Slave Empire - The Crystal Ship Read Online Free

waking during the flight and switching on the sleep
inducer so she did not have to endure the tedium of a long, boring
journey. She washed, changed into a fresh outfit comprising a pale,
pearly top with a dark grey jacket and sleek grey jeans, and went
to the bridge. When Shadowen’s approach to Atlan was challenged,
she was forced to drop out of the Net and wait for clearance. It
came in the form of Tallyn’s dark voice inviting her to dock over
the spaceport. She asked for permission to land, and it was
granted. Shadowen entered Atlan’s atmosphere, dropping through the
clouds. The spaceport came into view through the haze, swelling as
they sank towards it. When the ship settled on its anti-gravity
cushion, Tallyn and Rawn waited outside with a gaggle of port
technicians and engineers.
    Rawn embraced
her, while Tallyn grinned at the ship. She had expected this
reaction, and so his first words did not surprise her.
    “ You did it. Well, I don’t know what sort of spell you’ve cast
on him, but I would never have believed this if I wasn’t seeing it
with my own eyes. Are you sure you didn’t bring him with you as
well?”
    “ Quite sure. And I don’t have a spell on him. Endrix says the
Shrike is my guardian.”
    “ He’s a criminal,” Tallyn stated. “Even if he had a good
reason for murdering his people, he’s committed worse crimes since
then.”
    “ He’s not a slaver, either.”
    “ If he told you that, he was lying. I don’t know what kind of
game he’s playing, but I know what he is.”
    Rayne smiled,
her spirits buoyant. Returning to Atlan was a bit like coming home,
and being with Rawn again filled her with joy. Even Tallyn’s
predictable disbelief was a balm of familiarity, and she basked in
it. After Farlaw’s deadness, she was glad to be back amongst people
whose foibles were dear to her. “He said you wouldn’t believe me,
but I just had to tell you. Now I need a bath and a good meal. And
stay away from the ship. It’s off limits.”
    “ We need to examine it.”
    “ You don’t need to do any such thing, nor will you. I went to
a great deal of trouble to get that ship, and I’m going to need it.
If you start messing with it, he just might go home, and then I’ll
be back at square one.”
    “ He?” Tallyin asked. “Who are you talking about?”
    “ The ship. This is what Atlan couldn’t give me: a sentient
ship that thinks for itself. Go and tell the Council. He’s my ship,
and no one’s to touch it.”
    The ship’s
door slid shut as if to confirm her words. She laughed and slipped
her hand into Rawn’s, allowing him to lead her to a waiting
gravcar.

 
     
    Chapter Three
     
    Rayne sat at a
table in the crowded pleasure house, her mind filled with a
pleasant haze of wine, her eyelids drooping. Beside her, Rawn was
deep in conversation with the handsome young Atlantean who was
supposed to be her date. She should object to him monopolising
Cryan’s attention, but she did not really care. Cryan, like most
young Atlanteans, was quite boring. They had a vast intellectual
scope, but very little imagination, and Cryan’s conversation lacked
even the spice of Endrix’s measured tones. Mergan swayed to an
alien tune on the dance floor, twined with a tall Atlantean man who
had asked her to dance quite some time ago.
    The rest of
Rawn’s friends gathered in a chattering group, passing a
hallucinogenic cigarette around. Since joining Atlan’s social life,
the variety of drugs available and the ease with which they were
obtained had surprised Rayne. They had to travel to the nearby
world of Mansure to get them, and they were expensive, but Mergan’s
father had a considerable fortune, and she had no qualms about
spending it on her friends.
    Mansure was
not an Atlantean planet, and the excesses it offered were bizarre
and unwholesome. Rayne had discovered that her fame opened doors
and granted privileges reserved for the super-rich. Her association
with Rawn had elevated Mergan’s