Chapter 39 37

Hunter and I walked all day, and towards evening we found a little hotel, and had something to eat, a chicken, rice pudding, cauliflower, a plate of macaroni, etc. But there was no one there, and no one was there, Only the fire in the stove was very strong, as if it had just been lit, and the food on the stove was still hot. Hunter was horrified by the incident, and in addition to the pain and withdrawal from losing contact with the datasphere.I can imagine his pain as a man who grew up in a world where information is at your fingertips, anyone in any given place can be contacted at any time, and all distances are but a step away through a portal, suddenly comes back to us The living environment of the ancestors was like waking up suddenly to find that he was blind and his feet were covered.But at last, after hours of cursing and angry walking, Hunter calmed down and became silent and gloomy.

But the president needs me!he roared for the first hour. She needed the message I was going to bring her, and I said, but there's nothing we can do about it. Where are we now?Hunter asked no less than ten times. I've explained to him about this duplicate meta-Earth, but I know he means something else now. I think we were quarantined.I said. Intellectual core brought us here?Hunter asked. I can only assume so. How are we going to go back? I don't know, I'm guessing the portal will show up when they feel it's safe to not have to quarantine us. Hunter cursed softly.Why quarantine me, Sylvellen?

I shrugged my shoulders, I guess because he heard what I said on Peace Star, but I'm not sure.I can't be sure of anything. The road goes through grasslands, vineyards, around low hills, and twists and turns through valleys, and the sea can be seen at any time. Where does this road lead?Hunter asked, almost before we spotted the lodge. All roads lead to Rome. I mean it, Sylvellen. Me too, Mr. Hunter. Hunter dug up a loose stone from the road and threw it far into the bushes.Somewhere a bird chirped. have you been here before?Hunter's tone was accusatory, as if I had lured him here.Maybe it is true.

No, I said, almost adding that Keats was here.A sense of loss and the shadow of death nearly overwhelmed me as the transplanted memories flooded in.That was far from friends, from Fanny, his everlasting love. Are you sure you're not connected to the datasphere?Hunter asked. I am very sure.I replied.He didn't ask about the giant datasphere, and I didn't volunteer to tell him that information.I was terrified of entering the giant datasphere, of losing myself there. We found the tavern at sunset, hidden in a small valley with smoke rising from a stone shed. At dinner it was dark outside the window, our only light coming from the flickering fire and two candles on the stone mantelpiece.Hunter said: "This place makes me kind of believe in ghosts.

I really believe in ghosts.I said. In the middle of the night, I woke up coughing, felt something wet on my bare chest, heard Hunter fumbling for a candle, looked down in the candlelight, saw blood on my skin, and splashed on the sheets . My God, Hunter whispered, terrified.What's this?what happened? Internal bleeding, I said reluctantly after another bout of violent coughing and spitting up some blood made me even more debilitated.I tried to get up, but fell back on the pillow, pointing to the basin of water at the head of the bed and the towels on the shelf. Damn, damn, grumbled Hunter, looking for my comlogger, wanting my health readings.I don't have a comm recorder, I dropped the useless thing on my walk earlier today.

Hunter unhooked his comm, adjusted the control panel, and put it on my wrist.Those readings meant nothing to him other than that the situation was urgent and he needed immediate medical attention.Hunt, like the rest of his generation, had never seen disease or death that was dealt with by professionals out of sight of the general public. It doesn't matter, I said softly, the cough passed, but the tiredness covered me like a slate.I pointed to the towel again, and Hunter wet the towel, wiped the blood off my chest and arms, helped me sit on the only chair in the room, and pulled the blood-stained sheets and blankets away. .

Do you know what's going on?he asked, with genuine concern in his voice. I know, I forced a smile.Accurate and realistic, the reproduction process of the development process of biological organisms. Makes sense, said Hunter gruffly, helping me back to bed.What is causing your internal bleeding?May I help you? Give me a glass of water, please.I drank the water slowly, feeling my chest and throat churning, but I fought back a sharp cough.My stomach felt like it was on fire. what's going on?Hunter asked again. I spoke slowly, carefully, carefully, like every step in a minefield, and I didn't cough again.It was a disease called tuberculosis, and I said: Lung disease, judging from such severe bleeding, it is already in its infancy.

Hunter's hound-hound face turned pale. My God, Sylvelen, I've never heard of tuberculosis.He raised his wrist as if to check his comm log, but his wrist was empty. I returned his instrument to him.Lung disease has been extinct for hundreds of years.cured.But then John.Keats got consumption and died of it.And the body of this manipulator is Keats's. Hunter stood as if he wanted to rush out the door for help.Intellectual Core should let us go back now!They can't keep you in this empty world without medical assistance! I lay my head back on the soft pillow and feel the feathers under the cover.That's probably what's keeping me here.We'll find out when we get to Rome tomorrow.

