The Rowan
- Автор: Маккефри Энн
- Серия: Tower and the Hive #1
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Научная фантастика
Электронная книга - «The Rowan». Краткое содержание книги:
The kinetically gifted, trained in mind/machine gestalt, are the most valued citizens of the Nine Star League. Using mental powers alone, these few Prime Talents transport ships, cargo and people between Earth's Moon, Mars' Demos and Jupiter's Callisto.
An orphaned young girl, simply called The Rowan, is discovered to have superior telepathic potential and is trained to become Prime Talent on Callisto. After years of self-sacrificing dedication to her position, The Rowan intercepts an urgent mental call from Jeff Raven, a young Prime Talent on distant Deneb. She convinces the other Primes to merge their powers with hers to help fight off an attack by invading aliens. Her growing relationship with Jeff gives her the courage to break her status-imposed isolation, and choose the more rewarding world of love and family.
You have not yet been the focus of which Yegrani spoke, said the quiet voice of Besseva, nor was she ambiguous.
Deneb's danger was not yours. This is!
What the Rowan felt then was not prompted by Besseva's voice or words. There was inarguably something dangerously evil inexorably heading toward Deneb's system.
No, not evil! Determined! And determined in a sense that gives new potency to such a mind-set. The thian section of the mind merge qualified the emanation.
Rowan: The emanation has no pain now. No anger.
Besseva: In time all pain heals and the anger has been sublimated into purpose.
Rowan: What IS it? Though she could discern intense and unrelenting mental activity, she could "see" or "read" nothing: she could detect no string of thoughts being processed, only the moil of determination.
Rakella: "It" is not single!
Mauli, in a surprised tone: "It" is a many. And they frighten me!
They are… oily.
Isthia, bleakly: This "many" exudes a purpose of destruction.
Enough to agitate even an insensitive mind.
Rowan, recalling vividly that earlier merge: The survivor was sent off in that general direction!
Isthia: The merge didn't follow it to its destination?
Rowan, with a sigh for that error: At the time our actions seemed sufficiently punitive.
Isthia: All should have been destroyed.
Rowan: Hmm, yes, a bad judgment error. We didn't succeed in scaring them off. We should have plunged all into the sun and saved a lot of cleaning up. Were you in that merge, Isthia?
Isthia: No, and there was a thread of droll amusement in her tone.
I was otherwise occupied. This time we will see the threat removed completely.
Rowan: We will not err this time. Only what will be a sufficient deterrent?
Besseva: I respectfully suggest total annihilation.
Rowan: That notion will be totally unacceptable to the League Councillors. Even the aliens are nonviolent.
Isthia: Drastic measures must be considered. The hive mentality obviously didn't respond to a fear stimulus. Just what sort of intelligence guides this second assault?
Mauli: Would it be wrong to assume that, as in other insect colonies, the female, or egglaying gender, is the guiding force?
Ensuring the perpetuation of the species?
Isthia: A logical assumption since we apparently sense what the masculine mind does not.
Rowan: I resent reacting to a beetle.
Isthia, drolly: Did you see the reconstruction the specialists made of one of those "beetles"? BIG! Even one of the smaller types would be a formidable opponent! Don't think of them as beetles. Think of them as BIG, dangerous animosities. I should not like to have to defend myself against them on Deneb's surface.
Besseva, in a dry voice: Especially as Deneb has little in the way of defensive weaponry. Hunting anns wouldn't even dint their body covering. If we can assume that we are dealing with a hive society Isthia: I think we can. Remember the eggs among the debris of the ships that were destroyed.
Besseva: And with a species that will pour huge numbers of determined troops into a surface assault, they must be halted before they reach the planet! Or we'd better think of evacuating Deneb right now.
Isthia, in unalterable defiance: We are NOT abandoning Deneb.
Mauli: I sense something so massive… and broke off, tucking her fear as far away from consideration as she could.
Rowan: That has not escaped any of us, Mauli.
