Chapter 4 Chapter One

She walks through the halls of turbines, surrounded by ever-changing circles of friends, admirers, and fauna—like a nebula focused by her attraction—talking to her guests, giving orders to employees, serving the many performers offer advice and compliments.Music fills the echoing space from above the old, shiny machines that sit silently around chattering, brightly-dressed partygoers.She bowed gracefully, smiled at the passing admiral, and quickly took a bunch of delicate black flowers, put her nose in front of the flowers, and sniffed the intoxicating fragrance. The two harazars at her feet stood on their hind feet, their front paws trying to catch the smooth hem of her formal gown, their sparkling muzzles close to the bouquet.She bent over and gently touched the animals' muzzles with the flowers, causing them to drop to the floor again, sneezing and shaking their heads.People around her burst into laughter.Bending down, her gown hanging bell-shaped, she ruffles an animal's fur and shakes its large ears, then lifts her head as the steward approaches, who approaches her respectfully through the crowd.

"What's the matter, Mecari?" she asked. "It's the photographer for the Galaxy Times," the Steward whispered.He stood up straight as she straightened, until he looked up at her, his chin level with her bare shoulders. "Admit defeat?" she grinned. "I think so, ma'am. Request a visitor here." she laughed. "That's a good point. How many of us are there this time?" The Steward moved a little closer, nervously watching one of the Halazar growl at him. "Thirty-two live photographers; over a hundred still photographers."

She put her mouth conspiratorially against the steward's ear, and said, "That does not include the people we found among the guests." "Indeed, ma'am." "I'll meet...he or she?" "He, ma'am." "Well, later. Let him know in ten minutes, and remind me in twenty minutes. It's in the West Atrium." She glanced at the platinum bracelet on her body.The micro-projector disguised as emerald recognized her retina, and soon projected a three-dimensional blueprint of the old power plant, which turned into two cylindrical lights in front of her eyes.

"Yes, ma'am," Mecari said. She touched his arm and whispered, "We're heading towards the Botanic Gardens, aren't we?" The steward's head moved only slightly to show that he heard.She regretfully turned to the people around her, clasped her hands together as if begging. "I'm sorry. Can you forgive me for walking away?" She tilted her head to one side and smiled. "Hi. Hello. How are you. How are you?" They walked quickly across the banquet, past rainbows of gray drug vapor and fountains of splashing wine.She leads the way, skirts rustling; the steward tries to keep up with her larger strides.She waved to those who greeted her, heads of government and their shadows, foreign magnates and their entourages, media stars of all stripes, revolutionaries and naval officers, captains of industry and trade with their far more extravagant investors.Halazah sloppily bit the butler's heel, his claws clattering on the smooth mica floor, the movement was not very good, and he didn't jump forward until he encountered one of the carpets scattered around the turbine hall.

By the steward's favor, she stopped at the stairs leading to the botanical gardens -- which were hidden from view from the main hall by the easternmost generator building -- and shooed Halazar away, patted her perfect hair, Smoothing the hem of the skirt that had been smoothed to perfection, making sure that the white stone on the black necklace was in the center, and it was.She started walking towards the tall entrance to the Arboretum. One of them, Harazar, whined at the top of the steps, jumping up and down on his front feet, tears welling in his eyes. She turned around, displeased. "Quiet, Jumper! Go away!"

The animal bowed its head, snorted and left. She silently closed the double-sided door behind her back, and stepped into the silent and rich forest presented by the botanical garden. Beyond the curve of the towering crystal dome of the partial dome, the night was dark.Small bright sources of light burned on the tops of the columns in the botanical garden, casting deep, irregular shadows among the crowded flora.The air was warm and full of earth and tree sap.She took a deep breath and walked across the room. "Hello." The man turned around quickly, and found that she was standing in front of him, leaning on a lighting pole, with her hands folded, and a small smile on her lips and eyes.Her hair was blue-black, as were her eyes; her skin was sallow and thinner than it appeared on the news, though it might have seemed stocky for her height.He was tall and thin, unnaturally pale, and most people would think his eyes were too close together.

He watched his frail hand grasping the fine veins on the leaf, let it go, smiled uncertainly, and turned away from the flower bush he was investigating just now.He rubbed his hands, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I..." He pointed nervously at the flower bush. "It's okay," she said, holding out her hand.They shook hands. "You're Rielstock Susabin, aren't you?" "Uh... yes," he said, obviously surprised.He was still holding her hand, and when he realized it, he let it go quickly, looking even more uncomfortable. "Desert Sma." She bowed slightly, moving slowly, letting her shoulder-length hair flutter and her eyes fixed on the other party.

