moments before answering.
"I understood that the spell was very dangerous," he said, "commanding extremely high energies."
"It does," Galen said.
Gowen tapped his thick fingers against one another.
"The answer would depend on many things, as I'm sure you know. How precisely can you control the size and location of the sphere?"
"Fairly precisely."
"Fairly isn't good enough. You'd have to make sure the sphere didn't nick anything it shouldn't nick. If sections of blood vessels were removed, the ends would need to be sealed.
The other big question is what effects the spell would have on the surrounding tissue. I remember when you first cast the spell, in the training hall on Soom. It seemed to generate great distortions of space and time. I don't think I'd be comfortable having something with that magnitude of energy in my body, even if just for a moment. Not without a lot more testing.
"You could try it on tissue cultures, to start. Or molds or bacteria. They would give you a better sense of your accuracy and any gross side effects. Though that still wouldn't tell you the particular effects on more complex organisms."
Galen had considered doing tests on tissue cultures, but he feared losing control once he started conjuring the spell of destruction, as he had on Thenothk. Once that great rush of energy came down upon him, once the brilliant incandescence sang along the meridians of his tech, he didn't know if he'd be able to stop. If he was to cast the spell, he dared cast it only a single time.
Gowen was simply confirming what Galen had thought: The idea was very dangerous and he was not sufficiently prepared to execute it.
"Give me an example," Gowen said.
"How might one – theoretically – use this?"
Galen knew he was treading on dangerous ground, but he continued.
"Imagine you had a tumor somewhere very hard to reach, such as in the spinal column."
He conjured a scan of his own spinal cord in the air between them.
"Say it was here, where this strand of tech ends, and just that size. And one wanted to remove it."
Gowen studied him.
"That is a difficult place to reach with conventional surgical methods. But not impossible. I would be worried, using your method, that bits of the surrounding nerves could be captured within your sphere, and those nerves severed. Even if you could assure that wouldn't happen, the nerves might be traumatized by the procedure and severely damaged. Repair might eventually be possible, but if it were me, I'd rather go with traditional procedures in the first place. The risks are lower and better understood."
Galen nodded.
He could ask no more, or he would reveal his intentions. The corners of Gowen's mouth turned slightly upward, giving him a pained expression.
"I know that you once wanted to be a healer, and I admire your attempt to turn something destructive into something constructive. That is to be commended. In this case, however, I think the risks outweigh the benefits. Traditional mage healing, or even current surgical procedures, can accomplish similar work I would only resort to such a technique if it was the only one available."
He fell silent then, his gaze returning to the image in the air between them. Galen could see him beginning to put the pieces together. With a distracting movement of his hand, Galen dissolved the image.
"Thank you for your help. I knew it was an unlikely thought. I just needed to hear that from someone else."
He stood, trying to bring the conversation to an end.
"I wish I could be more optimistic. I hope you don't give up the attempt to find positive uses for your spell. I know they must exist, for the tech is our special blessing, bequeathed to us by the Taratimude, and it is meant to lead us to good."
Gowen smiled, his face filling with expectation and hope.
"In tapping into the basic powers of the universe, the tech, by its very nature, carries potentials that are both extremely destructive and extremely constructive. It can be
"I understood that the spell was very dangerous," he said, "commanding extremely high energies."
"It does," Galen said.
Gowen tapped his thick fingers against one another.
"The answer would depend on many things, as I'm sure you know. How precisely can you control the size and location of the sphere?"
"Fairly precisely."
"Fairly isn't good enough. You'd have to make sure the sphere didn't nick anything it shouldn't nick. If sections of blood vessels were removed, the ends would need to be sealed.
The other big question is what effects the spell would have on the surrounding tissue. I remember when you first cast the spell, in the training hall on Soom. It seemed to generate great distortions of space and time. I don't think I'd be comfortable having something with that magnitude of energy in my body, even if just for a moment. Not without a lot more testing.
"You could try it on tissue cultures, to start. Or molds or bacteria. They would give you a better sense of your accuracy and any gross side effects. Though that still wouldn't tell you the particular effects on more complex organisms."
Galen had considered doing tests on tissue cultures, but he feared losing control once he started conjuring the spell of destruction, as he had on Thenothk. Once that great rush of energy came down upon him, once the brilliant incandescence sang along the meridians of his tech, he didn't know if he'd be able to stop. If he was to cast the spell, he dared cast it only a single time.
Gowen was simply confirming what Galen had thought: The idea was very dangerous and he was not sufficiently prepared to execute it.
"Give me an example," Gowen said.
"How might one – theoretically – use this?"
Galen knew he was treading on dangerous ground, but he continued.
"Imagine you had a tumor somewhere very hard to reach, such as in the spinal column."
He conjured a scan of his own spinal cord in the air between them.
"Say it was here, where this strand of tech ends, and just that size. And one wanted to remove it."
Gowen studied him.
"That is a difficult place to reach with conventional surgical methods. But not impossible. I would be worried, using your method, that bits of the surrounding nerves could be captured within your sphere, and those nerves severed. Even if you could assure that wouldn't happen, the nerves might be traumatized by the procedure and severely damaged. Repair might eventually be possible, but if it were me, I'd rather go with traditional procedures in the first place. The risks are lower and better understood."
Galen nodded.
He could ask no more, or he would reveal his intentions. The corners of Gowen's mouth turned slightly upward, giving him a pained expression.
"I know that you once wanted to be a healer, and I admire your attempt to turn something destructive into something constructive. That is to be commended. In this case, however, I think the risks outweigh the benefits. Traditional mage healing, or even current surgical procedures, can accomplish similar work I would only resort to such a technique if it was the only one available."
He fell silent then, his gaze returning to the image in the air between them. Galen could see him beginning to put the pieces together. With a distracting movement of his hand, Galen dissolved the image.
"Thank you for your help. I knew it was an unlikely thought. I just needed to hear that from someone else."
He stood, trying to bring the conversation to an end.
"I wish I could be more optimistic. I hope you don't give up the attempt to find positive uses for your spell. I know they must exist, for the tech is our special blessing, bequeathed to us by the Taratimude, and it is meant to lead us to good."
Gowen smiled, his face filling with expectation and hope.
"In tapping into the basic powers of the universe, the tech, by its very nature, carries potentials that are both extremely destructive and extremely constructive. It can be
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