Ellie Quin - 04 - Ellie Quin in WonderLand Read Online Free
Author: Alex Scarrow
like their memories preserved in these solid-state images, as opposed to storing them on datapads and skipping through them on a holo-display or a toob.
Somebody’s holiday snaps?
She pulled one of them out, expecting to see a grainy image of happy holiday makers standing proudly before some glorious multi-starred sunset. Instead what she held was a stark image of a
grotesque
. A human face, but barely recognisable as such. It was twisted and mangled, in places clusters of lurid purple coloured tumours bulged and dangled from the flesh.
‘Oh, that’s just gross!’ she muttered.
‘Uh?’ Jez mumbled dreamily.
Ellie pulled out another grainy image. This one seemed to show what looked like a large ditch filled with sacks full of something. Food perhaps? Synthi-grain? She looked more closely. On one side of the ditch, she could just about make out what looked like a disheveled stack of lumber.
But not lumber. No. She looked more closely and thought she recognised limbs. Human limbs.
Bodies.
They were bodies. Stacked like pieces of firewood. Dead people.
Just then a klaxon sounded inside the hold. The ground beneath their feet vibrated and juddered.
Jez stirred from her chocolate-induced reverie. Her eyes opened wide. ‘Shizola! What’s happening?’
Ellie glanced at the small porthole and saw the stars were panning to the right. ‘I think we’re turning.’
Jez pocketed the rest of the Soyko bar and rushed to the porthole to get a look outside. ‘You’re right! I think our convoy is finally getting ready to move!’
Ellie tucked the horrific images back into the parcel and sealed the mail-wrap back up. She had no idea what she'd glimpsed, why someone would want to send such horrific images to someone else. She tossed the parcel back into the mail crate just as Jez let out a squeal of delight.
‘LOOK! ELLIE! COME HERE AND LOO-O-O-O-K!
‘What is it?’
Jez turned to look back at her. ‘Duh! Have a guess you dittohead! Get over here and check it out!’
She hurried over and jostled for space alongside Jez to get a look out of the small round window; cheek rubbing cheek, their noses both pressed against the glass, their breath making foggy patches, they caught a first sight of their destination.
‘Uh…’ Ellie frowned. Confused.
‘Whuh?’ Jez turned to her friend. Confused. ‘Gateway? I thought it was way-y-y bigger than that.’
Ellie shook her head slowly. ‘Umm…I don't think that's Gateway.’
OMNIPEDIA:
[Human Universe open source digital encyclopaedia]
Article: The Legend of Ellie Quin > Gateways: the system link network
The thirteen hundred worlds of Human Space at the time of Ellie Quin were linked together by a network of system gateways. These were the old Hawking-Voltram fold-space fields loops; circular energy irises that contained a singularity tuned to an exit iris in another system. Most colonised solar systems had at least one gateway that linked them into Human Space. Solar systems not linked in this way, were those that had yet to be developed and populated enough to make it cost effective for The Administration to do so at great cost.
Gateways were thus run by The Administration as a way of collecting entry/exit tax revenue, but also as way of policing and controlling the movement of citizens. The threat of 'locking down' a Gateway was often more than enough to dissuade any local planetary or system authorities from notions of insurrection or independence.
While the Gateway itself was run by The Administration, often the ring-like structure with its artificial gravity attracted a 'bolted on' conurbation of businesses and corporate interests. Built around the ring, in many cases these eventually became whole free-floating cities in space.
User Comment > DarkSpaceGobbler
I herd the rings was named after some Old Earth scy-ence dude from like the 23rd century or sumting. He invented stuff.
User Comment > Girl495889
DarkSpaceGobbler, your simple minded 'tardo comment
Somebody’s holiday snaps?
She pulled one of them out, expecting to see a grainy image of happy holiday makers standing proudly before some glorious multi-starred sunset. Instead what she held was a stark image of a
grotesque
. A human face, but barely recognisable as such. It was twisted and mangled, in places clusters of lurid purple coloured tumours bulged and dangled from the flesh.
‘Oh, that’s just gross!’ she muttered.
‘Uh?’ Jez mumbled dreamily.
Ellie pulled out another grainy image. This one seemed to show what looked like a large ditch filled with sacks full of something. Food perhaps? Synthi-grain? She looked more closely. On one side of the ditch, she could just about make out what looked like a disheveled stack of lumber.
But not lumber. No. She looked more closely and thought she recognised limbs. Human limbs.
Bodies.
They were bodies. Stacked like pieces of firewood. Dead people.
Just then a klaxon sounded inside the hold. The ground beneath their feet vibrated and juddered.
Jez stirred from her chocolate-induced reverie. Her eyes opened wide. ‘Shizola! What’s happening?’
Ellie glanced at the small porthole and saw the stars were panning to the right. ‘I think we’re turning.’
Jez pocketed the rest of the Soyko bar and rushed to the porthole to get a look outside. ‘You’re right! I think our convoy is finally getting ready to move!’
Ellie tucked the horrific images back into the parcel and sealed the mail-wrap back up. She had no idea what she'd glimpsed, why someone would want to send such horrific images to someone else. She tossed the parcel back into the mail crate just as Jez let out a squeal of delight.
‘LOOK! ELLIE! COME HERE AND LOO-O-O-O-K!
‘What is it?’
Jez turned to look back at her. ‘Duh! Have a guess you dittohead! Get over here and check it out!’
She hurried over and jostled for space alongside Jez to get a look out of the small round window; cheek rubbing cheek, their noses both pressed against the glass, their breath making foggy patches, they caught a first sight of their destination.
‘Uh…’ Ellie frowned. Confused.
‘Whuh?’ Jez turned to her friend. Confused. ‘Gateway? I thought it was way-y-y bigger than that.’
Ellie shook her head slowly. ‘Umm…I don't think that's Gateway.’
OMNIPEDIA:
[Human Universe open source digital encyclopaedia]
Article: The Legend of Ellie Quin > Gateways: the system link network
The thirteen hundred worlds of Human Space at the time of Ellie Quin were linked together by a network of system gateways. These were the old Hawking-Voltram fold-space fields loops; circular energy irises that contained a singularity tuned to an exit iris in another system. Most colonised solar systems had at least one gateway that linked them into Human Space. Solar systems not linked in this way, were those that had yet to be developed and populated enough to make it cost effective for The Administration to do so at great cost.
Gateways were thus run by The Administration as a way of collecting entry/exit tax revenue, but also as way of policing and controlling the movement of citizens. The threat of 'locking down' a Gateway was often more than enough to dissuade any local planetary or system authorities from notions of insurrection or independence.
While the Gateway itself was run by The Administration, often the ring-like structure with its artificial gravity attracted a 'bolted on' conurbation of businesses and corporate interests. Built around the ring, in many cases these eventually became whole free-floating cities in space.
User Comment > DarkSpaceGobbler
I herd the rings was named after some Old Earth scy-ence dude from like the 23rd century or sumting. He invented stuff.
User Comment > Girl495889
DarkSpaceGobbler, your simple minded 'tardo comment
Readers choose
Maya Love
John T. Phillifent
Bill Gaston
James P. Blaylock
Vincent Heck
Arthur Hailey
Thomas Keneally
Tracy Krauss
Alice Munro