Free Rebel Ice by S. L. Viehl Page A

was.
    After a long moment of staring at the vacant ice fields, Reever engaged the sensors and scanned until he obtained the position of Skjonn and altered his course to intercept.
    The immense suborbital cluster of vessels, satellites, and artificial domed biospheres, commonly known as a skim city, ballooned on the horizon. Reever knew that the Toskald were no more indigenous to Akkabarr than the Iisleg's ancestors were, but they had evidently come here far better equipped.
    He knew from the cultural database that five thousand years ago, the swelling of the Toskald homeworld's sun into a red giant had forced their exodus. They had selected Akkabarr for its isolation, unique atmospheric conditions, and biospheric compatibility with their species. On this new world, they knew they would have no neighboring inhabited worlds to trouble them, their cities would be guarded by planetwide walls of winds, and they faced no risk being eradicated by some exotic alien microorganism hostile to their physiology. They had brought with them the technology that had allowed them to survive on their homeworld for centuries after that planet's surface had become too seismically unstable to support life. In the process of adapting their city-sized vessels to better match the challenges of Akkabarr's frozen climate and vicious atmosphere, the Toskald had evolved into one of the most advanced species in the quadrant.
    Reever admired the instinct for survival in any species, but successful adaptation and technological development were simply not enough to satisfy the Toskald. Once they had restabilized their civilization, they turned their efforts to eliminating any possibility of a second exodus. This resulted in Akkabarran slavery and arms dealing.
    Such paranoia could be dangerous. Yet as Reever had discovered, with a little preparation, it could also be readily manipulated.
    Reever opened his relay channels and transmitted a stanTerran approach signal, requesting permission to dock. He cycled the relay to repeat in Toskald and several other quadrant languages, the same way a diplomat would. He watched his panel as his sensors tracked a highly focused scan beam passing over the launch. The Toskald would read the standard array of defensive weaponry along with Reever's vessel identification.
    The dock supervisor still transmitted a terse inquiry. "What business have you in Skjonn, Terran?"
    "Official business," he replied. "The matter is confidential."
    "That should cost you," the supervisor informed him. "Standard visitor regulations are being transmitted to your database. You are not permitted to carry weapons, enslaved beings, biologies, or materials classified as hazardous under InterPlan Schedule one through two thousand four hundred sixty-eight. You will not be permitted to leave your ship until you have acknowledged understanding and voluntary adherence to these regulations, violation of which will result in your immediate detainment, prosecution, and punishment under Toskald law. Confirm or deny."
    "Confirmed." Reever noted that the turret cannon mounted above and below the docks tracked his approach, and the focused scan remained continuous until he disengaged the launch's engines. He unfastened and removed his flight suit, straightening the uniform it had concealed, before sending the required agreement to the visitor regulations. Only after two biodecon sweeps was he given permission to disembark.
    Two heavily armed security drones were waiting at the bottom of the ramp for him. "Identify," one of them said.
    Reever held out his identification. The drone took the chip and inserted it into its memory panel to read it. It seemed a long time before it said, "Confirmed." It removed and returned the chip to Reever. "Destination?"
    He produced a second, encrypted chip. "I seek an audience with the Kangal Orjakis on a matter of interplanetary security."
    This time the drone took only three seconds to verify the data from the chip before its