Saltation Read Online Free PDF

atmospheric and near-world craft.
    The drone's beeped report echoed what Theo'd already felt: they were comfortably topped out and had a good steady flight, and maybe a chance to ride the front wave down Kirky's Range.
    "Academy Flight GT S14," came a trainee's bored voice, "you're set for release in fifteen ticks at my mark. We've got your transponders in good order, you've got great Qs, and the designated landing zone is South, runway seven. Mark!"
    Great Qs meant the clouds favored a long flight; she was all for it since the longer she stayed up the longer she could avoid going back to Erkes. Asu busy was better than Asu with nothing to do, but still she found time to complain about how little room she had, about being stuck in with the Erkes kids whenever she used the jitney, and with a litany of Anlingdin security weaknesses . . . 
    "Mark, thank you, GT S14 acknowledges."
    Theo watched the slip-string as she raised the nose a bit, allowing the tow rope just a bit of slack and then just a bit more. She touched the rudder to dip wing, pushed the stick slightly forward, and the rope went from lifeline to fluttering ribbon, bearing to the right, and away. The slip-string snapped, like it was waving good-bye, and Theo sighed with the joy of finally being free to fly.
    Slipper Fourteen gained speed for a moment until Theo leveled it out and then saw the variometer happily indicating she'd hit the thermal. Her key in the flight system jauntily blinked blue once a second, indicating her flight time was logged and mounting properly, and everything else looked good.
    Everything. From here, Anlingdin was beautiful, and even the grounds of the academy, spreading out toward the horizon, were worth seeing. Out the other side of the ship the mountain range stood stark and compelling, the blue-grey peaks casting sharp-edged shadows.
    She laughed out loud, and suppressed the urge to shout, suddenly mindful of Asu's warnings.
    "Remember, Theo, every mic is live at all times. We're all right here, in our suite, because the Checksec will warn us if we're monitored. But out there? Galosh, they can hear everything you say about everyone, and then hold everything against your record."
    Theo'd wondered who'd twisted Asu's hair that time . . . but after all, Melchiza did it, and Delgado did it; everybody was always watched by somebody, for the good of everybody else.
    She laughed again, as she looked about her, seeing nothing but blue sky and wonderfully large and billowing clouds. They hadn't outlawed happy at the academy, and flying was a happy thing.
     
    "Flight GT S14, Academy GT S14, acknowledge."
    Not flight control, but her instructor. He was paying attention!
    "Flight GT S14 here."
    "Waitley, this is El, on special from control; how quickly can you get down?"
    Theo's glance swept the board, gathered in the variometer and altitude; she consulted the map display and clicked the direct route . . . she'd hardly been worried about getting down fastest; in fact soaring had been working well and she'd been thinking about filing an amendment to extend her time.
    "Ship says at standard descent . . . sixteen minutes, unless I get an updraft."
    "Won't do. Want you out of the sky—everyone out of the sky quickly . . . emergency."
    Theo looked away from the instruments, across the sky, to the eminence of Kirky's Range. Local history had it that the first traveler from space had used its spine and plateau as a pointer for his rescuers . . . 
    Out of the sky . . . 
    "I can stuff it on the plateau in five minutes."
    Her hands and feet followed her eyes, as if she leaned toward the promontory.
    There was no reply, and she repeated, watching the slip-string on the canopy as it flowed in reply to the ship's bank and turn. Who would've thought that simple piece of yarn could be so useful?
    "GT S14 here, please ack—"
    "Can you?" The query overrode her. "El here. That's tricky, Waitley, lots of updrafts. Acknowledge."
    The ship