Operation: Bug Spray (Argonauts Book 9) by Isaac Hooke

Author:Isaac Hooke [Hooke, Isaac]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, mobi, epub
Published: 2017-12-31T05:00:00+00:00

THE MOTLEY BROWN took the Gate from Qi Yu to Kuangshi after paying the appropriate bribe to customs. In Kuangshi, they flew past the Sino-Korean mining bases that operated on the moons of the out-system planets, and headed toward the second sun of the binary system.

Snakeoil flew a little close to that sun for comfort, reassuring Rade that “the heat armor would hold up.” He used the gravity of the sun to slingshot the Motley Brown to the far side, where the Super Earth was awaiting.

“Any queries from the mining companies in the system?” Rade asked Snakeoil. “Asking what we’re doing, nosing around the farther sun?”

“Nope,” Snakeoil said. “But I’m sure they think we’re some sort of scientists slash explorers. Or simply nuts.”

Rade took his place on the bridge as a virtual observer when the planet came into view.

“There’s our Gate, just as expected,” Snakeoil said.

Snakeoil had given Rade access to the tactical display, and the external nose cam, and he saw the Gate on both. It was a circular structure about ten million kilometers away from the planet, in a similar orbit.

“So Zhidao left it intact after all,” Rade said. “He could have easily dropped a missile behind him, programming it to destroy the Gate after he left.”

“Maybe he wants us to follow him?” Tahoe said. He was also on the bridge as a virtual observer, but piggybacking on Rade’s feed so that he wasn’t visible to any of the bridge crew. “Part of his entertainment?”

“I don’t know,” Rade said. “Maybe he couldn’t be bothered to destroy it. But whatever the case, we have to be ready for a trap on the other side.”

Snakeoil nodded. “Maggot, sound general quarters.”

“Sounding General Quarters,” the Motley Brown’s AI said. The ship’s AI had a slimy voice that matched its name. “Engaging Material Condition ZEBRA and charging vipers.”

ZEBRA meant all the breach seals between decks would close, ensuring maximum subdivision and ship tightness.

“The Builder will be arriving in a week or so,” Surus said. She was also piggybacking on Rade’s feed. “I’ve already ordered it to pass through when it gets here, so that it can begin constructing a return Gate.”

“Zhidao may be working on a return Gate of his own,” Rade said. “If he hasn’t already built one.”

“If so, we’ll dismiss the Builder,” Surus said. “They’ll be content to keep their deposit.”

Rade kept his bridge link active for the next hour, and watched the Motley Brown reach the Gate.

“Launch telemetry drone,” Snakeoil ordered. “I want it to pass in and out. Program it to begin decelerating well before it reaches the Gate, so that it doesn’t spend more than a second or so in the destination system.”

“Launching drone,” the ops specialist said.

Rade watched the blue dot representing the drone on the tactical display. It began to slow down as it reached the Gate, so that it was moving at almost a crawl by the time of contact. The blue indicator vanished from the display.

“Drone just passed through,” the ops specialist said. He looked up.

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