Eric Brown by Laying the Ghost

Author:Laying the Ghost [Ghost, Laying the]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2011-12-20T11:56:09+00:00

* * *

One thousand Kha sentinels, grey and monolithic and as vast as ten city blocks, hung in space around the defeated planet of Serimion.

My ship’s smartware core spoke in its soothing, feminine contralto. “Kha AIs have established contact, Ed. They wish to know the purpose of our visit.”

“Tell them that we’re here to pay our respects to the human dead,” I said, “and we seek clearance to land on Serimion.”

We eased to a halt beside one of the sheer grey monoliths, and waited.

Framed within the girdle of sentinels, the planet tilted ten degrees off its polar axis, blue and white and twice the size of Earth.

Ella said, “It’s beautiful.”

“I’m not looking forward to finding out what might be down there,” I said. “If the Kha let us through, that is.”

Karrie joined us on the flight-deck and eased herself into her sling.

I said, “So, our passenger proved the security risk you mentioned, Karrie?” I couldn’t help the jibe.

She looked at me. “No, but there’s something seriously wrong with the girl.”

“What?” Ella asked.

“Have you noticed she doesn’t eat? It’s been three days since leaving Constance, and I’ve taken six trays of food to her berth. She hasn’t touched a thing.”

I shrugged. “So… the girl wasn’t hungry. She’s returning to the place where her family, her people, were massacred, after all.”

Ella turned in her sling. “Ed,” she said, almost reluctantly. “There is something else that doesn’t quite ring true. Physically, Katerina appears to be twenty, twenty-five years old.”

“Go on.”

“I’ve been double-checking the records. The Kha attacked Serimion twenty-five years ago.”

I stared down at the slowly rotating planet. I recalled Katerina’s youthful, elfish face within her helmet.

Karrie said, “Seems to me like the girl’s been lying to us, Ed.”

I was about to ask Ella why Katerina might have lied when the smartcore said, “Clearance granted. The Kha have issued a two day pass. We must be out of Serimion airspace within forty-eight hours.”

Minutes later Katerina joined us on the flight-deck. She stood between my sling and Ella’s and stared through the viewscreen at her homeplanet.

She had cleared her faceplate, and her youthful face stared out, her eyes wide in wonder.

“I have the co-ordinates for the Corinthian,” she said, and reeled off a series of numbers to Ella.

We eased past the sentinel. I was glad to leave the cold, inhuman monolith in our wake. Ten minutes later, Ella pointed. Through the viewscreen we made out the becalmed wreck of the Corinthian, nose down in relation to the planet, ragged holes puncturing its fuselage.

Karrie said, “And you survived that?”

“I wish I hadn’t,” Katerina said, softly.

I said, “Okay, Ella. Stow those co-ordinates and we’ll tractor beam the Corinthian on the way out.” I turned to Katerina. “Now, where do you want us to land?”

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