Twin Stars 1: Ascension Read Free Page A

Squire to tend to your every need, and I’ll still be Lieutenant James Kipps- caveman officer.”
    Tysen decided not to let this mood continue. “Don’t be jealous, Kip. Being a Noble isn’t always pleasant either- it comes with a huge number of duties and responsibilities. Besides, despite their near physical perfection, nobles still fail to use their brains just as often as everyone else. Just look at me.”
    That broke the growing tension, and both laughed.
    “So, they’re just as stupid as everyone else.” Kip said finally.
    “Exactly,” Tysen nodded, and then stood up. “And, on that note I shall meet you when this festival has become a little less family oriented.”
    This caught Kip by surprise. “Hey! Where are you going?”
    Tysen pointed across the square. “They have a colonial museum I thought I’d check out.”
    “A…museum?” Kip said slowly, then sighed. He clearly felt he hadn’t made as much progress with his crewmate as he’d thought. “Well Al, if that makes you spin, go ahead. But, if I find some fun, I’m not sharing.”
    “And, you are most welcome to it,” Tysen pulled his mask down over his face. “Link to me if anything comes up.”
    * * *
    Ping An ran, but not fast.
    Well, not as fast as she could go. If she did, then she’d easily be able to out-pace their pursuers, but she’d also lose her two crew members. She might not like them, especially at the moment, but she was responsible for them, and where Ping An came from, duty to others was not something that was taken lightly.
    “Leederman!” The name was spoken like a curse over the Linkspace network between their implanted neural links. “What part of ‘not attracting attention’ don’t you understand?!?”
    "But...But...." Leederman stammered as they dashed around a street vendor’s stall, nearly knocking over patrons as they scrambled past. Ping An had to pause and help Justin avoid falling as he nearly tripped over a small dog.
    "Getting into fights is not inconspicuous!"
    While Ping An and Justin had been doing their best to get information from some local security officers at an outdoor beer garden, Leederman had found himself the target of a local girl’s interest. It was harmless flirting by someone who seemed bored, and Ping An had been inclined to let it slide. Leederman was the least skilled at what they were doing after all, and it kept him busy. The problem was that this local girl also happened to be waiting for her local boyfriend and his buddies, and when they’d arrived the boyfriend had begun berating the girl for her unfaithfulness. Again, not a big problem- until Leederman decided to go all White Knight.
    One brawl later, the very station security officers Ping An had sought out were trying to arrest Leederman for starting a fight, and all three of them had been forced to flee into the festival with two security officers in hot pursuit.
    They were just lucky the station hadn’t decided to deploy the security bots in such a crowded and chaotic environment- yet.
    “Geez Ping-An, I’m sorry!”
    As they dashed around a corner Ping An thought quickly. She could avoid their pursuers easily enough, but the two others couldn’t. That made the choice clear.
    "Idiot! Quick, give me your mask."
    "My mask?" Leederman always was a little slow on the uptake.
    "Yeah, I’ll take your cat mask and you take my...whatever this thing is. Quick! Do it!" She passed him the birdlike mask she’d been wearing, and took his. It smelled of sweat, blood and beer, but she put it on anyway.
    "Now, everyone split up!" She commanded. "I’ll lead them away, and I want you to find other masks and blend into the crowd. Disappear! I’ll call when I think things are okay."
    "But, what about you, Squadron Leader?" Justin asked, feelings of concern leaking into his mental “voice”.
    "I’ll be fine, I’ve done this before. Just go!" She ordered.
    The black and white clad station security men had come back into view behind