# Read the first page of Envy by Rebecca Dengate Read the opening of Envy by Rebecca Dengate free, no signup. A colony cut off from Earth slides toward civil war, narrated by the AI inside an environment suit. - Page: https://uncovered.ink/read/envy-rebecca-dengate - Genre: Science fiction - Year: 2021 - ISBN: 9781005278809 - Read it blind (cover and title hidden): https://uncovered.ink/?b=9990000000017&s=read-page - Buy: https://bookshop.org/a/125786/9781005278809 - Borrow: https://search.worldcat.org/search?q=9781005278809 ## The opening The streets of Selene are noisy tonight. Li's Procession marches through the narrow streets of the city, past terraced houses and shops and through stone archways, toward the square. Commander Gabriel Ortega stands at the back of the crowd, monitoring the procession. I see what he sees, but less than I usually can, because today he’s not wearing an environment suit. Just his lightweight wearable. A visor with camera embedded in the rim, and earbud, mike and speakers in the frame. Hundreds of Lunites fill the street, with more along the procession’s route. Some four hundred thousand people are in Selene to attend the tenth annual Waning Festival. Selene is the largest city on the planet Endymion, and tonight it is packed with visitors. Ortega climbs onto the first of three stone steps leading into the building behind him, to avoid a man shuffling past with his children, but perhaps also to get a better view now that the street is crowded. The people look strangely homogenous in their traditional navy blue Lunite cloaks. The five-story buildings either side of the street reach toward the clearsteel cap. Here in the triple-star system Gliese 667, the star Gliese 667C illuminates the granite streets with a fire-colored light, together with an eerie glow from the nearby binary system. Today there are handheld lanterns everywhere as well, like fireflies bobbing in among the crowd. In the procession, the bloated effigy of the Saturated Consumer is carried on a platform, with six men either side. They are blank faced with strain as they march to the beat of the music. It’s the one time of the year that recorded music is allowed to be played. This recording is by Magdalena Czajkowski, Ortega said, recorded in 2271. It has none of the energy of the live music I’m accustomed to, yet the knowledge that it was recorded some three hundred years ago makes it interesting to me. “Gabriel!” Ortega swivels to see Mark Johnson standing beside him on the step, cloaked in Lunite navy and smiling widely. Two teenage girls nearby have noticed Mark and are whispering to each other and giggling. Everyone knows Mark, son of the governor, but Mark also stands out in a crowd. He glows, almost. Something about the fervent look in his eyes, or the way he holds himself erect like a dancer. The girls barely glance at Ortega, who is older, plainer, and grimmer. Ortega is also in uniform rather than a cloak, since he’s on duty, so he’s conspicuously apart from the crowd. In a fight, you would want Ortega by your side. He looks like a fighter, and he would probably even stop the fight from starting, with that look on his face that says he knows he’s going to win. Mark would be the one who started the fight, not because it amused him, but because he wouldn’t see it coming. He would be genuinely surprised when the first punch landed. “Mark,” Ortega says without enthusiasm. “How’s the family?” Mark says. “Great.” Mark’s smile fades slightly at Ortega’s curt reply. You would never call Ortega talkative, but this is rude even for him. It’s how he talks to Mark, though. I don’t know why. The Plugged-in and Disconnected Procession marches behind the Saturated Consumer. They have an uncomprehending look, as if they’ve been brain damaged by carbon monoxide exposure. They pretend to be listening to music through their earphones and check fake phones as they walk. On a wrought-iron balcony three stories up, on the opposite side of the passage, a gray-haired woman holds a device in front of her, captivated by the light it shines on her face. The device doesn’t look like a fake. She isn’t part of the procession. It looks like she is holding a camera. Ortega and his soldiers are focused on the march, as is everybody. No one is looking up. I deliberate for a moment before ignoring her. Cameras are forbidden, but for the Waning Festival many things that are usually forbidden are allowed. She isn’t doing any harm. “What do you want?” Ortega says, when Mark shows no sign of moving on. “This can’t just be a social conversation?” Mark says. Ortega turns away. “Fine,” Mark says hurriedly. He moves closer to Ortega, and lowers his voice. “I heard from a source that the Scorpions are building a Starjump.” Ortega turns to him, looking directly at him for the first time this conversation. Mark stares back at Ortega with irises the color of strong black tea. These days I can mostly interpret facial expressions without help, but Mark’s expression is hard to read, so I rely on my facial analyzer. I normally use the analyzer to determine my wearer’s expression, since I can’t directly see my wearer’s face, but it can also be used for non-wearers. Mark’s expression comes back as serious but secretly pleased; I am not surprised that I couldn’t guess that one. ## Books with a similar feel - [The Hopkins Manuscript by R.C. Sherriff](https://uncovered.ink/read/the-hopkins-manuscript-r-c-sherriff.md) - [Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel](https://uncovered.ink/read/sea-of-tranquility-emily-st-john-mandel.md) - [Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir](https://uncovered.ink/read/project-hail-mary-andy-weir.md) - [Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel](https://uncovered.ink/read/sleeping-giants-sylvain-neuvel.md) - [Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky](https://uncovered.ink/read/children-of-time-adrian-tchaikovsky.md) - [Ready Player One by Ernest Cline](https://uncovered.ink/read/ready-player-one-ernest-cline.md) --- Source: Uncovered (https://uncovered.ink). A short sample shown for reading and discovery. Rights holders can request removal at https://uncovered.ink/takedown.