Timothy Zahn - Angelmass

"How many others were in there with you?"

Kosta shook his head. "They told me I was the only one," he said. "But the asteroid was pretty big.

There might have been... maybe there were more."

"Was yours the only asteroid they dropped?"

"Again, that's what they told me," Kosta said. "But I don't really know."

"So in other words, they could have dropped off an entire commando task force with you and you'd never have known the difference," Forsythe concluded heavily. "Is that what you're saying?"

"I guess so," Kosta conceded. The pieces were starting to come together now, into a decidedly unpleasant mosaic. "It's interesting. Several times over the last few months I've wondered why they sent me. I'm not a professional spy, I don't know much about Empyreal culture, and I'm not good with social situations anyway. I didn't even have more than a few weeks' training."

"So why did they send you?" Forsythe asked.

Kosta swallowed. "I think they meant for me to be quickly caught," he said. "Probably thought that if you caught one spy it would quiet any suspicions about what the Komitadji had been doing at Lorelei."

"While the rest of the commandos planned to take or destroy the nets?"

Kosta shook his head. "I don't know what else they had planned."

For a moment Forsythe didn't answer. "No, I suppose not," he said. "The sacrificial lamb usually doesn't get to sit in on the wolves' strategy sessions, does he?"

There was a hesitant knock at the door. It opened, and Pirbazari stuck his head inside. "Sorry to bother you, High Senator," he said. "But you wanted to be kept informed of the situation at Angelmass."

"Go ahead," Forsythe said, his eyes still on Kosta.

"Its orbit has dipped some more," Pirbazari said. "Latest calculation shows that it could be close enough to threaten Angelmass Central in as little as four days."

"Four days?" Forsythe repeated, frowning. "I thought you said it would be a couple of weeks."

"It's moved deeper since then," Pirbazari explained. "That means it's picked up more speed."

"It also means it may have moved too deep to be a problem to Central," Forsythe pointed out.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Pirbazari's mouth tightened. "The thing is, the orbital dip doesn't seem to have been completely uniform. The astronomers think it actually moved out a bit at one point."

Forsythe turned to frown at him. "Moved out?"

"Yes, sir," Pirbazari said. "It was a little hard to tell—there was another radiation surge at the time that obscured some of the positioning data. But they're pretty sure."

"Which direction was the surge?" Kosta asked.

"You keep out of this," Forsythe ordered, throwing a brief glare back at him.

"I only thought that if the surge was inward, toward the sun, it might explain the outward movement," Kosta said. "Angelmass may have learned how to focus its radiation output and use it as a jet."

Forsythe had been looking at Pirbazari. Now, slowly, he turned back to Kosta. "What do you mean, learned how to focus its radiation?"

"An array of angels has certain characteristics of proto-intelligence," Kosta said. "Specifically, it shows the response curve of a classical Lantryllyn logic circuit. You can check on that with Che Kruyrov and Dr. Frashni at the Institute."

"What are you talking about?" Pirbazari asked. "What's a Lan-whatever logic circuit?"

"It was once thought to be the road to self-aware computers," Kosta said. "The point is that angels in a group show definite signs of intelligence; and over the past few years you've taken thousands of angels out of Angelmass. If you've left that same number of anti-angels behind, then it follows—"

"Hold it," Forsythe cut him off. "Anti-angels?"

"The angel anti-particle," Kosta said.

"Never heard of it."

"No one has," Kosta said. "But I'm convinced they exist."

He nodded his head toward the ceiling, in the general direction of Angelmass. "And if I'm right—and if anti-angels have the same potential for intelligence that angels do—then Angelmass itself may have become sentient."

Pirbazari shook his head. "This is ridiculous," he said. "We're talking about a black hole, not some two-year-old kid or even a well-trained chimp. How could it possibly be intelligent?"

"I know it sounds crazy," Kosta admitted. "But Angelmass's behavior is already defying all known black hole theory. This orbit-changing thing is only the latest example."

"So how would you go about proving it?" Forsythe asked.

"First step is to pin down the existence of anti-angels," Kosta told him. "I've put together some equipment that will hopefully be able to locate, identify, and capture one. While I'm doing that, we need Dr. Frashni's team to get busy on larger angel arrays, to work on the intelligence aspect."

"I see," Forsythe murmured. "Well, we can certainly get Dr. Frashni busy on the second part. As to the first part..." He cocked his head slightly to the side. "We'll see who the Institute can recommend for that."

Kosta felt his throat tighten. "Sir, I already have the equipment ready. It would take someone else days to design and assemble their own version."

"Why can't they just use yours?"

Kosta waved a hand, a truncated gesture with the wrist cuffs anchoring his arms to the chair. "Most of the planning and procedure is in my head," he said. "I didn't have time to write anything down. It would take as long for me to brief someone on the technique as it would for them to start from scratch."

"Then they can start from scratch," Forsythe declared, standing up. "First things first, Zar. Have EmDef order a transport to Angelmass Central. The station's got three hours to evacuate."

"Yes, sir," Pirbazari said, an odd look on his face. "Sir, under the circumstances...?"

"We have to evacuate the station anyway," Forsythe said. "There's no reason we can't get the Institute busy on this, too."

Pirbazari grimaced, but nodded. "All right. Do you want Central's net left on?"

"Might as well," Forsythe said. "As Mr. Kosta suggests, we may want to get someone up there to check things out."

"High Senator, please," Kosta said in a low voice. "We can't afford to waste time."

"I'll be sure to mention that to Director Podolak," Forsythe said. "And when you've finished that call, Zar, you and the guards can escort Mr. Kosta to the EmDef military jail. I'm done with him."

"Yes, sir."

Pirbazari disappeared back into the outer office complex, closing the door behind him. "Ironic, isn't it," Forsythe commented, half to Kosta, half seemingly to himself. "For months I've been searching for a way to stop the flow of angels into the Empyrean. For a time, in fact, I even thought your research might be the key I needed."

He shook his head. "And so now you give me the key I've needed; just as the Pax begin their invasion. Funny how fast one's priorities can change, isn't it?"

He straightened up. "I'll give you one chance. Tell me what sort of Fifth Column arrangements the Pax has set up across the Empyrean, and I'll ask EmDef to be lenient with you."

"I wish I could, sir," Kosta said. "I really do. I don't want this war any more than you do. I can give you the location of the automated sleeper drop on Lorelei where I picked up my documents, but that's all I've got."

"Too bad," Forsythe said. "Normally, the court would probably hand down a life sentence for the crime of espionage. Considering that we're at war, I suspect they'll opt for summary execution instead." Turning, he started for the door.

It was odd, Kosta thought distantly, to hear a sentence of death being handed down to you. Odd, because at that moment his own life didn't seem to matter. In his mind's eye he could see the blazing fury that was Angelmass, moving impossibly about in its orbit, threatening hunterships and Angelmass Central.