Aneka Jansen 6: The Lowest Depths of Shame by Niall Teasdale Page A

Delta Brigantia and its crew, now dead. ‘Like I’d have flown a conventional ship. You’re wired into my electronic nervous system. I think it, you do it. So why do I need the chair?’
    Gwy beamed, clapping her hands like a giddy schoolgirl. ‘Oh wonderful! You’ll need a software patch, but I’ve got it in my systems. I’m negotiating with Al to load it now. You don’t need the chair, but Speaker and War thought you should work that out for yourself. Aggy says that it was the first thing Shannon asked. Captain Drake appears to prefer the old system. He tried doing it without, but he says he’s uncomfortable with it.’
    ‘I’m not sure how I’ll like it, but let’s see.’
    ‘Patch installed,’ Al said. ‘I suggest you stand up. There will be a slight disruption in the display while the switchover happens.’
    Aneka got to her feet and there was a momentary feeling of disconnection. The display around her shuddered a little, like a film catching in the projector, and then everything was back to normal, except for one thing.
    ‘The chair’s gone,’ Aneka noted.
    ‘It’s not gone, exactly,’ Gwy replied. ‘Your real body is still sitting in it. It’s not needed with this mode of operation, so I removed it. This gives you full rein to walk around, look anywhere you want easily.’
    ‘Huh. Can you put a chair in if you want? Even virtually I can’t see me wanting to stand the whole time if I’m in here for long periods.’
    ‘I can, theoretically, put in anything you wish. The display is… just a display. A virtual environment. I can simulate anything required within my, or your, capacity to describe it. The minimal acceleration you feel at full thrust is suppressed in this mode. I could simulate zero gravity.’
    ‘Don’t think we’ll need that.’ Aneka grinned. ‘Ella is so going to want to see this. I think she’d get the hang of it pretty quickly, don’t you?’
    Gwy gave a giggle. ‘Aggy and I both think Ella will see great potential in this operating mode. There is a secondary fibre channel in the cabin and I can handle the load of both of you in the same environment. You can show her around.’
    ‘All right. We’ll do that later. It’ll take her mind off New Earth.’
    ‘I’m sure it will,’ Gwy replied.
    BC-101 Hand of God.
    Ten Guardians shifted instantly to attention with shouldered arms as Elroy walked off the shuttle. He paused, looking down the two lines of men and women in dark blue, and then at their Captain standing at the end, then he continued on between the ranks. Behind him, Truelove and Sharissa followed, though they appeared less bemused.
    ‘Honour guard,’ Tasker explained. ‘And… If you had Navy people with you, they’d have been asked to stay on the shuttle.’ She looked past him at the two women. ‘Those two I don’t have to worry about.’
    ‘The Navy is being troublesome?’ Elroy asked.
    ‘They are paying more attention to us than I’d like, but the countermeasures are working. We’re quite secure here. You can say whatever you like and it’s not getting to ears you don’t want it to.’ She turned and started down the hallway. ‘Come on, I’ve got refreshments and comfortable chairs waiting.’
    The Captain’s cabin was a small suite with a more private bedroom, a large shower room, and a comfortable lounge with plenty of seating for the four of them. With a cup of coffee in his hand, Elroy seemed to relax more there than Truelove had seen him do in a long time.
    ‘The FSA appears to be convinced that one or more of your refugees has been compromised by the Herosians,’ Elroy said. ‘They won’t let me see any of them, and they’re convinced they sabotaged the Hand. They were fairly negative about me coming here.’
    ‘We had fifty people in the sickbay,’ Tasker replied. ‘Thirty-two of those were unconscious the entire time, half of those in medical comas. We almost lost two of them. There were only three who could move about