Camouflage

The ex-captain wears a borrowed face and life, allowing him to sit in public while hiding from the Ship's authorities. But then one of the most powerful captains comes to the fugitive with a mission. There is a corpse that needs to be studied. There is a nameless passenger who needs unspecified help. And there is a conspiracy involving aliens and humans and family ties and millions of years of painful history.

"Built in the upper reaches of Fall Away, overlooking the permanent clouds of the Little-Lot, the facility was an expansive collection of natural caverns and minimal tunnels. Strictly speaking, the Faith of the Many Joinings wasn't a church or holy site, though it was wrapped securely around an ancient faith. Nor was it a commercial house, though money and barter items were often given to its resident staff. And it wasn't a brothel, as far as the Ship's codes were concerned. Nothing sexual happened within its walls, and no one involved in its mysteries gave his or her body for anything as crass as income. Most passengers didn't even realize that such a place existed. Among those who did, most regarded it as an elaborate and very strange meetinghouse -- like-minded souls would pass through its massive wooden door to make friends, and when possible, fall in love. But for the purposes of taxes and law, the captains had decided on a much less romantic designation. Borrowing an ancient human word, the space was labeled to be an accredited library."

Robert Reed has written more than two dozen Great Ship stories and novels. "Camouflage" is focused on Pamir, the ex-captain who is always ready for a fight.


Genre: Science Fiction