uplift4.brightnessreef-第79部分

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usly　for　over　three　centuries；　so　we　can　tentatively　localize　his　cultural　origins。。。。〃
　　〃How　nice。　Then　you're　finished？〃　Sara　demanded；　caustically。
　　〃Hm？　Oh；　yes；　I　suppose　so。　For　now。　Get　him　settled　down　will　you；　pet？　Then　bring　him　along。　I'll　be　waiting　in　the　main　Listening　Parlor。〃　With　that；　Ariana　nodded　briskly　to　the　chim　assigned　to　push　her　chair；　leaving　Sara　behind　to　deal　with　the　upset　Stranger。
　　He　was　muttering　to　himself；　as　he　did　from　time　to　time；　repeating　the　same　short　phrase；　over　and　over。　Something　that　wormed　its　way　out；　despite　the　damage　to　his　brain。　In　this　case；　it　was　clearly　nonsense；　sparked　by　intense　emotion。
　　〃。。。　a　wocket　in　my　pocket。。。〃　he　said　again　and　again；　chortling　poignantly；　〃。。。　a　wocket　in　my　pocket。。。〃
　　Gently；　firmly；　Sara　managed　to　pry　the　ancient　tome　out　of　his　trembling　hands；　returning　the　treasure　to　the　disapproving　librarians。　With　patience　she　encouraged　the　wounded　man　to　stand；　though　his　dark　eyes　were　fogged　with　a　kind　of　misery　Sara　found　she　could　fathom。　She；　too；　had　lost　someone　precious　to　her。
　　Only　the　one　he　was　mourning　was　himself。
　　Two　g'Kek　savants　met　them　by　the　entrance　to　the　Listening　Parlor；　physician　researchers　who　had　examined　the　Stranger　soon　after　he　arrived　in　Biblos。　One　now　took　him　by　the　hand。
　　〃Sage　Foo　wishes　you　to　attend　her　in　the　observing　room；　next　door；〃　the　other　one　said。　One　eyestalk　gestured　toward　an　opening　farther　down　the　hall。　When　the　Stranger　looked　at　Sara　questioningly；　she　gave　him　an　encouraging　nod。　His　trusting　smile　only　made　her　feel　worse。
　　The　observing　room　was　dimly　illuminated　by　light　streaming　in　through　two　circular　windows…exquisite　slabs　of　spun　glass；　flawless　except　for　the　characteristic　central　stem…which　looked　into　another　chamber　where　the　two　g'Kek　doctors　could　be　seen　seating　the　Stranger　before　a　large　box　with　a　crank　on　one　side　and　a　trumpetlike　horn　rising　from　the　other。
　　〃e　in；　pet。　And　please　close　the　door。〃
　　It　took　several　duras　for　Sara's　eyes　to　adapt　and　see　who　sat　with　Ariana。　By　then　it　was　too　late　to　flee。
　　The　whole　party　from　Tarek　Town　was　present；　along　with　two　humans　dressed　in　scholars'　robes。　Ulgor　and　Blade　had　reason　to　be　here；　of　course。　Blade　had　helped　rescue　the　Stranger　from　the　swamp；　and　Ulgor　was　an　honorary　delegate　from　Dolo　Village。　Even　Jop　had　an　official　interest。　But　why　were　Jomah　and　Kurt　the　Exploser　in　the　room？　Whatever　cryptic　guild　business　brought　them　from　Tarek；　the　old　man　and　boy　now　watched　the　proceedings　with　the　silent　intensity　that　was　a　trademark　of　their　family　and　craft。
　　The　human　scholars　turned　toward　her。
　　Banner　and　Taine…the　very　persons　she　had　hoped　to　avoid　during　this　visit。
　　Both　men　rose　to　their　feet。
　　Sara　hesitated；　then　bowed　at　the　waist。　〃Masters。〃
　　〃Dear　Sara。〃　Bonner　sighed；　leaning　on　his　cane　more　than　she　recalled　when　she　had　last　seen　the　balding　topologist。　〃How　we've　missed　you　in　these　dusty　halls。〃
　　〃As　I've　missed　you；　master；〃　she　replied；　surprised　how　true　it　was。　Perhaps　in　the　numbness　after　Joshu's　passing；　she　had　closed　off　too　many　good　memories　as　well　as　bad。　The　warmth　of　the　old　savant's　hand　on　her　arm　recalled　their　many　walks；　discussing　the　arcane；　endlessly　fascinating　habits　of　shapes；　the　sort　that　could　be　described　with　symbols　but　never　seen　by　human　eyes。
　　〃Please　don't　call　me　master　anymore；〃　he　asked。　〃You　are　an　adept　now；　or　should　be　soon　enough。　e；　have　a　seat　between　us；　like　old　times。〃
　　A　bit　too　much　like　old　times；　Sara　realized；　meeting　the　eyes　of　the　other　mathematician…sage。　The　tall；　silver…haired　algebraist　seemed　unchanged；　still　distant；　enigmatic。　Taine　nodded　and　spoke　her　name；　then　sat　again　facing　the　windows。　Typically；　he　had　chosen　the　position　farthest　from　the　nonhumans　in　the　room。
