Star Traders (Corporate Marines Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

have already gotten onboard the ship without being noticed, anything that the computer says is ignored as we figure it must be compromised by this point. Pirates can pop up anywhere in the ship and cause pretend mayhem. If a ship system can’t be captured, sometimes it makes more sense to destroy it to deny it to the enemy—at least in the virtual world.
    “Now, the big question that everyone has when I talk about training time is always the same. What sort of weapons are you using, and how do you keep it realistic? We use actual sidearm laser pistols and carbines. They use a special power cell that carries the same number as a full charge cell, but the actual power of the bolts is minor.
    “So while you are actually firing laser blasts, they are pretty minor. The laser has enough power to zing you, but not cause actual damage. For safety, we wear anti-glare goggles and also a harness with sensors that the computer can track. If you are hit on a backpack or armor section, then you may not feel the hit but the sensor will pick it up. It is possible to feel it and then the computer will let you know what is wrong with you. So, say you were in a heavy firefight in a docking bay and you took a hit to an arm, the computer could let you know that your arm is useless now so you cannot use it for firing or reloading. Oh, and the computer is always watching, so you can’t cheat, no matter what you do. The shipboard sensors will reveal what you are doing.
    “So to sum things up, playing laser tag on board the ship is the coolest thing EVER!
    Derek fades to black, followed by a close-up shot of Bradley pulling back to show him, still perfectly manicured, sitting in his trademark reclining chair. He looks out at the sensors with his cold grey eyes from a face that is frozen as he sits there motionless. Everything about his pose and look tells the viewers that the man is sad.
    Bradley’s expression changes to grim professionalism that doesn’t show his inner feelings. “Gentlebeings, what you are going to hear next will likely shock and horrify you. I would urge that you have any little ones leave the room, and that you carefully consider whether you can handle being aware of actions that were perpetrated against the human race. If not, then I would beg you…” His expression cracks and the viewers know that he feels bitter sadness inside that he is trying not to let show through his tough-guy exterior. “…please turn this show off. It must be bad, gentlebeings, if I am saying that during ratings week.” His smile at his own joke still shows great sadness.
    Then it changes and the eyes gleam and he smiles in a predatory fashion with his lips pulled back. “But if you can handle the truth and you want to know the horrors that happened in deepest space, carried out by vile alien pirates that would do anything to oppress humanity, then stay tuned and you will find out how humanity was attacked, and how our best and brightest, while taking severe casualties, destroyed the pirates and in so doing have kept humanity safe and amongst the stars. Stay tuned for right after these messages.”
    Bradley’s smile is the last thing the audience sees as the image fades away to be replaced by a shot of the Mama Pig moving through space.

THREE MONTHS AGO
    A t the personnel boarding area, there is a standard airlock so that as a shuttle nuzzles into the Mama Pig, the new shipboard personnel or passengers can simply exit their airlock, take eight steps down the hallway created by the mating of the two ships, and then enter the other, larger airlock. The design is such that only one door out of four is ever open, so that if an accident happens, the only people exposed to hard vacuum are those in the hallway.
    In space, safety and survival are important.
    The outer airlock door reads as “open” on the Mama and the reception committee is waiting patiently. There is no stress or rush with those eight people. There is no need. Four of the