Spinward Fringe Broadcast 12 by Randolph Lalonde

Author:Randolph Lalonde [Lalonde, Randolph]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-988175-18-8
Publisher: Randolph Lalonde

Twenty-One

Lacklustre Success

* * *

The alarm went off, and Alice's first reaction was to roll out of bed and put both her feet flat on the floor. Three and a half hours of deep sleep had come to a sudden halt and her head was left in a fog. Through the reflex she gained while she was in the Academy, those clear-headed days, she recalled the next important task ahead of her. If she was reading a mission objective chart, it would say something like: RETURN TO THE MERCILESS AND DELIVER THE ECHO SYSTEM PACKAGE.

The ship would arrive in the Haven System soon unless something went horribly wrong. A glance at the command unit on her right wrist confirmed that. They would arrive in fourteen minutes. The box they'd stashed the Echo Corporation Communications Core in was in the secure closet in the middle of the ship. It could survive more damage than any other part of the vessel, and she knew it could transmit. The system was intact, at least, and the database inside was unlocked, probably so any human who came across it could use it. The last person to record a message and set it to broadcast must have been kind-hearted, or at least a big supporter of 'Team Human.' No one was listening though, at least no one who cared to respond or send help.

For a moment Alice allowed herself to imagine what it would have been like if she had that technology while she was with Bernice. If that technology was loose in the galaxy, if everyone had one she would have been able to find Jacob in minutes, sending messages out to him that would reach every civilized system. What would it have been like if she didn't have to spend so much time running from Meunez? If she found Jacob Valent early and joined the crew of the Samson?

There may have been a long time for her to get to know him, Stephanie, Frost, Ashley, and the rest of his crew. She would have been able to keep track of friends that were months away by signal. Then again, the Holocaust Virus could have transmitted almost instantly to thousands of worlds where there were more emotional artificial intelligences than people. The destruction could have been worse, it could have been utter, instead of leaving hundreds of civilized fringe systems untouched because they were able to shut their vulnerable computers down in time. With a shake of her head, she moved on, noting the passing of those thoughts as she muttered; "'What if' doesn't matter now."

A quick double check of her uniform, a few seconds spent sorting her hair out and she was stomping into her boots, slipping into her long coat and on her way out of her quarters. It may have taken her a few moments to shake the cobwebs from her quick rest, but she hadn't had sleep that good since she could remember. "I love this ship," she sighed to herself. She found it much more comfortable than her military housing.

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