Anvil Of Stars Part 42

"So are we," Martin said. "But we're also fairly convinced this is another blind the Killers are hiding behind."

"We all we must be more than fairly certain to condemn these worlds," Eye on Sky said.

"I think we're in agreement," Martin said. They still have no scent; what's going on? They still have no scent; what's going on? "So we have to design the mission accordingly. How many ships can we make out of "So we have to design the mission accordingly. How many ships can we make out of Dawn Treader Dawn Treader and the and the Journey House Journey House?"

The mom said, "As many as are required. How many do you contemplate?"

"At least three. Humans have talked about entering the Leviathan system in disguise, as visitors. Could we create a different kind of ship, something that doesn't look at all like a Ship of the Law?"

"Yes," the mom said.

"Would it be within the Law for the ships' minds to help us create such a disguise?"

"An interesting question, I we agree," Stonemaker said.

"It would be no more inappropriate than providing you with the original Ships of the Law," the mom said.

"I think we should a.s.sume Leviathan is not what it seems," Martin said.

"A reasonable beginning," Stonemaker said.

"Just to be cautious," Martin added.

"Agreed."

"Acting under such an a.s.sumption, we also should a.s.sume that the beings behind the disguise are Killers..."

"Agreed," Stonemaker repeated.

"And the Killers probably have some knowledge, perhaps extensive knowledge, of the civilizations in this vicinity, and what they're capable of," Martin said.

"You wish to design a ship that might come from such a civilization," the mom said.

"Yes. A ship that couldn't be destroyed without interstellar repercussions," Martin said.

"You are a.s.suming," Eye on Sky began, "that this disguise is meant for senses other than we all our own. That the Killers of worlds a.s.sume they are under scrutiny from others besides we all ourselves."

Martin nodded.

"He means yes," Paola said.

"It is remarkable insight," Stonemaker said. A faint smell of peppers and baking bread: interest, perhaps pleasure for one or more of the Brothers. "I we see this is related to your literature, as a fiction or strategic lie. Would all this joined Ship of the Law be part of play-act?"

"Hans and I believe the ship should divide into several parts," Martin said. "One part will enter the system, disguised but essentially unarmed, to investigate; the other two will orbit far outside. If a guilty verdict is reached, weapons can be released by the ships outside. We can try to finish the Job. If the Killers no longer live here-"

"Or if we can't hurt them without hurting innocents," Ariel said. Martin cringed inwardly. Yes, but what if? Yes, but what if?

"Or if we can't find them or recognize them," Martin amended "then we'll rejoin and change our plans."

"That is feasible," the mom said. "Useful information will be made available. Do you wish to design the vessel that enters the Leviathan system, or do you wish us to design it for you?"

"We can do it, but I think we'll need a.s.sistance," Martin said Ariel was about to add something, but he looked at her dourly and she clenched her jaw.

"Your designers should think about these things," the mom said. "The ship to enter Leviathan's system must not appear overtly threatening, nor should it appear to come from a weak civilization. I should not, however, appear to have technology equal to that possessed by the Ships of the Law, specifically, the ability to convert matter to anti-matter. Your crew must appear innocent of all knowledge of killer probes."

Martin agreed.

"When will your groups make their decisions?" the mom asked "In a couple of days, maybe sooner," Martin said.

"Separation and super-deceleration will have to begin within a tenday," the mom said.

"Is there anything else we'd find useful?" Martin asked.

"There is no possibility that the Killers, if they still exist around Leviathan, have knowledge of humans," the mom continued. "No killer probes escaped Earth's system. There is a small possibility they have knowledge of the Brothers. Transmissions by the killer probes from the Brothers' system were monitored, information content unknown."

"We we would like to be part of the crew of any entry vessel, Eye on Sky said. "This might be a difficulty?"

"It might," the mom concluded.

