The reinsertion went off without any problems, and Dr. Kang and his team returned to the Armstrong. After carefully making sure to avoid using the relativity drive until clear of the gravity well of Zethes the starship took off for it's next destination.
The Captain wrote a quarantine report about the antimatter contamination, to be filed the next time the ship had T-net access. Nobody would risk going near it until after the reactor was snuffed out.
* * *
Dr. Kang found the Captain exactly where he expected to: sulking in her office. She was not a woman accustomed to losing and rarely took it well.
"Have you read my report yet?" he asked, as he entered.
"It can wait," said the Captain, gruffly.
"I see. While I don't agree with leaving those people inside a simulation I don't care enough about them to do anything about it. So, in that spirit, I performed some much needed maintenance of their systems. Well, my assistants did. At any rate I probably added another decade to the operational life of their giant head-in-the-sand machine by increasing their energy efficiency and adjusting the power output of the reactor."
"You must have been working on that for a while," said the Captain "Why didn't you tell us this before?"
"That might have inclined you further towards enabling these fools," said Dr. Kang.
Littlecrow was at a loss for words.
"Thank you, Dr. Kang," she said, finally.
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," said Kang.
* * *
3-year-old Iris Myron brought her grandfather a thick-paged book.
"This one," she said, presenting him with the book.
"This one?" asked Galen, groaning inwardly.
"Yes," she said, smiling.
"Again?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"You have dozens of books. You might have a hundred books."
"Yes."
"And you still want this one. "
"Yes."
"Well," said Galen "I can't argue with determination like that. Come on up."
Iris climbed up into the chair with him.
He opened the book to the first page. It showed a beautiful painted starscape along with the lush blue-green marble that was the planet Zethes. The silhouette of a tiny starship could be seen against the planet.
"Once upon a time there was a starship called Armstrong..."
Ignorance Is Bliss: End
YOU ARE READING
Starship Armstrong - Season 2
Science FictionIt's the dawn of a new era for humankind, and the Huxley Foundation has sent out a fleet of exploratory vessels on a mission of peace. The FSS Armstrong, one of the most advanced ships in the Foundation fleet, rides on the forefront of this age of e...
