UNKNOWN by Scott AM

Author:Scott, AM
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lightwave Publishing LLC
Published: 2018-10-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Saree gazed around the huge LizCon floor in wonder. So many different vendors and items on offer, so many people, the majority in amazing, wonderful and outrageous costumes, so much noise and commotion, but all of it happy. She hadn’t seen so many excited, joyful people for a very long time; she couldn’t help but grin herself. She wandered the floor, trying to look at everything, but the crowds and the sheer size and variety made it impossible.

She’d noticed everyone talking continuously, but not to each other. Evidently, live streaming your experience to the planetary social nets was part of the LizCon experience, so it was safe for her to talk to Hal openly. He’d sent some extra remotes with her, one on her back, each shoulder and one hovering a meter above her head. All of them were tiny, next to invisible. “This is amazing, Hal. I never dreamed I’d see an Old Earth Science-Fiction Convention. I thought they were extinct.”

“It is bewildering, Saree. How did the tradition survive all these years? I do know why it started. Many of the Old Earth science-fiction writers immigrated to Lacerta Cluster Five when it was discovered. One of the first successful ‘long’ folds was to Lacerta, and there were enough planets to make it commercially viable. The SF community felt the call to adventure. They were, by several accounts, disappointed by the commercial way those worlds developed, and decided to recreate something fun and entertaining.”

They had succeeded. Everyone was so happy and excited. Was it always like this? Even between the major festivals? Amazing. Astounding. Saree wandered the floor until she couldn’t take any more noise and confusion. “Hal, is there someplace quiet to rest for a while?”

“Yes, Saree. There are meditation rooms, but those are no-electronics zones. There are several lectures going on, and there are some quieter levels of the station dedicated to the various disciplines, including a con floor dedicated to music with theaters for performances. I’ll guide you.”

“Thank you, Hal.”

“You are welcome, Saree. Follow the holo directions.”

Smiling, Saree walked as Hal directed her, away from the immense main convention floor, through a few corridors, up a lift and into another open convention floor. This one, however, had dividers up between the booths to dampen sound, and the beings she could see were often standing in smaller, enclosed booths, all tapping, nodding, swaying and sometimes dancing, to different beats. She wandered down the aisles, past advertisements for music of every kind in the universe.

“There is a featured artist in the auditorium at the end of the pavilion. Talking is not allowed during singing, but it is quieter and there are comfortable seats for humanoids,” Hal said.

“Oh, good. Because I’ve been walking far too many kilometers, and even though it’s quieter here, there’s still so many people,” Saree said, squeezing through a group of beings wearing white plas uniforms with bulky black peace-bonded weapons, and a tall, dull gray mechanical contraption of some sort with stilt-like legs and a ridiculously top-heavy compartment with a projectile weapon tube on the top.

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.