Chapter 7 Chapter Seven Spiritual Music Masters

Night falls in due course on all human habitable planets.The rotational periods of the planets are recorded to vary from fifteen to fifty-two hours.Therefore, the night falls are not endless, but there may be considerable time intervals between the two falls.This fact requires that people do their best to adapt psychologically to interstellar travel. This type of psychological adaptation is required on many planets.For this reason, the schedule needs to be adjusted to suit the conditions of the planet.On many more planets, with the widespread use of air-conditioning and artificial lighting, the day and night problem becomes a secondary problem, and it simply changes agricultural production.There are also some planets (the ones in the outer regions of the sky) who don't care about such insignificant things as day and night.

But regardless of social conventions, nightfall often has a deep and lasting psychological significance that goes back to the arboreal past of human history.Night is a scary and dangerous time, and even the heart is silent as the sun goes down. Although there is no mechanical device in the Central Palace that can allow people to perceive the coming of night, Byron still feels the coming of night by virtue of the vague intuition hidden in some nameless grooves in the human brain.He knows that the dark night outside the door will not become a little brighter because of the faint twinkling of stars; The Horsehead Nebula (a name familiar to everyone on the planets of the Pan-Nebula Empire) would obliterate half of the stars that would otherwise be visible.

At this time, he felt depressed again. He hasn't seen Artemisia since his brief conversation with the Governor of Rhodia.He felt a little sullen about it.He had looked forward to dinner, because he might be able to chat with her then.However, the reality is not as he expected.During the meal, he drank alone, and the two guards loitered indignantly outside the door, and even Gilbret left him.He also went to dinner, perhaps, not as lonely as Byron.There will be so few people with him.But only the few companions one could count on at the Hinriad court. So when Gilbret came back and said "Artemisia and I talked about you," he got a quick and animated response from Byron.

It could only amuse him, and he said so to Byron.Then he said, "First, I'm going to show you my lab." He waved his hand, and the two guards stepped back. "What kind of laboratory?" Byron asked, his interest was not as high as before. "I've made some little things," he replied vaguely. It doesn't look like a laboratory, but closer to a library.There is an ornate desk in the corner. Byron looked at it slowly. "You're here for the gizmos? What kind of gizmos?" "Look, here's a special audio device that detects the Tyranids' listening microwave beams in the newest way, but they can't detect anything. So when Aratap uttered the first word, I used Knowing about you. Besides, I have some interesting little things. A video recorder, for example. Do you like music?"

"Some like it." "Fine. I've invented a musical instrument. I just don't know if you'd call it music properly." With that, he touched the switch lightly, and a microfiche bookshelf slid out and moved aside. "It's really not a place to hide things. Fortunately, no one takes me seriously, so they don't even look at it. It's interesting, isn't it? Oh, I forgot, you don't think it's interesting people." It was a quaint, crudely made box with a matte finish.That means it's a homemade thing.On one side of the box are some tiny shiny knobs.He put the box down, the knob side up.

"It's not very cute," said Gilbret, "but who cares? Turn off the lights, oh no, no! No switches, no buttons. Just turn off the lights if you want to. Think hard! You have to make up your mind to let it shut off." The lights dimmed, except for a faint pearly silver light remaining on the ceiling, which made their faces ghostly in the dark.Gilbret sneered softly at Byron Farrier's astonishment. "This is exactly what my audiovisual device is doing. Like the special spherical space container, it is also subject to your mental control. Do you understand what I mean?"

"No, if you need me to answer directly, then, I tell you, I don't understand." "Well," he said, "you look at it this way. The electric field of your brain cells creates an induced electric field in this instrument, which is very simple physically. But, as far as I know , no one has ever been able to pack all the necessary circuits into such a small box. Usually, so many circuits would require a power plant as high as a five-story building to accommodate them. In addition, it can be used in another The way it works. I can take the circuits here and send them directly to your brain, so you can see without your eyes and hear music without your ears. Voila!"

