Anvil Of Stars Part 64

"You're still with us, if you want to be," Martin said in an undertone. "We can't divide now."

She shook her head. "It isn't enough for Hans to step down."

"You can nominate from your own group," Martin said. "Come back in. I want you to."

"You were part of the atrocity," Jeanette said, brows knit, mouth drawn up in anger. "Coming back is like condoning what happened. We'd rather go with the Brothers."

"Ask them," Martin said, raising his eyebrows in the direction of the dissidents. "You can't make that decision by yourself."

Knots of activity formed, low voices rose in debate, sank again into conspiratorial discussion.

"You want to be Pan again," Jeanette accused, uncertain.

"Not in a joke," Martin said.

She turned away, and the defectors formed their own knot, which then broke into smaller knots.

Hans stayed away from the activity. He looked longingly at the star sphere, as if trying to find his own answer. Martin decided it would be best for now to leave him by himself, not to a.s.sociate with Hans at this time; Hans was a sink of influence, an outcast. But that went against Martin's instincts.

He ignored his instincts.

"We nominate Patrick Angelfish!" said David Aurora. Six of the crew stood around Patrick, who looked frightened. Harpal was not one of the six; he stayed close to Anna Gray Wolf.

"We nominate Leo Parsifal," said Umberto Umbra.

Good. Totally off the beaten path, Martin thought. Martin thought.

Jeanette came forward, even less certain now, looking scared. "We nominate Mei-li Wu-Hsiang Gemini."

"I nominate Ariel," Martin said. She looked at him with a frown so intense he interpreted it at first as anger.

"Good," Harpal said softly.

Hans did not look away from the star sphere.

"Vote for new Pan," Kirsten Two Bites called out.

Martin watched the vortices break apart, reform, watched power and decision move from one group to another, discussion, debate, watched Ariel surrounded by her group, yet still looking very alone. She was not angry. She was terrified. She could not bring herself to refuse.

She felt the power, as well.

The vote was about to be taken when Eye on Sky entered the schoolroom with a snake mother. Paola went to the Brother and spoke with him. Then she pulled herself to Martin.

"Eye on Sky says the Shrike Shrike has found something important. Should he tell us now? He seems to think it's an emergency." has found something important. Should he tell us now? He seems to think it's an emergency."

"Then let's hear it," Martin said. He called for their attention.

Eye on Sky uncoiled, smelling faintly of turpentine and dry gra.s.s. "We we have spoken with Shrike. Shrike. Something important found hidden. Something important found hidden. Greyhound Greyhound's help is requested."

Ariel appeared greatly relieved.

The remains of Sleep smeared out in an arc that in a few million years would form a ring of asteroids around Leviathan. Already, Leviathan's radiation and particle winds pushed the lighter elements in the arc outward.

Greyhound accelerated to join with accelerated to join with Shrike Shrike at the nearest terminus of this arc, a journey of sixty-two million kilometers. at the nearest terminus of this arc, a journey of sixty-two million kilometers.

At ten g's, Greyhound Greyhound would reach would reach Shrike Shrike in less than three hours. The crews endured the field restraints; the acceleration was not so extreme as to completely inhibit activity. in less than three hours. The crews endured the field restraints; the acceleration was not so extreme as to completely inhibit activity.

They had enough time to vote. The nominees spoke briefly; Mei-Li withdrew, saying she was much too confused and uncertain to exercise leadership. Martin noted with some satisfaction that Ariel did not withdraw.

Hans watched silently, standing by himself to one side.

The vote was conducted secretly by wand. Martin tallied the results.

"Ariel is Pan," he announced.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Starting now?" she asked.

"Starting now," Martin affirmed.

"I choose Jeanette Snap Dragon to be my second," she said.

The defectors were not prepared for this, and left the schoolroom to talk.

Ariel stood beside Martin, distinctly nervous as the crew congratulated her singly and in groups. "I shouldn't have accepted the nomination," she said to him in a brief free moment. "This is awful. You really have it in for me, don't you?"

"You'll do fine," Martin said.

"Oh, G.o.d, I chose Jeanette. Why did I do that?"

"Brings unity," Martin a.s.sured her, though he had his doubts.

"Are you going to help me, or just gloat?"

"Both," Martin said.

She squinted one eye and curled her lip. "I deserve it," she said. "Oh, G.o.d, I'm an idiot. idiot."

