uplift4.brightnessreef-第72节

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！


　　stretched　its　aging　seams。
　　Of　galaxies；　the　Progenitors
　　knew　eleven。
　　Six　more　have　parted　ways；
　　in　the　ages　since；　stranding
　　distant　cousins　to　unknown　fates。
　　Of　galaxies；　our　immediate　ancestors
　　knew　five。
　　What　if　it　should　happen
　　once　again；　while　we　seek　redemption
　　in　this　fallow　spiral？
　　Will　anyone　e　down　to　claim　us；
　　once　our　innocence　is　restored？
　　In　our　own　sky；　of　Galaxies　we　see　but　one。
　　…The　Scroll　of　Possibilities
　　　
　　Alvin's　Tale
　　I　DON'T　WISH　TO　DWELL　TOO　MUCH　ON　MY　OWN　role　in　what　came　next。　Let's　just　say　that　as　a　young　male　hoon；　I　seemed　best　suited　to　dangle　at　the　end　of　the　redeployed　hawser；　sitting　in　a　makeshift　sling　while　the　crew　lowered　me　toward　the　dark　blue　waters　of　the　Rift。
　　After　dropping　below　the　edge；　all　I　could　see　of　the　others　were　a　few　hoon　and　urrish　faces；　plus　a　pair　of　g'Kek　eyestalks；　peering　down　at　me。　Then　even　those　blended　into　the　rocks　and　I　was　alone；　dangling　like　bait　on　a　hooked　line。　I　tried　not　to　look　at　the　long　drop　below；　but　soon　a　gusting　wind　set　the　hawser　swaying；　reminding　me　of　the　slender　support　overhead。
　　During　the　lonely　descent　I　had　time　to　ask　myself…〃What　the　heck　am　I　doing　here？〃
　　It　became　a　kind　of　mantra。　（If　I　recall　that　word　right；　since　it's　not　in　the　dictionary　I　have　with　me　in　this　cold；　hard　place。）　Repeated　often　enough；　the　phrase　soon　lost　some　of　its　horrid　fascination；　instead　taking　on　a　queerly　pleasant　cadence。　By　the　halfway　point；　I　was　umbling…
　　〃What　the　heck。　I　am　doing。　Here！〃
　　In　other　words；　a　deed　is　being　done；　and　I'm　the　one　doing　it；　so　why　not　do　it　right？　An　Anglic　way　of　phrasing　a　very　hoonish　thought。
　　Anyway；　I　guess　I　did　a　good　job　of　convincing　myself；　'cause　I　didn't　panic　when　they　overshot　at　the　end。　My　furry　legs　got　well　dunked　before　the　brakes　firmed　and　the　tether　stopped　jouncing。　It　took　a　moment　to　gather　breath　and　start　umbling　at　Huphu；　calling　her　to　swim　over　from　Wuphon's　Dream；　almost　an　arrowflight　away。　Haste　was　vital；　since　the　bathy　was　slowly　drifting　out　from　the　placid　water　under　Terminus　Rock。　Soon　she'd　hit　the　Rift　Current；　and　we　might　never　see　her　again。
　　This　time　Huphu　didn't　make　me　wait。　She　dove　in　and　swam　toward　me　like　a　little　black　dartfish；　clearly　not　badly　harmed　by　her　plummet　off　the　bluff。
　　What's　that　sick　joke　they　tell　about　noors？　If　you　ever　have　to　kill　one；　it　will　take　a　quart　of　traeki　poison；　a　qheuen's　claw；　a　human's　arrow；　and　a　rack　of　urrish　insults。　That　assumes　a　hoon　first　distracts　the　beast　with　a　first…class　umble；　and　even　so；　it's　best　to　have　a　g'Kek　roll　back　and　forth　over　the　corpse　a　few　times；　just　to　be　sure。
　　All　right；　it's　juvenile　humor；　but　also　respectful　in　a　way。　I　couldn't　help　spine…laughing　over　it　while　waiting　for　our　indestructible　Huphu。　Finally；　she　clambered　up　my　leg　and　into　my　arms；　wallowing　in　my　happy　umble。　I　sensed　she　was　still　frightened；　since　for　once　she　made　no　effort　to　pretend　nonchalance　or　to　hide　her　happiness　to　see　me。
