Stars and Gods
Larry Niven
Language: English
Pages: 368
ISBN: 0765308649
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Hand, or paint in a few tables full of noisy ciphers. A month ago we were doing all right: the Hand was cozy, everyone looked real, and not too many people wandered out while we played. We had a party after the show, a real good jam. I watched, listened, enjoyed. There were solo shots from the next day—some changes I made to the window views and recordings of original music I was modifying and changing. All new work, created in the ten virtual eeyears since my digital choice day. The work was
could look into myself and know what she must feel too. Fear and anger and angst. This wasn’t solvable. I wanted to hate her, or see her as software, or something, but, of course, she was me. I didn’t hate myself. Maybe I would before this was over. She went on. “I marked to the park, knowing you wouldn’t be there while you were singing. Someone came up to me, a nice-looking man, and said he wanted to talk. He knew me, I didn’t know him.” She sounded a little defensive. “I sat with him. He knew
cityscape streamed past her in a wall projection, as she tried to reconcile the irreconcilable. She had a theory that only an applied mathematician could like. The Gw’oth could have simulated everything—science, engineering designs, and development projects—until they were ready to put their plans into effect. With sufficiently massive computing power, models and calculations could replace much messy experimentation. She had taken basic science classes on Arcadia. Simulation was a much more
I’d like my sash back.” Omar chuckled. “You’ll get real clothes soon enough. Nessus said the robe on the ’doc would be a familiar touch.” Eric was now unbound, stomping his feet and massaging his wrists to stimulate the circulation. He paused long enough to bend over and flip his belt to Sigmund. “Use this.” Sigmund suddenly noticed that he did not cast a shadow. Neither did Omar. Eric and Sven, nearer the trees and thus out of sight of one line of suns, each had several shadows. Sigmund’s
bubbles changed shape as they crawled through the mass. Then (Chksh)-Wenshee Station rotated around and his view was blocked by cargo bays and spacecraft. Eric relaxed into his chair and watched. He passed between two huge ships—one as featureless as the hatbox shape he and Kimber had flown to Trine ten years ago, the other festooned with equipment and attitude jets and… and what might be weapons… a Christmas tree as built by the Grinch. More ships, tens of ships, and only three of them types he