Page 87 of On a Rogue Planet
“I was born a man. I’m enhanced.”
“Hmm. Did you get it done out here on the edge? So many hacks willing to pop in an implant for the right price.” His gaze again on Xander’s pristine implant. “They usually do shoddy work, leave terrible scars, or worse, kill their patient.”
Xander remained silent.
“Then there are the few cyborg worlds. Torgue, Cletron…Centax.”
Mal felt Xander’s body vibrating behind her. She placed a hand on his thigh, brushing the hard muscle. “It’s really a great party. And like I said, your robots—” she motioned at the one closest to them “—are fascinating.”
“Alone on a rogue planet it’s easy to feel isolated. These robots are like my family.” Forge’s smile was sharp. “And of course I love to collect beautiful and rare things.” His gaze settled on Mal.
She swallowed. The guy gave her the creeps.
“But, what is most amazing is my Technomaze.”
“Technomaze?” Mal asked.
“Yes, beneath my complex I’ve built a labyrinth entirely from scrap.” He leaned forward, his tone deepening like an expert storyteller. “A maze so convoluted and dangerous, no one has ever reached the center.”
Despite herself, Mal was intrigued. “What’s in the center?”
“My newest and greatest treasure.” He laughed. “But that is a story I will share with all my guests very soon.” His eyelids lowered. “Malin, I hope you will share a dance with me later.”
Xander stiffened. “She won’t.”
She managed a rueful smile. “My guy here is a little territorial.”
Forge gave a small bow. “I understand the sentiment completely.” With another bow, he disappeared into the crowd.
“I’m not sure he’s sane,” she said.
“He’s not stupid.” Xander was scanning the crowd. “And I think he hides a lot behind that façade.”
The opposite of Xander. He might not show emotion on his expressionless face, but what you saw was exactly what you got. Protective, efficient, and dedicated. “Do you think the Antikythera is in the maze?”
“The probability is very high.”
“Ladies and gentlemen!”
Forge’s voice rose above the hubbub of the crowd. A circular column was rising from the floor, and he stood in the center of it, highlighted by a spotlight. Mal caught the movement of Xander’s eyes.
Her own eyes widened. “Oh my stars, Xander, did you just roll your eyes?”
“No.”
“You did.” She smothered a laugh. “I’ve never seen you do that.”
He squeezed her hip. “Be quiet.”
Forge’s column stopped moving and the man spread his arms out. “As you know, I called this ball to celebrate my newest acquisition.”
Viewscreens of all shapes and sizes drifted down from the ceiling.
“I give you, the universe’s very first computer!”
An image flashed onto the screens. Mal drew in a sharp breath. She’d seen the Antikythera in person, but the way Forge had placed it on a simple, stone altar lit by soft lights highlighted the sense of age and mystery of the twisted lump of metal.
“The name of its creator is lost to the distant past. But when it was pulled from the bottom of a Terran ocean millennia ago, even then it intrigued the people of Earth. Something so modern, so clever, made well before it’s time.” He smiled. “Andnow, it is mine. It’s found its perfect home in the hands of the Technomancer.”
