Neutronium Alchemist - Consolidation nd-3

by Peter F. Hamilton

  Dr Giddings gave her a careful glance, using his fingers to comb back some of his floppy ginger hair. “Oh, yes, they’re adapting all right. But then children are always easy to bribe. Food, toys, clothes, trips into the parkland, every kind of outdoor game they can play. Never fails. This is Heaven’s holiday camp as far as they’re concerned.”

  “Aren’t they homesick?”

  “Not really. I’d describe them as parent-sick more than anything. Separation causes some psychological problems, naturally.” He gestured around. “But as you can see, we’re doing our best to keep them busy, that way they don’t have time to think about Lalonde. It’s easier with the younger ones. Some of the older ones are proving recalcitrant; they can be prone to moodiness. But again, I don’t think it’s anything serious. Not in the short term.”

  “And in the long term?”

  “Long term, the only real cure is to get them back to Lalonde and their parents.”

  “That’s going to have to wait, I’m afraid. But you’ve certainly done a wonderful job with them.”

  “Thank you,” Dr Giddings murmured.

  “Is there anything else you need?” Ione asked.

  Dr Giddings pulled a face. “Well, medically they’re all fine now apart from Freya and Shona; and the nanonic packages are taking good care of those two. They should be healed within a week. So, as I said, what the rest could really do with right now is a strong, supportive family environment. If you were to appeal for foster families, I’m sure we’d have enough volunteers.”

  “I’ll have Tranquillity put out an announcement, and make sure the news studios mention it.”

  Dr Giddings grinned in relief. “That’s very kind, thank you. We were worried people might not come forwards, but I’m sure that if you back the appeal personally . . .”

  “Do my best,” she said lightly. “Do you mind if I wander around?”

  “Please.” He half bowed, half stumbled.

  Ione walked on down the aisle, stepping around a thrilled three-year-old girl who was dancing with, and cuddling, a fat animatic frog in a bright yellow waistcoat.

  The twin rows of beds had channelled an avalanche of toys along the main aisle. Holomorph stickers were colonizing the walls and even some of the furniture, their cartoon images swelling up from the surface to run through their cycle, making it appear as if the polyp were flexing with rainbow diffraction patterns. A blue-skinned imp appeared to be the favourite; picking its nose, then flicking disgusting tacky yellow bogies at anyone passing by. No medical equipment was actually visible, it was all built unobtrusively into the walls and bedside cabinets.

  The far end opened up into a lounge section, with a big table where they all sat around for meals. Its curving wall had two large oval windows which provided a panoramic view out past the curving habitat shell. Right now Tranquillity was above Mirchusko’s nightside, but the rings glinted as if they were arches of frosted glass, and the smooth beryl orb of Falsia shone with a steady aquamarine hue. The stars continued their eternal orbit around the habitat.

  A girl had made a broad nest of cushions in front of a window, snuggling down in them to watch the astronomical marvels roll past her. According to the neural strata’s local memory, she’d been there for a couple of hours—a ritual practised every day since Lady Mac had arrived.

  Ione hunched down beside her. She looked about twelve, with short-cropped hair so blond it was almost silver.

  What’s her name?ione asked.

  Jay Hilton. She’s the oldest of the group, and their leader. She is one of the moody ones Dr Giddings mentioned.

  “Hello, Jay.”

  “I know you.” Jay managed an aslant frown. “You’re the Lord of Ruin.”

  “Oh, dear, you’ve found me out.”

  “Thought so. Everyone said my hair is the same as yours.”

  “Hum, they’re almost right; I’m growing mine a bit longer these days.”

  “Father Horst cut mine.”

  “He did a good job.”

  “Of course he did.”

  “Cutting hair isn’t the only thing he did right by all accounts.”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re not joining in with the games much, are you?”

  Jay wrinkled her nose up contemptuously. “They’re just kids’ games.”

  “Ah. You prefer the view then?”

  “Sort of. I’ve never seen space before. Not real space, like this. I thought it was just empty, but this is always different. It’s so pretty with the rings and everything. So’s the parkland, too. Tranquillity’s nice all over.”

