Labyrinthian by Sunny Moraine

Author:Sunny Moraine
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: far future, space opera, SF, bounty hunter, science fiction, line and orbit, enemies-to-friends, spaceship
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Published: 2015-01-20T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Centralia was small, shrouded in ugly gray clouds. From their position in orbit, its surface was only visible in patches, but Theseus could see that it was rocky and an even darker gray. The atmosphere was dense, the composition wrong and the pressure too high for open-air settlements, so the sparse population was confined to thick domes that protruded from the planet’s crust like blisters.

The world was, in short, the anti-New Hellas. Theseus didn’t have to look very closely at Taur to see how glum he was at the prospect.

“I only get to see a finite number of planets,” he said, staring out the window, his chin in his hands and his elbows on the console. “And it has to look like this.”

“You’ll get to see more.” But Theseus had mostly given up arguing. Taur seemed convinced that he wasn’t going to make it out of this alive, though it was only the odd comment or allusion, and it didn’t appear to upset him a lot of the time.

Taur shrugged but otherwise said nothing. There was more to the silence than simple dislike, Theseus sensed. Taur had been quiet when it came to the subject of planets since Theseus had told him why New Hellas was empty of children, a simple response to a simple question that hadn’t ended so simply. Taur had brooded on it. More than Theseus had expected.

A dying planet. So full of life and growing things, lovely in its way, but dying all the same.

There was a faint flash to the left and the Corvis blinked into view. The comm crackled. “Hey, assholes. This the place?”

Theseus punched the receiver. “Seems like. Guess we should head down. Unless you want to stick to orbit.”

“Oh, sure, and miss everything. I’m coming with you, and that’s not something we discuss.” But Phae sounded cheerful instead of exasperated, and Theseus allowed himself a grin. It was good to have her along. Comfortable. Almost like old times.

Almost.

“Coordinates are for the main dome. Did you look the place up on the way?”

“I did my research. Called Lehigh, mining colony, blah blah. Seems like a good place for a potential meet. No one likely to ask too many questions. I’d pick it, anyway.”

“Okay,” Theseus said. The clouds would make things tricky, but it would be manageable. The difficulty was another reason why it was probably one of the best possible locations for someone on the run. “Follow us. We’re heading in.”

At least he had turned off his beacon this time.

Gingerly, he took them down. He was gratified to see, out of the corner of his vision, that Taur didn’t look nearly as green this time. His big muscles were tense, but he didn’t appear to be nauseated, even when the clouds and the high winds sent them into a series of hard bumps and fast dips and rises.

Then the clouds parted and the dome was directly beneath them.

It looked uglier up close. Maybe at one point it had been transparent, but years

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