The Ringworld Throne (r-3, r-1, tre-2, trt-3, rc-4) by Larry Niven

Author:Larry Niven [Niven, Larry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: sf

The Night People chatted as they walked back to the docks. Harpster said, “We should send something down ahead of our emissary. A bottle of fuel? Balanced to spill over? In case there are vampires between him and the fuse box. A quick fireball, poomf.”

Tegger didn’t feel like talking, and Warvia spoke not at all. They crawled under their awning and watched Grieving Tube and Harpster slink away.

Then Warvia took Tegger’s hand and slid out the other side of the awning. They ran softly to where the docks narrowed to become Rim Street. “We explored while you slept,” Warvia whispered. “Follow me.”

Tegger said, “I have to tell you about something.”

“On the ramp? I heard. You went mad. I went mad. We’re still mates. But, love, I do not see how we can go home.”

Tegger sighed, relieved that such a nightmare could be solved so easily. “Where, then?”

“I have half a notion. Come.”

They ran a zigzag path through a system of alleys, climbed through and along pipes to reach a higher level, working their way up.

Warvia led the way over the banquet hall and down, and farther up, and behind the chimney, and around, on their bellies now, toward a sound of metal being tortured.

The noise stopped.

Warvia gestured him back. She stood and stepped forth. “Very good. Now how will you get it down?”

Harpster and Grieving Tube finished lowering the great ceramic slab onto its back. They had cut it no more than a thumblength thick; it must be quite fragile, Warvia assumed. The front of it was a bronze web of intricate geometric form.

Harpster said, “We do love our secrets. Still, this slab isn’t going down unless in a cruiser. We’ll have to tell the Boss. So. How much do you know?”

“I saw you cutting it. Looked it over after you led Tegger away. What is it? Why do you want it?”

Harpster said, “We think it’s an eye and an ear and maybe other senses, too. We think it belongs to Louis Wu and his off-Arch companions.”

“We think they were the ones who recentered the sun,” Grieving Tube said. “That would make them immensely powerful. We could tell them how to use that power, if we could communicate with them—”

“But Louis Wu popped into some kind of flying tube. Later our sources saw that tube, or another such, hovering near the Shadow Nest. Night People elsewhere report more such webs. It must be for spying.”

Warvia asked, “You’ll try to talk to it?”

“We’ll try that. If nothing answers, then we’ll take it to where it can see what we want seen.”

“Tegger and I can’t go home,” Warvia said carefully. “If we had Night People to speak for us as heroes, we might find entry into another tribe of Red Herders. With that in mind, where do you intend to travel?”

Harpster began to bark laughter. Grieving Tube snapped at him. “Fool! They need not come all the way. Warvia, we—No, tell me this instead. How much shock can you stand?”

Warvia beckoned. Tegger came into view.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.