Eternity's Mind by Kevin J. Anderson Page A

effect on Terry. He was a selfless person, didn’t like to be pampered, but all those other people …
    Awkwardly, Terry looked at them and quickly changed the subject. “Look, I have been thinking big, and I have a new idea that’ll keep us happy. I think even Xander will be impressed.”
    Xander raised his eyebrows, waiting.
    Terry explained, “Maria founded her station, and countless thousands of traders relied on it over the years. Ulio Station was a pivotal center of commerce.”
    â€œUntil the Shana Rei obliterated it all,” Xander said.
    â€œSo, what’s to stop us from rebuilding Ulio? Or building a whole new trade center from scratch?” Terry smiled at them. “I’ve got the money, and it’s not a need that’ll go away anytime soon. At the moment, where do Roamer traders go? What happens to the ships that need massive repairs? And how do we deal with all the decommissioned wrecks just floating out there? They need a central place.”
    Xander looked at Terry with building excitement. “Somebody’s going to start their own supply and repair depot … so why not us?”
    Rlinda blinked. “With all the money in the Spiral Arm, you want to build your own … junkyard?”
    â€œRepair yard,” Terry corrected. “And trading depot. Like Ulio Station, but better! Maria’s facility coalesced by accident once she started gathering wrecked ships after the Elemental War. We can make ours bigger and better—with a little bit of planning.”
    Xander wanted to hug him. “That sounds exciting—and right up our alley. With my parents, our connections to Kett Shipping and all the Roamer clans … it’ll be perfect!”
    Rlinda warned them, “Take it from me, running your own business is not as glamorous as it sounds. You’ll need help.”
    â€œI don’t need anything glamorous,” Terry said. “But it sounds like fun, and it is something I want to do.” His lips quirked in a smile, as he gave Robb a nudge. “And I think I’ll be able to find some help.”

 
    CHAPTER
    7
    SHAREEN FITZKELLUM
    Emptier than emptiness. Blacker than blackness. The giant hole in the middle of the Fireheart nebula made Shareen uneasy.
    â€œHmm, this wasn’t at all what I expected when I activated the Big Ring test.” Kotto Okiah managed to sound both distracted and troubled. “Nevertheless, it is very interesting.”
    â€œThat’s one word for it,” Shareen said with a sigh. She didn’t point out that she and Howard had warned Kotto that something might go wrong with the experiment, because they had reviewed his calculations, against his orders.
    Kotto was such a revered, even legendary, engineer that few Roamers ever questioned his assertions. By delving into his plans, Shareen and Howard hadn’t been trying to challenge him, just to understand what the project was all about. But the more they analyzed the plans, the more they suspected that even Kotto wasn’t sure of what he was doing. No wonder he hadn’t wanted his two assistants probing for details.
    With everyone watching the test, eager to see a spectacular scientific breakthrough, the Big Ring had been brought to full power. The thrumming ring spun up, vibrating in space, draining the countless chained power blocks, thus creating a titanic electromagnetic tug-of-war. The Roamers got their spectacular result all right, and a giant rip in the universe to boot.
    Since one of Kotto’s postulated outcomes for the Big Ring was to create a new interstellar transgate doorway, the scientist claimed the result was not entirely unexpected, but Shareen knew he was just waving his hands. Even if it worked, Station Chief Beren Alu, a practical businessman, quickly realized that any transit system requiring such a massive investment of time, money, and effort to open even one end was utterly