Ash adjusted his perch on my shoulder, and looked around intently.
Neat, I sent. So that’s an ocean. I’ve never seen one before.
Me neither. I wonder what it would be like to swim in that? I’ve got an aquatic mode, you know.
No! Danger! Ash protested.
I think you’d better practice when there isn’t a storm raging first, I agreed.
I peered through the gloom, picking out more details. There were empty landing pads to either side of the one we were on, and beyond that Emla’s radar picked up the smooth curve of the habitat’s hull extending for kilometers in either direction. There was a subtle vibration in the deck from the impact of the waves, but the city was so big it didn’t rock at all.
I smiled.
What is it? Emla asked.
Just a random thought, I replied. I’m not even sure how to put it into words. It’s like, the universe is a wild and untamed place, but that’s okay.
I reconfigured my field, and stepped through the barrier. Ash wrapped his tail around my neck and crouched low, disconcerted and upset. But he needn’t have worried. The wind swirled around me like a curious animal, trying and failing to sweep me off my feet. The rain didn’t even get that close, as I swatted away each drop that tried to touch me.
I spread my arms, and took a deep breath of Taragi’s exotic atmosphere. It was mostly water vapor, at nearly thirty kilopascals of pressure.
Once we lived at the mercy of the elements, but humanity has long since grown up. All this wild beauty is ours now.
Emla’s eyes gleamed in the dim glow of the habitat’s running lights.
I like that, she said. You deserve to have the whole galaxy at your feet, Alice. Only, I think the Masu-kai would get snippy if you started with Taragi.
I stepped back inside the deflector dome, and put my arm around her. Silly. I was talking about Man’s conquest of Nature, not a military campaign to conquer the galaxy. Although that does sound like fun.
Captain Sokol and Naoko debarked from the ship, and looked around. The captain was as imperturbable as ever, decked out in a formal suit that could double as either a spacesuit or light body armor. Naoko clung to him nervously, glancing around at the storm with more than a bit of concern.
She’s kind of a scaredy cat, isn’t she? Emla said.
She was designed not to handle being outdoors very well. Before Strange Loop Sleuth fixed her just looking at the storm would have crashed her visual processing.
So? Same here, but you don’t see me hiding behind my human.
Well, then I guess you get credit for being really brave, Emla. Well done.
She beamed at me. Thank you, Alice! I’m trying really hard. Oh, but I guess I’d better start doing the bodyguard thing now.
Chief West dropped out of the ship, in the bulky humanoid body he was wearing for this visit. It was inorganic, and so obviously armed and armored that he’d probably be mistaken for a security bot if not for his ID code. At first glance he looked a lot tougher than Emla, who was wearing a sleek suit of light-duty armor designed as much for looks as functionality. The pistol at her hip and micro-missile pack on her back didn’t look like much compared to his big rifle either, but I wasn’t sure which way I’d bet if they had a fight. Chief West had experience on his side, but the specs on Emla’s new body were pretty impressive.
Captain Sokol looked around, nodded, and set off for the big hatch in the side of the habitat. Naoko fell in beside him, while Chief West took up station two steps behind and to his left. I followed, and Emla took up a similar spot behind me and to my right.
Are you sure you want me to hold on to that special package, Alice? She sent.
It was tempting to take possession of the little capsule I’d liberated from the ship’s stores, but it would have been a bad idea. Using it would draw way more attention than I wanted, and I wasn’t sure my sensor baffling would hide it. Emla’s whole body was made of high-density armor and shielding, and her distributed radioactive decay battery would easily provide enough camouflage to hide a few grams of tritium.
Yes, it’s better if you keep it for now. I’ll tell you if I need it.
The armored hatch opened for us, although there was a manipulator field across the opening to keep the air inside from mixing with the atmosphere outside. It felt like stepping through an invisible wall of jelly a couple of cems thick. I ignored the weird sensation, and followed the captain into the hall on the other side.
Eight big humanoid mechs stood along the walls of the room, each of them a good four meters tall. They were powered up, and armed with enough heavy plasma weapons and masers to make me nervous, but they ignored us completely. Was that because we were expected?
No, they were probably there to keep troublemakers from escaping. There weren’t enough of them to fight off a marine landing force, but keeping a visitor or two from getting back to their ship was another story.
Well, there was no point in worrying about it.
We passed through another armored hatch, while security sensors discretely examined us all. Then there was a long hallway with branches leading off to other landing pads, and a deserted room with yet another armored hatch on the far side. That one turned out to be a meter thick, and it took a long time to open for us. From there a short passage let to an open space lit by bright sunlight.
My first impression was that this den of iniquity looked a lot nicer than I’d expected. We’d come out in a broad plaza that was designed to feel like it was outdoors, with a holographic sky hiding the ceiling high above our heads. A scattering of trees with brightly colored birds in them added to the impression, and the warm breeze carried scents of tropical forest and island beaches. Artificial scents to go with the artificial sky, but both were good enough to fool human senses.
Tastefully decorated businesses lined the sides of the plaza. There were open-air cafes where smiling catgirls in short skirts served tea and coffee with little snack cakes. Little shops had discreet signs advertising personalized services, from custom tailoring to VR world design. A traditional-looking dojo advertised training in martial arts and swordsmanship. At first glance it seemed like a really nice place.