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Captain. And then he went back to ripping up
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Williams, Walter Jon - Voice of the Whirlwind his food, slowly, not even
looking at what his hands were doing.
Steward watched him, not wanting to break into Griffith s reverie, his
mourning for someone he hadn t known he d lost.
The Captain. That was the Alpha personality s name, now. It symbolized a rank,
an authority, that Steward did not remember possessing. He hadn t even been an
officer. The Captain had come into being on Sheol.
Griffith put down his knife and fork and took a breath. He seemed suddenly
pale. He excused himself and went to the men s room. When he returned, his
color was back. He lit a cigarette and inhaled.
I ve got some kind of stomach thing, he said. It s been following me for
days.
What are you doing in Arizona?
I m staying in a condo suite my company keeps here. I m working as kind of a
salesman, he said. For an outfit called
Lightsource, Limited. We provide various kinds of communication services for
businesses. Software aimed at solving particular problems, communication
equipment built to specific configurations, that kind of thing. Are you
working?
Not at the moment. I ve got some things lined up. I m going to try to get
into Starbright.
Griffith s face grew wistful. Getting back into space, huh? he asked. Wish
I was.
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Williams, Walter Jon - Voice of the Whirlwind
I want to travel. I think I d be restless if I stayed in one place.
Griffith nodded, puffed smoke. I d like to see the Powers again.
Live with them in a real Power environment. That s what I miss most about
space. The Powers turned out to be the only thing up there worth the trip.
You think so?
Griffith gave him a glance. The Captain was that way, too.
Wasn t impressed by them. Kind of a blindness in him. He shook his head. But
when you meet them, you realize how centered they are. How real they are. And
you see by comparison how humans are almost... transparent. As if we re not
really there. And you know how far we have to go. He looked down at his
plate, his mutilated food. Frowned, I think I
know someone in Starbright, he said. A drive jockey. Let me think a minute.
Maybe she can help you get in on an apprentice program. He shook his head.
I ll have to make some calls.
Thank you. I appreciate it.
Griffith waved a hand. Don t thank me yet. I don t know if I
can do anything.
Griffith. Steward felt an adrenaline touch on his nerves.
Griffith looked up at his tone.
I want to know what happened on Sheol.
Griffith looked down at his hands. He shook his head. It wouldn t mean
anything to you, buck. His voice was low, his
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Williams, Walter Jon - Voice of the Whirlwind voice absorbed by the table, his
crossed arms. It s something you d have had to live through. I m sorry, but
It s important.
Griffith wiped his forehead with the back of an arm. Sorry, he said. It s
not... possible.
Steward felt his breath going out of him. That s all right, man,
he said. Knowing it wasn t. If you can t, you can t.
Griffith shook his head again. Sorry, he said. He looked at his watch. I ve
got a sales meeting coming up. It s gonna run all day.
Want to get together tonight? Have some drinks?
Can t. I m going to have to dine with a client tonight. Probably have to get
him laid, too, the asshole. He looked up, took a drag from his cigarette, and
stubbed it out. There was an uncertainty in his watery eyes, and Steward found
it odd it was as if
Griffith was about to say something against his will. He wondered if Griffith,
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