Parallax (The Deep Black Book 1) by James David Victor

Author:James David Victor [Victor, James David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fairfield Publishing
Published: 2018-11-10T00:00:00+00:00

10

Taliesen Mao was not the sort to entertain insubordination, insolence, or general disrespect. It was for that reason that he avoided children at all costs. The Navy was perfect for that. No children among its ranks. Between his duties and expectations as an officer, he had little time to take part in producing a child of his own. Little chance at all of him ever crossing paths with a child.

Had it been a child, even, he could bear it. But a teenager? That was a situation for which he had not trained and which was not detailed in the officers’ handbook. He did know, at the least, that killing this particular teenager would certainly result in disciplinary action.

“Come on, man,” Wilco said as he stepped over a drunk who’d passed out along the walkway of the Ore Town hangar bay. “You move slower than a sloth in zero-gee.”

Mao clenched his jaw to keep from screaming. He shoved his hand in his pocket to keep it from the trigger of the blaster on his hip. He chose instead to study and observe. Though, doing so through Wilco’s incessant prattling did prove difficult.

“What’s the deal with this place?” Wilco asked.

“It’s a mining outpost owned and operated by the Byers Clan, a very wealthy and very powerful ally of the United Systems. We were planning a routine inspection after several failed attempts at communication.”

Wilco didn’t seem to hear. Rather, he appeared to not pay attention. He was like a butterfly on the wind, taken wherever the breeze pleased. “Yeah.” The single syllable was heavier than it should be, full of something Mao didn’t fully comprehend. But he followed Wilco without inquiring.

“Mining towns are usually organized around a central office,” Wilco said. “The bosses run the show from there. Usually the tallest building. They like to look down on us little folk.”

“There,” Mao said, pointing to a cylindrical building twice the height of the next tallest. It was no prettier than the others, however. They all looked one stiff wind from toppling over. He hadn’t seen a Byers Clan operation firsthand, but their reputation was one of being even stricter than the Navy.

“Yup,” Wilco said. He charted a course through crowded streets, cutting through the mass of soiled miners stinking of alcohol and cave tobacco like they weren’t even there.

Mao watched the boy’s back, studying the way he moved. Not like any slave he’d seen before. There was no reservation in his gait, no echo of subservience in his posture. He moved with confidence. Though, the longer they walked, the more tense his shoulders became. The more guarded he seemed.

The stench of liquor grew thicker in the air and became quite distracting. Mao had never liked it. Even before he enlisted, he wasn’t one for drinking. He disliked feeling like he was not in control of himself.

“Let’s take a break,” Wilco said, ducking into a squat, metal-sided building lit with neon.

Mao didn’t know what the place was until after stepping inside and allowing his eyes to adjust to the sudden lack of light.

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