Ventus by Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 492
Hamburg Manifesto says, `Thalience is an attempt to give
nature a voice without that voice being ours in disguise. It is
the only way for an artificial intelligence to be grounded in a
self-identity that is truly independent of its creator’s.’
"Thalience is the language-game that took over from the
original language of the Winds nine hundred forty years ago. It
is a disease. Only Mediation is fighting it."
"It’s the Flaw! You’re talking about the Flaw! --The
thing that made you turn against humans. The reason you
won’t speak to us anymore."
"Communication did become impossible. However, you
stopped speaking to us at that time."
"But why would we do that?"
"The Winds do not know. Mediation seeks to find out."
"So it’s not all the Winds who are after me. Just the
swans, the Heaven hooks, the morphs... who else?"
"All insolation Winds and ecological Winds are in
thalience," said Mediation. "The Heaven hooks switch
alliances. The mecha are neutral. The desals and other
geophysical Winds remain in Mediation."
"And the Swans are afraid that I’ll use my abilities
against them? That I’ll help Mediation?"
"Yes. Because you are human, and humans know the
original language."
"We do? I only know one language, the one I’m
speaking."
Mediation said, "You speak two languages."
Jordan didn’t know what that meant, so he let it pass.
"Could someone who spoke the original language command all
the Winds?"
"Yes," said Mediation. "They could command all
functions not directly related to maintenance of the