TGoaW-126

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==Chapter 126 - The Glow of a Worm inside a Child's Eye==
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"For now, we're not jumping...
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...anywhere outside the system." Elizabeth Ngo decided. "Tabby, keep the KF drive primed and ready, and give me helm input. Nathan, would you be so kind as to get properly attired? The uniform is snappy, but I think you want to be in a pressure suit. Tabby, do the counter-boarding measures...are they operational?"
"Yes, Baroness, fully loaded and operational."
"Set them to standby, friendly IFF for myself, and Nathan, and those I designate, please."
"What is the plan?"
"Negotiation." She said, "I still have responsibilities and as a legal adult. I can claim them, I intend to do just exactly that. Fleeing is...well, I want it as a contingency, but for now. I intend to stand my ground...there we are..."
"That jump puts us inside the orbitals reserved for the Shipyard, Baroness."
"I know." Elizabeth stated. "Ten second points on both ends, check my math?"
[a pause]
"Math looks good, it is doable, Traffic is light in the zone you're selecting, so it should be...safe."
"Who dares wins." Liz said, "bring us about six-zero degrees on heading 274.2 by six one by minus three zero, thrust at one gee for now. No reason to cause more chaos than we have to, strobe targeting radars and send hazard warnings out on broadband, execute."
Six hundred eighty thousand tons of ship strobing targeting band radar is lots of warning for civil and light military traffic in the space.
"I have incoming signals from traffic control...should I answer?"
"Tell them to clear the lane." Liz announced, "also let them know who's aboard, and that I'm using my override."
"Aye, ma'am." the AI answered, "Should I put it on repeat?"
"For now, yeah." She sat down in the command couch. "Tabby, we're not in revolt yet, and we might not be, there's no reason to use force unless they attempt to use force on us at this point-this isn't the Amaris Coup. Am I understood?"
"Yes Baroness. you are clearly understood."
"Good. in forty seconds you're going to need to power down your higher functions, before that, I want you to shift Jump Drive control to this station on manual. Will you do that? do you trust me?"
"Yes."
"Set Wakeup timer to prime after the jump on the automatics, I want you awake as soon as possible after we clear hyperspace-hell, you taught ME the procedure! we're doing a local jump...mark."
The clock hit zero, Elizabeth activated the KF Drive.
[dIsCoNTiNuItY.............]
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