Beyond Heaven's River Read Online Free PDF Page A

forty old human languages, and she likes to practice. But you know best.”
“I know Chinese, Tagalog, and some Malay,” he said. “Are those common?”
“Chinese is spoken widely but probably not as you remember it. Better stick with English for the time being. Your accent isn’t too thick to penetrate, and English hasn’t changed much in grammar and syntax since it was standardized, about a century and a half after you —” She lifted her hand. “After whatever happened.”
“I will tell,” he said. “But first I need food, and a tour.”
“By all means,” she said. “If you’ll be patient, we’ll take you up to the big ship. With permission, of course.”
“Up?” he asked. He pointed his finger meekly.
“To orbit. To a warper ship — a space vessel.”
“Space,” he repeated. “This is a ship for space?”
Nestor nodded. “We have a lot to explain, I can see that.”
“This is not the Earth?” He had suspected as much, but now he wanted to be sure.
She shook her head gently. “Earth is very, very far away.”
“Then I am glad,” he said. “Have not lost as much as was thought.”
“If you’re ready, a few of my friends would like to meet you.”
“Ones with fur and bright clothes?”
“No, not right now. You can meet them later if you want. I have a first officer who’s very good at history. She tells me you were dressed as a samurai warrior, but that you’re not from that time period. You’ve made us all very curious.”
“Will speak for exchange,” Kawashita said, his lips thinning with determination. “You will tell and let me read all I have to know about this.” He gestured vaguely at the bulkheads.
“Of course. In a few days you’ll get to talk to people from the Centrum. They’ll probably assign someone to look after your welfare. If you wish, you can leave with them. But for the moment you’re welcome here.”
“First, food.”
“Come along.” Nestor opened the door and he stepped cautiously into the corridor, which circled the periphery of the lander. She stood him on a black spot beneath a hole and told him to keep his arms down. They were lifted gently to the next level. Yoshio reflexively clutched at the passing walls, sucking in his breath through his teeth. Anna touched his shoulder. “Don’t worry,” she said.
They stepped out of the lift field. Walking away from the periphery — Yoshio tried to orient himself, and decided they were moving toward the center of the ship — they came to a small cabin with two round tables. Four pearl-like spheres, each about forty centimeters wide, hung without apparent support just beneath the ceiling. A bright, lively painting of a strange jungle covered one wall. At least, Yoshio mused, it wasn’t a photograph — it was three-dimensional, very detailed, and seemed in constant motion.
“What would you like to eat?” Anna asked. She pointed to a square in the table nearest them. He sat down and looked into the square. Pictures of food flashed past, and hints of odor, as well as taste. He backed away, sucked in his breath — “Hht!” — then leaned forward more slowly. Some of the tastes were unfamiliar, even unpleasant.
“You can look at it again if you want, just ask for a rerun.”
“Yes,” Yoshio said. “Again, please.” The menu passed again. He settled for what looked like a plate of fish and reasonably unaltered vegetables. He then chose a drink very close to beer, and ignored a list of supplementary nourishment. “What is the third list for?” he asked.
“Some of my crew have religious regimens which require special diets to be effective,” she said. “Some are on selective starvation diets, others modified intoxicants, and that means they need periodic supplements to keep them healthy.” She pointed to the tapas, which had been silent for the past few minutes, and asked if he needed translation any longer.
He shook his head. “I would rather hear people speak and understand. Explain odd