Unfaithful Covenant by Michael Anderle

Author:Michael Anderle [Anderle, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-64971-091-8
Publisher: LMBPN Publishing

Chapter Twenty-Eight

October 4, 2230, Solar System, En Route to UTC Space Fleet Base Penglai, Aboard Argo

Jia leapt from the barren, rocky ledge, arms outstretched. If she didn’t snag the rope, she’d plummet into the river below. Her hand almost cleared the rope before she tightened her fingers, her arms jerking.

Erik wanted to clap, even if it was a simulation. He’d run this course fifteen minutes prior, and he knew how difficult it was. While he wanted her to succeed, he also hoped she finished slower than his time. Sometimes a man needed bragging rights.

“They don’t have rivers and ledges on New Samarkand,” Jia complained. “Shouldn’t this course have reflected the planet or Sogdia better? We should be running through a densely packed urban environment, jumping from building to building, rappelling down walls.”

“We’re not doing this to prepare for New Samarkand,” Erik replied.

“We aren’t?” Jia asked, sounding surprised.

“No.” Erik laughed. “This is us using simulators for fun. When I suggested this, I thought it’d be an entertaining contest, not battle prep for the mission.”

“Fun?” Jia huffed and wiped the sweat off her brow. “That’s what we’re calling this? I don’t know if having to roll under those falling log traps was fun.”

Jia couldn’t see Erik, though he was at the edge of the room. Holographic clouds concealed his presence. The nano-AR room aboard the Argo could only handle one person at a time in the extreme obstacle course simulation unless they were running it at the same time and pace. Thus far, her performance suggested that was a possibility. She was closing in on the final leg of the short but intense course.

Jia swung on the rope like a pendulum, speeding toward the other ledge. She released and landed with a smooth roll before jumping to her feet. After a couple of deep breaths, she sprinted toward a hill with statues of Zitarks breathing fire along the path.

Erik clapped. “That was a lot nicer than my crash into the ledge. Try not to get singed.”

“It’s annoying, always having to go so far to get the jumpship,” Jia puffed. “If the ship was right by Earth, we wouldn’t have to spend time doing things like this to keep us entertained.”

Erik laughed. “We do this kind of thing on Earth too. I think you should accept that we’re weird.”

“Not weird,” Jia insisted. “Non-standard.”

“Which is another way of saying weird.”

“It sounds less antisocial.” Jia’s breathing was ragged from her pace. “But don’t tell me you like having to fly all the way to the asteroid belt to pick up the ship.”

“Have to keep it safe,” Erik replied. “It’s safer there than it would be parked near Earth.”

“They could house it at one of the major Fleet bases,” Jia suggested, picking up speed. She approached the bottom of the hill and surged forward, the fire-breathing space raptor statue missing her entirely. “Without Emma, the ship can’t jump anyway. They could park it at a Fleet base closer to Earth and save us a lot of time, which would mean we could solve problems quicker.

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.