The Saga of Seven Suns by Kevin J. Anderson

Author:Kevin J. Anderson [Anderson, Kevin J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781680570458
Publisher: WordFire Press

3

Rlinda Kett

The Rendezvous asteroid cluster, formerly the government center for the Roamer clans, was a disorganized spray of rocks orbiting a red dwarf named Meyer. As the Voracious Curiosity approached, Rlinda thought the interconnected rocks still looked disorganized. That wasn’t much of a surprise, since the Earth Defense Forces had blasted the complex apart and made the Roamers flee as outlaws during the Elemental War.

En route, Rlinda had prepared a particularly fine meal with fresh ingredients—potatoes, peas, beans, and carrots from Happiness. Though the neo-Amish liked to be isolated, their hospitality could not be faulted. Confident she would keep their secret, they were so trusting, so wholesome. Only Daniel, the former Prince, had shown any uneasiness. Rlinda remembered what a brat he had been, but she did admire how much he had changed.

She would respect the lost colony’s wishes. Although she was a trader, as well as the Confederation’s Trade Minister, she would leave them be and not let them be exploited by outside interests. Her goal was to keep everyone happy.

She now knew that Olaf Reeves had kept the secret as well, respecting the neo-Amish privacy. Roamer clans followed their Guiding Star, and the neo-Amish believed in a biblical God who somehow could not wrap His mind around post-industrial technology. But philosophically, the two groups were aligned, and it didn’t surprise her that Olaf felt a certain kinship with them. The gruff old clan leader in the wreckage of Rendezvous wasn’t very sociable either.

As the Curiosity cruised in, she picked up overlapping comm transmissions and the busy work of a bustling construction site. Before approaching the main asteroids, she made a point of identifying herself. Ever since Rendezvous had been attacked by the EDF, the Roamers had every reason to be jittery.

A young man responded on the comm screen. “This is Dale Reeves, Captain Kett. You are welcome here. We’ve restored an entire section of quarters on the tertiary asteroid, so there’s plenty of room for you to visit.”

“Give me a docking vector, and I’ll be there in a jiffy.” Relaxing back in her widened piloting seat, she tapped the silver capsule of BeBob’s ashes. “It’s good to be welcomed. Now let’s see what these Roamers are up to.”

She already knew Olaf’s grand plans, since the gruff clan leader made no secret of his dreams, unorthodox though they might be. Rendezvous had once been an amazing island of habitable rocks, hollowed out and rigged with life-support systems. The clans had connected the asteroids with girders and walking tubes. At its peak, the grand complex had held nearly a hundred asteroids with outlying depots, tethered satellites, pressurized habitation warrens, and clan meeting centers. Rendezvous was where the various families discussed their business, and it was where their culture had blossomed.

Rlinda winced as space rubble pocked against her defensive shields. Much of Rendezvous had been blown up, hammered by EDF jazers. The broken pieces of an impressively complex puzzle had drifted aimlessly for years. Rlinda frowned at the idiocy of that

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