"Ann Maxwell - Concord 1 - The Singer Enigma" - читать интересную книгу автора (Maxwell Ann)

The Singer Enigma
Concord, Book 1
Ann Maxwell
1976

THE TRUTH SEEKER
Tarhn had the blood of the rulers of space in his veins—and a mysterious horror shadowing his secret
soul. He knew only that he had been exiled from the planet where he was born, and raised by an alien
race for the psychic powers he possessed—but what fearful force had stripped him of his childhood
memories and almost of his sanity still remained unknown as he reached manhood and the challenge he
could avoid no longer.
Now, as an all-destroying blight spread from planet to planet, from galaxy to galaxy, Tarhn had to
find out the truth about himself and his past no matter what the terrible cost For if he went on living a lie,
the entire universe would die ...



Excerpt from a closed discussion of Assembly Council PA382 (Singer), Councillor Elenda speaking:

We are taught that when we lose ourselves on the spiral of knowledge, it is best to remember where
we have been, and why. Let us begin again with a review of our responsibilities to this Council, to the full
Assembly, and to the Concord.
The Concord has only one command: No group shall wage undeclared war. The Assembly’s primary
function is to expel, proscribe, or annihilate planets that break this command.
Did the Singers wage undeclared war?
It would seem a simple matter to decide. A group is defined as three or more persons acting in
concert toward a common goal. Undeclared war is any group act which, in the absence of a Declaration
of Intent, results in the premeditated deaths of more than one hundred Concord citizens within eight
Centrex days.
There is no doubt that the Singers fit our definition of a group. There is no doubt that more than one
hundred citizens died within eight days. There is no doubt that no Declaration of Intent was issued. Only
premeditation is in doubt. The full Assembly could not resolve that doubt. Three thousand beings from
three thousand distinct cultures can rarely agree on the simplest matters; whatever else the Singers may
be, they are not simple.
The Assembly delegated the Singer decision to this Council. We have spent years, many years,
attempting to understand the Singers. We have not succeeded. Fortunately, we are not alone in our
search for understanding. There exists a group/society/entity called Carifil which also sifts nuances out of
ambiguities, seeking the residue of pattern which permits insight into Galactic events.
Though the Carifil have no legal existence under the Concord Charter, Carifil talents have been very
useful to the Concord. We do not know who the Carifil are, but we do know that they have no single
planet home, no single racial identity, no allegiance except to the Concord. Their information is not tainted
by parochialism. Carifil have been called everything from assassins to saviors; they are both, and neither.
Some Carifil have Attained high Concord positions, most have no official powers. All have unusual
mental abilities. None is infallible.
Which brings us to the Singer enigma once again ....

I
N’Lete’s urgent, silent call brought Tarhn out of sleep into instant wakefulness. His mind had
overridden the breathing reflex—danger in the air. In a blur of motion Tarhn ripped nasal filters out of his
personal baggage and fitted them on himself and the slakes. Though the filters looked exactly like those