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Dr。　Penn　cleared　his　throat。　〃The　truth　is；　son；　we're　not　sure　we　can　return。　We　are；　however；　planning　to　execute　a　trial　jump　to　lay　all　doubts　to　rest。〃

Scott　nodded　in　prehension。　〃The　Protoculture。　The　one　thing　that's　plaguing　most　of　the　mecha　downside。　The　reason　I　had　to　ride　a　damn　chemical　shuttle　up　here。　Nothing's　working；　is　that　it？〃

〃Yes　and　no；〃　Penn　said　quickly。　〃Some　of　the　Veritechs　are　functional　and　fully　capable　of　mechamorphosis。　Others　have　limited　capacity　for　flight　or　bat　maneuvering。　Now　it　this　last　is　something　I　find　disturbing。〃

Scott　glanced　at　Vince　before　responding；　if　the　general　was　willing　to　let　Penn's　ment　slide；　so　would　he。　〃I　heard　some　talk：　there's　something　different　about　the　Flowers　you　harvested　from　Optera…〃

〃New　Praxis；〃　Justine　Huxley　amended。

〃New　Praxis；　then。　But　why　would　the　older　models　suddenly　shut　down　now？〃

At　the　viewport；　Jean　folded　her　arms。　〃We　were　hoping　you　might　be　able　to　tell　us；　Scott。〃

Scott　touched　his　fingertips　to　his　chest。　〃Me？　What　could　I…〃　Then　it　occurred　to　him。　〃The　Regis；〃　he　snorted。　〃We've　read　your　debriefing　reports；　Colonel；〃　Huxley　said。　〃You　claim　you　were　inside　the　central　hive　just　before　the　end；　that　you　actually　spoke　with　the　Regis。〃

Scott　swallowed　and　found　his　voice。　〃Yeah；　it's　true；　but　e　on；　it's　not　like　she　explained　herself　to　me。〃

〃Then　what　did　she　say？〃　Jean　asked。

Scott　smoothed　back　an　undisciplined　ma　of　hair。　〃What　did　she　say？〃　He　laughed　nervously。　〃I'm　still　not　sure　what　I　heard　and　what　I　imagined。　But　I　think　we　were；　well；　arguing。〃

〃Arguing？〃　Huxley　said　dubiously。

〃Yeah。　About　。。。　ethics。　About　whether　the　Invid　had　a　right　to　Earth　after　what　the　Masters　had　done　to　Optera。〃　Scott　searched　the　faces　appraising　him。　〃It　sounds　crazy；　I　know；　but　she　was　just　raving　about　what　warlike　beings　we　are；　about　how　the　universe　would　be　better　off　without　us。〃　No　one　said　anything　for　a　moment。

〃Anyway；　I　still　don't　see　what　all　this　has　to　do　with　the　SDF…3。　The　Invid　are　history；　aren't　they？〃

Jean　turned　to　the　viewport　and　thought　of　the　phoenix　once　more；　the　transubstantiation　of　an　entire　race。　〃Maybe　the　ship　went　where　she　went；〃　she　suggested　softly。　Vince　sent　her　a　questioning　look　as　she　swung　around。　〃The　Regis；　I　mean。〃

Penn　made　a　knowing　sound。　〃It's　a　pity　there　are　no　Invid　left　to　quiz　as　to　just　where　she　might　have　gone。〃

Scott　put　a　hand　over　his　mouth　as　though　to　bite　back　his　words。　Somewhere　below；　in　one　of　the　burgeoning　cities　of　the　Southlands　or　wandering　the　waste　of　the　Northlands；　were　two　of　the　three　children　the　Regis　had　conjugated　in　human　form。　Sera　and　Marlene…clone…close　in　appearance　to　the　Marlene　lost　to　him　over　a　year　ago。　

Could　he　face　them　again？　he　asked　himself。　Could　he　enlist　the　enemy's　help　in　finding　his　friends？

〃What　is　it；　Scott？〃　Jean　said；　watching　him。

Scott　clamped　his　jaws　shut；　then　relented。　〃Not　all　the　Invid　have　left；〃　he　told　them　at　last。


Above　them　rose　crystal　palaces　and　translucent　spires；　mansions　of　white…frost　gingerbread　and　platforms　of　smoky　blue　glass；　elfin　halls　and　minarets；　stately　columns；　onion　domes；　and　ethereal　towers。

Above　them　were　alloy　plains　three　hundred　miles　wide　and　burnished　smooth　as　a　looking　glass；　idyllic　landscapes　dotted　with　sea…green　lakes；　and　skies　of　gold　filled　with　conediers；　hovercraft；　and　outsize　magical　carpets。　A　dreamy　world　of　perfect　days　and　tranquil　nights；　of　exotic　biota　and　Eliding　beings　in　high…collared　robes　whose　silent　speech　was　a　gentle　thought　carried　on　the　wind。

And　below　them　。　。_　。　below　them　was　that　which　had　given　shape　to　the　illusion　above：　the　ultratech　plexities　of　a　planet…sized　artifact；　birthed　in　the　mind　of　an　alien　genius　who　had　left　his　mark　on　half　the　far…flung　worlds　of　the　Fourth　Quadrant。　A　genius　met　in　lore　and　legend　or　encountered　in　towering　shrines　that　masked　the　being　himself。

