"What precedes your ultimate discontinuity, f.a.n.n.y Mae?" McKie asked.
"All precedes ultimate discontinuity."
"Yeah, but are you headed toward this ultimate discontinuity?"
"Without choice, all head for ultimate discontinuity."
McKie mopped his forehead. The temperature inside the ball had been going up steadily.
"I fulfill demands of honor," the Caleban said. "Acquaint you with prospect. Sentients of your . . . planguinity appear unable, lacking means of withdrawal from influence of my a.s.sociation with Abnethe. Communication understood?"
"McKie," Furuneo said, "have you any idea how many sentients have used a jumpdoor?"
"d.a.m.n near everyone."
"Communication understood?" the Caleban repeated.
"I don"t now," McKie groaned.
"Difficult sharing of concepts," the Caleban said.
"I still don"t believe it," McKie said. "It squares with what some of the other Calebans said, near as we can reconstruct it after the messes they"ve left."
"Understand withdrawal of companions creates disruption," the Caleban said. "Disruption equates with mess?"
"That"s about it," McKie said. "Tell me, f.a.n.n.y Mae, is there immediate danger of your . . . ultimate discontinuity?"
"Explain imminent," the Caleban said.
"Soon!" McKie snapped. "Short time!"
"Time concept difficult," the Caleban said. "You inquire of personal ability to surmount flagellation?"
"That"s good enough," McKie said. "How many more flagellations can you survive?"
"Explain survive," the Caleban said.
"How many flagellations until you experience ultimate discontinuity?" McKie demanded, fighting down the angeret-reinforced frustration.
"Perhaps ten flagellations," the Caleban said. "Perhaps lesser number. Perhaps more."
"And your death will kill all of us?" McKie asked, hoping he"d misunderstood.
"Lesser number than all," the Caleban said.
"You just think you"re understanding her," Furuneo said.
"I"m afraid I understand her!"
"Fellow Calebans," the Caleban said, "recognizing entrapment, achieve withdrawing. Thus they avoid discontinuity."
"How many Calebans remain in our . . . plane?" McKie asked.
"Single ent.i.ty of selfness," the Caleban said.
"Just the one," McKie muttered. "That"s a d.a.m.n thin thread!"
"I don"t see how the death of one Caleban can cause all that havoc," Furuneo said.
"Explain by comparison," the Caleban said. "Scientist of your planguinity explains reaction of stellar selfdom. Stellar ma.s.s enters expanding condition. In this condition, stellar ma.s.s engulfs and reduces all substances to other energy patterns. All substances encountered by stellar expansion change. Thus ultimate discontinuity of personal selfdom reaches along linkages of S"eye connectives, repatterns all ent.i.ties encountered."
"Stellar selfdom," Furuneo said, shaking his head.
"Incorrect term?" the Caleban asked, "Energy selfdom, perhaps."
"She"s saying," McKie said, "that use of S"eye doors has tangled us with her life some way. Her death will reach out like a stellar explosion along all these tangled networks and kill us."
"That"s what you think she"s saying," Furuneo objects,,
"That"s what I have to believe she"s saying," McKie said. "Our communication may be tenuous, but I think she"s sincere. Can"t you still feel the emotions radiating from her?"
"Two species can be said to share emotions only in the broadest way," Furuneo said. "She doesn"t even understand what we mean by pain."
"Scientist of your planguinity," the Caleban said, "Explains emotional base for communication. Lacking emotional commonality, sameness of labels uncertain. Emotion concept not certain for Calebans. Communication difficulty a.s.sumed."
McKie nodded to himself. He could see a further complication: the problem of whether the Caleban"s words were spoken or radiated in some unthinkable manner completed their confusion.
"I believe you"re right in one thing," Furuneo said.
"Yes?
"We have to a.s.sume we understand her."
McKie swallowed in a dry throat. "f.a.n.n.y Mae," he said, "have you explained this ultimate discontinuity prospect to Mliss Abnethe?"
"Problem explained," the Caleban said. "Fellow Calebans attempt remedy of error. Abnethe fails of comprehension, or disregards consequences. Connectives difficult."
"Connectives difficult," McKie muttered.
"All connectives of single S"eye," the Caleban said. "Master S"eye of self creates mutual problem."
"Don"t tell me you understand that," Furuneo objected.
"Abnethe employs Master S"eye of self," the Caleban said: "Contract agreement gives Abnethe right of use. One Master S"eye of self. Abnethe uses."
"So she opens a jumpdoor and sends her Palenki through it," Furuneo said. "Why don"t we just wait here and grab her?"
"She could close the door before we even got near her," McKie growled. "No, there"s more to what this Caleban"s saying. I think she"s telling us there"s only one Master S"eye, the control system, perhaps, for all the jumpdoors . . . and f.a.n.n.y Mae here is in control of it, or the channel operation or . . ."