At first, nothing can be seen.Then, something vaguely fluttered in the corner of Byron's eyes, and it gradually turned into a ball of violet light floating in mid-air.He turned his face, and the ball of light followed him; he closed his eyes, but the ball of light was still in the same place.It is accompanied by a clear and pleasant music, which is a part of it, even itself. The ball of light grew bigger and bigger, and Byron gradually felt uneasy that the ball of light was in his head.It's not really color, it's colorful music, even though the music has no sound.It can be touched but not felt.

The ball of light twirled and turned into a rainbow, and music burst out at the same time.The rainbow floated over Byron's head like a drooping colored silk.Then, it exploded with a bang, and the color blocks splashed on his body. When he touched it, it burned instantly, but it didn't leave any pain. The shower of green bubbles rose again calmly and softly.Byron poked them open with his hands at random, but he gradually realized that he could neither see his hands nor feel the movement of the vesicles.Nothing exists in his mind.Everything was removed from his mind, only small bubbles filled his heart.

He cried out silently.Then, the hallucination ended, and the room was brightly lit.Gilbret reappeared in front of him, smiling.Byron felt a violent dizziness, wiped his cold and sweaty forehead tremblingly, and sat down suddenly. "What's the matter?" he asked in a harsh, controlled tone. Gilbrecht said: "I don't know, I just stayed out of it. Don't you understand? This is something your brain has never experienced before, your brain directly feels. This phenomenon can only be felt, not understood. Words. As long as you focus on the sensation, your mind has no choice but to try to channel the effects of that sensation into familiar pathways. It tries to translate the effects into sight, sound, and touch, separately or simultaneously. By the way Just to ask, do you smell? Sometimes, I seem to smell something. I think it is possible to force the sense almost entirely to smell for a dog. One day, I will be in Experiment on animals.

