by Ben Winston
:CtdlCom/> Override accepted. Smalls, Jarad - command access suspended.
:PriCom/> Admin Override: Terminate all existing command functions issued by Smalls, Jarad in the last thirty days.
:CtdlCom/> Override accepted. Command Functions terminated. Error- Hyperspace event command unable to terminate - event in progress.
"What's this? You're cyberkinetic? Interesting. I'll have to look into that. Too bad you won't be here to see my final ascension to power," Jarad gloated. "That was a smart move, locking me out of the computer, but I'll get back in once we get to where were going. There is nothing you can do to stop what's about to happen. I'm going to win no matter what you try to do. You have failed."
:PriCom/> Admin Override: Emergency Launch of shuttle docked at bay two-bravo. Execute immediate.
:CtdlCom/> Override Accepted. Emergency Launch protocols accessed. Launch in progress. Delay Hyperspace event until cleared? Y/N.
:PriCom/> Y ; Status emergency escape pods from Citadel.
:CtdlCom/> All launched pods are clear of Citadel event. On course for Centauri Station; E.T.A. three hours, twenty-one minutes. Life support function nominal.
:PriCom/> Status; remaining pods.
:CtdlCom/> Two pods remain. Status: ready - standby.
:PriCom/> Admin Override; Delay hyperspace event until Citadel evacuation complete.
:CtdlCom/> Unable to comply. Hyperspace event in progress. Extended delay will cause jump instability.
:PriCom/> Admin Override: Display current jump plot.
The computer displayed the plot graphic on the small screen. It showed the Citadel jumping from its current location and landing…
…in Tokyo, Japan on Earth. Joe didn't know what would happen to the surrounding area, but it sure as hell couldn't be good.
:PriCom/> Admin Override: Current plot is illegal. Destination contains significant mass. Jump calculation is flawed.
:CtdlCom/> Unable to comply. Event in progress. Recalculate plot. One minute thirteen seconds to event execution.
Joe knew that wasn't enough time to recalculate the nav. It took at least ten minutes just to set up the entry point. But he didn't need to reprogram the entire nav, just the destination. He had the computer display the nav plot and he lowered his personal shield so he could hear what needed to be changed.
The first thing he did was delete the destination information. The nav sounded like a cacophony of noise and he briefly wondered how Jarad had ever managed to get the computer to accept this insane plot. By deleting the destination, the loudest part of the offensive noise stopped, so he saved it. At least that would save Japan. Since the computer accepted the change, he took off running for the remaining escape pods.
"What are you trying to do Anderson?" Jarad asked. "There is no way you can get clear of it now. It's too late!" Jarad said and laughed.
"I actually didn't have to do anything, Jarad. You see, I know you're still here, on the Citadel. So I thought I'd just let you go ahead and make the jump," Joe replied as he jumped down into the pod.
He quickly accessed the pod's terminal.
:PriCom/> Admin Override: Emergency launch all remaining life pods.
:CtdlCom/> Override accepted. Launching.
"You see, Jarad, all I did was delete the destination from your plot. I don't know how you got the computer to accept it, but it accepted not having a destination even easier. Enjoy your trip, asshole," Joe said as the pod shot out of the Citadel and into space.
"What? No! You couldn't!" Jarad screamed.
Behind Joe, the Citadel jumped. The pod had not made it far enough away from the mass of the station, so was pulled back into the event horizon and disappeared into hyperspace.
About the Author
Ben Winston (1965 - ?) was born in Iowa and grew up in Minnesota on the family dairy farm. Upon reaching adulthood, he joined the United States Army as a communications technician. Before getting out of the military, he decided to go to school for computer electronics.
Shortly after getting out of the military, and after getting a new job with an over-seas company, he was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. A month after beginning the new job, he was laid off due to budget over-runs on the project he was hired for. Upon returning to the United States, he had difficulty maintaining employment because of the chronic illness.
He began writing as a form of stress release, from being home bound and not being able to work, and found he liked writing erotica. Ben wrote a trilogy called the Talosian Chronicles (Currently in rewrite to remove the graphic sex and finalized his vision of the story). The first book, Star Dancer, won awards and was nominated for many others by the online communities where it was posted.
Ben Winston returned to school for literature, after completion, he began writing professionally. Being an avid fan of science fiction he focused on this genre. He was, and still is, influenced and inspired by Gene Roddenberry, Anne McCaffery, David Weber, Isaac Asimov, and Ray Bradbury. Some of his favorite movies and TV shows are; Battlestar Galactica (both versions), Andromeda, Star Trek, Firefly, Star Wars, and many of the B-rated movies that were actually box-office bombs.
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Ben Winston
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Books Published by Blue Space Publications, LLC.
by Ben Winston
Pollux Paradox
Tides of Mars
Tides of Mars (Omnibus)
Ascension – Book I
Conflict – Book II
Talosian Chronicles
Olympus – Book I
Star Dancer – Book II
Talosian Alliance – Book III
Neptune’s Massif – Book IV
*Raptor Squadron – Book V (First Half of 2016)
Novellas
Abraxis Complex
Origin of Prometheus – Book I
Sword of Damocles – Book II
Abraxis Code – Book III
Forging Aegis – Book IV
Book of the Guardian
Home – Part One
Pest Control – Part Two
The Last Mission – Part Three
Resolution – Part Four
Bedouin’s Travels
Twilight Earth – Book I
A Long, Dark Night – Book II
Terra Dawning – Book III
New Day – Book IV
Series
Temple of S.A.R.A.H.
Prototype – Episode I
Subroutines – Episode II
Base Functions – Episode III
Hard Wired – Episode IV
Debug Mode – Episode V
Beta Test – Episode VI
by Michael McClain
Chronicles of Atlantis Series
Chronicles of Atlantis (Omnibus)
Atlantis Rising – Book I
Euthara – Book II