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.The beings who did this—in my universe they’re called ‘Aighors.’ Do you know about them?”He shook his head.“I know of no other beings but those of Earth.I went to look for worlds.”“Is your ship a warper ship—does it travel across a geodesic in higher spaces?”“Yes,” he said.“It is not in phase with the crest of the Stellar Sea but slips between the foamy length, where we must struggle to obey all laws.”That was a fair description of translating from status geometry—our universe—to higher geometries.It was more poetic than scientific, but he was here, so it worked well enough.“How long have your people been able to travel this way?”“Ten years.And yours?”“Three centuries.”He nodded in appreciation.“You know then what you speak of, and perhaps there aren’t any devils, and we are not in hell.Not this time.”“How do you use your instruments in here?”“I do not, generally.The Sinieux use them.If you will not get upset, I’ll demonstrate.”I glanced at Sonok, who was still sulking.“Are you afraid of the snakes?”The bear shook his head.“Bring them in,” I said.“And perhaps we should know each other’s name?”“Jean Frobish,” the Indian said.And I told him mine.The snakes entered at his whistled command and assembled in the middle of the cabin.There were two sets, each made up of about fifty.When meshed, they made two formidable metaserpents.Frobish instructed them with spoken commands and a language that sounded like birdcalls.Perfect servants, they obeyed faultlessly and without hesitation.They went to the controls at his command and made a few manipulations, then turned to him and delivered, one group at a time, a report in consonantal hisses and claps.The exchange was uncanny and chilling.Jean nodded, and the serpents disassembled.“Are they specially bred?” I asked.“Tectonogenetic farming,” he said.“They are excellent workers and have no will of their own, since they have no cerebrums.They can remember, and en masse can think, but not for themselves, if you see what I mean.” He showed another glimmer of a smile.He was proud of his servants.“I think I understand.Sonok, were you specially bred?”“Was mascot,” Sonok said.“Could breed for myself, given chance.”The subject was touchy, I could see.I could also see that Frobish and Sonok wouldn’t get along without friction.If Sonok had been a big bear—and not a Russian—instead of an ursine dwarf, the Indian might have had more respect for him.“Jean, can you command the whole ship from here?”“Those parts that answer.”“Can your computers tell you how much of the ship will respond?”“What is left of my vessel responds very well.The rest is balky or blank entirely.I was trying to discover the limits when I encountered you.”“You met the people who’ve been putting in the armored hatches?”He nodded.“Bigger than Masai,” he said.I now had explanations for some of the things we’d seen and could link them with terrestrial origins.Jean and his Sinieux weren’t beyond the stretch of reason, nor was Sonok.The armored hatches weren’t quite as mysterious now.But what about the canine? I swallowed.That must have been the demon Frobish killed.And beyond the triplet valves?“We’ve got a lot to find out,” I said.“You and the animal, are you together, from the same world?” Frobish asked.I shook my head.“Did you come alone?”I nodded.“Why?”“No men, no soldiers?”I was apprehensive now.“No.”“Good.” He stood and approached a blank wall near the grey pillar.“Then we will not have too many to support, unless the ones in golden armor want our food.” He put his hand against the wall, and a round opening appeared.In the shadow of the hole, two faces watched with eyes glittering.“These are my wives,” Frobish said.One was dark-haired and slender, no more than fifteen or sixteen.She stepped out first and looked at me warily.The second, stockier and flatter of face, was brown-haired and about twenty.Frobish pointed to the younger first.“This is Alouette,” he said.“And this is Mouse.Wives, acquaint with Francis Geneva [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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