He　had　perhaps　imparted　his　name　to　the　artifact　or　left　that　for　others　to　do；　but　that　his　very　essence　was　there　erected…in　those　spires　and　domes　and　artificial　lakes…was　not　to　be　denied。

And　suspended　between…in　the　boundless　chamber　that　confined　them…was　this　place　of　instrumentality　nodes　and　info…networks；　the　material　interface　with　the　Awareness…Haydon　had　set　in　place　to　mind　his　clever　works。　So　this　place　was　neither　one　nor　the　other　but　a　middle　ground　from　which　to　know　creator　and　created；　sacrosanct；　then；　truly　suspended。　For　from；　where　else　could　one　take　the　proper　measure　of　things？

Exedore　ceased　his　mystical　musings　even　before　he　sensed　the　soft　intrusion　of　Veidt's　sendings。　This　was　what　mingling　with　humans　and　Garudans　had　wrought；　he　told　himself；　a　penchant　for　the　metaphysical。　Questions　mencing　with　why。

How　far　he　had　e　from　the　directed；　purposeful　nature　of　the　Imperative！　he　would　catch　himself　thinking。　Feeling　as　remote　from　that　now　as　his　recontoured　physical　self　was　from　the　genetic　vats　that　had　conceived　him。　Normalized　in　both　size　and　aspect　and　drained　of　the　conquering　urge；　the　pulsion　to　obey　without　question。　Given　to　metaphysical　ponderings。　How　un…Zentraedi；　indeed！　And　how　Great　Breetai　would　have　mocked　him！

〃A　moment　more　and　the　requested　correlations　will　be　available；〃　Veidt　sent　from　the　data　column。

Exedore　swiveled　in　his　chair　to　regard　the　limbless　Haydonite…his　partner　these　past　years。　A　response　formed　on　the　tip　of　his　tongue；　though　there　was　little　need　of　it。　An　old　habit；　difficult　to　break。　〃I；　um　。　。　。〃

Veidt　hovered　through　a　quarter　turn　to　face　him　with　what　nearly　approximated　a　smile。

〃I　am　well　aware　that　my　workings　please　you；　Lord　Exedore。　Your　words　are　an　echo；　you　understand…an　unnecessary　redundancy。〃

Exedore　favored　him　with　a　genuine　grin；　as　difficult　to　suppress　as　the　habit　itself。　This　was　as　close　as　they　came　to　jesting　or　arguing；　he　still　was　not　sure　which。　Veidt's　face　had　already　resumed　its　normal　configuration；　which　was　to　say；　blank。　As　featureless　as　an　unfinished　mannequin's；　a　tech　aboard　the　SDF…3　had　once　mented　in　Exedore's　presence。

〃Featureless；　yes；〃　Veidt　sent；　〃but　hardly　unfinished；　Exedore：〃

Early　on　Exedore　had　found　it　somewhat　unnerving　to　have　his　thoughts　scanned　on　a　moment…to…moment　basis；　but　he　was　long　past　concern　or　misgiving。　It　was　logical；　in　fact；　that　he　open　his　mind　to　Veidt；　if　only　to　expedite　the　unraveling　of　the　cosmic　puzzles　someone　had　seen　fit　to　send　their　way。

And　〃baffling〃　only　began　to　describe　them。

The　SDF…3　was　missing；　not　merely　disappeared　into　hyperspace　but　vanished　from　the　Quadrant。　The　ship　had　not　emerged　from　fold　anywhere　in　known　space；　nor　was　it　trapped　in　the　netherscape　of　the　hyperdomain。　Haydon　IV's　Awareness　had　told　them　that　much　already。　But　what　the　artificial　sentience　could　not　tell　them　was　where　the　ship　was　or　whether　it　existed　at　all。　The　SDF…3　had　simply　ceased　to　be；　and　yet　there　were　no　indications　that　it　had　met　with　any　of　the　thousand　ills　matter　was　heir　to。

That　the　dematerialization　had　coincided　with　a　reawakening　of　a　myriad　slumbering　puter　ponents；　Exedore　initially　read　as　a　sign　that　the　artifact　planet　had　been　in　some　sense；　responsible　for　the　event。　Subsequent　investigation；　however；　had　led　him　to　the　conclusion　that　the　Awareness　had　not　been　responding　to　the　SDF…3's　plight；　after　all；　but　to　a　concurrent　phenomenon　that　had　taken　place　clear　across　the　Quadrant：

Along　a　spacetime　curve　that　led　to　Earth。

Something　originating　there　had　sent　an　energy　pulse　through　the　fabric　of　the　continuum；　whose　destination　seemed　to　be　the　distant　collapsed　giant　the　Tiresians　knew　as　Ranaath's　Star。

Haydon…he　has　returned　to　our　world！　Veidt　had　sent　at　the　time；　and…novice　astrophysicist　that　he　was…Exedore　had　taken　him　literally。　But　literalness　was　not　something　the　Haydonites　practiced　with　regularity；　and　the　expression…for　that　was　what　it　was…was　best　translated　by　the　Terran　self　condemning　phrase　Well；　I'll　be　damned！

The　very　one　Exedore　had　used　sometime　later　when　he　bad　learned　of　the　Invid's　departure…months　ago；　Earthrelative；　after　a　serie