Jenna Starborn by Sharon Shinn Read Free Book Online Page A

tell by the airlock mechanism, of course, but there is also the shimmer effect of the forcefield. Which I think is quite pretty, don’t you?”
    â€œYes, quite lovely,” I murmured, and it was. The whole of Thorrastone Park—indeed, every similar holding on Fieldstar—was enclosed by just such an artificial wall, holding within the atmosphere necessary for breathing and the warmth required for life.
    As my shuttle had, that very morning, brought me into the nearest spaceport, I had gazed out my window at a truly magical sight: the aerial landscape of Fieldstar, seeming to bloom all over with huge, golden, iridescent bubbles of light. The holdings were widely and irregularly spaced, and the random placement of the globes of light gave the planet a charming, artless look—at least from the air. On the ground, it was hard to overlook just how calculated existence was on this small world. The very air inside the domed spaceport and the protected grounds of Thorrastone Park felt stale and processed. This was definitely not a natural world.
    Within hours after my arrival, Mrs. Farraday had offered to show me the grounds and I, quite curious about my new home, had accepted. I had only been able to form a guess as to the extent of Thorrastone Park, for Mrs. Farraday had mostly shown me the manor proper and its grounds; we had not investigated the mining area nor the buildings erected there. But they were visible from many vantages of the manor and its gardens, a dark cluster of small buildings and untidy phalanxes of scurrying workers.
    â€œDo the house generators supply power for the entire compound, or do the mine generators perform that function?” I asked.
    She had already explained to me how Thorrastone Park was governed by two sets of generators, and how, since the last tech had left, the mining supervisor had overseen the equipment at the manor. These house machines were the only ones I would have any responsibility for, unless some drastic disaster occurred on the mining fields; those generators had their own personnel.
    â€œActually, the house equipment controls the major forcefield, though the mine equipment can be used as backup,” she said. “The failsafe has never had to be used, but it is a comfort to know it is in place.”
    â€œIndeed, yes,” I said. “And how often do the generators experience a breakdown?”
    Her amiable face showed a faint expression of worry. “We have never had a breakdown, you realize, but as I understand it, the equipment needs constant maintenance. But you would understand such a thing better than I, would you not, Miss—Miss Starborn?”
    I smiled involuntarily at the hesitation in her voice. It was clear the syllables sounded strange to her; she could not imagine what such a plain person was doing with such a fanciful name. “I did not mean to imply that you had completely lost power,” I assured her. “But some of the Arkady converters are known to be temperamental, especially the early models, and I wondered how often little—glitches—were known to occur. Don’t worry, I will consult the last tech’s records. They will tell me all I need to know.”
    Her face cleared, she smiled again. “Then, if you have no more questions about the compound—”
    I gestured in the direction of the mining buildings. “But should I not go over there and make myself known to the other techs? If we are going to provide backup support for each other—”
    â€œOh, dear me, no,” Mrs. Farraday said hastily, accelerating the hovercraft so inexpertly that it jerked and shuddered violently enough to send us both clutching at the door frames. “No, no, you do not want to associate with the miners at all. You must not go there.”
    â€œBut if I am to be useful to them—”
    She had gotten the craft steadied now, and she sent us with its inconsiderable speed back toward the