Inescapable Read Online Free PDF Page B

National Intelligence Executive had shown
more than a casual interest in the project since its inception,
even though it was illegal for them to dig into commercial
enterprises. ‘Yeah. You’re probably right, but for right now, how
about we go get a couple of the massage androids to turn our
muscles to soup.’
    ‘You really are
a taskmaster, aren’t you?’
    ‘Oh yeah,
always cracking the whip.’
    Terri smirked
and got to her feet. ‘Now there’s a thought.’
    ~~~
    ‘People seem a little…
hyped,’ Fox commented as she watched various residents of Luna City
throwing themselves around on the dance floor of a club Kit said
had quite good reviews. In the lower gravity, you could pull off a
few moves which would have resulted in fractures on Earth, but even
so, for a Tuesday night, there seemed to be more enthusiasm than
might have been expected.
    ‘The
Helium-three mining report came out on Friday,’ Terri replied.
    ‘Ah. So
everyone’s either celebrating their good fortune or staving off
depression.’
    ‘Something like
that. A lot of them are getting their leisure time in now before
they spend the next year working like dogs too. I heard you had a
hand in stopping that coming out early.’
    Fox flashed her
a grin. ‘Someone tried to get their hands on it early and I was
here training the local emergency response team. Something else I
doubt I’ll be able to do again.’
    ‘Don’t count on
it. The Luna City Security Service wanted you to train their
people, not “someone from NAPA.” I know they asked for you
specifically.’
    ‘You know?’
    ‘Yeah. They
came to us to ask who we’d recommend for that kind of work after
Dallas. Actually, they asked who to go to in the UNTPP, and we said
that you’d quit and joined NAPA.’
    ‘Oh. You got me
that gig?’
    ‘Yup. So don’t
assume you won’t see more.’
    Fox was not
really sure she wanted to see more of that, but… ‘I guess I might
see some of the money used where I can actually see it working this
time. It fell into NAPA’s budget and sank without trace last time.
Hey, is this helium thing why they’re upgrading the navigation
systems?’
    ‘Well spotted.
Traffic’s risen by eight per cent in the last four days and they’re
worried about the comms channels being overloaded. I heard Stellar
was contacted about upgrading the systems at L-one Control
too.’
    MarTech Stellar
was not the largest producer of space hardware in the system, but
they were noted for having some of the most advanced designs,
especially in computer and communications systems. After two weeks
of study, Fox knew more about that than she had any real desire to.
‘Hey, I heard Stellar were working on antimatter engines.’
    Terri shrugged.
‘Not my area, but yeah, I heard the same.’
    ‘Military
applications?’
    ‘The military
are more interested in antimatter reactors. More power output for
weapons in the same space. Hideously expensive to run though. The
engines are for out-system ships. You can get a lot more delta-V
out of a tank of fuel when you’re mixing in antimatter. Costs are
prohibitive though. It was all looking pretty good before they
cracked the manufacturing on the fuel pellets for pulse drives. Now
you’re looking at… forty times the price for a ton of fuel?
Something like that anyway. Still might be viable for fast runs out
to the gas giants.’
    ‘More
helium.’
    ‘That’s why
they want to get out there, sure. Though the moons out there…
There’s the possibility of finding living organisms out there,
Fox.’
    Fox grinned.
‘Some people haven’t given up on Mars.’
    Terri returned
the grin. ‘ Some people still expect to find jungles on
Venus. And dinosaurs in the Hollow Earth.’
    ‘Did you ever
find the Nazis on the far side of this place?’
    ‘No one with a
German accent has ever turned up to complain about my skin colour,
but you never know, we haven’t been down all the craters
yet.’ She giggled. ‘And the Moon is a