Read Online The Dreaming Void by Peter F. Hamilton - Free Book Online Page A

last.
    â€œSwimming for Tilly this morning,” Lizzie said as she sipped at a big china cup of tea that a housebot delivered to her.
    â€œAgain?” he asked.
    â€œShe’s getting a lot more confident. It’s their new teacher. He’s very good.”
    â€œGood.” The Delivery Man picked up the croissant on his plate and started tearing it open. “Girls,” he shouted. “Come and sit down, please. Bring Rosa.”
    â€œShe doesn’t want to come,” Elsie shouted back immediately.
    â€œDon’t make me come and get you.” He avoided looking at Lizzie. “I’m going to be away for a few days.”
    â€œAnything interesting?”
    â€œThere’s been allegations that some companies on Oronsay have gotten hold of level-three replicator tech,” he said. “I’ll need to run tests on their products.” His current vocation was to monitor the spread of Higher technology across the External worlds. It was a process the Externals got very sensitive about, with hard-line Protectorate politicians citing it as the first act of cultural colonization, deserving retribution. However, industrialists on the External worlds constantly were seeking to acquire ever-more-sophisticated manufacturing systems to reduce their costs. Radical Highers were equally keen to supply it to them, seeing it precisely as that first important stage for a planet converting to Higher culture. What he had to do on ANA: Governance’s behalf was determine the intent behind supplying replicator systems. If Radical Highers were supporting the companies, he would disable the systems subtly and collapse the operation. His main problem was making an objective decision; Higher technology inevitably crept out from the Central worlds in the same way that the External worlds were always settling new planets around the edge of their domain. The boundary between Central and External was ambiguous, to say the least, with some External worlds openly welcoming the shift to Higher status. Location was always a huge factor in his decision. Oronsay was over a hundred light-years out from the Central worlds, which effectively negated the chance that this was simple technology seepage. If there were replicators there, it was either Radicals or a very greedy company pushing them.
    Lizzie’s eyebrows lifted. “Really? What sort of products?”
    â€œStarship components.”
    â€œWell, that should come in handy out there right now; very profitable, I imagine.”
    He appreciated her guarded amusement. The last few days had seen a rush of starship company officials to Ellezelin, eager to do deals with the new Cleric Conservator.
    The girls scuttled in and settled at the table; Rosa clambered onto the twenty-fifth-century suede mushroom that was her tiny-tot seat. It morphed around her, gripping firmly enough to prevent her from falling out, and expanded upward to bring her level with the tabletop. She clapped her hands delightedly to be up with her family.
    Elsie solemnly slid a bowl of honey pops across, which Rosa grabbed. “Don’t spill it today,” Elsie ordered imperiously.
    Rosa just gurgled happily at her sister.
    â€œDaddy, will you teleport us to school?” Tilly asked, her voice high and pleading.
    â€œYou know I’m not going to,” he told her. “Don’t ask.”
    â€œOh, please, Daddy,
please.
”
    â€œYes, Daddy,” Elsie chipped in. “Please t-port. I like it. Lots and lots.”
    â€œI’m sure you do, but you’re getting on the bus. Teleport is a serious business.”
    â€œSchool is serious,” Tilly claimed immediately. “You always say so.”
    Lizzie was laughing quietly.
    â€œThat’s diff—” he began. “All right, I’ll tell you what I’ll do. If you behave yourselves while I’m gone,
and only if,
then I’ll teleport you to school on Thursday.”
    â€œYes,