Astra: Synchronicity Read Online Free PDF Page B

President."
    Rashad watched the transport pull into the
aft cargo hold. "My orders come from Admiral McKirin, not your
President. The Kearsarge isn't a luxury liner for United
Europe. This is the military, and we have more important jobs to
do."
    The second lady's breath crystallized in the
cold air. "I'm not asking you to like me or be my friend. I only
ask that you return me to New England in a timely manner."
    "I want you to know that I have some
additional rules regarding the passage of psions aboard my ship."
He spit on the ground and rubbed his raw nose. "You're not allowed
to have contact with my crew. You do not have free access to the
lounge or the mess hall. A security officer will be assigned to you
at all times. If there's something you need in a diplomatic
capacity, contact my XO and she'll make the necessary
arrangements."
    "You don't honestly think this is the first
ship I've traveled on with a captain who hates psions. I know the
procedure."
    "Good. Because if you give me any reason to
suspect you of mental coercion, I'll toss you out an airlock."
    Only part of him meant it, but he hoped the
message was clear. Had she been the Chairman's wife, or even the
President's, he would've never gotten away with talking down to
her—psion or not. But Vice President Bryan Taylor had yet to earn
the respect of the majority. His unrelenting defense of psions made
him a traitor in the eyes of many. In United Europe they might view
psions with a don't-ask-don't-tell policy, but the American
Federation granted them no rights. Some people hunted them for
sport with the full blessing of their government to do so. Even
though genocide was wrong, he sympathized with their cause.
    Despite the fact both coalitions had united
and forged the Allied Confederacy, the chasm in political and
ethical values between the two groups hadn't budged.
    She bowed her head to him. "I assure you I'll
cause no problems aboard your ship. You have my word."
    "Then let's go," Rashad said as he gestured
inside.
    "We're not done here. The other transport
will be along shortly."
    "Who?" Carmen asked.
    "Two ambassadors and the defense minister,"
Nadine answered.
    He sighed. "I'll wait here for them. Please
escort our guest to her quarters."
    Eager to get out of the cold, Carmen gestured
Nadine inside the ship. The second lady picked up one of the
suitcases and headed into the Kearsarge . His XO offered him
a comforting smile and squeezed his shoulder. A wave of affection
passed over him as he watched her strut away.
    Rashad lit another cigarette to clear his
head. He didn't enjoy the brisk weather either, but he loathed the
thought of dealing with a psion even more. She would always be
there in the back of his mind like the constant chirping of an
annoying cricket. He'd be unable to relax until she left. And since
they'd be heading to Vega soon, she'd be aboard far too long for
comfort.
     
     
     

Chapter Three
     
     
    Aliane stood beside Zingeri on the balcony of
their multi-story house and gazed at the celestial orbs in the
distance. Culpa, their red parent star, lingered in the same place
it had for the past century on the eastern horizon—the only fixture
in the sky that never moved. Abyssa and Emptor twinkled like
diamonds while a dim brown dwarf set over the northwest horizon. In
her voyages throughout Astra, no view of the heavens had been
stranger than the one provided here.
    She often wondered what the Americans had
been thinking when they decided to set out for the unusual
quaternary star system of Mu Herculis with its two pairs of binary
stars. None of the planets were remotely Earth-like, and the ones
that were habitable could not support a metropolis. Superbia itself
was tidally locked. The side of the planet facing Culpa averaged
250 Celsius, while the side of Superbia that never saw the sun
reached temperatures of –100 Celsius. A narrow habitable area
bordered the two, and only one such location had access to liquid
water; there,