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They spoke to each other of fish concentrations, weather, delivered the
mysterious modulations that humans called
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"music." Except for the music this had been easily understood, but not very
interesting. Then the human they dared call "Kelpmaster" began using the kelp
itself as a medium of conduction.
This private communications channel linked the Orbiter with the Zavatan world,
and the kelp heard everything. The Immensity spoke in pictures, and these
words over the kelp channel helped weave a picture of the world as it was, and
as it could be. Though the Kelpmaster listened, he lacked the subtleties of
holography that the Immensity required.
The Immensity could think of no better place to start than with LaPush, the
Holomaster. The
Immensity knew good holos from bad. In this matter it would apprentice itself
to Rico LaPush.
The hylighter tentacle that gripped LaPush was, in turn, gripped by a huge
frond of blue kelp. It transmitted every move directly to the kelp. Rico's
automatic lapel camera unreeled a ten-second broadcast every hour, beamed back
to its recorder in the foil. The Immensity received all broadcasts, including
these.
Flattery was the dominant human, but the Immensity saw no future in him. He
enslaved the kelp, but worse, he enslaved his own kind. Flattery didn't trust
any creature that might know what he was thinking, including humans. He had
plans to hide the future of a world from its people, and the kelp noted a
heavy stink of greed about him. Except for the kelp channels, Flattery
controlled communication among humans. He discouraged it, as he discouraged
their education. The kelp often marveled that humans survived themselves.
They appeared to be their own fiercest predator.
Flattery would sacrifice many to save himself, it realized one day, perhaps
even to the last human.
The Immensity harbored no illusions about its position in Flattery's
hierarchy.
The kelp knew that as long as humans accepted Flattery as the Director they
would never realize their potential as One. If they did not do this, then
neither would they recognize the need for
Oneness among the kelp. Flattery saw this need as a threat, in humans and
kelp alike. There would be no true Avata again as long as Flattery ruled.
Whenever the brain grew, Flattery dealt it a stroke.
Since the day of insight, the Immensity had set about the downfall of Raja
Flattery and the unity of pruned-down stands of kelp throughout the seas. The
answer, it knew, was in holo. If it could project holo images, it could
communicate in a way that humans would understand. It could speak to distant
humans and to kelp alike.
A language between sentients, the Immensity thought, this is the Pandoran
revolution.
Rico LaPush had been difficult to follow. He moved quickly and under cover,
and spent most of his time landside these days. He'd been exposed to the kelp
from organic islands that were the old cities and on assignment with Ben down
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under among the Mermen -- still, he had chosen not to communicate directly
with the kelp throughout most of his adult life.
It is simply a matter of privacy.
Unlike Flattery's political fear of betrayal and death, Rico's was simply a
reluctance to let the kelp eavesdrop through his psyche. It did not make him
feel "at one with Oneness" as it did many of the Zavatans, this the Immensity
knew. What the kelp knew of Rico it had gotten from other sources, and from
the airwaves of Holovision.
Perhaps the Holomaster Rico LaPush would become the kelp's Battlemaster if the
image alone was not enough. Timing and presentation of images were essential.
As a kelp channel, a simple conductor, the Immensity allowed itself to be used
by the faithful in their struggle with the Director. Now it was time to use
them in that same struggle.
The Immensity would win over other stands and reestablish Avata as the true
governor of Pandora.
It planned to help humans win over Flattery and to come to some symbiosis with
these fearful humans. Oracles and kelpways were not enough. Images were
tools beyond value, and the kelp would learn to use them.
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