Chaos Space - Marianne de Pierres [76]
When Mira could think again, a question waited in the forecourt of her mind. Insignia? The sentients who work on the Savvies. How do they survive this experience repeatedly?
She sensed approval of her questioning from the biozoon.
They have ways to soften the experience. My own biological adaptation makes it possible but not comfortable. I would not choose to do this under normal circumstances.
Mira wondered how the mercenary felt. Rast?
Yeah, Fedor. Everyone should experience this once.
Only a sadist would believe so, Mira thought back.
Your protected upbringing is showing again, Baronessa.
Mira did not bother to disguise her annoyance.
Where do we shift to now? Where do we find your Consilience?
We have found them, Rast answered.
Here? Insignia, virtual representation, per favore.
A stimulus passed through Mira’s occipital cortex. She sensed the mercenary’s brain pattern altering as she interpreted the same images. They both saw the biozoon’s unique representation of an ancient white-dwarf star in its dying phase, and the cool light it cast across a dozen AUs, and as many planets. The star system was unremarkable, even dismal, compared to Leah’s blue-hot brilliance.
An unbearably cold place, thought Mira.
Rast’s reaction was different. Mira sensed her satisfaction. Almost... pleasure.
She also felt an incongruity that she could not understand flowing from the ‘zoon’s data collectors.
How fascinating! Insignia’s excitement cut into her thoughts.
The map began to fill with detail: colourful representations of planet densities and a scattering of moving colours between them.
The moving lights are the Savvies, came Rast’s thought.
They are different sizes.
The smaller ones are the tugs. They tow things around.
What things?
Wait...
And there it was—the map overlaid its final detail, bringing the freezing barren system to bizarre awe-inspiring life.
Insignia: Akouedo.
Rast: Home.
Mira: Crux! What are they?
Rast: The things we once valued.
Huge glittering rings circled each of the twelve planets: moving bands of objects caught in an endless spin. Tugs darted in and out of them like firebugs braving the surf spray along the beaches of the Tourmaline Islands. Some reappeared towing a glittering mote to another location. Occasionally a gap in the ring would afford a better view of the planet beneath. Through it Mira saw swirls of brilliant colours: magenta, lime and burning gold.
How beautiful.
Rast: Poisonous gases. And refuse.
Mira: Ohhh—
Rast: Where else did you think it went?
I didn’t—
Rast: No.
Insignia: I have heard of this system but had not imagined it would be so beautiful. It is not recommended to my kind.
Rast: It was beautiful once. Wistful.
You are a native? Mira felt the mercenary’s nod: a small, sombre gesture. Almost vulnerable.
There are many of us now. That call Akouedo home.
Rast? Where do we go?
Rast’s energy shot to the seventh planet from the dying star. There. Take us there.
JO-JO RASTEROVICH
Mau, Bethany and Jo-Jo watched their approach to Akouedo’s seventh planet, Edo, on a tiny banged-up screen in an operator’s cabin next to the maglev gens.
Shift had been more comfortable this time—apart from the imitation Oort whisky. Loker kept his distance but the crew were keen for God-Discoverer stories over an evening of cards. To oblige, Jo-Jo told the story of his flight from the woman with the suffocating thighs. That tale alone—and his method of escape—got some of the crew refilling his cup for the duration, while the rest slipped off to their cabins for ‘private’ contemplation. What had seemed most agreeable at the time had turned into a gigantic hangover.
‘How does anyone navigate through this circle of junk?’ he demanded tetchily.
Mau shrugged.
But Bethany watched the screen with glittering eyes. ‘Each planet