"And then I woke up in the tender clutches of Vrinimi Org,
复件 (3) air max, here where faster-than-light travel is possible ... and I can see the edge of Heaven itself." Ravna didn't say anything for a moment. She looked across her beach into the surf. They'd been talking a long time. The sun was peeking under the tree petals, its light shifting across her office. Did Grondr realize what he had here? Almost anything from the Slow Zone had collector's value. People fresh from the Slowness were even more valuable. But Pham Nuwen might be unique. He had personally experienced more than had some whole civilizations, and ventured into the Deeps to boot. She understood now why he looked to the Transcend and called it "Heaven". It wasn't entirely na?veté, nor a failure in the Organization's education programs. Pham Nuwen had already been through two transforming experiences, from pre-tech to star- traveler,
复件 (69) air max1, and star-traveler to Beyonder. Each was a jump almost beyond imagination. Now he saw that another step was possible,
复件 (40) air max2, and was perfectly willing to sell himself to take it. So why should I risk my job to change his mind? But her mouth was living a life of its own. "Why not postpone the Transcend, Pham? Take some time to understand what is here in the Beyond. You'd be welcome in almost any civilization. And on human worlds you'd be the wonder of the age." A glimpse of non-Nyjoran humanity. The local newsgroups at Sjandra Kei had thought Ravna radically ambitious to take a 'prenticeship twenty thousand light-years away. Coming back from it, she would have her pick of Full Academician jobs on any of a dozen worlds. That was nothing compared to Pham Nuwen; there were folks so rich they might give him a world if he would just stay. "You could name your price." The redhead's lazy smile broadened. "Ah, but you see, I've already named my price,
GHD Limited Edition, and I think Vrinimi can meet it." I really wish I could do something about that smile, thought Ravna. Pham Nuwen's ticket to the Transcend was based on a Power's sudden interest in the Straumli perversion. This innocent's ego might end up smeared across a million death cubes, running a million million simulations of human nature. Grondr called less than five minutes after Pham Nuwen's departure. Ravna knew the Org would be eavesdropping,
复件 (18) air max1, and she'd already told Grondr her misgivings about this "selling" of a sophont. Nevertheless,
复件 (64) air max, she was a bit nervous to see him. "When is he actually going to leave for the Transcend?" Grondr rubbed at his freckles. He didn't seem angry. "Not for ten or twenty days. The Power that's negotiating for him is more interested in looking at our archives and watching what's passing through Relay. Also ... despite the human's enthusiasm for going, he's really quite cautious." "Oh?" "Yes. He's insisting on a library budget, and permission to roam anywhere in the system. He's been chatting with random employees all over the Docks. He was especially insistent about talking to you." Grondr's mouth parts clicked in a smile. "Feel free to speak your mind to him. Basically, he's tasting around for hidden poison. Hearing the worst from you should make him trust us." She was coming to understand Grondr's confidence. Damn but Pham Nuwen had a thick head. "Yes sir. He's asked me to show him around the Foreign Quarter tonight." As you well know. "Fine. I wish the rest of the deal were going as smoothly." Grondr turned so that only peripheral freckles were looking in her direction. He was surrounded by status displays of the Org's communication and database operations.