Read Senescence (Jezebel's Ladder Book 5) for Free Online

together into a sea of faces, heads
of wheat moving in the breeze.
    Using his best Shakespearian
diction, he announced, “I come in peace. I am Stewart Llewellyn, the ambassador
for the starship Sanctuary . I ask to present our terms to the board of
Fortune Enterprises. I have a proxy from Commander Zeiss that gives me the
right to speak in open meeting.”
    Camera drones closed in as security
guards circled. He could have sworn he saw a shimmer blur toward the ambulance
parked just off the field. The sneak suit “invisibility” didn’t mimic
surroundings well at high speeds. Focus the crowds on me until the ladies
are in the clear. “We’re willing to trade the technology of the Magi to the
nations of Earth. However, before we begin, the UN must recognize our
independence, as well as drop the charges against our leaders. As the first
child born in space, I am a native of Sanctuary and subject to the
charter, not your laws.”
    Seconds later, seawater erupted in
an explosion. Stu threw himself protectively over the closest two players,
knocking both flat. Spectators shrieked. Camera drones bobbed from the
shockwave. The self-destruct. The pod had practically disintegrated.
    A jet roared over soon after. The
athletes buzzed with excitement.
    “Are you ladies okay?” Stu asked,
rising again. He had never seen a bikini before, but the advantages were
obvious. The fabric highlighted curves and valleys he had never suspected. He
held out a hand to assist the brunette on his right. Her knee was scuffed. “I
do apologize. I was afraid the jets were going to shoot at me again. I didn’t
want any of you getting hurt.” He addressed the referee on the ladder. “Could
you call a medic for this woman?”
    Three guards surrounded him,
weapons drawn. “All right, you nut job. Hands up.”
    “I’m unarmed and not resisting in
any way,” Stu shouted, placing his hands behind his head. “Your ricochets may
harm the crowd. I will do as you ask, provided you don’t touch me or cough on
me. My immune system may not be able to cope with your viral mutations.”
    One of the guards ordered,
“Biosafety protocols.” Each man slid a blue surgical-style mask over his nose
and mouth.
    A paramedic and a teammate helped the
injured girl limp off the sandy court. As guards searched Stu for weapons, his
face filled the giant wall of TV screens at either end of the field.
    A bold drone with a Telemondo label
hovered over Stu’s forehead, communicating in a tinny voice. “Permission to add
you to the celebrity registry and stalk you, sir?” Two others repeated the
request, the last one offering him a 0.1 percent share of any increased
advertising revenues.
    Stu pointed to the
tennis-ball-sized robot with the monetary offer. “I grant free access to all
three of you as long as you continue to transmit everything that happens to me.
Someone just tried to kill me, and I want witnesses to how I’m treated.”
    The drones quickly agreed to the
deal.
    Reporters and players shouted
questions as the guards dragged Stu toward the sidelines.
    The referee gestured for the guards
to halt. “Let him answer. The ratings meter for the event is still climbing.”
    “How old are you?” asked a tall
girl in a bikini.
    Stu felt compelled to brag,
“Eighteen, and I’m a pilot.”
    “Why did Sanctuary lose
contact with the UN Space Agency five years after leaving the Solar System?”
asked a graying correspondent with a drone hovering over his shoulder.
    I didn’t know we had been in
contact at all. “We were assisting an alien race on Labyrinth, a moon
similar to Earth.”
    “What were the aliens like?” asked
another player.
    “Pandas with spears.” So many
people crowded around that he lost track of who was asking the questions.
    “Were they the aliens who gave us
the Pages?”
    “No. The Magi are different. We’ve
never seen them. That’s the way uplift works.”
    “Pandas? You’re kidding. How do you
expect us to believe