Transformation Space (16 page)

But an increase in the level of murmuring brought her sharply alert.

‘There!’ said Dolin with excitement, pointing. ‘I was right.’

Mira concentrated on a single screen that showed a complex diagram she recognised as genome markers. Even from her most basic
understanding, they seemed wrong.

‘That is not possible. Not for a humanesque,’ said one of the clinicians.

‘There have been instances of humanesques being born with dual sex organs, but your baby has neither.’

‘It is a neuter?’

‘Not a neuter exactly,’ he said. ‘Something else …’

‘Dolin!’ one of his colleagues cried. ‘Look at the EM scan!’

Dolin’s eyes slid to another screen, and Mira followed his gaze.

Mira?

Si,
Insignia
?

There is important news that impacts our safety.

But Mira was distracted.
My baby … they say that sh-she is n-neither male nor female.

Arbitrary and unimportant. Nova is healthy; that is all that matters.

But you’re not humanesque. You don’t understand what that means.

I do.

How could you? Your own species is different.

I know because Nova has explained it to me.

Mira stiffened.
You’ve spoken to Nova.

Of course. Our communication began while she was still in your womb, but Nova’s thoughts were quite unformed then. They become
clearer by the moment. And she is in agreement with me that we should leave this planet.

She? But they say she has no gender.

‘She’ is a pronoun you seem comfortable with, and I’m happy to accommodate your need.

Need! Mira didn’t know whether that angered or amused her.
Why must we leave?
She glanced down at Nova’s face. The baby’s eyes were open again, and staring steadily at her as if trying to convey a thought.

‘… The baby has a pronounced electromagnetic field around it,’ said Dolin finally.

Mira took a moment to react to his statement. Electromagnetic field? She stared at the baby’s translucent skin, so thin that
she almost seemed blue from the glow of her myriad tiny veins. ‘I’m not—’

But the wall screens suddenly blanked, causing her to pause. Then a loud chiming claimed everyone’s attention.

The wall reactivated, showing the head and shoulders of a middle-aged humanesque in some type of ceremonial robe. He spoke
without preamble.

‘You will all know me as Sophos Kantos. For some time there has been rumour about a Post-Species threat to OLOSS territories.
We have been sceptical of such stories, believing them to be the propaganda of extremist groups who are opposed to our philosophies
and ideals.’ Sophos Kantos cleared his throat and blinked several times, as if trying to clear his vision. ‘This morning,
however, we have farcast evidence that the threats are neither terrorists nor a hoax. In a moment I will broadcast shocking
– unbelievable – images from the Mintaka system, captured by a biozoon. I urge you not to panic but to absorb this information.
Mintaka is far, far from Scolar, and the Sophos has already
dispatched our full politic guard to protect our shift station.’

Cries of surprise broke out in the lab, only to silence again as new images flickered across the screen. At first they were
difficult to understand: exterior views of space interspersed with streaming light signatures, and blurred holo-diagrammatics
of the Mintaka system. A commentary started, the biozoon’s translated version of what was happening.

Mira recognised the Extro Geni-carriers before anyone else did, knew immediately what they meant. But she stayed quiet, listening
to the back-and-forth between the scientists as they proffered their theories.

Then the narrator translator began to list details.

More theories bounced between the scientists. What was a Geni-carrier doing in Mintaka? Exploration, thought some. No! Barter?
No! An Envoy?

Dolin was less optimistic. ‘Geni-carriers do only one thing: transport intelligent sentient incendiaries.’

Mira wanted to leave the room, to get as far away from the farcast feed as she could, but her feet remained fixed to the spot,
and the tightness in her throat wouldn’t ease enough for her to speak. She hugged Nova, waiting, forcing herself to watch.

The images cut to show incendiaries spraying from the Geni-carriers and plunging straight into the atmosphere of one of the
outer worlds. A wave swept across the planet, as if the rocky surface was suddenly composed of water. The wave buckled, and
it erupted across the equator like a horizontal volcano. Dust and smoke spewed from the sides, and an instant later the planet
blew apart.

The biozoon narrator listed the losses in clipped tones: ‘5 billion sentient inhabitants, 3,313 industries, 2,025 service
providers, all lost, including an advanced genotyping facility.’

