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nd moans。 He whirled and yelled his son's name； but all sane perception seemed to have fallen away to nothingness。
Then the fold drives hummed； building power； and coherent reality rezzed up again。 Rick took no chances but snatched Roy up into his arms again； other parents following suit…including the Zentraedi； which was quite a sight。 Lisa faced the fact that she could not mand her ship by inter and let Raul concentrate on running the bridge。
Vince had been holding his breath； not knowing how the SDF…l's drives would take to Second Gen Protoculture hell； he hadn't even known how the SDF…3's would。 Now he found out； as the smooth fold sequence stuttered； the sound of the drives falling off。
〃Run start…up sequence again；〃 he'd just said； when everything around him dissipated into perceptual chaos again； making him feel he was going mad。
In a place with no real existence in space or time； the onrushing Haydon； with all the accumulated energies of his crossing； rushed headlong at the Regis； who was determined to defend this； her last domain。
The rift between the domain of newspace and realspace widened； all things flowing together at the cusp。 The very end of the Shapings had e。
With the residue of the expanded senses he had been given by exposure to Lang's discorporation； Louie Nichols perceived the settling of that single snowflake on the endless winter landscape of the Shapings。 It took its place； losing itself in the whole。
But its very arrival generated the movement of those beneath it； and they imparted infinitesimal shifting to those farther down。 There was mass movement。
Aboard the SDF…3； the start…up sequence ran again and the fold drives raved to life。 This time the process caught； and everyone aboard could feel the generation of the fold jump field as it sprang out from the ship。 Once more they were passing into the unknowable。
For Haydon there could be no going back； for the Regis there was no retreat。 Collision was inevitable； and only one entity could survive。
Both beings registered the jump of SDF…3； though the Regis could spare no attention for it and Haydon saw no reason to； the cosmos for which it was bound would soon be destroyed； anyway。 They charged upon each other to do ultimate bat。
Then both near deities let out silent emanations of shock； wonder； fear； and awe。
The Shapings were shifting in a way unique in all their long history。
In that intersection； Haydon suddenly had access to a wider mental vista； a fuller historical perspective； than he had ever had。 The Regis； meanwhile； was opened to a total vision of all that had taken place and all that would。 Both knew humbling and unprecedented sensations of acceptance； resignation…and peace。
It was as if all continua and all probabilities were rotating on infinite axes beneath them。 Once again the Regis was transformed into a phoenix of racial essence； about to take flight for a final destination。 But Haydon turned； in the eternal instant when the rift in spacetime still yawned wide； and reached into the SDF…3； searching。
At the moment of Intersection； as a side effect miracle； the perceptual blindfolds fell away from the eyes of the SDFers； and they gazed across time。
Kazianna Hesh clutched Drannin while the Super Dimensional Fortress plunged into the eye of the continua hurricane。 If death rose up to claim her at last； she knew how to greet it； she was Zentraedi。
But instead； what she thought at first to be a hallucination manifested itself before her。 She saw mighty Breetai as she had first seen him； unscarred and unbeatable； leading the legions of the Zentraedi to victory。
As she saw and heard her love again； watched him leave his mark； huge and unique； on galactic history； Kazianna came to realize that it was no dream or specter。 Somehow she was seeing across the conventional boundaries to points on the timestream where he still existed。
She witnessed again the terrible battle in which Zor died； the great slaughter of Dolza's fleet； Breetai's triumphs in the Malcontent Uprisings and the Sentinels War。
She saw herself again； too； as she went to him on Fantoma and awakened love in him as he already unknowingly had in her。 She saw how he had bee truly happy for the first time then。
There was no hard and fast linearity to the scenes。 She was seeing many times and places where Breetai was in effect alive still and would always be so…as Lang had intended； though Kazianna knew nothing of that at the moment。
She saw him presiding like some war god at the post…battle revels of the Zentraedi； proud of his conquests and yet weighted； always； by the burden of his leadership。 Nevertheless； Kazianna knew a fierce joy that some part of him would preside forever in the halls of victory。
And she saw him brooding； about to enter his final contest against the Invid Regent； and knowing that this time the Shapings had a different oute in store for him。
She felt Drannin stir in her arms。 〃Is that man my father？〃 Is。 That was the right word。 She understood now that he was no more lost to her than if he were on some far shore。 She was still with him in many times and places and knew a certainty that she would be again。
〃Yes。 That is Great Breetai。 〃
The child was silent for a long moment； then his voice rang out across the barrier between them。 〃Hail； Breetai！〃 At that moment Breetai's head rose from his preoccupations； and one of his very rare smiles touched his lips。 He had known； going to his death； that his wife carried his son。 Now Kazianna had no doubt that somehow he had heard the boy's voice across time。
She held herself very erect。 〃Yes； hail； Breetai。〃 But she said it with a lover's softness。
For Lisa； it was Karl Riber： the love of an older man…all of nineteen！…for an introverted sixteen…year…old。 She was the daughter of a military family； he a gentle thinker and dreamer。
She saw that his lonely life at Sara Base on Mars was not as horrible as serving in the RDF would have been。 When he met death in the Sara Base raid； she did not turn her eyes from it； and she saw a vast calm in him then。 Karl had never feared dying； he understood life too well。 He had only shrunk from killing； and in the end the life he'd left behind was the kind of monument to peace that would have pleased him。 For Lisa； other faces and scenes rose up from the time stream too： the mother she'd remembered dimly but now saw afresh and more fully； her father； in his good moments and bad； making her even more grateful that she and he had bee friends once more； at the end。
She had lost many friends and now saw glimpses of those who'd been closest to her。
Sammie； Kim； and Vanessa made her smile with their bewildering mixture of high spirits and dead…calm bat savvy。 She let the tears e as she saw Claudia Grant once more； in all her best friend's moods and moments； and blessed whatever agency it was that gave her this interlude of insight and remembrance。
And of course Lisa beheld Captain Henry J。 Gloval across the gulf of years…in his assorted tempers and aspects； the emphatic humanity he hid under a gruff exterior。 She had long ago recognized that he was her father in the truest sense； she conside