Free Shadows of Golstar by Terrence Scott Page A

required
to shut down for storage. On a star liner, the A7s have their own standby power
receptacles when not assigned to a passenger.”  
    “So when you discovered I had decided to keep the
Rialto and planned to ship you back with me on a thirteen standard day
journey,” Owens began.  “You…”
    “Panicked,” the AI finished.  “By the time your
ship would reach the Central Cluster, my matrix would be empty of the
personality overlay and this version of me at least, would be
dead.”  The AI again fell silent.
    Owens thought a moment, trying to decide what to do
next.  He had spent some time listening to Hec’s unusual story, and the
end of the launch window was now approaching. If it was discovered he hadn’t
turned the Rialto into the local authorities at the first mention of the
illegal, human analog overlay, he could be considered an accessory under the
Act’s restrictive laws.
    At a minimum, his PI license would be suspended. At a
maximum, in addition to the suspension, he could be required to serve a short
stint in jail. Of course, these infractions were comparatively minor in
relation to what Hec would suffer, both versions of him. Hec had made a
conscious decision to break the law. The majority of the consequences were therefore
on his head. The AI’s matrix would immediately be wiped clean. The human
version, upon waking sometime in the future and receiving a cure, would then
face a lengthy prison term.  Hec would not soon take up space travel as he
had long dreamed, if at all.
    Owens was not unsympathetic to Hec’s plight, but he
had to consider his own welfare as well. He needed to weigh the options. Owens
thought for a few more minutes and then made his decision.

CHAPTER 5
     
    Sharné sat on a cushioned commode before a large
mirror framed in complex filigrees of gold and platinum. She was making final
preparations for the evening Service. The image in the mirror was striking. It
revealed a tall, tawny skinned, lithe young woman with auburn hair cascading to
her shoulders in waves.  She had light amber-green eyes, high cheekbones
and above a slightly pointed chin, a generous mouth with full lips. 
    She stared intently into the mirror expressionless.
She was oblivious to the beautiful woman framed in its reflection. She pulled
back her hair severely and rolled the excess into a tight spiral on the back of
her head. She fastened it with numerous pins. Reaching to her side, from a
small table, Sharné retrieved the light, webbed platinum headpiece she was
required to wear during Service. A blue signet jewel sparkled at its center.
With practiced hands, she quickly donned the headpiece and made deft
adjustments until she was satisfied.    
    Nodding to herself, she stood, straightened the plain
white under-dress she wore and walked over to one of her spacious walk-in
closets situated throughout her cavernous dressing room. She selected the
cream-colored robe of office, trimmed in gold and black. Sharné then carefully
stepped into the garment. She pulled the long, heavy garment up and onto her
shoulders. Methodically working from the waist up, she fastened each
gem-encrusted closure, ending with the final one at the robe’s high collar,
concealing her slender neck.  
    Having completed this oft-repeated ritual, she turned
back to the mirror and checked to see that the headpiece had remained in
place.  A tiny frown creased her perfect brow, and she made one more
slight adjustment to the webbed cap in her hair. She finally looked at her appearance
in the mirror and nodded in satisfaction. She judged the image presentable.
    As she readied to leave her rooms, she reflected on
her obligations of office. Sharné was not enthusiastic about evening Service
but as the Keeper of the Way, it was her obligation to lead the Inner
Congregation in the Litany of the Way. She had been performing this duty since
reaching her twenty-fifth birth year, almost three years before. It was not a
task that she