The Best of Sydney J Bounds: Volume Two by Sydney J Bounds

Author:Sydney J Bounds [Bounds, Sydney J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Venture Press
Published: 2016-02-25T00:00:00+00:00

STAR-TRAIL

CHAPTER 1 – Opportunity is a Fine Thing

Hew Keston sat in a low uncomfortable tubular chair, his neck aching as his head swiveled from side to side, in an effort to focus his eyes and attention on Barnabas. Merlin X. Barnabas, program chief for Stereoscopic Inc., paced the long indigo-ceilinged office from his mammoth desk to the wall screen and back again.

Watching him, a faint memory stirred in Keston, the memory of some research he’d once done on an archaic ball game — tenball? — where the spectators swiveled their heads left-right, left-right to follow a small white ball as it crossed and re-crossed a net.

He stretched out cramped legs in front of him as Barnabas paced restlessly, one large hand brandishing a fat green holder containing a burning cigar, talking fast at the top of his voice. Barnabas was always enthusiastic at the start of a new project, Keston thought sourly, but it wouldn’t last. Enthusiasm would die long before the job was completed; yet still he was caught up by that ringing voice and held fascinated.

“This is your chance,” Barnabas boomed. “This can put you in the big time.”

Keston felt the knot of sourness swell inside him. Once, he too bad thought in terms of ‘the big time’, but not any more. He wasn’t young enough to believe that crap now.

“The Eden Clan,” Barnabas said. “I want you to do a full-length exposé with all the trimmings.”

Keston’s ears pricked up, and his words came out sharper than he intended. “Exposé? It was biography just now.”

Barnabas scattered ash as he flourished his cigar. “Exposé, biography … just words.” He stopped pacing to pick out one tape from the library on his desk. “Mercer’s version, Eastlake’s, pop-mythical, standard — there’s a hundred of them and all different. I want the true Eden story. What really happened. And that’s what you’re going to give me.” He inserted the tape into a projector and started it cycling.

Keston shifted his chair back to get a better view of the screen, He hadn’t seen this tape before. Eden — which Eden? he wondered — headed a parade along the wide throughway of some off-Terran city. The legendary handsome Eden, sitting straight and proud in an ornate saddle, riding his single-horned Beast. He was surrounded by, almost submerged under, a flag-waving, streamer-throwing crowd, backed by exotic-looking architecture.

Barnabas had cut out the sound track and spoke above the silent stereoscopic image. “It’s big, the biggest story ever. How did they do it? One family, starting from nothing, totally unknown … manipulating entire worlds … taking a percentage here, a rake-off there … gaining wealth, power, status … and finally, their own planet. This is Clan Eden!”

Keston, watching the changing images on the screen, suddenly found his view blocked by the massive bulk of Barnabas. A finger stabbed at him. The booming voice lowered a notch.

“Status, did I say? Perhaps, and perhaps not. There’s no shortage of people who hate the Edens, on a score of worlds, people who call them criminal, ruthless killers.

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