But you can't go anymore!We don't go anywhere in the morning. I'll see it later, I closed my eyes as I said, and I'll see it later. In the morning there was a pony-drawn carriage waiting outside the lodge.Pulling the cart was a large gray mare, rolling its eyes as we approached, breathing white smoke in the cold morning air. Do you know what that is?Hunter said. a horse. Hunter reached out and felt for the animal, as if if touched it would burst like a soap bubble and disappear.Unfortunately, that was not the case. The mare flicked its tail, and Hunter quickly retracted his hand.

The horse is extinct, he said: nor has it returned to this world through biological creation. The horse looks real, I said, climbing into the carriage and sitting on the narrow bench. Hunter quickly sat next to me, his long fingers twitching uneasily, who will drive?He said: Where is the control panel? There were no reins, and the driver's seat was empty.See if the horse knows its way.I suggested.And at that very moment we began to move at a leisurely pace, the driverless carriage bouncing along the gravel road. Are you kidding me?Hunter asked, staring at the immaculate blue sky and the fields beyond.

I used a towel borrowed from the inn as a handkerchief, covered my mouth and coughed as gently as I could.Possibly, I said: But then again, why not? Hunter ignored my sophistry; and thus we staggered toward an unknown destination and destiny. Where are Hunter and Silveron?Mena.Graystone asked. Sidney Puta.Akahi, the young black woman who was Graystone's second most important assistant, moved closer so as not to interrupt the military briefing.Report to the president, there is no news yet. Impossible, Sylvelen has a tracker on him, and Li has been teleported to Peace Planet for an hour.Where the hell are they? Aikaxi looked at the electronic notebook she opened and put on the table.The National Security Bureau couldn't find them, and neither could the traffic police. The transmission unit's record only had the code they transferred to Tianlun 5, that is, they entered the portal here, but they didn't arrive. This is impossible. Yes, President. As soon as this meeting is over, I'm going to talk to Elpidus or another AI advisor. yes. Both women turned their attention back to the briefing.The Government Strategy Center has been merged with the Olympus Command Center’s Situation Room, plus the Senate’s largest briefing room with a huge 15-meter-square window, making these three spaces form a cave-like space. Uneven meeting area.The light curtains in the Situation Room stretch seemingly to infinity to show the ends of space, while countless rows of material flow across all the walls. Four minutes to the invasion.Admiral Singh said. Their long-range weapons were already ready to fire at the Valley of the Gods, General Morpurgo said: They seemed to be quite self-controlled. They showed no mercy to our torch boats.Minister of Foreign Affairs Jarrion.Parsov said.This group of people gathered here an hour ago because the hastily assembled dozen or so Alliance Torch Ships were reported to have been destroyed by the invading rebels.Long-range sensors sent the shortest image of the chaos, a cluster of tiny sparks, with comet-like contrails, and then there was no news from the torch ships or the communication devices.More little Mars here and there. These are warships, said General Morpurgo, and we have been broadcasting for hours now that Heaven's Gate is an undefended planet, and we hope they will show mercy. Images of Heaven's Gate appeared on curtains of light all around them: the silent mud-field streets, aerial photographs of the coast, celestial images of the gray-brown world often shrouded in clouds, the dodecahedron of the planet showing the same as all The connection of the portal, and the X-ray images of the invading army shown in the electronic sensors in the astronomical telescope are now much larger than the small stain or Mars, and the distance is less than one astronomical unit.Graystone looked up at the contrail of the Destroyer warship, those tumbling space farms and bubble-like worlds with flickering force fields, those complex but strangely non-human gravity-free city buildings, thinking in his heart: What if I'm wrong? Billions of lives depended on her trust that the Ousters would not destroy the worlds of the Alliance without reason. Two minutes until the invasion.Singh said in the monotonous tone of a professional soldier. Admiral, Graystone said: Is it necessary to destroy that