Page 49 of Star Bringer
“No,” Kali corrects me. “Not evil, just misunderstood.”
I strongly disagree. “We need to go.”
She steps back and looks up at the ship. “We should give her a name.”
I want to ask why when we won’t be hanging on to her, but I keep my mouth shut.
“Let’s call her theStarlight,” she continues. “That’s what she looks like. And the image… It’s lovely.”
Sure, lovely. That’s probably why there’s a big ball of something nasty coagulating in my belly.
We’ve been flying on analien artifact.
An alien artifact the Corporation is going to want returned…and fast.
An alien artifact that—most concerning of all—seems to have a mind of her own.
Chapter 18
Ian
“Come on,” I say to Kali, who ignores me as she continues staring at the ancient spaceship.
I’m just starting to think I might have to drag her away from her new toy when she gives the ship one last look and hurries after me.
Good. The less time we spend on Askkandia, the better.
On the surface, it’s the most attractive of the planets—which is why the Empress and her Council live here. It’s certainly a hell of a lot nicer than Kridacus, where I was born, but that’s not hard. That place is a complete shithole.
Here, there are lots of trees, and I can see blue and green rolling hills in the distance. The air is warm but not fry-your-lungs warm, and once we leave the actual port, it smells clean.
Rangar might be the dirtiest place on Askkandia, but it still beats the other planets, hands down. I don’t know what the hell Kali was complaining about.
I head for the town, and soon we’re walking among buildings. Fancy it isn’t, but it never has been. That’s not the problem. I just can’t believe how much it’s declined since the last time I was here.
As we walk through the streets, there’s an air of desperation—and despair—to the place and the people that wasn’t here before. It feels familiar—I’ve been to a lot of planets, and this is the norm, not the exception—but it still makes me wonder about the Empress and her Council. How bad are things in Senestris that they’ve allowed their home planet to fall into this state?
I’m not the only one surprised. Kali keeps looking around, taking everything in with wide eyes and a deep frown. Everyone we run into hurries past without making eye contact. I figure that’s got more to do with the laser pistol at my waist than the fact that I’m walking with the princess—who I sincerely hope is unrecognizable in that dirty white robe. Weapons aren’t allowed for the working classes, so the fact that I’m carrying one labels me as something else. And I’m guessing that they’re not sure what.
I’d thought about leaving it behind, but from past experience with this place, it’s a hell of a lot better to be armed. Plus, I’m dressed in black, which would—if I was a law-abiding citizen—make me Corporation, and most people steer clear of them.
“Who are all these people?” Kali whispers as we turn a corner.
“Mostly port workers, I guess.”
“So they have jobs?” She sounds astounded.
It gets my back up a little. “Not everyone can sit around a palace all day, Princess.”
“That’s not what I meant.” She doesn’t get mad like she normally would. Just quieter as she continues to look around. “If they are working, I presume they get a salary. So why do they all look so…”
“Poor?” I fill in the blank for her.
“Broken,” she replies softly.
“Because that’s the way the Empire likes them,” I shoot back. I know she’s been sheltered, but how out of touch she is with what’s going on in the system she’s supposed to rule one day still makes me a little sick.
Her frown grows deeper. “That’s not true. We want all of our people to prosper.”
