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"economics." They also flashed warning: it was their judgment that though the Bellatrixians were
compatible despite their amazingly alien nature, they were typical of the species of the larger Galactic
society. These species had concepts that were difficult to comprehend, even devastating. One that
completely eluded the great majority of Bands was "war." It seemed to relate to the attempt by one
species to degrade the welfare of another. Some few Bands had, by dint of deep study and prolonged
concentration, managed to assimilate this concept. They had then disbanded. Thus other Bands had
decided to leave that concept alone, and to remain generally clear of aliens.
"I know of these aliens," Rondl flashed. "Yet it seems to be part of a general, erratic background I
have. I also know of Mintakans and Sadors, and perhaps others if some key concept were to invoke
them from my secret memory. But until such invocation comes-"
The circle considered, and recommended in its viscous consensus that Rondl survey a wider range of
Galactic species. Some one among them might have the associations suggested by his vocabulary.
Then he could survey the particular Bands who had been in that region of space or who specialized in
studies of that species. One of them might turn out to be himself, or at least an acquaintance of his
former self. That would finally give him the information he was questing for: who was he?
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At length the circle disbanded, breaking up into its component entities. This was the way the spirit
circle was supposed to be: a special, superior entity, losing fragments of itself to the physical Bands,
recovering them when their separateness terminated. He understood that myth better now. But it
remained a myth: the greatest viscous circle of them all, a deific entity created in the likeness of the
most moving of living-Band formations. A really charming fantasy he almost wished he could believe
in.
Now they had a course of action: survey the alien contacts and look for a Band who had departed the
association of the specialists in particular alien relations. A tedious, unpromising chore, but necessary-
unless he preferred to travel out to the alien Spheres themselves, to see what matched his knowledge.
If there were a Mattermission unit-
A what? He lost it. Somehow he had had the notion he could blithely jump to far places without the
passage of time. Of course he could not do that! He could not go to any alien Sphere without
consuming years, and he lacked the patience for that sort of thing. They would have to research in a
library instead.
Except that the Bands had no libraries. This was yet another alien concept in his mind. A library was a
place where references existed, open to all persons interested. Books, tapes, holo-recordings-all alien
devices. There was nothing like that in this region of space.
Cirl, however, was not dismayed. "We shall go to the Education Nexus and question the instructors.
They have much broader experience, and will be able to help us."
Of course. Young Bands, like the youth of all sapient species, needed to be trained. Animals inherited
most of their vital patterns of behavior, but sapients had to be taught. Naturally the individuals with
the greatest stores of information were the ones to do the teaching. Maybe these instructors had taught
Rondl himself, and would remember him as a student. Maybe they had records-
"Records?" Cirl asked blankly as they flew back toward the planet. "What are they?"
Another anomalous concept! Aliens kept records; Bands did not. Material continuity was of little
importance; what counted was the immaterial continuity of the Viscous Circle. Since all the Band
information theoretically went to the group Soul eventually, no physical repository was needed. No
wonder the Bands were not recognized as a Galactic Sphere. They simply did not organize themselves
in conventional sapient fashion.
Yet as he considered this, Rondl was not at all sure that the other sapients of the Galaxy had the better
system. They discriminated against the Bands because the Bands were different. Difference was not at
all the same as inferiority.
Cirl was leading the way more slowly than she had on the way out, so that Rondl could use Dazzle as
a beam source for communication and rotate for convenient converse. They traveled on roughly
parallel lines and flashed back and forth. It was very pleasant, and Rondl found himself wondering
whether it was possible to increase that pleasantness.
"I found another gap in my information," he said. "Perhaps an awkward one."
"What is it?"
"I do not know how Bands develop romance." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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