The snake mother arched and floated a few centimeters above the ground, a purple ladder field faintly visible beneath. In this, too, they differed from the moms; Martin had never seen a mom display its field. Its voice sounded like a low wind interpreted by the string section in an orchestra. "Brothers may play key roles in ships that stay outside the system," it said.

"Is that something they will vote on?" Paola asked, brow wrinkling.

"It is something to be decided by the Brothers in private," the snake mother said.

Eye on Sky and Stonemaker produced strong smells of salt sea air. "So is it," Stonemaker said. "There will be a Triple Merging for objectivity and decisions will be made before next day comes."

"I have one more question," Martin said, feeling his chest constrict. "It isn't an easy one, and I hope for a straightforward answer."

Silence from the robots. Eye on Sky and Stonemaker rustled faintly.

"Some of us have been given the impression-rather, we've observed-that the Brothers' libraries are much more extensive than our own. Why is it more extensive?"

The mom said, "Each race is given the information necessary to carry out its part of the Law."

"We feel the ships' minds may not think humans are as trustworthy as the Brothers," Martin continued.

"Every race differs in its needs and capacities," the mom said. "Information differs for that reason."

"Will we be denied any of the information contained in the Brothers' libraries?" Martin asked.

"You will be denied nothing you need, as a group, to complete your Job."

The snake mother said, "Your Ship of the Law is older than the Brothers' ship. There are design differences."

"I thought that might explain part of the..." Martin said, trailing off.

"Att.i.tudes and designs change," the snake mother added.

"We have discussed this before," the mom said.

Martin nodded. "I'd like to have it made more clear. Do you trust humans as much as you trust the Brothers?"

"We are not designed to trust or distrust, or to make any such decisions regarding character," the mom replied.

"Please," Martin said through clenched teeth. Ariel reached out and touched his hand, and he gripped hers tightly, feeling her support, her strength. "We do not need evasive answers. The Benefactors could not have known our character before you sent your ships into the Earth's system...You must have made some judgment, reached some decision about our capacities."

The ship's voice spoke. Martin was startled. "The ships' minds cannot make such decisions. If such a decision was made, we did not make it."

He felt tears on his cheeks and grit his teeth, ashamed at showing such emotion. "Are we inferior to the Brothers?"

Stonemaker became agitated. His rustling increased until his entire length vibrated. Eye on Sky coiled and uncoiled twice, weaving his head. "Offense is given here," Stonemaker said. "We we do not wish we our partners to feel offensed."

"Offended," Paola corrected automatically.

"We need to know whether we are trusted," Martin repeated, it seemed to him for the hundredth time.

"Both libraries will be open to those who wish to conduct research," the ship's voice said. "What is shared and is not shared is up to humans and Brothers, not to the ships' minds."

"We came close to the edge," Paola said sadly as they walked toward Hans' quarters. "Maybe we don't want to know the whole truth."

"Maybe the Brothers are afraid of us," Ariel said. "Of what we might become."

"What do they think we'll do?" Paola asked.

Martin's voice shook with anger-and with more than a little guilt. "They might think we'll become planet killers," he said.

Ariel shivered to untense her muscles. "Rex certainly didn't convince them otherwise," she said. "What about the moms?"

"Maybe they think so, too," Martin said.

"Wouldn't they have dumped us or killed us or something?" Paola objected.

"Not if they're forced to enact the b.l.o.o.d.y Law," Ariel said. "We were victims. They rescued us. They need us to finish the Job."

"Why not push us aside, and let the Brothers do the Job?" Paola asked. "They only need one one set of victims." set of victims."

"So maybe we've scared the Brothers. What have we shown them to the contrary?" Martin asked.

Paola stared back at him, jaw quivering. "Me," she said, pointing to herself. "You. We're not all like Rex."

"How could they know?" Ariel asked. "Let's just ask ourselves that."

"By looking looking at me!" Paola said, crying openly now. "I'm not like that!" at me!" Paola said, crying openly now. "I'm not like that!"

