The Game Beyond by Melissa Scott

The Game Beyond by Melissa Scott

~ A star flung empire the prize - in a deadly war of succession ~

KEIRA ADJUSTED HIS HEADPIECE AND SAID, "READY."

The minores echoed him, and the judge worked his controls. The room lighting went out, and stars began to form in the space between the couches.

Then, nightmare...A ship swept out of nowhere, so close overhead that Keira ducked to avoid it. He swore at it, and his words foamed from his mouth in long streams of blue and purple ribbons, broken only by the brighter pink flash of a hand consonant. He groped for the nonexistent console. he knew it was there, but his hand moved through hot glue that smelled of roses.

He shook his head to get rid of the blurring ache.

"What the hell is going on?" he said, directly into the headpiece's microphone. There was no answer from the fog-shrouded judge's box.

A malfunction, he thought. But the status boards showed green: the machinery was functioning but neither tape nor human operator controlled it.

The fog drew back slowly, the judge's box emerging first. Keiera caught his breath. The outstretched, forehead resting on the atmosphere controls.

Then something flashed from the wall of fog. He thought it was another illusion, but reality - a real knife - spinning end over end.