"On the other hand, if you don't bother with it and don't bother with it, then the illusion goes away. That's what I do when I want to observe its effect on other people. It's not difficult." He rested his veiny little hand on the video recorder and fiddled with the knob aimlessly. "Sometimes I think: If anyone could really learn this instrument, then he would be able to compose symphonies in a new way, and he would be able to do things that could not be done with simple sound and scenery. If only I couldn't do it myself gone." Byron suddenly asked, "I want to ask you a question." "Of course." "Why don't you put your talents in science and technology where they are worth your while, instead of..." "Waste it on useless toys? I don't know. It might not be useless. You know, this stuff is illegal." "what?" "Videophone, and my listening equipment. If the Tyranids find out, it's a death sentence, of course." "You must be joking." "No kidding at all. Obviously, you grew up on a ranch. I can tell. Young people can't remember what it was like in the old days." Suddenly, he turned his head to the side, squinted his eyes and asked, "You object to Tay?" Is it the rule of the Lun people? Speak freely and boldly. Tell you frankly: I am against it. I can also tell you that your father is also against it." Byron said calmly: "Yes, I oppose." "why?" "They are foreigners, outsiders, what qualifications do they have to rule Nevros or Rhodia?" "Is that what you always thought?" Byron did not answer. Gilbret sniffled. "In other words, you only considered them foreigners and outsiders after they executed your father. After all, it is their minimum right to execute your father. Come on, don't get mad. Think rationally Well. You should believe that I am on your side. Think about it! Your father is a rancher. What rights do his herdsmen have? If a herdsman steals a cow and uses it for himself or sells it to Others, what punishment then awaits him? To be sent to prison as a thief. If he, for some reason (perhaps a good enough reason in his own opinion), conspired to kill your father, So what would the end be? Execution, no doubt. What right did your father have to make laws against his fellow humans? He was what they thought a Tyranid. "Your father, to himself and to me, was a patriot. But so what? To the Tyranids he was a traitor, so they killed him. Can you ignore this self-defense Necessity? Hinriad's self-defense of this kind abounded in their own reign. Look at your own history, young man. "So, you should find a more appropriate reason to hate the Tyranids. Don't think that changing a bunch of rulers will be enough, and don't think that a simple change of dynasty will bring freedom." Byron punched hard in his own bent palm. "Your discourse on objectivist philosophy is indeed very pleasant, and to an outsider, this is indeed a great consolation. But what if it was your father who was killed?" "So, it's not good? My father was the governor of Rhodia before Shinrik, and he was also killed. Not so straightforward, but very insidious. They broke his mind, just like they are now It was like having a nervous breakdown for Hinrik. After my father died, they didn't make me governor because I was too young to predict the future. Hinrik was tall, handsome, and most of all meek, superficially See, he wasn't docile enough. So they kept chasing him, making him a poor puppet like a kneader. They were sure he wouldn't scratch his itch without their permission. You've seen Been to him, he's worse than January now, and his restlessness is a psychopathic mood. But none of this—all of this—is a reason for me to destroy Tyranid rule." "Have you not?" said Byron, "then you have found a whole new reason?" "To be precise, that's a completely old reason. The Tyranids deprived 20 billion people of the right to participate in the development of the race. You went to school and understood what economic cycles are. After humans settled on a new planet, "—he counted with his fingers—"Its first concern was the problem of food. So it became an agricultural planet or a herding planet. It began to mine underground mineral deposits for export, and sold surplus agricultural products in exchange for Back to luxury goods and machines, this is the second step. Then, due to the multiplication of population and the growth of foreign capital, industrial civilization began to sprout, which is the third step. Finally, the planet has finally achieved mechanization, exporting food and machinery. Development investment on the planet, etc., this is the fourth step. "The mechanized planets are always the most populous and militarily (for war is a function of machinery) planets, and they are usually surrounded by a circle of satellite planets that live on agriculture. "So, what about us? We are in the third step of industrial growth. Now? Industrial growth stagnates, freezes, is forced to shrink, and it will prevent the Tyranids from controlling our industrial necessities. As far as they are concerned, it is a It is a short-term investment, because we will end up getting nothing from increasing poverty, but in the meantime, they can earn money. "Furthermore, if we industrialize ourselves, we will develop weapons of war. So industrialization is brought to a standstill, and scientific research is banned. Finally, people get so used to this situation that whatever they lose, they feel nothing .So how surprised you are when I say I'll be executed for making a videophone. "Yes, we will defeat the Tyranids one day. That is certain. They cannot rule forever, and no one can rule forever. They will become weaker and more lazy. They will practice intermarriage, And will lose many of their own traditions. They will be corrupt. But all this may take centuries, because the development of history is leisurely. And when these centuries pass, we will still be authentic An agricultural planet of the Dao, with no industrial or scientific legacy at all. Our neighbors in all directions, not controlled by the Tyranids, will then become powerful and urbanized planets. Our kingdoms will become eternal half Colonies, they will never catch up with those advanced planets, and we can only be spectators in the great process of human progress." "What you're saying doesn't seem entirely foreign to me," Byron said. "If you were educated on Earth, then it's only natural. Earth holds a special place in the history of social development." "Really?" "Think about it! The entire galaxy has been