Pirate Sun by Karl Schroeder Read Free Book Online Page B

slumber.
    “There was a battle. I was mercifully not involved—but we lost a lot of people that night. When the field was restored just as unexpectedly, we took stock. Many members of the guard had lost their lives trying to prevent the engines of the enemy from piercing Virga’s skin and entering the world. Most had succeeded—but some of the enemy’s devices had gotten in.”
    Chaison was thunderstruck. Had he known that his actions would have such dire consequences—threatening the very world—he would not have embarked on his desperate mission to save Slipstream. He would have found another way.
    Antaea eyed him. “Mmm. Some of our agents were dispatched to locate the infiltrators; they’re still searching. My team and I were sent in for another reason: to find the cause of the outage, and ensure that there isn’t another.”
    “And did you find it?” he asked.
    “Not yet.” She looked him in the eye. “But I’m close.”
    “Well, the best of luck in that,” said Richard jovially. “But we have more pressing concerns than your ‘outage,’ I think.” Richard reached for the bread. “Lady, my companions may be graceless, but I appreciate a good rescue and therefore, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Sadly, however, I find myself compelled to hurry our little party along. As in, where can we find some less incriminating clothing, a decent meal, and beds to sleep in?”
    Antaea was obviously not sure how to take Richard’s trumped-up charm. She looked down her diminutive nose at him. “Is it not enough for one day that you be rescued, you need some luxury items to be satisfied?”
    “One man’s luxury is another man’s necessity,” he said mildly.
    Chaison watched this exchange, smiling. “Richard is right, though,” he said. “We’re of no use in these stolen uniforms. And without some gravity to condition our muscles, we’ll be of no use in a fair fight either.”
    “Gravity I can give you,” said Antaea.
     

    SHE MADE GOOD on that promise later in the afternoon, when they stopped at an out-of-the-way farm. While deep inside Falcon, near enough its suns to bask in good growing light, the place was far from any town. Its owners were the perfect customer for an itinerant gravity seller, and Antaea just happened to have an official-looking work permit that said she was one. Nothing happened in Falcon without a permit, “So,” she said, “I carry a good supply.” All forged, as it turned out.
    The three men hid in a nearby cloud while Antaea rode the bike over to the farm. The place consisted of a cubic house tethered to a heavy water tank and several carefully managed crop balls. Each ball was woven from the stalks of a thin but stiff vine, and was about two hundred feet in diameter. Thousands of clods of earth floated free inside the loose structures, each one invisible within a sphere of leaves. This farmer was growing soy.
    Gravity selling was a good cover for an agent like Antaea. As the owner of a bike, she could travel freely to the more remote corners of the nation without causing comment. The more remote the area, the more welcome a seller was; after a few minutes of negotiation, she received enthusiastic consent from this particular farmer to give him some weight. The two could be observed testing the chains that tied the house to the water tank, then they let these out until the two objects had a few hundred yards of line between them. Next, Antaea flew out to pick up the Slipstream fugitives.
    “Turns out he’s hoping to make a trip to one of the towns in a few days, and wants to get into shape,” she said. “He’s willing to look the other way if you keep to the tank. You’ve got weight for the day. Use the time well.”
    She dropped the three men off at the rust-painted water tank, then returned to lash her bike to the side of the house opposite the chain mount, and at right angles to it. She settled into the saddle and gunned the engine. As the jet strained and