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This week with Arlene and Jeff:
...Ship dropped out of warp some 15 billion miles from the star they were approaching, still in interstellar space. Now confident that his calculations had been correct, the Navigator informed his Captain.
“Very well. Pilot, jump us forward another 5 billion miles, give or take, toward our destination. No need to be precise this far out.”
After only a few seconds, the Pilot said, “Course laid in, Sir.”
“Go.”
After breaking out of warp, they waited while Helen’s instruments scanned the system. In her secondary position as Science Officer, she said, “Ship has detected six planets. One is a frozen rock approximately four billion miles from the Primary, two are gas giants, and one is too near the star to even have an atmosphere. The other two are within the Goldilocks zone. We need to move closer before I can obtain more detailed information.”...
Have a goodun;
Roust
This week with Arlene and Jeff:
...“Again, as you know, Ship doesn’t use nuclear energy for her drives, but channels energy from another ‘energy’ plane. The magnitude of energies unleashed is truly mind-boggling, but she claims her closed systems make them ultra-safe. That said, I still shudder to think what would happen if one of those boarders had managed to get a shaped charge through the engine room’s shields. Ship, however, says that, at worst, the charge would only have furnished her primary energy source with yet more power.
“And speaking of shields, I know little about how Ship’s work, but I understand that she has Primary and Secondary shields. When the Primary shields overload, the Secondary shields take over, and they operate on an entirely different principle. Instead of deflecting or absorbing the beam, they channel the power to another dimension that absorbs any amount of power channeled to it – in theory. But – there seems always to be a ‘but’ – that second set of shields has never been tested. Oh, she has channeled power to them, and they worked the way she thought they would, but they have never been tested in combat...
Have a goodun;
Roust
This week with Arlene and Jeff:
...Dessie stood looking at her husband for a couple of seconds before turning to the others. “Suppose I spread the fire out enough to heat some water so we can warm the MREs and fry some potatoes. We’re totally out of our freeze-dried meals, and if I remember correctly, MREs come in a distant second to the freeze dried, but as I said, I’m all for something different.”
Dessie put a pot of water on to heat and got her skillet out while Ann sliced several potatoes. Arlene looked over at Dessie. “Why don’t we share everything? Maybe like a picnic? That way we can all have a really nice meal while we wait for Little One to pronounce Phillip healed.
“I have a good-sized trout on the stringer, and we aren’t in a hurry. Why don’t I get it, and we’ll have a little picnic while we wait?”
An hour later, they had finished and cleaned up, had taken down the tent, and repacked, including the two-wheel cart. Dessie had saved food for her husband in case he might be hungry.
Arlene told them that it wouldn’t be a case of “might be hungry,” but more a case of ravenous.
Dessie had asked Arlene and Ann about the war, and they told her of some of their exploits, although it was obvious that Dessie’s mind was on her husband’s condition more than the conversation.
After a while, Dessie was sitting on a log staring at the smoldering coals of their cook fire when she happened to notice Arlene turn her head and smile.
“Dessie?” a deep voice quietly said...
Have a goodun;
Roust
This week with Arlene and Jeff:
...Desperately trying to believe they were still safely in the field behind their campsite, Dessie spun the controls, and the scene obediently shifted a full circle as the view shifted flawlessly from one camera to another to return to her original picture of the stars and the Earth.
“AI,” Arlene ordered, “let us feel our inertia.”
“Affirmative.”
“On my order, give us an acceleration of three G’s for ten seconds.”
“Three G’s for ten seconds. Standing by.”
“Dessie, turn your seat to face me, grab the armrests and take a breath.”
Before she could think about it, Dessie did as instructed.
“AI, initiate.”
“Three G’s for ten seconds – now.”
Dessie was glad she had sucked in a breath just as the acceleration started. She felt as if an elephant suddenly decided to sit on her chest, but almost as soon as the acceleration started, it abruptly stopped, and she felt normal again.
“You okay?” Arlene asked.
“Uh, sure. But even I know that our technology isn’t good enough for this to bring us twenty thousand miles up in…”
“Shall we try four gravities for twenty seconds?” Arlene asked, much too sweetly...
Have a goodun;
Roust
This week with Arlene and Jeff:
...The Prime thought for a moment, but before he could say anything, Ship managed to match frequencies, and a fuzzy picture appeared on the holo screen, faded out, then back in before suddenly coming to sharp clarity, which wasn’t necessarily a plus as far as Kayla was concerned. “This guy sets the standards for ugly,” she quietly said to the accompaniment of chuckles.
“Graex,” Jeff snarled. “I knew I would meet those ugly bastards again one day.”
“You’ve seen them before?” the General asked. “Upon second thought, now I remember them from a video you sent me.”
“Yeah. These guys, or at least the same race, attacked one of the research groups my team and I were sent to bail out. They don’t seem to believe in brotherly love. Shoot first is more their style. In a word, they’re pirates, and they will fight as long as they have the advantage. Failing that, they tend to cut and run.”...
Have a goodun;
Roust
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