The Line of Polity by Neal Asher

Author:Neal Asher [Asher, Neal]
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Science fiction, General, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fiction, Space Opera, Adventure, Science Fiction - Adventure, Science Fiction - Space Opera
ISBN: 9780330512565
Publisher: Tor
Published: 2009-10-01T19:30:00+00:00

"Correct first time," said Fethan, lowering his hand.

"Then," said Thorn hesitantly, "you have been around for a while. I don't think anyone has gone cyborg for the last hundred years."

"Maybe," Fethan replied, obviously reluctant to volunteer further information about his own history.

"Now, tell me, you're going to find out what's going on with this lander Dragon was carrying, ain't you?"

"I had considered that," said Thorn cautiously.

Fethan stepped close to one side of Thorn and slapped a hand down onto the thick foamed-neoprene tyre of the ATV.

"Then we'll be needing one of these," he said.

"I don't think Lellan would appreciate one of these vehicles being taken and, incidentally, what's your interest?"

"Lellan's interest, in fact. She took to heart your comments about Dragon, and she wants to be certain it's dead. I'm to head out there to make sure. And where Dragon came down is not far from where that craft came down. Two birds with one stone you might say."

"Yeah, you might," Thorn replied.

The autogun tower opened up with a staccato rattling, and Proctor Molat swore unremittingly after jumping up startled and banging his bald pate on the corner of his office cupboard. It took him a moment to realize just what he was hearing, as the last time those guns had fired had been during a test, so long ago, Molat recollected, that he still had thick black hair on his head. Flipping up his breather mask he rounded his desk — his feelings about leaving the stack of paperwork there, and the reasons for leaving it, somewhat ambivalent — yanked open the sealed door, and stepped out into the grey day. Only to have that day turned terribly bright when the autogun tower disintegrated in a ball of light.

" Muster!Muster! " commander Lurn bellowed over aug channels. " We are under attack! " Proctor Molat grimaced at that: how incredibly observant of Lurn. He glanced over to where some soldiers were setting up a gun on the embankment to the right of the burning tower, and observed aerofans spiralling up into the air in the eastern section of the compound, shortly followed by Lurn's two carriers. Arms fire crackled in the air, and other explosions blossomed in the compound as Lurn's forces ran for the embankments, whilst his own armoured vehicles trundled from garages they should have abandoned, in Molat's opinion, as soon as the laser arrays had been destroyed.

" Molat here, " he said over the Proctor's channel. " That you up there, Voten? "

" It is, sir, " replied his lieutenant.

" What do you see? "

" Four heavily armoured tanks coming in from the east. " Molat flinched as a wall blew nearby, and something that might once have been a soldier bounced across the ground. Attempting to retain some dignity, he continued walking to where he had last left his own aerofan. Climbing inside it and initiating the lift control, he went on, " What kind of armament? Anything we haven't got? "

" All looks fairly standard to me, " replied Voten.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.