Shrike sent no more transmissions. Martin thought this might be a small game on the part of the Brothers, and his interest was piqued. Eye on Sky refused to say any more, even with Paola's urging; the Brother smelled strongly of turpentine. sent no more transmissions. Martin thought this might be a small game on the part of the Brothers, and his interest was piqued. Eye on Sky refused to say any more, even with Paola's urging; the Brother smelled strongly of turpentine.

What could possibly compel them to ask for human help? The Brothers were convinced destruction of the Leviathan system had been wrong, or at the very least premature...

Martin studied the crew in the schoolroom. He could see no more vortices of power, and wondered if he had hallucinated them. What he saw now was quiescence, waiting. Even Ariel drew no more attention than she might have before she was Pan. She sat talking quietly with Anna Gray Wolf and Martin felt a stab of loneliness; she had needed him, the need had pa.s.sed. He had not nurtured it very well.

Hans squatted in a lotus before the star sphere, ragged, thin, pale, fingers tapping the floor lightly. His face seemed religious with concentration and something like fear: fear that what the Brothers had found might prove they had acted incorrectly. Fear of responsibility for the deaths of trillions...

Trillions of what? Martin asked himself. Martin asked himself. Ghosts? Sh.e.l.ls? Robots? Deceptions? Real, intelligent beings? Innocents? Ghosts? Sh.e.l.ls? Robots? Deceptions? Real, intelligent beings? Innocents?

The last possibility was more than he could bring himself to contemplate.

Scouts continued to work through the detritus like little fish swimming through a swirl of sand and mud, sending information by noach to Greyhound. Shrike Greyhound. Shrike no doubt had its own scouts, but the arc was huge, three million kilometers from end to end and several hundred thousand kilometers broad, and the area studied by no doubt had its own scouts, but the arc was huge, three million kilometers from end to end and several hundred thousand kilometers broad, and the area studied by Shrike Shrike was still relatively unknown to them. was still relatively unknown to them.

Giacomo approached Martin and kneeled beside him. Martin looked up; surprised himself by having napped. He glimpsed the star sphere; Greyhound Greyhound was very near was very near Shrike. Shrike. "What is it?" Martin asked. "What is it?" Martin asked.

"We're here. Stonemaker won't talk to any human but you. He's on the noach, and he wants it private."

"Did you tell Ariel?" She was not in the schoolroom.

Giacomo nodded, biting his lower lip. "She told me to get you. Search team doesn't see anything. We don't know what they've got or what they're up to."

A field had wrapped around him automatically while he slept, to restrain him as the acceleration ended. He converted it to a ladder and followed Giacomo to the nose.

Ariel met him outside the nose. She smiled quickly. "The Brothers like you, Martin."

He made a wry face and pushed into the nose.

Even to the naked eye, the destruction of Sleep was impressive. Greyhound Greyhound seemed to hang motionless beside seemed to hang motionless beside Shrike Shrike about ten thousand kilometers above the arc of Sleep's corpse, a glittering, mottled span of dust and rubble like a layer of oil and dirt on a pond. Glowing commas of molten stuff haunted the arc. One comma disintegrated before his eyes, a silent leap of puckering orange. Beyond the arc, closer in to Leviathan, two diffuse blotches marked other ruins, like swift strokes of watercolor on wet black paper. about ten thousand kilometers above the arc of Sleep's corpse, a glittering, mottled span of dust and rubble like a layer of oil and dirt on a pond. Glowing commas of molten stuff haunted the arc. One comma disintegrated before his eyes, a silent leap of puckering orange. Beyond the arc, closer in to Leviathan, two diffuse blotches marked other ruins, like swift strokes of watercolor on wet black paper.

"I'll project the noach here," Thorkild said, refusing to meet his eyes. "You know how to use it. Of course you do." He looked as if he was about to cry. "Martin..."

Martin held his finger to his lips, shook his head rea.s.suringly, falsely. He didn't know how long it would take the wounds to heal, but he did not want to deal with Thorkild now.

Eye on Sky slid into the nose as Thorkild departed. "I we told Stonemaker you have stayed sensible," Eye on Sky said. "Do not know others as well."

"Thanks," Martin said. "What's happened?"

Eye on Sky splayed his head cords, very attentive. A noached image of Stonemaker shimmered into solidity before them.

"I we am thankful you survived," Stonemaker said. "You should see what we we have found. Judge with and mark we our opinions." Stonemaker faded and was replaced by a roller-coaster ride through glowing rubble, wisps of hot gas, into a dark void.

"Record of scout sending," Eye on Sky explained, making a scent of sharp cinnamon and warm animal. The smell aroused homesickness, deeper loneliness. Gauge. He smells a bit like Gauge. Gauge. He smells a bit like Gauge.