  “Thank you. But wouldn’t you be better off in the parkland? It’s healthier than sitting here all day long.”

  “Suppose so.”

  “Did I say something wrong?”

  “No. It’s just . . . I think it’s safer here, that’s all.”

  “Safer?”

  “Yes. I talked to Kelly on the flight here, we were in the spaceplane together. She showed me all the recordings she’d made. Did you know the possessed were frightened of space? That’s why they make the red cloud cover the sky, so they don’t have to see it.”

  “I remember that part, yes.”

  “It’s sort of funny if you think about it, the dead scared of the dark.”

  “Thank heavens they’re scared of something, I say. Is that why you like sitting here?”

  “Yes. This is like the night; so I’ll be safe from them here.”

  “Jay, there are no possessed in Tranquillity, I promise.”

  “You can’t promise that. Nobody can.”

  “Okay. Ninety-nine per cent, then. How’s that sound?”

  “I believe that.” Jay smiled sheepishly.

  “Good. You must be missing your family?”

  “I miss Mummy. We went to Lalonde so we could get away from the rest of our family.”

  “Oh.”

  “I miss Drusilla, too. She’s my rabbit. And Sango; he was Mr Manani’s horse. But he’s dead anyway. Quinn Dexter shot him.” The tenuous smile faded, and she glanced back at the stars in a hunt for reassurance.

  Ione studied the young girl for a moment. She didn’t think a foster family would be much use in this case, Jay was too clued up to accept a substitute for anything. However, Dr Giddings had mentioned bribes . . . “There’s someone I’d like you to meet, I think you’ll get on very well with her.”

  “Who?” Jay asked.

  “She’s a friend of mine, a very special friend. But she doesn’t come down into the starscrapers; it’s tricky for her. You’ll have to come up and visit her in the park.”

  “I ought to wait for Father Horst. We normally have lunch together.”

  “I’m sure he won’t mind just this once. We can leave a message.”

  Jay was obviously torn. “I suppose so. I don’t know where he’s gone.”

  To see Tranquillity’s bishop, but Ione didn’t say it.

  • • •

  “I wonder why you saw the demon as red?” the bishop was asking as the two of them walked the old-fashioned grounds of the cathedral with its century-old yew hedges, rose beds, and stone-lined ponds. “It does seem somewhat classical. One can hardly credit that Dante did actually get shown around Hell.”

  “I think demon might be a simplistic term in this instance,” Horst replied. “I’ve no doubt that it was some kind of spiritual entity; but given the clarity of hindsight, it seemed to be more curious than malevolent.”

  “Remarkable. To come face-to-face with a creature not of this realm. And you say it first appeared before the Ivets performed their dark mass?”

  “Yes. Hours before. Though it was definitely present at the mass; right there when possession started.”

  “It was the instigator, then?”

  “I don’t know. But I hardly think its presence can be a coincidence. It was certainly involved.”

  “How strange.”

  Horst was disturbed by how melancholic the old man sounded. Joseph S
aro was far removed from the tough realist of a bishop Horst had served with back at the arcology; this was a genteel jolly man, whose subtlety was perfectly suited to an undemanding diocese like Tranquillity. With his almost-white beard and crinkled ebony skin, he had evolved a cosy dignity. More of a social figure than religious leader.

  “Your grace?” Horst prompted.

  “Strange to think that it is two thousand six hundred years since Our Lord walked the earth, the last time of miracles. We are, as you said earlier, so used to dealing in the concept of faith rather than fact. And now here we are again, surrounded by miracles, although of a singularly dark countenance. The Church no longer has to teach people and then pray that they come to believe in their own way; all we have to do today is point. Who can refute what the eye beholds, even though it doth offend.” He finished with a lame smile.

  “Our teachings still have purpose,” Horst said. “More so than ever now. Believe me, your grace, the Church has endured for millennia so that people alive today can know Christ’s message. That is a tremendous achievement, one we can all draw comfort from. So much has been endured, schism from within, conflict and assaults from outside. All so His word can be heard in the darkest hour.”

  “Which word?” Joseph Saro asked quietly. “We have so many true histories now; old orthodoxies, revelationist scrolls, revisionist teachings; Christ the pacifist, Christ the warrior. Who knows what was really said, what was altered to appease Rome? It was so long ago.”

