Rhythm of the Imperium (32 page)

“Thirty-eight?” Redius insisted.

“So someone misread the manifest,” the Wichu said, with a shrug. “It was in binary, like these gritmonsters like to count. No big deal. We’ll dump them on the platform. Let them figure out how to get home from there. Thanks so much for your help. We can get back to normal, now.”

“We’re glad to help an ally,” Plet said. She nudged her communications nub, though Parsons had been listening all along. “We have them, sir. The
Whiskerchin
is secured.”

“Excellent job, lieutenant,” Parsons said. “All of you.”

“Thank you, sir.”

CHAPTER 31

Great excitement arose among those of us on the
Jaunter
as the tiny bright speck that was the viewing platform vessel hove into view. Erita, of all people, was the one who spotted it first in the screentank on the wall of our common room.

“Look!” she cried, putting as much drama into a single syllable as she could muster.

Xan, Laine, Nell and I looked up from the life-and-death game of Snap Dragon in which we were engaged. Xan, who had been losing and had comprehensively failed at the game of hide-and-seek, threw his cards in with a casual flip. Laine and I exchanged amused glances when we saw that he had been holding onto a pair of threes and a five, all in the wrong suits for a meld. I sprang to my feet and assisted Laine in regaining hers. Nell bounced up as nimbly as a young gazelle and dashed to join Erita at the scope.

“Is that it?” she asked.

“It is,” Erita said. To confirm, she pushed her finger into the midst of the three-dimensional display. Immediately, the diamond of light expanded until it filled the tank. The dot broadened out into a hemisphere like the cornea of an eye, but instead of a face behind it, this eye was set at the end of a massive gray cylinder pockmarked with dark openings, each surrounded by a line of twinkling lights that chased around its perimeter. Those delineated landing bays for ships from single-party craft to substantial cruisers. In the center of the gigantic cylinder and at the end opposite the dome were enormous exhaust ports. The drives to which they were attached were deep inside the body of the ship.

“It’s massive!” Xan said, admiringly. “How do they get it from place to place without it breaking apart?”

“I don’t know, but it travels pretty well,” Laine said. “They’ve taken it to a few of the destructions I’ve witnessed, though, and those were all over the place.”

“How old is it?” Nalney asked, coming up to peer at the image. “Look at those drive housings. It looks like it dates from the middle of the last millennium.”

“Older than that,” Laine said. “The Trade Union had it built at least three thousand years ago. It’s really well designed. The Trade Union keeps it maintained and redecorates it every few decades. I’m told that the drives are updated to match the latest breakthroughs.”

“Oh, well, I’m sure it’s fairly pedestrian inside,” Erita said.

As if to contradict her, images and pulsing lines of print invaded the screentank.

“This is a message from the Trade Union,” the speakers blared in five languages. A scanning beam lanced out from the tank and ran down our bodies. Once it confirmed that only humans were present, the voices coalesced into one speaking perfect Imperium Standard. “This is a Universal Approved Screening. Do not be alarmed. Welcome to the TU Event Vessel
Hraklion
. Please observe all regulations and rules while you are on board. Thank you for coming. Your reservations have been confirmed,
Imperium Jaunter
, for eighty cabins, full catering, beverages, spa services, all taxes and gratuities included. Room assignments are available at this link.” A red circumflex appeared in the midst of the image, over one of the hatch openings. “All modern conveniences have been made available for your comfort.”

I had been trying to determine the power capabilities of the engines from the configuration of the hull when the image changed to an interior picture of a chamber with one transparent curved wall.

“No luxury has been spared in creating an experience to be remembered on board the
Hraklion
. Every residence is furnished with classic elegance. You will be welcomed by personal stewards who will welcome you by name… .”

“Cursed advertisements!” Nalney said, drawing his black brows toward his nose.

“I agree,” Erita said, raising her voice over the narrator, as image after image of beautifully-furnished cabins flashed in what ought to have been a navigation portal. “There is a time and a place. We ought to be able to peruse the brochures at our leisure, not have them shoved in our faces.”

“Turn off ads,” Jil said, in desperately bored tones.

“Yes, madam,” the announcer said. “Please activate this link,” and a green caret appeared, “to continue with the description.”

