Melissa Scott by Dreamships

Author:Dreamships
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2012-06-01T18:36:27+00:00

“Yes. There’s a no-man’s-land between them, maybe a kilometer wide.”

“Which is where Mitexi Major is hiding,” Jian said, with sudden certainty.

“Yes.” Avelin gave her another quick look, this one unreadable. “Not many people come out here.”

But the Osirans seem to like you, Jian thought. Or at least this side does - whichever one it is. She could no longer remember the issues in Osiris’s decade-long civil war, only that an Urban-oriented group had won. “How much farther?” she said aloud.

“Not far,” Avelin began, and broke off to point. “There.”

He was pointing at one of the smaller domes, in good repair but surrounded by a reef of broken, discarded furniture and rusting machinery. Another runabout was drawn up at the end of that improvised wall, canopy flung back and compartment empty.

Jian said, “It looks like we’re a little late, Avelin.”

The bounty hunter was frowning, already turning their runabout crossways across the rutted street, blocking the other craft’s escape. “I don’t know how,” he said, and stopped short, shaking his head. “It does look like it.” He cut the engine, leaving the runabout where it was, and popped the canopy. “Come on.”

Jian levered herself out of the runabout, reached back to pull the tommy-stick out of its holster. Avelin blinked, but did not protest, said only, “Don’t you want the gun?”

“No, thanks,” Jian answered, and couldn’t help a quick and rueful smile. “I don’t have much practice with them.”

“I’ll take it,” Vaughn said, and tugged it free of its clips, tucking it easily out of sight under his jacket.

“Suit yourselves,” Avelin said, and turned toward the dome. His long vest swung open for an instant, and Jian understood why he had raised no objection to their taking his weapons: a long-barreled hand laser was tucked into his belt, hidden but readily to hand.

The wind was at their backs as they crossed the few meters of road that separated them from the dome, carrying sand and less familiar stinging cold pellets that Jian knew must be the sleet Manfred had described. As they reached the debris fence, however, the wind dropped suddenly, and the sound of voices came faint but clear through the dome’s thin walls.

” - not in our agreement.” That was Mitexi’s voice, and Jian thought she could hear the anger in it.

“Too bad. The price is just going to keep going up,” a man’s voice answered, and the rest of his words were drowned by wind and a peal of shrieking laughter from inside the dome.

“Your employer?” Avelin said softly, and Jian nodded.

“Yeh, the woman is.” That was stupid, unnecessary, but could not be unsaid. She went on, “Do we go in after them?”

Avelin grimaced. “If you want her alive, I think so. Seki sounds - annoyed.”

He was already moving toward the dome’s single door. Jian followed, glanced back in time to see Vaughn slide a cheap four-shot pellet gun - the plastic kind, undetectable and unreliable - out of his pocket and hand it to Red. The technician took it reluctantly, slid it into the pocket of his own coat.

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