　　Still；　time　was　short。　Soon　as　I　could；　I　slipped　a　harness　of　tough　cord　over　Huphu's　shoulders　and　urged　her　back　down　to　the　sea。
　　Urdonnol's　plan　seemed　a　good　one。。。　that　is；　if　Huphu　understood　my　instructions。。。　if　the　Dream　hadn't　already　drifted　beyond　reach。。。　if　Huphu　managed　to　hook　the　cable's　end　onto　the　bathy's　grommet　fixture。。。　if　the　subtraeki；　Ziz；　could　hold　on　awhile　longer　in　its　hugely　distended　form；　bearing　up　the　weight　of　all　that　dangling　metal。。。　if　the　re…spliced　hawser　would　bear　the　burden　when　the　crew　above　hauled　away。。。
　　There　were　so　many　ifs。　Is　this　why　Earthlings　chose　to　call　their　goddess　of　luck　and　chance　Ifni？　Her　capricious　whims　sure　do　swing　back　and　forth。　As　on　that　day；　when　she　first　cursed　our　enterprise　with　calamity；　then　tossed　her　dice　again　the　other　way。　Throughout　the　following　tense　midura；　we　all　worried　and　wondered　what　her　next　clattering　roll　would　bring…till　at　last　Huphu　and　I　stood　atop　the　cliff　together；　dripping　beside　the　beautiful　flank　of　Wuphon's　Dream；　staring　in　amazement　as　Tyug　carefully　deflated　and　tended　Ziz。　Meanwhile；　Pincer　and　Huck　rolled　round　and　round　the　bathy；　inspecting　nervously　for　damage；　and　Ur…ronn　supervised　the　crew　hauling　in　the　rest　of　the　dangling　cable。
　　Finally；　the　two　severed　ends　lay　side　by　side　on　the　stony　mesa；　burned；　frayed；　and　torn。
　　〃This　will　not　haffen　again！〃　I　overheard　our　urrish　friend　mutter。　It　was　in　that　tone　of　voice　an　urs　uses　when　she　makes　a　prediction；　a　vow；　and　means　she'll　rip　the　neck　off　anyone　who　tries　to　make　a　liar　out　of　her。
　　The　next　day　Uriel　returned；　galloping　into　camp　acpanied　by　armed　assistants　and　a　retinue　of　pack　donkeys。　With　her　came　messages　that　had　arrived　by　semaphore…and…runner　relay　from　the　far　north；　which　she　read　aloud　that　evening；　with　the　Dandelion　Cluster　as　a　shimmering　backdrop　above　the　glistening　Rift。　Wearing　the　robes　of　a　lesser　sage；　the　smith　summarized　what　had　occurred　at　Gathering…the　ing　not　just　of　starships　but　star…criminals。　Beings　capable　of　bringing　an　end　to　the　Great　Peace；　the　mons；　and　perhaps　every　member　of　the　Six。
　　I　couldn't　see　Huck's　reaction　when　Uriel　told　in　passing　that　the　g'Kek　race　was　now　extinct　among　the　stars；　their　last　survivors　reduced　to　savages；　wheeling　primitive　tracks　in　the　dust　of　Jijo。　My　tunnel　of　attention　was　still　centered　on　other　startling　news。
　　The　forayers　were　humans！
　　Everyone　knows　Earthlings　weren't　much　more　than　animals　in　the　eyes　of　the　Galactic　god…clans；　only　three　hundred　years　ago。　So　what　were　mere　humans　doing；　trying　to　pull　a　plicated　theft　across　such　distances？
　　Then　I　realized；　since　Uriel　was　addressing　us　in　formal　GalTwo；　I'd　been　thinking　in　that　tongue；　seeing　events　the　way　a　Galactic　would。　Things　looked　quite　different　when　I　rephrased　the　question　in　Anglic。
　　Three　hundred　years？　That's　an　eternity！　In　that　time　humans　moved　from　sailboats　to　their　first　starships。　By　now；　who　knows？　Maybe　they　own　half　the　universe！
