Part 18 (1/2)
”Nothing that makes sense,” F'ahl replied. ”You don't have to skew your whole city to use the field for navigation, and the field strength is far too weak to produce any effect on power lines or the like.”
”Unless it periodically surges,” Christopher mused. ”No, even then the design doesn't make any sense.”
”Maybe it has to do with their long-range communication system,” Telek suggested. ”Sending modulations along the lines of force or something.”
From a corner of the lounge Nnamdi looked up in irritation. ”I wish you'd all get off this idea that the Qasamans have to have broadcast communications,” he growled. ”We've already seen that Sollas is wired for both power and data transmission-that's really all they need.”
”With nothing between the cities?-not to mention all those little villages out there?” Telek retorted. ”Come on, Hersh-the isolated city-state concept may appeal to your sense of the exotic, but as a practicing politician I tell you it isn't stable. These people have calculators or even computers, as well as cars, machined weapons, and presumably something to use the runway we're sitting on.
They cannot simply have forgotten the basics of electromagnetic waves or unified government.”
”Oh? Then how do you explain the village walls?”
”How do you explain the cities' lack of them?” Telek shook her head irritably.
”We can't a.s.sume the villages are primitive and fight among themselves and at the same time say the cities are advanced and don't.”
”We can if there's no communication between city and village,” Nnamdi said doggedly. ”Or if the villagers are a different species altogether. I notice neither Moff nor Kimmeron has mentioned the villages at all.”
Pyre caught Telek's eye. ”It might be good to clear up that point.”
She sighed. ”Oh, all right.” Picking up the translator-link mike, she dictated a short message to the contact team. Pyre switched his attention back to the displays and waited for Cerenkov to raise the subject with Moff.
The wait wasn't long. The car was approaching one of the narrower cross streets, and as they reached the corner Joshua's implanted cameras showed the street was lined on both sides by permanent-looking booths, each displaying the seller's goods on a waist-high ledge beneath an open window. Dozens of people were already milling about, inspecting the merchandise or engaged in animated conversation with the sellers. ”This is the main marketplace for this part of
Sollas,” Moff said as the car pulled up behind others parked along the wide avenue. ”There are eight others like it elsewhere in the city.”
”Seems an inefficient way of marketing,” Rynstadt commented as they left the car and walked toward the bazaar. ”Not to mention uncomfortable in the winter or on rainy days.”
”The street can be sealed in bad weather,” Moff said, pointing upwards. Joshua looked, and Pyre saw that at the third-floor level on the flanking buildings were two long roof sections, folded drawbridge-fas.h.i.+on against the walls. ”As to inefficiency, we prefer to think of it as an expression of individual liberty and freedom. Lack of those qualities was the reason our ancestors came here originally. You've not said why your ancestors left the rule of the dynasties.”
”Oh, h.e.l.l,” Telek growled, grabbing for the microphone. ”Keep it non-political,
Yuri,” she instructed him. ”Sense of adventure or something.”
”We went to Aventine for various reasons,” Cerenkov told the Qasaman. ”The desire for adventure or to see a new world, dissatisfaction with our lives-that sort of thing.”
”Not political pressure?”
”Perhaps some came for that reason, but if so I'm not aware of it,” Cerenkov answered cautiously.
”Tell that to the First Cobras,” Pyre murmured.
”Quiet,” Telek shushed him.
The contact team and its Qasaman escort was walking among the other shoppers now. A mojo on one of the buyers squawked, causing Rynstadt to jerk to the side.
Pyre jumped in sympathetic response; he'd almost stopped noticing the ubiquitous d.a.m.n birds. ”Are all your goods from Sollas and the immediate area?” Cerenkov asked Moff as they pa.s.sed a stand featuring neatly packaged loaves of bread.
”No, our commerce extends to the other cities and villages as well,” the other told him. ”Most of the fresh fruit and meat comes from the villages east of here.”