The Evolutionary Void by Peter F. Hamilton Read Free Book Online Page B

after all.”
    Her chuckle sounded genuine. “You know, maybe it is possible.”
    Oscar braced himself. If she was going to do anything, it would be now . The moment passed, and the Cat left.
    Beckia let out a low whistle as she relaxed.
    Tomansio put his hand on Oscar’s shoulder. “You know, you’re almost as
crazy as she is. Er, you and her on the plane. Did that really …”
    “A gentleman never tells,” Oscar said solemnly.
    “Fuck me.”
    “When this is over, I’ll take you up on that. But I think we’d better
leave now.” His field scan showed him the Cat’s stolen capsule rising from the
pad. Once again he tensed up. Would she fly over the house and blast away at
it?
    Tandra and Martyn had huddled up protectively, hugging their children
hard. The twins were sobbing in distress.
    “Take my advice,” Oscar said to them. “Leave here right now. Go stay with
friends or in a hotel, anywhere, just not here. There will be more like us
coming.”
    “Ozzie curse you straight to hell, you bastards,” Martyn hissed
furiously. There were tears running down his face.
    “I’ve met Ozzie,” Oscar said quietly. “He’s nothing like everyone today
thinks he is.”
    “Just go ,” Tandra implored.
    Oscar led Tomansio and Beckia back to their borrowed capsule. As soon as
they left the little drycoral house behind, he called Paula.
    “The Cat’s here.”
    “Are you sure?”
    Oscar shuddered. “Oh, yeah. We had quite a chat.”
    “And you’re still alive. I’m impressed.”
    “Yeah, well, I managed to throw in a cosmic-sized distraction. It put her
off her game for a while.”
    “Is she joining the hunt for Araminta?”
    “Yes.”
    “Figures. The Accelerators are desperate to acquire her.”
    “I thought we are, too.”
    “We are. It has become imperative.”
    “I’m doing my best. I’m still hopeful she might just call me. She’s not
quite the superwoman everyone thinks.”
    “I never believed she was. What’s your next move?”
    “We’re going to visit a Mr. Bovey, Liatris has uncovered some kind of
connection between him and Araminta.”
    “Okay, keep me informed.”
    “What are you doing?”
    “Don’t worry; I’m on my way to Viotia.”
    “I thought I was doing this so you could keep a low profile.”
    “That time is now officially over.”

    As he approached the Ocisen fleet, Kazimir maintained a single hyperspace
communication link back to ANA. He knew the ExoProtectorate Council was
expecting him to provide it with a real-time progress review of the engagement,
but that would have given Ilanthe too much information. The Prime ships
traveling with the Ocisen Starslayers would have been warned of his approach.
Not, he admitted, that it would have done them any good against his abilities.
But then, they were never the true threat. Something else would be out there
watching, sending precious information on the nature of the deterrence fleet
back to the Accelerators. He was sure of it.
    Kazimir matched velocity with the vast alien armada and began to examine
the ships. With his sensor functions, detection was easy; over two thousand
eight hundred Ocisen ships were racing through interstellar space at four and a
half light-years an hour, including nine hundred Starslayers. His perception
infiltrated the hulls, exposing the weapons they carried, enough quantumbuster
types to wipe out most of the Greater Commonwealth worlds should they ever
reach their destination. But nothing more, no postphysical systems they’d
chanced upon and retro-engineered, which was a relief. He switched his
attention to the thirty-seven Prime ships accompanying them; they used a
sophisticated hyperdrive configured to keep their distortion to an absolute
minimum. Their weapons were considerably more advanced than anything the
Ocisens possessed, effectively equal to a Commonwealth Navy Capital-class ship.
But that was it. They didn’t pose a danger to him. And there were no other
ships, no clandestine