planet's teleportation system as soon as the Ousters break through our defenses?Can we just wait a few more minutes and see what their intentions are? No, President.The admiral immediately replied: As long as the connection base of the portal is within the possible attack range, it must be destroyed immediately. But, Colonel, even if your torchship doesn't do that, we still have inter-system connections, FTL communication equipment, and timing devices, right? Yes, Mr. President, but we must make sure that all the portal functions must be removed before the Ousters take over. This is already the minimum safety standard, and there is no further compromise. Graystone nodded.She understands the need for such absolute caution, (if only a little more time.) Fifteen seconds before the time to invade and destroy, Singh said: Seventeen All of a sudden, purple, red, and white lights lit up on all the torchships and the remote-controlled light curtains near here. Graystone leaned forward. Is that thing ruined? The military personnel huddled together, collecting further information, and switching the images on the light curtain.No, President.Mopurgo replied: The torchship is under attack.What you're seeing now is their shields overloaded.That one is here. A central image, possibly from a comms ship in lower orbit, shows a twelve-sided image of the planet, with its 30,000-square-meter surface still intact and the sun still strong at Heaven's Gate. in the light.Then, suddenly, the light increased, and the nearest side of the whole structure seemed to heat up and collapse.In less than three seconds, the entire sphere swelled up, and the base point trapped in it escaped and devoured everything within a radius of six hundred kilometers. At the same instant, most of the images and many columns of data were all blanked out. All portal connections terminated.Singh announced: The data in the system is now only transmitted by the superluminal communication transmission equipment. There was a burst of applause and relief from the military, and what sounded like sighs and groans came from a dozen senators and political advisers.The world of Heaven's Gate has just been cut off by Wanxingwang. This is the first time that the Overlord League has suffered such a loss in more than 400 years. Graystone turned to Sideputa.Eka happily asked: How long does it take to go from Wanxingwang to Heaven's Gate now? With the Hawking space jump thrusters, the time on the spacecraft is seven months.The assistant replied without stopping to check the information: The debt is about nine years. Graystone nodded.Heaven's Gate is now nine years away from the nearest Wanxingwang world. This is our torch boat, Singh said.The picture is transmitted to the computer by a sentinel satellite in orbit through high-speed super-light speed communication, and the distorted color image is transmitted to the computer, and then transmitted in a fast processing manner.The picture is like a mosaic painting, but it always reminds Graystone of silent films in the earliest media age.But this is not a Chaplin comedy.Two, then five, and then eight bursting bright lights bloomed in the starry sky above the planet. Communications from Nikki Wymar, Tinapin, Bannerman, and Andrew Paul are lost.Singh reported. Babre.Dan|Guddish holds up a hand.What about the other four, Admiral? Only the four torch ships mentioned earlier have the FTL communication function.Sentinel satellites confirmed that the radios, microwave transmitters, and broadband connections of the other four ships were also down.The video data Singh stopped, and compared the images transmitted by the automatic outpost satellites with his hands: eight halos of light that expanded and then disappeared, and the starry sky was full of contrails and new points of light.Suddenly, even this image disappeared. All track-sensing devices and FTL communication connections aborted.General Mopurgo said.He gestured, and all the blank light curtains showed the street image of the gate of heaven, as well as the low clouds that were always shrouded. The aircraft added photos taken on the clouds, and the sky was full of scurrying stars. All reports confirm the link has been destroyed, Singh said: The vanguard of the rebels is now entering the upper orbit around Heaven's Gate. How many people are left there?Graystone asked.She leaned forward, her elbows resting on the table, her hands clasped tightly. Eighty-six thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine people.Defense Minister