The Dreaming Void (85 page)

“Edeard, sit back,” Kanseen ordered sternly.

“Where is he? Where's Arminel?”

“Stop it.”

He clambered to his feet, swaying slightly as he looked around, taking deep breaths. The edge of the pool was crowded with people, all looking down at the mooring platform. He turned toward Birmingham Pool. Most of the gondolas had come to a halt as the drama played out.

One was moving—fast.

Edeard blinked the salty pool water from his eyes, sending his farsight lashing out.

Arminel was standing on the gondola's middle bench. He gave Edeard a rueful shrug, his thoughts glowing with cheery regret. It was as if he had lost a football game. Nothing more, certainly nothing important. They'd play another game one day, and that time the result might be different.

Edeard's rage left him, dropping away like the water dripping off his soaking clothes. He felt eerily calm.

One of the gondoliers looking over Macsen's shoulder took a frightened step backward.

“Edeard?” Kanseen said in a subdued voice.

He had not known such a thing was possible; he simply did it. There was no choice. As before, Arminel's gondola was moving too quickly. They'd never catch him, never bring him to justice. Edeard's third hand reached out to the water beside the mooring platform and steadied it.

“I'm finishing this,” he declared forcefully. “One way or another.”

Edeard stepped on the patch of water he was controlling. An astonished gasp went up from the spectators around the edge of Birmingham Pool. Edeard grinned viciously and took another step. Another. He moved his third hand's grip smoothly, always keeping the leading edge of the stabilized patch just ahead of himself.

Arminel's humor shattered. At the rear of the gondola, the two gondoliers stopped maneuvering their punts and stared fearfully as Edeard walked across the pool toward them. There was absolute silence as he strode purposefully to the craft. Every gondola in Birmingham Pool was stationary. Gondoliers and passengers stared in awe and trepidation as Edeard walked past.

“Move!” Arminel yelled furiously at the gondoliers. “Get us out of here.”

They did not respond. The two gang members sitting on the bench with Arminel slowly put their hands up and edged away from Arminel.

Edeard was ten yards away when Arminel dropped a hand to his waist, where the revolver was tucked into his belt. He could sense the man's uncertainty, his fright. The animal backed into a corner. Nobody had any choices left now.

As he covered the last few yards to the gondola, Edeard opened his mind and longtalked with all his might. “SO THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS. SO THAT NO JUDGE OR LAWYER IS IN ANY DOUBT OF THIS DAY.” And he gifted them his sight.

Makkathran, from the Mayor in his Orchard Palace down to the sailors in the port district, saw a gondola with four men cowering, hands clamped over their ears. The fifth man stood straight, loathing on his face as his hand gripped the revolver sticking out of his belt. They felt Edeard's mouth move. “Okay, gang man, your time in this city is over. If you think different, give it your best shot.”

Arminel brought the revolver up. Makkathran en masse flinched as the muzzle steadied not two feet from Edeard's eyes.

“Fuck you,” Arminel snarled. He pulled the trigger.

The single unified scream that rang out from the city later was said to be heard halfway across the Iguru plain. When they all gathered their breath and realized they were still alive, they saw the bullet. It floated motionless six inches in front of Edeard's face.

Edeard's mouth moved again, this time into a thin smile. Arminel's expression was frozen in shock.

The last of the gifting allowed Makkathran's citizens to experience Edeard shaping his third hand into a fist. He slammed it forward into Arminel's face. Bone went crunch as the man's nose broke. Blood spurted out. His feet left the bench as he was thrown backward. He landed with a mighty splash in the water, which closed over him.

“You're all under arrest,” Edeard announced.

         

It was pandemonium on the side of Birmingham Pool as the gondola made its steady way to the mooring platform where Kanseen, Boyd, and Macsen waited. On the Jeavons side they were crammed fifteen deep around the edge. Frenzied kids were running over the blue and silver bridge from Golden Park, hanging over the railings, cheering and waving. Over a hundred constables stood behind the mooring platform waiting; half of them were Dinlay's family. People still were pouring out of the surrounding districts into the alameda to see history as it unfolded. Bolder lads were shinnying to the top of the hasfol trees to get a better view.

