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s　possessed　of　the　songs　themselves。

Ancient　psalms　that　predated　Tirol's　Grand　Transition　and　the　ing　to　power　of　the　Robotech　Masters。

Minmei　was　in　the　pany　of　the　sister　clones　now；　preparing　her　voice　for　the　difficult　parts　Bowie's　keyboards　had　taught　her。　Musica　and　Allegra　had　seemed　pleased　with　her　contributions　thus　far；　to　say　nothing　of　Bowie；　who　was　beside　himself。　A　dream　e　true；　he　kept　telling　her；　a　dream　e　true。

She　kept　to　herself　that　she　was　wearing　a　transmitting　device；　that　Rem　had　wired　her　for　sound；　to　use　an　old　Earth　phrase。　In　some　sense　it　made　her　feel　as　though　Rem　were　present　in　the　music　room；　pressed　close　to　her　warm　breast　like　the　device　itself。

Her　hand　brushed　it　through　the　soft　weave　of　her　tunic；　then　went　to　her　belly；　where　it　lingered　a　moment　longer。　And　she　began　to　sing。

Not　far　away；　Rem　would　be　listening。


CHAPTER　SIXTEEN

Certain　parallels　are　suggested　by　the　fact　that　both　the　Masters'　clone　（Zor　Prime）　and　the　Invid　Regis's　simulagent　（Ariel；　aka　〃Marlene'）　were　corrupted　by　their　contact　with　Terran　humankind。　Those　mentators　who　advance　the　view　usually　offer　the　Zentraedi　as　further　proof　to　bolster　their　claim。　Corruption；　then；　is　equated　with　emotion；　for　it　was　human　passion　above　all　else　that　turned　the　tide　time　and　time　again　during　the　Robotech　Wars。　Terran　humankind　has　been　singled　out　and　in　some　sense　denigrated。　But　were　the　pre…Robotech　Tiresians　any　more　in　control　of　their　passions？　One　need　only　look　to　Zor　and　the　corruption　his　actions　worked　on　the　Invid　Queen　Mother。　Was　this　not　in　fact　the　original　corruption？
Gitta　Hopkins；　Queen　Bee：　A　Biography　of　the　Invid　Regis

Outside　the　Ark　Angel's　viewport　spun　a　dark　maelstrom　of　stolen　matter；　a　grave　whirlpool　of　cosmic　stuff；　black　as　evil　in　its　singular　heart。

〃My　God；〃　Vince　said　in　utter　astonishment。

〃Let　us　hope　not；〃　Cabell　offered；　turning　his　back　to　the　view　and　helping　himself　to　food　recently　delivered　to　the　situation　room。

〃Stellar　Transylvania；〃　one　of　Louie　Nichols's　data　junkies　said　without　bothering　to　explain。　〃Give　me　two　pints　of　protons；〃　he　added；　affecting　some　sort　of　middle…European　accent。

In　the　foreground　between　starship　and　black　hole　floated　what　Vince　had　first　taken　for　a　dumbbell…like　structure　captured　by　the　system's　nearly　lightless　sun；　the　host　upon　which　the　hole　had　fed　for　countless　eons。　It　was　only　after　the　ship's　onboard　AI　had　served　up　a　graphic　breakdown　of　the　object　that　he　had　begun　to　prehend　it。　One　end　of　the　dumbbell　was　in　fact　a　small　rouge　moon；　yanked　from　orbit　by　what　constituted　the　dumbbell's　twin…cupped　opposite　end：　a　radically　reconfigured　Haydon　IV。

The　cylindrically　shaped　bridge　that　joined　moon　and　artifact　world　were　made　up　of　two　massive　conduits；　which　had　apparently　telescoped　out　of　each　of　Haydon　IV's　now　separated　northern　and　southern　hemispheres。

Vince　ran　a　hand　down　his　face　and　left　it　covering　his　mouth；　as　though　fearful　of　what　sounds　might　emerge。　Just　in　view　far　off　the　Ark　Angel's　port　side　were　the　ships　of　the　Karbarran　battle　group；　a　school　of　predatory　fish　awaiting　the　scent　of　blood。

〃Evaluation；〃　Vince　said；　turning　to　find　Louie　Nichols　headlocked　to　the　room's　p　console。　Data…expedient　or　not；　the　sight　of　the　wizard's　cranial　ports　still　left　him　distressed。

With　an　audible　pop；　Louis　jacked　the　umbilicus　out　of　the　skull。　〃No　doubt　about　it；　they're　mining　the　moon　for　metals。　Haydon　IV's　turned　itself　into　a　working　factory。〃

Vince　gestured　to　the　viewport。　〃You　mean　those；　those　tubes　are　mine　shafts？〃

〃In　a　manner　of　speaking；〃　Louie　told　him。　〃See；　instead　of　parking　yourself　in　orbit　and　shuttling　payloads　of　raw　materials　up　the　gravity　well；　you　construct　transfer　corridors　ship…to…surface　and　suck　up　what　you　need。　A　variation　on　the　old　space　elevator　or　orbital　tower　concept。〃

〃But　what　the　hell　are　they　manufacturing？〃

Dr。　Penn　and　Cabell　approached　the　console　to　hear　Louie's　response。

〃Ships　would　be　my　guess；〃　Nichols　said；　only　to　receive　skeptical　looks　from　the　three　of　them。

