[R] Dariel aboard the _Arcas_
Bernard Hsiung
Dariel walked slowly down the corridor, carefully examining his
surroundings: a large structure constructed of dead vegetation, a
slight rocking motion, a faintly salty smell--a boat? No, larger.
There were seventy-something life forms in the immediate area. A ship.
He wondered what level of technology the people possessed. There was
a magnetic field--did they have compasses? Sextants? Star charts for
navigation? Astrolabs?
The flow of Power was confused here: a helter-skelter mish-mash
of lay lines, star fields, god-radiance, and extradimensional sources.
There were rigid patterns holding Power (archtypes?) and idle tendrils
of mental energy (psionics?). Were there technomages here? There was
sufficient structure to support them--in fact, almost every Framework
Dariel had ever experienced appeared to exist in this Place. He
sighed. He would definitely have to talk to a practitioner or twelve
to work out the best channels for his personal use.
Actually, now was the perfect time to return and interrogate Amaan;
he probably wouldn't be expecting a confrontation so quickly. Dariel
frowned thoughtfully. Who was that man with the sword whose actions had
resulted in his release? He had forgotten his manners; he hadn't even
offered his thanks. Come to think of it, if he had correctly evaluated
the magic-tech balance, he had left him at Amaan's mercy... Dariel
stopped in his tracks and ran back the way he came.
--
Comments, compliments, and complaints can be conveyed to ...
Bernie Hsiung (bshs...@eecs.umich.edu)