Borne On Wings of Steel Read Free Page B

the star as we made our final approach from space.” Kyle's eyes narrowed with the recent memory of that ride. “And I must say, as we entered the cloud bands of RahajMr that was the roughest ride I've ever felt. Those are some winds!"
    "Yes, landing is the trickiest part. The Wind Specialists have to determine a window when the buffeting winds will remain a constant speed in one direction for a few minutes in order to allow a visiting ship to land at a Leeward docking door and get inside the protective city walls,” Minstrel-Zuuk said with admiration. He raised his head far above the others and admired RahajMr.
    "But how do these cities stay afloat, as well as steady themselves, as they ride the winds?” Rok asked.
    Kyle and Jaric both looked expectantly at the eye-stalks far above them.
    "Rok, you above all races should guess that answer.” The seven eye-stalks twinkled with mirth.
    "Anti-gravity engines!” Rok half-shouted. He rubbed his chin in thought. “They must be massive, to keep a city this size floating and utilize the gravity of such a huge planet."
    "Yes, they are. This city alone contains almost fifty million inhabitants. But still, another design was utilized. The Mrad harnessed these mighty winds to a certain extent and turned them to their own use.” Minstrel-Zuuk paused. “You no doubt have noticed that these cities are shaped to ride the constant buffeting of the horizontal winds which greatly assists the anti-grav engines—huge, aerodynamic-shaped cities originally built in far orbit and then carefully lowered into the clouds."
    Rok turned to the great window. “Look, the wind has changed direction."
    They all turned.
    The ragged ribbons of purple and white clouds flying from left to right across the window disappeared with a blur of movement. The sky outside cleared into a wide-open expanse of several hundred kilometers. But in the far distance a solid wall of green clouds approached.
    "The clouds never really disappear from view on this gas giant, but clear sky appears briefly once or twice a week,” Minstrel-Zuuk said, his tone matter-of-fact.
    The onlookers suddenly felt disoriented; Kyle and Jysar reached out for support while the others swayed off-balance.
    The distant wall of clouds changed.
    "Wha...” Jaric said uncertainly, blinking his eyes rapidly as he tried to fathom what his eyes told him but his mind refused to believe.
    The cloudbank took shape; details that a fraction of a second before were not visible suddenly became obvious—and huge. The distant clouds exploded into a massive cloud wall five thousand kilometers wide as it leaped toward them with unimaginable velocity.
    Two seconds later, the leading edge of the green cloudbank reached them as everyone readied themselves—their subconscious minds telling them a tempest of fantastic magnitude was upon them with such awesome force it surely must destroy them all.
    The window became solid green as the stillness and silence haunted their minds. In that moment they comprehended the fantastic speed at which the winds blew in this unique place.
    As they gazed, still tensed for an explosive blow that never came, the solid green parted and small valleys of clear air grew between ribbons of cloud as the wind continued to rush head-on at them.
    The only discernable effect was a humming sound that grew louder with the onslaught of the green clouds and now slowly—very slowly—began to fade.
    Minstrel-Zuuk's voice broke into their awestruck reverie as a new wave of green clouds filled the huge window again.
    "At strategic points all around this city and its twenty-three sister cities are massive vents that channel the force of the wind. This system powers the cities as well harvests the natural elements found in the clouds. This is why the Mrad have been able to build the most powerful computers ever constructed. And why they built them here."
    "How can there be that much to those clouds?” Jaric asked.
    "Again, being so close to