• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

‘That doesn’t make sense.’ She quietened, though. And then she laughed.

The sound made Jo-Jo feel a little better. One thing Randall could always do was laugh.

‘So what’s your idea? This “acoustic” connection of ours mightn’t last,’ she said.

He told her in more detail how he’d pursued the frequency of her voice. ‘Maybe we can do that for the others. Or at least learn somethin’ about this place.’

‘That means you have to break contact with me?’

He thought about it. ‘I guess so. I can’t see how to avoid that.’

‘That might be the end of it. You might not get it back.’

She sounded frightened. Rast didn’t frighten easily. ‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘So maybe there are a few things that need to be said. In case ... in case one of us finds a way out and the other doesn’t.’

The silence went on so long this time that he thought he’d lost his hold on her voice.

‘Deal,’ she said, finally.

‘Some truths, Randall. Not some cocky bullshit.’

‘Practise what you preach.’

‘I will. Now who do you think your ex-Capo Jancz was working for on Araldis?’

‘Josef?’

He heard the softening in her tone. ‘What?’

‘You think just anyone can hear us?’

‘Maybe. We got nothin’ to lose though. I mean I don’t even know it’s you I’m talking to. Could be I’m just having a conflab with my imagination.’

Another short laugh. ‘You do a good imitation of me then. Anyway, my thinking is that it’s the Extras that wanted the quixite. They’re the only ones with enough need to pull that kind of stunt. Figures that Jancz is working for them. He had as much contact with them in the war as I did. Mebbe more.’

‘But why do it that way? Why send a bunch of primitive brain-suckers in to fuck the place over?’

‘I been chewing that one around for a while. I’m thinking there’s got to be more to it than just the quixite. Or mebbe they need the Saqr on the planet for some reason. Fedor might have an idea.’

‘Why do you say that?’ Jo-Jo felt raw at the mention of her.

‘She says she studied alien genera at her studium. She also knows the planet better’n us.’

‘You think maybe the ‘zoon’s found her?’

‘Sure left in a hurry. Now, I got a question for you. You said Farr had a DSD. What in Crux is that?’

‘You heard of Chaos Theory?’

‘Sure, some old conflab to explain something that doesn’t need explainin’.’

‘Yeah. Whatever. Like I said, he’s feeding the DSD with shitloads of info. The process lets him analyse stuff that’s going to happen.’

‘So what? He’s trying to predict the future?’

‘Nah. More than that, I think. He’s trying to change it.’

‘What do you mean?’ Rast demanded. ‘You sound as crazy as him.’

If Jo-Jo could have felt his eyelids he knew that they’d be closed in concentration. ‘I don’t know exactly. I’ve heard it talked about over the years - creating an informed system that can predict all the flow-on effects of behaviour so quickly that you can alter things before they happen. Take a diverging route.’

‘Impossible.’

‘Should be. Yeah. Until Sole came along. Mostly folk have fantasised about time travel to do such a thing - alter futures, I mean.

‘Not necessary if you have a Bifurcation Device.’

‘So what’s this device look like, then? A machine? An organism? Not sure that I’m getting you.’

‘I don’t know. I saw it work in virtual. It could be anything.’

‘So how did he create it?’

‘That kinda technology - if it is technology - has gotta come from the Entity.’

‘How? One of the tyros?’

‘That’s what I’m thinking.’

‘Tekton?’

‘Maybe. Seems coincident he’s around.’

‘So what now?’

‘Let’s get the fuck out of here.’

‘How?’

‘Must be your turn to have an idea.’

Rast chuckled. ‘You’re all right, you know.’

‘Yeah. I am. So what’s your idea?’

‘Not sure you’ll like it.’

‘Try me.’

‘You know that thing we were keeping to ourselves?’

‘What thing?’

‘Who you are.’

‘What about it?’

‘You tell them - maybe they’ll pay some attention to you and then you’ll get an opportunity.’

‘What sort of opportunity?’

‘You said one idea.’

‘And what are you gonna do while I go off