Imodo said. That's not counting the twelve thousand marines teleported in in the past two hours.Feng.General Zedat added. Imodor nodded to the general. Graystone thanked them and turned his attention back to the light curtain.The data column floats in the sky, and the bullet points in it present disturbing data on the fax machine, communication recorder and desktop board The projection of orbit and time curve, energy analysis, and the data intercepted by the communication channel, but Greystone and others are all paying attention to the FTL communication images that are not so informative and lack of change in comparison. Taken by aircraft or ground cameras: stars, clouds, streets, and Graystone himself as seen from the tower of the Atmospheric Manufacturing Station above the mud-field promenade where he stood less than twelve hours ago scene.Huge horsetail grass swayed in the breeze from the bay. I think they will negotiate, Senator Lei Qiao said: They will first let us see this fait accompli (fait accompli) occupying nine worlds, and then they will come to negotiate and strive for a new balance of power.I mean, even if their two waves of aggression are successful, they will only lose 25 worlds out of the nearly 200 worlds in Wanxingwang and the territory. Yes, Foreign Minister Palsov said: But don't forget, Senator, that this includes some of the most strategically important worlds, such as this one.On Ouster's timeline, Titanic is only 235 hours behind Heaven's Gate. Senator Lei Qiao glared back at Palsov, I knew that.She said coldly: I'm just saying that the Ousters don't really want to take us all, or they'd be stupid.It is also impossible for Ba Jun to allow the second wave to break through so deeply.This requested invasion is definitely just a prelude to negotiations. Perhaps, says Senator Longqvist of Nordholm: but such negotiations must depend on Wait a minute, Graystone said. The data column now shows more than a hundred Destroyer warships in orbit around Heaven's Gate.The ground troops there were ordered not to fire unless they were under attack, and in the more than thirty images sent to the situation room by FTL communication, there was no movement.However, suddenly, the clouds covering Niyuan City lit up, as if a giant searchlight had been turned on.A dozen wide beams of light shone directly into the bay and into the city, and in addition to the light from the searchlights it seemed to Graystone that there were huge white pillars standing between the ground and the covering clouds above. Such beams of light suddenly disappeared, and a burst of flames and destructive whirlwinds rose from the bottom of these beams of light about a hundred meters wide.The water in the bay boiled, and the closest camera lens was blurred by huge puffs of water vapor.In the image taken by the tower, all the centuries-old stone buildings in the city burst into flames and shattered inward, as if a tornado was swimming among them.The world-renowned gardens and promenades exploded in flames, sending dirt and debris flying as if plowed by an invisible plow.The horsetail grass, which has a lifespan of more than two hundred years, snapped, burned, and disappeared like a hurricane. The lances of the Powell-class torchships, Singh said in the silence, or something like that of the Ouster. The whole city was burning, exploding, being plowed into rubble by those beams of light, and then cracked to pieces.These FTL images had no sound, but Graystone imagined she could hear the screams. The images of the cameras on the ground turned black one by one, and the images captured by the towers of the Atmospheric Manufacturing Station disappeared in a burst of white flashes.The aerial camera was long gone, and the other twenty or so ground cameras began to flicker off, and one of them exploded with a horrible crimson light that made everyone in the room rub their eyes. Plasma explosion.Feng.Zedat said: Megaton level power, that is the image from the Bajun Marine Corps air defense position north of the intercity canal. All of a sudden all images disappear and data entry is suspended.The sudden darkness took everyone's breath away, and the lights in the room started to come on to supplement it. The main FTL launch system is gone.General Mopurgo said: It was originally buried in the Bajun base near Gaomen, buried under our strongest protective force field, with at least fifty meters of rock and ten meters of interference layer. Cone nuke?Babre.Dan︱Giddis asked. At least this.Mopurgo