Read Online Starship Eternal (War Eternal Book 1) by M.R. Forbes - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: M.R. Forbes
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said out loud. "It shorted the implant, and somewhere in my subconscious I pulled back the memory of my history class. Probably focused on a strong emotional response. Probably because of Keely."
He flicked out of the image gallery. "Doc's right. Just leave it alone. Keep up the good work as a performing monkey, and maybe you'll get a few days rest somewhere down the line."
He felt stupid for even making the effort to do the search. He backed out to the results and decided to scan them, just to see what else he could find. There was no harm in scanning a list.
He scrolled through thousands of results. He found some references to an old Earth comic book that predated XENO-1, but everything else pointed right at the starship. It made him feel better to see it, as though it proved his hypothesis. It also meant it was time to drop the whole idea. The more he obsessed over it, the more obsessed he would become. He wasn't about to take something that could have been harmless and turn it into psychosis.
Mitchell opened his eyes and cleared the display from his right eye. He looked over at the time in his left eye. He still had five hours until the gala. He wanted a drink. That wasn't going to happen. He wanted to head over to Training and hop into a simulator. He doubted the MPs would be too agreeable to that idea either. He sighed and returned to the bedroom. He stripped down and tried on the uniform. Of course, the fit was perfect, and he had to admit he looked damn good in dress blues.
He took it all off, careful to keep it in perfect condition. He couldn't afford to be wrinkled in front of Cornelius or the Prime Minister. Then he laid down on top of the bed and closed his eyes.
Despite all of his years of training and experience, he had never gotten quite used to the idea of being out of control during a jump. There was a tight lightness in the stomach that came from plummeting to the ground in the cramped confines of thirty to eighty tons of metal, carrying thousands of pounds of ordinance and relying on boosters, aerofoils, and finally foot thrusters to make the landing an arguable degree of gentle. It was an uncomfortable feeling, one that he had never seemed to be able to master.
Ella had taught him how she managed to stay so calm. It was the only thing that had ever helped.
"It's all in the breath," she said. "Slow, deep, steady, focused. Mind over matter."
"Slow. Steady," he said to himself, taking control of his breath.
He wasn't joking when he told Christine he would rather drop into a nuke field. It would have been bad enough to meet the Prime Minister straight up. He was going to be getting an award from the man. An award predicated on a damn lie.
"Slow. Steady."
10
EARTH. February 9, 2036
Kathy was glued to the television. Her entire family was. Maybe even the entire world.
Almost nine months had passed since it had fallen from space, the gigantic craft that someone had labeled "XENO-1." It had crossed over the northern hemisphere, sending shockwaves for hundreds of miles around it, rattling windows and houses and people on its cruel descent before finally touching down in the Antarctic. It slammed into the surface of the ice with enough force to leave a trail of debris nearly a hundred miles long, and wiped out the permanent field station of more than one nation along the way.
Chaos had followed in the immediate aftermath. Tsunami warnings were issued, the disruption to the southernmost continent creating a slew of environmental concerns. An EMP leak from the crashing ship knocked out power for hundreds of thousands for over a week and a half. People died, the causes too numerous to keep track of. Drowned in the floods, hit by distracted drivers, heart attacks from surprise and shock, heatstroke from losing their AC.
They tried to lie about it at first. They said it was an asteroid. They thought they could get away with it. They were old men trying to tell old tales. Cameras were
He flicked out of the image gallery. "Doc's right. Just leave it alone. Keep up the good work as a performing monkey, and maybe you'll get a few days rest somewhere down the line."
He felt stupid for even making the effort to do the search. He backed out to the results and decided to scan them, just to see what else he could find. There was no harm in scanning a list.
He scrolled through thousands of results. He found some references to an old Earth comic book that predated XENO-1, but everything else pointed right at the starship. It made him feel better to see it, as though it proved his hypothesis. It also meant it was time to drop the whole idea. The more he obsessed over it, the more obsessed he would become. He wasn't about to take something that could have been harmless and turn it into psychosis.
Mitchell opened his eyes and cleared the display from his right eye. He looked over at the time in his left eye. He still had five hours until the gala. He wanted a drink. That wasn't going to happen. He wanted to head over to Training and hop into a simulator. He doubted the MPs would be too agreeable to that idea either. He sighed and returned to the bedroom. He stripped down and tried on the uniform. Of course, the fit was perfect, and he had to admit he looked damn good in dress blues.
He took it all off, careful to keep it in perfect condition. He couldn't afford to be wrinkled in front of Cornelius or the Prime Minister. Then he laid down on top of the bed and closed his eyes.
Despite all of his years of training and experience, he had never gotten quite used to the idea of being out of control during a jump. There was a tight lightness in the stomach that came from plummeting to the ground in the cramped confines of thirty to eighty tons of metal, carrying thousands of pounds of ordinance and relying on boosters, aerofoils, and finally foot thrusters to make the landing an arguable degree of gentle. It was an uncomfortable feeling, one that he had never seemed to be able to master.
Ella had taught him how she managed to stay so calm. It was the only thing that had ever helped.
"It's all in the breath," she said. "Slow, deep, steady, focused. Mind over matter."
"Slow. Steady," he said to himself, taking control of his breath.
He wasn't joking when he told Christine he would rather drop into a nuke field. It would have been bad enough to meet the Prime Minister straight up. He was going to be getting an award from the man. An award predicated on a damn lie.
"Slow. Steady."
10
EARTH. February 9, 2036
Kathy was glued to the television. Her entire family was. Maybe even the entire world.
Almost nine months had passed since it had fallen from space, the gigantic craft that someone had labeled "XENO-1." It had crossed over the northern hemisphere, sending shockwaves for hundreds of miles around it, rattling windows and houses and people on its cruel descent before finally touching down in the Antarctic. It slammed into the surface of the ice with enough force to leave a trail of debris nearly a hundred miles long, and wiped out the permanent field station of more than one nation along the way.
Chaos had followed in the immediate aftermath. Tsunami warnings were issued, the disruption to the southernmost continent creating a slew of environmental concerns. An EMP leak from the crashing ship knocked out power for hundreds of thousands for over a week and a half. People died, the causes too numerous to keep track of. Drowned in the floods, hit by distracted drivers, heart attacks from surprise and shock, heatstroke from losing their AC.
They tried to lie about it at first. They said it was an asteroid. They thought they could get away with it. They were old men trying to tell old tales. Cameras were
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