Star Trader Update .024

024.01

Zackary Taylor a.k.a. Matt Milestone sat at his computer diligently working. He used a VACP or voice activated command program to put the finishing touches on the computer virus he was creating. Like his character, Matt Milestone, he liked the physical. However, his real body was stuck in a servo-chair and had been for the past ten years since the accident that put him there. He couldn’t even scratch his nose let alone do the physical activity Matt ran through in the game.

The accident was a devastating chemical explosion which killed fifty-three and left Zack and hundreds of others maimed. The loss to the corporation was horrific and sent it into bankruptcy and eventually foreclosure. None of the survivors received any kind of settlement. Zack’s medical bills were so astronomical he gave up on the rehab and the possibility of prosthetics long ago. He ate and defecated through tubes. He was basically a brain in a chair and nothing more.

At first, the games played with Daniel the Destroyer were entertainment for a troubled mind – a way to escape. Over the years, they became more and more important until they were nothing short of an obsession. If Zack did not win he ranted in the harsh voice his chemically burned throat now produced. He replayed the steps of the game over and over in his head trying to find the way to beat The Destroyer. He used to win on occasion. In fact, the win/loss ratio had been pretty even until about a year ago. That was when it all changed. The Destroyer played more and won more, almost always.

About three months ago, when a med tech came to visit, service the chair, and change Zack’s tubes, he imparted some valuable information on his patient. He spoke of an article he read about a guy named Daniel Drysson, this whiz-kid who wrote a program that hacked into the Valarian’s navigational beacons. The guy received an undisclosed settlement (said to be stellar in size) from the Valarian’s along with the right of first refusal for any other program he wrote. The med tech went on and on about how smart this Drysson guy must be to write a program that would hack the N.B.s, but Zack didn’t hear half of what he said. He was thinking back to a couple of years ago when Daniel introduced him to a game. A game he said he wrote which hacked into N.B.s. It all clicked. Daniel the Destroyer was the guy with the program. The guy with the huge settlement. The guy who had everything – whereas Zack was left with shit!

Zack couldn’t get back at the corporation that put him in this chair. It tanked along with all of its shareholders. But, he could get back at the guy who thought he was so much better than the rest of humanity. He was as good a programmer as Drysson and he would prove it. Over the past year, The Destroyer had taken what joy Zack found in being Matt Milestone and killed it. Zack was going to pay him back, and as they said, paybacks were a bitch!

024.02

Two months later

“How are you feeling,” I asked as I sat in the chair across from Daniel. We were sitting in the covered atrium of the facility. The temperature was perfect, the sound of the water trickling into the pond and the recording of the birds, mixed with the gentle breeze generated by their weather control unit. All it all, it felt like a mild spring day even thought it was minus 243 degrees outside the dome.

“I’m doing well,” Daniel assured me. “You picked out a really nice place.”

Ma-rye-a, Horus, Cassie, and I had talked the night I came home from the dinner with Daniel when I discovered the drugs and the game tweaking. We put our virtual heads together and found an abuse rehab facility on Rigil #3. They had a stellar reputation for helping folks reclaim their lives lost to addiction of any kind. It took me a while to arrange for Daniel’s admittance, and even longer to convince him he needed to go, but he had eventually given in. I can be quite stubborn when the need arises. I just nagged and badgered until he finally couldn’t take it anymore.

I transported him here and had been hanging around visiting him daily ever since we arrived.

It was a lovely facility with beautiful grounds, but very strict rules. No amount of Daniel’s money could sway any of the staff to break the rules and bring him anything that was not on the doctor’s approved list.

Daniel reached over and took my hand. “Do you think you could get me a gaming flat?”

Even though Daniel’s addictions of record were alcohol and drugs, addiction to gaming was the reason some folks were in this place. Games were not allowed, even for those who didn’t have that particular problem to overcome.

“Sorry, Daniel,” I said and squeezed his hand in sympathy. “You know the rules.” I gave him what I hoped looked like a reassuring smile. “You want me to get you something to read? I can get you a reading flat.”

“Yeah,” he sighed. “I suppose that would be better than nothing. The crap they watch on the NET here is mind numbing.”

“I’ll have Cassie order one and we’ll have it to you tomorrow. Ma-rye-a’s 3D construct ought to be able to produce one easy enough.”

