N-Space Part 14

What answer?

We will die. No. No.

We will flee. No. No.

The radiation cannot harm us. No. No.

We have a protection. Maybe. if it will work on humans. Maybe. if it will work on humans.

The radiation is not dangerous. Maybe. Not even to humans? Maybe. Not even to humans?

There was no Core explosion. Nonsense. I saw it. Nonsense. I saw it. The whole thing was a hoax. The whole thing was a hoax. To what purpose? Yet there is To what purpose? Yet there is already already a hoax involved, and the tnuctipun are involved. a hoax involved, and the tnuctipun are involved. The whole thing was a tnuctip hoax. They blackmailed the puppeteers. The puppeteers then fled, not the Core explosion, but the tnuctipun. The whole thing was a tnuctip hoax. They blackmailed the puppeteers. The puppeteers then fled, not the Core explosion, but the tnuctipun. Great! but the Crosshatch species- Great! but the Crosshatch species-The Crosshatchers are tnuctipun.

And their purpose is obvious.

11..

Also obvious: the tnuctipun/crosshatchers can enter a s.h.i.+p in hyperdrive. Shaeffer sets up defenses and waits.

The attack comes. Again it's the nonsentient warriors, and again they lose. Mann-monster and Shaeffer-monster reach Earth.

Suspicions confirmed.

12..

Now dig Shaeffer's complex plan.

The s.h.i.+ps which are already fleeing the Core explosion, have decided to go up along the galactic axis to get clear s.p.a.ce, then cut out toward the rim.

There is no no Quantum II hyperdrive. Shaeffer is restricted to a lightyear per three days. But he can take a diagonal and catch the third of the human s.h.i.+ps. First and second are beyond his reach. Quantum II hyperdrive. Shaeffer is restricted to a lightyear per three days. But he can take a diagonal and catch the third of the human s.h.i.+ps. First and second are beyond his reach.

He takes a #4 hull, and half the men who know what he is. He takes them off boosterspice. In about ten years, he intercepts the third s.h.i.+p. (During the ten years, he has figured out how the tnuctip interception technique works.) Destroys boosterspice reserves of the s.h.i.+p. Leaves some of his men in control, drops back to the next s.h.i.+p. Repeats. Goes to third s.h.i.+p alone.

He now has three s.h.i.+ps. The third, he controls alone. The first two are in the hands of adults who know what is going on.

Twenty years later, the first two s.h.i.+ps have a number of protectors aboard. In thirty years, all three s.h.i.+ps are all protectors.

Shaeffer's hypothesis: the tnuctipun come not from the Core, but from the rim. Thus all s.h.i.+ps will move right into their territory. But where exactly are they? They've already come five thousand light-years.

Ten years and 1200 light years later, comes the attack.

13..

So it's war.

And after the tnuctipun are exterminated, what then? Maybe it can't be done. If it can, then starts the final war.

Protector against protector, until only one is left.

It'll be quite a war. The stars will fall in flames. And the novel will end just as it is getting started. (Maybe not. I never end a novel as I thought I would.) "It is a star with a ring around It," sold the puppeteer. "A ring of solid matter. An artifact."

RINGWORLD, 1970.

From RINGWORLD .

Today it may not be obvious, but when I wrote RINGWORLD It was an act of courage.

Designing the Ringworld wasn't the hardest part, though I still found surprises as I traveled. The difficult part was to describe it without losing the reader! This was an environment outside all common experience, yet I planned to give the reader puzzles to be solved as he traveled. (If I don't have a puzzle, I don't have a story. Ft's not Just a quirk~ I'm a compulsive teacher.) Then there was Teela Brown. Psi powers were common In fiction then, and I was fed up. With Teela I set out to show the ultimate psychic power: Author Control. As soon as it's obvious what Teela's power is, she's moved offstage; but it's still a lot to ask of a reader, that he continue to suspend his disbelief. she's moved offstage; but it's still a lot to ask of a reader, that he continue to suspend his disbelief.

