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Aspect is a registered trademark of Warner Books, Inc.
ISBN 0-7595-8035-9
A mass market edition of this book was published in two parts in 1998 by Warner Books.
First eBook edition: November 2000
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The Neutronium Alchemist
Contents
Cast of Characters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
CAST OF CHARACTERS
SHIPS
LADY MACBETH
Joshua Calvert
Captain
Melvyn Ducharme
Fusion specialist
Ashly Hanson
Pilot
Sarha Mitcham
Systems specialist
Dahybi Yadev
Node specialist
Beaulieu
Cosmonik
OENONE
Syrinx
Captain
Ruben
Fusion systems
Oxley
Pilot
Cacus
Life support
Edwin
Toroid systems
Serina
Toroid systems
Tyla
Cargo officer
VILLENEUVE’S REVENGE
André Duchamp
Captain
Desmond Lafoe
Fusion specialist
Madeleine Collum
Node specialist
Erick Thakrar
Systems specialist/CNIS undercover agent
UDAT
Meyer
Captain
Cherri Barnes
Cargo officer
FAR REALM
Layia
Captain
Furay
Pilot
Endron
Systems specialist
Tilia
Node specialist
ARIKARA
Meredith Saldana
Rear-Admiral, squadron commander
Grese
Lieutenant, squadron intelligence officer
Lieutenant, voidhawk liaison
Kroeber
Commander
BEEZLING
Kyle Prager
Captain
Peter Adul
Alchemist team physicist
HABITATS
TRANQUILLITY
Ione Saldana
Lord of Ruin
Dr Alkad Mzu
Inventor of the Alchemist
Parker Higgens
Director Laymil project
Oski Katsura
Laymil project electronics division chief
Kempster Getchell
Laymil project astronomer
Monica Foulkes
ESA agent
Lady Tessa
ESA head of station
Samuel
Edenist intelligence agent
Pauline Webb
CNIS agent
Father Horst Elwes
Priest, refugee
Jay Hilton
Refugee
Kelly Tirrel
Rover reporter
Lieria
Kiint
Haile
Juvenile Kiint
VALISK
Rubra
Habitat personality
Dariat
Horgan’s possessor
Kiera Salter
Marie Skibbow’s possessor
Stanyon
Council member
Rocio Condra
Possessor blackhawk Mindor
Bonney Lewin
Hunter
Tolton
Fugitive
Tatiana
Fugitive
ASTEROIDS
TRAFALGAR
Samual Aleksandrovich
First Admiral Confederation Navy
Lalwani
Admiral, CNIS chief
Maynard Khanna
Captain, First Admiral staff officer
Motela Kolhammer
Admiral, 1st Fleet commander
Dr Gilmore
CNIS research division director
Jacqueline Couteur
Possessor
Murphy Hewlett
Confederation Marine lieutenant
KOBLAT
Jed Hinton
Deadnight
Beth
Deadnight
Gari Hinton
Jed’s sister
Navar
Jed’s half sister
AYACUCHO
Ikela
Owner of T’Opingtu company, partizan leader
Liol
Owner of Quantum Serendipity
Voi
Ikela’s daughter
Prince Lambert
Captain starship Tekas
Dan Malindi
Partizan leader
Kaliua Lamu
Partizan leader
Feira Ile
Ayacucho SD commander, partizan leader
Cabral
Mrs Nateghi
Lawyer
Lodi Shalasha
Garissan radical
Eriba
Garissan radical
Kole
Socialite
Shea
Prince Lambert’s girlfriend
JESUP
Quinn Dexter
Messiah of the Light Bringer sect
Lawrence Dillon
Disciple
Twelve-T
Gang lord
Bonham
Disciple
Shemilt
Disciple, SD commander
Dwyer
Disciple, systems specialist
PLANETS
NORFOLK
Louise Kavanagh
Refugee
Genevieve Kavanagh
Refugee
Luca Comar
Grant Kavanagh’s possessor
Marjorie Kavanagh
Louise’s mother
Mrs Charlsworth
Kavanagh sisters’ nanny
Carmitha
Romany
Titreano
Possessor
Celina Hewson
Louise’s aunt
Roberto Hewson
Louise’s cousin
OMBEY
Ralph Hiltch
ESA head of station, Lalonde
Cathal Fitzgerald
Ralph’s deputy
Dean Folan
ESA G66 division
Will Danza
ESA G66 division
Kirsten Saldana
Princess of Ombey
Roche Skark
ESA director
Jannike Dermot
ISA director
Landon McCullock
Police commissioner
Diana Tiernan
Police technology division chief
Admiral Farquar
Royal Navy, Ombey commander
Nelson Akroid
Armed Tactical Squad captain
Finnuala O’Meara
Rover reporter
Hugh Rosler
DataAxis technician
Neville Latham
Exnall’s chief inspector
Janne Palmer
Royal Marine colonel
Annette Ekelund
Possessor
Gerald Skibbow
Refugee
Dr Riley Dobbs
Royal Navy personality debrief psychology expert
Jansen Kovak
Royal Navy medical institute nurse
Moyo
Possessor
Stephanie Ash
Possessor
Cochrane
Possessor
Rana
Possessor
Tina Sudol
Possessor
NEW CALIFORNIA
Jezzibella
Mood Fantasy artist
Leroy Octavius
Jezzibella’s manager
Libby
Jezzibella’s dermal technology expert
Al
Brad Lovegrove’s possessor
Avram Harwood III
Mayor of San Angeles
Emmet Mordden
Organization lieutenant
Silvano Richmann
Organization lieutenant
Mickey Pileggi
Organization lieutenant
Patricia Mangano
Organization lieutenant
Gus Remar
Rover reporter
Kingsley Pryor
Lieutenant commander, Confederation Navy
Luigi Balsmao
Commander Organization fleet
Cameron Leung
Possessor blackhawk Zahan
Oscar Kearn
Captain Organization frigate Urschel
KULU
Alastair II
The King
Simon, Duke of Salion
Chairman security commission
Lord Kelman Mountjoy
Foreign Office minister
Lady Phillipa Oshin
Prime minister
Admiral Lavaquar
Defence chief
Prince Howard
Kulu Corporation president
Prince Noton
Ex-president Kulu Corporation
NYVAN
Gelai
Possessor, Garissa genocide victim
Ngong
Possessor, Garissa genocide victim
Omain
Possessor, Garissa genocide victim
Richard Keaton
