Fat pockets dribble chestnuts as they pass.

shard-scrapping on Ballybran to undertake it here on Optheria. It is only that security measures I would, of course, accept your assistance in the interests of security. Thyrol hastily adjourned to a communication console. What exactly do you require, Guildmember? She gauged the volume of broken crystal in the cabinet. Three strong men with impervometallic bins of approximately ten-kilo volume, triple-strength face masks, durogloves, fine-wire brushes, and the sort of small, disposable extractor used by archeologists. We have to be sure to glean every particle of crystal dust. Thyrols eyes bugged out a bit over the more bizarre items, but he repeated her requirements, and then turned up very stiff indeed when he was subjected to questions by the staff. Of course, they have to be cleared by Security, but they are to be here immediately, properly geared to assist the Guildmember! He broke off the connection and, his face blotched with displeasure, turned to Killashandra. With so much at stake, Guildmember, you can appreciate our wish to protect you and the organ from further depredations. If something should happen to the replacement crystal Killashandra shrugged. From what she had seen of Optherians, once bitten, twice shy described their philosophy. She ran her hand across the instrument nearest her, glancing around at the rest of the anonymous equipment. This is a more complex device than Id been led to believe. She turned and presented a politely inquiring expression to Thyrol. Well, ah, that is Come now, Thyrol, I am scarcely connected with the subversives. No, of course not. Killashandra diverted Thyrols attention from realizing that he had covertly admitted the existence of an underground organization by turning, once again, toward the front of the chamber and pointing at the access panel to the keyboard. Now the actual keyboard is beyond that panel, so the right-hand box houses the stops and voicing circuitry. And is that, she pointed to the largest unit, the CPU? The induction modulator and mixer must be in that left-hand cabinet. You are knowledgeable about organ technology? Thyrols expression assumed a wary blankness. For the second time since her arrival, Killashandra perceived empathic emanations from an Optherian: this time a strong sense of hp photosmart m417 digital camera indefinable apprehension and alarm. Not as much about organs as I do about interface techniques, sensory simulators, and synthesizer modulators. Crystal singing requires a considerably wide range of experience with sophisticated electronic equipment, you know. He obviously didnt or he wouldnt have nodded so readily. Killashandra blessed her foresight in utilizing the sleep-teaching tapes she had copied from the Athenas comprehensive data retrieval system. Her answer reassured Thyrol and the shadow of his fear slowly dissipated. Of course there is a double handshake between the program, and he tapped the black case by him, and the composition memory banks. Composition, and he walked from one to the other, his hand lightly brushing the surfaces, of course leads directly into the recall excitor stimulator, for that uses the memory symbology of the median individual member of any audience so that a composition is translated into terms which have meaning to the auditors. Naturally the subjective experience of a program for Optherians would differ greatly from the experience a nonhuman would have. Of course, Killashandra murmured encouragingly. And the information from the crystal manual goes? Assuming the pose of a pompous lecturer, Thyrol pointed to the various units in flow sequence. Into the synapse carrier encoder and demodulator multiplexer, both of which feed into the mixer for the sensory transducer terminal network. Beaming with pride, he continued, While the composition memory bank primarily programs the sensory synthesizer, the feedback loop controls the sensory attenuator for maximum effectiveness. I see. Keyboard to CPU, direct interface with manual and synapse carrier encoder, plus the double handshakes. Killashandra hid her shock this emotion manipulator made the equipment at Fuerte look like preschool toys. Talk about a captive audience! Optherian concertgoers hadnt a chance. The Optherian organ could produce a total emotional override with a conditional response unequaled anywhere. And a sufficient gauge of the audiences basic profile could be ascertained by matching ID plates and census data. Killashandra wondered that FSP permitted any of its citizens to visit the planet, much less to expose themselves to full-scale emotional overload at Festival time. I can see why youd need many soloists. Theyd be emotionally drained after each performance. We recognized that problem early on the performer is