n view far off the Ark Angel's port side were the ships of the Karbarran battle group； a school of predatory fish awaiting the scent of blood。
〃Evaluation；〃 Vince said； turning to find Louie Nichols headlocked to the room's p console。 Data…expedient or not； the sight of the wizard's cranial ports still left him distressed。
With an audible pop； Louis jacked the umbilicus out of the skull。 〃No doubt about it； they're mining the moon for metals。 Haydon IV's turned itself into a working factory。〃
Vince gestured to the viewport。 〃You mean those； those tubes are mine shafts？〃
〃In a manner of speaking；〃 Louie told him。 〃See； instead of parking yourself in orbit and shuttling payloads of raw materials up the gravity well； you construct transfer corridors ship…to…surface and suck up what you need。 A variation on the old space elevator or orbital tower concept。〃
〃But what the hell are they manufacturing？〃
Dr。 Penn and Cabell approached the console to hear Louie's response。
〃Ships would be my guess；〃 Nichols said； only to receive skeptical looks from the three of them。
〃Assume for a moment our theories about Haydon are on the money； then put yourself in his boots。〃 Louie stood up to make his point。 〃Here are Haydon and his crew wandering the spaceways for tens of thousands of years； jumping system to system； world to world。 And frankly； the whole thing's being a yawn。 They've conquered war； hunger； pestilence； disease； death 。。。 I mean； what's left to do？
〃So all at once they begin asking themselves some serious questions。 Like maybe if there isn't more to life than gallivanting around the galaxy playing deity to groups of awed primitives。 They start focusing on ontological and teleological questions about purpose and god and what's supposed to e after you punch exit and wave good…bye to your biological parts。 Of course they've been asking themselves these questions since they crawled up out of the gene pool； but all of a sudden there's an urgency attached to it。 It's a kind of what'd they used to call it？…a midlife crisis thing。〃
Louie took a breath and adjusted his opaque goggles。 〃Thing is； for all their investigations into existential metaphysics and such； for all their experiments with religion； sensory dep； mind…altering substances； and cyber…interface； they just can't seem to break through to any of the ethereal dimensions they figure must be out there or in there or somewhere。 After all； the math works； so where's the experiential side to the equation？
〃So Haydon gets the notion that maybe his or her or their race just isn't meant for transcendence…I mean； they're just not built for it。 They're psychically deficient or constitutionally deprived or something。 But that doesn't necessarily rule out the existence of these other realms or the possibility that some other race is capable of getting there。〃 Louie looked at Vince。 〃You following me so far； General？〃
Vince deliberated； then nodded。
Louis rubbed his hands together。 〃Okay。 So what they decide to do is see if they can't speed things along by scouting the galaxy for likely candidates and lending a helping hand wherever they can。〃 Louis motioned to Cabell。 〃They hit Karbarra； Praxis； Peryton…all the worlds you mentioned…adding something here； deleting something there。 Then they sit back to see what happens。
〃But…〃 Louie raised an index finger。 〃…we're talking millennia again。 So rather than risk a second yawn they decide to build themselves a world…that world；〃 Louie said； gesturing out the viewport； 〃to do the monitoring work for them。 And they equip the AI they've set up to run the place with instructions to call them when one of their experiments racial transmutation bears fruit。〃
Cabell saw where Nichols was headed and smiled knowingly。
Louie returned the grin。 〃Yeah； you see it。 The Karbarrans aren't cutting it； and neither are the Garudans or the Spherisians； but hey； what's going on over here in Optera's corner of the Fourth Quadrant？ Why； we got some kind of war going on here between the Invid and the Robotech Masters over those Flowers Haydon left behind。〃
Louie snorted a laugh。 〃Well； one thing leads to another； and the Invid arrive on Earth； mate with the Protoculture Zor conjured from their blessed Flowers； and bing； bang boom！ transcendence。 They soar clear off this mortal coil； and an alarm clock goes off on Haydon IV。 The Awareness says； ‘All right； all you slumbering spacefarers； it's rise and shine。 A trail's been blazed； and it's time to start settin' out for the new frontier。'〃