The void was a great hollow, perhaps ten thousand kilometers wide, cleared somehow in the middle of the arc like a bubble. He was about to ask if it was natural when he spotted a speck at its center, little more than a dust mote in the tarry darkness. The mote glowed green.

Human measurements appeared to the left of the image. The mote, now fist-sized and growing rapidly, was about a hundred kilometers in diameter. He could not discern clearly what it was; the ghoulish green spot seemed made of many smaller versions of itself. Enlarged, the ma.s.s revealed cl.u.s.ter upon cl.u.s.ter of much smaller needle-like objects, in all manner of arrangements; rolled, bundled, pointing outward in pin-cushion radiants.

Martin's throat shrank around his voice and breath. He coughed, covered his mouth with a fist, tried to control his horror, the excruciating churn of emotions within.

Millions upon millions of needles, each fifty to a hundred meters long. He had grown up with their design, their measure; the moms had displayed them again and again to the children in training.

"We our scouts have found forty-one of these collections," Stonemaker said. "They waited within Sleep. All we we have examined appear to be recent manufacture, not old artifacts."

Wrapped in protective fields like frog eggs in gelatin cases, survivors of Sleep's destruction, the needles were not thousands of years old, not artifacts of a bygone and indiscreet age.

They were new. Waiting.

"Do you agree with we our suspecting?"

"Yes," Martin croaked, and coughed again. "Oh, G.o.d, yes."

"We we are hoping these are the last, that no more have escaped to find and destroy other worlds."

Martin nodded, speechless with fury and a high, horrid sadness.

"Should we we finish the Job?" Stonemaker asked.

Perspectives One / Hans.

Today we finished the Job. The Brothers asked for the honor of destroying the needles, and Ariel granted their request. The moms and snake mothers think the Job is done, but they will station watchers here, just to be sure.

I have kept this face for so long it has become natural, but when I learned that I was not wrong, I cried in front of them, and no one came to me, no one put their arms around me. So be it.

I held them together. The Killers were still here. Still s.h.i.tting us all; I saw it.

I think they'll take me in again, but I don't know how long it will be. They'll need me.

I don't think anybody really cares about others only about themselves. That's true of me too I suppose. But I'm glad to see us finally getting our reward, all of us. I can put up with being alone for a while.

I will build a shrine to those who died. When we get there. I'll do it with my bare hands.

Two / Ariel.

Donna Emerald Sea brought out the gowns today. They are very pretty but I don't think I can wear one; I don't like dresses and they don't like me.

I decided against investigating Hans. Made up my mind this morning after talking with Martin. Martin feels real sympathy for Hans. I don't know why. Hans is perhaps the only real s.h.i.thead on this boat.

I am sorry the Brothers will not be going with us, but at least all the Lost Boys and Wendys are sticking together. We saw it through, and that's something to be proud of. We didn't end up like the death ship, but almost. Boy it was close.

Today we left Leviathan. The ship is big again and well stocked with fuel. All the crew gathered in the schoolroom and we had a naming ceremony. It was special. We christened the ship Dawn Treader II. Dawn Treader II. Someone suggested Someone suggested Mayflower Mayflower but that caused a lot of argument about colonialism and other sensitive stuff, religion and such, so I stepped in and suggested we stick with what we had. Really a.s.serted myself. I'm not sure I like doing that sort of thing but I can do it at least. but that caused a lot of argument about colonialism and other sensitive stuff, religion and such, so I stepped in and suggested we stick with what we had. Really a.s.serted myself. I'm not sure I like doing that sort of thing but I can do it at least.

I feel funny about Martin. He put me off for so long and now he looks lost. Most of us are lost, or at a loss might be more accurate.

The Job is done and we're free to go where we please. The moms will take us there, but who knows how long we'll have to look? How far we'll travel? More centuries, I guess. Anyway, about Martin: I am going to try it one more time. He is such a funny fellow.

Martin made up a name and started writing under it, things I guess he didn't believe he could write himself. He made up Theodore Dawn and then he made up that Theodore had committed suicide. He said Theodore was his balance and atonement.

For a while I thought that Theodore was the sign of something really crazy. But Martin knew what we'd end up doing, what we would become when we did the Job. Theodore might have been his first attempt to make armor, to...what? I don't know.

A way of coping. Theodore kept him human, I guess.

We've all been a little crazy, each in our own way.

I love Martin, as much as I can love anybody. Maybe it will work. I'll try.