Read an Excerpt
Chapter One
Earth Orbit, 375 N.E.
Had the orbital watch alert satellite contained a human being, or even a sophisticated duoclone, that being might have scanned the data and reported something like, Object classified as cometoid ... spherical-octagonal, diameter forty-three meters, density two point five, composition approximately eighty-two point four percent water ... carbides and carbonates approximately fifteen percent ... iron and sulfides, silicates and oxides below detection levels ... orbital at trajectory at variance with origin in either Oort Cloud or Kuiper Belt ...
Instead, the AI merely squirted its data analysis to the Long Watch Asteroid Collision Center satellite inhabiting the L5 point above the water planet below. In turn, the AI calculated orbital mechanics, trajectory, and mass composition and, after ensuring the object did not trigger any action parameters, stored the data for later retrieval.
In time, the comet-like object intersected the thin upper atmosphere on the planet's night side, creating a long and brilliant trail that flashed across the high latitudes and lasted but for a few long seconds before vanishing.
The thousands of particle-sized contaminants also eventually slowed and began to drift through the atmosphere toward the oceans and landmasses below.
The central AI in the Long Watch Asteroid Collision Center satellite received the report of the ice-meteorite's dissolution and added the data to the records of others of that class.
Eventually, ahuman methodizer reviewed the data, frowned at the octagonal dimensions, checked it again, and then shrugged.
Chapter Two
Raven: Vallura, 458 N.E.
Before stepping out of the foyer of my villa, I glanced at my reflection in the shimmerglass of the antique twenty-first century mirror. The dark blue singlesuit and powder blue formal short jacket still fit, even though they dated from when I'd left the Federal Service
(Continues...)
