The robot Brannock addresses Kalava and his men:
"'Hear me. There is war in heaven. I am cast away from a battle, and enemy hunters may find me at any time. I carry a word that must, it is vital that it reach a certain place, a...a holy mountain in the north. Will you give aid?'" (p. 203)
Brannock reflects to himself:
"This must be a business of high importance; and the implications went immensely further, a secession from the galactic brain. His job was to get the information to Wayfarer." (p. 208)
I would not have thought that conflict was possible between post-organic intelligences as described but Poul Anderson finds a way: a secession from the galactic brain.
Ilyanda the Vilku wisely asks Brannock how they can know that he is of the gods but he proves that he is from the stars by displaying his knowledge of the usually cloud-hidden sky: the constellations, the ecliptic, the precession and the Great Comet. The Vilkui know of these things through centuries of observation.
"'...he is from the stars. Trust him. We, we dare not do otherwise.'" (p. 203)
As a matter of fact, the galactic brain might judge that Gaia was wrong to re-create humanity. On the other hand, the solution would not be extermination.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I agree, while the extra-Solar AIs might well judge it was wrong of Gaia to bring back mankind, if the human race had CHOSEN extinction, what Gaia had done could not be reversed without doing harm. So, however Gaia might be punished, the humans would be left alone, to decide their own fate, wisely or foolishly.
Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment