Chapter Seven: Balrak
Ranglen’s hotel stood near a crossroads of the rapid transit lines that laced Annulus. Someday the area might grow into a town but now it was little more than several motels, general stores, restaurants, and support services for travelers, whether tourists in self-contained shuttle cars or the drivers of heavy transport. Most drivers avoided automatic guidance systems to maintain a “frontier” mood, but the roads contained power-grids so true independent steering was not allowed. Ranglen enjoyed the feeling of adventure such road-stops provided, a sense of on-the-go.
As he passed through the lobby of his hotel, an elderly woman sitting on a couch stood up and approached him. “Mr. Ranglen,” she said in a firm voice, “could I speak with you?”
She wore a vest with many
