This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution -- NoDerivs 2.5 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by -- nd/2.5/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 543 Howard Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. HUMAN COMPANY A Novel by Robert Petty CHAPTER 1 -- MECHANICALS The trouble with women is that all you get is sympathy. They will probably still be patting me on the head when the Elevator destroys the world. As I searched for Redblood, I took a deep breath to ease the tightness gripping my chest. This would be her last chance. She either helped me or else. Was she gone? A dark shape moved on the left -- only a horse in the stables. Across the square, the open gate framed a deserted drawbridge. Why did it have to get dark so soon? At last I saw someone to the right, standing on the castle wall. Shadows from the tower hid her features, but she stood straighter than the farm girls. It was Redblood. She frowned, I thought, when she saw me on the ladder, and when she extended her hand to help me onto the walkway, she tilted her head to make my name a question. "Gypsy?" "It's cold." It wasn't, not really, but she let me snuggle against her while she stared up at the mechanicals' garage. Several times I started to speak, but what could I say when her thoughts were so clearly on tomorrow. So I watched the shadows chase the last rays of ...
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution --
NoDerivs 2.5 License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by -- nd/2.5/ or send a letter to
Creative Commons, 543 Howard Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco,
California, 94105, USA.
HUMAN COMPANY
A Novel by
Robert Petty
CHAPTER 1 -- MECHANICALS
The trouble with women is that all you get is sympathy. They will
probably still be patting me on the head when the Elevator destroys
the world.
As I searched for Redblood, I took a deep breath to ease the
tightness gripping my chest. This would be her last chance. She
either helped me or else.
Was she gone? A dark shape moved on the left -- only a horse in the
stables. Across the square, the open gate framed a deserted
drawbridge. Why did it have to get dark so soon? At last I saw
someone to the right, standing on the castle wall. Shadows from the
tower hid her features, but she stood straighter than the farm girls.
It was Redblood.
She frowned, I thought, when she saw me on the ladder, and when she
extended her hand to help me onto the walkway, she tilted her head to
make my name a question. "Gypsy?"
"It's cold."
It wasn't, not really, but she let me snuggle against her while she
stared up at the mechanicals' garage. Several times I started to
speak, but what could I say when her thoughts were so clearly on
tomorrow.
So I watched the shadows chase the last rays of sunshine off the
peaks and tried to marshal my arguments. I was too young, she would
claim, but fifteen years -- no, thirty winters, that sounded older --
was almost grown. They would make me marry next year.
Finally, after the white rock of the cliff below the garage faded
into darkness, she broke the silence. "I'm worried about Apogee."
"You should worry about the Elevator."
"Have patience little one." Her hand stroked my hair. "Your time will
come."
I pulled away. "Just look at it. You can see that it curves."
She turned. The motion took her eyes to the east, but she didn't
bother to look up. "It's always been that way."
"Not in ancient times. It was straight then."
My eyes sought the vertical line. The darkness of the land hid its
base, but higher up the setting sun caught the silver thread as it
rose into the sky.
Once, two elevators carried women to their orbiting starships. But
the old Femdom was gone: destroyed when the Western Elevator fell.
The Eastern Elevator was the last of their ancient wonders, and now
it too was in trouble. Up where the stars poked pinholes in the
darkening sky, I could see it curve gently to the south. It was
falling.
They would blame me. They said not, but they blamed my ancestors when
the Western Elevator fell, and in the end, they would blame me too.
"It's up to me to save it," I said. "I need your help."
Redblood spread her hands. "You know that I'm committed to Apogee."
"I told you. It's not about him."
"I'm sorry."
"But he always gets everything." I bit my lip. Law. I might as well
have stamped my feet.
"Good night Gypsy," she said, making the words a sigh that signaled
the end of her patience. She had no time for kids. Not now.
I watched her walk away. She paused for the briefest moment, but her
glance was to the garage, not to me. Then she faded into the shadows.
I would have thrown myself off the wall except my hand, acting on its
own, crept into my pocket. So I let my fingers caress the cool, slick
sides of the cards, as they always did, until they felt the cards
warm to life. Then they traced quickly over the smooth edges to find
the one card separated from the others.
I drew it out. The Mech Card, omen of adventure. Sometimes the cards
were like that: so right, yet you still had to think about what to
do.
The Mech Card. It had to be about tomorrow. I would have one last
chance.
#
Smoky aromas from the breakfast fires still lingered in the air when
the trumpeters blew their horns and the procession came out through
the castle gates. Everyone, even the people from the fair, crowded
into the narrow street to watch them pass. They got in the way and
you couldn't see anything except the pennants dragging a bubble of
applause and commotion through the village.
I couldn't get to the front, but as the procession passed, I found a
box to stand on. Even so, I still had to raise up on my toes to see
over the women's heads. I could just make out Redblood leading the
way with Apogee on her arm. Redblood's company flanked them:
Stoneheart carried Apogee's pennant; Slayer, the Mechanic's pennant.
Mechanic Axeblade, the Court, and important property owners trailed
close behind.
Redblood looked fierce. She wore full battle gear: a broadsword
across her back, a short sword at her side, and numerous knives stuck in her belt and strapped to her legs. The black leather armor and
polished breast cups clung to her figure and emphasized her strength.
"Redblood. Redblood. Look at me," a little village boy called as she
passed. Her answering wink brought a chorus of screams and whistles
from the other boys. They kept it up, making her grin and breaking
her pretense at a serious demeanor.
Apogee remained somber. Dressed in the traditional heavy shirt and
baggy trousers of a mech rider, he kept his eyes straight ahead and
did not respond when called.
Since ancient times, the flight ceremony has tested the boys from
Farhaven. By mountain law, only boys who have flown can rule. So
today Apogee would ride a mechanical and earn the right to commission
a company. One day he would become the Rider; his captain, the
Mechanic.
The confusion and milling about helped me. No one noticed as I
pressed through the excited crowd and attached myself to the
procession. I was taking a chance: the women tried to keep boys out
of the garage; too dangerous they said. And Axeblade had threatened
dire punishment for the next