Edeard walked slowly behind the gondola, praying to the Lady that he wouldn't screw up now, that his telekinetic strength would hold out and he would not fall ignominiously back into the water. Out there in the crowd surrounding the pool he saw Setersis and Kavine standing in front of a big contingent of Silvarum market stall holders, leading the applause. A huge array of well-groomed family girls greeted him with shrill saucy laughter as they flashed their petticoats and bloomers. Isoix and his family were there. Evala, Nicolar, and all the girls from the dressmakers were waving frantically and screaming to attract his attention. He even thought he saw Dybal and Bijulee laughing excitedly among the crowd, but by then he definitely was feeling tired.

The gondola's prow touched the mooring platform. Constables steadied it. Captain Ronark quickly took charge. Chae and several of the largest constables from Jeavons station handcuffed Arminel and his accomplices. A path was cleared across the alameda, and the prisoners were marched back to the station.

Edeard finally stepped up onto the platform. His legs nearly gave out. He was trembling from exertion. Captain Ronark snapped to attention and saluted him. Kanseen gave him a huge kiss, to the delight of the crowd. “You Lady-damned idiot,” she whispered into his ear. “I'm so proud of you.” Macsen pounded his back. Boyd gave him a fierce hug.

“Dinlay?” Edeard asked.

“The doctors have him,” Macsen yelled above the thunderous sound of the crowd. “He'll be okay. The bullet didn't hit anything vital. Not that he's got anything vital in that area.”

“You scared the living crap out of us,” Boyd said, wiping the tears from his eyes. “What a stunt, you madman.”

“Look around you, Edeard,” Kanseen said. “Make sure you see it all. This will be the day you tell your great-great-grandchildren about.”

“Wave to them, you dick,” Macsen ordered. He grabbed Edeard's hand and held it high, waving and shouting wordlessly.

The cheer that erupted as Edeard grinned sheepishly up at the worshipful horde was scary in its power. The mental strength of so many people united in veneration was overwhelming, verging on a physical force. His grin broadened as Macsen swung him around so that those on the other side of the alameda could see him.

“If there was an election today, you'd be Mayor,” Boyd said.

“Listen to them,” Macsen said. “They love you. They want you. You!” He laughed uproariously.

Edeard stared over at the blue and silver bridge, convinced the kids hanging over the railing would fall, they were leaning out so far. They were chanting something. At each call, their fists punched the air in unison.

“What's that?” Edeard asked. “What are they saying?”

“You,” Kanseen shouted back. “They're calling for you.”

Then Edeard heard the cry in full and laughed.

“Waterwalker,” the crowd chanted in adoration. “Waterwalker. Waterwalker. Waterwalker.”

The end of

THE DREAMING VOID

Book One of the Void Trilogy

         

The story will continue in Book Two.

The following time line gives an overview of events that take place in the 1,500 years between the Commonwealth Saga (
Pandora's Star
and
Judas Unchained
) and the Void Trilogy.

2384
—First “lifeboat” (a Brant Dynasty starship) leaves to found human colony outside Commonwealth.

2384
—Firewall project concluded; no further outposts of Prime aliens detected.

2385
—Barsoomians advocate Advancer genetic concept, declare Far Away politically independent from Commonwealth.

2403
—Paula Myo wins final appeal in Senate Supreme Court to have Gene Yaohui serve a 1100-year suspension sentence.

2413
—Last (twenty-third) original dynasty lifeboat departs on colony-founding flight.

2518
—End of post–Starflyer War economic recession as New47 worlds approach completion, resettlement taxes reduced.

2520
—CST forms starship exploration division to scout new H-congruous worlds.

2520–2532
—Second47 populations emerge onto their new worlds.

2545–onward
—Use of large starships to establish Commonwealth “External” worlds in phase 3–5 space, extending approximately 500 light-years out from Earth.

2547
—The Cat establishes her Knights Guardian movement on Far Away.

2550
—Commonwealth Navy Exploration fleet founded to explore the galaxy beyond Phase 5 space.

