to have his thoughts scanned on a moment…to…moment basis； but he was long past concern or misgiving。 It was logical； in fact； that he open his mind to Veidt； if only to expedite the unraveling of the cosmic puzzles someone had seen fit to send their way。
And 〃baffling〃 only began to describe them。
The SDF…3 was missing； not merely disappeared into hyperspace but vanished from the Quadrant。 The ship had not emerged from fold anywhere in known space； nor was it trapped in the netherscape of the hyperdomain。 Haydon IV's Awareness had told them that much already。 But what the artificial sentience could not tell them was where the ship was or whether it existed at all。 The SDF…3 had simply ceased to be； and yet there were no indications that it had met with any of the thousand ills matter was heir to。
That the dematerialization had coincided with a reawakening of a myriad slumbering puter ponents； Exedore initially read as a sign that the artifact planet had been in some sense； responsible for the event。 Subsequent investigation； however； had led him to the conclusion that the Awareness had not been responding to the SDF…3's plight； after all； but to a concurrent phenomenon that had taken place clear across the Quadrant：
Along a spacetime curve that led to Earth。
Something originating there had sent an energy pulse through the fabric of the continuum； whose destination seemed to be the distant collapsed giant the Tiresians knew as Ranaath's Star。
Haydon…he has returned to our world！ Veidt had sent at the time； and…novice astrophysicist that he was…Exedore had taken him literally。 But literalness was not something the Haydonites practiced with regularity； and the expression…for that was what it was…was best translated by the Terran self condemning phrase Well； I'll be damned！
The very one Exedore had used sometime later when he bad learned of the Invid's departure…months ago； Earthrelative； after a series of mostly interrupted exchanges between Earth and Tirol and between Tirol and Haydon IV。 Since then； the Awareness had been spewing out a steady stream of mathematical calculations and puzzling data readers； conversing with itself on an information level the likes of which Exedore had never encountered。 Veidt had been successful in eavesdropping on the Awareness's inner dialog and enticing it to display some of its findings…in holographics； projecbeam； and the occasional verbalization； remarkably enough； issued forth in fluent Tiresian （linga franca）。 But little of it made any sense to Exedore； on whose shoulders the search for the missing flagship had fallen。 The Zentraedi could almost smile； recalling Zor's original fortress； the SDF…1。 He had been successful in tracing that one； but that hardly qualified him as an expert in the field。
Cabell had promised to tear himself away from Tiresia to join in plying the Awareness with questions； but Exedore thought the coded outpourings might outdistance even the master himself。
They needed Emil Lang or the Zor…clone； Rem； who had contributed so much to the facsimile matrix fashioned by the REF to empower its fleet。 They needed the bined intellect of the SDF…3's Robotechnicians。
Better still； they needed Haydon。 〃My thought exactly； Lord Exedore。〃
Exedore chuckled to himself。 〃Yes； Veidt。 The Earthers have a saying； I believe。 ‘Great minds think…'〃
The chamber had begun to vibrate。 That in itself was nothing unusual。 In fact； during the five years Exedore had been on…world he had known instances where the vibrations were strong enough to rattle the alloy walls and rumble data discs out of their holders。 But the sudden tremor was more intense than any he had experienced。
〃Another atmospheric cleansing？〃 the Zentraedi asked in a quavering voice。 〃A seasonal change？ An internal overhaul； the upwelling of a new lake or the damming of a stream…send something； will you！〃
Veidt had glided back to his station by the central data pillar； his high…collared cape a screen for projecbeam schematics； a dizzying light show of flashing alphanumeric analogues and equational abstracts。
〃An intruder； perhaps；〃 Exedore continued； his stubby hands spread atop leaping sheets of hard copy like some Ouija board reader。 〃An unannounced ship…〃
〃I heard you；〃 Veidt sent with a sting。 〃It is none of those things。 Something novel； unprecedented。〃
Exedore ceased his futile efforts to steady his work and with some difficulty swiveled to regard the strobing databanks of the Awareness； data scrolls and cards tattooing to the floor at his feet。 The information traffic displayed was enough to render the Invid leave…taking a minor itch。
〃What is it； Veidt？〃 Exedore pressed； a note of alarm in his voice。 A deep…space view of Haydon IV advanced through the 3…D field of a projecbeam； a variegated ball in time…lapse motion。 〃Veidt；〃 he repeated。
〃Primary activation sequences have menced；〃 the Haydonite sent with curious detachment。 〃Atmospheric integrity is constant for the moment。 Surface damage i