landscape of trees and fields, spotted with industrial complexes. Had his father betrayed him, faking a Guardian attack to bring him and his organization into disfavor?
Unable to suppress his anger, Noah slammed his fist on the armrest of the chair, so hard that pain shot through the hand. He scanned the sky and the land below, looking for threats.
Obviously, Subi was concerned about this himself. He was Noah’s most trusted Guardian, but somewhat eccentric at times, and very outspoken. Noah had learned to give him free rein, but new thoughts began to occur to him now.
Could this man betray me?
After all that he and Subi had been through together, it seemed a preposterous, paranoid thought, and Noah discarded it out of hand. While the two of them were careful to maintain their distance, keeping their relationship professional, Noah had always felt an affinity for the adjutant, a strong bond of friendship. The feeling seemed mutual.
Master Noah heaved a deep sigh. He sat back in his bucket seat and listened to the smooth purr of the grid-plane.
If I am meant to die today, so be it. If I am meant to live, that will happen instead. He flicked a speck of black off the long sleeve of his ruffled shirt, where the garment poked out from his surcoat.
Ever since boyhood, Noah Watanabe had sensed a presence guiding him, a force that was always there, constantly directing his actions. He often felt it viscerally, and was convinced that it told him whether or not he was doing the right thing. His stomach was calm now, but the sensation didn’t always provide him with consistent indicators. It seemed to have lapses … unpredictable and disconcerting gaps.
The grid-plane left the valley far behind and flew over a rugged mountain range, irregular peaks that looked like the heads of demons. On the far side of the mountains the aircraft streaked over an industrial city perched on the edge of a high cliff whose stony facets glittered and flashed in mid-morning sunlight.
Known as the “canyon planet,” Canopa was unlike any other world in the charted galaxy, with deep rainbow-crystal gorges, powerful whitewater rivers and spectacular scenery. Cities such as the one they were flying over now were engineering marvels, clinging to cliff-faces of iridescent rock. Long ago, superstitious aborigines had lived in these areas, but had been driven out by Human traders who were the economic precursors of the modern-day merchant princes. Primitive people still lived on Canopa, but kept themselves out of view, with the exception of a few men and women who were captured on occasion and brought in for observation. Curiously, aboriginal children were never seen by outsiders, not even in pre-merchant times.
Canopa was steeped in mystery and legend, and was said to have been the domain in ancient times of a race of alien creatures … people who had gone extinct, with their bodies now on display in museums. At a number of archaeological sites around the planet, their eerie exoskeletons and personal effects had been dug up. After studying the bodies, galactic anthropologists determined that they were a race of arthropods of high intelligence. Through rune stones that had been recovered, their language had been only partially deciphered. It was known that they had referred to themselves as Nops and that they had engaged in off-world trading, but very little else was learned about them.
Following an hour’s flight, Noah’s compound came into view atop a verdant plateau, bounded by river gorges on two sides. On land that had once been the site of industrial operations, he had restored and converted it to an impressive wildlife preserve and farm that he called his Ecological Demonstration Project, or “EDP.” The facility was far more than just structures and compounds and set-aside areas. It was a high-concept dream shaped into reality, one that included projects designed to show how man could live in harmony with the environment.
One of Master
Unable to suppress his anger, Noah slammed his fist on the armrest of the chair, so hard that pain shot through the hand. He scanned the sky and the land below, looking for threats.
Obviously, Subi was concerned about this himself. He was Noah’s most trusted Guardian, but somewhat eccentric at times, and very outspoken. Noah had learned to give him free rein, but new thoughts began to occur to him now.
Could this man betray me?
After all that he and Subi had been through together, it seemed a preposterous, paranoid thought, and Noah discarded it out of hand. While the two of them were careful to maintain their distance, keeping their relationship professional, Noah had always felt an affinity for the adjutant, a strong bond of friendship. The feeling seemed mutual.
Master Noah heaved a deep sigh. He sat back in his bucket seat and listened to the smooth purr of the grid-plane.
If I am meant to die today, so be it. If I am meant to live, that will happen instead. He flicked a speck of black off the long sleeve of his ruffled shirt, where the garment poked out from his surcoat.
Ever since boyhood, Noah Watanabe had sensed a presence guiding him, a force that was always there, constantly directing his actions. He often felt it viscerally, and was convinced that it told him whether or not he was doing the right thing. His stomach was calm now, but the sensation didn’t always provide him with consistent indicators. It seemed to have lapses … unpredictable and disconcerting gaps.
The grid-plane left the valley far behind and flew over a rugged mountain range, irregular peaks that looked like the heads of demons. On the far side of the mountains the aircraft streaked over an industrial city perched on the edge of a high cliff whose stony facets glittered and flashed in mid-morning sunlight.
Known as the “canyon planet,” Canopa was unlike any other world in the charted galaxy, with deep rainbow-crystal gorges, powerful whitewater rivers and spectacular scenery. Cities such as the one they were flying over now were engineering marvels, clinging to cliff-faces of iridescent rock. Long ago, superstitious aborigines had lived in these areas, but had been driven out by Human traders who were the economic precursors of the modern-day merchant princes. Primitive people still lived on Canopa, but kept themselves out of view, with the exception of a few men and women who were captured on occasion and brought in for observation. Curiously, aboriginal children were never seen by outsiders, not even in pre-merchant times.
Canopa was steeped in mystery and legend, and was said to have been the domain in ancient times of a race of alien creatures … people who had gone extinct, with their bodies now on display in museums. At a number of archaeological sites around the planet, their eerie exoskeletons and personal effects had been dug up. After studying the bodies, galactic anthropologists determined that they were a race of arthropods of high intelligence. Through rune stones that had been recovered, their language had been only partially deciphered. It was known that they had referred to themselves as Nops and that they had engaged in off-world trading, but very little else was learned about them.
Following an hour’s flight, Noah’s compound came into view atop a verdant plateau, bounded by river gorges on two sides. On land that had once been the site of industrial operations, he had restored and converted it to an impressive wildlife preserve and farm that he called his Ecological Demonstration Project, or “EDP.” The facility was far more than just structures and compounds and set-aside areas. It was a high-concept dream shaped into reality, one that included projects designed to show how man could live in harmony with the environment.
One of Master
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