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kindness to Her emissary."
She lowered her arms. "Please sit."
As they did so, and settled themselves, she looked at her notes, and suddenly
the words were all wrong.
She crumpled the papers into a ball, and looked into her heart to find what
should be said.
"Love," she said. "What is it? A feeling, an emotion, a pounding of the pulse,
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or something more?
Perhaps it's caring about another, a suspension of selfish desires, a
sacrifice to provide for the lives and needs of others. The Mother has shown
me the universe in our travels within the gong-shi-jie, and everywhere there
has been love. I've seen great clouds of molecules and dust. They are born
through the deaths of old stars, they live, then sacrifice their lives in
giving birth to new stars, beginning a new cycle.
They are part of First Mother.
"The stars themselves are a part of Her. They warm the planets that bear life,
and then they die, changing form, dispersing themselves to form new stars, new
planets, even life itself. The atoms of your bodies have come from the deaths
of stars. That is a gift to you. In death, the stars have taken on new forms,
and all are a part of First Mother.
"Death is change, and rebirth in new forms within The Mother, but as living
beings we have unique opportunities to show Her love, opportunities not
available to stars or planets or clouds of gas. We live, and First Mother is
within each of us. Every Empress, noble, skilled worker or unskilled, those
with jobs or without, every human being is a living manifestation of First
Mother. We are One within Her, and must care for each other, for The Mother
shares Her love equally among all of us.
"Your city is a marvel, and it has come from your special skills and efforts.
But you are still part of a whole, and it is Shanji. Do not forget your
neighbors, especially those less fortunate than you. With your success comes
the power and responsibility to show the love of First Mother within you. Do
not be caught up in the excesses of living once practiced by the nobles of the
old empire. Where you see poverty, eliminate it by sharing what you have. Care
for the sick, the elderly, all those who cannot work, or do not have the
skills you've been blessed with. As long as one needy person remains on
Shanji, the work of First Mother has not been completed here. Remember that in
the cycles of life, you could have been one of them."
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- Chapter 13
Kati paused, and suddenly, what she'd said seemed enough.
"This is the will of First Mother," she said solemnly, then smiled.
"I've had a wonderful visit here, and I hope to return regularly in the
future. Thank you so much for your kind hospitality."
There was no applause, only a respectful silence as she walked down the aisle,
Mengmoshu, then
Hanshou behind her. She touched a few hands, and saw a sea of smiles on both
sides of her.
Well?
Very good. You've anticipated a problem with the elitest attitudes that have
been developing here. You can be sure your words will be in their little books
by the end of the week.
Vans awaited them, the crowd outside parting for her, amulets waving. Hanshou
stayed behind, and she pressed his hand warmly. "You are a good person, Elder
Hanshou. Please keep what I said today in your heart, and practice it."
He was still bowing to her when the van pulled away. They drove straight to
the shuttle field at terrifying speed, Ming-hau at the wheel, and again to the
private hangar, boarding quickly after more thanks, compliments, and warm
handshakes. As they rolled to a takeoff strip, Kati called to her daughter.
Yesui. I'm coming home now, dear. Are you feeling better?
Oh, Mother, please hurry! I'm in my room. I can't think! I can't work!
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The rest was unsaid, but both Kati and her father heard it anyway.
Morbid thinking
, said Mengmoshu.
No more than my own, Father, and she sees what I see. When death comes to me,
I will be there to greet it in the gong-shi-jie.
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- Chapter 14
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- Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: REVOLUTION
He was nearly asleep when the tele-module beeped at his bedside. Hira stirred
and turned over, her back to him as he tapped a key and saw the face of his
secretary on the little screen.
"Yes?"
"A caller for you, sir. Red-line; I've routed it, and put it on hold."
Priority one, governor's ears only, and no name given.
Antun Wizera clicked off, got up and put on a robe, pulled the covers up over
his wife's naked shoulder and quietly left her sleeping there. He went to his
private terminal in a room next to Nokai's, faraday-
screened and soundproof, speaker and palm-scanner at the door. He placed his
palm on the plate there, and said "Enter." The door slid open, and then closed
behind him. The screen of his console was brightly lit and Yesugen's face was
there. The icon for real time was pulsing below her.
He sat down, and Yesugen smiled faintly. "I'm sorry to disturb your sleep,
Governor, but I just arrived."
"You're on your flagship, then," he said, feeling suddenly uneasy.
"Yes."
"Please accept my sympathy for the loss of your mother. She was a fine woman,
and wise. She has shown patience and understanding regarding our problems [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]