Worldship Files: Cityships by Erik Schubach

Author:Erik Schubach
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Erik Schubach

Chapter 8 – We Are the World

The rest of the day was spent helping the quartermaster coordinate supplies and sending security details out with the relief workers as they were led around to evaluate the citizens of the Redemption most in need of medical assistance.

Our doctors tell me that the medical services and personnel on the ships are woefully ill-equipped to handle all but the most basic of medical emergencies, and they apparently have no treatment available to mitigate radiation poisoning, which is virtually never fatal on the World as it is very treatable and reversible with time. Such treatments are critical on spacecraft traveling through high cosmic radiation expanses of interstellar space.

I was reviewing the data and visuals from Myra after I secured clearance for her to fly around the twin vessels to evaluate them for damage and space-worthiness.

One thing struck me as strange, and it had her as well since she had highlighted the damage around the section of the Yammato which had been torn away. The burns and melted metal at the shear zone looked to be burns made by high energy weapons instead of space debris.

We postulated, “Perhaps they used their mining ships to shear off some dangerous debris after the damage had occurred?”

When we were silent for a bit as I just stared at the data, she asked, “That's it? You aren't going to contact them to inquire?”

I smirked and asked as I switched over to the data feed from my wrist console on Delphine's arm, “I notice that you didn't either.”

She chuckled and purred out, “I'm glad to see things aren't adding up for you either. I thought it was just me.”

Shaking my head I said, “Even Mother has an uneasy feeling about this whole thing.”

“It...”

I repeated Mother's words to her, “Creeps you the fuck out?”

“Precisely.”

While I read over the dialogue of the diplomatic meeting, I absently shunted a feed from my helmet to her so she could see the reactions of the people in the ring and their condition. She was silent for a long time as she slowly flew back to dock with the Underhill.

I prompted since she technically held a higher rank than me even though I was the commander of the mission, “You hold the fort here? Mac and I have something we need to do.” The schematics of the interior of the Cityships were pulled up in my peripheral, courtesy of the detailed scans of the ships from Myra's magi-tech enhanced sensor sweeps.

“Rodger dodger, Fae-lips.”

Fae-lips? Just space me now, I hope nobody on the secondary tac-frequency was listening, I'd die of embarrassment if that got around. “Shut your feline face.”

She chuckled as I went back to the scans.

We had only seen about one percent of the inner ring volume. And the scattered returns showed that the ramshackle dwellings and business district was pretty much strung out along three quarters the circumference of the Redemption.

I sighed when I looked over at the two mag-loader sleds piled with foodstuffs, knowing we wouldn't even make a dent, but at least maybe some families wouldn't go hungry for one night.

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