[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
man s pale skin. He closed his mouth, turned, and stumbled forward. The
heavily laden platform bobbed along behind. Something, Franklin didn t know
what, allowed the pallet to float three inches off the deck.
The politician had seen the boy s expression, however, seen the unmitigated
hatred. He knew it was nothing compared to what the air-dropped talkies
might generate. The Saurons had set him up,were setting him up, and he had to
do something. He needed an agreement of some sort, an accommodation that would
allow him tohelp his people, and live long enough to do so. He turned to Mok.
Let s go, he said grimly. I have a meeting to attend.
The compartment was one of the largest on the ship. It had once served as
private quarters for a prosperous Ra Na merchant, which was why the bulkheads
were so heavily decorated. But the original owner had been dead for a long
time, and the present occupant had no interest in bas-relief metalwork or any
other form of art, for that matter.
Hak-Bin stood naked at the center of a shallow basin while a Ra Na slave
Page 54
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
worked aromatic oil into his coal-black chitin. The ostensible purpose of the
oil was to make the Sauron s exoskeleton more pliable and less prone to the
tiny hairline cracks that, if left untreated, could lead to fracture lines and
an uncomfortable course of treatment. But the rubdownfelt good as well and
seemed to lubricate the Zin s thought processes. He closed his eyes.
The reaction to the meeting had been positive, as evidenced by the sort of
feedback he had received from his peers. But that was to be expected. The hard
times lay ahead no, were already here, given the content of the reports from
the planet s surface.
Although a significant number of humans had been taken into slavery, and
already labored on behalf of nymphs to come, some continued to resist. Most of
the wild nondomesticated natives were too busy foraging for food to present
the Kan with much of a problem, but there was evidence that groups had started
to form.Militant groups, some of which had actually managed to disrupt the
construction process; had diverted supplies; and, in one disturbing incident,
freed more than fifty slaves.
What if such activity increased? What if construction of the citadels was
delayed? Not by days but by months? The Zin envisioned Saurons roaming the
surface, searching for places to hide, at the mercy of feral slaves.
The very thought of it sent an unexpected shudder through his body, and the
Ra Na, a male named Rek, waited for some sort of punishment. Nothing
happened. The Zin pointed toward his clothes. I will dress now.
Both surprised and thankful, the slave scurried toward the rack on which
garments were hung, and brought them one at a time.
The key, Hak-Bin thought, is to give the humans some hope, an alternative to
armed rebellion, to which they can willingly submit. That, combined with harsh
lessons taught by the Kan, would provide the stability that Saurons required.
Not forever, but long enough, until the citadels were complete. The human
named Franklin seemed pliable enough, and like Dro Tog, would make an
excellent tool. Yes, some maintenance was in order, along with minor
concessions. But the bargain was a good one. Why fire a thousand darts when
one fool will serve just as well?
Fully armed Kan warriors stood to either side of the hatch. It was difficult
to see them clearly because of the manner in which their chitin shifted to
match the steel bulkhead. They were motionless and remained so as Mok and
Franklin passed through the entranceway.
The human looked for Hak-Bin, failed to spot him, and took a moment to survey
his surroundings. Almost every square inch of wall space was occupied by
bas-relief artwork. There were thousands of impressions, all taken from alien
leaves. No two were alike.
The rest of the space was quite spartan. The only furniture consisted of a
U-shaped desk and cradle-chair combination plus a pair of guest slings for use
by visiting Zin. Some sort of mechanism hummed as two silver globes rose from
their pedestals and hovered over their heads. Thin shafts of light nailed them
to the deck.
The slaves heard Hak-Bin before they actually saw him. There was the whine of
servos followed by the shuffle of flat Sauron feet. Franklin noticed that the
Zin looked shinier than the last time they had met. No word was spoken until
the alien had settled into his chair and consulted his tabletop computer
screen. There was no preamble or preliminary chitchat.
Page 55
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Your job is to visit our construction sites, urge the supervisors to drive
the rest of the slaves harder, and thereby control the population. You will
start immediately. Are there any questions?
Franklin had never felt so intimidated by anyone in his entire life, not even
by his father, who could make an entire house tremble with his anger. That
being the case, it was a struggle to get his much rehearsed sentence out of
his mouth. The plan won t work not the way you describe.
