Swallow the Sky: A Space Opera (3 page)

“Whoa, big business! But
why come to Kaimana to discuss it?”

“Oh, there’ll be lots of
the top clan elders attending the conference. They want to feel real gravity
under their feet.” Aiyana rolled her eyes to show what she thought of that.

“So what about you? Are
you going to drop the mail and head straight out?”

“No, I will be around for
some time. When I’m not being a mailman I’m a dealer in antiques, so I plan to
check things out while I’m here.”

“Maybe I can interest you
in some elders.”

“Not much of a market.
The point is that antiques turn up in the most unlikely places, so whenever I
make planet-fall I do a reconnaissance.”

“The Commonwealth Post
Office doesn’t mind you wandering around strange worlds? I mean, don’t you have
a timetable to stick to?”

“Oh God no, the only
scheduled deliveries are between major population centers. All the rest is
simply entrusted to vessels like mine. Each local post office finds out where
an authorized ship is headed and hands them a packet containing every scrap of
mail with an address in that general direction. Some of that originates locally
but most will be copies of packets from other passing starships. Items can get
duplicated hundreds of times before finally being delivered.”

“So you chose to come to
Kaimana because we had so much mail? Really, our little system?”

Aiyana laughed at the
thought.

“I was amazed too, but
Mita came out at the top of the sorting algorithms”

Carson sat back and
stared at his glass. Aiyana had stirred the uneasy thoughts he had been
nurturing for weeks.
Why the hell was all this mail going to Kaimana?
It
did not add up, and in his experience, not adding up meant trouble.

He came out of his
reverie.

“Anyhow, efficiency is
not my problem. I’m freelance, I have my own ship and provided I make a minimum
number of deliveries they let me be.”

“Oh my God” Aiyana
squealed “you
own
a starship?”

Carson smiled to himself.
Me and the First Bank of New Earth

“I had a stroke of luck
that financed it.”

“Don’t tell me – you
found a planet made of diamond!”

“Not quite. I bought a
battered old toy at a flea market on Delta Pavonis c; it was a little
voice-activated ground vehicle. The design was so antiquated that I started
doing some research and I finally discovered that it came from the first
century after the settlement of New Earth.”

Aiyana put her hand to
her mouth.

“It must have been made
by one of the original colonists” Carson said. “What’s more, a couple of the
components were actually manufactured on Old Earth.”

“What was it worth?”

“A New Earth auction
house offered me a guaranteed ten million Ecus but it would have gone for far
more. In the end I sold it for five million to the Great Museum.”

“That sounds incredibly
civic minded...”

“You’re right to be
suspicious. In addition to the money I negotiated permanent access to the
Museum’s entire collection and archives. Only twelve thousand people in the
entire galaxy have that privilege – they refuse twice that number every year –
try putting a price on that.”

“Anyhow, that’s how I got
my starship”

Aiyana sat back in her
chair shaking her head.

“You make my life seem so
dull.”

She scanned the quiet
bar.

“At least we can find
somewhere more exciting than this. I’m told there’s a great restaurant near
here, do you want to get something to eat? I want to hear about all the places
you’ve been Mister Mailman.”

Carson followed her onto
the broad plaza outside the hotel. Darkness had fallen and the boulevard was
filling with evening strollers.

“Should we get a taxi?”

“I’ve got a better idea.”

He followed her gaze to a
line of horse-drawn carriages.

“Oh no! That’s strictly
tourist stuff.”

She squeezed his arm and
gave him a gentle shove.

“And what are we?”

The brief physical
contact was enough to fill Carson with the urgent desire to sit down again and
he climbed into the nearest carriage.

Why should I worry
about looking like a tourist? What’s that compared to walking around stark
naked?

The driver slapped the
reins and they set off.

“That’s the largest
living creature I’ve ever seen” Aiyana said nodding towards the horse. “Is it
true they can carry people on their backs?”

“It is. I rode one once
in the Stolian system; we went up the flanks of a volcano similar to this one,
except that it was still active.”

“Gracious! Wasn’t it
dangerous?”

“Only if you didn’t
listen to the forecasts. I wanted to watch Stol go down over the sea – all the
volcanic dust makes for spectacular sunsets. The slopes are covered with giant
white flowers and every blossom turns and tracks the setting sun. As they cool down they make the strangest sound you’ve ever heard, as if they were singing
farewell to the day.”

“You’re so lucky, you’ve
seen so much”

Carson squirmed; he loved
flattery but genuine admiration always made him uncomfortable.

He titled his head back.
The shield was displaying a realistic image of a night sky filled with stars.