‘Mount Kent,’ said Dolin in shocked tones. He closed his eyes, and the colour drained from his face, leaving him almost as
pale as Nova. ‘Our companion lab. We have a mirror facility. We … had a failsafe …’

An ’esque next to him buckled over and fell to his knees, moaning. Some went to give comfort.

But Dolin opened his eyes and looked at Mira. ‘My colleague’s wife,’ he said. ‘She was on transfer there.’

Sophos Kantos reappeared on the screen. ‘This is an attack but, as I said at the beginning of the ’cast, we are not in any
immediate danger. Our entire space contingent has been sent to Scolar station as a precautionary measure. It is vital that
our ’casts stay operational, so that we may advise the OLOSS forces.’ He cleared his throat again. ‘Many of you will have
loved ones, friends and family, on other worlds. I cannot guarantee their safety other than to say that we will be advising
their governments.’ He stopped and took a deep breath. ‘There will be regular ’casts from the Sophos over the next few days,
to keep you informed.’

Mira. You must leave and bring Nova back to me. I’ve been in contact with the Pod. They are convinced that Scolar will be
the next target for the Post-Species invasion force. The Sophos are deluded, believing themselves immune. Our best option
is to leave there soon.

Many others will think the same,
Insignia
. It will be chaotic.

A good reason to be decisive.

How do I get to you from here? They will try to stop me.

There will be much distraction in the wake of this announcement. Use it to your advantage.

As
Insignia
finished its thought, ’esques began entering the room. And leaving. Someone helped the stricken scientist to his feet. Dolin
then activated a com-sole and began talking.

Mira slipped across to the back of the room, near Linnea. The galley supervisor’s lips were pursed, her forehead creased with
concern.

‘I need to get back to my ship,’ Mira said.

‘You need to rest.’

Mira shook her head. ‘Terrible things are going to happen to the OLOSS worlds. I might be able to do something to stop it.
Please …’

Linnea’s eyes darted around the room. No one was watching them; Dolin was surrounded by anxious colleagues. ‘Quick,’ she said.
‘My transport is on the roof.’

‘You have your own?’ Mira remembered Thales telling her that Scolar restricted ownership of private transport.

‘I’m considered essential services,’ she said. ‘Nuthin’ more essential than getting your baked breakfast on time, or a late
supper if you’ve been workin’ through the night. This way!’ She jerked her head and walked straight out the door without looking
back.

Mira followed her, holding her breath, waiting for Dolin to shout out, or for a hand to close around her arm. But no one noticed,
and she joined the stream of traffic hurrying along the corridor. She turned her body against the jostling to protect Nova.
Her baby was squirming, eyes bright and alert.

‘In here,’ said Linnea after they’d descended two levels. She pulled Mira into a room where the floor was streaked with grease
marks and half-full of crates. ‘Utilities and storage,’ she said. ‘Most of our food and disposables sit here before they get
unpacked. I park outside here. Much quicker to the kitchens this way.’ She gave a sly grin. ‘Can nip in and out easily, as
well.’

She led Mira across the storage room and out onto a large square of plascrete. A bulky rectangular object took up one whole
side of the slab, while a little AiV perched alone in the opposite corner.

Linnea glanced into the sky, then ran across to her flyer and threw the hatch-wings open. ‘Quick,’ she called. ‘’Fore the
next lunkey lands.’

Mira climbed in beside her, but more slowly, careful not to fall with Nova in her arms. She strapped herself in as Linnea
brought life to the AiV. They lifted straight up and forward, almost clipping the edge of the Mount Clement building.

‘Sorry ’bout that,’ Linnea barked. ‘Needed to keep out of the lunkey’s way.’

As she spoke, a shadow fell across the cabin. A large transporter vehicle descended past them and onto the pad. It hovered,
sprouted pads and landed heavily. The shape of it made Mira glance back at the object sitting on the other side of the plascrete.
‘That’s a lunkey as well?’

Linnea nodded. ‘Best food storage containers around. Fly themselves in and out and keep the produce cool and dry. When they’re
stationary, they fold down into a big box, more or less. Means you can store them as
well.’ She slipped an audio piece over her ear and listened intently for a moment.

