Valkyrie by Tripp Ellis

Author:Tripp Ellis [Ellis, Tripp]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fantasy, magic, military, SF
Amazon: B01N5H51US
Publisher: self-published
Published: 2016-12-18T07:00:00+00:00

19

“Who are we looking for?” Ray asked. Ava had mentioned it before, but the name seemed hazy in his memory. Too many distractions.

“Eko Sen Zaan,” she said.

“Where do we find this Eko Sen Zaan?” Ray was sitting in the pilot’s seat. Ultrava loomed large through the forward window.

“The Great Mother said Nova Serfina on Ultrava,” Ava said. “That’s all I know.”

“Well, that really narrows it down doesn't it?"

Ray angled the Valkyrie toward the planet and plunged through the upper atmosphere. The craft rumbled through the turbulence, then settled as it slipped through the clouds.

Ultrava was one of the most densely populated planets in the sector. The once lush green planet with vast oceans was now predominantly covered by cityscapes. Sure, there were still rural areas, but enormous megacities stretched far and wide, and sometimes it was hard to tell where one began and another ended. There were even floating cities at sea. They were so massive, and had such sophisticated stabilizing technology, that you never felt the ground sway beneath your feet.

Ray soared the Valkyrie high over the massive continent of Urpona. As he drew near Nova Serfina, he contacted air traffic control and secured a landing pad at the city's largest spaceport. He grumbled about the cost, it had gone up 20% since his last visit, but then so had Imperial taxes.

Ava stared out the window as they cruised over the mega-city. Towering skyscrapers that rose in the clouds, spacecraft coming and going, streets lined with hover cars and pedestrians. "How many people live in the city?"

“About 150 million, give or take," Ray said.

It was the kind of city where you had to live near your place of employment. It took nearly a full day to commute from one side of the city to the other.

Ray banked the Valkyrie around and landed in Bay 279 of the Nova Serfina Interstellar Spaceway. The massive thrusters rumbled, and the air distorted beneath the landing thrusters as it floated gently to the ground. The hydraulic landing pylons absorbed the shock, cushioning the weighty craft.

“How exactly are we going to find this Eko Sen Zaan?” Grace asked.

"I'll figure something out,” Ray said. "Maybe he's listed?"

"I'm scanning the known database of persons in Nova Serfina,” ZV-0 said. “There is no Eko Sen Zaan.”

“He might not even be on this planet," Ray said. "Do you know if he's even still alive? How old is the guy?"

Ava shrugged.

“So, we’ve got a lot to go on," Ray said in jest. He climbed out of the pilot seat and pulled his pistol from its holster. He checked the power charge—it was practically full. He re-holstered it.

Grace did the same.

“Stay close, and don't wander off,” Ray said. "The city is unlike anything you've ever seen before.” Then he added, “And try not to draw attention to yourselves.”

Ray strolled out of the cockpit. He weaved through the corridors to the main entrance and lowered the ramp. The thick polluted air of Nova Serfina wafted into the ship. You could smell the exhaust of millions of vehicles.

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