“Take a look up there.
The galaxy has at least ten million planets that support complex life, perhaps
a million of those have been colonized – nobody knows for sure. How many of
those worlds can a person ever see?”

“Not many I guess, but
more than one would be nice.”

Two hours later,
strolling along the boulevard after dinner, Carson was astonished to realize
that he had forgotten he was not wearing any clothes. Aiyana’s curiosity about
the outside world was insatiable, and as the wine flowed he found himself
becoming increasingly loquacious. In contrast, she was so vague talking about herself
she hardly seemed to have a past at all. Just how young was she?

“So now you just wander
around the universe dropping off mail and finding wonderful treasures?”

“Sort of – I spend most
of my time in the Commonwealth – the further you go the weirder things get.”

“But isn’t that the
attraction? Haven’t you even wanted to pack up and shoot right to the other
side of the Milky Way? Can you imagine what is must be like out there?”

“Pretty damn strange, for
sure.”

“Although,” he added with
a laugh “if I had a couple of hundred years to spare I’d be tempted to check it
out.”

Eventually they stood
facing each other in the hotel lobby. The alcohol, having first rushed to his
head, had resumed its travels and arrived at Carson’s loins. He played for
time; he was never very good at this sort of thing.

“This has been great” he
finally said. Then, with as little hesitation as he could manage, “do you want
to come up for a nightcap?”

“I think that would be
lovely.”

He spent the entire time
in the elevator desperately recalling his ship’s maintenance schedule.

As soon as they got to
his suite Aiyana asked him to fix a drink and dived for the bathroom. Ten
agonizing minutes later she still had not emerged.

“Hey valet” Carson
sub-vocalized “can you find out what time the clan Aniko conference starts
tomorrow?”

“I’m sorry, the only
information is about a conference that began last week. In fact, I can find no
information about…”

“Shut up” he muttered as
Aiyana finally came out. The scarlet outfit had disappeared, this time she was
really naked.

“I thought it only fair
that we get on equal terms” she said softly as she walked up to him. He
grinned, snaked an arm around her waist, and buried his face in the nape of her
neck.

She pulled back, looking
into his eyes.

“You won’t believe how
long it’s been since I last did this…”

“Me too, what do you
think I get up to alone on that starship?”

She smiled and kissed
him, gently at first, then with increasing ferocity. Somehow, still kissing,
they made it into the bedroom.

Both of them had been
experiencing forced celibacy for far too long, and it was hours before finally
fell asleep, exhausted and wonderfully satiated.

It had been a long, long
day for Carson, starting three billion kilometers away, and by the time he
awoke it was mid-morning. Aiyana was still asleep. She was still sleeping when
he emerged from the shower feeling better than he had for months.

Oh God, the conference!
He grabbed some tea and sat down on the bed.

“Hey beautiful, time to
get up.”

Still she slept on. What
was up? Had she not taken a detox last night? He gently shook her shoulder.
Even now she did not respond. Good grief she was cold!

As he stared at the
lovely face a terrible thought crept into his mind. He looked closer.

“Oh God no!” he shouted.

Aiyana was dead.

“I need a lawyer.”

“Perhaps I can help. I
can answer questions about many straightforward legal matters such as…”

“Believe me” Carson told his valet “this isn’t straightforward.”

For five desperate
minutes he had tried to resuscitate Aiyana until the medical personnel arrived.
Once they took over he had sat huddled and shaking, staring at the floor. Death
was a rare visitor in his universe and the loss of someone so young made it all
the worse. It was only when one the medics announced that the Mitan security
authorities were due at any moment that he comprehended the danger of his
situation.

In the hotel room
Aiyana’s body had been enshrouded in a bewildering envelope of equipment. The
hotel manager stood in the corner alternatively looking ill and shooting
venomous glances in Carson’s direction.

“Very well” the valet
whispered in his ear “I can provide a seamless interface to a fully certified
attorney functionality but I must advise you that there will be a surcharge of four
hundred Ecus per hour.”

Ouch! But there was no
option – nothing guaranteed the authorities seeing things his way.

“Okay, I accept the
surcharge.”

“One more thing, under
extraordinary circumstances Mitan law allows the Internal Security Department
to access all your communications, including a record of our conversations. If
they do this, or if you believe they plan to, give me the codeword
zerstoren
.
I will immediately flush myself, delete, and irretrievably scramble all
memories of our exchanges.”

A moment passed then the
valet returned online.

“Legal functionality
enabled.” The calm contralto voice had gathered an additional gravitas.

He talked fast, starting
with his first encounter with Aiyana on the shuttle.

“Carson, before I ask this
next question let me remind you that our conversation is private and protected
by Mitan law client-attorney privilege. Did you do anything that may have
caused Aiyana’s death or physical detriment?”

