people?’
Lune replied, ‘The important thing is to rid Cray of the luminophages. The flaw in the city must be understood. But hark, someone comes.’
Umia stood straight. There came a single knock at the only door into the chamber. He called out, ‘Yes?’ and a young officer walked in, a chief Triader administrator in orange breeches and a grey cloak with two dorsal fins, her brown fuzzlocks tied back with a black ribbon. She said, ‘Reeve, I bring the report as promised.’
Umia waved at her impatiently. ‘Read it, read it.’
She took a scroll from an inner pocket and began to read. ‘Reeve, the report reads as follows–’
‘Get on with it!’
‘Second Deputy Ciswadra reports that a sonoplast has been engineered that uses fifty per cent of ambient sound to produce energy. The bacteria into which these sonoplasts were injected lived two minutes and thirty-six seconds before dying. The DNA of these sonoplasts has been analysed and a short section of the end group of bases is being altered. The new DNA will be tested inside the pyuter environment before being manufactured by micro factories. The side effects are that the equipment in which the bacteria lived was transformed to yellow plastic. However, the glass was transmuted successfully. First Deputy Heraber is of the opinion that in a few weeks a bacterium will be created that can be released into the city.’
Umia waved away the administrator. He sat at his desk, chin on hands, a dejected expression on his face. ‘What shall I do?’ he asked himself.
Soon he heard the voices again. He could not tell from where they came, or even if they were real, though they seemed real. Lune said, ‘Umia, your great time is approaching. If the sonoplasts are efficient enough the glass wave can be turned back and Cray can be saved. Doubt not that the luminophage units create this glassy plague in their dark night masses, create transparency in their luminophagous frenzy, thereby to bring more light to themselves.’
But Gaijin responded, ‘You I advise otherwise, O Reeve. Lune is not to be trusted. Gnosticians are evil beasts. They work with glass. They hold one of the keys.’
Umia said, ‘Lune, glass becomes opaque if it is thick enough! Why should I believe you, why should I believe this story of making transparency to pass more light?’
‘This is the heart of luminophage strategy, Umia. Light is energy. If it is halted, the organism dies. In creating an almost completely transparent environment the organism makes conditions that are most beneficial for itself, thereby to survive and pass on its silicon genes. Cray is a city overpowered by noise. Since you cannot use light energy, you must use sound, and if you succeed you will halt the glass and create day from night.’
Gaijin scoffed at this, saying, ‘Noct is our epitome, O Reeve, and you are tied to Noct. May you never leave this chamber while you are Reeve and the scion of Noct? No you may not! There exists a hierarchy of people to do your will – stern, tough, so there is no softness. For softness kills, O Reeve. Noct and you are hard as night.’
Umia paced around his chamber, before turning to the black statue and staring up into its ebony face. Only the opal eyes and lips were not black. ‘Save me, Noct!’ he cried. ‘Each new Reeve kills the previous Reeve. I killed your previous servant and chucked her body down below for the plants to suck on. I did that. Save me now and never let anybody enter this chamber carrying a weapon.’
‘Hands strangle,’ Gaijin pointed out. ‘Boots kick heads in. Teeth rip out throats, bite eyes. Hands stuff tongues down throats, cave in windpipes–’
‘Noct,’ Umia said, ignoring Gaijin, ‘I am not afraid of somebody coming for me, but I do fear being unable to carry on. Succour my talent Noct, let me continue, let me remove the accursed loping purple invaders for ever.’
Umia walked away from the statue and collapsed into a chair,
Lune replied, ‘The important thing is to rid Cray of the luminophages. The flaw in the city must be understood. But hark, someone comes.’
Umia stood straight. There came a single knock at the only door into the chamber. He called out, ‘Yes?’ and a young officer walked in, a chief Triader administrator in orange breeches and a grey cloak with two dorsal fins, her brown fuzzlocks tied back with a black ribbon. She said, ‘Reeve, I bring the report as promised.’
Umia waved at her impatiently. ‘Read it, read it.’
She took a scroll from an inner pocket and began to read. ‘Reeve, the report reads as follows–’
‘Get on with it!’
‘Second Deputy Ciswadra reports that a sonoplast has been engineered that uses fifty per cent of ambient sound to produce energy. The bacteria into which these sonoplasts were injected lived two minutes and thirty-six seconds before dying. The DNA of these sonoplasts has been analysed and a short section of the end group of bases is being altered. The new DNA will be tested inside the pyuter environment before being manufactured by micro factories. The side effects are that the equipment in which the bacteria lived was transformed to yellow plastic. However, the glass was transmuted successfully. First Deputy Heraber is of the opinion that in a few weeks a bacterium will be created that can be released into the city.’
Umia waved away the administrator. He sat at his desk, chin on hands, a dejected expression on his face. ‘What shall I do?’ he asked himself.
Soon he heard the voices again. He could not tell from where they came, or even if they were real, though they seemed real. Lune said, ‘Umia, your great time is approaching. If the sonoplasts are efficient enough the glass wave can be turned back and Cray can be saved. Doubt not that the luminophage units create this glassy plague in their dark night masses, create transparency in their luminophagous frenzy, thereby to bring more light to themselves.’
But Gaijin responded, ‘You I advise otherwise, O Reeve. Lune is not to be trusted. Gnosticians are evil beasts. They work with glass. They hold one of the keys.’
Umia said, ‘Lune, glass becomes opaque if it is thick enough! Why should I believe you, why should I believe this story of making transparency to pass more light?’
‘This is the heart of luminophage strategy, Umia. Light is energy. If it is halted, the organism dies. In creating an almost completely transparent environment the organism makes conditions that are most beneficial for itself, thereby to survive and pass on its silicon genes. Cray is a city overpowered by noise. Since you cannot use light energy, you must use sound, and if you succeed you will halt the glass and create day from night.’
Gaijin scoffed at this, saying, ‘Noct is our epitome, O Reeve, and you are tied to Noct. May you never leave this chamber while you are Reeve and the scion of Noct? No you may not! There exists a hierarchy of people to do your will – stern, tough, so there is no softness. For softness kills, O Reeve. Noct and you are hard as night.’
Umia paced around his chamber, before turning to the black statue and staring up into its ebony face. Only the opal eyes and lips were not black. ‘Save me, Noct!’ he cried. ‘Each new Reeve kills the previous Reeve. I killed your previous servant and chucked her body down below for the plants to suck on. I did that. Save me now and never let anybody enter this chamber carrying a weapon.’
‘Hands strangle,’ Gaijin pointed out. ‘Boots kick heads in. Teeth rip out throats, bite eyes. Hands stuff tongues down throats, cave in windpipes–’
‘Noct,’ Umia said, ignoring Gaijin, ‘I am not afraid of somebody coming for me, but I do fear being unable to carry on. Succour my talent Noct, let me continue, let me remove the accursed loping purple invaders for ever.’
Umia walked away from the statue and collapsed into a chair,
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