  “You’re wrong, your grace. I’m sorry, but the details of that time are irrelevant. That He existed is all we need to know. We carried the essence of Our Lord across the centuries, it is that which we’ve kept alive for so long, ready for this day. Christ showed us the human heart has dignity, that everyone can be redeemed. If we have faith in ourselves, we cannot fail. And that is the strength we must gather if we are to confront the possessed.”

  “I’m sure you’re right; it’s just that such a message seems, well . . . ”

  “Simplistic? Fundamentals are always simple. That is why they endure for so long.”

  Joseph Saro patted Horst’s shoulder. “Ah, my boy, I envy your faith, I really do. My task would be so much easier if I believed with your fervour. That we have souls is of no doubt to me; though we can be assured our scientist brethren will seek a solid rationale among the grubby shadows of quantum cosmology. Who knows, perhaps they will even find it. Then what? If our very souls are given a scientific basis, what use will people have for the Church?”

  “I don’t believe the Church’s ethos can change simply because we have learned more of ourselves. The love of Christ will be no less valid for us now than it has been for the billions of past believers who lived in ignorance. His message uplifts the spirit, no matter what the substance of that spirit is revealed to be. If anything, the message becomes more important. We must have some hope as we face the beyond.”

  “Ah yes, the beyond. Purgatory indeed. It frightens people, Horst. It certainly frightens me.”

  “It shouldn’t, your grace. There is more than purgatory awaiting us. Much more.”

  “Goodness me, you believe that as well?”

  “Yes.” Horst half smiled, as though he had only just realized it himself. “We can’t pick and choose what parts of Christ’s teachings to believe in; those sections which are convenient, or comforting, and disregard the rest. Above everything, he gave us the hope of redemption. I believe in that. Completely.”

  “Then the heavenly city awaits?”

  “Some version of it, some sheltered haven for our souls where we can be at peace with our new existence.”

  “Did any of the lost souls you talked to happen to mention seeing such a place?”

  “No.” Horst smiled. “To demand proof is to lack faith.”

  The bishop laughed heartily. “Oh, well done, my boy. Teach the master what he once taught. Very good.” He sobered. “So how do you explain the different faiths? Their myriad versions of the afterlife, and reincarnation, and spiritual development. You are going to have to think of that now. God knows, others will. Now spirituality is real, religion—all religion—will come in for scrutiny as never before. What of the others who claim theirs is the true path to God in his Heaven? What of the Muslims, the Hindus, the Buddhists, the Sikhs, the Confucians, the Shintoists, even the Starbridge tribes, not to mention all those troublesome cultists?”

  “The origin of each is identical, that’s what’s important. The notion that we are something more than flesh and mind alone. People must have faith. If you believe in your God, you believe in yourself. There is no greater gift than that.”

  “Such murky waters we are adrift in,” Joseph Saro murmured. “And you, Horst, you have grown into a man with the clearest of visions. I’m humbled, and even a little frightened by you. I must have you deliver the sermon next Sunday; you’ll bring them flocking in. You may very well be the first of the Church’s new evangelists.”

  “I don’t think so, your grace. I’ve simply passed through the eye of the needle. The Lord has tested me, as He will test all of us in the months ahead. I regained my faith. For that I have the possessed to thank.” Unconsciously, his hand went to his throat, sensitive fingertips feeling the tiny scars left over from when invisible fingers had clawed at him.

  “I do hope Our Lord doesn’t set me too hard a test,” Joseph Saro said in a forlorn tone. “I’m far too old and comfortable in my ways to do what you did on Lalonde. That’s not to say I’m not proud of you, for I certainly am. You and I are strictly New Testament priests, yet you were set a decidedly Old Testament task. Did you really perform an exorcism, my boy?”

  Horst grinned. “Yes, I really did.”

