Battle Cruiser by B. V. Larson

Author:B. V. Larson [Larson, B. V.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2015-06-19T07:00:00+00:00

-28-

When Rumbold arrived on the bridge, he looked around with a gleam in his eye.

“Now this is a ship!” he laughed. “I can’t believe how quickly these eight-armed robots have gotten things put right. Zye, your people are to be commended for their efficiency.”

“Your compliment honors us both,” she said in a formal tone.

Rumbold’s eyebrows performed a quick up-down movement, indicating surprise, but he said nothing further. The crew seemed to be getting used to Zye’s odd responses.

Clapping his hands together loudly, Rumbold mounted the central stage with the three rotating command chairs.

“Where do I sit, Captain Sparhawk?”

Smiling, I indicated the helmsman’s spot. Yamada was stationed there at the moment, but she got up without complaint. She knew Rumbold was our best pilot. Her skills were more technical in nature.

“You have the conn, Chief,” she said, ushering him into the seat.

“Whoa!” he cried, rolling around in the spinning chair. “This isn’t a chair, it’s a roller coaster!”

Zye reached over and increased the friction settings on his chair so that it would only move with a deliberate effort.

“That’s better,” he said. “Thanks.”

Once settled, he seemed to finally notice that Zye was seated next to him.

“Excuse me, Captain,” he said, frowning and nodding sideways at the Beta woman. “Do we have new bridge personnel?”

“Yes, we do,” I said. “Zye knows the ship better than any of us. She’ll be handling the tactical controls. Yamada, sit at that station over there. You’ll take over communications and operate the tactical display coming from the battle computer.”

“Will do, sir,” she said.

Rumbold looked troubled, but he shrugged and put his hands on the console in front of him. Almost immediately, it began beeping error codes.

“Not like that,” Zye said. “The helm controls aren’t hooked up, but the computer will still respond as if they are. You can’t just tap at anything you feel like.”

“Oh…I see,” Rumbold said, lifting his hands gingerly. “The layout isn’t that strange—it’s based on the same intuitive gestures as our own consoles. But what’s this circular widget here?”

Zye and Rumbold were soon deep in a discussion of the finer points of the ship’s piloting controls. I dared to smile while I watched them. Rumbold naturally didn’t trust Zye—but we needed her. She was our interpreter, our guide.

Betas were technically human, and all their technology could be traced back to Earth designs. That said, more than a century had passed on both worlds. Despite the fact there hadn’t been many advances during the dark years of separation after the Cataclysm, there had been some change. Divergence of social and technological norms could only be expected.

Before Rumbold had learned more than the basics, a gruff male voice began speaking. The words boomed, reverberating from the walls of the bridge.

“To the trespassers aboard the salvaged vessel,” the voice said. “You are hereby advised and commanded to vacate the premises. The Independent Miners Confederation has laid claim to the ship you now illegally occupy, and we’ve formally filed with Earth Central for all salvage rights. Do not, I repeat, do not take anything with you when you leave.

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