18_the_end_of_the_circle-第36章

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；　and　the　third　turned　back　to　the　Elders。　SAY　ON。

Nimuul　responded：　We　know　where　there　is　Protoculture；　new　Protoculture　that　the　Regis　did　not　steal！　Enough　to　power　all　your　ships。　We　will　lead　you　to　it　gladly。

Gladly。　It　was　pivotal　that　Haydon　be　given　the　means　to　leave　spacetime。

AND　IN　RETURN？

In　return　you　will　provide　us　with　the　means　to　exert　our　will　over　the　Local　Group　star　systems　and　their　inhabitants。　You　will　grant　us　your　authority　to　rule　the　planets　you　touched　so　long　ago。

DONE！　The　Awareness　had　already　spoken　to　Haydon　of　the　ships　it　had　built　and　the　single　energy　that　must　power　them。

Agreement　came　so　readily　that　the　Elders　were　tempted　to　ask　for　more　concessions；　but　they　dared　not。　It　was　manifest　that　Haydon…or　the　Haydons…wanted　nothing　more　from　the　physical　universe　except　the　means　to　pass　beyond　it。

Haydon　raised　one　hand　in　a　divine　gesture。　There　was　a　psychic　shuddering　through　the　planet　as　the　Awareness　prepared　to　turn　itself　to　new　tasks；　the　Haydonites　on　their　carpets　came　about　in　vast　flocks　to　regroup　and　race　away　to　all　points　of　the　pass；　bent　on　missions　Haydon　had　given　them。　First　among　those　was　pletion　of　the　unfinished　sphere　ships。

Haydon　turned　back　to　the　Elders。　NAME　OUR　DESTINATION。

Treacherous　as　they　were；　the　Robotech　Elders　were　loath　to　trust　anyone。　But　before　the　might　of　Haydon　they　had　no　other　choice；　fearing　that　if　they　were　uncooperative；　he　would　snuff　out　their　lives　and　go　seeking　Protoculture　on　his　own。

The　Elders　joined　their　minds　to　speak；　practically　fondling　the　words　with　their　thoughts。　Optera　first…〃New　Praxis；〃　it　is　called　now。　Then　。。。　Tirol！

SO　BE　IT。

The　planet　shifted　under　them；　already　on　the　move。　FIRST；　WE　MUST　GATHER　UP　OUR　SPHERE　SHIPS。　THEN　IT　WILL　BE　NECESSARY　TO　DIVERT　TO　LASKAR。

The　Elders　were　puzzled　even　as　they　felt　a　certain　lassitude　stealing　over　them。　Your　planet's　primary？　Why？　FUEL　IS　NEEDED　FOR　SUCH　A　JOURNEY。

As　they　grasped　the　enormity　of　that；　they　felt　themselves　losing　consciousness。　A　trick！　Stop！　We　demand？

The　Elders'　thoughts　faded　as　the　med　machines'　sedation　took　hold。　Haydon　turned　away　from　them　disinterestedly　as　the　carpet　on　which　their　thrones　sat　whisked　them　out　of　His　presence。

Haydon　had　already　given　His　mand　to　the　Awareness。　Like　a　worshiping　slave；　it　strained　itself　to　carry　out　His　directions　to　the　fullest。

Haydon　IV　gathered　in　the　sphere　ships；　finished　and　unfinished　alike；　holding　them　in　readiness；　then　reabsorbed　what　it　could　of　the　factory　tubes。　Haydon　saw　that　His　discorporate　hibernation　had　lasted　longer　than　He　had　foreseen。　That　and　the　appearance　of　the　Sentinels；　plus　the　demands　of　producing　the　sphere　ship　fleet；　had　nearly　exhausted　the　power　reserves　of　the　artificial　planet。

Eventually；　of　course；　power　could　be　brought　back　to　full　by　other　means；　but　there　was　not　time　for　that。　While　the　Haydonites　raced　to　carry　out　the　labors　He　had　assigned　them；　the　planet　left　orbit　and　began　its　descent　toward　Laskar；　dying　lesser　sun　of　the　Ranaath　system。

The　star's　place　in　the　arc　of　the　sky　grew　and　grew　as　Haydon　IV　rushed　toward　it。　The　artifact　world　hurtled　past　the　orbit　of　the　system's　innermost　planet。　At　the　same　time　a　strange　energy　field　polarized　into　existence；　surrounding　Haydon's　handiwork　to　protect　it　and　more。

It　was　well　within　the　reach　of　stellar　prominences　before　it　stopped。　A　preliminary　beam　licked　out　from　Haydon　IV；　probing　into　the　monstrous　furnace　of　the　star　itself。　Back　poured　a　mammoth　gush　of　naked　power。

