199 lines
5.4 KiB
Plaintext
199 lines
5.4 KiB
Plaintext
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Space Travel
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Copyright, Adam Poszar, 1990.
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"Crap!" Captain James yelled, ripping off his headset
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and violently throwing it behind him toward the roof of
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the ship's cabin. "Darned static, almost broke an ear
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drum!"
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His copilot, Android A14A, silently nodded while
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casually tracking the gravity-free trajectory of the
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headset across the interstellar freighter's cabin. It
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gradually slowed as it stretched to the end of its coiled
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telephone-like cord. A14A watched it stop briefly in
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center-cabin before beginning its return.
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Captain James was intently studying the control
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console readouts. "This is the third time our
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communications equipment has gone haywire this trip," he
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said. "Navigation computer's gone, too. Wouldn't you
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know it, just as we're reaching the edge of our own solar
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system, too. What I wouldn't give for a new Intergalactic
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radio transceiver and a rebuilt navigation system."
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"Duck, Sir." A14A announced.
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Captain James turned. "Wha...?" he managed as the
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headset ricocheted off his right temple and into the
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control console.
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"I said duck, Sir." A14A repeated.
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"Duck your butt!" Captain James barked, annoyed at his
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own mistake.
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"This is impossible, Sir," A14A answered, "I am not
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so equipped."
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Angry silence prevailed as Captain James' attention
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returned to the controls. "There's a planet coming up.
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Quickly A14A, read the starmap and tell me what it is.
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Earth system, outer orbits. And hurry!"
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The android hastily removed the pouch from its pocket
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next to the seat. It read UNIVERSE: THIRD QUADRANT,
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SECTION H, SUBSECTION O, EARTH SYSTEM, Scale = 1
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centimeter per light/week. The android carefully pulled
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the badly worn map out of the pouch.
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"Hurry up, you overrated can of superconductive
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microcircuits!" James shouted. "We're already in its
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gravitational pull!"
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His words caused the android to jerk, ripping the map
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into three pieces. The center piece floated up and away,
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stopping at the ceiling of the cabin.
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"Brass brain!" Captain James yelled, unbuckling his
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safety harness and floating after it. His motion caused
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the pieces of the map to float along the cabin roof, away
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from the control console.
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"This is incorrect, Sir," A14A replied in its metallic
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monotone. "My central processing unit is of the latest
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design using the most advanced ceramic microchip
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technology. There is no brass involved in its
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manufacture, Sir."
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Captain James snatched at the map and stood inverted
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on the cabin ceiling, scanning it feverishly.
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"Three point seven seconds to impact without
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engagement of the third starboard lateral thruster within
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one point four seconds or less," the flight control
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programming unit announced as the planet loomed.
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"Crap!" Captain James screamed, flailing wildly,
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trying desperately to swim through the gravity-free
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artificial atmosphere. "Engage! Engage!"
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"Impossible, Sir." A14A flatly stated. "I am not so
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equipped. It is impossible for me to engage crap, Sir."
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"We're gonna hit!" Captain James wailed, pulling
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himself back into his seat.
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"Hit, Sir?" A14A asked. "Hit what?"
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"We're gonna hit Uranus!"
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"This is impossible, Sir. I am not so equipped."
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* * * *
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"EarthBase Interstellar flight control."
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Sam Barker grabbed the phone before the end of the
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first ring.
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"Damn!" he sighed into the receiver. "Okay. Yes.
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Okay, I will." He hung up the phone and reached across to
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press the button on the speakerphone. "B14B," he said.
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"Read to me the navigation records on the return flight of
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Arcturian freighter number seven oh oh three."
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"Problem, Sir?" the sensuous feminine voice asked.
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"We lost it on the outer edge of the solar system."
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"Shall I bring in the insurance forms and the shipping
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papers, Sir?"
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"Please. Wait! I'm curious. What was the
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freighter's cargo?"
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"Its that new trading company, Sir. Their initial
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shipment. I'm scanning, Sir. Cargo description. Here it
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is. Microelectronics, Sir. Intergalactic radio
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transceivers and navigation systems.
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Barker sighed as he fell back into his chair. "Well
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screw me silly."
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"I'm very sorry, Sir," android B14B's sensuous voice
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replied, "This is impossible, Sir. I am not so equipped."
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