“How’s the food?” I asked. “If you are craving anything, I can get it for you. Course you can’t share with anyone in case they are in here for food abuse treatment,” I reminded him. Daniel was not in a very good frame of mind when he arrived and I wasn’t sure he heard all the ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ of this place.

“No need,” he answered. “The food is premium here. No complaints along those lines.”

He sighed again. He was bored now that his mind wasn’t being numbed by alcohol. This was probably the longest he had ever been away from a computer in his life. The facility advocated meditation and relaxation techniques. They had classes all hours of the day and night. Those and the therapy sessions were given round the clock. Daniel had a personal therapist on-call 24/7.

The gentle chimes rang announcing an end to visiting hours. I stood, still holding his hand.

“I’ll see you tomorrow and I’ll have the reading flat,” I said with a smile. “Cassie and I will even see if we can find you some of those old science fiction books you like.”

Daniel squeezed my hand. “You’re a good friend, 3su. I haven’t said it, but I do appreciate what you did.”

I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “That’s what friends are for.”

024.03

Four months later

Targus activated his jet pack which yanked first Coal, and then Damion trailing along behind him on the tether line.

“MT2424 to anyone listening on this channel. Mayday! Mayday!” Coal said over his helmet’s com. “We are adrift in space. Air running low. Mayday! Mayday!”

Targus pushed a piece of the shattered hull of MT 2424 aside. Their Mobile Tactical Unit was little more than space debris. This was not how he wanted to see his command end.

8.10 hours ago

Targus leaned over Coal’s shoulder to look at the monitor. “If we jump through the Window at Triad #3 and then link into the N.B. there we should be able to make it to Valaria in plenty of time. Lay in a course.”

The crew received an invitation to 3su’s birthday party recently. 3su was a trader and transporter of people and goods throughout the known verse. The team met her a while back during a mission and Damion took a shine to her. She was a bit older than him, but that didn’t seem to bother either of them. She was an independent and unique personality who made a delicious Muldavian chocolate pecan truffle cluster cookie. A gal who could handle her own ship and cook was hard to fine in this verse.

The crew didn’t have to take a vote in order to make the decision to go. It was a no-brainer, as they say. The bash was being thrown by one of the riches people in the known verse, Daniel Drysson. He rented the central ring of the Valarian world and if what 3su was babbling on about were true when they spoke with her, he had the place fitted out with every form of entertainment you could imagine. It was going to be the place to be. Drysson decided the birthday celebration should be extended so all could attend. The event was going to be held for a full two weeks with a sit down dinner and a cake everyday for those attending.

3su made the personal call to the MT team in order to be sure they would make an appearance. A while back they were instrumental in helping her when she thought the Valarians kidnapped Daniel for his N.B. hacking program. She was almost hysterical when he disappeared and equally pissed when she and a fellow mercenary friend found him luxuriating in the Valarian’s care as they wined and dined him until he negotiated the deal of a lifetime for the program he wrote.

The MT crew did not meet Daniel at the time and 3su wanted the opportunity to introduce them. Daniel was one of her best friends and undoubtedly a master programmer. Coal was anxious to meet the man that hacked the N.B. He admired anyone with tech knowledge that surpassed his own, and few did.

“Will do Cap! We’ll be at the Window in 1.02 hours,” Coal replied. His fingers tap danced over his command panel and the ship healed over to make the course change.

“I’ll inform Galactic Headquarters that we are taking a little R&R,” Targus said. He sat down in his captain’s chair. It conformed to his huge seven foot, eight inch frame. “This is going to be fun.”

6.48 hours ago

“Afternoon men,” Damion announced as he came aboard the bridge. “Refreshments.” He sat a tray down on the console with three mugs of pitch, a favorite drink aboard ship, and a plate of Lycinic Lemon balls.

Targus reached over and picked up his favorite mug and a ball. “Where you been hiding these?” he asked his medical officer. The prep unit was not good enough to produce a delicacy like the balls. He could smell the lemon zest before his lips touched the powered sugar.

“Picked them up at our last stop at Triad SL 9.” Damion picked up a ball. “Been saving them for a special occasion, but since 3su said there would be plenty at the party, I decided we needed a treat.” He reached over and handed the tray to Coal. “Coal?” he offered.

