Ventus by Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 681
not commanding the heavens to part and the seas to recede?"
"There is some key piece missing," he admitted. "I have
yet to figure it out. But when I do..."
all along, Armiger. What, exactly, are you going to do?"
He stared pensively at the stars. "The Winds are surbiological,
nanotechnological entities. Each component
mechanum is infinitesimal, the size of a human cell. Each
carries in it a tiny computer--a thinking machine--and
communications devices. The mecha communicate with their
brethren using a very large number of codes. These codes are
certified each by the next higher layer of the organization, from
the tiniest particle all the way up to the desals and the Diadem
swans. The Winds recognize one another by comparing the
digital signatures on the transmission codes. If the code is not
signed by the next higher authority, it is not valid. But that
next higher authority cannot issue codes without the
authorization of the layer above it, and so on up the ladder.
Most of the communication between the Winds consists of
trading new authorizations. They do it on an unconscious
level.
"To command the Winds, you must speak their language.
To speak their language, you must have a valid signature on
your messages. Ever since arriving here I have been looking
for a way to either fake the signatures, or acquire the highestlevel
signing authority.
"Somehow, Jordan Mason has gotten a high-level
authority in the eyes of the Winds. --Not the highest, but very
I copied his implants exactly, which should make my messages