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Elomin go rogue and hook up with Imperial agents--or why someone else
might be interested in us. And I just may have to have a few
answers-Just then the Elomin left his seat and moved forward with slow,
long-limbed strides. He was empty-handed, as the Elomin at the
spaceport had been. At the end of the aisle he paused for a moment and
looked back into the cabin. Then, ducking his head, he passed through
the connecting doorway and was gone. Luke waited, torn between wanting
to follow and not wanting to leave Akanah.
The Elomin had still not returned when the porter droid made an
appearance, trundling down the aisle reciting a soft-spoken warning.
"Attention, passengers. If you are not continuing to River District
Spur destinations, please move into one of the forward cabins. This
car will be separating from the train at Podadun. Attention,
passengers--" Still the Elomin did not return. As the chime sounded
and the status light above the connecting door changed to yellow, Luke
reached out with his senses and searched the train for the Elomin. But
Luke could not find him. Fearing a bomb, he rushed forward to where
the Elomin had been sitting.
Luke stared. There were no bags or articles there--just a sleeping
Gotal infant.
The chime sounded again. Luke looked up as the connecting doors slid
shut and the status light turned red. There was an almost
imperceptible deceleration as the cars separated and the lights of
Podadun began to flash through the unfiltered viewpanes.
The infant stirred in its sleep, and Luke retreated. What is wrong
with me? he demanded silently as he made his way back to his seat, the
aisle tilting under him as the car swung off the main line and onto the
banked spur to Sodonna. Why am I jumping at shadows?
Akanah had slept through it all, oblivious. When she finally woke to
the spectacular salmon-and-pink sunrise warming her face, Luke said
nothing to her about it.
He didn't know what he could have said, except that he had had another
waking dream and still didn't know its meaning.
The name Kell Plath no longer appeared in the Sodonna directories, but
not because Teyr's winds had ripped it from the map or because the name
had become burdened by shame. An hour at the city library uncovered
not only its location, but also the petition under which its new owners
had asked for the more marketable name of River Gardens.
Kell Hath had been a commonal---a walled and gated space enclosing a
group of small residences surrounding a common green space. The design
was popular in Sodonna. Standing in front of the gate to River
Gardens, Luke and Akanah could see more than a dozen other commonals
along the road winding along the high bank above the river.
According to the traveler's aid card, the commonal was a piece of the
region's history, as well--a reminder of rougher days when the walls
and gates protected un-mated children and other valuables from the less
refined types who came to Sodonna to work the docks.
As a matter of form, Luke and Akanah approached the security droid at
the gate and asked after Trobe Saar, Norika, and the other children.
In each case, the answer was the same "I am unable to identify the
resident requested."
"I'm interested in purchasing a share in River Gardens," Luke said,
trying another tack. "Who could arrange a tour of the facilities for
us?"
"No shares are currently available for purchase," the security droid
said. "When shares become available, they will be listed with Indal
Properties of Sodonna."
Akanah stepped forward. "I'm researching the history of commonals for
Teyr Tours subscribers," she said.
"I'd like to know more about the history of this site--is the property
manager available to talk to me for a few minutes?"
Directed for a second time to Indal Properties, they retreated to the
other side of the street to regroup.
"So much for the front door," Luke said with a sigh. "I hate trying to
wiggle past a security droid.
They're too dumb to deceive and too single-minded to finesse."
"We have to get inside."
"They're not theretoyou know that. They've been gone for fifteen
years."
"But they were here," she said. "And the way will be marked."
Luke looked back over his shoulder. "You don't think they were
considerate enough to leave their mark on the outside of the commonal,
do you?"
The wall of the commonal was three meters high and slippery smooth,
curving slightly outward and topped with a line of sharp-edged
fracturest one that was both decorative and functional.
"I can vault this," Luke said. "It isn't a problem."
"It is for me."
"I can get us both over."
"Give me a chance to read here first."
She moved down the wall at her own pace, trailing her fingertips along
the surface. Luke followed a few steps behind, trying to sense the
interaction between her and the wall, to understand what opening she
was looking through in search of the Fallanassi scribing.
When they rounded the third corner, Akanah cried out in surprise and
fell back a step. With two quick strides, Luke was beside her. It was
then that he saw the security droid blocking her way.
"This is your only warning," the droid said. "You are loitering on
private property. Your likeness has been recorded. Your suspicious
behavior has been documented.
Remove yourself from this vicinity immediately.
If you do not, you will be detained, and a complaint will be made
against you. If you return to this vicinity, a complaint will be made
against you. This message constitutes a lawful and sufficient notice
under Article Eighteen of the Criminal Statutes of the Sodonna
Syndic."
Akanah opened her mouth to protest, but Luke knew better than to
argue.
"We're leaving," he said, pulling her along by the arm.
Unswayed by the promise, the droid followed them back to their
landspeeder and waited until they moved off to return to its post by
the gate.
"Have I mentioned that I hate security droids?"
Luke grumbled. "How are you going to check the other side and a half
now? Did you find anything?"
"There was writing by the front gate," Akanah said.
"It marked this place as Kell Plath."
"That's all?"
"That's all. What we need is inside." She looked back to see if they
were out of sight of the gate at River Gardens. "Stop here."
"Why?"
"I have to go back."
"And do what?"
"What I did the night we met," she said. "Or have you forgotten?"
"I haven't forgotten that you never explained how you got into the
sanctuary without me sensing you."
"Are you going to stop?"
Frowning, Luke brought the landspeeder to an abrupt halt.
"Thank you," she said, and tipped open her door.
"You're not going to explain?"
"No, I do not intend to explain."
"Wait--" he said. "What can I do?"
"I do not expect to need anyone killed," she said, clambering out. "Do [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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