We met Rami, Maro, and the rest of their group at a food stand outside the embarkation zone. Rami had messaged me that they had already bought passage on a passenger transport leaving within the hour. They greeted Tapan enthusiastically, with tears and admonishments to each other not to squeeze her too hard.
I’d told them already not to talk about it in public. Rami turned and handed me a hard currency card. “Your friend Art said this was a good way to pay you.”
“Right.” I took it and tucked it in a sealable pocket.
They were all watching me now and it was a little nerve-racking. Rami said, “So, you’re going?”
I had my eye on a cargo transport heading the right direction. With luck I should be leaving within minutes of their departure. “Yes, I should hurry.”
“Can we hug you?” Maro let go of Tapan and faced me.
“Uh.” I didn’t step back, but it must have been obvious the answer was no.
Maro nodded. “Okay. This is for you.” She wrapped her arms around herself and squeezed.
I said, “I’ve got to go,” and walked away down the mall.
Fading, already disengaging from its lock, ART said in my feed, Be careful. Find your crew.
I tapped the feed in acknowledgment, because if I tried to say anything else I was going to sound stupid and emotional.
I didn’t know what I was going to do now, if I was going to go ahead with my plan or not. I had hoped finding out what had happened at Ganaka Pit would clear everything up, but maybe revelations like that only happened in the media.
Speaking of which, I needed to grab some more downloads before my next transport left. It was going to be a long trip.
ALSO BY MARTHA WELLS
The Cloud Roads
The Serpent Sea
The Siren Depths
The Edge of Worlds
The Harbors of the Sun
Stories of the Raksura: Volume I (short fiction)
Stories of the Raksura: Volume II (short fiction)
The Wizard Hunters
The Ships of Air
The Gate of Gods
The Element of Fire
The Death of the Necromancer
Between Worlds: the Collected Ile-Rien and Cineth Stories
Emilie and the Hollow World
Emilie and the Sky World
Blade Singer (with Aaron de Orive)
Stargate Atlantis: Reliquary
Stargate Atlantis: Entanglement
Star Wars: Razor’s Edge
City of Bones
Wheel of the Infinite
About the Author
MARTHA WELLS has written many fantasy novels, including The Wizard Hunters, Wheel of the Infinite, the Books of the Raksura series (beginning with The Cloud Roads), and the Nebula-nominated The Death of the Necromancer, as well as YA fantasy novels, short stories, and nonfiction. She has had stories in Black Gate, Realms of Fantasy, Stargate Magazine, Lightspeed Magazine, and in the anthologies Elemental, Tales of the Emerald Serpent, The Other Half of the Sky, The Gods of H. P. Lovecraft, and MECH: Age of Steel. She has also written media tie-ins for Stargate: Atlantis and most recently Star Wars: Razor’s Edge. The last book in the Books of the Raksura series, The Harbors of the Sun, was released in July 2017. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novella are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
ARTIFICIAL CONDITION
Copyright © 2018 by Martha Wells
All rights reserved.
Cover illustration by Jaime Jones
Cover design by Christine Foltzer
Edited by Lee Harris
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