Ascension II: Prosecution
The prosecuting attorney for Juno Station was next to speak. He demanded jurisdiction over Bates for reckless flying, evasion of customs inspection…
Ascension II: Court
Judge Maynard rapped his gavel. “The court will come to order.” A mixed party of late arrivals was still being seated. They were Navy personnel in rumpled…
Ascension II: Haldol
Two guards brought Bates into the conference room, one on each arm. Full of Haldol, he walked with a slow, shuffling gait, concentrating on the floor. They put…
Ascension II: While the Cat's Away
Bates went into the apartment bedroom. A potted red venerem certis fungus, commonly called lover’s lips, occupied one of the nightstands; it looked hideous…
Ascension II: So Wrong
Bates saw reflections in a pair of lenses. The shooter wasn’t alone after all; he had a lookout with night-vision specs. Bates spun and ran, heedless of his…
Ascension II: Opportunity
Bates hit the broken and rather nasty pavement in front of the permanently open entrance to Hooligan’s. As he lay there amid splashes of used beer and squished…
Ascension II: A Shot in the Dark
Tunnel lights flowed around the tram. Nobody seemed to appreciate having a volunteer driver. A cop and two of the more-intelligent riders thrust the…
Ascension II: Express
Red lights were flashing. “Security alert. Colonial police have been summoned,” chanted a mechanical voice. Bates drove the floor-scrubber at the platform…
Ascension II: Fare Game
Bates walked around a man driving a floor-scrubber; the Authority believed in sanitation as a deterrent to crime. He stepped up to the turnstile. A pleasant…
Ascension II: Handout
Bates peered down the stairs as he approached the woman. Was the convict that wouldn’t kill him lurking down there? “Hey, sailor; you buying?” she coaxed…
Ascension II: Bed of Nails
Landing the stolen shuttle at an airstrip would have meant the end of his escape. So Bates had to ditch in wilderness; but Juno’s terraforming was too…
Ascension II: Improv
After Bates stashed the knife in his pants, he sat up casually. He found himself looking up Ishikawa’s pistol. “It’s rude to steal the cutlery,” said the rebel…
Ascension II: Penetration 2
“Reckall hired me on Phobos,” Bates lied easily. “I’m a private contractor; so, no uniform. I just don’t fit in with them.” And he indicated the outnumbered…
Ascension II: Penetration
Bates walked into what had once been Threetown’s most popular eatery. Now it served as the mess hall for the survivors of the Synod-spawned plague and the USNE…
Ascension II: Shell Game
The steel lattice of Threetown’s dome cut the sea of cold stars into fractal bytes. Inside were warmth, air and light; outside, nothing. But despite its…