Sufficiently Advanced Technology (Inverse Shadows) by Nuttall Christopher

Author:Nuttall, Christopher [Nuttall, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC028010 FICTION / Science Fiction / Adventure, FM Fantasy, FIC009000 FICTION / Fantasy / General, FL Science Fiction, FIC002000 FICTION / Action & Adventure
ISBN: 9781908168344
Publisher: Elsewhen Press
Published: 2013-07-11T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

NINETEEN

“You did what?”

Elyria winced. The moment she’d stepped outside Master Faye’s house, her implants had started working again – and screaming at her, demanding that she report in to explain what had happened to her. Naturally, she’d called Captain Thor and Jorlem and made a complete report. They hadn’t taken it very well.

“I told them about the Confederation and our mission here,” Elyria said, tiredly. “The locals didn’t give me much choice.”

She expected them to have some difficulty believing her – and, once they grasped the truth, they would demand that she went under the scanner, both to confirm that she was actually telling the truth and to check that she had suffered no brain damage from the truth spells. And then they’d be furious; the entire mission had been blown wide open. The CSC might order them to back off completely and leave Darius alone for a few hundred years.

“You are the leader of the operation,” Thor sputtered, finally. The Captain sounded utterly stunned. “You shouldn’t be making any bargains with the locals, let alone revealing our existence.”

“Our existence was going to be revealed soon anyway,” Elyria pointed out. “We didn’t pick up on the mark all legal coins carried, did we? Sooner or later, we would have been caught, perhaps by someone less sympathetic than Master Faye and Joshua. This way, at least we get some locals who are willing to help us.”

“In exchange for our help, no doubt,” Thor snapped. “You do know the laws on unregulated technological transfer to primitive cultures?”

Elyria sighed. There were laws – strict laws – against it, with harsh sentences for those who deliberately broke them. If the CSC found her guilty, she would spend the rest of her life completely isolated from the rest of the Confederation, unless she could convince a jury to allow her some limited contact. It was deliberately intended to be harsh. Unregulated technological transfers could cause chaos.

“We cannot claim that this society is primitive,” she said. “They can manipulate the quantum foam! How many Fifth Age societies can do that?”

Thor had no answer. “And this is a wonderful opportunity to study them,” Elyria added, a moment later. “If they help us learn how to duplicate their trick, we might be able to carry out a proper intervention in their society...”

“Or wind up being destroyed by their... magic,” Thor said. “It is my considered opinion as Captain of the Hamilton that this mission has failed. We should withdraw and consider what we have learned before attempting to sneak back onto Darius.”

“And that may be impossible,” Elyria said. “Captain, they have a global communications network! This society may look primitive, but it isn’t. We will be unable to return to the planet without being discovered.”

There was a long pause. “We should not forsake this opportunity,” the AIs said, finally. “It may never occur again.”

Jorlem chuckled, harshly. “The prize is worth bending a few laws,” he agreed. “We can send an emergency request to the CSC, asking for permission to break them outright.

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