“No, absolutely not.”

“Do you have any idea
what may have happened?”

“No, well, we both drank
a great deal, but nothing that a standard detox couldn’t handle.”

“Would you be willing to
repeat these statements under formal examination?”

“If I have to”

Formal examinations were
no fun. The witness was drugged and their brain activity monitored in exquisite
detail. In theory it was impossible for the subject to get away with lying.

“You said a security team
is on its way. Under Mitan law they have the power to hold you without charge
for one local day, approximately twenty-two hours standard time, after which
you must be brought before an adjudicator. You should assume that everything
you say will be recorded as potential evidence.

“Further, be advised they
may cut your access to the net and hence to me. Demand that it be reinstated. If
they refuse do not answer any questions. If they perform a formal examination
of you or if they charge you with a crime they must by law grant you access to
me. If they do not, inform the appointed adjudicator at the earliest opportunity.”

Carson breathed deeply.
“Okay”

Moments later the
security authorities walked in. Even in his miserable state he could not help
but be fascinated by their birthday suits. They were matt black with the Mitan
insignia and official ID imprinted on their shoulders. He almost expected to
see a belt buckle painted on their stomachs.

The woman official,
apparently the senior member of the pair, immediately went into a huddle with
the medics. Finally she said to Carson “I’m security officer Asima, this is my
partner officer Sosimo.”

“Where can we speak
privately?” she asked the hotel manager.

“She’s irretrievably
dead” Asima announced once they were alone in the manager’s office. “Brain
necrosis occurred three hours ago.” Then, shooting a hard look at Carson, “Why did you wait so long before calling?”

“I was asleep for God’s
sake!”

She thought about that
for a moment.

“Tell me what happened.”

For the second time
within an hour he told of his encounter with Aiyana.

“This isn’t good” Asima
said more to herself than anyone else. “This is the third death on Kaimana this
year. The last two were just simple accidents, but this…’

She turned again to
Carson.

“Some people get a sexual
thrill from suffocation.” She arched an eyebrow inquiringly.

“No way” he protested. “Even
if that had happened the medics could have been here in time to save her. Hell,
I could have revived her myself. I have no more idea than you do why she’s
dead.”

“We’ll find out soon
enough” said Asima “we should have a pathology report in a couple of hours.”

“Carson” she declared,
obviously speaking for the record “are you willing to undergo a formal
examination?”

“Yes. I want to help
anyway I can.”

“Perfect” his valet said
in his inner ear.

Officer Sosimo came over
and whispered to Asima. She glanced at Carson, shook her head and stood up.

“All right Carson, we are not taking you into custody at this time but I expect your full cooperation.
Is there anything else we should know before we go downtown?”

“Yes, last night the mail
packet was removed from my room.”

Asima promptly sat down
again.

“This gets better and
better.”

“Can we get the hotel
manager in here?” Carson asked.

Sosimo scurried to the
next room and returned with the distressed executive.

“Honored manager, can you
open your safe?”

The manager glanced at
officer Asima, who nodded. Once the heavy door swung open Carson went to reach
inside.

“Hold it” Sosimo cried,
stepping in front of the safe.

Carson stepped away. “The
small package on the middle shelf” he said.

Sosimo reached inside and
pulled out a slim silvery rectangle, about ten by four centimeters. Everyone
looked at Carson.

“This is the real mail. What
was in my room was a dummy.”

Before anyone could
respond the mail packet spoke up.

“I am being handled by an
unauthorized person. Identify yourself within one minute or I shall take
defensive action.”

“Pass it to me” Carson said.

Sosimo swiftly handed it
over.

“Carson!” the packet said
cheerfully. “I should inform you that I have just been handled by an individual
who is not a member of the postal service.”

“No problem – that was
officer Sosimo of the Mitan security service.”

The mail packet fell
silent.

“It’s been my standard
procedure for decades. If I can’t deliver the mail immediately I stash it
somewhere safe and just hold onto a decoy.

“Anyway, mail robbery is
an idiot’s game. The packet is quantum encrypted, you would have to change the
laws of physics to decode it.”

“Although” said Asima
“theft would cause a serious delay.”

“Not that much. Naturally,
I have backups on my ship.”

“And the decoy?”

“Just something I carry
to keep potential thieves happy – this isn’t the first time I’ve been robbed. Sooner
or later it happens to every mailman.”

“Still,” said Asima, thinking
hard “the robbery and the woman’s death… surely not a coincidence?”

She pulled herself
together and turned to the hotel manager.

“Honored manager, under
the authority of the Mitan Security Code I am instructing you not to discuss
this matter with anyone. Do you understand?”