"Yes, I know. Uh... nice to meet you." "Fine," she nodded. "Me too. I've heard your work." "Oh," he said with boyish pleasure, folding his hands seemingly involuntarily. "Oh, that's really..." "I didn't say I liked it," she said, a smile lingering only on the corner of her lips. "Ah." Discouraged. It was brutal. "But I do like it, and I like it a lot," she said, suddenly conveying an amusing -- even conspiratorial -- confession through her expression. He laughed, and she felt herself relax.Everything will be fine.

“I do wonder why I was invited,” he admits, his sunken eyes not knowing how to light up. "Everyone seems to be very..." He shrugged. "...Important. That's why I..." He waved awkwardly to the plants he had just observed from behind. "You don't think composers get the same attention?" she asked, mildly accusing. "Well...compared to those politicians and generals and entrepreneurs...I mean, from a power point of view...I'm not even the most famous musician. I would think of Savintrig, or Kuu, or..." "It's true that they both had brilliant careers as composers," she agrees.

He paused for a moment, laughed a little, then looked down.His hair was of a very fine quality, and it shone brightly in the pole-top lighting.Now it was her turn to laugh with him.Perhaps she should make the commission now, rather than saving it until the next meeting, when she can lower the number—although it is still a very distant number at the moment—to a slightly friendlier level...or even later. A private meeting, once she's sure he's in the palm of his hand. How long should she continue this thing?He was the one she wanted, but that meant more after the costly friendship ended; the delicate exchange of long, increasingly intimate conversations, the slowly accumulating shared experience, the wearying A dance of glamour, objects come and go, come and go, circling closer and closer until laziness sublimates into vengeful rage that engulfs all.

