Fortunes of the Imperium Read Online Free PDF
Author: Jody Lynn Nye
shall pass,” I said, in a jolly fashion. “So I become a cyborg?”
“Um, in a way.”
“Is that what causes the magnified vision?”
“It is, sir. The nanites occupy a small portion of your retinas, to protect them against infrared glare. Uctus prefer suns that are slightly cooler than Humans do, so the solar profile is on the red side of the spectrum. Exposure can be dangerous. Some early visitors went blind later in life.”
“I don’t want that at all!” I said. “But if that’s all, and I will feel larger in the next day or so, I will cease to be concerned.”
I attempted to tackle my food, but even taking into account my knowledge that the magnification was artificial, I couldn’t seem to fit a bite onto my fork or, once there, into my mouth. A discreet tap on the menu brought the serverbot to my side.
“It smells irresistible,” I told it, “but it’s all too large. I couldn’t possibly finish what is here. It would be a shame to waste it.”
“What would you like me to do, Lord Thomas?” it asked me.
I noticed Nesbitt’s hopeful eyes above the receptor unit of the serverbot.
“I’ll help you, my lord,” he said.
“There, that’s the answer,” I said, relieved to have a good alternative. “Divide and conquer. Serve me half of this delightful treat, cut into bits small enough for me to eat. I would like to share the other half with my good friend.”
The serverbot put my plate into its large, square hatch, big enough for a shuttle craft to land in, and assumed a huddled stance as though it was about to lay an egg. I heard low humming from within. In a moment, a tiny ping! sounded. The hatch opened to reveal two identical plates, in area one-half the size of the original dish. On one, huge hunks that would have served a Tyrannosaurus rex. On the other, bite-sized pieces I could actually picture eating.
The first bite was the worst. I had trouble maneuvering my hand toward my mouth, but once I accomplished the feat, I found the bite delicious, if much smaller in fact than in anticipation.
“You did it!” Anstruther cheered, as I chewed.
“I knew it was possible,” I confided to her, once I had swallowed. “My daily stars told me that I was going to feel small and humble.”
“Feeling not to last!” Redius chuckled.
I smiled at him. I took his teasing in good part, because it was good to feel humility once in a great while, so one knew what one was missing the rest of the time. But it was also good to feel humility among friends, who, while they would not allow one to rise too high, neither would they permit one to sink too low at the other extreme. I appreciated their company and their friendship. I applied myself to my lunch, feeling deeply contented with life.
CHAPTER 2
Lingering over beverages at the end, we chatted about this and that, always deferring to the austere Plet. It had been too long since I had seen them, and I realized how much I had missed the camaraderie. To be among my cousins was to feel at home, but to be with my friends was to open up a new and delightful galaxy the extent of which I had yet to fully explore.
“And where have you been since I last saw you?” I asked. “I keep up with your public Infogrid pages, but I am aware that such things can be fudged when Imperium security demands it.”
“Nothing fancy, my lord,” Nesbitt said, clenching his coffee cup with both hands.
“We are still serving aboard the Shahmat with Captain Calhoun,” Plet said. “He sends his regards to you and your mother.”
“Very good of the captain,” I said, with a polite nod. “I will so inform the maternal unit. She’ll be pleased. Anything to take her mind off my transgressions is a welcome distraction. Is the Shahmat in orbit?”
“No, sir. We were transferred here with some personnel who were going on leave.”
“So you are enjoying a holiday?” I asked.
“Not a chance,” Redius said. “On administrative attachment to the Admiralty until
“Um, in a way.”
“Is that what causes the magnified vision?”
“It is, sir. The nanites occupy a small portion of your retinas, to protect them against infrared glare. Uctus prefer suns that are slightly cooler than Humans do, so the solar profile is on the red side of the spectrum. Exposure can be dangerous. Some early visitors went blind later in life.”
“I don’t want that at all!” I said. “But if that’s all, and I will feel larger in the next day or so, I will cease to be concerned.”
I attempted to tackle my food, but even taking into account my knowledge that the magnification was artificial, I couldn’t seem to fit a bite onto my fork or, once there, into my mouth. A discreet tap on the menu brought the serverbot to my side.
“It smells irresistible,” I told it, “but it’s all too large. I couldn’t possibly finish what is here. It would be a shame to waste it.”
“What would you like me to do, Lord Thomas?” it asked me.
I noticed Nesbitt’s hopeful eyes above the receptor unit of the serverbot.
“I’ll help you, my lord,” he said.
“There, that’s the answer,” I said, relieved to have a good alternative. “Divide and conquer. Serve me half of this delightful treat, cut into bits small enough for me to eat. I would like to share the other half with my good friend.”
The serverbot put my plate into its large, square hatch, big enough for a shuttle craft to land in, and assumed a huddled stance as though it was about to lay an egg. I heard low humming from within. In a moment, a tiny ping! sounded. The hatch opened to reveal two identical plates, in area one-half the size of the original dish. On one, huge hunks that would have served a Tyrannosaurus rex. On the other, bite-sized pieces I could actually picture eating.
The first bite was the worst. I had trouble maneuvering my hand toward my mouth, but once I accomplished the feat, I found the bite delicious, if much smaller in fact than in anticipation.
“You did it!” Anstruther cheered, as I chewed.
“I knew it was possible,” I confided to her, once I had swallowed. “My daily stars told me that I was going to feel small and humble.”
“Feeling not to last!” Redius chuckled.
I smiled at him. I took his teasing in good part, because it was good to feel humility once in a great while, so one knew what one was missing the rest of the time. But it was also good to feel humility among friends, who, while they would not allow one to rise too high, neither would they permit one to sink too low at the other extreme. I appreciated their company and their friendship. I applied myself to my lunch, feeling deeply contented with life.
CHAPTER 2
Lingering over beverages at the end, we chatted about this and that, always deferring to the austere Plet. It had been too long since I had seen them, and I realized how much I had missed the camaraderie. To be among my cousins was to feel at home, but to be with my friends was to open up a new and delightful galaxy the extent of which I had yet to fully explore.
“And where have you been since I last saw you?” I asked. “I keep up with your public Infogrid pages, but I am aware that such things can be fudged when Imperium security demands it.”
“Nothing fancy, my lord,” Nesbitt said, clenching his coffee cup with both hands.
“We are still serving aboard the Shahmat with Captain Calhoun,” Plet said. “He sends his regards to you and your mother.”
“Very good of the captain,” I said, with a polite nod. “I will so inform the maternal unit. She’ll be pleased. Anything to take her mind off my transgressions is a welcome distraction. Is the Shahmat in orbit?”
“No, sir. We were transferred here with some personnel who were going on leave.”
“So you are enjoying a holiday?” I asked.
“Not a chance,” Redius said. “On administrative attachment to the Admiralty until