Free The Power of Gnaris by Les Bill Gates Page A

are
hostile.”
    Lolena, tall
and imperious, stood and appeared to look in the direction of
Elena, who ducked down to evade the lord’s gaze.
    Lolena spoke
for everyone when she said, “A delegation must be sent to Ziemia
immediately to talk with these people and, if necessary . . . deal
with them. You, Lord Barrow, must be one member of the delegation,
and I assume that you will be taking Captain Forster with you.
Unless anyone else objects, I will also go with you. You will need
the shared gnaris of at least one other member of the Council, and
my knowledge of interplanetary law could be invaluable in bringing
the murderer and his Ziemian associates to justice. However, I will
go as a lawyer, not as a member of the Council. No one else in the
party must know my true identity.”
    “Naturally,”
said the Great Savant.
    “Who else will
travel with us?”
    “There is the
issue of language. For whatever reason, these aliens on Ziemia are
using the language from Earth known as English. Those with some
knowledge of English should be chosen.”
    “So, who?”
    “Elena should
be one.”
    “Elena?”
    “She has been
acting as Forster’s assistant. She has been to Earth, and is also
an expert linguist. She has a degree in philology, and has studied
many alien languages including English, as well as possessing a
deep understanding of ancient physics. If the creatures have indeed
attained some technology, then they will have developed at least
some rudimentary knowledge of physics. She will be most
useful.”
    “Very well.
Who else?”
    “I would like
Doctor Leila to come with us. We will probably need a doctor, and
she may prove invaluable in the investigation of the use of Karavec
blood. She also has some knowledge of English from her
studies.”
    “Go on.”
    “Sirrow of the
ferry ship Gnaris Voyager will be our pilot. And most of his
crew, naturally.”
    “Why do you
not use your own ship?”
    “It’s under
repair.”
    “So that’s
settled,” said Lolena. “The delegation will consist of you and me,
Forster, Elena, Captain Sirrow and his crew, and Doctor Leila; and
a platoon of soldiers will also be necessary.”
    “There is only
room on the ship for thirty-five,” said Barrow.
    “Thirty-five
will be ample, unless these creatures have developed
technologically even further than we are led to believe.”
    “Have you
spoken of this to the gods?” asked Saivrow.
    “Not yet,”
replied Barrow. “I wanted to get the support of the Council first.
I will speak with the gods this evening.”
    “Then let us
meld,” said Lolena.
    The five lords
moved their chairs once again to sit in a circle facing inwards.
Then Barrow removed five pairs of dark glasses from his bag, and
handed one pair to each of them. These glasses more closely
resembled goggles, for they adhered to the skin of the Karavec,
leaving no place for any ray of light to enter, and the lenses of
the glasses were completely opaque to light. The five members of
the Council placed the glasses to cover their eyes.
    Then they
joined hands once again and began chanting an ancient ritual called
‘The Melding of Gnaris’. No one outside of the Council had ever
witnessed this ritual, so a description cannot be found in any
book, not even the Book of Karavec; but Elena realised that the
blending of the gnaris of the five ancient and authoritative
members of the Council into a single gnaris would result in a power
so potent that its consequences or its implications could not be
imagined. Elena did not see any flashes of light, or hear any
explosion, or the clanging of cymbals. She just felt herself
enveloped in a manifestation of sheer power. Later, when Forster
asked her to describe the ritual, she asserted that the experience
could not be portrayed in words.
    At the
conclusion of the ritual, the five lords removed their glasses and
handed them back to Barrow. Then, without exchanging words, they
parted, and each went their own way.
    Barrow
returned to his