Beyond the Event Horizon by Albert Sartison Read Free Book Online

drone, then its body, and finally its slightly
pointed nose. On top there were two narrow windows glazed with
tinted armoured glass. The drone itself was the size of a large
army tow truck.
    “Well, what do
you think of it?”
    “Great! But
why the windows? Does that mean it can be piloted?”
    “Yes. It has
room inside for six people, not counting the pilot. It can be used
as an emergency shuttle. You can go from orbit to a planet’s
surface in it. Great piece of kit!”
    Toshi put on
the manipulator glove for the crane, raised his arm and made a
gesture as if calling someone towards him. Then he pointed to the
drone and clenched his fist. In the corner, up near the ceiling, a
telescopic jib came to life, a green light winked confirming the
task, and it began to extend in the indicated direction.
    Reaching the
drone, it gently attached itself to a special lock on its roof.
Toshi pointed upwards with his index finger, and the drone
automatically released its fixings at the bottom. The crane lifted
it and froze in anticipation. He then pointed to the starting
platform in front of the external lock through which the shuttle
had disembarked the crew when they had arrived that first
night.
    Once the crane
jib had placed the second drone on the platform alongside the first
one, it was time for the smaller containers.
    “The rest is
easy.”
    “What’s in
them?”
    “Combat
robots,” said Toshi, and opened one of the containers. Inside was a
humanoid combat machine like those Steve had already come across at
the base, except that this one was rather smaller. Judging by its
design, it was a new model.
    Steve had
heard from engineering students that there was a common belief
among them that there was some correlation between a successful
design and an aesthetic external appearance. If a ship, a robot or
something else was a joy to behold, you could confidently assert
that its design was successful. And the uglier the machine, the
more design faults there would be in it.
    This robot
looked more attractive than those Steve had seen at the base. And
since each model was an improvement on the previous one, the newer
it was, the more elegant it would look. It seemed the engineers
were right.
    The robot in
the box was squatting with its head inclined forwards. In this
position it looked more like a cube than a humanoid, but it took up
much less space that way.
    “Careful! Move
back a bit,” warned Toshi.
    Steve
obediently took several paces back. Toshi took a key from his
chest, inserted it somewhere in the small of the metal back and
turned it. The robot slowly lifted its simulation of a head. Its
optics were hidden behind thick dark acrylic glass, and its head
was more like a futuristic motorcycle helmet.
    Toshi made a
few well-practised movements to initialise the robot. After
checking its system, he ordered it to leave the container. The
robot obediently straightened up to its full height, and, with a
clanking noise, stepped out.
    Only now could
they see how tall it was. Steve measured it with his eyes from head
to foot. It must have been about six and a half feet tall.
    After
activating and checking the remaining machines and supplying them
with ammunition, Toshi wiped the sweat from his forehead.
    “Skip, we’re
all done here.”
    “Roger. Put
the robots on duty. Steve, return here to the bridge.”
    After passing
through the gravity lock on his way back to the bridge, Steve
sighed with relief. Whatever you say, gravity is a lot more
pleasant than weightlessness. There’s no nausea, and your face
doesn’t swell up like a balloon due to the rush of blood to your
head.
    “Well, let’s
see if our pursuers will listen to the voice of reason,” said
Kimble with the hint of a smile, and switched on the radio.
    Like any other
large cargo ship captain, deep down Kimble was longing to take
revenge on the pirates. Anyone with twenty or more years of
commercial flight experience to the limits of assimilated space
could always