Vince and Harry Penn were hanging on his every word。 Gibley and the rest of Louie's teammates had gone back to playing video games。 Louie glanced at them and aimed a laugh at the ceiling。 〃So； I forget； where was I headed？〃
〃Ships；〃 Penn reminded him breathlessly。
〃Oh； right； ships。 Well； that's the obvious part； isn't it？ The Protoculture sure isn't going to get Haydon into the other domain。 Besides； there's none of the pure stuff left。 So what they need now is ships。〃
Cabell's forehead and bald pate wrinkled。 〃But if what you're saying is correct…if Haydon actually plans to follow in ships…the Invid's departure would have to have resulted in a detectable physical rend in the continuum。〃
〃That's true；〃 Louie said。 〃And I'm betting the Awareness will be programming the location of that rend into the ships Haydon IV's going to start spitting out。〃
Vince slapped a hand down on the table。 〃So all we need to do is hang around until Haydon shows up to claim the ships and tag along behind。〃
Louie nodded。 〃I don't think they'd mind a coupla hitchhikers； do you？〃
〃But we don't have any idea how long this process will take；〃 Penn protested。 〃Ships； slumbering spacefarers 。。。 The idea is absurd。 But even if all this is true； suppose Haydon does mind。 Suppose they don't want to share the discovery with outsiders。 What then？〃
Louie pondered that for a moment。 〃We've still got one other lead…the Invid simulagent。 We continue to put the squeeze on her until she talks。 Once we have the location； we can get a jump on Haydon's ships； beat 'em to the pass。〃
〃My God；〃 Vince repeated。 〃What have we gotten ourselves into？〃
〃That's unimportant；〃 Penn said。 〃The question should be phrased； What are we getting ourselves into？〃
Cabell tapped a finger against his lips and turned to the viewport。。。 〃There's one point Doctor Nichols still hasn't addressed。 Here is Haydon IV； joined to the mineral…rich moon of a dying system orbiting a gravitationally collapsed star。〃 He swung around to the room。 〃Inside which are Haydon and his race hiding？〃
Scott was not surprised when Obstat so willingly acceded a his request that Marlene be released in his custody。 Intel had made it clear what they were after； and Scott had in some sense bee their field agent。
They were in his quarters； side by side on the narrow bed； exhausted from stress and the fleeting sense of relief lovemaking had provided。 Try as he might； Scott could not push the image of Sera from his thoughts。 Marlene was so frail in his arms as to be intangible； and once more he had begun to fear for her life。 And he kept thinking about what Cabell had said about stars disappearing； the very fabric of the universe strained。 Was it that cosmic tightening that had finally brought him to his senses？ Had it required nothing less than gravitational collapse to bring Marlene to his arms？ She was almost asleep； but he felt the need to talk； as though spoken words forestall the inevitable。
〃These last few days have made me wish things had been went on Earth；〃 he told her in a whisper。 〃I wish I hadn't been so stupid and blind。 I wish we hadn't waited for this。。。'
Marlene raised her eyes to his； her long lashes fluttering against his bare chest。 〃Do you mean that； Scott？〃
He nodded and kissed her forehead。
〃And how would things have worked out； Scott？ Your love for me would have kept you from leaving？ You would have launched in your fighter only to return immediately to my arms？〃
〃Yes。〃
〃And we would have traveled together to the Southlands and pitched in to farm and restore the planet while you left it up to your friends to search for the SDF…3。〃
Scott's throat seemed to dry up。 To hear his wishes presented like that only undermined the sentiment and filled him with misgiving。 But he answered yes to all of it。
Marlene raised herself on one elbow to study his face。 〃Remember Sera； Scott。 You would have ended up alone。〃
He worked his jaw。 〃It wouldn't have mattered。 We would have had each other。〃
〃Like you had the Marlene Rush you can't forget？〃
〃Change it； then； goddammit！〃 he seethed。 〃Find the Regis and make it right for both of us！ Maybe your queen can have it end differently for you。 Then maybe we can have the dream you just laid out。〃
Marlene curled against him and took a deep； shuddering breath。 〃You're not making it easy for me to remember who and what I am；〃 she said softly。
His chest where the holo…locket used to rest was damp with her tears。 He squeezed her to him。 〃Tell me what I have to do； Marlene。〃
〃You have to stop loving me； Scott。 You have to stop treating me so human。〃
Elsewhere in the Ark Angel Minmei and the sister clones sang：