I used high-school geometry. Mercator maps at one-to-one scale laid across the width (forly) and length (24,000). The shadows of night subtend the same angle all the way around. From a few miles off the edge, everything looks like straight lines converging. Don Davis did a wonderful painting of this, in the moment of Mount Fist-of-G.o.d's formation.

I wanted the reader braced, forewarned against the Ringworld. I gave him the puppeteers' Fleet of Worlds as an intermediate step, to build his imagination. I showed him pictures and gave him scale comparisons and a.n.a.logies. I stayed with one viewpoint and few characters, to keep it simple where I could. I let the size of the structure, the nature of it ("the mask of a world"), come as a recurring surprise to the characters, Today you could fill a long shelf with books about (in David Gerrold's phrase) "the Enormous Big Thing." Eighteen years ago, RINGWORLD was the first to be written since the days when all the science was imaginary since, say, Simak's The Cosmic Engineers. The Cosmic Engineers.

Risky. The publishers must have agreed. RINGWORLD appeared as a paperback. There was no serial. The first hardback version appeared seven years later.

I didn't know what the response would be. Would you you see what I saw? The artistry of a near-infinite landscape carved to order, the mask of a world stretched over vacuum, the incredible energies, the room for mistakes and the room to leave consequences behind, the hints of G.o.d-level civilizations since collapsed. see what I saw? The artistry of a near-infinite landscape carved to order, the mask of a world stretched over vacuum, the incredible energies, the room for mistakes and the room to leave consequences behind, the hints of G.o.d-level civilizations since collapsed. . . . . Maybe none of you would understand It at all. Maybe you would laugh at the Ringworld. Maybe none of you would understand It at all. Maybe you would laugh at the Ringworld.

"Playgrounds for the mind," remember? The Ringworld is the best playground lever built. People have been reading RINGWORLD and commenting on the a.s.sumptions, overt and hidden, and the mathematics and the ecology and the philosophical implications, precisely as if it were a proposed engineering project and they were being paid for their work.

From Was.h.i.+ngton, D.C., there came a full proofreading Job on the first edition of RINGWORLD, with the t.i.tle "The Niven-MacArthur Papers, Vol. I." Robert MacArthur was of enormous help to me. That first edition had some serious mistakes in it.

A Florida high-school cla.s.s determined that all of the Ringworld's topsoil will end up in the oceans in a few thousand years.

From Cambridge came an estimate for the minimum tensile strength of scrith: of the order of magnitude of the force that holds an atomic nucleus together.

Freeman Dyson has no trouble believing in the Ringworld, but can't see why the engineers wouldn't have built a lot of little ones instead. Safer.

In Philadelphia a member of the audience pointed out that, mathematically, the Ringworld can~'be treated as a suspension bridge with no endpoints. Simple in concept; harder to build.

Neil Jones wrote "Investigation of an Artifact" (Durfed (Durfed 2) to demonstrate that the Pierson's puppeteers built the Ringworld. (I disagree.) 2) to demonstrate that the Pierson's puppeteers built the Ringworld. (I disagree.) At the 1970 World Science Fiction Convention, students in the halls were chanting. "The Ringworld is unstable! The Ringworld is unstable!" Yeah, It needs att.i.tude jets. Ctein and Dan Alderson, computer wizards working independently, took several years to work out the exact exact instabilily. Ctein also worked out data on instabilily. Ctein also worked out data on moving moving the Ringworld. the Ringworld. (Yes, (Yes, for fun. Isn't that how you have fun?) for fun. Isn't that how you have fun?) A stranger redesigned the shadow squares for me, too. There's too much twilight in my version, too much of partial sunlight. His superior version (in a thick envelope that included sketches) involves five much longer shadow squares moving retrograde. retrograde. . . . . but of course it was too late to redesign that. but of course it was too late to redesign that.

Did you laugh at RINGWORLD? d.a.m.n right you did!

