The Apocalypse Ocean by Buckell Tobias S

Author:Buckell, Tobias S. [Buckell, Tobias S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Xenowealth, Tobias Buckell, space opera, science fiction
Published: 2012-12-12T20:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

The streets of Trumball baked in the hot sun. This was League territory, in practicality. Technically, Octavia was neutral, another buffer area agreed on by the League and the Xenowealth. Here politicians could meet. Citizens could migrate off to other worlds. But Trumball was the League side of the neutral area.

Trumball’s floating docks and structures were concrete, square, and practical. There were no gardens or greenspaces like Reception. No trees lining the canals leading to the wormhole.

Military police in olive uniforms patrolled the streets, and people avoided your eyes.

The only chaos allowed to proceed in Trumball was near the docks, where orderly markets allowed by the Governor’s Council occupied pre-built concrete table slabs to sell their wares.

Small black spheres sullenly regarded the world from scattered perches on building corners, lamps, and eaves. Just like on League planets, the Council here watched everything. And the Governor’s Council reported everything back through the wormhole upstream to the League.

Not a good place, Kay thought, to be on the wrong side of the law. Which was exactly where she stood right now. Or at least, planned to stand.

“Relax,” Kay told Avris, who kept staring at every single uniformed goon that meandered by. “You’re too nervous.”

They sat by the docks in a tiny bar, watching ships load, unload, or head up the canal towards the Trumball wormhole. Like the other floating cities of Octavia, the black disk of the wormhole sat right in the heart of the city. Everything here had started out built near it, and then slowly crept outward.

“I’m nervous because our guy’s late,” Avris said. “You know how risky trying to smuggle yourself into the League is?”

“Relax,” Kay repeated, and stilled Avris with a hand on the wrist. The physical touch was all that was needed. Avris visibly deflated.

Kay pushed the small mug of mead on the table closer to Avris. “You got me all the way back here. You contacted the people we needed to find. We’re doing fine. Drink some of the mead, if you need it. We can get another. And relax.” Kay couldn’t communicate through invisible networks. She couldn’t even understand what she was looking at when Avris put the glasses on her that let her see lamina, a universe of data laid over everything you could see.

It was overwhelming.

Kay had no doubt that, in time, like learning how to read, she could master it. But she didn’t have another two years to invest in mastering this new concept. The Doaq would own the island, if not more, by then.

She sighed and eyed the mead. She wanted to feel the extra warmth and calm that would come from a long sip. But that would break the illusion she was creating with Avris.

Knock back mead, and Avris would remember the reality: that Kay was not some broken child turned up on her doorstep.

No. She was something else entirely.

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