“Rotate image to display the viewing platform,” I said. The image of the cylinder shifted in three dimensions to bring the crystal dome toward us. I had a bird’s-eye, or rather, comet’s-eye, considering the speed at which the image turned, of what might have been a village. It was laid out in pie wedges more than squares, but the concept was the same. Individual neighborhoods were designated by open seating areas. Boundaries between them consisted of rows of open-roofed areas containing shops, restaurants and cafes, play yards, swimming pools, and gardens. In the middle was a cluster of lift shafts and a bank of individual personal conveniences marked by the universal symbol consisting of a discreet blue double circle.

“That looks as if it’ll be nice,” Nell said. “I want to sit close to the edge.” She pointed. “Possibly there.” She chose a three-cornered nook enclosed in a border of brilliant pink and yellow plants, which was in turn surrounded by pergola-topped service areas painted a warm chestnut.

“We will secure that one at once,” I said. I touched the red symbol, and pointed to her choice. “Reserve this space for Lady Lionelle Kinago and party.”

“I am sorry, Lord Thomas Kinago,” the voice said. “The section of the platform you have indicated has been set aside for use by … Kail passengers. That section is … secured.”

“Secured?” I asked. “Secured how?”

The computer was not forthcoming on further details. My curiosity was aroused.

“Confound it,” Xan said, frowning. “They’re not going to bag all the good spots! I won’t have it.”

I turned a helpless palm upward. “Computer, indicate sections that are available for use by humans.”

Parts of the image became blotted out underneath a haze of purple, including the section that Nell had chosen. A thick bar outlined it. The center section, including the round dais at the heart of the platform, took on a silver aura. The rest of the circular area, a good two-thirds, infused itself with tea green.

“All carbon-based guests are encouraged to mix within this zone, Lord Thomas Kinago. The deeper hues indicate advance reservations by other parties.”

I scanned the map until I found a lovely little nook large enough to hold all of us and our various retainers without crowding. It was near the edge, and commanded a splendid view of four or five habitats nearby.

“What do you think of that one, Nell?” I asked.

My sister beamed. “That’ll do. Good eye, Thomas!”

“That one,” I told the computer.

“Yes, my lord. It is currently unassigned. It is being reserved in the name of … Lady Lionelle.” The triangle of couches and a nearby café lit up in brilliant green.

“Thank you.”

“You are welcome, my lord. When you arrive at gate Mega-C-970, please take the lift to the eighth level to find your suites. Your luggage will be conveyed from your shuttle for you. Please feel free to visit your reserved space at any time.”

Nell squeezed my arm. “Thank you, Thomas,” she said. “Oh, this is going to be such fun! Laine, I hope you will join us.”

“I’d like to,” Laine said. “I’ll be with the Zang most of the time.”

“That’s a shame,” Jil said. “I had looked forward to hearing you describe what is going on.”

“Oh, well, I’ll be doing that already!” Laine said, pointing to an open space near the center of the platform near the lift shafts. “That’s where the Zang always are. Proton wants me there. I’ll have an audio pickup hooked up to the central communication system. You can tune in to the frequency to listen to me. Or not. After the first one of these that I was present for, the ship company took a survey. 43.5 percent of the attendees listened for a little while. Twenty percent of those listened to the whole thing from start to finish—and it can take hours. The rest never tuned in at all. I’ll be translated into twelve or so languages and broadcast shipwide. It’s nice that some people want to just experience the event without having to be told what they’re seeing.”

I glanced away from the brightness that was the dome, and scanned the heavens around the viewing platform. Eventually, I spotted a couple of brilliant crescent shapes hanging by themselves two million or so kilometers from the sun.

“And is one of those the unhappy subject of the operation?” I asked.

Laine peered at it. She seemed to be listening.

“I think so,” she said. “You’ll feel pulsing as we get closer. I can sort of sense it, but I’ve had a lot of experience at it. That’s the Zang starting to concentrate energy on their target. We’re still a long way from the spectacle, but this is how it feels while it starts to build.”

I closed my eyes and tried to sense a beat surrounding me, but the thrum of the
Jaunter
overpowered anything that might be coming from a small pinpoint of rock still millions of kilometers distant from our location.

“You are remarkable if you can feel anything so far away,” I commented. “You must be very sensitive indeed.” Laine beamed and gave me a quick hug. I kept my arms wrapped around her.

“That’s so nice of you,” she exclaimed. I contained my wince. She would have been nearly an ideal woman, if not for that voice. I mused yet again that Proton must not be troubled by sounds in the high frequency range. Still, it was the only flaw in an otherwise wonderful woman. We stood and watched platform approach.