The manager, who clearly
did not have an attorney-enabled valet, nodded fervently. Asima turned to
Carson.

“How long will it take
you to deliver that thing?”

“About three hours.”

“Okay, the sooner you get
rid of it the better. Officer Sosimo will accompany you. We’ll meet for the
formal examination at four this afternoon at the main security offices.”

“Oh, and Carson” she added “while you’re making the delivery I would turn off that overpriced
lawyer.”

“How do you know...”

“Oh please” she said,
allowing herself a small smile.

The Postmaster was
delighted to see him.

“Welcome, welcome! This
is our first delivery in weeks. Do you have the final episode of Exodus? No, of
course, you don’t know.”

Then, tilting his head at
Sosimo, “Any problems?”

“I was robbed in my hotel
room last. They got a dummy package – the real one was in the hotel safe.”

Carson left it at that. He
and Sosimo had agreed not to discuss Aiyana until more was known about her
death.

The Postmaster barked out
a laugh. “Amateurs! Let’s be having it then.”

Carson handed him the
packet.

“Good morning Postmaster
Paresh” the packet said.

He slid the packet into an
indentation on his console.

“Good – there’s been no
attempt at interference. Right, let’s see what we’ve got.”

For the next hour the
three of them sipped tea while the console unloaded and sorted the mail. Carson
stared at his cup and thought about Aiyana.
Such a terrible waste
. What
could she possibly have died of? He had a sickening feeling that she had been
killed by the mail thief, but why just her? Why not him as well?

Finally Paresh looked up
from his console.

“Good haul – nine point
six billion items. About seventy percent is ongoing to New Earth, virtually all
the rest is fresh delivery.” Then on a private channel he added “I estimate
your fee to be approximately 80,000 Ecus.”

Speaking aloud the
Postmaster continued “You’re heading on to New Earth? Good, shall I make up a
new packet now or do you plan to stay around for a while?”

Carefully ignoring
officer Sosimo and trying to sound as casual as possible Carson said “I’ll
probably be here for a while but why don’t you give me a packet now and I’ll
get a top-up before I leave.”

Paresh shrugged. This was
hardly standard procedure – mailmen normally did not pick up a fresh packet until
they were ready to leave – but it was of no great consequence. Carson was
relieved to see that Sosimo continued to drink his tea, looking bored.

An hour later they
emerged into the synthetic sunshine with a brand new mail packet.

Carson sighed. “Are we
going to do the formal examination now?”

“No” said Sosimo “but we
do need to get back. Asima says there’s been a break in the case.”

She was waiting for them
at headquarters.

“Sosimo” Asima said “I
want you to find those three medics and forcibly remind them that this is a
confidential case – absolutely no discussion. If they ask, tell them that the
autopsy revealed that the woman died from a cerebral hemorrhage following a
fall in the bathroom.”

“And you” she said
turning to Carson “we’re off to see God Almighty.” Seeing his expression she added “my boss’s boss’s boss.”

“Was it really a hemorrhage?”

“Wait” was all she would
say.

Commissioner’s Zhou
occupied a spacious office on the top floor of the security building. Behind
where she was standing a picture window opened onto a panorama of the caldera. She
began without preamble.

“Carson, what I am about
to say is of the utmost confidentiality. Before I continue I must isolate this
office. That means cutting off that valet of yours. Do I have your agreement?”

“As long as you acknowledge
my right to refuse to answer questions.”

Zhou looked at Asima,
then nodded

“So be it.”

The glorious view
vanished to be replaced by an opaque wall and the air took on a strange, dead
quality. The Commissioner walked across the office and opened a side door.

“Can you join us please?”
she asked quietly.

Aiyana stepped into the
room.

“Oh thank God – they
revived you!” Carson cried.

He took two steps towards
her before Asima blocked his path. Aiyana simply stared at him.

“Honored witness Aiyana”
said Zhou “have you ever seen this person before?”

“No” she replied
glowering at Carson.

“Apparently” Zhou said,
turning to Carson “the woman, or rather the
thing
you met yesterday was
a synthetic genetically identical replica.”

“A clone!”

“Watch your language”
Asima said sharply. Over the millennia even the name of the forbidden process
had become an obscenity.

“I’m sorry” he said,
adding for Asima’s benefit “Honor to the Covenant.”

“I’m afraid it gets
worse” the Commissioner continued. “Judging from your description of the
replicant, in addition to her genome it appears that Aiyana’s entire
personality was stolen.”

“I didn’t even know that
was possible. I mean, why…”

“Why indeed?” said Zhou. “We’ve
been running some profiling tests. Is it fair to say that you found the
replicant very attractive?”