in a state of constant expansion since the inception of interstellar travel. Our society is always growing and therefore never mature. Obviously, only in the only place and in the only Human society reached a stage of maturity only at this moment. This was the case on Earth with human society at the time of the imminent catastrophe. There we had a society which temporarily lost all possibility of geographical expansion. Thus, the society faced Problems like overpopulation, resource depletion, etc. These problems have never been encountered anywhere else in the galaxy. "They were forced to delve into the social sciences. It's a pity that we discontinued most or all of this research. Well, here's an interesting thing. When Hinrik was a youth, he was a pious primitive He possesses an unrivaled collection of Earth materials in the galaxy. Since he became the governor of Rhodia, he has thrown away these books, along with various other things. However, I have received some of them. The surviving documents Fragmentation is simply wonderful, and it has a uniquely self-reflective quality that we don't have in our extroverted galactic civilization. That's the most interesting aspect." Says Byron: "You've been giving me so much serious talk for so long that I'm starting to wonder if you've forgotten your sense of humor." Gilbrecht shrugged. "I'm doing it for fun, and I'm so happy right now. It's the first time I've had such a good time in months. Do you know what it's like to play? Twenty-four hours a day, you deliberately tear your body apart. Personality; whether you are with friends or alone in a room, you have to be like this, so that you will never be inadvertently forget that you are putting on a show; Do you know what it all means to pretend to be exhausted, almost comical, so that everyone who knows you believes that you have no ambitions? All this can make your life safe, although It just means you're just alive. But I still get to fuck them every now and then." He raised his head, his tone was sincere, and he said almost pleadingly: "You can drive a spaceship, but I can't, isn't it strange? You talk about my scientific and technological talents, but I can't even fly a small one-man spaceship." You can’t fly an airship. But you can, but then you have to leave Rhodia.” This is an unmistakable plea.However, Byron frowned coldly. "why?" Gilbret went on quickly: "As I said, Artemisia and I talked about you and figured out what to do. When you leave here, go straight to her room, where she waits. You. I've drawn you a map so you don't have to ask people for directions as you go through the corridor." He pushed a small piece of metal into Byron's hand. "If someone wants to stop you, you can say that the governor has summoned you. You can just move forward. As long as you don't show your weakness, there will be no trouble..." "Stop it!" Byron said.He never intends to repeat this mistake again.Jondi drove him to Rhodia, where he succeeded in delivering him to the Tyranids.Then, before he could go secretly himself, Tyrannian commissioners sent him straight to the Central Palace, leaving him unprepared for the puppet's tricks.But that's all there is to it!In the future, although his actions may be strictly restricted, he is determined to act according to his own wishes.In this regard, he is unwavering. He said, "I'm here on business, sir. I'm not going to leave yet." "What! Don't act like a fool." Now old Gilbret had a fit. "Do you think you can do anything here? Do you think you can get out of the palace alive if you wait until the sun rises tomorrow morning? Why, Xinrik will send for the Tyranids. Within twenty-four hours you About to be arrested. Right now, he's just waiting because it takes him so long to make up his mind. He's my cousin, I tell you, and I know him." Byron said: "Even so, what does it matter to you? Why do you care so much about me?" He didn't want to be driven around, he didn't want to run around and be someone else's puppet anymore. Gilbret, however, stood there, staring at him. "I want you to take me with you. My concern is myself. I don't want to live under the Tyranids anymore. Because neither Artemisia nor I know how to fly a spaceship, otherwise, we would have gone far away. This It’s a matter of our lives.” Byron felt his resolve waver a little. "The governor's daughter? Why is she leaving?" "She was, I believe, the most hopeless of us. There is a special kind of death for women. The daughter of a young, beautiful, unmarried governor of Rhodia was about to become a young, beautiful, married woman. What will you encounter when you are a man? Besides, who will be the pleasing bridegroom these days? Hey, a courtier of the Tyrannian Empire, the old pervert. He has buried three wives, and now , wanting to rekindle his youthful lust in the arms of a girl." "The Governor will never consent to such a thing!" "The Governor agrees to everything. No one has to wait for his consent." Byron remembered the way Artemisia had looked the last time she had seen her.Hair combed back from forehead to shoulders.The long hair is bent inward at the shoulders, forming a wave.Bright and fair skin, black eyes, and bright red lips!Tall, young, with a smile on his face!Maybe a hundred million girls in the entire galaxy are like that.It would be absurd to be moved by that idea. But he still said, "The spaceship is ready?" Gilbret smiled, his face creased.However, before he could open his mouth, the door slammed loudly.It wasn't the silent flicker of an optoelectronic beam, nor the soft whisper of knuckles tapping plastic.It was the clang of metal, the irresistible thunderous clatter of formidable weapons. The door rang again.Gilbret said, "You'd better keep the door open." Byron opened the door and two soldiers entered the room.The one in front saluted Gilbret rudely, then turned to Byron and said, "Byron Farrier, I arrest you by order of the Permanent Commissioner of the Tyranid Empire and the Governor of Rhodia. " "What crime have I committed?" Byron asked. "Grave treason." A look of impending doom distorted Gilbret's face.He turned away. "Xinrik's movement is amazing this time, faster than expected. Unexpected. It's so interesting!" After all, this old Gilbret was experienced, he smiled slightly, nonchalantly, with his eyebrows slightly raised, as if he was examining an annoying fact with a little regret. "Follow me, please," said the guard.Byron spotted another guard with a nerve whip gun in his hand.