Isthia, wryly: D'you think we'll get the Fleet this time without a lengthy argument, Rowan?
Rowan: You better believe it! Even if I have to 'port every unit myself…
Besseva: Be a little more subtle, Rowan. Just tell Earth Prime that you refuse to leave Deneb until naval reinforcements arrive!
Isthia, laughing: Reidinger won't risk you!
Mauli: Shouldn't we withdraw? They might sense us.
Rowan: I doubt it, Mauli. There is no sense of awareness of anything other than their purpose. Deneb. And that's the reason we sense them: their purpose is aimed at us! Single mindedness has certain disadvantages. I just wish I could perceive more details, unravel the mechanics of their thought processes. The Fleet will want details.
Isthia: So will Reidinger and Jeff. But there are none.
They will have to trust our perceptions. She sounded dubious.
Rowan: Oh, they'll believe us! Why have a dog and bark yourself?
Isthia: Say what?
Rowan, chuckling: One of Siglen's little sayings.
The Rowan began to relax the focus of the merge and was astonished to see daylight flooding through the Tower windows. Jeran was sound asleep, his right thumb pulling down his lower lip. A quick glimpse reassured the Rowan that his mind held no trace of any neglect, that he had fallen asleep unfelled.
"I hadn't realized we'd be gone so long," Isthia said with apology, looking at the station timer. "Five hours! You took us farther than we'd been able to reach.
The Rowan stretched, easing stiff muscles as she swung her legs off the conformer. The others were doing the same.
Rowan! Jeff's tone bordered the peremptory. Where have you been?
I couldn't reach you at all!
Well, have a good look then, my love, because Deneb's the target once again. Only this time we won't stop with half measures, the Rowan replied and opened her mind to him.
That's fascinating! Jeff replied when he had absorbed the total report. Nor can anyone ignore this as a case of mass hysteria if you and my mother are involved. And Besseva, he added hastily, with a mental grin of apology. These days I know why Reidinger couldn't just call up the Fleet when I wanted him to during the last invasion. But I also know which panic buttons to press to initiate a Red Alert.
Isthia, at her drollest: If what we sense about the incoming vessel is even marginally accurate, the Fleet wouldn't be of any use.
Except psychologically.
Jeff: Mother! You'll crush their fragile egos! Surely they're good for something!
Isthia: Well, they might be able to spot the thing when it gets closer but, to be perfectly candid, I don't want that thing to get much nearer! It's causing sufficient havoc as far out as it is and I dread what it'll do up close.
Jeff: It would be wisest to nip its pretensions as soon as possible.
Isthia, patiently: It's not an "it", Jeff. It's a "many", a feminine "many" Jeff. Then we are in trouble! And he was only half-joking.
Are you staying on there, Rowan? His thought was only for her and its wistfulness made her smile.
Rowan, with a quick look at Isthia: No, I should return to Callisto. I can nag people just as easily from there. I'll leave Mauli to help keep in touch. But I assure you, if we don't get immediate action, I'll come right back here so the League will be forced to take this seriously. These creatures may be heading for Deneb, but to have such animosities anywhere in the League's sphere of influence endangers ALL!
Isthia: It's proceeding at a frightening rate of speed.
Jeff: I know. I'll persuade Admiral Tomiakin to lend me a fast scout ship for reconnaissance.
Rowan: With you on it?
Jeff: Who better? A grin tickled the edges of her mind. I didn't call wolf the first time so they'll listen to me.
Isthia said aloud and screening her thought: "Men! They have to have their place in the scheme, don't they?" Rowan: You'd better be sure there's a large female complement on that scout. Or better still, take Mauli with you.
She knows what to listen for.
Jeff: Your wish is my command!
"I think everyone is going to have to be in on this defensive action," the Rowan said soberly, "or that thing is going to land on Deneb. And all too soon." The Rowan knew she had only put into words what the others thought but saying it out loud did nothing to relieve the tension.