>>6044751=================
“So, that’s what we’ve found so far.” You finish hesitantly. “I think I’ve proven I’m both sound of mind and that there’s some substance to the theory that Guard exists and is actively suppressing knowledge of the void core and perhaps more...”
The Laerdra man rubs his green tinged chin, lost in thought. After a minute he finally speaks.
“I accept that you <span class="mu-i">believe</span> you discovered some secrets in that simulation, Dallas.” He says, eyes narrowing. And you can tell he’s serious when he uses your given name.
“But to accept what you say as true.. There must be some evidence of the existence of this ‘Peedee’ character left. A damaged digital entity such as this security AI couldn’t possibly remove it all.”
“Exactly,” You enthuse, “all we need to do is work together and find it!”
“Ah, but what of the cost?” He asks, his eyes already flicking side to side as if
performing invisible calculations. “Do they outweigh the risk to you? To the ship? Our mission?”
“Now you sound like my Father.” You complain, a little petulantly.
“A wise Captain, I accept the compliment.” He nods absently, still deep in thought.
You’re beginning to grasp at straws with this guy but you try one last angle of attack.
“You speak of cost, Coen, but what of sustainability? Despite our best efforts, the Coober Pedy becomes more decrepit and jury-rigged by the month. Where does it end? How many systems will fall when the last live voidship can’t dive deep enough past the wyrm-cursed singularities to reach them anymore? How many billions will die without our aid?”
You gesture to a nearby viewscreen set to mirror the view from the voidship‘s outer hull. Sparse stars shine between gaping holes in reality — mere hundreds visible instead of uncountable millions. The only speck of light in front of those bottomless maws comes from a distant planetoid, Darhain V, receding into the distance as the Pee-Dee continues its journey outsystem towards the dive limit.
“There’s the new fleet…” Your Tac officer hedges, a rare note of uncertainty in his soft voice.
“Oh please,” You scoff, “the TPN isn’t even close to replicating the power of this antique’s artech voidcore and SCRAM drives. Those new battleships will barely make it halfway through our usual route before the subspace dives get too deep for them.
“No!” You chop the air between you, beginning to get worked up. “Our only hope is to revitalise the one ship preventing the cataclysm from finishing its job in this sector. This ship! If there’s even a chance there’s something <span class="mu-i">or someone</span> capable of replacing the Trinity system and unlocking the secrets of the live voidcore, how can we <span class="mu-i">afford</span> the cost to not take it?”