　　Sage　Taine's　disfort　around　the　other　septs　was　not　rare。　A　minority　felt　that　way　in　every　race；　a　reaction　deep…rooted　in　ancient　drives。　What　mattered　was　how　you　dealt　with　it；　and　Taine　was　unfailingly　polite　to　the　urs　or　g'Kek　teachers　who　came　to　consult　him　about　the　binomial　theorem。　Given　the　handicap；　it　was　just　as　well　the　tall　savant　could　live　a　scholar's　cloistered　life。。。　like　the　one　Sara　herself　had　expected…
　　…until　a　visiting　bookbinder　became　an　unlikely　suitor；　filling　Sara's　heart　with　unexpected　possibilities。
　　…until　she　boldly　announced　to　her　confused　colleagues　a　new　focus　for　her　studies；　language；　of　all　things。
　　…until　Joshu　sickened　when　pepper　pox　swept　through　the　Valley　of　the　Bibur；　a　plague　that　took　its　victims　with　agonizing　suddenness；　and　she　had　to　watch　another　woman　perform　the　rites　of　mourning；　knowing　that　everyone　was　watching；　to　see　how　she'd　react。
　　…until；　after　the　funeral；　Sage　Taine　approached　her　with　stiff　formality　and　renewed　his　earlier　proposal　of　marriage。
　　…until；　in　a　rush；　she　fled　this　place　of　dust　and　memories；　running　home　to　her　treehouse　overlooking　the　great　dam　where　she　was　born。
　　Now　it　all　circled　around　again。　Taine　had　seemed　so　austerely　beautiful　when　she　first　came　to　Biblos　in　her　teens；　a　towering　figure；　impressive　beyond　pare。　But　things　had　changed　inside　her　since。　Everything　had　changed。
　　Abruptly；　Taine's　aristocratic　bearing　broke　as　he　cursed　and　slapped　his　neck；　then　peered　at　his　hand；　frowning　in　disappointment。　Sara　glanced　at　Bonner；　who　whispered；　〃Parrot　ticks。　Such　annoyances。　If　one　gets　in　your　ear；　Ifni　help　you。　I　heard　everything　double　for　a　week；　till　Vorjin　fished　the　damn　thing　out。〃
　　Ariana　Foo　made　an　emphatic　throat…clearing　sound；　drawing　their　attention　forward。　〃I've　already　explained　to　the　others；　Sara；　my　belief　that　your　Stranger　is　a　man　from　the　stars。　Further　research　illuminates　the　nature　of　his　injuries。〃
　　Her　chimp　assistant　passed　out　sheets　of　paper；　streaked　from　hasty；　hand…cranked　photocopying；　showing　the　stylized　profile　of　a　man's　head；　with　arrows　and　captions　pointing　to　parts。　Most　of　the　words　were　gibberish　to　Sara；　though　Lark　might　have　found　them　familiar。
　　〃I　recalled　reading　about　this　once　and　was　lucky　enough　to　find　the　reference　quickly。　It　seems　that　when　our　ancestors　departed　Earth；　experiments　had　been　taking　place　with　the　objective　of　creating　direct　connections　between　puters　and　living　human　brains。〃
　　Sara　heard　an　awed　hiss　from　somewhere　in　back。　To　many　of　the　Six；　the　word　puter　carried　superstitious　power。　The　crews　of　every　sneakship　to　reach　Jijo　had　melted　all　their　digital　calculating　engines；　down　to　the　very　smallest；　before　sinking　their　star…cruisers　in　the　depths　of　the　Midden。　No　other　possession　had　such　potential　for　betraying　illegal　sapience　on　a　forbidden　world。
　　Sara　had　read　a　few　gaudy　stories　from　Earth　days；　in　which　the　author　used　mind…to…puter　links　in　the　narrative。　She　had　always　dismissed　them　as　a　metaphor；　like　legends　of　humans　flying　with　feathers　glued　to　their　arms。　But　Ariana　said　the　notion　was　once　taken　seriously。
　　〃This　illustration　shows　some　of　the　brain　areas　being　proposed　for　neural…electronic　junctions　at　the　time　our　ancestors　departed；〃　Ariana　continued。　〃Research　surely　proceeded　during　the　three　hundred　years　since。　In　fact；　it's　my　belief　that　our　Stranger　possessed　the　product…an　aperture　which　let　him　mune　with　puters　and　other　devices；　inset　just　above　the　left　ear。〃
　　Now　it　was　Sara's　turn　to　gasp。　〃Then　his…〃
　　Ariana　held　up　a　hand。　〃It　is　a　safe　guess　that　his　burns　and　lesser　injuries　resulted　when　his　ship　or　flying　craft　crash…landed　in　the　Eternal　Swamp；　not　far　from　where　Sara　and　her　friends　found　him。　Alas；　his　miraculous　escape　from　fiery　death　was　spoiled　by　one　bit　of　bad　luck；　when　the　artificial　connector　attached　to　his　head　was　violently　ripped　away；　taking　with　it　portions　of　his　left　temporal　lobe。
　　〃I　needn't　add；　this　is　the　portion　of　the　human　brain　most　closely　identified　with　speech。〃
　　Sara　could　only　blink。　Through　the　glass；　she　saw　the　man　Ariana　referred　to；　eyes　bright　and　interested；　watching　the　g'Kek　doctors　prepare　their　apparatus。
　　〃I'd　have　thought　such　damag