The Ascendancy War (Book Two of the Art of War Trilogy) by The Ascendancy War (epub)

Author:The Ascendancy War (epub)
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0000000000000
Published: 2021-07-27T19:49:31+00:00

They made their way back into Sarakan via one of the many cargo hypertrains trundling slowly along the trackways. Any Veigis-Class world would have torn up the ancient tracks long ago and replaced them with maglev generators, but there was something to be said for the rugged reliability of rolling stock, especially in the punishing atmosphere of Farrax. Besides, the Outer Ring had a tendency to cling to technology centuries out of date. For many, it was a point of pride.

They weren’t troubled again, though Seka made Yano wear a cloak as a rough-and-ready means of deterring identification. UNIS drones were almost supernatural in their ability to detect things and people from many kilometres away, but physically obstructing his face with a hood and scarf would stop the casual crowd-scanners. If anything, Yano thought it drew more attention to him, though once he started looking at the many humans and aliens around him, at least half were hiding under hooded dusters.

They pushed through the people under the punishing sun and reached Silver’s place. Seka walked straight past it.

‘Se—’ Yano began, before Rutai collided with him from behind and encouraged him to keep walking.

They carried on, this time avoiding Voight District altogether, turning north through a few very wide and largely empty streets. There was nothing there beyond the faceless, featureless tower blocks and the northern barrier wall, and behind that, mountains of red rock crawling with machinery. Occasionally, a bright blue laser beam would stab into the ground from orbit, carving new EXM shafts for the VI borers to survey.

Seka stopped twenty metres ahead at a blank black wall and pressed her hand against it. A few moments later, a door recessed inwards with a hum of electromagnetics, and the three of them walked inside to see a featureless corridor of glossy black walls. A few moments later, the door closed, and a triple-barrelled Sphinx autosentry accosted them from the ceiling.

‘It’s me,’ Seka said impatiently, and the Sphinx acknowledged it with a blare from some concealed electronic foghorn. A weapons receiver at the end of the short corridor extended from its housing like a finger uncurling, and once again the three of them deposited their guns into the rack. Once the building was satisfied, an elevator chimed open next to the rack, and they entered.

‘Gala vesh con Ostre van,’ Rutai said.

‘I know,’ Seka replied as the doors closed.

When they opened again, they were standing in Silver’s penthouse.

‘How did…’ Yano said. It was identical. It could have been the same place. Even the view from the windows looked the same.

‘Wheels within wheels,’ Seka muttered. She turned to Yano, her face a mask of scorn. ‘It’s just a party trick. Don’t give him the satisfaction of being impressed.’

The room was empty, and Yano would have banked on the entire apartment being empty. A holo was open on the table which had once been chock-full of food, a thirty-centimetre screen of text emanating from a small, coin-sized projector. Next to it was a

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