Relic of Empire by W. Michael Gear

Author:W. Michael Gear [Gear, W. Michael]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, azw3
Tags: Action & Adventure, Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Warfare, American, Adventure, General
ISBN: 9780886774929
Google: MsuvNwAACAAJ
Amazon: 0886774926
Publisher: DAW
Published: 1992-04-06T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER 16

The glass tubes were slick, and Anatolia almost dropped one as she pulled them from the centrifuge and racked them. Each held four ccs of liquid at the bottom, the fluid varying in clarity where the heavier molecules had settled under the eighty gravities of the centrifuge.

Anatolia crossed the lab, weaving through the tables and equipment. She stopped before the micropipette and tapped the button that opened the door with her elbow. As it swung open, she inserted the tray with its test tubes into the recess and locked it in place. Then she closed the door before seating herself at the controls.

The monitor glowed to life and Antatolia maneuvered the micropipette over the first tube, dialing the vacuum tube down into the fluid. On the split screen, she watched the magnified needle penetrating the nuclear material to the thin polymerase level. With careful pressure on the control, she sucked up the molecules.

She barely noticed as Vet appeared at her shoulder and dropped half of a sandwich on the counter. “Thanks, Vet. “

“They just arrested Pool.”

“What?” Anatolia looked up, seeing Vet’s grim expression for the first time. “Arrested Pool? Excuse me, am I missing something here? What are you talking about? “

Vet’s jaw muscles bunched. “In the cafeteria just now. He was talking about the Seddi broadcasts with some of the guys from forensics. Two nicely dressed young men walked up, flashed Internal Security ID, and hauled the whole lot of them away.” ‘

Anatolia simply stared. “I don’t understand.” “Ana,” Vet told her seriously. “You’ve been locked away here in the lab for so long, you’ve lost touch with what’s going on out there. If any of Ily’s agents hear you mention the Seddi broadcasts, they take you away. Arrest you on the spot. It’s like ... well. . . . “ He shrugged. “I guess we know what the future’s going to be like.” He lowered his voice. “And a lot of the things the Seddi are saying make sense. Take my word for it, no matter what that Sinklar Fist says, we’re in for a reign of terror. “

She sighed and turned back to her work. “Vet, I don’t have time for the Seddi ... or anything else, right now. “

“Hopefully you never will,” he added cryptically. “But some of us are getting scared. Especially when it’s one of our own who gets arrested. Let’s just hope we don’t find Pool laid out on the slab for cataloging one of these mornings.”

“Oh, Vet, nothing is going to happen. You’ll see, Pool will be back later. They wouldn’t do anything to him just for talk.”

“I hope you’re right. Myself, I’m going to keep a still tongue in my head. If you’re smart, you will, too. Ily won’t do anything to us if we’re obedient.”

Terror? Senseless arrest? Micky’s face leered from Anatolia’s memory. Her control slipped, and the needle drove too deeply and spoiled her specimen.

Now I know what hell is like, Mac told himself. The jump through space-and

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