Star Road by Matthew Costello, Rick Hautala Read Free Book Online

that. That’s why they put him on this flight.
     
    “I’ll get him back up here.”
     
    “And you’re cleared to give your passengers their final instructions ... and then we’re good to go.”
     
    “Roger that.”
     
    The man on the screen turned away, looking at his own bank of monitors.
     
    Annie hit a button below a screen showing the main gun pod.
     
    “Jordan. Showtime. Starting final prep.”
     
    “Gotcha.”
     
    Normally, an SRV pilot would deliver the instructions over the intercom.
     
    As if this was a commuter run from Sydney to L.A. Though there weren’t many “airplane” flights these days, and certainly not too many passengers using that outmoded flight system.
     
    But Annie liked doing it more personally.
     
    After all, it’s just us, she thought. A handful of people, crossing a fair swatch of the galaxy.
     
    Might as well put a human face on things.
     
    She got up and turned to the stairway leading down to the passengers’ cabin.
     
    She also thought there was another reason to do this.
     
    Get a good look at these people who’ll be sharing this trip.
     
    Who they are ... what they’re doing here.
     
    And ... always ... any concerns. They’d already been screened for their potential to get roadsick—but that screening was far from 100 percent accurate. You never knew. Someone could ride the Road a couple of dozen times and be fine.
     
    And then: Nausea and vomiting were the typical effects of roadsickness. But sometimes brain aneurisms. Occasionally, a passenger could have startling psychological reactions. Get violent, need to be restrained.
     
    Which is why every Road vehicle stocked emergency kits with neoprene collars.
     
    And then there were the few times a passenger had to be “neutralized.” That was another euphemism ... for what had to be done to get them to stop.
     
    Which, depending on the circumstances, could be anything. One rule of the Road was that was always the captain’s call.
     
    Telling herself this would probably be another smooth and easy trip— routine—Annie headed down to the passengers’ area.
     
    ~ * ~
     
    Annie stopped at the front and looked at the passengers settling into their seats.
     
    She knew their names from the manifest, which confirmed that they’d been checked out by Mobius Security.
     
    And rechecked.
     
    Then checked again.
     
    Nothing to worry about here, she thought.
     
    Unless, of course, Mobius Central screwed up.
     
    Just like the Road itself... the unpredictable could always happen.
     
    In those seconds, she took in the group before they noticed her standing there, watching.
     
    Sinjira Renku. Beautiful, exotic, legs curled up under her, ready to watch a holovid.
     
    A Chippie, with the nub of hardware extending from her skull just below her cerebellum on the left side of her head.
     
    But more than just a Chippie. She was a Creator. Such a lofty, pretentious name. Living and recording experiences for the masses who preferred their thrills to be vicarious.
     
    Though experiencing a chip was so real it felt like anything but vicarious.
     
    Still, Sinjira had to go places and do things to record. And she looked like the adventurous kind. Which explained why she was here, to capture this Road trip for all those who would never have the money or get past their fears to leave their safe home, much alone travel halfway across the galaxy.
     
    Now the Chippie was talking to a man sitting across the aisle from her.
     
    Rodriguez. A doctor. He appeared to be disinterested. Looking away. Nodding. But maybe he wasn’t about to admit that he liked what he saw.
     
    Before she could scan the others—she’d already taken McGowan’s measure in the cargo hold—people noticed her and looked up.
     
    I should start, Annie thought.
     
    But she paused when she finally noticed the figure wearing a hooded cloak sitting in the backseat.
     
    Annie glanced at the manifest: Ruth Corso. A Seeker. Not much on