intensified, the whine began to pulse; pressure built in his ears. It almost hurt.
The shuttle was still parked where he’d left it, on the edge of town. He hammered on the door until it opened, hissing and wheezing. The old man was sitting in the driver’s seat. He stared straight ahead as he spoke.
‘Figured it’d be worth my while to wait.’
Shepherd climbed in and glanced towards the rear of the shuttle. It was empty. He turned back to the old man. ‘I need to get to a place called Panis. You know it?’
The driver continued to stare out of the window, and grumbled softly. He chawed on something and rolled it around his mouth. He didn’t look at Shepherd. ‘Not now you don’t.’
‘Why?’
‘Praetor sequestered the village two days ago.’
‘You know why?’
The old man turned to Shepherd, glared at him. ‘No, I don’t. No one asks questions when it comes to the Praetor.’ He leaned away from Shepherd and spat something black and viscous onto the floor by his feet. ‘Why you looking to go there?’
Shepherd guessed that even the old man might be considering making some coin with the Praetor, so he danced around the truth. ‘Someone there owes me money.’
‘Reckon you ought to write that off then.’
‘Maybe.’
‘You want my advice? You don’t need to stay, you’d best be leaving now.’
Shepherd said nothing. As the old man spoke, the growl from outside grew heavier and flooded in through the doors of the rig. The whine grated on his teeth.
‘Or maybe you don’t need any advice, a man like you?’ the old guy said, and looked upwards. ‘Makes no mind to me.’
‘You know what’s happening here?’
‘Last time I seen the Praetor this wound up, lot o’ people died.’
‘I heard a Consul is coming.’
‘I heard that too. Bad business, any time the Magistratus shows up.’
‘Talk like that could get you in trouble.’
‘Too old to get into much trouble now. So, port or no?’
‘Sure. Maybe you’re right.’
‘Guess I am at that.’
By now the growl had become a roar, and Shepherd found he was shouting. The whine was so intense that his eyes were drawn tight and he was hunched beneath the weight of it. He could feel the noise driving lances into his jaw and temples. The old man gazed down toward the steering gear—like he was wondering whether to get moving or not.
Shepherd jumped out of the truck. The wind swirled hard like a tornado, driving snow and tiny chunks of frozen dirt into his face and eyes. He lifted his arms and looked upwards. Above him, maybe fifty yards away, a black ship hovered. It was half as long as Soteria, and he could see weapons positioned all around it. It moved gracefully and pivoted in place as it scoured the township. An incandescent beam of light burst from a pod on its nose and flooded the streets. It passed over Shepherd, then eased back to him and stopped, engulfing him. He felt the light crawling across his skin, and he could feel them watching him, his face a million pixels on a screen somewhere. His implant was being checked, the system cycling through whatever records they held for him. Deciding what to do with him.
Shepherd covered his eyes and dropped his gaze to the ground around him. The hoarfrost sparkled in the gleam cast by the white light. The gunship hovered above him for what seemed like too long, then at last the light drifted away and the looming beast moved off.
Shepherd climbed back into the rig and looked at the old man. If he’d been affected by the arrival of the gunship, he didn’t show it. Old guy like him, he’d probably seen them a dozen times before. Maybe he’d seen it all.
‘I need a mechanic,’ Shepherd said.
The old man gawked at him for a moment, then leaned his head back and barked a jaundiced, gap-toothed snort that made it sound like he was choking. Shepherd realised the man was laughing, and it made him want to knock a few more of those teeth out.
‘Then you got problems,’ the old man
The shuttle was still parked where he’d left it, on the edge of town. He hammered on the door until it opened, hissing and wheezing. The old man was sitting in the driver’s seat. He stared straight ahead as he spoke.
‘Figured it’d be worth my while to wait.’
Shepherd climbed in and glanced towards the rear of the shuttle. It was empty. He turned back to the old man. ‘I need to get to a place called Panis. You know it?’
The driver continued to stare out of the window, and grumbled softly. He chawed on something and rolled it around his mouth. He didn’t look at Shepherd. ‘Not now you don’t.’
‘Why?’
‘Praetor sequestered the village two days ago.’
‘You know why?’
The old man turned to Shepherd, glared at him. ‘No, I don’t. No one asks questions when it comes to the Praetor.’ He leaned away from Shepherd and spat something black and viscous onto the floor by his feet. ‘Why you looking to go there?’
Shepherd guessed that even the old man might be considering making some coin with the Praetor, so he danced around the truth. ‘Someone there owes me money.’
‘Reckon you ought to write that off then.’
‘Maybe.’
‘You want my advice? You don’t need to stay, you’d best be leaving now.’
Shepherd said nothing. As the old man spoke, the growl from outside grew heavier and flooded in through the doors of the rig. The whine grated on his teeth.
‘Or maybe you don’t need any advice, a man like you?’ the old guy said, and looked upwards. ‘Makes no mind to me.’
‘You know what’s happening here?’
‘Last time I seen the Praetor this wound up, lot o’ people died.’
‘I heard a Consul is coming.’
‘I heard that too. Bad business, any time the Magistratus shows up.’
‘Talk like that could get you in trouble.’
‘Too old to get into much trouble now. So, port or no?’
‘Sure. Maybe you’re right.’
‘Guess I am at that.’
By now the growl had become a roar, and Shepherd found he was shouting. The whine was so intense that his eyes were drawn tight and he was hunched beneath the weight of it. He could feel the noise driving lances into his jaw and temples. The old man gazed down toward the steering gear—like he was wondering whether to get moving or not.
Shepherd jumped out of the truck. The wind swirled hard like a tornado, driving snow and tiny chunks of frozen dirt into his face and eyes. He lifted his arms and looked upwards. Above him, maybe fifty yards away, a black ship hovered. It was half as long as Soteria, and he could see weapons positioned all around it. It moved gracefully and pivoted in place as it scoured the township. An incandescent beam of light burst from a pod on its nose and flooded the streets. It passed over Shepherd, then eased back to him and stopped, engulfing him. He felt the light crawling across his skin, and he could feel them watching him, his face a million pixels on a screen somewhere. His implant was being checked, the system cycling through whatever records they held for him. Deciding what to do with him.
Shepherd covered his eyes and dropped his gaze to the ground around him. The hoarfrost sparkled in the gleam cast by the white light. The gunship hovered above him for what seemed like too long, then at last the light drifted away and the looming beast moved off.
Shepherd climbed back into the rig and looked at the old man. If he’d been affected by the arrival of the gunship, he didn’t show it. Old guy like him, he’d probably seen them a dozen times before. Maybe he’d seen it all.
‘I need a mechanic,’ Shepherd said.
The old man gawked at him for a moment, then leaned his head back and barked a jaundiced, gap-toothed snort that made it sound like he was choking. Shepherd realised the man was laughing, and it made him want to knock a few more of those teeth out.
‘Then you got problems,’ the old man
Similar Books
