Resurgence

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2002 by Charles Sheffield
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.
A Baen Books Original
Baen Publishing Enterprises
P.O. Box 1403
Riverdale, NY 10471
www.baen.com
ISBN: 0-7434-3567-2
Cover art by Bob Eggleton
First printing, November 2002
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sheffield, Charles.

Resurgence: a novel of the heritage universe / Charles Sheffield.
p. cm.
"A Baen Books original"—T.p. verso.
ISBN 0-7434-3567-2
1. Life on other planets—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3569.H39253 R47 2002
813'.54—dc21 2002028046
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
Production by Windhaven Press: Auburn, NH
Printed in the United States of America

To Ann, Kit, Rose and Toria; to Maureen, who proposed the title; and to the fans who kept asking, when will there be another Heritage Universe book?

The Heritage Universe series:

Convergent Series
Transvergence
Resurgence
The Amazing Dr. Darwin
My Brother's Keeper
The Compleat McAndrew
The Mind Pool
The Spheres of Heaven
Proteus in the Underworld
Borderlands of Science
The Web Between the Worlds
Between the Strokes of Night

Before we begin a systematic exposition of Theories of the Nature of the Builders (of which theories there appear to be at least one hundred and seventy-seven) it seems appropriate to provide what may be termed the Facts of the Builders. This is far easier than any enumeration of theories, since the facts are few in number: 
 

Fact 1: No living being, and no dead being whose word carries any semblance of validity, has ever seen or met a Builder. 
 

Fact 2: Various inorganic constructs possessing some form of intelligence have been found on, in, or in conjunction with objects created and left by the Builders. These constructs all claim to be of great antiquity. They also claim a full understanding of the Builder purposes in creating them. There are reasons to doubt the validity of all such testimonies, not least the fact that no two testimonies agree. 
 

Fact 3: The Builders made and left behind in the Orion Arm of the galaxy, and possibly in other galactic arms, a variety of constructions which are generally referred to as Builder Artifacts. More than a thousand of these are scattered around the Orion Arm alone. The purpose of many or most of them remains obscure. They range in size from a few meters, to lightyears across. The technology that went into their creation is beyond that achieved by any other species, living or dead, inhabiting these regions of our galaxy. 
 

Fact 4: There is no evidence that any Builder Artifact was constructed to be specifically inimical to organic life forms. Large numbers of deaths have been reported associated with different Builder Artifacts; however, in every case these deaths resulted from the unwise curiosity of beings seeking to explore, understand, or exploit the Artifacts. 
 

Fact 5: With one notable exception, every Builder Artifact was completed and set in position at least three million years ago. Any changes in Artifacts more recent than three million years appear to have been planned as part of their original design. 
 

Fact 6: Four years ago, there was unmistakable evidence of new, rapid, and unprecedented change in many if not all of the Builder Artifacts. 
 

Fact 7: At the same time, a completely new Artifact, named as Labyrinth by its discoverer Quintus Bloom, appeared near the star known as Jerome's World. 
 

Fact 8: Soon after the appearance of Labyrinth, every other Artifact in the Orion Arm quickly vanished. Labyrinth itself was the last to disappear. 
 

Fact 9: Since the disappearance of Labyrinth, no evidence of any kind of Builder Artifact or Builder activity has been found in the Orion Arm. 
 

These, and these alone, are the facts concerning the Builders and the Builder Artifacts. We now proceed to the Theories themselves, which are legion. 
 

—from the introduction to the volume,
 
A SURFEIT OF NOTIONS: Theories of Builder
 
origins, activities, nature, and artifacts.
 
Author: Professor Darya Lang, Artifact
 
Research Institute, Sentinel Gate.
 
This is an advance publication copy,
 
and may be subject to additions
 
and amendments.
 

As a last meal it left a lot to be desired.

Hans Rebka stared down at the mess on his plate, then up at the guard.

"Kolker, what's this supposed to be?"

Rebka was naked. He was shackled at the ankles and his hands could move only far enough from the iron chair's arms to allow him to eat. Even so, the guard took a step back at the prisoner's scowl.

"Isn't it what you asked for, Captain?"

"I requested as my last meal the best that the planet could provide. Take a look at that plate. I've seen more inviting pig shit. Smell it for yourself, and tell me what happened."

"Wait a minute. I'll try to find out." Kolker did not take up the offer to smell the plate of food. That would have brought him within reach of Rebka's hands. He took another step back, close to the room's bare stone wall, and his lips moved. Through his implant he was in contact with more senior officials. After a few seconds he nodded.

"Captain, that meal was provided on instructions from Minister Schramm. Apparently it
is
the best that the planet can provide. But not this planet. It is the best that can be had on your home world, Teufel." The guard hesitated. He knew that every word and gesture was being recorded. "The minister thought that you would appreciate a little joke."

"Did he?" Hans Rebka picked up the spoon. It was, like the plate and little tray that it sat on, made of a thin and flexible plastic that no amount of treatment or hardening could turn into a weapon. "I must be losing my sense of humor. But the terrible thing, Kolker, is that he's right. I've been away from Teufel so long, I'm spoiled. Do you know what they say about Teufel?"

"Yes. I have heard it many times."

"Then I won't bother to repeat it." Rebka dipped the tip of the spoon tentatively into the black goo on his plate. He tasted it, grimaced, and laid down the spoon. "Once I'd have gobbled this up and gone back for seconds. The minister knows what's what in the worlds of the Phemus Circle. This
is
as good as it gets on Teufel."

