Randolph Lalonde - Spinward Fringe Broadcast 08 - Renegades by Randolph Lalonde

Author:Randolph Lalonde
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Literature & Fiction, Space Opera, Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Publisher: Randolph Lalonde
Published: 2014-03-17T14:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 31

The Decks Have Ears

The shuffle and bustle of the Warlord’s new crew getting ready for departure still rang in Alice’s ears. It was hours later, and the Warlord was accelerating down a wormhole, using the hyperdrive system to speed things along. The ship also sent microscopic wormholes out ahead in all directions, invisible tendrils for their scanners to get a picture of what’s well ahead. The hum of the exterior emitters could be heard faintly throughout the ship. It was a different vessel to her, with new decks, new walls, a different floor plan than the one she vaguely recalled. It made it easy for her to understand what it was like for most of the crew who were still new to the ship.

She’d broken her rule against using her direct mental connection to her comm unit outside of combat to rapidly view the new roster and crew details. There were exactly two hundred and ten aboard, and all of the new crewmembers were experienced with vetted service records. The Triton and Ayan took on the people who needed extended training, so the people the Warlord took on only needed to learn about that ship; they were qualified for their assignments aboard.

Alice was security. Her responsibility was to know every nook and cranny of the ship, where people were supposed to be, and to make sure that nothing unusual or detrimental to the ship or the Warlord’s crew was going on. Her first shift, probably the busiest she’d see for the foreseeable future, was over, and while she was relieved at finishing the boarding and departure prep shift, she was also bored.

It was the first watch while the Warlord was underway, and most of the new crew were resting in their quarters. The galley was closed, as were the two cargo bays that doubled as recreation areas while they were empty, and even the Officer’s lounge was dark and empty. It was time for the off-duty crew to report to their bunks, to try to get some sleep, and the ship was quiet.

Alice couldn’t sleep, however, so she spent her time quietly walking the decks. Her uniform marked her as a security officer, a heavy vacsuit with a Violator handgun strapped to one thigh, and a big barrelled revolver on the other. The revolver was loaded with grip slugs that would expand before striking the target and wrap them in a cocoon-like bubble so they couldn’t move. With every vacsuit aboard hardened against electromagnetic pulses and most other weapons, it was the only way to effectively disable people. Alice enjoyed the fact that she could buy many other types of shells for the weapon, such as web, shield, antigravity, EMP, and of course anti-armour explosive rounds. Alice couldn’t understand why Ashley didn’t carry hers all the time.

The hallway narrowed closer to the bridge, to the point where two fully armoured crewmembers would rub shoulders if they were to walk side by side. There had already been complaints about it, but Alice knew why that part of the ship was built that way.

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