We were not the first to arrive. As the cylinder continued to tumble in space, I noticed that at least a dozen of the many docking bays were occupied already. Numerous small craft were circling near us, no doubt seeking their own berths.

“Isn’t that an Uctu ship?” Jil asked, pointing to a terra-cotta-colored vessel like a truncated pitchfork.

“Could the Autocrat have come here?” I wondered out loud.

Xan raised his hips to reach his pocket, and pulled out his viewpad. He had not troubled to rise to his feet to look at the navigation tank. In his defense, it was large enough to have been seen from anywhere in the room. “No, not on her Infogrid page, Thomas. Some other officials are here. Oh, yes, look at that. A veritable pantheon of guests, of which we are the highest ranking.”

“By all reasoning, we are hosts here,” Erita reminded him, with a shake of her forefinger. “As this is Imperium space, we should welcome all other attendees as guests.”

“But technically, isn’t this all Zang space, including the Imperium?” I asked, unable to keep from figuratively twisting my haughty cousin’s tail.

“Oh, Thomas, that goes without saying!” she said, turning her disapproving mien in my direction. “But they don’t care about protocol. We do.”

“That’s very true,” Laine said. She stiffened and gasped, as though someone had pinched her. I sent a querying glance toward Xan, who raised innocent hands and eyebrows toward the ceiling. He was too far away to have done anything. Laine freed herself reluctantly from my embrace. “I have to go. Proton wants me. I guess I’ll see you all on the platform!”

I walked her toward the lift shaft.

“It could be days until I see you again,” I said.

She smiled, her lovely dark eyes full of affection.

“That’s true. It’s been nice to spend time with you.”

I enfolded her small fingers in mine. “I do not look forward to having our time together ending.”

“It has to, though,” she said. “Pretty soon, this planetoid will be history, and Proton and I will leave.”

I felt a deep sadness well up in my soul.

“I created this for you,” I said. I let go of her hands and backed away from her with mine still outstretched. I flung my right hand up as if holding a small sphere within it. I let the invisible globe float upward, sending my heart up with it. I began a slow, somber waltz as the object went farther and farther until it was no longer in my sight.

I dropped my eyes to show my sorrow. When I did, Laine was there before me, only inches away. She reached up, took my face between her hands, and kissed me solidly on the lips. I returned the embrace with enthusiasm and joy, feeling as though skyrockets rebounded and exploded inside my chest. Laine wriggled to be let go. I realized I had picked her up off her feet. Very tenderly, I set her down.

“I’ll see you later,” she said.

“I …” I could hardly find words. “I shall… .”

“Where is the Zang?” a burbling voice boomed.

My cheerful mood deflated. There could not have been a more inopportune time for the unwelcome Kail to burst forth from the lift. Phutes strode out, each of its three legs thrashing forward as if trying to show dominance over the other two. NR-111 was at its heels, looking as apologetic as was possible for an electronic being.

“I’m about to go and join Proton,” Laine said to Phutes. “Come with me.”

“Speed,” Phutes bellowed. “This is important!”

“It always is,” Laine said. She pointed a finger at the diplomatic aide. “Don’t translate that!”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, Dr. Derrida,” NR-111 said, plaintively. “I never try to inflame him.” I noticed then that the rolling base of the translatorbot had yet another massive dent in its side. I raised my eyebrows at her. She activated one of her small screens. In Sang-Li fingerspelling, an image read, “Please don’t say anything.” I nodded.

Laine let her fingers drift out of mine as she headed toward the lift.

“Do you want me to come along with you?” I asked, as much for the ’bot’s sake as Laine’s.

“No, you don’t have to,” Laine said. “This is what everyone has been waiting for, even them. See you later.”

“I’ll be counting the moments,” I said. “Be careful.”

“I will.”

I returned to the day room, feeling as though the sun had been taken out of my solar system. I retired to my favorite chair next to the porthole and assumed the position of a man in a brown study. Soon, my sister drifted over and propped her hip on the arm of the chair. I moved my elbow to make way for her.

“She’s very nice,” Nell said.

“Too nice,” Nalney said, plumping down on the footstool. “Thomas, you know better than to form an alliance with someone not of the Imperium house. She may come to a conclusion to which you have no right to lead her.”