"Are you going to eat it?" In the weeks that Rebka had been in captivity, a peculiar relationship had developed between guard and captive. Rebka had done his best to become friendly, and he was good at that. But Guardsman Kolker, who suspected—rightly—that given half a chance Hans Rebka would kill him and try to escape, had remained respectful but aloof.

"I told you," Rebka went on. "I've become picky these past few years. I'd rather die hungry than eat that." Hands chained together, he waved the plate away. "It's all yours. Do what you like with it."

The guard approached warily and snatched the tray out of Rebka's reach. "I can't bring you anything else, you know."

"I understand. And you can't share your food with me, either, right? Don't feel bad. I've been hungry before. And people waiting to be executed are not expected to enjoy their final night."

Kolker nodded and retreated to the metal door. He pushed the tray through a narrow horizontal opening at waist height, then stood motionless. He seemed to be listening. At last he nodded, turned to Hans Rebka, and said, "Minister Schramm asks if you have any last request."

"Certainly. Tell the minister that I would like to be allowed to write my memoirs."

The guard frowned. Finally he said, "You are joking, are you not? Excuse me, Captain Rebka, but I do not think it would be a good idea for me to transmit that message."

"Very wise of you. It's my impression that Minister Schramm only like little jokes that come from him." Rebka glanced around the bare, dimly lit and windowless cell. "So. What now, Kolker my friend? Dinner is over and death is twelve hours away. We have the whole night ahead."

"I am to remain here with you. If you would like to talk, or if—"

The rest of Kolker's words were cut off by a metallic rattling at the door of the cell. The guard spun around, pulling his weapon from its holster. He stood poised to fire as the door swung open.

The four men who entered were equally wary. They wore guards' uniforms, and all held drawn guns.

"Stay right where you are, all of you." Kolker, part of his attention still on Hans Rebka, backed up against the stone wall. "I have absolute orders to admit no one. If you do not leave this room at once, I must shoot."

"You got orders? Well, so do we." The biggest of the newcomers held an envelope out to Kolker. "I'm Colonel Toll. Check with Guard Central if you don't believe me." Toll stared at Rebka. "He's the one who caused all the trouble? He sure don't look up to it. Anyway, we've come for him."

"For Captain Rebka? I cannot allow that. I have orders from Staff Advisor Lanski to remain here with the captain until morning, when he will be taken away for execution."

"And we have orders from Minister Schramm to take Rebka away with us. Do I need to tell you who's higher in the line of authority?"

"I was warned that there might be some kind of rescue attempt. If I do not obey my orders—"

Kolker was interrupted by a laugh of disbelief from Rebka and by an impatient, "Read the bleeding papers, mister. We don't have all night," from Colonel Toll.

"They seem to contain the right authorization." Kolker was trying at the same time to scan the document he was holding, keep one eye on Hans Rebka, and train his weapon on the quartet of guards standing in the doorway. "But this makes no sense at all. The prisoner is scheduled for execution at dawn, on the basement level of the building where we are now. This instructs you to take him to 132-B. That's above surface."

"More than just above surface. 132-B is Minister Schramm's suite, up at rooftop level." Colonel Toll waved his gun at Rebka. "Can you walk?"

"Try me."

"Right. Get him out of those shackles, Guardsman Kolker. We'll take over from here. Anything that happens to him after he leaves this cell will be my problem, not yours."

Down in the basement cell there was no day-night change of lighting. Hans Rebka had been chained in near-darkness for more than three weeks. The elevators were almost as dimly lit as his cell, and sudden emergence into the brilliance of evening sunlight of Candela made him flinch and throw up his forearm to protect his eyes.

A familiar and outraged voice said, "He is naked! How dare you bring a prisoner naked into my quarters?"

Rebka lowered his arm and blinked away tears. His eyes could see only fuzzy outlines in the large, windowed room, but the voice told him that the figure a few paces away was Minister Schramm.

"I'm sorry, Minister." That was Colonel Toll. "I was ordered to bring him here at once. No one mentioned clothing."

"Did no one also tell you to use your common sense? Find clothes for him at once—or give him your own."

"Don't worry on my account, Minister." Hans was beginning to see more clearly. "Once I'm executed I doubt if I'll care what I'm wearing."

"You will not be executed." Another figure standing behind Schramm swam into focus. "Is that not correct, Minister?"

"It is correct."

Schramm was a tall, fleshy man in a style of dress that for the impoverished worlds of the Phemus Circle represented extreme opulence. He spoke without enthusiasm, but Rebka paid him little attention. The man at Schramm's side held his eye. He wore the shimmering white suit with gold epaulets and light-blue trim of an inter-clade Ethical Councilor. If any such councilor had ever before made a visit to Candela, or any other world of the Phemus Circle other than Dobelle, that was news to Hans.

"Though I should point out," went on Schramm, "that the execution of this prisoner is more than justified. He attempted to bring down the authorized government of the Phemus Circle—"

"I am aware of the charges against him." The councilor stepped forward, placing himself squarely between Rebka and the minister. "Don't push your luck, Minister Schramm. There are those of the Council who believe that such a change to the Phemus Circle is long overdue. However, that is not my business today. Captain Hans Rebka?"

"Speaking."

"I am Inter-clade Councilor Jeremiah Frole. I am here to inform you that you are needed on Miranda, and that you will leave with me."