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As the rock silences the sea, the One in one silences the universe

- Kerro Panille, Translations from the Avata

LEGATA PUT her shuttle on auto at the Redoubt station She leaned back into her couch and watched the shoreline sweep past beneath her This time was her own It was early dayside and she did not have to deal with Oakes or Lewis just yet, nor with de to do but watch, relax and breathe easy

Hylighters!

She had seen them on holo, and a few had skirted Colony while she was there, but these hung no more than two hundred meters from the plaz in front of her

Ship’s teeth! They’re huge!

She counted twelve of the as her shuttle Their bronzed orange sails caught the wind and they tacked in unison, alh the membrane of their sails shimmered rainbows all over theainst their bodies They each held a ballast-rock with their two longest tendrils The larger ones allowed the rocks to drag in the sea, for up on the shifts of wind As her shuttle settled into its final glide-path, she sao of the shters separate from the rest, pick up speed and sla Oakes’ private garden

Garden, she shuddered at the thought of the word

The boulders had no effect on the plaz - she could crash her shuttle into it and it hters disappeared in a flash so bright that for a few blinks she was blinded When her vision cleared, she saw that her shuttle was down and linked with the entry lock, and that the two exploded hylighters had been a diversion The others, all larger, slammed their rocks into the walls and plaz of the Redoubt where it had already been daed by the clones Each boulder chipped off a few s before the sentries focused on the sails The other hylighters too, went up in a flash The largest one was so close to the shuttle station when it exploded that it took part of the control tower and rigging with it

They give their lives for this, she thought They are either very foolish or very noble

Several parts of the grounds were in fla the fires Lewis beckoned her from the plaz verandah at Oakes’ quarters and it was only then that she noticed the scorchmarks across the dome of her shuttle

She opened her hatch and stepped out between two sentries who escorted her along the covered way to the Redoubt There was a strong taint of chlorine lingering over everything

At least we don’t have to worry about Runners, she thought

Over the chlorine she caught the sea-smell from the beach, and saw that the tideline had moved down several meters from its usual mark The damp sand left behind ar in wisps over the rocks and the sea She did not look at Lewis until she stepped up to the verandah

"Legata," he offered his hand, "how are you?"

The searching expression in his eyes told her all that she needed to know

So that’s why I’ht He wants to explore my curren utility before Oakes arrives

"Quite well," she said, "that was a wonderful display the hylighters put on Did you arrange it just for ed it, it wouldn’t have cost us dae we can’t afford"

He led her inside and closed the hatch behind the her further inside, away frorounds, the repairs

"Not irreparable Would you care for soe, fanlike ears walked past theun

"No, thank you, I’ata’s response, the woman turned, looked her full into the eyes as if she wanted to say soata re cry of the clone revolt had been I’ry now! and she was embarrassed

"Those ear why?"

"She can hear a Hooded Dasher at a hundred e Attractive, too, don’t you think?"

"Yes," Legata said coldly, "quite"

She noticed that Leas still lih she was curious about details of the revolt, she didn’t ask She countered by not dropping the subject

"How reparable is ’not irreparable’?"

Lewis dropped his cordiality and assumed his usual businesslike air

"We lost most of our clone work force Fewer than half of those re replacements from Colony and the ship, but that’s sloork Two of the finished hangars are badly da, holes in the walls The clones’ quarters have their exterior walls and hatches intact, but the interiors are coht Let ’em sleep on the piles of plaz"

"What about this building?"

"Took soe back where the clones’ quarters join with the storage area They got into the kitchen but that’s where we sealed them of"

"You sealed thelanced away froer and she was reminded of Oakes when he was nervous When it became obvious that he wouldn’t answer, she nodded

"After you discovered chlorine killed the Runners, how long before you released it aata, you weren’t here You didn’t see what they wer"

"How long?"

He looked her in the eyes, but did not answer

"So, you killed them"

"Runners killed them"

"But you could’ve killed the Runners"