Ascendant Sun: A New Novel in the Saga of the Skolian Empire by Catherine Asaro Page B
Authors: Catherine Asaro
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away from you."
"Why?"
"Says you're not available for other employment."
Kelric frowned. He hardly ever spoke to Zeld. She had given him a reference, though, when he applied for a room in the bees-hive under the city. His hexagon wasn't much, just big enough for a bed, but it was better than what most refugees had. Zeld had let his prospective landlords believe she had his ID in her office. Kelric knew she did it to soften him up. Although he still had no intention of sleeping with her, he appreciated the reference. That didn't make him her property, though.
"I make my own decisions," he said.
"That's what I thought," Maccar said.
"Why?"
"I need crew. I heard you do good work. Reliable. Smart. Tough."
Kelric shifted the knife in his hand. If Maccar wanted spacers, he could have his pick of the pool signed in at the Port Authority. The captain had no reason for skulking around in the night to hire an illegal immigrant.
Maccar was watching his face. "The run is legal."
Dryly Kelric said, "That's why you're out here instead of at the Port Authority."
"I tried the PA. I couldn't get enough crew."
He knew Maccar's merchant ship only needed a crew of forty and Maccar already had twenty-eight. The captain should have no problem finding twelve more. "What's wrong with the run?"
Maccar regarded him steadily. "I'm going into Trader space." He didn't even flinch when he said it.
"Forget it," Kelric said. No way.
"I'll pay you fifty thousand."
That gave Kelric pause. "Why?"
"I've a shipment of Targali silks, jewelry, spices, china, silver, and antiqued boxes." Maccar's frustration seeped out from his mind, belying his cool, dark gaze. "All for a Eubian client. She wants genuine Skolian goods and she'll pay a fortune for them. But I don't have enough crew to make the run. I need spacers who can handle the pressure."
Kelric had no doubt he also needed spacers desperate enough to take the job— like a refugee who had many secrets to hide. I do. He knew of only one type of "Eubian client" who could afford that kind of shipment. "You're trading with an Aristo." The words felt dirty in his mouth.
"Only goods," Maccar said. "No people. I abhor slavery."
"You do. But what's to stop the Aristos from confiscating your ship and selling you and your crew once you're in Eubian space?"
"We've a contract of safe passage from my client." Dryly Maccar added, "I've also hired an escort. Eight frigates and a dreadnought, all armed." He motioned toward the sky. "The border regions between Eube and Skolia are wide open right now. Merchants are passing freely both ways. Hell, man, after Onyx, the Eubian military barely even exists."
In the past few days Kelric had heard a great deal about Onyx. Two billion ISC personnel and over three hundred thousand ships had served the twenty-three space habitats that formed the Onyx ISC complex. But even that had been nowhere near enough to defend against the two million ships in the invasion fleet ESComm sent against them. Faced with those odds, ISC Admiral Starjack Tahota had ordered a daring evacuation. Rather than surrender the Onyx stations, however, she and a group of volunteers stayed behind— and blew up the entire city of space habitats in a maelstrom of energy. It had destroyed the ESComm fleet as well. Starjack and her people gave their lives to break the Trader military and end the war.
The Traders had captured only one Onyx station. The Third Lock. That knowledge chilled Kelric. The Locks were remnants of forgotten Kyle sciences developed during the Ruby Empire. Modern sciences had yet to unravel their technology, so no one could build more of them. But the Triad used the ancient Locks to make the psiberweb. It had given Skolia its one advantage over Eube: ESComm had strength, but ISC had speed. Now ESComm had lost its strength and ISC had lost its speed. So a balance remained. But if ESComm created a psiberweb, they could rise above the chaos and conquer war-ravished Skolia. All they
"Why?"
"Says you're not available for other employment."
Kelric frowned. He hardly ever spoke to Zeld. She had given him a reference, though, when he applied for a room in the bees-hive under the city. His hexagon wasn't much, just big enough for a bed, but it was better than what most refugees had. Zeld had let his prospective landlords believe she had his ID in her office. Kelric knew she did it to soften him up. Although he still had no intention of sleeping with her, he appreciated the reference. That didn't make him her property, though.
"I make my own decisions," he said.
"That's what I thought," Maccar said.
"Why?"
"I need crew. I heard you do good work. Reliable. Smart. Tough."
Kelric shifted the knife in his hand. If Maccar wanted spacers, he could have his pick of the pool signed in at the Port Authority. The captain had no reason for skulking around in the night to hire an illegal immigrant.
Maccar was watching his face. "The run is legal."
Dryly Kelric said, "That's why you're out here instead of at the Port Authority."
"I tried the PA. I couldn't get enough crew."
He knew Maccar's merchant ship only needed a crew of forty and Maccar already had twenty-eight. The captain should have no problem finding twelve more. "What's wrong with the run?"
Maccar regarded him steadily. "I'm going into Trader space." He didn't even flinch when he said it.
"Forget it," Kelric said. No way.
"I'll pay you fifty thousand."
That gave Kelric pause. "Why?"
"I've a shipment of Targali silks, jewelry, spices, china, silver, and antiqued boxes." Maccar's frustration seeped out from his mind, belying his cool, dark gaze. "All for a Eubian client. She wants genuine Skolian goods and she'll pay a fortune for them. But I don't have enough crew to make the run. I need spacers who can handle the pressure."
Kelric had no doubt he also needed spacers desperate enough to take the job— like a refugee who had many secrets to hide. I do. He knew of only one type of "Eubian client" who could afford that kind of shipment. "You're trading with an Aristo." The words felt dirty in his mouth.
"Only goods," Maccar said. "No people. I abhor slavery."
"You do. But what's to stop the Aristos from confiscating your ship and selling you and your crew once you're in Eubian space?"
"We've a contract of safe passage from my client." Dryly Maccar added, "I've also hired an escort. Eight frigates and a dreadnought, all armed." He motioned toward the sky. "The border regions between Eube and Skolia are wide open right now. Merchants are passing freely both ways. Hell, man, after Onyx, the Eubian military barely even exists."
In the past few days Kelric had heard a great deal about Onyx. Two billion ISC personnel and over three hundred thousand ships had served the twenty-three space habitats that formed the Onyx ISC complex. But even that had been nowhere near enough to defend against the two million ships in the invasion fleet ESComm sent against them. Faced with those odds, ISC Admiral Starjack Tahota had ordered a daring evacuation. Rather than surrender the Onyx stations, however, she and a group of volunteers stayed behind— and blew up the entire city of space habitats in a maelstrom of energy. It had destroyed the ESComm fleet as well. Starjack and her people gave their lives to break the Trader military and end the war.
The Traders had captured only one Onyx station. The Third Lock. That knowledge chilled Kelric. The Locks were remnants of forgotten Kyle sciences developed during the Ruby Empire. Modern sciences had yet to unravel their technology, so no one could build more of them. But the Triad used the ancient Locks to make the psiberweb. It had given Skolia its one advantage over Eube: ESComm had strength, but ISC had speed. Now ESComm had lost its strength and ISC had lost its speed. So a balance remained. But if ESComm created a psiberweb, they could rise above the chaos and conquer war-ravished Skolia. All they
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