　　All　right；　I've　probably　read　way　too　much　stuff　by　Doc　Smith　and　〃Star…Smasher〃　Feng。　But　while　most　folks　on　the　bluff　that　night　expressed　shock　that　wise；　cultured　human　beings　could　ever　do　such　things；　I　knew　an　inner　truth　about　them。　One　that　weaves　through　Earthling　literature　like　a　never…absent　umble　tone。
　　As　long　as　their　race　survives；　some　among　them　will　be　wolves。
　　It　amazed　us　all　when　Uriel　said　the　project　would　continue。
　　Amid　talk　of　militia　call…ups；　emergency　camouflage　repairs；　and　possibly　having　to　fight　for　our　lives　against　overwhelming　power；　I　expected　the　smith　to　order　us　all　back　to　Wuphon　and　Mount　Guenn　at　once；　putting　our　backs　to　labor　for　the　mon　good。　So　we　stared　when　instead　she　acted　as　if　this　were　important；　this　silly　diving　expedition　of　ours。
　　I　even　said　so　to　her　face。
　　〃Why　are　you　doing　this？〃　I　asked　the　next　day　as　Uriel　oversaw　resplicing　the　hawser　and　air　hose。　〃Don't　you　have　urgent　things　to　worry　about？〃
　　Her　neck　stretched　upward；　lifting　the　center；　pupil…less　eye　almost　even　with　my　own。
　　〃And　what　would　you　have　us　do　instead？　Turn　out　weafons？　Convert　our　forge　into　a　factory　of　death？〃　Her　single　nostril　flared；　revealing　the　twisty　membranes　that　lock　in　moisture；　making　urrish　breath　as　dry　as　wind　off　the　Plain　of　Sharp　Sand。
　　〃We　urs　know　death　well；　young　Hph…wayuo。　It　scales　our　legs　and　dries　our　husvand　fouches　all　too　soon。　Or　else　we　hurry　it　along　with　fights　and　feuds；　as　if　glory　could　ever　requite　our　haste　to　die。　A　great　nany　urs　look　fondly　on　those　days　when　Earthlings　were　our　finest　foes；　when　heroes　roared　across　the　frairie；　wheeling　and　charging　recklessly。
　　〃I；　too；　feel　that　call。　And　like　others；　I　resist。　This　is　an　age　for　another　kind　of　hero；　young　fellow。　A　warrior　who　thinks。〃
　　Then　she　turned　back　to　her　labors；　directing　workers　with　severe　attention　to　detail。　Her　response　left　me　confused；　unsatisfied。。。　but　also；　in　some　way　I　could　not　quite　fathom；　just　a　bit　more　proud　than　I　had　been　before。
　　It　took　two　days　to　plete　the　overhaul　and　triple…check　all　systems。　By　that　time；　the　mass　of　onlookers　had　changed。　Many　of　the　originals　had　hurried　home　on　hearing　Uriel's　news。　Some　had　militia　duties；　or　were　eager　to　perform　destructive　sacraments　prescribed　by　the　oldest　scrolls。　Others　rushed　back　to　save　their　property　against　premature　dressing　by　the　devout；　or　simply　to　be　with　loved　ones　during　the　expected　last　of　days。
　　Those　departing　were　replaced　by　others　even　angrier　than　the　first；　or　frightened　by　things　they　had　seen。　Only　yesterday；　observers　from　Wuphon　Port　all　the　way　to　Finaltown　Bay　beheld　a　narrow；　winged　specter…a　pale　aircraft…that　paused　over　the　useless　camouflage　lattices；　as　if　to　say　I　see　you；　before　resuming　a　twisty　course　along　the　coast；　then　out　to　sea。
　　No　one　had　to　say　it。　Whatever　Uriel　wanted　to　acplish　here；　we　didn't　have　a　lot　of　time。
　　
　　XX。THE　BOOK　OF　THE　SLOPE
　　Legends
　　The　first　sooner　races　arrived　at　Jijo　knowledgeable；　but　the