Chaos Space - Marianne de Pierres [92]
He turned one way. Saw a male face streaked in ‘flage and filth.
‘Randall? How many left?’ the male asked.
Jo-Jo turned the other way.
‘Three fully charged.’ This face was female. Rast Randall.
‘I’ll save one for us, Capo,’ Rast added grimly.
Jo-Jo turned back.
The male ‘esque gave a cold stare that froze Jo-Jo. ‘Save it for yourself, Rast,’ he said. ‘I ain’t dyin’ out here for no ginks.’
Randall laughed. ‘Don’t tell her that.’ She Jerked her head.
Jo-Jo twisted, looking around again. Who? There. Behind them. A balol soldier. A female.
Ilke? From Dowl.
There was a small popping noise in front of them.
‘Shit! Grenade!’ barked Rast. She rolled frantically towards a gully. The man scrambled to his knees and flung himself behind a tree.
Jo-Jo’s heart pounded. He didn’t know which way to move. Too slow! I’m too slow—
‘End.’
Farr’s sharp command brought Jo-Jo back to his chair. The light web had vanished. Only Farr and he occupied the darkness.
Jo-Jo tried to quieten his heartbeat while he sorted realities. The balol was Ilke, the one he’d been dallying with when Salacious had called about intruders. What was Ilke doing in an adventure sim with Rast Randall? And the male—who was he?
‘No. Not a simulation, Mr Rasterovich. Random recordings. What you have just witnessed is my own personal soothsayer. I procure records of events and my Organic analyses them, looking for patterns.’
‘Record?’
‘Eyes—eyes. I have them all over Orion. The last event, the one you chose to look more closely at, was a record from combat implants used during the Stain Wars.’ If I can’t observe it with my own eyes, I buy it or appropriate it from another source. In extreme cases I will rebuild visual scenes from audio records or eyewitness accounts.’
‘Re-enactments ?’
‘Re-animation is a better description, using DNA behavioural projections, audio patterning, semantic decoders and other classifiers.’
‘What for? You trying to predict the future?’
Farr’s expression remained neutral. ‘It could be perceived as that. Many of the patterns are only established in retrospect. The tiny explosions you witnessed are signals that a link has been established. Determining where to look for what you need to know, however, is the key . . .’
Jo-Jo’s heartbeat speeded up again. Not in fear this time but in awe. ‘You’ve got a Dynamic System device.’
‘Device is such a carnival word and this is something far more sophisticated, God-Discoverer. Prediction is merely one of its uses.’
‘What did those images mean? The ones I saw.’
‘I’m honouring you with proof that I can find the archiTect for you, Mr Rasterovich, by showing you who has taken your ship.’
‘Randall?’
‘No. But Rast has known them. In time you will be able to determine the nature of the connection for yourself. Now, you are of course welcome to leave, Mr Rasterovich, although I do believe your personal HealthWatch has expired. You really should be careful what you inhale in strange places . . .’
The darkness turned grainy and then fell away completely. Jo-Jo was back in the marquee—on the floor of the marquee, to be precise—face down.
Acutely aware of the Baronessa, and of Farr’s last words, he flicked the inhaler away from his nose. A small auto-cleaner scurried over and gobbled it up. It took all his self-control not to smash it with his fist.
‘Josef?’ said Beth in a reproving tone. ‘You’ve been drooling.’
Summoning the remnants of some dignity, Jo-Jo wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and climbed to his feet.
MIRA
‘What is happening to them?’
Both Lasper Farr and Josef Rasterovich had fallen silent. Josef’s eyes were closed but Lasper Farr maintained an eerie half-open-lidded look.
‘The inhaler is full of VR nanites. Lasper is showing Josef something within his virtual world. I imagine it’s like the way you communicate with your biozoon,’ said Bethany.
Mira looked at