Dark Space - Marianne de Pierres [15]
The door behind her swung inward, knocking her to the floor, and a light shone into her face, leaving her blind to whoever wielded it.
‘Araldisian,’ said the Balol in a thick voice.
Another beam of light converged with the first, causing Mira to shield her eyes against the amplified glare.
‘Not just an Araldisian, Ilke. Brush off your manners—we have royalty aboard.’
* * * *
Sole
manifestspace
little creature/wrestle wrestle
thought thought/wrestle/want want
m’need’m change
make’m better?
fake’m worse?
find’m secrets * * * * TEKTON The implanted memory organiser had developed an annoying rasp on the trip to Belle-Monde, suggesting that it needed a service. He logged it in for maintenance through his new moud and requested a replacement. The AI told him they were in a gro-medical replacement phase and it would take several weeks. Tekton sighed and set his teeth to tolerate the grating voice. ‘Prior to your arrival Sole Entity had eight apprentices. Of that number only five are humanesque.’ ‘Who are the humanesques?’ ‘Second Godhead Ra of Architects, First Godhead Lawmon Jise, First Godhead Dieter Miranda Seeward, First Godhead Dieter Javid Jivviddat and First Godhead Geneer Labile Conit.’ Ra? How has my arrogant-cock cousin already made second? What deviousness has he wrought to do so? ‘And where can Ra archiTect and the other apprentices be found now?’ ‘I believe the humanesques are all in the ménage lounge situated on Circle Five,’ said the moud. Tekton told the wallmap to summon a taxi and sought Ra out. * * * * The ménage lounge was somewhat of a surprise: a circular golden cage with plush perch seats on different levels and exotic plants that snapped and undulated at each other behind glass. Not at all the normal OLOSS conservatism. A large filmdis on the ceiling ran OLOSS news updates and an uuli slithered to and fro over a hum, creating discordant harmonics. Ra sat at a table alone, wearing an opaque mask across his eyes and circling his drink around an image cube. Tekton approached him directly, allowing his robe to fall open in greeting. ‘Cousin, how well do you fare?’ Tekton’s cousin was slim, hairless and blessed with the fine, tight skin of the purest Lostol blood. Time at Belle-Monde, though, had already caused damage, and Ra’s face and neck had developed tiny fissures like those in drought-cracked earth. ‘Better than you, Tekton—having already begun my apprenticeship.’ Ra didn’t bother to remove the mask to make eye contact, nor did he open his robe to return Tekton’s customary respect. Tekton recorded his rude behaviour with his fact-aide. The Lostol Studium Convocation took a dim view of lack of respect and Ra’s minor breach of protocol might prove to be a useful wedge at some point. To push his point Tekton removed his own robe altogether and sat naked before his cousin, ignoring the glances from the humanesques at the other tables. ‘Soon to be remedied, cousin Ra. I would not wish to diminish your success by beginning with you. My status will be equal to yours soon enough.’ ‘Your delusions are surpassed only by the narrow-mindedness of your designs, Tekton. You will stew in your own goslee livers. Already, as a reward for being apprenticed, I have been given the key to variable sight,’ said Ra. ‘The benefits to my design facility are immeasurable.’ ‘Variable sight?’ Ra ceased toying with his drink and removed his mask. ‘I can see the full electromagnetic spectrum.’ Tekton’s long intestines tightened, not only at the strange appearance of his cousin’s new eyes but also at the likely ramifications of such a gift on his design imagination. ‘Congratulations, Ra. What. . . cleverness has brought you such a reward?’ Ra touched the spinning image cube in
That evening Tekton tucked into fresh pond liver and sipped a flat Lostolian wine provided by the pseudo-world’s auto-servery, while his fact-aide reviewed the list of Sole’s apprentices and their projects.