Datasets:
BlinAI
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Testo

Dataset card Data Studio Files
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"Understood, sir. Servicing operations will be suspended immediately."
"What?" Wrey barked. "Just a damned-"
"Out, sir."
A click signaled Pyre's departure, leaving the rest of Wrey's outburst to expend itself in thin air. He broke off, fixing Jonny with a furious glare. "You're...
"Are you suggesting a firefight in the vicinity of your ship, sir?" Jonny asked mildly.
Wrey fell suddenly silent. "You won't get away with it," he repeated mechanically.
"The law is on my side," Jonny said. "Frankly, Mr. Wrey, I don't see why this is really a problem. You obviously have the room to spare for me, and I've alre...
Wrey snorted at that, but Jonny could see in his face that he'd already opted for the simpler, safer course. "All right, what the hell. You want to cut out a...
"Understood. And thank you."
Wrey snorted again and the screen went blank.
Jonny exhaled slowly. Another minor victory . . . and as emotionally unsatisfying as all such political wins seemed to be. Perhaps, he thought, it was becaus...
So much for victory.
Grimacing, Jonny punched again for Almo Pyre. His order halting the ship's servicing would have to be rescinded.
* * *
There was a great deal of work involved in turning over his duties on such short notice, and in the end Jonny wound up with far less time than he'd wanted to...
The worst part, of course, was that there was very little aboard ship to occupy his thoughts. On the original trip to Aventine a quarter century earlier, the...
So for the first couple of weeks Jonny did little except sit alone in his cabin, reread the colonies' data he'd brought to show the Central Committee, and br...
He began in the accepted military way: learning the territory. For hours at a time he toured the Menssana, getting to know everything about it and compiling ...
And when his survey was complete . . . it was back to waiting. He played chess with Dru and Harmon, kept abreast of the ship's progress, and-alone, late at n...
Twenty-five light-years from Dominion space, they finally did.
* * *
It was evening, ship's time, and most of the passengers were in the lounge, grouped in twos and threes for conversation, social drinking, or the occasional g...
A game Jonny's red pieces were steadily losing. "You realize, of course," he commented to his opponents, "that such friendly cooperation between you two is p...
"Never stand up in court," Harmon rumbled distractedly. His attention had good reason to be elsewhere; Dru was slowly but inexorably building up pressure on ...
"I wish I was," Dru shook her head. "At least I'd have something to do during the war. Market developers don't get much work when the market shrinks."
For a few minutes the only sound was the click of chess pieces as Dru launched her attack, Harmon defended, and Jonny took advantage of the breather to repos...
"Well, I could be mistaken," Jonny admitted.
Harmon grunted and took a sip of his drink. "Going to be the last Aventine sherry anyone back home gets for a long time," he commented. "A real pity."
"War usually is." Jonny hesitated. "Tell me, what does the Dominion's business community think of the upcoming hostilities?"
Dru snorted. "I presume you're not talking about the shipyards and armaments manufacturers?"
"No, I mean companies like yours that've been working with Aventine. Maybe even the Trofts, too, for all I know. Like you said, Dru, you're losing a growing ...
She glanced at Harmon. "With Aventine, yes, though I'll point out for the record that neither of our companies deals with the Trofts-Dome is very stingy with...
"Anyone who deals with you feels pretty much the same way," Harmon added. "But there's nothing obvious we can do about it."
"About all we can do is hope our first attack is so brilliant and decisive that it ends the war before too much damage is done." Dru moved a pawn, simultaneo...
Harmon waved at the board. "And if the Star Force has any brains, they'll put Dru in charge-what was that?"
Jonny had felt it too: a dull, almost audible thump, as if someone had dropped an exceptionally heavy wrench in the Menssana's engine room. "We've just dropp...
"Out here?" Dru frowned. "Aren't we still two weeks inside Troft territory?"
"It may not have been voluntary." Jonny stood up. "Stay here; I'm going to the bridge. Don't say anything to the others yet-no sense panicking anyone until w...
He reached the bridge to find Captain Davi Tarvn presiding over a scene of controlled chaos. "What's the situation?" he asked, stepping to the other's comman...
"Too soon to really tell," Tarvn replied tightly. "Looks like we hit a Troft flicker-mine web, but so far the usual spider ships haven't shown up. Maybe they...
"Wishful thinking."
"Sure, but that's about all we've got," Tarvn nodded. "If a Troft shows up before the drive's recalibrated, we've had it. You know as well as I do how long o...
Jonny grimaced. "About half a minute if they were determined. What can I do?"
"You can get the hell off the bridge," a new voice snapped, and Jonny turned to see Wrey crossing the floor toward them. "Status, Captain?"
"Minimum of an hour before the drive can be fixed," Tarvn told him. "Until then we try to be as inconspicuous as possible-"
"Hostile at ninety-seven slash sixty," the navigator interjected suddenly. "Closing, Captain."
"Battle stations," Tarvn gritted. "Well, gentlemen, so much for staying inconspicuous. Mr. Wrey, what do you want me to do?"
Wrey hesitated. "Any chance of outrunning him?"
"Second hostile," the navigator said before Tarvn could reply. "Two-ninety slash ten. Also closing."
"Right on top of us," Tarvn muttered. "I'd say our chances are slim, sir, at least as long as we're stuck in normal."