Mok closed her eyes, hoped none of the human s brain tissue would splatter on [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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man s pale skin. He closed his mouth, turned, and stumbled forward. The
heavily laden platform bobbed along behind. Something, Franklin didn t know
what, allowed the pallet to float three inches off the deck.
The politician had seen the boy s expression, however, seen the unmitigated
hatred. He knew it was nothing compared to what the air-dropped talkies
might generate. The Saurons had set him up,were setting him up, and he had to
do something. He needed an agreement of some sort, an accommodation that would
allow him tohelp his people, and live long enough to do so. He turned to Mok.
Let s go, he said grimly. I have a meeting to attend.
The compartment was one of the largest on the ship. It had once served as
private quarters for a prosperous Ra Na merchant, which was why the bulkheads
were so heavily decorated. But the original owner had been dead for a long
time, and the present occupant had no interest in bas-relief metalwork or any
other form of art, for that matter.
Hak-Bin stood naked at the center of a shallow basin while a Ra Na slave
Page 54
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
worked aromatic oil into his coal-black chitin. The ostensible purpose of the
oil was to make the Sauron s exoskeleton more pliable and less prone to the
tiny hairline cracks that, if left untreated, could lead to fracture lines and
an uncomfortable course of treatment. But the rubdownfelt good as well and
seemed to lubricate the Zin s thought processes. He closed his eyes.
The reaction to the meeting had been positive, as evidenced by the sort of
feedback he had received from his peers. But that was to be expected. The hard
times lay ahead no, were already here, given the content of the reports from
the planet s surface.
Although a significant number of humans had been taken into slavery, and
already labored on behalf of nymphs to come, some continued to resist. Most of
the wild nondomesticated natives were too busy foraging for food to present
the Kan with much of a problem, but there was evidence that groups had started
to form.Militant groups, some of which had actually managed to disrupt the
construction process; had diverted supplies; and, in one disturbing incident,
freed more than fifty slaves.
What if such activity increased? What if construction of the citadels was
delayed? Not by days but by months? The Zin envisioned Saurons roaming the
surface, searching for places to hide, at the mercy of feral slaves.
The very thought of it sent an unexpected shudder through his body, and the
Ra Na, a male named Rek, waited for some sort of punishment. Nothing
happened. The Zin pointed toward his clothes. I will dress now.
Both surprised and thankful, the slave scurried toward the rack on which
garments were hung, and brought them one at a time.
The key, Hak-Bin thought, is to give the humans some hope, an alternative to
armed rebellion, to which they can willingly submit. That, combined with harsh
lessons taught by the Kan, would provide the stability that Saurons required.
Not forever, but long enough, until the citadels were complete. The human
named Franklin seemed pliable enough, and like Dro Tog, would make an
excellent tool. Yes, some maintenance was in order, along with minor
concessions. But the bargain was a good one. Why fire a thousand darts when
one fool will serve just as well?
Fully armed Kan warriors stood to either side of the hatch. It was difficult
to see them clearly because of the manner in which their chitin shifted to
match the steel bulkhead. They were motionless and remained so as Mok and
Franklin passed through the entranceway.
The human looked for Hak-Bin, failed to spot him, and took a moment to survey
his surroundings. Almost every square inch of wall space was occupied by
bas-relief artwork. There were thousands of impressions, all taken from alien
leaves. No two were alike.
The rest of the space was quite spartan. The only furniture consisted of a
U-shaped desk and cradle-chair combination plus a pair of guest slings for use
by visiting Zin. Some sort of mechanism hummed as two silver globes rose from
their pedestals and hovered over their heads. Thin shafts of light nailed them
to the deck.
The slaves heard Hak-Bin before they actually saw him. There was the whine of
servos followed by the shuffle of flat Sauron feet. Franklin noticed that the
Zin looked shinier than the last time they had met. No word was spoken until
the alien had settled into his chair and consulted his tabletop computer
screen. There was no preamble or preliminary chitchat.
Page 55
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Your job is to visit our construction sites, urge the supervisors to drive
the rest of the slaves harder, and thereby control the population. You will
start immediately. Are there any questions?
Franklin had never felt so intimidated by anyone in his entire life, not even
by his father, who could make an entire house tremble with his anger. That
being the case, it was a struggle to get his much rehearsed sentence out of
his mouth. The plan won t work not the way you describe.
Mok closed her eyes, hoped none of the human s brain tissue would splatter on [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]