The Spheres of Heaven

the Omega level of the multiverse, two thousand days — more than six years — go by on Limbo. And time on Limbo runs sixty times as slow again as it does in our own universe. Two months pass here, one day passes there. So when you put those two factors together, if you spend one day on the Omega level three hundred and twenty-eight years go by in our universe. It was my plan to take the Mallies to the Omega level” — he glanced at Deb — “but Dag Korin had other ideas. He went in my place.”

Chan pulled a printed sheet from his pocket and illuminated it with his helmet lamp. “The General seems pretty upbeat about the whole thing. Here’s what he wrote to us: Benjamin Franklin is one of my heroes. He said he wished that he could be pickled in a barrel for a couple of hundred years so that he could see what the world was like when he came out. I feel the same way. And who knows? Maybe that’s what I’ll do. As soon as the Mallie ship emerges on the Omega level, I’ll tell them that I made a minor miscalculation, and we have to go back to Limbo and try again. I don’t think The One will kill me at that point — she will be relying on me. If they make the turnaround at once, say four hours Omega-time, and then they find a way to make an immediate jump through to our own universe — which they’re not about to learn from me, you can be sure of that — you’ll have fifty-plus years to get yourselves ready for their arrival, because time on Limbo runs sixty times as slow as it does on Earth, and the Omega level runs two thousand times slower than Limbo. I reckon that when they get there you should be able to organize a pretty strong welcoming party. But don’t damage the Mallie ship too much, because I plan to be on it. Actually, I suspect that long before I get there, you will have — well, you know my philosophy. I’m going to leave the rest of the thought to you.” Chan folded the letter. “The first time I met Dag Korin, he said that no matter what people tell you about old soldiers fading away, he didn’t want to be like that. He’d rather go down in flames. He also explained to us, several times, his philosophy. Generals and admirals who are lightyears — or universes — away from the battle should not try to control the action. So he won’t tell us what we have to do next. But he hints at it, with his comment that time on Limbo runs sixty times as slow as it does on Earth.”

Deb said suddenly, “You didn’t desert them. You knew we’d be going back. You always intended to go back.”

“Of course.” Chan could sense the tension lessening around the cabin. “Look at it this way. Chrissie and Tarbush have loads of supplies, enough for weeks. Eager Seeker is already living off the land, and Vow-of-Silence can survive for a long time without any food at all. Even if it takes three months to organize a rescue party, that’s only a day and a half on Limbo.”

“It will take less than three months,” the Angel said. “How long, engineer, before this ship has the power to send a signal?”

It took a second for Bony to realize that the Angel must be talking to him. A real engineer at last! “Just a few more minutes. We’re reaching a critical recharge point.”

“Very good. When that happens, we will send our signal. And we will exert our authority, as an Angel of Sellora, to requisition at once another ship; a ship, this time, equipped for a submarine environment and with defenses against Malacostracan attack.”

“Do you want to get back so quickly because you’re worried about Eager Seeker and Vow-of-Silence?” Elke asked. More than anyone else in the cabin she seemed at ease with the Angel.

“Not at all. They are more than able to look after themselves. What interests us — and them — is the further exploration of the multiverse and the potential of anti-gravity; plus, of course, the vast excitement of adding another species to the roster of known intelligences.”

“The bubble people?” Bony said.

“We were thinking more of the Malacostracans.”

“But they’re monsters ,” Bony protested. “Look what they did to Friday Indigo. And they blew our orbiters out of the sky without even waiting to find out what they were. And if we hadn’t escaped into the Link, they’d have destroyed us, too.”

“We see your point, of course, and we find it difficult to dispute.” The Angel’s synthesized voice managed a hint of sly satisfaction. “No such aggressive race should be allowed to mingle with civilized peoples. No one with a history of violence should be part of the community of intelligent beings. No race which has attacked another is worthy of consideration. Such a race should be kept in indefinite quarantine.”

Chan cleared his throat. “Well, actually, speaking on behalf of all of us …”

“The issue of quarantine will be the subject of discussion on a different occasion. We will say, however, that your actions on Limbo prove to us that humans are acceptable and even necessary participants in many Stellar Group affairs. The question to be resolved now is the composition of the group returning to Limbo.”

“Why, it will be us ,” Deb said. She glanced around at the others. “Won’t it? We started as a team, we’ll return as a team.”

“There are those present who may question that assumption.” The Angel turned, clumsily, so that its speech center pointed toward Chan Dalton. “We sense that you wish to offer thoughts on the subject.”

Chan shook his head and did not speak.

“Chan?” Deb said.

Danny Casement added, “You’re the one who brought us here. You organized the whole thing.”

“I did.” Chan looked not at Danny, but at Deb. “I dragged you here, but I think that was my mistake. I know we haven’t deserted Chrissie and the others. Someone will go back for them. But I don’t think we’re qualified to do it.”

“Of course we’re qualified!” Danny looked shell-shocked. “We’re the team, the original can-do kids. You always told us that.”

“I know what I said. We’re the team, the best there is. We’re up to anything that the starways can throw at us.” Chan stared around at the bewildered faces. “I believed all that myself. But just look at my miserable performance since we started. I brought you through the Link entry point without knowing where we were going. When we arrived, I didn’t know where we were. We escaped to our own universe — but only because this ship happened to be available. We left our own ship and half of our party behind. We’ve been like a bunch of children, meddling in affairs too complex for us. And all the special skills, the ones that I thought made us a perfect mix, what did we do with them? Deb is a weapons master, and she didn’t use any weapons” — Deb seemed ready to speak, then closed her mouth — “Chrissie couldn’t find uses for her magic. Tully didn’t talk to any aliens, nor did Tarbush. Danny was a wasted talent. The only one who had to do a good job was Bony, and that was because we messed up in every other way. As for me, I didn’t do one thing right. So let me ask you, are we qualified to go back to Limbo? Are we qualified to go anywhere ? Shouldn’t we leave it to people who know what they are doing?”

Deb Bisson moved to Chan’s side and took his hands in hers. She did not speak, and the reply, when it came, was from an unexpected source.

“Of course you are not qualified.” The Angel’s tone was chiding. “Faced with unknown dangers, no organism is qualified. It cannot assure its own survival, still less can it guarantee the rescue and safety of others. At most, an intelligent being can seek to minimize risks. However, your team is more qualified than anyone else. You performed vastly better than a team of Tinkers and Pipe-Rillas. Better, even, than an Angel of Sellora. And you did all this, without ever resorting to violence. We ask you — we implore you — to take your team again to Limbo.”

As the Angel paused, a buzzer sounded through the cabin of the Mood Indigo.

“Critical recharge point, all systems,” Bony said. “Nearly there. Wait for it.”

The lights came on, dim at first but brightening. An air circulator gave its preliminary moan. The display screens came alive, and from the control audio a puzzled human voice said, “Mood Indigo? This is the Tortugas access node. Is that the Mood Indigo ? We are receiving your signal and ship ID, but we show you as lost from the system a year ago.”

“A year!” Liddy exclaimed. “A whole year?”

“Something we have to get used to,” Chan said slowly. “With the multiverse, time is really relative.” He turned to Gressel. “I hear your request. But there’s another human expression I’ve never heard from any Angel: Put your money where your mouth is.”

“We have no mouth. However, we are familiar with the saying.”

“Then act on it. You beg us to return to Limbo. If we went, would you come with us?”

“Why, no. Certainly not.”