“Hold on… Just locking onto the N.B.,” Coal stated and waved Damion away. There was a moment of silence before Coal exploded from his chair. “By the Wings of Hagel!” he exclaimed in a curse the rest of the crew rarely heard from the quiet Realdat. “Frak!” he cursed again, as his long fingers flew across the control panel as though he were trying to catch an escaping swamp rat.

At that point the bridge was pitched into total darkness.

“What just happened?” Targus demanded.

Before his computer expert could answer the ship’s system seemed to reboot itself and the lights came back on.

“Coal?” Targus asked. He hadn’t even had time to rise from his chair. Damion still stood at his side with the Lycinic lemon ball in his hand.

Coal was still chasing that invisible rat. “It’s a virus. It downloaded from the N.B.” He stopped short and spun around in his chair to face his two teammates. “I don’t have control of the ship any longer,” he admitted. “Something else does.”

6.33 hours ago

“Report!” Targus ordered.

“We’re connected to the beam, headed into Valarian space locked and loaded,” Coal said. He ran his hand through his lavender hair in frustration. “I cannot get control of the ship back in our hands,” he admitted.

“Suggestions?” Targus asked his crew of two. He was a new Captain and though he was the top of his class, the Galactic Forces had teamed him with Coal, a seasoned officer, and Damion who was the pride and joy of the Forces’ medical branch. He wasn’t too proud to ask for input. Who else had ever come into a situation where your ship was high-jacked by a virus? It wasn’t something they taught at the academy.

“Move fast, whatever we do,” Coal stated. “When we break loss from the beam this baby is going to open fire on anything within range and I don’t see any way to stop her. We are locked out of the system and I can’t shut her down.”

“Self detonator?” Targus asked.

“We can still do that manually,” Coal admitted. “Galactic officials left that independent from the master control.”

Targus came to his feet. “I’ll set the detonator, you two get to the pod. We’re abandoning ship.”

“Not in the pod, we’re not,” Coal countered. “As soon as we fire up the thrusters the virus will infect the pod and we will have two armed vehicles we can’t control. We’ll have to use the suits. They’re independent from the system.”

“Get to the pod bay and suit up,” Targus ordered. “We need to get this done before we reach the end of the beam.”

“Which is in 43.25 minutes,” Damion pointed out from the position he had taken at Coal’s side while the computer expert tried to shut the ship down.

“We have less than that,” Coal said, as he spun his chair around and came to his feet. “We’ll need at least 20 minutes to get clear of the ship before she detonates or we’re not going to make it to 3su’s party.”

“Who’s up for a spacewalk?” Damion exclaimed as he sprinted for the door. “Beat you to the pod bay,” he challenged.

Targus hit the self-destruct button and they all three bolted for the pod bay and their suits.

6.13 hours ago

The three tumbled out the bay doors into space as the ship continued to speed toward Valaria. Targus was the only one who had time to don a jet pack. The other two were tethered to him as they floated away from the ship. Cap hit his thrusters and began to pull the other two. It seemed too infernally slow. He kept looking at his gages. They had a little over six and a half hours worth of air in their tanks. Enough for a repair job, not a spacewalk to the nearest planet.

“Did you get a fix on us Coal?” he asked.

“Got it and broadcasting as we jettisoned the ship,” Coal confirmed.

Targus should have known Coal would be on task. The man had a mind like his computers, always working.

“She’ll blow in less than 9 minutes,” Damion said, as he studied the readout on his helmet monitor.

“We’ll make it, but I want to get us turned around so if any of the debris makes it this far we can see it coming and maybe…” Targus fell silent. Maybe what? Duck? Throw out a hand and push it away? Who was he kidding? He hit the thrusters on his jet pack again and it yanked the other two along behind him like balloons on a string.

6.04 hours ago

They turned in time to see MT 2424 explode. Targus’ first command was reduced to a field of debris before their eyes. They felt the shock wave a few seconds later.

“Damn,” Damion said. “I didn’t get a single Lycinic Lemon Ball.”

The other two crew members chuckled even though the situation was dyer. It was what they liked about the human member of their crew, his gentle bedside manner and his sense of humor.