Ventus by Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 510
floor.
Shielding his eyes, he said, "Ever wanted to travel?" to
Turcaret. "Well now's your chance." He fired the laser,
flicking it quickly right-to-left.
The worst part was reaching into the sarcophagus in the
dark, and pulling Turcaret’s mostly-severed head off his body.
When he had the stinking thing free, Axel jammed it into his
pack and stepped back to retch.
"I better get a medal for this."
"Locked onto your signal," said the ship. "We’re on final
approach. We should be visible to you."
Axel listened. Confused shouting came from outside the
crypt. "We see you," he sent.
It was easy to open the door of the crypt and saunter out.
Nobody was paying him the least bit of attention.
It was also easy to see, since the sky was lit from horizon
to horizon by the vernier engines of a nicely solid and real
military starship about a kilometer overhead. As it stopped
directly over the field, threw out four massive landing legs and
began its descent with a deafening roar, the soldiers around the
crypt bolted for the trees. Axel put his fingers in his ears,
squinted, and walking out to meet the ship.
In moments it was down, metal feet sinking into the
snow, then the ground, finally easing to a stop as thousands of
tonnes of weight made the ship’s diamond-fiber muscles
quiver. The vernier engines, which it held high above itself on
long arms, coughed and fell silent. Axel took his fingers out of
his ears, and shook his head rapidly. A breeze smelling of hot
metal tickled his cheek.
A wide door in the bottom of the craft opened, and a
broad ramp extended to touch ground. Men in vacuum armor
jumped out and began to take up firing positions. Axel felt