Swallow the Sky: A Space Opera by Chris Mead

Author:Chris Mead [Mead, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-07-14T07:00:00+00:00

The following morning Carson was allowed to leave the mansion. He and Aiyana acted out a tearful farewell for Tabarak’s benefit.

“Be here this time next week” the big man told him. They had agreed to weekly face-to-face meetings to ensure Carson really was still on New Earth.

The taxi headed skyward; Aiyana waved until it disappeared then headed to her suite. For the rest of the day she played the model employee and researched the Clan’s economic activities in the Huan Federation. That evening a member of the staff brought her an evening meal, and then she was left alone.

It was much quieter with Juro and Shin gone and by midnight the mansion was silent. Aiyana sat in front of a dresser wearing the lift belt. She was reasonably certain that she was not being visually monitored and even if she were, she hoped that the belt’s function was not obvious. The camouflaged stealth suite was laid out on the bed. Now it was a question of dressing as fast as possible and immediately leaping off the balcony.

As she was about to get up she let out a small gasp – the surface of the dresser was crawling with insects. What was wrong with this place? Then, peering closely, she saw that each of them wore a tiny communications pack. It had to be Tallis, or at least a dozen of her soldiers. Carson had told her that members of the nest could operate remotely by augmenting their organic radios.

Four of the soldiers were carrying a miniscule black module. What was that? The ants placed the module down and to her astonishment grouped together in the shape of a letter B. The next moment they regrouped to form an I.

BIOMETRIC SIMULATOR they spelt out

DRESS STEALTH LEAVE

Aiyana hurried to put on the disguised stealth suit. The moment she pulled brim of the hat down over her face a pinpoint green light appeared on the simulator. It was broadcasting a copy of her biometrics – Tabarak would not even realize that she had gone. Aiyana delicately picked the module and placed it on the bed, arranging pillows under the covers to mimic the shape of her sleeping body.

Meantime, at the dresser the ants were spelling out another message.

GO NOW they said, adding LEAVE US

“Like hell” Aiyana muttered.

She knew an individual ant was no more to Tallis than one of her own fingernails, but this group must have scaled the cliff for hours carrying the simulator. It was like a team of human climbers hauling a shuttle up a mountain. She was damned if she would abandon them.

Aiyana pulled out a small jewelry box from the dresser draw and dumped its contents. Then, as gently as she could, she brushed the ants into the box and closed the lid. She tucked it into her suit and stepped out onto the balcony. Everything appeared quiet, only the sound of the surf drifted up through the cool night air. She leant over and peered down at the shoreline but could see nothing but shadows.

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