Data security expert
Baranovich
Organization lieutenant
Adrian Redway
ESA head of station
OTHERS
CONFEDERATION
Olton Haaker
Assembly President
Jeeta Anwar
Chief presidential aide
Mae Ortlieb
Presidential science aide
Cayeaux
Edenist ambassador
Sir Maurice Hall
Kulu Kingdom ambassador
EDENISTS
Wing-Tsit Chong
Edenism’s founder
Athene
Syrinx’s mother
Astor
Ambassador to the Kulu Kingdom
Sinon
Syrinx’s father
1
It seemed to Louise Kavanagh as though the fearsome midsummer heat had persisted for endless, dreary weeks rather than just the four Duke-days since the last meagre shower of rain. “Air from the devil’s cookhouse,” the old women of the county called this awful unbreathable stillness which blanketed the wolds. It complemented Louise’s mood perfectly. She didn’t feel much of anything these days. Destiny had apparently chosen her to spend her waking hours doing nothing but wait.
Officially, she was waiting for her father, who was away leading the Stoke County militia to help quell the insurrection which the Democratic Land Union had mounted in Boston. The last time he’d phoned was three days ago, a quick, grim call saying the situation was worse than the Lord Lieutenant had led them to believe. That had made Louise’s mother worry frantically. Which meant Louise and Genevieve had to creep around Cricklade manor like mice so as not to worsen her temper.
And there had been no word since, not of Father or any of the militia troops. The whole county was crackling with rumours, of course. Of terrible battles and beastly acts of savagery by the Union irregulars. Louise tried hard to close her ears to them, convinced it was just wicked propaganda put about by Union sympathisers. Nobody really knew anything. Boston could have been on another planet as far as Stoke County was concerned. Even bland accounts of “disturbances,” reported on the nightly news programs, had ceased after the county militias encircled the city—censored by the government.
All they could do was wait helplessly for the militias to triumph as they surely would.
Louise and Genevieve had spent yet another morning milling aimlessly around the manor. It was a tricky task; sitting about doing nothing was so incredibly boring, yet if they drew attention to themselves they would be given some menial domestic job to do. With the young men away, the maids and older menservants were struggling with the normal day-to-day running of the rambling building. And the estate farms outside, with their skeleton workforce, were falling dismayingly far behind in their preparations for the summer’s second cereal crop.
By lunchtime, the ennui had started to get to Louise, so she had suggested that she and her sister go riding. They had to saddle the horses themselves, but it was worth it just to be away from the manor for a few hours.
Louise’s horse picked its way gingerly over the ground. Duke’s hot rays had flayed open the soil, producing a wrinkled network of cracks. The aboriginal plants which had all flowered in unison at midsummer were long dead now. Where ten days ago the grassland had been dusted with graceful white and pink stars, small shrivelled petals now skipped about like minute autumn leaves. In some hollows they had drifted in loose dunes up to a foot deep.
“Why do you suppose the Union hates us so?” Genevieve asked querulously. “Just because Daddy’s got a temper doesn’t mean he’s a bad man.”
Louise produced a sympathetic smile for her younger sister. Everyone said how alike they were, twins born four years apart. And indeed it was a bit like looking into a mirror at times; the same features, rich dark hair, delicate nose, and almost Oriental eyes. But Genevieve was smaller, and slightly chubbier. And right now, brokenly glum.
Genevieve had been sensitive to her moodiness for the last week, not wanting to say anything significant in case it made big sister even more unaccountably irritable.
She does idolize me so, Louise thought. Pity she couldn’t have chosen a better role model.
“It’s not just Daddy, nor even the Kavanaghs,” Louise said. “They simply don’t like the way Norfolk works.”
“But why? Everybody in Stoke County is happy.”
“Everybody in the county is provided for. There’s a difference. How would you feel if you had to work in the fields all day long for every day of your life, and saw the two of us riding by without a care in the world?”
Genevieve looked puzzled. “Not sure.”
“You’d resent it, and you’d want to change places.”
“I suppose so.” She gave a sly grin. “Then I’d be the one who resented them.”
“Exactly. That’s the problem.”
“But the things people are saying the Union is doing . . .” Genevieve said uncertainly. “I heard two of the maids talking about it this morning. They were saying horrible things. I ran away after a minute.”
“They’re lying. If anybody in Stoke County knew what was going on in Boston, it would be us, the Kavanaghs. The maids are going to be the last to find out.”