Alicia Jones 4: Enigma by D. L. Harrison Page A

about
this.”
    I smiled wanly, “Me too, although if you don’t get a bad
feeling about going to war, there’s probably something wrong with you.”
    Just an hour later we were in the galley, drinking a coffee
and cooking dinner while we sped off toward Bug space.
    Kristi asked, “Weren’t you supposed to get us a chef?”
    I laughed, “Sure, I placed an ad.  Chef wanted in war
zone, please call one eight hundred, crazy alien.”
    She snorted, “Fine, I see your point.  But what does
that make me?”
    I giggled, “Crazy alien’s best friend?”
    She shook her head but she couldn’t stop her smile, “So what
do you want to do?”
    I shrugged, “Watch movies?  I think I need a break from
my research.  I need to let it stir in the back of the brain for a while.”
    “What movie?” she asked thoughtfully.
    “Starship Troopers, what else?” I said in faux innocence.
    She glared, “Not funny.”
    “It’s a little funny.”
    She giggled, “No, it’s really not.”
    Al interjected over the speakers, “I have news.”
    “Share away Al.”
    Al reported, “The Gelnott have refused the treaty, and set
course away from Earth.  According to Stealth net they are not heading
home, but to meet up with the ships outside of the Nairan system.  From
what I’ve been able to glean, they aren’t happy we refused to trade technology
with them.”
    Kristi asked, “Crap, do you think they’ll invade the Nairan
system?”
    Al and I both said in eerie concert, “I don’t know,” and I
added, “Hopefully they just want to trade, but they’re very aggressive from
what I heard.  For all I know they want to conquer.  Al, is Earth
doing anything, or the other treaty worlds?”
    Al replied, “I don’t know what orders have been given, but a
platform has been dispatched to the area.  I don’t believe we will
intervene until the Gelnott enter the system.”
    Kristi snorted, “Of course not, and then the damage will be
done, what will we do then?”
    I sighed, “The treaty holders will vote on quarantining the
Gelnott system.”
    Al added, “It appears my computer design has proved out, and
I’m running final tests.  If it checks out may I install it and transfer
control from the mainframe?  I’d like to keep that running though, as a
backup just in case.”
    I frowned.  In my single minded focus on the
multi-dimensional tech I’d forgotten to even look at what Al sent me. 
Almost a week ago now.
    “Will the installation negatively affect any systems on
board ship?”
    Al replied, “No, they will not be affected at all.  The
mainframe will remain connected as well for redundancy in case of unforeseen
critical failure.”
    Kristi asked, “What are you two talking about?”
    I turned to her and sighed, “Maybe we should watch the
terminator movies, or a Battlestar Galactica marathon instead.”
    Kristi raised an eyebrow.
    “Oh, you know, Al’s upgrading himself.  New computer
hardware, his mainframe is too slow for him.”
    Al said deadpan, “I have no plans for world domination, or
humanity’s destruction.”
    Kristi laughed, “Good to know Al, good to know.  My
upgraded A.I. hasn’t complained at all about her mainframe though, I wonder
what the difference with yours is.  Maybe you’re just higher maintenance, being
a hot alien celebrity and all.”
    I glared at Kristi, as usual it had no effect.
    Al interjected, “I do have plans to submit patents in your
name however, do you approve?”
    I frowned, “Let’s hold off on that until we know it’s
stable, and I’ve fully reviewed it.”
    Al said, “Understood.”
    Wait, did he say patents, as in plural?  Maybe I really
need to look at what he’s been up to.
    Still, it could wait a little while longer.  Kristi and
I finished up dinner, and then watched some movies.  None of them however,
had plots about giant space bugs, or A.I.s running amok.
     

Chapter 14
    I woke up and checked for messages while I showered. 
There were no new