"Edward M. Lerner - Part II of IV - A New Order of Things" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lerner Edward M)

Perhaps, ultimately, twenty humbling Earth years aboard Victorious had been for the best. Perhaps two
generations before that of maneuvering for the scraps left by the Great Clans, contriving and competing
with a hundred other lesser clans for every possible advantage, had been vital preparation. He and his
hand-picked companions had known how to keep their own counsel, act unimpressed, observe
unobtrusively, appear harmless, feign good intentions, simulate trustworthiness.
The humans had a phrase, Pashwah-qith had told him, long out of use, that described the clan's tour of
Earth: charm offensive.

And their "attack" had been effective. Polls, incredibly freely available to the public, showed broad and
growing support for some sort of technology swap. Before the sheer immensity of the human home world
could overawe them, Mashkith had declared it necessary to return to Victorious to oversee "repairs."

In truth, Lothwer had done well in his absence. Supplies had begun arriving. Minor overhauls were
getting done. Consultations had started on refueling.

Mashkith continued his pacing, having convinced himself it was a harmless indulgence.

Everything continued to unfold according to plan.
****
CHAPTER 12

K'Choi Gwu ka was old and tired and insane, and she knew it.

She dug in the moist loam, the dirt that clung to her fur honest and comforting and somehow cleansing.
The bright, yellow light overhead warmed her weary bones.

Others labored all around her: weeding, hoeing, pruning, harvesting. A steady stream of crew-kindred
moved about the vast chamber. Most walked, but some--the youngest, mainly--still swung from time to
time from tree branches and ceiling rails. They stopped, or at least slowed, when they passed her, in
subtle expressions of support or respect. Each acknowledgement made her feel worse.

She dug in the moist loam, but her thoughts were in the stars.

No two InterstellarNet species were alike. There were authoritarian societies, both dynastic and
ruthlessly Darwinian. There were representative governments, with a dizzying array of selection methods.
One far-off world was home to a scattering of continent-sized hive minds.

A clot of mud and twigs had blocked a small irrigation channel. She gently lifted the obstruction,
crumbled it, spread the sludge evenly on a bare patch of soil.

Among the Unity, consensus ruled. But what if circumstances required action faster than a consensus
process could accommodate? Consensus had been reached on that, too. At every level of Gwu's
society--family, kindred, bond, and reliance--there was recognized a coordinator, the ka, who, when
needed, decided for the group. The ka neither volunteered nor was overtly selected, but rather emerged.
The ka was the member of the group most recognized for his or her or its wisdom, for having, in the
normal group deliberations, most often arrived early at the decision eventually reached by the whole.

Sweat matted the fur of her torso. Thirst tickled her throat. A vine redolent with ripe, fuzz-covered
bluefruit was just within reach. She broke loose one of the globes and bit, letting tart juice trickle down