Read Online Jaunt by Erik Kreffel - Free Book Online
Authors: Erik Kreffel
Tags: Fiction, General, Science-Fiction, Science Fiction - General, Fiction - Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy
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knowledge of hundreds of government astronomers, Valagua set out to decipher the mystery.
Amid the scientific pursuits of de Lis’ staff, Gilmour and Mason were treated to a DoD and State Department update on the ongoing St. Petersburg summit involving the President and the Premier of the Confederation. Lieutenant Colonel Dark Horse, practical as he was for a career Army officer, proved to be an easy man to hold dialogue with, even providing the agents insight on how to approach de Lis, whom he had known for the better part of a decade.
Professor Quintanilla, in contrast, was aloof, perhaps due to her years of dealing with foreign diplomats, and the games of chance government negotiators often played. She possessed a no-nonsense air about her, keeping to herself even when Dark Horse actively included her in his discussions on the summit proceedings.
The colonel had arranged a daily briefing for the agents to read, a summary similar to what Defense Secretary McKennitt would be given with his breakfast. Quintanilla would also make herself available to discuss current foreign affairs, by appointment, only, of course. In the agents’ eyes, she was perhaps here strictly by order of de Lis, or the State Department itself.
Despite Quintanilla, the agents readily anticipated the reports. If nothing else, to do their duties more efficiently and keep the DoD off their backs, as well as Quintanilla. After three days—two since the MPs had allowed the agents to travel from their quarters to the lab unaccompanied—the scientists were still fruitless in their various examinations of the jewels. They had been no more successful gleaning additional data from the remaining samples than at the mobile lab. Valagua, on the other hand, had succeeded in recreating the circumstances and geography of the former Nepal.
Honing the holographs in his office alone, often late into the evening, Valagua had meticulously generated the exact conditions for the date of the crash. The Allied armed forces kept remarkable records for that particular theater; the topographical map itself had several penciled-in references to the day, as well as weather and other, shorthanded, communications reports. Employing these field notes, and coupling them with official records from the National Archives and the spectral dating taken from the crash strata by Waters, Valagua was able to calculate a rough date for the event, a reckoning of sixth October, AD 1940.
Valagua had duly warned de Lis that his research might drag on for several weeks, perhaps not even accomplishing all of his goals. But in his usually understated way, Valagua had somehow managed to outdo himself once again, not only squeezing every exabyte of data out of his computer, but substantially beating his own estimated timeline.
Now, with his holographic presentation ready to be unveiled, Valagua had downloaded the research for transport to the U5-6 gallery, where the three-dimensional work would best be viewed in its entirety, giving the assembled scientists a startling look at the day the world was changed.
Gilmour and Mason dressed hastily in their issued attire, hurrying to respond to the summons from Doctor de Lis to report directly to the U5-6 gallery. As if to reinforce the importance of this newly called briefing, an MP had rapped loudly on each quarters’ door, quickening the agents’ response.
The MP led them to the theoretical studies laboratory, saying nothing while the two wondered privately what de Lis had up his sleeve. He had failed to provide the agents with details, providing only that the promised gallery visit was at hand.
Gilmour and Mason lined up behind several of the junior scientists at the gallery’s entrance, their anticipation of visiting the mysterious mini-facility nearly overpowering their curiosity about the hasty briefing. Walking inside, an oval, two-meter-diameter monitor affixed to a large wall greeted them; this small area was the observation anteroom,
Amid the scientific pursuits of de Lis’ staff, Gilmour and Mason were treated to a DoD and State Department update on the ongoing St. Petersburg summit involving the President and the Premier of the Confederation. Lieutenant Colonel Dark Horse, practical as he was for a career Army officer, proved to be an easy man to hold dialogue with, even providing the agents insight on how to approach de Lis, whom he had known for the better part of a decade.
Professor Quintanilla, in contrast, was aloof, perhaps due to her years of dealing with foreign diplomats, and the games of chance government negotiators often played. She possessed a no-nonsense air about her, keeping to herself even when Dark Horse actively included her in his discussions on the summit proceedings.
The colonel had arranged a daily briefing for the agents to read, a summary similar to what Defense Secretary McKennitt would be given with his breakfast. Quintanilla would also make herself available to discuss current foreign affairs, by appointment, only, of course. In the agents’ eyes, she was perhaps here strictly by order of de Lis, or the State Department itself.
Despite Quintanilla, the agents readily anticipated the reports. If nothing else, to do their duties more efficiently and keep the DoD off their backs, as well as Quintanilla. After three days—two since the MPs had allowed the agents to travel from their quarters to the lab unaccompanied—the scientists were still fruitless in their various examinations of the jewels. They had been no more successful gleaning additional data from the remaining samples than at the mobile lab. Valagua, on the other hand, had succeeded in recreating the circumstances and geography of the former Nepal.
Honing the holographs in his office alone, often late into the evening, Valagua had meticulously generated the exact conditions for the date of the crash. The Allied armed forces kept remarkable records for that particular theater; the topographical map itself had several penciled-in references to the day, as well as weather and other, shorthanded, communications reports. Employing these field notes, and coupling them with official records from the National Archives and the spectral dating taken from the crash strata by Waters, Valagua was able to calculate a rough date for the event, a reckoning of sixth October, AD 1940.
Valagua had duly warned de Lis that his research might drag on for several weeks, perhaps not even accomplishing all of his goals. But in his usually understated way, Valagua had somehow managed to outdo himself once again, not only squeezing every exabyte of data out of his computer, but substantially beating his own estimated timeline.
Now, with his holographic presentation ready to be unveiled, Valagua had downloaded the research for transport to the U5-6 gallery, where the three-dimensional work would best be viewed in its entirety, giving the assembled scientists a startling look at the day the world was changed.
Gilmour and Mason dressed hastily in their issued attire, hurrying to respond to the summons from Doctor de Lis to report directly to the U5-6 gallery. As if to reinforce the importance of this newly called briefing, an MP had rapped loudly on each quarters’ door, quickening the agents’ response.
The MP led them to the theoretical studies laboratory, saying nothing while the two wondered privately what de Lis had up his sleeve. He had failed to provide the agents with details, providing only that the promised gallery visit was at hand.
Gilmour and Mason lined up behind several of the junior scientists at the gallery’s entrance, their anticipation of visiting the mysterious mini-facility nearly overpowering their curiosity about the hasty briefing. Walking inside, an oval, two-meter-diameter monitor affixed to a large wall greeted them; this small area was the observation anteroom,
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