The weekly fan magazine APA-L APA-L printed, as back covers, a string of cartoons showing huge structures of peculiar shape, usually with a sun hovering somewhere near the center. There was Wringworld and Wrongworld and Rinkworld and Rungworld (a tremendous stepladder, terraformed landscapes on the steps), and sketches of the Ringworld with lettering along the underside: printed, as back covers, a string of cartoons showing huge structures of peculiar shape, usually with a sun hovering somewhere near the center. There was Wringworld and Wrongworld and Rinkworld and Rungworld (a tremendous stepladder, terraformed landscapes on the steps), and sketches of the Ringworld with lettering along the underside: ONE RING TO RULE THEM ALL ONE RING TO RULE THEM ALL and and OCCUPANCY BY MORE THAN 3 x 10^16 PERSONS IS DANGEROUS AND UNLAWFUL. OCCUPANCY BY MORE THAN 3 x 10^16 PERSONS IS DANGEROUS AND UNLAWFUL.

One of the interchangeable Hollander brothers wrote a short story, "Cupworld," using "half a Dyson sphere, with s.p.a.ceports along the handle." There's a play, "Stringworld," based on The Wizard of Oz. The Wizard of Oz. One Thomas J. Remington agreed: his article demonstrates that I used the plot line from One Thomas J. Remington agreed: his article demonstrates that I used the plot line from The Wizard of Oz$ The Wizard of Oz$ Harry Harrison borrowed the Ringworld to make a point about population control, in Harry Harrison borrowed the Ringworld to make a point about population control, in Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers. Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers. There's a song, "The Ringworld Engineers," and a verse in a filksong: There's a song, "The Ringworld Engineers," and a verse in a filksong: "Oh the Ringworld is unstable, Oh the Ringworld is unstable! Did the best that he was able. And its good enough for me!"

Dan Alderson, making proper use of playground equipment designed a system with four Ringworlds. Three are in contact with each other, spinning orthogonally to each other on frictionless bearings. But the fourth was built by Mesklinites (see Hal Clement's Mission of Gravity.) Mission of Gravity.) It's the size of Jupiter's...o...b..t (Mesklinites like it cold) and to maintain hundreds of times Earth's surface gravity, it spins at an appreciable fraction of Iightspeed. (I asked Dan if spinning it closer to Iightspeed would cause it to contract like a noose. It's the size of Jupiter's...o...b..t (Mesklinites like it cold) and to maintain hundreds of times Earth's surface gravity, it spins at an appreciable fraction of Iightspeed. (I asked Dan if spinning it closer to Iightspeed would cause it to contract like a noose. No.) No.) Ringworld has won awards: the Hugo and Nebula, and Best Foreign awards from j.a.pan and Australia. There have been paintings. The aliens, the kzinti and puppeteers, have appeared in sketches and sculpture.

I've found some text that allows all of the major characters to demonstrate who and what they are. A quote that fully describes the Ringworld Is impossible.

"You fight with light," said the man with the tattooed hand. "Surely this is forbidden."

The crowd shouted, and was as suddenly silent.

"We did not know it," said Louis. "We apologize."

"Did not know it? How could you not know it? Did you not raise the Arch in sign of the Covenant with Man?"

"What arch is that?"

The hairy man's face was hidden, but his astonishment was evident. "The Arch over the world, 0 Builder!"

Louis understood then. He started to laugh.

The hairy man punched him unskillfully in the nose.

The blow was light, for the hairy man was slight and his hands were fragile. But it hurt.

Louis was not used to pain. Most people of his century had never felt pain more severe than that of a stubbed toe. Anesthetics were too prevalent, medical help was too easily available. The pain of a skier's broken leg usually lasted seconds, not minutes, and the memory was often suppressed as an intolerable trauma. Knowledge of the fighting disciplines, karate, judo, ju-jitsu, and boxing, had been illegal since long before Louis Wu was born. Louis Wu was a lousy warrior. He could face death, but not pain.

The blow hurt. Louis screamed and dropped his flashlight-laser. The audience converged. Two hundred infuriated hairy men became a thousand demons; and things weren't nearly as funny as they had been a minute ago.

The reed-thin spokesman had wrapped both arms around Louis Wu, pinioning him with hysterical strength. Louis, equally hysterical, broke free with one frantic lunge. He was on his 'cycle, his hand was on the lift lever, when reason prevailed.

The other 'cycles were slaved to his. If he took off, they would take off, with or without their pa.s.sengers.