He looked into her eyes and said, "Miss Sima, you compliment me so much." She paid attention, raised her chin slightly, and clearly felt the nuances of body language.There was a less childish look on the other's face now.His eyes reminded her of stones in a necklace.Feeling a little dizzy, she took a deep breath. "Ugh." She froze. The words came from the side behind her.She saw Su Saibin's eyes move hesitantly. Sima turned around, maintaining a peaceful expression, seeing the gray-white cast shell of the robot, his eyes seemed to burn holes in the ground. "What is it?" Her voice was strong enough to etch iron. The robot is the size -- or nearly so -- of a small suitcase.It floated in front of her. "Trouble, girl," it said, moving quickly aside, changing the angle of its body so that it appeared to be gazing into the ink-coloured sky beyond the crystal dome. Sma looked down at the tiled floor of the Arboretum, biting her lower lip.She shook her head slightly. "Mr. Susabine," she smiled, spreading her hands. "I'm sorry to be so, but...would you like to...?" "Of course," he had already started to move, nodded and walked quickly. "Maybe we can talk later," she said. He turned, still backing away. "Yes, I will... that can..." He seemed to lose his inspiration, nodded nervously, and quickly walked towards the far door of the botanical garden.He didn't look back when he left. Sma turned to face the robot, which started humming innocently, apparently staring at the bright flowers, with its short snout buried in the bushes.It noticed her and looked up.Standing with her legs apart, one hand on her waist, she said, "'Girl'?" The robot's emotional field flickered; the mixture of purple remorse and bronze-colored incomprehension was undoubtedly unconvincing. "I don't know, Sma...just slipping. Rhymes." Sma kicked the dead branch, stared at the robot and said, "So?" "You won't like it," the robot said quietly, backing away a little, darkening to a sad color. Sima hesitated.She turned her head away for a while, her shoulders suddenly drooped.She sat on a stump, pushing her body away from the surrounding trees. "It's Zarqawi, isn't it?" The robot flashed a rainbow of surprise; that came quickly—she thought—and that might be sincere. "Christ," it said. "How do you...?" She waved the question away. "I don't know. Your tone of voice. Human intuition . "so what?" The robot Skaven-Amtisko lowered to shoulder level with the woman and floated close to her.She looks at it. "We need to get him back," it said. "I suppose so too," Sma sighed, shaking off an insect that had just landed on his shoulder. "Well, yes. There's no other way, I'm afraid; it must be him." "Yes, but do you have to tell me yourself?" "Public opinion ... unanimously agrees so." "It's great," Sma said sourly. "Do you want to rest?" "Would that make things better?" "probably not." "Damn," Sima folded her hands on her knees, rubbing them up and down. "I should probably go to rest right away, too." "You have to leave tomorrow." "Oh, robot, please!" She buried her face in her palms.Then look up.The robot hopped lightly on a twig. "You are joking." "I'm afraid not." "What about these?" She waved at the turbine hall door. "What about the whole peace conference? What about the talk, the bribes, the goldfish eyes? Three years of toil? This whole damned planet...?" "The meeting will continue." "Oh, sure, but what about my 'hub' role?" "Ah," said the robot, pulling the branch up to the mood display. "This..." "Oh, bad." "Listen, I know you don't like..." "No, robot; not because of..." Sima stood up suddenly, walked to the crystal wall and looked into the night. "Xiao Di..." said the robot, floating closer. "Don't call me 'Xiao Di'." "Sma... that's not real. It's a double, electronic, mechanical, electrochemical, chemical; a 'mind' controlled machine, not alive per se. Not a replicant or..." "I know what that is, robot," she said, clasping her hands behind her back. The robot approached her, put the force field on her shoulder, and squeezed gently.She shook off its touch and looked down. "We need your consent, Desert." "Yeah, I know that too." She looked up to find the hidden stars, hidden under the clouds and the lighting of the botanical garden. "Of course, you can stay if you want." The robot's voice was heavy and regretful. "The peace conference does matter; it needs ... somebody to sort things out. No doubt about it." "What's so important about that damn thing, I have to go away tomorrow?" "Remember Woernhardt?" "I remember Woernhardt," she said, her voice flat. "Well, the peace lasted for forty years, but it was starting to unravel. Zarqawi was working for a man called..." "Martiki area?" "Béchat. Tesso Darien Becia. He became President of the star cluster after our intervention. He took control of the political system while in power, but retired eighty years ago, pursuing a career in study and research far earlier than expected. ’ the robot sighed. "Things have since unraveled, and now the leaders of the planet where Beshar lives are somewhat hostile to the group that Zarqawi and Beshar represent, we support, and they are also proportionally dominant in the political party. Many skirmishes It's going on, and there's more on the way. As they say, an all-out war engulfing the entire star cluster is inevitable." "Where's Zarqawi?" "Basically, it's a solo mission. Go down to the planet, convince Beshar he needs something, and at least get him interested. But that could represent an actual break, too, and the added complexity makes it difficult for Beshar to be persuaded." Sima was thinking, still looking at the night sky. "We're out of tricks?" "Those two have known each other for too long to hold anyone other than the real Zarqawi in charge... Tesodarion Beshar is the same as the entire galaxy's political machine. There are too many memories involved." "Yeah," Sma said quietly. "Too many memories." She rubbed her bare shoulders, as if feeling cold. "What about the large firepower?" "We are organizing a nebula fleet; the core is a Limited System Vehicle (Limited System Vehicle) and three General Contact Units, staying on the outskirts of the star cluster, plus about eighty General Contact Units located in Within a month's voyage at full speed. There should be four or five General System Vehicles within two or three months or a year's voyage. But that's a last resort." "Millions of