[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
sensed too that the others in the team felt the same way.
Though none of them had mentioned it directly because there was no need to,
they all sensed it. Whatever it was that had brought such an odd assortment of
individuals together had responded as a common chord in all of them.
"All I can say for now is to tell them to have faith and believe in us,"
Zambendorf said. "The time is not ripe yet for us to do anything." Exactly
what he could do, he had no idea; for once in his life he was at a loss to
come up with anything more constructive.
Fellburg talked to the terminal and juggled with the screen for a while.
"Galileo thinks you sound too much like a priest," Abaquaan told
Zambendorf.
file:///F|/rah/James%20P.%20Hogan/Hogan,%20...s%20P%20-%20Code%20Of%20The%20Li
Page 122
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
femaker.txt (130 of 222) [1/19/03 5:15:03 PM]
file:///F|/rah/James%20P.%20Hogan/Hogan,%20James%20P%20-%20Code%20Of%20The%20L
ifemaker.txt
Zambendorf smiled faintly. If the Taloids could crack jokes, they'd be okay.
"Tell them they are not second-class citizens, Joe," he said. "They should be
proud of what they are, believe in themselves, and trade with
Terrans only as equal partners."
"Galileo's asking who's kidding who," Fellburg said, looking at the screen.
"They want to know how they're supposed to come across as the equals of guys
who can work miracles."
"We are not gods. They must have confidence that they can learn,"
Zambendorf told him.
"We can teach them to work miracles too?" Fellburg interpreted as the screen
delivered the reply.
"There isn't any such thing as a miracle," Zambendorf said. "When you know how
to work a miracle, it ceases to be one. Miracles exist only in the minds of
those who believe in them."
"Galileo wants to know how the hell you know."
"Oh," Zambendorf said. "You can assure him that I'm an expert on miracles."
24
THE POLICY DIRECTIVE FROM EARTH STATED IN EFFECT THAT the Genoese were asking
for a welfare aid program to be initiated and sustained from a distance of
nearly a billion miles away, which would bankrupt the Western world even if it
were acceptable on principle. The suggestion was completely impractical as
well as being unthinkable ideologically. Giraud and Lang returned to their
negotiations and spent several more long, arduous sessions explaining to
Arthur and his colleagues that the Taloids would have to start thinking from
the outset in terms of paying their way and earning the benefits they hoped to
get.
Kleippur's understanding was that if the robeings cooperated, followed
Lumian orders, and worked hard at taming the forests to produce the kinds of
things that were evidently valued highly on Lumia, eventually they would
acquire understanding. But, naturally, the benefits to the robeings could not
be expected to materialize instantly the Lumians had taken a long time to
reach their current state of knowledge from a level comparable to
Robia's. To Kleippur, the promise of salvation in the hereafter in return for
patience, obedience, diligence, and sacrifice in the herenow sounded
suspiciously familiar. Little further progress was made, and Kleippur began to
feel that the Lumians were growing impatient.
Then Lyokanor, the chief of Carthogian intelligence, reported that
Skerilliane the Kroaxian spy, had reentered Carthogia in the company of a
one-armed robeing tentatively identified as Horazzorgio, previously presumed
killed in the Meracasine. Curious as to Kroaxian intentions, Kleippur ordered
the pair to be watched but left unmolested. Unfortunately, the small group of
soldiers shadowing them from the border lost contact when it was attacked by
Waskorians. Later, Skerilliane was seen in the outskirts of Menassim not far
from the Lumian dragon-camp, and again a short while afterward with a party of
Lumians out in the forest. Before the
Carthogians could do anything to prevent it, the two Kroaxians were seen being
brought back to the camp by Lumian vehicles and admitted inside. The breakdown
in surveillance over the spies at such a critical moment was galling, but
nothing could be done about it. In an effort to keep himself aware as much as
possible of what was taking place, Kleippur informed the
Wearer of what had happened, at the same time describing the differences
file:///F|/rah/James%20P.%20Hogan/Hogan,%20...s%20P%20-%20Code%20Of%20The%20Li
femaker.txt (131 of 222) [1/19/03 5:15:03 PM]
Page 123
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
file:///F|/rah/James%20P.%20Hogan/Hogan,%20James%20P%20-%20Code%20Of%20The%20L
ifemaker.txt between Kroaxia and Carthogia, and explaining the recent history
of the two states.
Zambendorf wondered why nothing was being said officially about the contact
that had been made with the two Taloids dubbed James Bond and Lord Nelson by
the Terrans, the team discovered who had appeared from Genoa's enemy state,
Padua. Then Joe Fellburg learned from Dave Crookes that their aid was being
enlisted at Genoa Base to program the transmogrifier to respond to the Paduan
version of Taloid speech as well as Genoese. A junior clerk on Giraud's staff
confided to Abaquaan that plans were being made to suspend the discussions in
Genoa, and that the political deputation was to descend to another part of the
surface. The clerk didn't know the exact location of the proposed landing
site, but Thelma found out from her dashing NASO captain that Bond and Nelson
were to be flown secretly to somewhere near another Taloid city just under
three hundred miles across the desert from Genoa, and sent to alert their
rulers to the Terran presence. Arthur and Leonardo, who seemed to be the
Genoese mapmaking and geographic expert, confirmed via Zambendorf's private
line to Camelot that the city was Padua. Presumably, therefore, whatever had
transpired between
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]