said. Senator Korchev stands up, his massive frame exuding almost bear-like strength, well, this isn't some fucking negotiating tactic.The Ousters have just reduced a Starnet world to ashes.This is a desperate, merciless war.The survival of civilization is being tested, what are we going to do now? All eyes turned to Mena.Graystone. The consul put Theo, who was in a semi-comatose state.Lian was dragged out of the wreckage of the floater, put the younger man's arm on his shoulders, staggered fifty meters, and then fell to the grass under a row of trees on the bank of the Huli River.The floater did not catch fire, but crashed into a ball, finally stopped sliding, and leaned against the collapsed stone wall.Shards of metal and ceramic aggregates littered river banks and deserted roads. Cities are burning.Thick smoke covered everything across the river, and this part of Jacktown, the so-called Old Town, looked as if several funeral pyres had been lit, with thick black columns of smoke rising toward the low clouds that hung over them.There were still lasers and missile trails streaking through the twilight, sometimes hitting incoming landing craft, paratroopers, and suspension fields that kept falling from the clouds like chaff blown from a freshly harvested field. ball. Theo, are you okay? The governor nodded, reached out to push the glasses on the bridge of his nose a little higher but stopped in bewilderment, because he found that the glasses were gone.Blood dripped from Theo's forehead and arms.Hit the head.he mumbled. We'll have to use your comm, the Consul said: Get someone to pick us up here. Theo nodded, raised his arm, and frowned at his wrist.Missing, he said: the communication recorder is missing, I have to look for it in the floater.He wanted to stand up. The Consul pulled him back into his seat.They were still sheltered by a few ornamental trees here, but the floater was exposed, and their landing was no secret.When the Consul made an emergency landing on the floater, he saw some troops in armor coming from a side street.They might be the local self-defense force, or the Ousters, or even the Marine Corps of the Overlord Alliance, but the Consul felt that no matter who they were, they would shoot. Forget it, he said: Let's go find a phone number and call the consulate.He looked around and identified the warehouses and stone houses where their plane crashed. About one or two hundred meters upstream of the river, there was an old church that was empty. on the river bank. I know where we are, said the Consul: only a block or two from Cicero's shop.bring it on.He grabbed Theo's arm, put it around his head, put it on his shoulder, and pulled the injured man to his feet. Cicero's shop, very good, Theo murmured: I can have a glass of wine. The clatter of gunfire and the hiss of energy weapon fire came from the street to the south of them.Bearing Theo's weight as best he could, the Consul half-walked, half-shuffled, down the narrow riverside path. Ah, damn it!The Consul cursed softly. Cicero's shop was on fire, and the old pub and inn was as old as Jack's Town and much older than most of the capital. Three of the four old riverside houses were in flames.Only a small group of people with buckets are relentlessly dousing the last part. I see Stan, said the Consul, pointing to Stan at the head of Bucket Squad.Rowski's fat figure.Come, the consul helped Xio to sit down under an elm tree by the roadside.how is your head It hurts. I'll get help right away.After the Consul finished speaking, he walked towards the group of people from that path as quickly as possible. Stan.Ruewitzky stared at the consul as if he had seen a ghost. The big man's face was streaked with black spots and tears, his eyes were wide open, and he could hardly understand the situation: Cicero's shop was The family business has been passed down for six generations.Now that it is raining lightly, the fire appears to be contained.Several logs fell from their burnt parts into the embers in the basement, causing shouts from those on the path. Oh my God, it's over, Ruewitzki said: Did you see that part that Grandpa Gilly built?there is none left. The Consul grabbed the large man by the shoulders.Stan, we need help.Theo is over there, hurt.Our floater crashed.We have to get to the spaceport to use your phone.It's urgent, Stan. Ruvitski shook his head.The phone burned out.Communication logger channel blocked.Fighting a fucking war.He pointed to the burnt part of the old inn.It's all gone, damn it.Gone. The Consul