"Do they expect to send pacifists out to kill worlds?" Martin asked, feeling his anger build, then deflate. He let his shoulders slump. "What are we? Allies, or just bad cargo?"

Hans examined the designs for the Trojan Horse, Trojan Horse, nodding and humming faintly. Martin, Hakim, Cham, Donna Emerald Sea, and Giacomo had spent the better part of two days working out the design and details with Dry Skin, Silken Parts, and Eye on Sky; even now, in the Brothers' quarters, Eye on Sky presented the design to Stonemaker for his approval. nodding and humming faintly. Martin, Hakim, Cham, Donna Emerald Sea, and Giacomo had spent the better part of two days working out the design and details with Dry Skin, Silken Parts, and Eye on Sky; even now, in the Brothers' quarters, Eye on Sky presented the design to Stonemaker for his approval.

"It certainly doesn't look like a Ship of the Law," Hans concluded. "It looks like a pleasure barge."

Eighty meters long, with a brilliant red surface, laser/solar sails folded and rolled along its length, two curving arms reaching from a spindle-shaped body, small, heavily shielded matter-anti-matter drives mounted fore and aft, the Trojan Horse Trojan Horse would appear to be the product of a relatively youthful technology, star travel on the cheap. would appear to be the product of a relatively youthful technology, star travel on the cheap.

Humans and Brothers had come up with something unarmed, innocuous-in so far as any starship could be innocuous, heralding the arrival of potential rivals or partners-and even jaunty.

"The moms say it can be built," Martin said. "They say it will fly, and it will be convincing."

"Do they say anything about our fitness to be allies?" Hans asked. The circles under his eyes had darkened. He spent much of his time alone in his quarters, as he sat now, in the center of the room, legs crossed.

A second cushion waited empty nearby; Rosa might still share his quarters occasionally. Yet the condition of a few vases of sickly flowers showed that she had probably not been here for several days.

"Are we fit for the Job?" Hans asked.

"I don't know what they think," Martin said. "Rex caused a lot of bad feeling. If the Brothers can experience something like bad feeling..."

"What would they have thought if I'd executed Rex right there, on the spot?" Hans said. "Would that have made them happy?"

"Would have made things much worse," Martin said.

"Well, if they don't like us now, they're going to really have it in for us in a couple of days," Hans said.

"Why?"

"Rosa's on her own," Hans said. "You should have been here, Martin. She refuses to slick, she looks me right in the eye, and she says," he began to do a fair imitation of Rosa's strong, musical voice, "'I have been shown what you are. I have been shown that you are mocking me, and holding me back from my duty.'" Hans grinned. "At least it took her this long to catch on. Not bad for delaying action, right?"

Martin looked away.

Hans' grin vanished. "She's going to start up again, Martin, and this time she really has something good for us. She's d.a.m.ned near psychic, and she's tuning in to our inadequacy. 'We have sinned. We are not worthy of the Job.' Good stuff to toss out now, right?"

"Where is she?" Martin asked.

"I don't know."

"I'll ask Ariel to look out for her."

"Yes, but who will keep her under control? She should be the one banished and locked away. Before she's done, she'll have us all at each other's throats." Hans picked up the wand and projected the ship's design again. "Who's going to be on board?"

"The moms and snake mothers think there's a small chance the Killers might have information about the Brothers. The Brothers are willing to let the crew be human-"

"Willing?" Hans laughed with a bitter edge that set Martin's neck hair on end. "It's probably a suicide mission. How kind of them."

Martin's jaw worked. "Don't underestimate them, Hans. They want to go. They want to do the Job as much as we do."

"I'd rather survive to see it done."

"At any rate," Martin said, "I thought, subject to your approval, that it would be better psychologically and politically if we took the chance, and had Brothers on the crew."

Hans rotated the ship's image, poked his tongue into his cheek, rolled it over his teeth beneath closed lips. "How do we explain two species aboard, if we party with Leviathan's citizens?"