Read Online Shadow Core - The Legacy by Licinio Goncalves - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Licinio Goncalves
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approached the wall screen as Jude asked excitedly, “Are you sentient?”
“Negative, this program is not sentient.”
“Aww!” she said, pouting like a little kid. Kade placed her hand on her sister's shoulder, comforting her with a gentle smile.
“What is 'boarding protocol 1'?” Nick asked.
“All visitors are granted level one access to the information management system, Aurora. Visitors are not allowed into any sensitive areas of the ship without authorisation from senior staff. Visitor movements are tracked by the internal security system, no exceptions. Visitor weapons are deactivated. Weapons should be left at a secure location at the embarkation room and will be returned before disembarking.”
“What is the normal personnel complement of the Zenith?” Kade asked Aurora.
“Two hundred crew plus family members and five hundred passengers; with a further capacity of up to fifty thousand passengers in stasis.”
“What is the current complement?” Kade asked.
“One crew member, plus three visitors.”
“You think one of the pirates from that destroyed ship somehow made it in here?” Nick asked Kade.
Kade was weighing the possibilities in her mind.
She was expecting a considerable crew. The idea that such a large ship could be crewed by a single individual seemed laughable. And it didn't really seem likely that any surviving pirate would have tried to board the ship which had destroyed his vessel.
“Where is the crew member now?” Kade asked.
“Deck ten, section two. Please note that this is a restricted area. Level five access required. Authorised personnel only,” Aurora said as a map showing the path there appeared on the screen. Which Kade quickly copied to her Echo.
“Identify crew member,” Kade said.
“Drake Ocoji. Engineer first class. Acting captain.”
“Connect me...” Kade started to say but was quickly interrupted by Nick as he grabbed her left arm and tugged her back.
Nick asked aggressively, “What are you doing?”
Kade looked at Nick with a serious expression and then glanced down at where he was still holding her arm. She stared coldly into his eyes and said, “One: let go... before I break your arm!” Causing Nick to quickly release her. “Two: do that again and you'll find yourself floating home. I don’t care how good a pilot you are. Three: whoever is on-board this ship already knows we are here, so it would be better if we can get a sense for what he's like while we still have an easy escape route. Now then... any more stupid questions?”
Nick remained quiet.
“Glad we understand each other,” Kade said and then turned back to the wall screen. “Connect me to the captain,” she ordered.
“Unable to comply. Core maintenance in progress,” Aurora said, much to Kade's mounting frustration.
“Core maintenance?” Jude asked.
“That information is restricted. Authorisation level ten, or above, required,” Aurora replied.
“Of course it is!” Jude said sarcastically.
“What is this ship's allegiance?” Nick asked.
“Unaligned. The Zenith does not currently answer to any colonial or governmental power.”
“Pay day!” Nick said excitedly.
“That she answered?” Jude asked while looking at Kade with an amused expression.
“Can the ship move? Is it damaged?” Nick asked.
“The Zenith is fully functional,” Aurora replied, much to Nick's apparent delight. But Jude was having an altogether different reaction to the information.
She signalled the other two and they moved away from the console. She then said in a subdued tone, “Kade, this doesn’t feel right at all. A fully functional, unaligned, capital ship which can hold thousands of people. Crewed by one person and sitting in the back yard of the Solarian Union? It's beyond insane.”
“You forgot about the destroyed pirate ship, the ultra-heavy armour and the sensor stealth technology which can hide a planet,” Kade teased her.
“Not
“Negative, this program is not sentient.”
“Aww!” she said, pouting like a little kid. Kade placed her hand on her sister's shoulder, comforting her with a gentle smile.
“What is 'boarding protocol 1'?” Nick asked.
“All visitors are granted level one access to the information management system, Aurora. Visitors are not allowed into any sensitive areas of the ship without authorisation from senior staff. Visitor movements are tracked by the internal security system, no exceptions. Visitor weapons are deactivated. Weapons should be left at a secure location at the embarkation room and will be returned before disembarking.”
“What is the normal personnel complement of the Zenith?” Kade asked Aurora.
“Two hundred crew plus family members and five hundred passengers; with a further capacity of up to fifty thousand passengers in stasis.”
“What is the current complement?” Kade asked.
“One crew member, plus three visitors.”
“You think one of the pirates from that destroyed ship somehow made it in here?” Nick asked Kade.
Kade was weighing the possibilities in her mind.
She was expecting a considerable crew. The idea that such a large ship could be crewed by a single individual seemed laughable. And it didn't really seem likely that any surviving pirate would have tried to board the ship which had destroyed his vessel.
“Where is the crew member now?” Kade asked.
“Deck ten, section two. Please note that this is a restricted area. Level five access required. Authorised personnel only,” Aurora said as a map showing the path there appeared on the screen. Which Kade quickly copied to her Echo.
“Identify crew member,” Kade said.
“Drake Ocoji. Engineer first class. Acting captain.”
“Connect me...” Kade started to say but was quickly interrupted by Nick as he grabbed her left arm and tugged her back.
Nick asked aggressively, “What are you doing?”
Kade looked at Nick with a serious expression and then glanced down at where he was still holding her arm. She stared coldly into his eyes and said, “One: let go... before I break your arm!” Causing Nick to quickly release her. “Two: do that again and you'll find yourself floating home. I don’t care how good a pilot you are. Three: whoever is on-board this ship already knows we are here, so it would be better if we can get a sense for what he's like while we still have an easy escape route. Now then... any more stupid questions?”
Nick remained quiet.
“Glad we understand each other,” Kade said and then turned back to the wall screen. “Connect me to the captain,” she ordered.
“Unable to comply. Core maintenance in progress,” Aurora said, much to Kade's mounting frustration.
“Core maintenance?” Jude asked.
“That information is restricted. Authorisation level ten, or above, required,” Aurora replied.
“Of course it is!” Jude said sarcastically.
“What is this ship's allegiance?” Nick asked.
“Unaligned. The Zenith does not currently answer to any colonial or governmental power.”
“Pay day!” Nick said excitedly.
“That she answered?” Jude asked while looking at Kade with an amused expression.
“Can the ship move? Is it damaged?” Nick asked.
“The Zenith is fully functional,” Aurora replied, much to Nick's apparent delight. But Jude was having an altogether different reaction to the information.
She signalled the other two and they moved away from the console. She then said in a subdued tone, “Kade, this doesn’t feel right at all. A fully functional, unaligned, capital ship which can hold thousands of people. Crewed by one person and sitting in the back yard of the Solarian Union? It's beyond insane.”
“You forgot about the destroyed pirate ship, the ultra-heavy armour and the sensor stealth technology which can hide a planet,” Kade teased her.
“Not
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