〃Assume　for　a　moment　our　theories　about　Haydon　are　on　the　money；　then　put　yourself　in　his　boots。〃　Louie　stood　up　to　make　his　point。　〃Here　are　Haydon　and　his　crew　wandering　the　spaceways　for　tens　of　thousands　of　years；　jumping　system　to　system；　world　to　world。　And　frankly；　the　whole　thing's　being　a　yawn。　They've　conquered　war；　hunger；　pestilence；　disease；　death　。。。　I　mean；　what's　left　to　do？

〃So　all　at　once　they　begin　asking　themselves　some　serious　questions。　Like　maybe　if　there　isn't　more　to　life　than　gallivanting　around　the　galaxy　playing　deity　to　groups　of　awed　primitives。　They　start　focusing　on　ontological　and　teleological　questions　about　purpose　and　god　and　what's　supposed　to　e　after　you　punch　exit　and　wave　good…bye　to　your　biological　parts。　Of　course　they've　been　asking　themselves　these　questions　since　they　crawled　up　out　of　the　gene　pool；　but　all　of　a　sudden　there's　an　urgency　attached　to　it。　It's　a　kind　of　what'd　they　used　to　call　it？…a　midlife　crisis　thing。〃

Louie　took　a　breath　and　adjusted　his　opaque　goggles。　〃Thing　is；　for　all　their　investigations　into　existential　metaphysics　and　such；　for　all　their　experiments　with　religion；　sensory　dep；　mind…altering　substances；　and　cyber…interface；　they　just　can't　seem　to　break　through　to　any　of　the　ethereal　dimensions　they　figure　must　be　out　there　or　in　there　or　somewhere。　After　all；　the　math　works；　so　where's　the　experiential　side　to　the　equation？

〃So　Haydon　gets　the　notion　that　maybe　his　or　her　or　their　race　just　isn't　meant　for　transcendence…I　mean；　they're　just　not　built　for　it。　They're　psychically　deficient　or　constitutionally　deprived　or　something。　But　that　doesn't　necessarily　rule　out　the　existence　of　these　other　realms　or　the　possibility　that　some　other　race　is　capable　of　getting　there。〃　Louie　looked　at　Vince。　〃You　following　me　so　far；　General？〃

Vince　deliberated；　then　nodded。

Louis　rubbed　his　hands　together。　〃Okay。　So　what　they　decide　to　do　is　see　if　they　can't　speed　things　along　by　scouting　the　galaxy　for　likely　candidates　and　lending　a　helping　hand　wherever　they　can。〃　Louis　motioned　to　Cabell。　〃They　hit　Karbarra；　Praxis；　Peryton…all　the　worlds　you　mentioned…adding　something　here；　deleting　something　there。　Then　they　sit　back　to　see　what　happens。

〃But…〃　Louie　raised　an　index　finger。　〃…we're　talking　millennia　again。　So　rather　than　risk　a　second　yawn　they　decide　to　build　themselves　a　world…that　world；〃　Louie　said；　gesturing　out　the　viewport；　〃to　do　the　monitoring　work　for　them。　And　they　equip　the　AI　they've　set　up　to　run　the　place　with　instructions　to　call　them　when　one　of　their　experiments　racial　transmutation　bears　fruit。〃

Cabell　saw　where　Nichols　was　headed　and　smiled　knowingly。

Louie　returned　the　grin。　〃Yeah；　you　see　it。　The　Karbarrans　aren't　cutting　it；　and　neither　are　the　Garudans　or　the　Spherisians；　but　hey；　what's　going　on　over　here　in　Optera's　corner　of　the　Fourth　Quadrant？　Why；　we　got　some　kind　of　war　going　on　here　between　the　Invid　and　the　Robotech　Masters　over　those　Flowers　Haydon　left　behind。〃

Louie　snorted　a　laugh。　〃Well；　one　thing　leads　to　another；　and　the　Invid　arrive　on　Earth；　mate　with　the　Protoculture　Zor　conjured　from　their　blessed　Flowers；　and　bing；　bang　boom！　transcendence。　They　soar　clear　off　this　mortal　coil；　and　an　alarm　clock　goes　off　on　Haydon　IV。　The　Awareness　says；　‘All　right；　all　you　slumbering　spacefarers；　it's　rise　and　shine。　A　trail's　been　blazed；　and　it's　time　to　start　settin'　out　for　the　new　frontier。'〃

Vince　and　Harry　Penn　were　hanging　on　his　every　word。　Gibley　and　the　rest　of　Louie's　teammates　had　gone　back　to　playing　video　games。　Louie　glanced　at　them　and　aimed　a　laugh　at　the　ceiling。　〃So；　I　forget；　where　was　I　headed？〃

〃Ships；〃　Penn　reminded　him　breathlessly。

〃Oh；　right；　ships。　Well；　that's　the　obvious　part；　isn't　it？　The　Protoculture　sure　isn't　going　to　get　Haydon　into　the　other　domain。　Besides；　there's　none　of　the　pure　stuff　left。　So　what　they　need　now　is　ships。〃

Cabell's　forehead　and　bald　pate　wrinkled。　〃But　if　what　you're　saying　is　correct…if　Haydon　actually　plans　to　follow　in　ships…the　Invid's　departure　would