Louis looked about him.

Teela Brown was already in the air. From overhead she watched the fight, her eyebrows puckered in concern. She had not thought of trying to help.

Speaker was in furious motion. He'd already felled half a dozen enemies. As Louis watched, the kzin swung his flashlight-laser and smashed a man's skull.

The hairy men milled about him in an indecisive circle. Long-fingered hands were trying to pull Louis from his seat. They were winning, though Louis gripped the saddle with hands and knees. Belatedly he thought to switch on the sonic fold.

The natives shrieked as they were s.n.a.t.c.hed away.

Someone was still on Louis's back. Louis pulled him away, let him drop, flipped the sonic fold off and then on again to eject him. He scanned the ex-parking lot for Nessus.

Nessus was trying to reach his 'cycle. The natives seemed to fear his alien shape. Only one blocked his way; but that one was armed with a metal rod from some old machine.

As Louis located them, the man swung the rod at the puppeteer's head.

Nessus s.n.a.t.c.hed his head back. He spun on his forelegs, putting his back to danger, but facing away from his flycycle.

The puppeteer's own flight reflex had killed him-unless Speaker or Louis could help him in time. Louis opened his mouth to shout, and the puppeteer completed his motion.

Louis closed his mouth.

The puppeteer turned to his 'cycle. n.o.body tried to stop him. His hind hoof left b.l.o.o.d.y footprints across the hard-packed dirt.

Speaker's circle of admirers were still out of his reach. The kzin spat at their feet-not a kzinti gesture but a human one-turned and mounted his 'cycle. His flashlight-laser was gory up to the elbow of his left hand.

The native who had tried to stop Nessus lay where he had fallen. Blood pooled lavishly about him.

The others were in the air. Louis took off after them. From afar he saw what Speaker was doing, and he called, "Hold it! That's not necessary."

Speaker had drawn the modified digging tool. He said, "Does it have to be necessary?"

But he had stayed his hand. "Don't do it," Louis implored him. "It'd be murder. How can they hurt us now? Throw rocks at us?"

"They may use your flashlight-laser against us."

"They can't use it at all. There's a taboo."

"So said the spokesman. Do you believe him?"

Speaker put his weapon away. (Louis sighed in relief; he'd expected the kzin to level the city.) "How would such a taboo evolve? A war of energy weapons?"

"Or a bandit armed with the Ringworld's last laser cannon. Too bad there's n.o.body to ask."

"Your nose is bleeding."

Now that he came to think about it, Louis's nose stung painfully. He slaved his 'cycle to Speaker's and set about making medical repairs. Below, a churning, baffled lynch mob swarmed at the outskirts of Zignamuclickclick.

"They should have been kneeling," Louis complained. "That's what fooled me. And the translation kept saying 'builder' when it should have been saying 'G.o.d.'

"G.o.d?"

"They've made G.o.ds of the Ringworld engineers. I should have noticed the silence. Tanjit, n.o.body but the priest was making a sound! They all acted like they were listening to some old litany. Except that I kept giving the wrong responses."

"A religion. How weird! But you shouldn't have laughed," Teela' s intercom image said seriously. "n.o.body laughs in church, not even tourists."

They flew beneath a fading silver of noon sun. The Ringworld showed above itself in glowing blue stripes, brighter every minute.

"It seemed funny at the time," said Louis. "It's still funny. They've forgotten they're living on a ring. They think it's an arch."

A rus.h.i.+ng sound penetrated the sonic fold. For a moment it was a hurricane, then it cut off sharply. They had crossed the speed of sound.

Zignamuclickclick dwindled behind them, The city would never have its vengeance on the demons. Probably it would never see them again.

"It looks looks like an arch," said Teela. like an arch," said Teela.

"Right. I shouldn't have laughed. We're lucky, though. We can leave our mistakes behind us," said Louis. "All we have to do, any time, is get airborne. Nothing can catch us."

"Some mistakes we must carry with us," said Speaker-To-Animals. "Funny you should say so." Louis scratched absently at his nose, which was as numb as a block of wood. It would be healed before the anaesthetic wore off.

He made up his mind. "Nessus?"