Kinder des Schicksals 4 (Xeelee 9): Resplendent

exotic and powerful. And it worked, the
Integumentary said, by tapping into the large-scale properties of the
universe itself.
    ’Perhaps you understand that the universe has more dimensions than
the macroscopic, the three spatial and one of time. Most of the extra
dimensions are extremely small.’ A technical sidebar translated this
for Hex as ’Planck scale’. ’But one extra dimension is rather larger,
perhaps as much as a millimetre. You must think of the universe,
then, as a blanket of spacetime, stretching thirteen billion years
deep into the past and some twelve billion light years across - ’
    ’And a millimetre thick,’ said Hella.
    ’There are believed to be many such universes, stacked up’ - the
translator boxes hesitated, searching for a simile - ’like leaves in
a book. Also our own universe may be folded back on itself, creased
in the thin dimension.’
    Engineer Jul said, ’So what? We know about the extra dimensions.
We use them when we hyperdrive.’
    ’But,’ said the Ghost, ’your applications are not currently on the
scale of ours.’
    ’Tell us about g-waves,’ Teel commanded.
    The Ghost said that all forms of energy were contained within the
’blanket’ of the universe - all save one. Gravity waves could
propagate in the extra dimensions, reaching out to the other
universes believed to be stacked out there. The Ghosts had learned to
focus the gravitational energy raining into their own universe from
another.
    ’The energy source in the other universe is necessarily large,’
the Integumentary said. ’Alternatively it may be a remote part of our
own universe, an energy-rich slice of spacetime - the instants after
the initial singularity for instance, folded back. We aren’t sure.
You understand that this weapon offers us a virtually unlimited
source of power. It’s just a question of tapping it. Beyond weaponry,
many large-scale projects become feasible.’
    Hella said, ’I wonder what >large-scale< might mean for a
species of universe-botherers like the Silver Ghosts.’
    Teel said, ’Even when we were friendly with them the Ghosts scared
us, I think.’
    Hex had had enough of awe. ’Let’s talk about the target. This
weapon system is in the control of the Black Ghost…’
    Recently the Ghosts had suddenly been scoring victories against
the human forces. Their tactics had undergone a revolution that must
reflect a change in their command structure, perhaps their very
society.
    ’Humans work in hierarchies,’ Teel said. ’Chains of command. All
large-scale military organisations in the past have done so. We tend
to think it’s the only way to operate, but in fact it’s a very human
way to work.’
    ’An evolutionary legacy of your past,’ the Integumentary said.
’When you were squabbling apes in some dismal forest, in thrall to
the strongest male - ’
    ’Shut up,’ Teel said without emotion. ’Ghosts, however, have
always worked differently. Their organisation is more fluid,
bottom-up, with distributed decision-making. The whole of their
society is self-organising.’
    ’Like a Coalescence,’ Borno said with disgust.
    ’Like a hive, yes.’
    ’The Ghosts are this way,’ said the Integumentary, ’because of our
evolutionary past. As you would understand if you knew anything about
the species you are endeavouring to wipe out.’
    ’Maybe,’ Teel said, ’but you stayed that way because it’s
efficient. Even in some military applications: if you’re waging a
guerrilla war on an occupied world, for instance, a network of cells
can be very effective. But in large-scale set-piece battles, which we
always try to draw the Ghosts into, you need a command
structure.’
    ’And now they have one,’ Hex said.
    ’Which makes them harder to beat. But it also makes them more
vulnerable, because suddenly assassination is an effective
weapon.’
    Hex, intrigued, asked, ’Why would any Ghost commit this treason?
If the Black Ghost exists - if it lies behind these new effective
tactics - ’
    The Integumentary said, ’The Black Ghost’s is the greater treason,
because of where its project will inevitably lead.’
    Teel prompted, ’Which is?’
    ’To an arms race. Humans will steal or reinvent the gravity wave
technology for themselves. Then we will conspire together, humans and
Ghosts, to wreck the Galaxy between us. Or, worse - ’
    ’Ah,’ said Teel. ’The Black Ghost will unleash such power that
there won’t be anything left for the victors to