The Garbage Chronicles by Brian Herbert Read Free Book Online

way from Papa Sidney. “But the signals I’m receiving,” Wizzy said. “We must heed them!”
    “I’ll be the judge of that,” Javik said, smelling a chemical odor from the toilet. “You’re comets, aren’t you? You and Sid . . . ”
    “There’s no secret about that.”
    “Some kinda magic? I mean, comets with personalities aren’t your everyday sort of thing.”
    “You’ve got it.”
    “Good magic? I mean, uh . . . ”
    Wizzy laughed. “It’s not Witchcraft. Trust me.”
    Javik’s expression was very intense. “I don’t want my crew disrupted with this sort of information. They’re flaky enough as it is, and I need their undivided attention to duty.”
    “All right.”
    “Keep it between you and me. As far as everyone else is concerned, you’re a meckie. A comet-like device some Bu-Tech pal of mine thought up to be cute. You got it?”
    “Sure. No problem.”
    “It’s yessir from now on,” Javik said, holding Wizzy close to the toilet bowl. “That or I flush you,”
    “I understand!” Wizzy snapped. He glowed orange-hot.
    “Ow!” Javik yelled. He dropped Wizzy and blew on his hand. “Why, you little . . . ”
    Wizzy hovered in the air. “Let’s get something straight, shall we?” he said. “Don’t play big-time operator with me, fella. I know your background—the girls, the fights, the whole bit.”
    Javik continued to blow on his hand.
    “You’re a trashman.”
    Javik’s eyes flashed angrily. ‘This assignment isn’t like garbage shuttle duty. This is important. Really important.”
    “You’re still chasing trash.”
    “Yes, but on a larger scale.” Javik rubbed the palm of his burned hand. “You saw the President back there.”
    Wizzy laughed. “Large-scale trash? Trash is trash in my data banks.” He had become dark blue again, with a short green tail.
    “Just remember what I told you,” Javik said tersely. He jerked open the door and rolled into the cabin. Mother’s computer voice was completing a course projection for Evans. Then it fell silent.
    “Check those droids,” Wizzy shouted. He flew by Javik, alighting on a wall-mounted oxygen tank behind the captain’s chair.
    Javik seethed as he rolled forward.
    “Sounded like a fight back there,” Evans said, watching Javik slide into his chair. “Amazing, the way they can build personalities into meckies now.”
    Javik glowered as he stared out the windshield. His hand still hurt.
    “Ogg’s cloud cover isn’t working worth a damn,” Blanquie said.
    Mento-swiveling her chair, Evans looked aft. Blanquie’s freckled face was pressed against one of the portholes. His soft, round body seemed inappropriate for the rigors of Space Patrol duty. “Sure isn’t,” she agreed.
    “Maybe the comet is God,” Blanquie said, “just cruisin’ around tryin’ to decide if Earth is worth savin’.”
    u Yeah,” Evans said. “Like Sodom and Gomorrah.”
    Blanquie laughed nervously. Then he coughed. “Maybe it’s Uncle Rosy,” he said, “angry because the AmFeds are off schedule on his Thousand Year Plan.”
    Javik watched another scout ship speed into space along a different course. Bullet-shaped and cream-colored, with AmFed markings, the other ship was moving faster than the Amanda Marie. Javik mentoed a speed increase and felt his ship respond instantly.
    “Confirmed,” Mother said. “Will accelerate to seventy-five thousand k.p.h. and hold.”
    “Hey, Cap’n,” Blanquie drawled. “What them boys gonna do about the comet?”
    “Haven’t been invited to any ministerial sessions lately,” Javik said acidly. “You can bet they’re fuming about it, though. I hear a hundred missiles have been fired at it already. Maybe they’re assembling a super-missile right now. Who knows?”
    Blanquie giggled. “What if it is God?” he asked, looking at Javik’s back with a silly leer on his face.
    Javik looked around to see the silly expression, then turned forward, shaking his head in dismay. At least the video