Freenet by Steve Stanton

Author:Steve Stanton
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub, mobi
Tags: Science Fiction / Hard Science Fiction, Science Fiction / Space Opera
Publisher: ECW Press
Published: 2016-03-31T23:00:00+00:00

SEVEN

Zen explored the troopship to familiarize himself with the layout. Two main tunnels with ladders went up the centre of the arrow shaft with short hallways branching off like spokes at each level. The vessel was dirty throughout and in need of repair. Some areas were cordoned off with caution tape to prevent access to exposed panels of pipes and wiring. Air vents were stained with smoky brown deposits, and some of the grates rattled as the squeaky fans circulated stale air. Ladder treads were worn smooth in the middle and grimy near the corners where years of accumulated dirt had eddied and fallen.

Zen climbed up against steady acceleration until he found a porthole view of their destination, the fourth planet out from Signa. Cromeus appeared blue in the distance like a drop of water floating in space. Hard to imagine a teeming populace on that tiny circle of reflected light. Hard to imagine a sky without forks of lightning and constant magnetic storms, a paradise where humans could walk outdoors and breathe unfiltered air, drink water from the ground, and raise babies.

“Looking for something in particular?”

Zen whirled to see a young man in blue duty uniform, a Transolar Security guard walking the perimeter. “No . . . yeah . . . I guess.”

The man smiled and held an elbow up Bali style. He was handsome and personable, with dark hair, bulky shoulders, and the leathery skin of a grounder. “I’m Jon Bak. Seen you around.”

Zen raised a forearm to cross his gesture. “You’re from Bali?”

He gave a quick nod. “Five years out. I spend my free time on Cromeus now. A little peninsula called Flatrock. It’s the best topless beach in the galaxy. You should see the women.” He whistled with appreciation. “Where you from?”

“Keokapul.”

“Oh, sure, the crystal caves. I’ve been there for Vishan. Quite the spectacle. We may have shared a smoke together.”

Zen tried to remember and came up blank. “I was just a kid in those days.”

“Yeah, I suppose. I don’t recall your face, but who can remember much after Vishan?” The trooper laughed with a gregarious roar. He pointed to the portal with a beefy arm and rugged fingers. “This is a digital interface with a battery backup. It’s not a real window.”

Zen peered again at the array of stars. “It looks real.”

“Well, that’s the idea, but you can magnify the image.” He palmed a sensor to activate a touchscreen on the surface of the portal. “You want to zoom in on Cromeus?”

“Yeah, I’ve never been there.” The blue dot grew larger as Zen watched. It had a pearly texture from humidity in the atmosphere—clouds or perhaps snow.

“It’s not much better from this distance. There’s the max. You see that spot of light glinting on the right side in orbit? That’s the Macpherson Doorway, the wormhole to Earth. I’d love to travel through there if they ever lift the embargo. That’s my big dream—to see the ancestral home of humanity.”

Zen shook his head. “I’d be afraid.

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