For　several　long　minutes　Haydon　IV　hung　there；　tethered　to　its　star；　drawing　in　energy　as　it　had　drawn　in　raw　materials　from　the　asteroid。　Within；　its　reserves　were　restored；　then　rilled　to　repletion；　with　all　the　power　the　planet　would　need。

The　fiery　stream　of　starfire　stopped；　dissipating；　as　Haydon　IV　moved　away　from　Laskar　again。　As　it　went；　Haydon　had　word　from　the　Awareness　of　troubling　findings。

At　the　edge　of　perceptible　space　there　were　aberrations　and　anomalies。　The　fabric　of　the　continuum　was　losing　integrity；　and　whole　regions　seemed　to　be　disappearing。

Time　was　growing　short；　very　short。　Haydon　IV's　drive　activated；　its　course　charted　for　Optera。　It　went　superluminal　and　vanished。


Still　Rem　drifted；　still　the　nucleic　dreams　showed　him　the　past。

Not　even　Haydon　could　predict　how　things　would　develop；　while　he　slept；　on　the　worlds　he　had　touched　personally。

Therefore；　he　left　instructions　with　the　Awareness　that　if　any　arrived　with　enlightenment；　or　even　some　portion　of　it；　the　Awareness　would　recognize　that　by　certain　signs。

And　Zor　had　manifested　such　a　sign；　much　（though　not　all）　of　the　Awareness's　data　revealed　itself。　Zor　mentioned　the　Texts　of　Haydon；　of　which　he　had　learned；　and　they　were　opened　to　him。　But　not　translated　for　him。　He　had　to　demonstrate　certain　aptitudes　or　begone。

The　Texts　of　Haydon　resembled　no　book　or　archive　before　them。　They　were　a　cyclorama　of　thought　images　and　psimemes。　But　Zor；　with　his　Flower…altered　mind；　found　them　intelligible…barely。　Had　he　not；　the　Awareness　would　have　known　and　slain　him　on　the　spot。

He　forgot　about　food　and　sleep；　laboring　to　receive　the　disembodied　knowledge　until　it　seemed　his　brain　would　burst　like　a　lightning…struck　tree。　But　stopping　was　unthinkable；　and　he　persisted；　pausing　only　to　ingest　another　petal　or　two　of　his　shrinking　Flower　supply　or；　when　he　remembered　to；　drinking　water　from　a　font　the　Awareness　had　set　by　him。

In　that　manner　Zor　came　to　know　the　story　of　Haydon；　first　and　greatest　of　the　intellects　spawned　by　the　galaxy　（the　Texts　had　a　bewildering　way　of　referring　to　Haydon　in　the　plural　one　minute　and　in　the　singular　the　next）。　In　exploring　and　mastering　the　universe　around　Him；　Haydon　had　gained　immortality　and　probed　the　essential　secrets　of　Creation。

But　when　His　exploration　of　the　universe　seemed　to　hold　no　further　mysteries；　no　further　challenges；　Haydon　still　had　not　found　the　answers　that　He　longed　for；　the　destiny　for　which；　He　was　sure；　He　had　been　called　into　being。

Some　of　His　investigations　indicated　to　Him　the　existence　of　a　level　of　being　beyond　those　that　could　be　seen　or　touched。　Of　a　place　outside　His　continuum　where　Haydon　could　at　last　find　fulfillment；　achieve　a　level　of　being　that　had　bee　an　undeniable　need。

And　Haydon　found　that　He　could　not　reach　that　other　side。　Every　approach　failed；　every　assay　fell　short；　until　at　last　Haydon　faced　the　fact　that　He　could　not　attain　transcendence。

But　that　did　not　mean　some　other　life　form　could　not。　And　so　began　an　age　of　grand　experimentation；　epic　journeys；　profound　contemplation；　and　unprecedented　megaprojects。　The　Garudans　were　endowed　with　their　expanded　senses　and　their　psychotropic　biosphere。　On　Spheris；　crystal　lifeforms　were　given　an　evolutionary　helping　hand。　An　investigation　into　thought　control　went　awry　on　Peryton；　leading　to　the　holocaust　Moebius　in　which　the　planet　became　trapped。　

Not　least　importantly；　Haydon　IV　was　given　form；　and　its　Awareness　was　brought　to　life。

Zor　read　on；　feverish　with　the　need　to　know。　At　last　he　came　to　the　mention　of　Optera　and　the　Invid。　A　curious　race；　Haydon　found；　with　some　promising　characteristics；　but　apparently　at　an　evolutionary　dead　end　unless　something　new　were　added。　And　Haydon　had　that　something　in　mind；　an　intriguing　plant　He　had　encountered。