2552–3450
—Contact made with forty-seven sentient (physical-stage) species across the galaxy.

2560
—Commonwealth navy ship
Endeavor
circumnavigates galaxy, captained by Wilson Kime; discovery of the Void.

2603
—Navy discovers seventh
High Angel
–type ship.

2620
—Raiel confirm its status as ancient galactic race that lost a war against the Void, builders of
High Angel
ships, which are transgalactic arks.

2652
—Paula Myo arrests the Cat; riots on Far Away.

2653
—The Cat sentenced to 5,000 years in suspension.

2833
—Completion of ANA first stage on Earth; Grand Family members begin memory download into ANA rather than to SI.

2856
—ANA begins to contact other postphysical entities in the galaxy.

2867
—Sheldon Dynasty gigalife project partially successful; first human body biononic supplements for regeneration and general iatrics.

2872
—Start of Higher humans, biononic supplements allowing a culture of slow-paced long life, rejection of commercial economics and old political ideologies.

2880
—Development of weapons biononics.

2913
—Earth begins absorption of “mature” humans into ANA; the inward migration begins.

2934
—Knights Guardian adopt Higher biononic technology.

2955
—Phase one worlds now predominantly Higher culture.

2958
—Contact with Hancher homeworld (Tochee species) 8,640 light-years away, on the other side of the Eagle nebula (7,000 light-years).

2967
—First Knights Guardian downloads memory into ANA.

2973–3060
—Commonwealth Navy helps defend Hancher homeworld against the Ocisen Empire expansion waves.

2984
—Formation of Radical Highers, who wish to convert the human race to Higher culture.

2991
—Establishment of the Protectorate, an anti-Higher movement, on External worlds.

3001
—Ozzie produces uniform neural entanglement effect known as the gaiafield.

3040
—Commonwealth Navy exploration fleet joins Centurion Station, the Void observation project supervised by Raiel, a joint enterprise among over thirty alien species.

3084
—Nonincursion treaty agreed to between Hancher homeworld and Ocisen Empire.

3088
—Military assistance agreement inaugurated between Hancher homeworld and Commonwealth Navy, enforcing nonincursion.

3120
—ANA officially becomes Earth's government; planetary population fifty million (activated bodies) and falling.

3150
—Ellezelin settled, 420 light-years from Earth; procybernetic capitalist Advancer culture.

3255
—Radical angel arrives on Anagaska; Inigo's conception.

3290
—Ellezelin opens wormhole to Tari, 15 light-years away; start of Ellezelin Free Market Zone.

3320
—Inigo goes to Centurion star system.

3324
—Inigo settles on Ellezelin, founds Living Dream movement, begins construction of Makkathran2.

3338
—Ellezelin opens wormhole to Idlib.

3340
—Ellezelin opens wormhole to Lirno.

3378
—Ellezelin opens wormhole to Quhood.

3407
—Ozzie departs Commonwealth for the Spike to build a “galactic dream.”

3456
—Living Dream movement has over five billion followers in the External worlds, very strong across Ellezelin Free Market Zone.

3466
—Ellezelin opens wormhole to Agra (last planet to be joined to the Core of the Free Market Zone).

3478
—Living Dream becomes majority party in Ellezelin Parliament (72 percent); converts planet to hierocracy; Makkathran2 becomes the planetary capital.

3520
—Inigo “rests” from public life; Cleric Council assumes guidance of Living Dream.

3587
—Fragments of Second Dream appear in the gaianet.

3589
—Ethan elected as Cleric Conservator; announces Pilgrimage.

By Peter F. Hamilton

Great North Road
Manhattan in Reverse and Other Stories
Pandora's Star
Judas Unchained

THE VOID TRILOGY
The Dreaming Void
The Temporal Void
The Evolutionary Void

THE NIGHT'S DAWN TRILOGY
The Reality Dysfunction
The Neutronium Alchemist
The Naked God

THE GREG MANDEL TRILOGY
Mindstar Rising
A Quantum Murder
The Nano Flower

Fallen Dragon
Misspent Youth
A Second Chance at Eden
The Confederation Handbook