Swallow the Sky: A Space Opera Read Free Page A

he
admitted, reaching around to assure himself that the shuttle still existed.
    He tried to keep the
conversation going.
    “Does Kaimana have
hotels, lodging houses, you know – places where travelers pay to stay?”
    “Well of course. They are
lots of hotels.”
    “That’s good; you’d be
surprised how many planets don’t have paid accommodation.”
    She pulled a face, which
made Carson realize that she had not spent much time out of the Mita system. He
plunged on, unsure whether she considered him a seasoned traveler or a fool.
    “So do you have any
recommendations for somewhere to stay?”
    “The clan’s putting me
into its suite at the Caldera View. Check it out, it’s expensive but I’m sure
the rates are better when the tourists aren’t around.”
    It was time to get
plugged in. Mercifully, the local net used standard Commonwealth communications
protocols. While the tiny transponder embedded in his inner ear had a limited
range the shuttle provided an excellent relay to the surface and he was soon
talking to the hotel. Aiyana was right, the rates were uncharacteristically
low, he could stay for a week while he found something long-term.
    “Thanks, all booked” he
said and then, intoxicated by imminent planet fall and his first human contact
in weeks, he continued “Would you like to meet for a drink this evening?
…assuming you’re not busy.”
    “That would be lovely, I’ve
no events until tomorrow. Wow, my first evening on Kaimana and I’m drinking
with a mailman! Wait till the crew hears about this! Where shall we meet?”
    My room! No, that
wouldn’t do. He got back to the hotel’s concierge.
    “Yes honored guest” said
a voice from within his cochlea “we have a variety of delightful meeting
places. May I ask is the purpose of your meeting: business, social, festive, or
romantic?”
    Carson glanced at Aiyana.
    “Romantic” he muttered.
    “Then I would recommend
the Fire Lounge, featuring an inviting selection of…”
    He ignored the sales
chatter. “The hotel says it has a bar called the Fire Lounge. Let’s meet there
at…” he squinted while he worked out the local time system “…seven”.
    Beneath his feet,
Kaimana’s outline continued to grow. Details began to appear within the extinct
volcano: concentric circles and intersecting radii spread from the central lake
to the rim of the crater and the land differentiated into patterns of gray,
green and brown. The flanks appeared undeveloped but even so it was to the
outer slopes that the shuttle headed. As the landmass swelled beneath them the
music in the cabin subsided and the walls returned to an opaque grey.
    “Do you hear that?” he
asked.
    The silence had given way
to a distant rapid drumbeat.
    “Don’t worry, that’s just
the rain.”
    Oh great, the
off-tourist season.
    Ten minutes later they
had landed.

KAIMANA
    Carson and the other passengers emerged into a cavernous
hanger hewn from the side of the volcano. The ground rumbled as a pair of giant
doors closed on a seemingly solid wall of water. Little wonder that they heard
the rain during the descent.
     
    The shuttle was right
about the conditions, it was just as hot and humid as it had been inside the
cabin, but the atmosphere carried the tang of the planet’s vast ocean, and he
took a deep breath of the real, unprocessed air.
    “Honored extrasolar
visitor” said a voice. Carson glanced up and saw a small red sphere hovering
above him. “Please follow me for screening and integration.”
    “Wait one moment” he told
it.
    He looked round for
Aiyana who was wrestling with her giant bag. She had strapped on a lift belt
but it still had plenty of inertia.
    “I have to go to Integration”
he shouted to her, tipping his head at the red ball by way of explanation.
“Seven o’clock in the Fire Lounge.”
    She gave him a wave and
returned to maneuvering her belongings. Carson picked up his own luggage and
trotted after the sphere. There were about a dozen