Island in a Sea of Stars by Kevin J. Anderson Page B

reminded them both of how vast the universe was, and how little it contained. When they had nothing but light years around them, they came upon an amazing anomaly—a cluster of gas bags far from any star system, bloated globules, each twice the size of the ship.
    Seth leaned forward, studying both the sensor screens and the unfiltered view through the windowport. “They’re bloated and floating. Maybe we should call them … bloaters.”
    Garrison ran a quick diagnostic. “Never seen anything like it.”
    The membranous bubbles seemed organic, drifting along in a loose gathering. In the dim light of faraway stars, the spherical structures were greenish brown, filmy membranes that each enclosed a blurry nucleus. Tens of thousands of them formed an island in a sea of stars.
    Seth said, “Are they alive?”
    Garrison shut down the engines so their ship could drift toward the gas bags. “No idea.” The strange objects seemed majestic—silent, yet powerful. They filled him with a sense of wonder.
    A random glimmer of light brightened one of the nodules, an internal flash that faded. Another bloater flickered, then faded.
    As he and his father stared through the windowports, Seth asked, “Did we just make a discovery?”
    â€œMaybe we did, but I couldn’t tell you what it means.” Garrison moored the ship among the thousands of silent, eerie bloaters. “Let’s just stay here for awhile.”

2
    ELISA REEVES
    Elisa was so furious and indignant she could barely think straight, but she had enough common sense to maintain her composure. She squashed her instinctive reaction and clung to her professional demeanor like armor.
    She could not let Lee Iswander see her like this. There was too much at stake, and her responsibilities were too great. Her kidnapped son, as well as her husband’s betrayal, were only part of what she had to worry about. Priorities had to be weighed and balanced.
    He took my son! He stole a ship, and he left me behind!
    Even before she’d married him, she had known Garrison was a backward bumpkin, but he had said all the right words. Together, they had laid out their great plans, and he agreed to do the proper things, keep his eyes focused on the Guiding Star that would change everything for them.
    And Elisa had believed him. That made her as angry as anything else. She had believed him! She hated to feel like a fool.
    Elisa presented herself at the door to Iswander’s office, in Tower One of the Sheol lava-processing complex. Tower One had five decks of offices and habitation spaces, standing high on carbon-reinforced ceramic struts. All around them, scarlet lakes oozed up from molten springs to form a shimmering—some called it terrifying—panorama.
    Elisa was a lovely woman with well-sculpted features, a pointed chin, and a generous mouth. Her face was not soft by any measure, but her hazel eyes had a penetrating quality. She could shape her emotions as she wished, because different situations required different personalities, different responses. There was an entire subset of moods that she had never shown Garrison because she had not needed to—until recently. He took my son!
    Outside of Iswander’s office Elisa straightened her uniform and took a moment to compose her expression. She ran fingers through her short, professional-length auburn hair with highlights of gold. When she was ready, she entered.
    Lee Iswander was a busy man, an important man, but he always had time for her. As far as she could tell, he didn’t hold her husband’s irresponsible behavior against her.
    Iswander stood with impeccable posture before the wall of thick polarized windows that looked out upon hell. His charcoal-colored suit fit him well. A frosting of gray at the temples of his dark brown hair gave him a distinguished look. He was a man who inspired respect and confidence at first glance. He was a boss, a business