The　organisms　on　the　plant's　planet　of　origin　did　not　seem　to　be　exploiting　the　plant's　potential；　and　so　Haydon　transplanted　the　entire　species　to　Optera　leaving　none　behind。　Zor　stared　long　and　hard　at　the　image　of　the　Flower's　original　home；　such　an　unremarkable　little　place　。。。

The　introduction　of　Flower　of　Life　to　the　Invid　was　like　the　rebining　of　long…sundered　halves。　Almost　overnight　the　Invid's　entire　existence　came　to　revolve　around　the　Flower　and　something　they　seemed　to　perceive　in　it。

（A　lab　mutation　of　the　plant；　the　ur…form　called　Sekiton；　was　introduced　to　Karbarra。　But　while　the　ursinoids　there　found　many　uses　and　demonstrated　a　peculiar　affinity　for　it；　the　experiment　was　essentially　a　failure。）

The　star…spanning　experiments　Haydon　had　begun　were　set　in　place；　and　Haydon　began　to　prepare　for　His　long　sleep；　weary　of　the　tedium　of　immortality。　The　event　of　transubstantiation　would　cause　His　artificial　world　to　awaken　Him　more　accurately；　to　return　him　from　mere　stored　information　to　physical　form。

The　ticking　off　of　the　centuries　began。

Zor　lashed　out；　stopping　the　parade　of　thought　records　as　a　seething　rage　took　hold　of　him。　It　had　been　bad　enough　to　know　that　the　Robotech　Masters　had　perverted　his　discoveries　and　the　Protoculture　to　evil　ends　that　the　Zentraedi　had　laid　waste　to　Optera。
Now；　in　addition；　Zor　understood　that　his　meddling　and　the　Masters'　fiendishness　had　derailed　a　bold　and　unique　attempt　to　push　living　intelligence　through　into　an　entirely　new　realm。

Zor　threw　back　his　head　and　roared　up　into　the　echoing　spaces　of　Haydon　IV's　inner　reaches；　fists　raised　high；　for　the　sheer　iniquity　of　it　all。　The　waste　and　suffering　and　loss；　the　death　and　devastation。

His　fury　bined　with　his　contact　with　the　Awareness　gave　Zor　a　moment　of　lucidity　unlike　any　other　he　was　ever　to　have。　He　suddenly　had　a　vision；　a　Grand　Design；　of　his　own。　He　would　atone　for　what　had　happened。

It　was　all　there　before　him：　a　reseeding　program；　a　mighty　new　starship　incorporating　everything　he　had　learned　about　Protoculture　with　which　to　execute　his　plan；　a　renewal；　especially　of　Optera　and　its　idyllic　way　of　life；　and　eventually；　a　return　of　the　galaxy　to　the　way　it　had　been　before　the　rise　of　the　Robotech　Masters。

And　lastly；　he　thought；　he　would　return　the　Flower　to　the　world　on　which　it　had　originated；　for　who　could　tell　what　role　it　had　yet　to　play　there？　Yes；　even　Haydon　had　been　shortsighted　in　that　instance；　the　Flower　deserved　to　grow　once　more　in　its　appointed　place；　the　unremarkable　little　bluewhite　world　called　Earth。

His　exhaustion；　his　hyperstimulation　through　mental　contact　with　the　Awareness；　his　ingestion　of　the　petals　perhaps　it　was　just　a　bination　of　these。　But　the　fact　was；　it　was　the　image　of　Earth；　the　invocation　of　it；　that　brought　on　his　seizure。

Zor　cried　out；　thinking　himself　blinded；　hands　clamped　to　a　skull　that　threatened　to　fly　apart。

He　saw　a　column　of　pure　mind　energy　rising　from　the　Earth；　a　pillar　of　dazzling　force　a　hundred　miles　in　diameter；　crackling　and　swaying；　swirling　like　a　whirlwind；　throwing　out　sheets　of　shimmering　brilliance。　It　climbed　higher　and　higher　into　space；　all　in　a　matter　of　moments。

Zor　knew　what　the　mind　cyclone　was；　recognized　it　as　the　racial　transmutation　of　the　Invid。　The　pinnacle　of　the　cyclone　abruptly　gave　shape　to　a　monumental　bird；　a　phoenix　of　mental　essence。　The　firebird　of　transfiguration　spread　wings　wider　than　the　planet　and　soared　away；　bound　for　another　plane　of　existence；　with　a　cry　so　magnificent　and　sad　that　his　heart　was　wrenched　by　it　and　he　was　changed　forever。

Zor　shuddered；　sobbed；　and　fell　to　the　floor　weeping；　then　lost　consciousness。


In　the　sphere　ship；　Louie　Nichols　gathered　the　survivors　of　his　team。　Other　personnel　were　distracted　by　the　strange；　swirling