Xeelee: An Omnibus: Raft, Timelike Infinity, Flux, Ring Read Online Free PDF Page A

move it!’
    With a flurry of motion Gover pulled himself to the nearest pot and began hauling wood from his pack. Soon fresh billows of smoke were rising to join the depleted cloud, and the shuddering of the tree subsided.
    His exasperation simmering, Pallis watched the boy’s awkward movements. Oh, he’d had his share of poor assistants in the past, but in the old times most of them had been willing to learn. To try. And gradually, as hard shifts wore by, those young people had grown into responsible men and women, their minds toughening with their bodies.
    But not this lot. Not the new generation.
    This was his third flight with the boy Gover. And the lad was still as sullen and obstructive as when he’d first been assigned to the trees; Pallis would be more than glad to hand him back to Science.
    His eyes roamed around the red sky, restless. The falling stars were an array of pinpoints dwindling into the far distance; the depths of the Nebula, far below him, were a sink of murky crimson. Was this nostalgic disregard for the young of today just a symptom of ageing . . . ? Or had people truly changed?
    Well, there was no doubt that the world had changed around him. The crisp blue skies, the rich breezes of his youth were memories now; the very air was turning into a smoky sludge, and the minds of men seemed to be turning sour with it.
    And one thing was for sure. His trees didn’t like this gloom.
    He sighed, trying to snap out of his introspection. The stars kept falling no matter what the colour of the sky. Life went on, and he had work to do.
    Tiny vibrations played over the soles of his bare feet, telling him that the tree was almost stable now, hovering at the lip of the star kernel’s gravity well. Gover moved silently among the fire bowls. Damn it, the lad could do the job well when he was forced to. That was the most annoying thing about him. ‘Right, Gover, I want that layer maintained while I’m off-tree. And the Belt’s a small place; I’ll know if you slack. You got that?’
    Gover nodded without looking at him.
    Pallis dropped through the foliage, his thoughts turning to the difficult negotiations ahead.
    It was the end of Rees’s work shift. Wearily he hauled himself through the foundry door.
    Cooler air dried the sweat from his brow. He pulled himself along the ropes and roofs towards his cabin, inspecting his hands and arms with some interest. When one of the older workers had dropped a ladle of iron, Rees had narrowly dodged a hail of molten metal; tiny droplets had drifted into his flesh, sizzling out little craters which—
    A huge shadow flapped across the Belt. Air washed over his back. He looked up; and a feeling of astonishing cold settled at the base of his skull.
    The tree was magnificent against the crimson sky. Its dozen radial branches and their veil of leaves turned with a calm possession; the trunk was like a mighty wooden skull which glared around at the ocean of air.
    This was it. His opportunity to escape from the Belt . . .
    The supply trees were the only known means of travelling from Belt to Raft, and so after his moment of decision following the foundry implosion Rees had resolved to stow away on the next tree to visit the Belt. He had begun to hoard food, wrapping dried meat in bundles of cloth, filling cloth globes with water—
    Sometimes, during his sleep shifts, he had lain awake staring at his makeshift preparations and a thin sweat had covered his brow as he wondered if he would have the courage to take the decisive step.
    Well, the moment had come. Staring at the magnificent tree he probed his emotions: he knew he was no hero, and he had half expected fear to encase him like a net of ropes. But there was no fear. Even the nagging pain in his hands subsided. There was only elation; the future was an empty sky, within which his hopes would surely find room.
    He hurried to his cabin and collected his bundle of supplies, which was already lashed together; then he climbed to