Ringworld's Children

Its master, barring the presence of a greater protector. Proserpina was greater than Hanuman. As a breeder, shed evolved closer to intelligence; the tree-of-life virus had done its work on a bigger brain. She had more experience too. But Tunesmith was brighter than she.

It was a bribe, letting him fly. Hanuman understood that well. He understood, too, that he was telling secrets with every move he made. Hanuman is a master pilot, and expendable. What has he flown? How much did she see? How much did she already know? She reclined, and watched.

He circled above land scoured bare and half-hidden beneath tiers of cloud. The hole had closed, but even now the atmosphere had not flowed in to fill the partial vacuum. He told Proserpina, "This would have spewed all the Ringworlds air to the stars. Tunesmith stopped it."

"How?"

"I may not tell."

"Good enough that he has a way. How did you come here? I saw no ship large enough for my sensing devices."

"I may not tell."

"Stepping disk. Louis Wu described them for the ARM. We must find one. Show me that wreckage."

Hanuman skimmed over the vast deflated balloon that had been Tunesmiths meteor plug — shed have found it without his help, of course — then hovered above the ruin of an ARM pressure tent. "Set down?"

"Yes."

They do

They moored the heavy ARM kitchen doc to the cargo grid, and lifted again.

The battlefield had been disturbed. Proserpina walked through it, observing first, then asking questions. Hanuman tried to see what she saw. The sonic hadnt left splashed projectiles or scorch marks. There was the ant-covered splash where Claus had died. Hoof prints: small herdbeasts had run through this place afterward. Prints of big hands and feet: scavengers had come to the smell of blood, and found nothing. The ARM lander had taken Clauss corpse.

The flycycle was upside down, resting on its rack and seat backs. There were more scavenger prints around it and on it. Ghouls had tried to fly it; Tunesmiths locks had held; theyd turned it into a joke.

Hanuman said, "Tunesmith is smarter than you. Why not let him play? Youve done that for ages."

"I must still be satisfied as to his fitness. I must speak to him."

The flycycle was too heavy for the strength of two protectors. Hanuman crawled under it. The vehicle lifted and righted itself. He turned the holoscreen on. Louis must have turned reception off and left the sender going. Now, how to hide the lightspeed delay, to conceal Tunesmiths location?

Hanuman saw no way. He said openly, "Now you may speak to Tunesmith. He ca

"Hes on the far side of the Arch? Conversation will be painful. Stet, Ill begin. Tunesmith!" and she howled what Hanuman had given as his true name. "You have been meddling with the basic design of the Ringworld. You must have surmised my existence. Call me—" followed by a decidedly unmusical sound. "I reside in the Isolation Zone. Louis Wu and your pilot are both safe. Louis Wu is injured and healing. We hold Tec Roxa

"I want to trade secrets and promises with you. What I have to offer is some knowledge of the Ringworlds construction and history plus whatever I can get from Roxa

Proserpina paused, then said, "I must inquire as to the state of the Map of Earth. Tell me what you can. I give speech over to Hanuman."

Hanuman chattered at length. Meticulous descriptions of Proserpina, Roxa

When he stopped, it was not because Proserpina forced him to. He had given away every secret he knew, and Proserpina had not killed him to stop his mouth.

Proserpina climbed from the flycycle saddle. "How shall we occupy our time?"

"Lunch."

"Good."

They spread fruit on the grass and added a weasel carcass. Proserpina asked, "How do you suppose our guests are getting on?"

Hanuman ate a dwarf apple. He quoted something hed found in Needles library. " When the cats away, the mice will play. Did you leave them a boat? Anything that flies? No? Then theyll try to reach the Penultimates palace."

"Theres no access," Proserpina said.

"Not even for you?"

"I have mapped hypothetical routes, but I deem the risk unacceptable. The Penultimates inventions are nothing I cant evolve for myself. Hanuman, they are only breeders."

"They will search."

"Hello. Bored?"

"Yah."

"How are you entertaining yourself?"

"Counting up mistakes," Louis said. Theres another one. Youths dont remember enough mistakes. Did they? He didnt really recall. It had been too long.

"Are we still friends?"

"Sure, why not?"

She cocked her head, studying him for signs of sarcasm. "Luis, I want you to forgive me for shooting you."

"Okay."

"Tanj, youre easy. You could ask me to forgive you for Claus."

"Claus pretty much killed himself," Louis said.

"Your friend killed him."

"First chance he got. Stet, why not? Its a prisoners duty to escape. Why in the name of sanity would Claus hold a Kzin at gunpoint?"

"Thats war."

"Who declared war? Roxa

"What if you said no?"

He asked, genuinely curious, "Are you schitz?"

"What?… Not right now."

The ARM was ma

Louis didnt comment. Roxa

"Ah."

"But I can fly on psychomimetics. Im not getting them any more, but they were used in training." She shrugged it off. "Want to go for a walk?"

"I dont climb out of this thing for another two days."

"Youre going to love it. This place is the Garden of Eden. Theres nothing harmful, and God walks. Shes just gone away for a bit."

"Any idea where she went?"

"Nope. Why did she take the little ape? I thought it might be a pet. Then I thought, maybe it smells like a relative. What do you think?"

"Not a relative. No more than you or me."

There was silence. Then, "Luis, are we lovers?"

He smiled. "In this condition?"

"I saw her turn off the nerve block. Does it hurt much?"

"Not much. Aches." He watched her take her clothes off. His own must be back aboard Gray Nurse. Suddenly he felt helpless. He wondered what she would do if he said "No."

She ran her hands over his feet. "Feel that?"

"Yah."

Her hands moved upward, part massage, part caress. Where he winced in pain, her touch grew lighter.

The thrill never went away. Among the Giraffe People hed been too flustered and in too much of a hurry. When she climbed onto the ICC, he said, "You drop all your weight on me, Ill scream my head off."