Free Hidden Empire by Kevin J. Anderson Page A

had added further inspiration. Roamers found the term to be suitably insulting.
    Jess shrugged. “No matter. I like to find excuses to see my brother, make sure he’s not making too many mistakes.” He didn’t
     say out loud that he also seized upon any legitimate reason to escape the stern scrutiny of his father. Old Bram Tamblyn layered
     heavy pressures and responsibilities upon Jess, now that his older brother was no longer welcome as a member of the clan.
     The young man held on to those expectations as an anchor and never put his own wishes forward, even if old Bram rarely noticed.
     As the cumbersome facility cruised along through Golgen’s clouds, workers tended the ekti reactor controls, checked the distribution
     pipes, and lubricated mechanical systems that needed constant maintenance. Jess walked through the cargo bay, listening to
     the comforting hisses and hums, the industrial music made by all skymines. He loved being here. Blue Sky always seemed to
     be cleaner and more polished than any other skymine. Jess’s brother, Ross, was immensely proud of what he had accomplished
     here.
    Jess trudged down the corridor, needing no help in finding the captain’s deck. Even on the workshift, Roamers wore colorful,
     many-layered outfits composed of scarves, billowing sleeves, hoods, and hats. Every tunic, vest, and set of trousers was adorned
     with frills of pockets and pouches, clips, chains, and hooks for storing a thousand gadgets, testing devices, or hand weapons.
     The clips kept tools in place and readily at hand, even in the low-gravity environments where Roamers spent a great deal of
     their time.
    “How long you staying, Jess?” asked a shift supervisor who came forward through the bulkhead from his office chamber.
    “Less than a day. We’ve got a supply run and a quota to meet. Obligations, you know.”
    The supervisor nodded. “We’ll tune up your cargo escort and link all the struts to the ekti tank.”
    “Is Ross outside on the deck sightseeing again?”
    “No. I think the chief’s in the navigation bubble.”
    “What’s he worried about hitting in this big open sky?” Shaking his head, Jess scrambled up the interdeck ladder until he
     found the navigation bubble. Though Ross had forever turned his back on the family water industry on Plumas, Jess always felt
     welcome here on his older brother’s facility.
    Placing his hands on his hips, he stared at the back of Ross’s head. His brother was intent on the controls, peering into
     the clouds of the planet’s incomprehensibly vast and open sky. Vaporous convection currents rose up and tumbled down as the
     skymine continued along its random path. An asterisk symbol had been painted above the navigation panel. It was the Guiding
     Star, which the Roamers believed directed the paths of their lives.
    “Afraid of crashing into an angry concentration of nitrogen? Or do you just like sitting in the captain’s chair and driving
     this big hulk nowhere?”
    Ross spun, and his face lit up in a smile. “Jess! I wasn’t expecting you.”
    “Decided to save you the wages of a cargo hauler.” He came forward to embrace Ross. “Help you pay off that big debt—just another
     part of my responsibility as your little brother.”
    Ross indicated the sensor panels. “For your information, there’s an art and a skill to piloting a skymine. I still have to
     adjust course, raise or lower the ship. A good captain always watches for dense concentrations of gases.”
    The skymine trailed a squidlike network of probes; the kilometers-long threads drifted in the clouds, picking up data and
     helping Ross decide where to go. Golgen’s atmospheric gases were rich with just the right mix of elements and catalysts for
     the Ildiran reactors to produce ekti. Also, the gas giant was close to star-trading lanes, which allowed for easy distribution
     of the fuel. After years of hard work, Ross was close to making a profit from his operation, despite their