Free Homefall: Book Four of the Last Legion Series by Chris Bunch

cage, holding a very large, very dark brown, furry animal with very large claws and teeth.
    “Yeets,” Darod said. “Scares me just looking at him. Anybody bring a blaster?”
    “Garvin said the trainer told him the bear was as gentle as a baby.”
    The animal in the back roared so loudly the cage bars rattled.
    “What kind of baby?” she wondered aloud.
    “Nobody said.”
    The lifter grounded, and a rather hairy man got out. He greeted Garvin, introduced himself as Eneas, and limped to the back of the cage.
    “This ‘ere’s Li’l Doni,” he said. “Cutest li’l thing I ever did see. Got two more back t’ th’ ranch just like her, if you want real star power.”
    Njangu was holding back a snicker.
    “Star power?” he muttered.
    “You said she was gentle,” Garvin said, eyeing a ragged scar down the trainer’s arm.
    “ ‘At was her mother’s doin’,” Eneas said. “On’y thing Doni’s ever did t’ me was break m’ leg, an’ that was my fault. Mostly.
    “Here. Lemme let ‘er out, you c’n see for yourself.”
    Garvin was seeing for himself that Li’l Doni was not only in a cage, but had chains around her upper legs. Eneas opened the cage, and Doni rolled out, snarling, came to her feet, and snapped both chains.
    She growled, took a swipe at Eneas, who sensibly dived under the lifter.
    Doni saw Ben Dill, and charged after him. Dill followed Eneas. That left Garvin, and Doni went for him. There wasn’t room enough under the lift for three, and so Garvin climbed, later swearing he levitated, to the top of the cage.
    Doni, in command of the theater, snarled three times around the lift, considered a side window, and smashed it casually.
    Njangu was laughing so hard he had to hold himself up against the ship’s fin.
    Li’l Doni spotted Yoshitaro, and, roaring rampage, charged the fence. She banged off it once, then went up and over it as if it was a ladder.
    Njangu Yoshitaro went up
Big Bertha’s
fin as if it also were a ladder.
    Darod Montagna found business back inside the ship, closing the lock behind her.
    Eventually Eneas came out from under his lift, found more chains, and Li’l Doni vanished from the circus’s life.
    Three days later, Njangu invoiced for the lease of two robot bears. He insisted on naming one of them Li’l Doni.
    • • •
    The music conductor was named Raf Aterton, and Njangu swore he had to be the reincarnation of at least six generals and two dictators. He was silver-haired, slender, severe in countenance, and brooked no argument from any of the forty musicians the circus had taken on. His voice sounded soft, but somehow carried from one end of the spaceport to the other.
    “All of you will now listen very closely. You’ve got sheet music in front of you. The piece is the ‘Confederation Peace March’. You will learn it until you can play it in your sleep, as some of you have been functioning already, I’ve noticed.
    “This is the most important part of being on the show. The ‘Peace March’ is the sign of trouble. Fire. The cats on a rampage. A big clem, a catastrophe.
    “When it’s played, all the muscle on the show will start looking to solve the problem, however they can. If we’re under canvas, all the animals will get out, right then, as will the kinkers.
    “The talent is priceless, and you, my ham-fingered men and women are not. So after everyone’s altered, you’ll join the roustabouts in solving the problem.”
    “Question, sir,” a synthesizer toggler asked. “What if we’re in the ship and something happens?”
    “Hit the tune, then get out of the ship. Or follow orders if Gaffer Jaansma’s around.”
    “And if we’re in space?”
    “Now that,” Aterton mused, “could be a bit of a poser.”
    • • •
    The woman spun lazily twice high above the net, as a man released the trapeze, and twisted across the open air. Their catcher extended long tentacles, caught them both, sent them flying higher into the air, then had them once