Talking to Yama

By Linda Jordan

Reilly struggles against the harsh reality that is Paradiso, heat, sandstorms, and the aphrodisiac sanshay, to untangle a web of smuggling, dead miners and power plays. Will she find out who’s hiding the truth before they kill her?
A Paradiso Story

• Language: English
• Publisher: Metamorphosis Press
• Release date: Jun 24, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476110967

Linda Jordan

Linda Jordan writes fascinating characters, visionary worlds, and imaginative fiction. She creates both long and short fiction, serious and silly. She believes in the power of healing and transformation, and many of her stories follow those themes.In a previous lifetime, Linda coordinated the Clarion West Writers’ Workshop as well as the Reading Series. She spent four years as Chair of the Board of Directors during Clarion West’s formative period. She’s also worked as a travel agent, a baker, and a pond plant/fish sales person, you know, the sort of things one does as a writer.Currently, she’s the Programming Director for the Writers Cooperative of the Pacific Northwest.Linda now lives in the rainy wilds of Washington state with her husband, daughter, four cats, a cluster of Koi and an infinite number of slugs and snails.

Book preview

Talking to Yama

by

Linda Jordan

Contents

~Talking to Yama

~About the Author

Talking to Yama

The humidity hit Reilly Wong like a wave of water as she walked quickly down the transport ramp and into the tunnel. The humidity had to be piped into the system. One last gasp of moisture before people were slapped in the face with desert. The scent of sanshay filled the air, smelling like a combination of sandalwood and roses.

Surprising that it couldn’t be filtered out of the air, but she supposed that’s why she needed the nalos.

Her gold chrome gilt pinged with a new message from Fidelity. It was from her micro-managing supervisor, warning her once again that Paradiso Mining Company would probably have someone looking for her. Which was why she’d decided to get the new gilt before leaving Earth and not later in the year.

She had to shave her head for the installation, so now her hair was only an inch long. She liked the way this new gilt curved and spiraled around her head. All of PMC’s data on her would be old and show her with long hair. She didn’t think they’d use facial recognition. Their technology was prehistoric in all areas except mining and finances. And she’d get to the bottom of those. She’d find more evidence that the bastards were hiding something, something big.

She wove through the couples, threesomes and other clumps of passengers on her way to the terminal. Reilly fanned herself with the antiquated paper passport and entered the spacious building. Warm, rosy-peach walls edged with gold and anchored by yellow-ochre tiles contrasted with the cool air. She would have used blues and greens to decorate the terminal.

The humidity felt overwhelming standing among the tangle of tropical vines and flowers climbing stairways and across balustrades. Sweat formed beneath her breasts. Calming music with sensual undertones floated through the air. Everywhere wafted the seductive scent of sanshay. The reason Reilly was here.

She passed through the security scans, declaring the Corp Worker Level 2 enhancements which she was limited to in her line of work, and wove between stalls of native flower vendors to claim her bags. Reilly had only seen images of the Paradisians.

Towering over her at eight feet, the semi-humanoids were imposing and her shoulder muscles tightened at the possible threat. Even though Paradisians were known for their peacefulness and honesty. She looked away, embarrassed to be staring like a rude tourist, forcing her mind to overrule her body’s reaction.

She tapped her camel colored flats on the tile floor while the scanners finished up with passengers’ luggage. Holding her palm up under the machine, her immunization and travel history flashed across the screen. She watched her suitcase appear in the slot.

Groups on either side of her did the same, while oohing and aahing about the decor, the flowers and the smell of sanshay. They sidled up to each other, already entangled. Nuzzling each other, laughing and flirting.

Reilly looked away, thankful for the suppressant she’d taken. Public displays