avatar turned. After a few seconds, Roger peeked out, and when the time was right he led the other two across the street.
Then they circled around the magnificent Hauptbahnhof, and jumped down on to the tracks. No one cried out or whistled as they stumbled towards an empty train. Roger pulled open a carriage door and threw the money-bags inside. Then he boosted Trudi up the step and through the door, followed by Rick.
Ten seconds later, he was inside as well and pulling the door shut.
‘Nice work,’ said Rick. ‘Game over.’
Everything shimmered around them. Roger closed his eyes, then opened them to see the lounge in their student house, while he, Rick and Trudi were sitting on quickglass seats extruded by the floor. Alisha, Angela and Stef were standing, facing in various directions. They turned.
‘Well played,’ said Alisha. ‘Considering our team had the greater knowledge of the city’s layout, you dodged us far more easily than expected.’
‘You call that easy?’ Rick was rubbing his arms and shoulders. ‘My God, it was painful.’
Trudi gestured. ‘It was Roger who found a hidden alleyway. And spotted you, Alisha, outside the station.’
‘You saw through my avatar?’
‘Uh . . . Yeah,’ said Roger.
‘Interesting.’ Alisha blinked several times. ‘I’m looking at your escape route now. How did you know that alley was there? The road appeared to be a dead end.’
‘It was instinct.’
Alisha looked at him. ‘If you say so.’
So how did I know?
He tried to blank his expression, but could not tell if he succeeded. Then Stef was ordering the room to serve daistral, and everyone got busy with refreshing themselves, while Alisha continued to glance at him, and he grew increasingly puzzled by his own ability to navigate the hidden byways of 1920s Zürich, a simulation of a period he had never studied, on a world he had never visited.
Correction: an historically accurate simulation, verified by twenty-two different methods, according to Alisha. And she was a near-Luculenta, therefore impossible to beat in a game situation, or so he would have thought.
SIX
EARTH-CLASS EXPLORATORY EM-0036, 2146 AD
Rekka Chandri woke from delta-coma with a headache. All around, the rest of the pre-contact team seemed fresh-eyed, their voices energetic as they sat up on couches and greeted each other. They were in a spartan cargo hold that made no attempt to emulate a comfortable passenger lounge. Nor was there any greeting from the unseen Pilot who had navigated them through mu-space to here.
But she was offworld, in orbit around a new planet for the first time.
‘Hey, Rekka,’ called Mary Stelanko, the team leader. ‘Are you okay?’
The others were checking holo displays, conversation suspended, ensuring their equipment was intact. Acting professional: maybe Rekka ought to do the same.
‘Sure,’ she said. ‘I’ll just check my autofact has survived.’
Tapping a display into being, she ran a status check, then powered down the kit.
‘All right.’ Mary clapped her hands together. ‘I’m not going to tell you to be careful down there, just as there’s no way I’m going to threaten you with dire consequences if you make contact—’
‘I’m glad you’re not telling us that,’ said Lucy Chiang, to laughter.
‘—or with even worse penalties if you do make accidental contact and not do it right, because I expect professionalism at all times.’
Amid catcalls, Ralph Antero said: ‘You sure you got the right team, Mary? Professionals? Us?’
‘Whoop it up now, because down on the surface you’ll be all alone and quiet as mice. All right, everyone?’
‘Were mice quiet?’ asked Lucy.
‘I thought you had to click them,’ said Ralph. ‘But history was never my subject.’
Mary smiled, relaxing her shoulders, holding her hands at hip height, palms down. The
Then they circled around the magnificent Hauptbahnhof, and jumped down on to the tracks. No one cried out or whistled as they stumbled towards an empty train. Roger pulled open a carriage door and threw the money-bags inside. Then he boosted Trudi up the step and through the door, followed by Rick.
Ten seconds later, he was inside as well and pulling the door shut.
‘Nice work,’ said Rick. ‘Game over.’
Everything shimmered around them. Roger closed his eyes, then opened them to see the lounge in their student house, while he, Rick and Trudi were sitting on quickglass seats extruded by the floor. Alisha, Angela and Stef were standing, facing in various directions. They turned.
‘Well played,’ said Alisha. ‘Considering our team had the greater knowledge of the city’s layout, you dodged us far more easily than expected.’
‘You call that easy?’ Rick was rubbing his arms and shoulders. ‘My God, it was painful.’
Trudi gestured. ‘It was Roger who found a hidden alleyway. And spotted you, Alisha, outside the station.’
‘You saw through my avatar?’
‘Uh . . . Yeah,’ said Roger.
‘Interesting.’ Alisha blinked several times. ‘I’m looking at your escape route now. How did you know that alley was there? The road appeared to be a dead end.’
‘It was instinct.’
Alisha looked at him. ‘If you say so.’
So how did I know?
He tried to blank his expression, but could not tell if he succeeded. Then Stef was ordering the room to serve daistral, and everyone got busy with refreshing themselves, while Alisha continued to glance at him, and he grew increasingly puzzled by his own ability to navigate the hidden byways of 1920s Zürich, a simulation of a period he had never studied, on a world he had never visited.
Correction: an historically accurate simulation, verified by twenty-two different methods, according to Alisha. And she was a near-Luculenta, therefore impossible to beat in a game situation, or so he would have thought.
SIX
EARTH-CLASS EXPLORATORY EM-0036, 2146 AD
Rekka Chandri woke from delta-coma with a headache. All around, the rest of the pre-contact team seemed fresh-eyed, their voices energetic as they sat up on couches and greeted each other. They were in a spartan cargo hold that made no attempt to emulate a comfortable passenger lounge. Nor was there any greeting from the unseen Pilot who had navigated them through mu-space to here.
But she was offworld, in orbit around a new planet for the first time.
‘Hey, Rekka,’ called Mary Stelanko, the team leader. ‘Are you okay?’
The others were checking holo displays, conversation suspended, ensuring their equipment was intact. Acting professional: maybe Rekka ought to do the same.
‘Sure,’ she said. ‘I’ll just check my autofact has survived.’
Tapping a display into being, she ran a status check, then powered down the kit.
‘All right.’ Mary clapped her hands together. ‘I’m not going to tell you to be careful down there, just as there’s no way I’m going to threaten you with dire consequences if you make contact—’
‘I’m glad you’re not telling us that,’ said Lucy Chiang, to laughter.
‘—or with even worse penalties if you do make accidental contact and not do it right, because I expect professionalism at all times.’
Amid catcalls, Ralph Antero said: ‘You sure you got the right team, Mary? Professionals? Us?’
‘Whoop it up now, because down on the surface you’ll be all alone and quiet as mice. All right, everyone?’
‘Were mice quiet?’ asked Lucy.
‘I thought you had to click them,’ said Ralph. ‘But history was never my subject.’
Mary smiled, relaxing her shoulders, holding her hands at hip height, palms down. The
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