deaths would seem a bit ambiguous, wouldn't it?" Sma said bitterly. "If you want to look at it that way," Skaven-Amtisko said. "Oh, damn it," Sma said quietly, closing her eyes. "So, how far is Woernhardt? I forgot." "It's only about forty days, but we have to take Zarqawi first; the whole outward journey...let's say ninety days." She turns around. "If that ship wants to take me away, who will control the double?" Her eyes flickered towards the sky. "It's just that the test number will stay here anyway," the robot said. "The ultra-fast patrol ship Xenophobia is at your command. It can leave tomorrow, later or earlier than noon... as you wish." Sima still stands there for a moment, feet together, arms folded, lower lip biting, face shrunken.Skaven-Amtiskov reflected for a moment and decided that he was sorry for her. The woman remained motionless for a few seconds, then strode suddenly towards the turbine hall door, her heels clattering against the tiled floor. The robot whized behind and landed on her shoulder. "That's what I'm hoping for," Smart said. "You can pick a better time." "Sorry. Did I interrupt something?" "Not at all. And what the hell are 'super fast patrol boats'?" "New name for the (Demilitarized) Rapid Offensive Unit," the robot said. She glanced at it.It wobbled and shrugged. "That should sound much better." "But it's called the Xenophobe. Well, that's acceptable. Can the double be ready right away?" "Tomorrow at noon; can you do a briefing first...?" "Tomorrow morning," Sma said, and the robot came around in front of her and sucked the door open; she stepped through it, hopping down the steps to the turbine hall, skirts clutched in front of her.The halazards ran around the corner barking and jumping around her.Sima stopped, they huddled around her, sniffing at the hem of her skirt, trying to lick her hands. "No," she said to the robot. "Think about it now, and scan it for me when I tell you. I'll get rid of these as soon as possible. I'll go to Ambassador Onenett now; ask Mekari to tell Julis that she has to take the Minister to the office in ten minutes." Turbine No. 1 bar. Apologize to the Galaxy Times employees for me, take them all back to the city and let them go; give them each a bottle of Yam Fue. Cancel the photographer's trip and give him a stationary camera …sixty-four photographs, strict full permission required. Have a male employee find Rielstock Susabine and invite him to my apartment in two hours. Oh, and—” Sma stopped suddenly, crouching down to hold the head of a whimpering Halazar. "Gully, Gully, I know, I know," she said.The big-bellied animal crouched down and licked her face. "I'd love to stay and watch your baby Baby be born, but I can't..." She sighed, putting her arms around the beast, cupping his cheek with one hand. "What should I do, Ganley? I could put you to sleep until I get back, and you'll never know...but your friends will miss you." "Let them all fall asleep," the robot suggested. Sima shook her head. "You take care of them until I come back," she said to the other Halazar. "Okay?" She kissed the animal's nose and got up.Ganli sneezed. "Two more things, robot," Sma said, walking through the excited fauna. "What is it?" "Don't call me 'girl' again, okay?" "Okay. What else?" They circled the glowing, long-stationary bulk of turbine number six.Sima stopped here for a while, looked at the busy crowd ahead, took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders.With a smile already on her face as she stepped forward, she said quietly to the robot, "I don't want my double to fuck everyone." "Very good," said the robot, and they made their way to the banquet. "After all, it's your body." "It's just 'it,' Robot," Sma said, nodding to a waiter who hurried up to serve a drink. "That's not my body." Aircraft and ground vehicles float away, turning away from the old power plant; important people leave.There are a few homeless left in the hall, but they don't need her.She felt very tired, so she let out a soft "tsk" to improve her mood. From the south balcony of her apartment in Power Plant Management, she looked down into the deep canyon and the long string of taillights on Riverside Drive.A plane whizzed overhead, turning and disappearing into the towering curved opening at the top of the old dam.She watched the plane go away, turned around and stepped towards the door of the luxury apartment, took off her small formal coat and draped it over her shoulders. There is music playing in the depths of the luxury apartment below the garden on the top floor.Instead she turned to the study, where Skaffin-Amtisko was waiting. The scan to update the alias takes only a few minutes.As usual, she woke up a bit out of place, but recovered quickly.She kicked off her shoes and walked down the soft dark corridor toward the music. Rielstock Susabine stood up from the chair in which he sat, still holding a shimmering cup of yefaff.Sima stepped through the door. "Thank you for staying," she said, throwing the little coat on the sofa. "It's okay," he brought the glowing drink to his mouth, and then held it with both hands as if thinking about it. "Uh... is there anything you want...?" Sma smiled, albeit sadly, and put her hands on the arms of a large swivel chair and stood behind it.She looked down at the leather cushions. "Maybe, now I'm flattering myself," she said. "However, there is no need for a good reason..." She looked up at him. "Do you want to fuck me?" Rielstock Susabine stood stiffly in astonishment.After a while, he lifted the bottle and took a long sip, then slowly put the bottle down. "Yes," he said. "Yes, I want to... right away." "Only tonight," she said, holding out a hand. "Only tonight. It's hard to explain, but I have to leave tomorrow...Maybe more than half a year, I will be very busy, the kind of busyness of being in two places at the same time, you understand?" He shrugged. "Of course. You can say whatever you want." Sima relaxed, a grateful smile on her face.She turned the big chair around, took the bracelet off her wrist and dropped it on the chair.Then she unbuttoned the upper body of the long dress and just stood there. Susabine drank it down, put the bottle on the shelf, and walked towards her. "Turn off the lights," she whispered. The lights dimmed slowly, without pause, until the dregs at the bottom of the drained carafe became the brightest thing in the room.