Solar Warden by Peter Fuller

Author:Peter Fuller [Fuller, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2020-02-28T22:00:00+00:00

Scarecrow settled the TR-3B into its alcove as the crew removed their VRI helmets and stood together for a moment in the cockpit. Scarecrow turned to exit the bird, but Williams barred the way as he stooped in the cramped space. His eyes bored into Scarecrow’s.

“Sir,” he said, “you did good today. You kept us alive. Your tactics were sound … and so was your piloting.”

“What he said,” MacPherson added. They cast their comrade a reassuring smile as Williams augmented his own with a pat on the back.

“Thank you,” Scarecrow replied, “both of you.” Then he smiled as well. “A Chinese finger puzzle, eh Stacey? I guess that’s one way to look at it.”

“Works for me,” MacPherson said as she turned and exited the TR-3B.

“Out of the mouths of babes …” Scarecrow shook his head as Williams smiled.

“Yup. She’s definitely got it goin’ on.”

Scarecrow caught a twinkle in William’s eye as the WSO peered out of the open hatch. “No. I didn’t mean it that way. I was referring to the biblical quote. And how old are you anyways?”

“I didn’t mean it that way, either,” Williams lied. “I was referring to the way she knows these birds inside and out.” He deflected as he turned to face his pilot. “I wish you would have told us you were concerned about us being able to read your mind. You can’t read my thoughts through the neural interface, can you? Or Stacey’s?”

“No. All I get are impressions.”

“Exactly. Listen, I get it – you’re worried about us finding skeletons in your closet. We’re all afraid of that. Anybody who wants to crawl around inside my head had better have a morbid taste for bones. And the idea of somebody digging around in there, especially an AI that could record it all, gives me the willies. But you should have known.”

“I guess you’re right. My fear was irrational, and I let it get the best of me. I’m sorry, Vince.”

“No problem. At least you’ve finally got things under control. I can’t wait to see how you perform now.” He cast Scarecrow an impish smile. His countenance morphed to a more serious air as he changed the subject. “What I want to know is how a division of fastwalkers were able to pinpoint our trajectory from outside the solar system. They were headed straight for us and only altered their vector when we changed course. They knew exactly where we were. How?”

“Don’t they have sensors as advanced as our own?”

“Yes, but pinpointing a lone TR-3B in stealth mode from that far out is like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. Even with their sensors. We need to look into this, Sir. I’ll get with Stacey and check the flight logs and our own sensor data. See if we can determine whether or not the enemy has upgraded their sensor capabilities. Or worse, if they were fed intel.”

1. Ancient Canaanite word for “servant.”

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.