  • • •

  Captain Gurtan Mauer was still dry retching as the lid of the zero-tau pod closed over him, blackness suspending him from time. The tortures and obscenities might have wrecked his dignity, the pitiful pleas and promises were proof of that, but he was still cold sober sane. Quinn was quite determined in that respect. Only sane, rational people were able to appreciate the nuances of their own suffering. So the pain and barbarism was always pitched a degree below the level which would tip the Tantu ’s ex-captain into the refuge of insanity. This way he could hold out for days, or even weeks. And zero-tau would hold him ready for when Quinn’s wrath rose again; for him there would be no periods of relief, just one long torment.

  Quinn smiled at the prospect. His robe and hood shrank to more manageable proportions, and he pushed off from the decking. He’d needed the interlude to regain his own equilibrium after the disaster in Earth orbit, the humiliation of retreat. Gurtan Mauer provided him with a valid focus for his anger. He could hardly use the starship’s crew; there were only fifteen of them left now, and few were inessential.

  “Where are we going, Quinn?” Lawrence asked as the two of them drifted through the companionway to the bridge.

  “I’m not sure. I’ll bet most of the Confederation knows about possession now, it’ll make life fucking difficult.” He wriggled through the hatch to the bridge, and checked around to see what was being done.

  “We’re almost finished, Quinn,” Dwyer said. “There wasn’t too much damage, and this is a warship, so most critical systems have backups. We’re flight-ready again. But people are going to know we’ve been in some sort of scrap. No way could we go outside to repair the hull. Spacesuits won’t work on us.”

  “Sure, Dwyer. You’ve done good.”

  Dwyer’s grin was avaricious.

  They were all waiting for Quinn to tell them where he wanted to go next. And the truth was, he wasn’t entirely sure he knew. Earth was his goal, but perhaps he’d been too ambitious trying for it first. It was the old problem: to charge in with an army of disciples, or to stealthily rot the structure from within. After the dreariness of Norfolk, the prospect of action had excited him. It still did, but he obviously didn’t have enough forces to break through Earth’s defences. Not even the Royal Kulu Navy could do
that.

  He needed to get there on a different ship, one which wouldn’t cause such a heated response. After he’d docked at the orbital tower station he could get down to the planet. He knew that.

  But where to get another ship from? He knew so little about the Confederation worlds. Only once during his twenty years on Earth had he met anyone from offworld.

  “Ah.” He grinned at Lawrence. “Of course, Banneth’s colleague.”

  “What?”

  “I’ve decided where we’re going.” He checked the bridge displays; their cryogenic fuel reserves could fly them another four hundred light years. More than enough. “Nyvan,” he announced. “We’re going to Nyvan. Dwyer, start working out a vector.”

  “What’s Nyvan?” Lawrence asked.

  “The second planet anyone ever found which was good enough to live on. Everyone used to flock there from the arcologies. They don’t now.”

  • • •

  Nova Kong has always boasted that it is the most beautiful city to be found within the Confederation. Wisely, few challenged the claim.

  No other Adamist society had the kind of money which had been lavished on the city ever since the day Richard Saldana first stepped down out of his spaceplane and (according to legend) said: “This footstep will not depart in the sands of time.”

  If he did say it, he was certainly right. The capital city of the Kulu Kingdom was a memorial which no one who saw it would ever be likely to forget. Right from the start, aesthetics was a paramount factor in planning, and pretty grandiose aesthetics at that. It had no streets, only flamboyant boulevards, greenway avenues, and rivers (half of them artificial); all powered ground traffic used the labyrinth of underground motorways. Commemorative monuments and statues dominated the junctions; the Kingdom’s heroic history was celebrated in hundreds of artistic styles from megalithic to contemporary.

  Although it had a population of nineteen million, the building density regulations meant it was spread out over five hundred square kilometres, with Touchdown plaza at its centre. Every conceivable architectural era was to be found among the public, private, and commercial buildings so carefully sprinkled across the ground, with the exception of prefab concrete, programmable silicon, and composite ezystak panels (anything built in Nova Kong was built to last). Seventeen cathedrals strove for attention against neo-Roman government offices. Gloss-black pyramid condominiums were as popular as Napoleonic apartment blocks with conservatory roofs arching over their central wells. Sir Christopher Wren proved a heavy influence on the long curving terraces of snow-white stone town houses, while Oriental and Eastern designs appeared to be favoured among the smaller individual residences.