‘Where’s your ship?’ she asked.

‘Central landing port,’ said Mira.

‘There’s a helluva traffic jam down there. Sounds like a lot of people are panicking. And those that wanta get in can’t get
a clearance to land. I’m gonna have to put down on one of the outer pads. You’ll have to walk.’ She glanced sideways at Nova.
‘You up to that?’

Mira set her jaw and nodded. She’d have to be.

‘Info booths will tell you which way to go,’ Linnea added.

‘My symbiote will help me.’

The galley supervisor’s eyes widened. ‘You mean you talk to it? Thought only men could do that.’

‘That’s what makes me different,’ said Mira honestly. ‘It’s why I am still alive, and why I am … pursued.’

Linnea pursed her lips and didn’t say any more. Mira wondered if the woman thought her crazy – a mother who had not even thought
of a name for her child, nor knew how to feed it, and yet had been hunted across worlds.

She set Mira down on a pad that looked to be several mesurs from the main port. Even so, it was crowded and chaotic.

Mira unbuckled her harness and twisted in the seat, ready to step down. Their eyes met and held.

‘You want some advice? Service corridors run alongside the main buildings. Use them to get to the central port. Be quicker
than fighting the crowds in the public areas.’

‘Where do I find them? How do I get access?’

‘They’re not hard to find. Look for blind corners. Find unmarked doors. Getting in, though …’ She scratched her head. ‘You’ll
have to use your imagination. You’ve been through a lot, so it seems. You’ll think of something.’

Mira nodded. ‘How can I—’

‘Swestrs don’t need thanks. Like the great Villon says, “Unto the universe.” There’re plenty of us here that have got no time
for the way the Sophos are running the place. Used to be that they were smart and fair, but lately it’s been different. Sophos
don’t care for the people any more. Just themselves. Now they’re telling us we’re safe when we’re not. I wish Villon was still
here. Rumours say they had him killed.’

Mira’s heartbeat quickened. ‘You heard that?’

Linnea nodded and pushed Mira gently. ‘I’ll look for you in the stars, Mira Fedor. Do what you can to help us!’

Mira leaned across and pressed a kiss onto the woman’s cheek. They knew nothing of each other, and yet much. Linnea was Pensare,
like Faja, like Alba Galiotto, who had helped her escape the carabinere. ‘May Villon protect you, Linnea.’

Mira half-slid down to the ground and, clutching Nova, hurried quickly away from the AiV towards the entry of the sprawling
port.

The next night they went out again. Abandoning Randall’s plan of a methodical search pattern, they spent the day using the
’scope to scour the mountain for the smaller villas. Rast identified one on the east side of their building, on a direct line
with the studium.

Mira Fedor had spoken of the Araldis studium many times. From overhearing bits of her conversation with Randall and Thales
Berniere, Jo-Jo had learned how she had studied geneering and astrography at the same time as her degree in alien genera and
literature. Only a determined individual would pursue such a workload. And despite her apparent physical fragility, Mira Fedor
was definitely that.

He remembered her frequent stoushes with Randall, and understood her frustration. The mercenary could be so pragmatic and
capable, and then with the curl of her lip turn moody and stubborn.

‘Shouldn’t take too long, there and back,’ said Randall, craning to get the ’scope around the edge of the door.

‘Me too, this time, Capo?’ asked Catchut.

She shook her head. ‘Not till you stop getting the sweats, Cat. You’ll dehydrate too quick.’

Catchut made a frustrated noise and smacked his
palm against the wall. The merc hadn’t taken well to being an invalid.

‘What if we run into Saqr?’ asked Jo-Jo, ignoring Catchut’s tantrum.

‘Been thinkin’ ’bout that. Need something to even the odds a bit if we do. Normal weapons don’t work so well, their exoskel
is too tough,’ said Randall.

‘What did you have in mind?’

‘Need to get into the studium. Fedor said she studied alien genera there. Gotta be info about the Saqr in their data films.
Something we can use on them. If the data sys in this place was workin’, we could access the studium sys from here. But it
ain’t, so we gotta get up there.’ She pointed to the impressive expanse of architecture up near the crest of the mountain.