Sirius Amory embarks on his quest to discover the true nature of the Keywork, the network of energy beams connecting the planets of Heaven's Fence. As he walks toward the shuttle doors, he thinks of his wife, Meri, the love of his life, who he invited to join him on this grand adventure but who, well aware of the danger, declined. Worried that Meri will not wait for him, he asks his ship's AI, the All Mother, if she will ever abandon him; but of course she will not. She is programmed to help him finish his task. Encouraged by her response -- artificial as it may be -- he ventures forward into the mysterious blue haze of the Keywork.
Sirius Amory embarks on his quest to discover the true nature of the Keywork, the network of energy beams connecting the planets of Heaven's Fence. As he walks toward the shuttle doors, he thinks of his wife, Meri, the love of his life, who he invited to join him on this grand adventure but who, well aware of the danger, declined. Worried that Meri will not wait for him, he asks his ship's AI, the All Mother, if she will ever abandon him; but of course she will not. She is programmed to help him finish his task. Encouraged by her response -- artificial as it may be -- he ventures forward into the mysterious blue haze of the Keywork.