clenched his fists, feeling nothing but rage in his utter helplessness.Others walked around, but the consul didn't recognize any of them.There were no officers of the Tyrannical Army or the Self-Defense Forces in sight.Suddenly a voice behind him said: I can help, I have a floater. The Consul turned halfway and saw a man in his fifties or early sixties, his handsome face and curly hair covered in streaks of smoke and sweat.Great, said the Consul, thank you so much.He paused briefly.do i recognize you I'm Milio.Dr. Arendez, said the man, had already walked towards the place where Theo was resting. Arendez, the consul repeated, and hurried up.The name echoes strangely.Was it someone he knew before?Is it someone he should know?Oh my goodness, Argentez!He said: Decades ago Rachel.When Wen Chaobo came here, you were her friend. Actually, it was her university advisor, Arendez said, I know you, you go on a pilgrimage with Saul.They stopped next to Theo, who was still sitting there with his head in his hands.My floater is parked over there.Arendez said. The Consul saw a small two-person Viken Zephyr parked under a tree.great.We'll get Theo to the hospital first, and then I'm going to the spaceport right away. The hospital is overcrowded to the point of maddening.Arendez said: If you want to go to your spaceship, I suggest you take the governor there and use the medical equipment on your ship. The Consul paused, how did you know I had a ship there? Arendez opened the door and helped Theo onto the narrow bench behind the two seats in the front cockpit.Mr. Consul, I know about you and the other pilgrims.I've been trying for months to get permission to go to Totsukagani, and you can't imagine how angry and helpless I was when I heard that your pilgrimage barge sailed secretly with Sol on board.Arendez took a deep breath, and asked a question that he had obviously been afraid to ask.Is Rachel still alive? (He was her lover when she was a grown woman.) The Consul thought, I don't know, and he said, I'd love to get back in time to save her, if I could. Milio.Arendez nodded, got into the driver's seat, and beckoned the consul to come in.I'm afraid it won't be easy for us to find a way to get to the spaceport, with wars everywhere. The Consul sat back in his chair, feeling the bruises and cuts and fatigue on his body as the seat wrapped him around him.We're going to send Governor Theo to the consulate or government building or whatever they call it now. Arendez shook his head and activated the lift-off device. No, the consulate is gone. It was hit by a missile that was shot crookedly. This is what the emergency news channel said.Before your friend dispatched to find you, all the officials of the Overlord Alliance had already arrived at the spaceport to prepare for evacuation. The Consul looked at Xi Ao who was still half unconscious.lian.Let's go, he said softly to Arendez. The floater came under small arms fire as they flew over the river, but the fletchers only touched the hull of the fuselage, and the only ray of death that was fired at them passed below them, causing a burst of water vapor ten meters high. .Arendez steered the plane side to side, bouncing up and down like a maniac, going straight ahead, off course, and occasionally twisting the floater like a board sliding over a sea of ​​marbles.The consul's seat wrapped him tightly, but he still felt like he was going to throw up.Behind them, Theo sat on a bench shaking his head back and forth, unconscious. The city is in chaos!Arendez raised his voice amidst the rumble.I'm going to follow the old elevated road to the Spaceport Highway and then across the country, flying as low as I can.They circled a burning building, and the Consul flew over only to realize that it was where he used to live. Can the spaceport highway pass? Arendez shook his head.no way.For the past thirty minutes, paratroopers have been landing in that area. Are the Ousters ready to destroy the city? Won't.If they want to do this, they can do it in orbit without so much trouble.They appeared to be encircling the capital, and most of the landing craft and paratroopers had landed at least ten kilometers away. Is it our Self-Defense Forces who are fighting back? Arendez laughed, showing his white teeth against his tanned skin.They're now halfway to Endymion and Port Romance, but before the comm channel went down, ten minutes ago, there were reports that those cities were under attack as well.No, the little bit of resistance you saw was the dozens of