Acabei de terminar o livro O Algebraista de Iain M. Banks, e gostei muito, mas não entendo completamente os eventos ao redor do artefato alienígena encontrado por Fassin, Saluus, Ilen e Taince.
Qual é o significado do artefato alienígena? É o segundo navio que falamos mais tarde? O que a descoberta do artefato tem a ver com o resto da história, e especialmente com os quatro amigos?
O "artefato" (um navio alienígena de design antigo e indeterminado, possivelmente Voehn) quase certamente não tinha nada a ver com os Habitantes ou seu mítico "Segundo Navio" que viajava de nossa galáxia para outra e depois voltava novamente.
O incidente que levou Taince a se matar (e levar Saluus com ela) foi que, durante sua viagem a este navio antigo, Saluus matou Ilen. Taince suspeitava que Saluus tentava se refrescar com Ilen e Ilen arranhava seu pescoço. Na luta que se seguiu, algo aconteceu e Ilen caiu por cima da borda. A 'peça retorcida de metal' não tem significado especial além do que Saluus presumivelmente a agarrou para se salvar de cair ou possivelmente atingir Ilen.
'Let me explain, in case you still haven't got it: I saw the marks, Sal. I saw the three red lines on your neck, before you put your jacket collar up. Remember that? Remember pretending to shiver and saying, "C-collar," or whatever it was? Remember? Just one of those little false notes that you don't notice at the time because of all the fear and adrenalin, that doesn't start to nag at you until long afterwards. Kept that collar up afterwards, too, didn't you? Kept the jacket on like some sort of comfort blanket until you could get to a bathroom and a first-aid kit, didn't you? I remember. And when I was reaching down to Ilen, I saw her fingernails. With the blood under them. Saw them very distinctly. Fass didn't; still has no idea, even yet. But I saw them. I wasn't entirely sure about the marks on your neck, but then I checked. Remember that last farewell fuck, a couple of weeks later? Just checking. They were very faint by then, of course, but they were there all right.
'You always wanted her, didn't you, Sal? Always so desired the beautiful Ilen. Did you think because she went into the ship with you she was saying yes? Did you? Did she, then changed her mind? Doesn't really matter, I suppose. I saw what I saw.
Tags o-algebraista