Chaos Space - Marianne de Pierres [38]
Amaury shook his head slowly. ‘Once we were the first to be thrown a challenge. Now it seems we are not to be challenged at all.’
‘I pleaded with the Pre-Eminence to lobby OLOSS for a position with the Entity, but just yesterday I learned that they refused to do so.’
‘Is that what precipitated your disagreement with your beloved?’
Beloved? Was she still that? Thales pushed back from his empty plate and stood. He walked a few paces and retraced them, aware that Amaury was watching him with the same calm patience.
‘That amongst other things. Rene has changed; position and comfort have become more important to her than anything else.’
‘One cannot dictate another’s beliefs, Thales. Even those of one’s chosen partner.’
‘I don’t believe it is just a matter of changed beliefs. It’s as though an apathy sickness has taken her.’
Amaury nodded thoughtfully. ‘Tell me what it is that you would learn from the Entity near Mintaka?’
Thales stopped his pacing. ‘Infinite knowledge, of course.’
‘And what would “infinite knowledge” give you?’ Amaury prodded.
Thales thought for some time before he answered. ‘Initially I would say knowledge is its own gain. But what lies beyond that?’
Amaury smiled. ‘What lies beyond that... is what you really seek.’
JO-JO RASTEROVICH
Petalu, the chair, and the alien creature met at a speed that made a wet crunching sound that Jo-Jo knew he would remember for ever.
Petalu fell on his back but the creature only staggered, despite a crack in its exoskeleton, and recovered quickly. Its mouth lobes unfolded and long feelers extruded into the air. They wavered down towards Petalu’s face.
‘Pet!’ shrieked Bethany.
But the big man was dazed, grabbing the back of his head and moaning.
‘Crap.’ Jo-Jo darted out and seized a shard of the chair leg.
The creature’s feelers flickered in his direction and then back to Petalu as if confused by the choice.
Jo-Jo didn’t wait for it to decide. He stabbed the shard into the crack in its exoskeleton with all his strength, jerking the piece from side to side. A large fracture opened along its abdomen and an opaque fluid began to leak out.
The creature doubled over as if surprised, and its feelers reached towards the fluid. The tiny maws on the end of each one began to swallow the fluid from the wound. It seemed to forget Jo-Jo and Mau altogether—but across the trade court others were beginning to move in their direction.
Jo-Jo tried to drag Petalu towards the lift. ‘Beth!’
Bethany grabbed one of Petalu’s massive arms and heaved with a strength that startled Jo-Jo. They dragged and rolled and pushed the big man into the lift and Bethany pinged the doors shut.
As the lift headed to the top of its shaft, Jo-Jo straddled Petalu’s chest. ‘Come on, man. No time for wimping.’
‘We can’t carry him any further,’ said Bethany. She knelt near Petalu’s head, rocking on her knees, hands clasped together.
‘How did you get so strong?’ Jo-Jo asked her.
She exhaled softly. ‘Fear makes you strong. Isn’t that what they say?’ She turned wide serious eyes on him. ‘And I have never been this scared, Joey.’ There was no brave follow-up smile, no laugh.
No one had called him ‘Joey’ since his mum. She’d run off with a Galaxy Productions sales manager. Not that it ever stopped Jo-Jo from buying Galaxy sims. On the contrary, he felt compelled to do so. Just to make sure that his mother hadn’t wound up on the screen. Something about Bethany reminded him of his mother. Except that Bethany had balls—and a sense of decorum.
‘Me neither.’ Jo-Jo sighed. ‘I will live to regret this,’ he muttered.
He slapped Petalu Mau across the face with enough force to get the man’s attention. Then he leaned close to him. ‘What am I gonna tell Mama Petalu? That you got knocked down and wouldn’t get up? That you had your fat arse whipped by a slug?’ Jo-Jo taunted. ‘THAT YOU LAY DOWN AND DIED!’
Mau’s eyes focused. ‘Mama Petalu,’ he said hoarsely. He edged up onto one elbow.
Thank Crux—
Then one huge fist knocked Jo-Jo sideways into the lift wall.
‘No one tells Mama Petalu