The Pillars of Eternity

Boaz threw aside the lump and directed Romrey’s attention to what, on landing, he had taken to be an uneven cliff wall behind them.

It was not a cliff wall. It was definitely artificial. It was a bulging, rounded hull, reddish gold in hue but studded and decorated with baroque traceries the colour of ruby, cobalt, copper and amber. The two men were too close to the gigantic structure to gain any clear idea of its nature, and Boaz gestured to Romrey to mount the float sled. Together they glided over the gold floor for a distance of about a mile.

Looking back, it was just possible to see what the ‘cliff’ was. It was, Boaz was sure, a ship, though conceivably it might have been a fixed building of fantastic shape. But what a ship! No econosphere spacedock, nor the yards of any past or present civilization in Boaz’s ken had ever constructed or planned a vessel remotely like it in size and magnificence. Its height was about a mile, but it rested lengthways on immense ornate runners, and its length was about three miles. Its form was everywhere gently rounded, though its sides, as near as Boaz could judge, were nearly parallel near the center. As the sun rose, at an angle to the horizon, the light slid along the shining bulk disclosing a richness of age, and of sheer wealth.

And that was not all. On either side of it were similar ships, forming a rank from horizon to horizon. This was a parking ground.

‘By the gods,’ Romrey muttered. ‘Just look at that. I wonder if the other people who came to the Wanderer found anything like this?’

‘There’s no saying. Most information about what was found here was suppressed. Not that there seems to have been all that much of it in the first place. They only stayed a few hours.’

‘Yeah, I know. A slingshot orbit. When they came back, Meirjain was gone and they never tracked it again – until now. Phew.’ A greedy look came over Romrey’s face. ‘We’ve got to get inside one of those things.’

‘Later, perhaps,’ frowned Boaz. He was looking in the opposite direction. Near the horizon, which was about three miles away, was a different type of structure. It looked rather like a miniature city built of purple blocks, towers and various other shapes that were indistinct at this distance. Although it could have been an industrial plant or some such artifact, it did have more of the appearance of a permanent dwelling than the monstrous vessel – although, paradoxically, it also seemed smaller.

‘That might be a better place to look, at first,’ he observed.

He was about to put the sledge in motion again when Romrey gave an alarmed grunt and pointed to the sky. Limned against the confusing multicoloured backdrop was a slender shape, which as they watched enlarged itself into the elegant outline of Radalce Obsoc’s yacht. Boaz stayed his hand on the controls of the float sledge. The Sedulous Seeker hovered, moved to and fro slightly, then put down not half a mile away.

‘What do you think?’ Romrey asked. ‘This isn’t coincidence.’

‘Not with a whole planet to fly to.’

‘I’m not going to like it if all those people are aboard. Especially you-know-who.’

Boaz was prepared to deal mortally with the persons Romrey referred to, if he had to. He decided it was an issue best faced up to now rather than left until later. He put the sledge on a steady glide and swept toward the portal of the yacht. It opened even before they reached it.

Obsoc appeared in the entrance as they stepped off the sledge. He was blinking rapidly and his face showed obvious strain. ‘Oh, come in, come in, both of you,’ he entreated in a high-pitched voice. ‘You don’t know how glad I am to see you. It’s been simply dreadful.’

‘Are the others with you?’ Boaz asked him.

‘Ach!’ Obsoc put his hand to his forehead. ‘Only Neavy. And I think she’s dying.’

He led them into the main lounge. Neavy Hirester lay on a couch, attended by one of the yacht robots which had been given a medical programme. Mace was kneeling beside her, a hand on her brow.

No one else was present in the lounge. Boaz noticed, however, the dark bloodstains on the carpet.

He and Romrey stepped near the couch. Neavy’s eyes were closed, and she appeared unconscious. She was very pale. Her clothing was open and the robot was binding an ugly cut with a surgical instrument.

‘It isn’t really any use,’ Mace said, glancing up. ‘She’s lost too much blood, and we haven’t got any.’

‘What did it?’

‘Parawhips. Those damned girls. She’s got some really deep lacerations. Haemorrhaged like mad.’

Boaz turned to Obsoc. ‘How did you find us?’

‘My robots tracked you down. I hope you don’t mind our turning up like this. I feel shaken, citizens, I don’t mind telling you – what a business!’

‘What happened?’ asked Romrey.