The Book of Ominiue: Starborn by D.M. Barnham Read Free Book Online Page B

particularly attractive place. Being a farming community it only had basic and essential structures, but everything was well built with the added care of simple masonry artistry. What the town lacked in beauty, it made up for with the panorama of the Wayel-Éaa Mountains.
    A large carved stone monument stood proud in the village centre, commemorating an ancient war. The central square also served as a resting place with seating arrangements that faced outwards. The Earthmen would learn that this was a common arrangement in the remote villages, with the larger towns and cities exhibiting more unique places of remembrance. looking out from the old stone benches one could see battered wooden gates of the palisade only a hundred or so metres out. The defences were not very practical, but walls of some kind were required by an ancient law. Their long peace meant these walls long ceased being about keeping invaders at bay, instead they were only suitable for deterring wild animals.
    As Shayne ventured into the central part of the town he noted the Earthmen scattered around, resting their weary bodies anywhere they could sit and relax, some already seemingly asleep with their hats draped over their faces to shade their eyes from the sun’s harsh glare. A few native guards also stood amongst them, making sure the few curious civilians did not cause trouble, as well as keeping an eye on the foreign humans.
    Corporal Bianchi had setup the communications equipment so that the Brigadier could talk with General Thorn Hendingson, relaying from the Oxford colonyship to the settlement. The image was only two dimensional but the picture was perfect. The general’s New American accent rang through hard and clear.
    Shayne waited patiently for the conference to end. The General would need to know about the development, but the Hendingson’s temper was legendary, so to temporarily save the Brigadier from his wrath and possibly allow him time to prepare for the inevitable he decided to wait.
    Shayne went to one of the seats and waited there, the conference could potentially take hours. The hard stone seats were surprisingly comfortable; he let himself enjoy the moments rest, allowing his aching body to return back to a normal state. Omar was lying a few metres away from him in a shadow provided by the monument, his hat tipped to hide his eyes. Dominic walked over after the link-up was complete. He tried to kick the resting soldier, who reached out with sharp reflexes and grabbed his leg making him stumble. Dominic took a few steps to regain his balance while laughing. Shayne was fascinated with them and often watched them as they fooled around. They were always making trouble or talking about things in life that interested them. Best of all they acted as if Shayne did not exist, even those who tried to ignore him tended to be intimidated by his presence, becoming awkward or silent while he was near.
    After recovering from the stunt, Dominic came and sat down on a step near his friend. Omar resigned to his friend’s company and pulled himself up into a slouched position, propped up by one arm, where he looked across at the mountains. Omar cracked open a tin of canned fruit, and leaned back, eating while he joined Dominic in admiring the view, ‘Would you look at that? The trip was worth that view in itself, it’s a beauty.’
    ‘Would be, considering this is the only world you’ve visited, other than Mars and Earth,’ Dominic replied, but he too smiled as he looked out at the peaks. He then flung his free arm in a dramatic gesture, his voice tone increasing in false pose, ‘The splendour of skyscrapers as far as the eye can see.’
    ‘Very funny, not all of us are as fortunate as you and the Bianchi dynasty, and all the riches you left behind.’
    ‘Key words my friend, “ left behind .” Was my family so rich that I had to come here?’ Dominic laughed. He did leave a comfortable fortune behind, but he hoped to earn his own and with