Overlord Marines left behind to guard the city and the spaceport. So the Ousters haven't destroyed or captured the spaceport yet? not yet.At least not a few minutes ago.We'll find out soon enough.Sit tight! It usually only takes a few minutes to reach the spaceport ten kilometers away via the highway or the empty road above, but Arendez's circuitous advance, up and down over hills, through valleys, and flying among trees, made this time Travel adds time and excitement.The consul turned to look at the mountainside and burning refugee camp that flashed to his right.Men and women squatted against boulders, or under low trees, shielding their heads with their hands as floaters flew by.The Consul once saw a small group of Tyrannical Marines digging a fort on top of a hill, but their attention was focused on another hill to the north, where laser lances were coming from.Arendez also saw those marines at the same moment, and immediately let the floater turn sharply to the left, and plunged into a narrow valley. Within a few seconds, the treetops of the mountains above seemed to be invisible The sickle was cut off entirely. At last they went up and over the last ridge, and the gate and wall on the west side of the spaceport appeared before them.The blue and purple light of the protective and blocking force field flashed on the outer circle, and a laser light flashed and settled on them one kilometer away, and a voice sounded from the radio saying: Unidentified floater, land immediately, otherwise wreck. Argentez landed immediately. The tree ten meters away seemed to be shaking, and suddenly, they were surrounded by a group of ghosts wearing camouflage suits with the color-changing function activated.Arendez had opened the cockpit, and several long guns were aimed at him and the consul. down.Said a voice without a body behind the ghost in camouflage. The governor was on board, and the consul called out: We must go in. Nonsense!That scolding voice is definitely Wanxingwang's accent, come out! The Consul and Arendez hastily released the seat safety device and began to climb out of the plane, when a voice from the back seat shouted: "Lieutenant Muller, is that you?" Ah, yes, sir. Do you recognize me, Lieutenant? The camouflage ghost disappeared, and a young Marine Corps officer wearing a full set of combat armor stood less than one meter away from the floater.His face was just a pair of black night vision goggles, but his voice sounded very young, yes, sir uh Governor, sorry, I didn't recognize you without your glasses.You're hurt, sir. I know I'm hurt, Lieutenant, that's why these two escorted me here.Don't you recognize the former Overlord Consul in Hyperion? I'm sorry, sir, said Lieutenant Mueller, waving his men back into the woods.The base is closed. The base is of course closed.Xio gritted his teeth and said: I signed the order.But I also have the right to evacuate all important Overlord Alliance personnel.You did let those floaters pass, didn't you, Lieutenant Muller? A armored hand reached out as if to grab a head covered in a helmet and night-vision goggles.Uh yes, sir, ah, yes, but that was an hour ago, sir.The evacuation landing craft have set sail, and God, Muller, use your military channel to get Colonel Zirasimov to authorize us to pass. The colonel's dead, sir, and the east side is under attack by a landing craft. Then find Captain Luwelling.Theo said.He swayed a little, but steadied himself against the back of the consul's chair, very pale against the blood. Uh, the military channel is down, sir, and the Ousters are blocking the broadband again. Lieutenant!Theo snapped, the consul has never heard his young friend speak in such a tone, you have confirmed my identity with the naked eye and scanned my ID for the implant, now let us in , or shoot us. The armored Marine officer glanced back toward the woods, as if considering whether to order his men to fire.All the landing craft are gone, sir, and there will be no other boats landing. Theo nodded.The blood had already stopped and clotted on his forehead, and now a new stream flowed from his hairline.That detained spacecraft is still at Pier Nine, isn't it? Yes, sir.Mueller replied, finally standing at attention.But that's a civilian spaceship, it's impossible to be under the fire of the Ousters Theo waved the officer to shut up and gestured to Argentezbi to drive straight in.The Consul looked ahead at the roadblocks, the protective force field, and perhaps the pressure mines that the floater would encounter within