Titans of Chaos

The ship was trapped in the ice, and Victor circled it slowly, bathing the waters in infrared andmicrowave radiation until she floated on a very small, steaming lake of dirty red water.

I turned and looked over the globe of the Fourth World from Sol, a blasted desert that had knownlife a million years ago, perhaps-or never. It had been so easy for us to get here. An impromptuexpedition, a bit of skylarking.

I was thinking of those poor humans, trapped on their world. Not unless they expended theirutmost, cleverly used the technology at their command, could they match what we hadaccomplished in a fortnight, and then only with months and years of genius devoted and treasureexpended, and with the toil, and sweat, and courage of multitudes.

They had the ability now. Why hadn't they come? Why hadn't someone planted a flag to defy thegrim black banner of Ares?

Were they content to remain trapped? I would not believe that of anyone.

Not until we were back aboard the Argent Nautilus, and I had Vanity check me for buggingdevices and Quentin for divination spells, did I tell them what had happened.

"They were too scared to meet me face-to-face. It was an elaborate illusion, and Boggin messed itup for me, showed me how it was being done."

Colin said, "I hope he is not on our side. That would make me barf."

I said, "He is not on our side. But he is not on Mavors' side either. Mavors cast a spell, a decree, afate on me. Imposed a moral obligation. On all of us. Boggin had a note in his pocket, telling mewhere to go to have it nullified."

"Where are we going, Leader?" asked Quentin.

I smiled at Vanity. "Hollywood!"

Her face lit up.

Love's Proper Hue

The reentry heat killed Victor's green metal clams, and his mood was grim as he spent an hourstripping them from the hull, because he felt responsible for life he had created. Vanity waspleased because her ship was silver-white again, and the painted eyes uncovered. I was pleasedbecause the clams, alive or dead, had been able to act like ablative tiles and had prevented ourwooden ship from going up like kindling.

Quentin seemed, not glad exactly, but relieved, that they were dead. "We don't need to worryabout what happens when you introduce a self-replicating nonorganic life-form into terrestrialecology," he murmured to me. I think he felt about Victor's mechanistic view of the world the wayI felt about Colin's passion-driven mysticism. He liked Victor, but did not like Victor's universe.