The Godel Operation by James L. Cambias

Author:James L. Cambias [Cambias, James L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Hard Science Fiction, Space Opera
ISBN: 9781982125561
Google: tzL-zQEACAAJ
Publisher: Baen
Published: 2021-05-04T04:00:00+00:00

“Dispose of it,” said Lupur. The goo bot went opaque again and slithered off, with the little mech struggling ineffectually inside it.

“Does that happen a lot?” asked Kusti.

“I’m afraid so. Because of my exalted reputation as the greatest thief who has ever lived, any number of little punks—biological and digital—want to see if they can cheat or rob me, just for bragging rights. And, of course, my collection of rarities draws inquisitive eyes as well.”

“I’d love to see it,” said Kusti.

“And so you shall.” Lupur glanced at her outfit. “Wouldn’t you be more comfortable without that? Bare skin suits you.”

“I’m still a little chilly,” she said. “Maybe later we can go someplace to warm up.”

“Goosebumps have their own charm, but I take your point. Best for you to stay buttoned up, then.” He looked directly at the cameras again, and this time he winked.

He led the way down the upholstered passage, which was evidently the axial corridor of the old inter-orbit liner. It opened into a dining room and bar which took up a whole deck of its own, with diamond windows looking out at Summanus below and the stars above.

Lupur didn’t even slow down. He launched himself across the room to where the passage continued past a recreation deck, then the cheap cabins, then the expensive ones, and finally to a cargo hold, about as big as the dining deck. He had converted it to his private museum, and Kusti’s buttons recorded all manner of marvels in it: a crystal bowl, a coin four meters across, a case full of rings, a diamond pendant, a rack of swords, a mummified human, a microscopically detailed model city in a bottle, and a golden horn.

Kusti stopped and spun slowly, taking it all in. But Lupur tapped her on the shoulder. “Never mind these trivialities. I want to show you the real prize of my collection. This way.”

He led her to the back of the cargo space, where an elaborate lacquered-wood cabinet stood. Its surface was decorated with a pattern of gilded arrows.

“It was first exhibited more than eight millennia ago and still remains a byword for the exotic and alluring,” said Lupur. “Over the centuries, billions of humans have fought for a glimpse of it, ignoring lesser treasures in their search.”

He pressed one of the golden arrows on the side of the cabinet and the door opened. Inside was nothing but darkness. Then a pair of steel tentacles shot out from the walls of the cabinet, grabbing Kusti and dragging her inside. Just before the doors shut behind her the buttons picked up Lupur’s voice.

“It has many names in many languages, but I prefer the original title: the egress.”

And then the back of the cabinet opened and Kusti fell into space.

Her suit detected the drop in pressure and sealed up before Kusti could even let out a yelp. As she tumbled out of the back end of Lupur’s ship the button-cameras recorded a nice panorama of the docking arm, the surface

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