ten seconds.He saw the lieutenant wave his hand, and an opening appeared in the blue and purple energy field in front of him.No one opened fire.Half a minute later, they traversed the hard floor of the spaceport.To the north there is something huge burning.On the left is a pile of Bajun's trailers and command vehicles, which have been melted into a large pool of bubbling plastic. (There were still people in there before,) the Consul thought, and tried to fight back the feeling of nausea again. Pier No. 7 has been destroyed, and the reinforced ten-centimeter-thick circular wall exploded, as if it were made of cardboard.Pier 8 was burning, and the white-hot light showed that it was being attacked by plasma grenades.Pier No. 9 was intact, with the prow of the consul's spaceship exposed from above the fence, surrounded by a third-level guard force field. 防護罩已經打開了嗎？asked the consul. 席奧靠躺回到加了墊子的板凳上。他的聲音有點含糊。是的，葛萊史東授權解除了防護罩，那只是一般的保護力場，只要下指令就能解除。 阿讓德茲讓浮掠機降落下來，紅色警示燈亮起，一個電腦合成的聲音開始說明故障情形。他們把席奧扶了下來，先暫時躺在那架小型的浮掠機後面，一支小箭彈把引擎罩和升空裝置的外殼打出一道不規則的裂縫，外罩有一部分已經因為超載而融化了。 Milio.阿讓德茲用手拍了下那架機器，然後兩個人一起轉身扶著席奧穿過碼頭的大門，走上太空船停泊的地方。 我的天，米立歐．阿讓德茲博士說：真美，我還從來沒上過私人的星際太空船。 現在有的也不過幾十艘。領事說著，把滲透面罩蓋住席奧的口鼻，輕輕地把那紅髮男子放進緊急照顧維生的醫療艙內。這艘船雖然很小，也花了幾億馬克。這對偶爾才需要做星際旅行的大企業，或是必要時可以使用軍用太空船的邊疆星系政府機構來說，是很不合算的。領事把艙門關好，很快地啟動查看了一下診斷程式。他沒問題的。他最後對阿讓德茲說，然後回到投影室。 Milio.阿讓德茲站在那架古老的史坦威鋼琴旁，輕輕地用手摸過那架大鋼琴光亮的琴身。他由在那形如陽臺的平臺上方船身透明的部位望出去，說道：我看到大門附近起火了，我們最好趕快離開這裡。 我正在做這件事。領事說著，請阿讓德茲坐在環繞投影區四周的圓形沙發上。 那位考古學家跌坐在軟軟的椅墊上，四下看了看，沒有呃控制儀錶嗎？ The Consul smiled.駕駛艙？駕駛儀錶？也許該有一個我可以操縱的舵輪？Ah, yes.Boat? have.一個柔和的聲音不知從何而來。 我們可以起飛了嗎？ Can. 禁制力場已經解除了嗎？ 那是我們的護衛力場，我已經收回了。 好，讓我們趕快離開這裡吧。我不用告訴你說我們正陷身在戰火之中，對吧？ Need not.我一直在注意所有的發展。霸軍的最後一批太空船正在離開海柏利昂星系，那些陸戰隊現在進退不得，而且 戰況分析等下再說了，船。領事說：目的地是時塚谷，趕快離開這裡。 Yes, sir.船說：我只是要指出這艘太空船的防衛力量大概很難撐過一個多鐘頭。 知道了，領事說：現在起飛吧。 我必須聽命先把這段超光速通訊傳送的資料告訴你，這個訊息送達的時間是萬星網標準時間今天下午十六點二十二分三十八秒又十四微秒。 Wow!Wait a moment!領事叫道，將剛傳了半截的光幕停住，梅娜．葛萊史東的半張臉懸在他們上方的空中。你聽命要在我們啟程之前把這個訊息先讓我看過？你是聽誰的命令呀，船？ 報告長官，葛萊史東總裁的命令。五天之前，總裁取得所有船艦的優先控制權。這件超光速通訊的影音訊息是最後一件，然後 原來如此，所以你對我遙控的命令不予理會。領事喃喃地說道。 是的，船用聊天似的語氣說：我正要告訴您，請您看這個影音訊息，是把指揮權歸還給您之前的最後要求。 然後你就聽我的話？ Yes. 我說去哪裡就送我們去哪裡？ Yes. 沒有再藏著什麼更高順位？ 就我所知是沒有叮。 把影音訊息放出來吧。 Mena.葛萊史東總裁那像林肯似的面容浮現在投影室的中央，因為是超光速通訊的關係而有些抽動和斷續。我很高興你能由時塚之行中活著回來，她對領事說：現在你想必知道我是要請你在回到那個山谷去之前，先和驅逐者談判。 領事兩臂交叉在胸前，怒瞪著葛萊史東的影像。外面太陽正在西沉，他只有幾分鐘的時間，然後蕾秋．溫朝博就會到她出生的時刻，就此不再存在。 我了解你急著趕回去救你的那些朋友。葛萊史東說：可是在此時此刻，你怎麼樣也救不了那個孩子萬星網的專家們很確定地告訴我們說，冷凍神遊或使她進入昏迷狀態都無法遏止梅林症。索爾也知道這件事。 在投影室那頭的阿讓德茲博士說：這是真的，他們已經實驗過好多年了，她會死在昏迷之中。 你可以救萬星網裡的數十億你相信自己背叛過的人。葛萊史東繼續說道。 領事俯身向前，兩肘支在雙膝上，用拳頭抵住下巴。耳裡只聽見自己的心跳得很大聲。 我知道你會打開時塚，葛萊史東說，她憂傷的棕色眼睛似乎直視著領事。智核的預測顯示出你對茂宜︱聖約星的忠誠還有對你祖母叛變事件的記憶會勝過其他所有的因素。這是讓時塚打開的時刻，也只有你才能在驅逐者他們自己決定這樣做之前，就啟動驅逐者的裝置。 這些我已經聽夠了。領事說著站了起來，背對著投影。把訊息取消，他對船說，心裡也知道對方不會服從。 Milio.阿讓德茲由投影中穿行過來，緊緊抓住領事的手臂。把她的話聽完，拜託。 領事搖了搖頭，但仍站在投影室，兩臂交叉在胸前。 現在最壞的情況發生了，葛萊史東說：驅逐者正侵入萬星網，天堂之門已經遭到摧毀，神之谷距離入侵也不到一個鐘頭的時間。你必須在海柏利昂和驅逐者談判用你的外交技巧和他們展開對話。驅逐者不會回應我們以無線電或超光速通訊傳送的訊息，可是我們已經通知他們說你會去，我想他們仍然會信任你。 領事發出一聲呻吟，走到鋼琴旁，一拳打在琴蓋上。 我們的時間只有幾分鐘，而不是幾個小時。領事，葛萊史東說：我要請你先去見在海柏利昂星系裡的驅逐者，如果你一定要回時塚谷的話，之後再去。你比我更清楚兵燹的後果。如果我們不能找到一個安全的管道和驅逐者溝通的話，就會毫無必要地犧牲好幾百萬人的性命。 取決在於你，但請考慮到如果我們在尋求真理，維持和平的最後努力上失敗了的話，會有什麼樣的不同。等你和驅逐者的亂軍接上頭之後，我會再用超光速通訊和你連絡。 葛萊史東的影像抖動、模糊，然後消失。 要回覆嗎？船問道。 don't want.領事在那架史坦威鋼琴和投影室之間走來走去。 幾近兩百年來，沒有一架太空船或浮掠機曾經人員毫髮無傷地降落在那個山谷附近，米立歐．阿讓德茲說：她想必知道你能到那裡逃過荊魔神然後再和驅逐者會面的機率有多渺茫。 事情現在不一樣了，領事並未轉身面對另外那個男人，時潮已經亂了，荊魔神想到哪裡就到哪裡。也許以前防止人為著陸的那些事項現在已經沒有作用了。 也許沒有我們，你的船也能很完美地在那裡降落，阿讓德茲說：就像其他很多太空船的情形一樣。 他媽的，領事叫罵著轉過身來。當你說想和我一起來的時候，你就知道會有什麼危險。 那位考古學家平靜地點了點頭。我不是擔心自己會有什麼危險，如果能救得了蕾秋的話，什麼危險我都可以承受或者哪怕只是能見她一面也是一樣。可是你的命卻可能是人類生死存亡的關鍵。 領事對著空中揮舞拳頭，像一隻關在籠子裡的猛獸似地走來走去。這太不公平了！我以前是葛萊史東的卒子。她利用我那樣自私那樣故意！我殺了四個驅逐者，阿讓德茲。因為我必須啟動他們那些該死的裝置來打開時塚而槍殺了他們。你想他們還會張開雙臂歡迎我回去嗎？ 考古學家那對黑色的眼睛一眨也不眨地望著領事。葛萊史東相信他們會和你談判。 誰知道他們會怎麼樣？或是在這件事情上，誰知道葛萊史東相信什麼。霸聯還有他們和驅逐者的關係現在都不關我的事。我真的希望災難降在他們兩邊的家裡。 到讓全人類受苦的程度？ 我不認得全人類。領事以疲倦而平板的聲音說：可是我認得索爾．溫朝博，還有蕾秋。還有一個名叫布瑯．拉蜜亞，受了傷的女人，還有保羅．杜黑神父，還有費德曼．卡薩德，還有 船所發出的柔和聲音包圍著他們，這個太空港的北邊圍牆已經破裂了。我正啟動升空的最後程序。請兩位就座。 領事半踉蹌地回到投影室，太空船內部的安全力場在垂直高差迅速加大的情況下朝他壓了下來，將一切固定在原位，比任何一種安全帶都更有保護作用。一旦到自由落體的狀態時，力場就會減輕，但仍然有維持吸力的作用。 投影室上方的空中如起了霧一般，顯示出碼頭和太空港在下方迅速縮退。地平線和遠處的山丘躍動又傾斜，太空船經由八十重力閃避操作直衝而出。有幾支能量武器朝他們開火，但資料列顯示外圍的防護力場發揮了阻擋作用。然後地平線漸漸拉遠而彎曲，而天青色的天空漸漸暗成外太空的漆黑。 destination?船問道。 領事閉起了眼睛。由他們身後響起一陣鈴聲，宣布可以把席奧．連恩由恢復艙移至醫療室。 到我們能和驅逐者入侵部隊的人碰面的時間還有多久？asked the consul. 三十分鐘到亂軍占領區。船回答道。 還有多久會進入他們攻擊戰艦武器的射擊範圍之內？ 他們現在就在攻擊我們了。 Milio.阿讓德茲的表情很平靜，但是緊壓在沙發背上的手指卻都發白了。 好吧，領事說：朝亂軍進發，避開霸聯的船艦。在所有的頻道上宣布我們是一艘無武f外交船，要求談判。 這個訊息已經由葛萊史東總裁授權發出了，長官，現在正在超光速通訊和所有通訊頻道上播出。 繼續接著幹吧，領事說。他指著阿讓德茲的通訊記錄器，你看得到時間嗎？ 看得到。離蕾秋出生的時刻還有六分鐘。 領事靠坐在椅子上，又閉上了眼睛。你千里迢迢地來，卻一事無成，阿讓德茲博士。 那位考古學家站了起來，微晃了一下，讓自己的兩腿習慣於太空船內擬似的重力，再小心地走到鋼琴前，他在那裡站了一陣，由陽臺的窗口望著外面黑暗的天空和那退縮卻仍明亮的星球，也許不會，他說，也許不會。