"Michael Sweeney - Virtual Threat" - читать интересную книгу автора (Sweeney Michael)

"Not with the skirmishes in the Delrio Sector, being so recent." The Admiral
was referring to the minor battle in the Fer'y System, part of the Delrio
Sector. It was a wide expanse on the other side of the Martian/Union border.
The battle had been between two Union patrol ships, and an impromptu Martian
attack force. It was still being speculated what the Martians had gained from
that exchange. With two destroyed ships and another crippled, they had lucked
out. The Union ships were also heavily damaged, though replaceable.
If the Martians were to attack from this angle, it would certainly hamper
trade with the Alliance. he instructed the computer to overlay the trade
routes through the sector. They appeared in order of most use, varying in
color from popular, in orange, to infrequent, in dashed pink. Several other
unofficial routes were not displayed.
"The Martians wouldn't instigate full scale war just to block trade. That's
insane." the Minister gave a skeptical look at the Admiral. The Admiral noted
it. "Even the Martians aren't that crazy. Its more likely that they just want
to harass the merchanters running through the area." The Admiral gave a stiff
upper lip. "As long as they don't enter Union space, it doesn't really
matter."
"As much as I'd like to agree, Admiral, I am still worried by this
development. It shows of a strong leadership. the Minister rubbed his
forehead. We do not need any strong Martian Emperors trying to take over the
galaxy."
Pierce had made his way through the Red Dragon Inn 78, the local branch member
of the Red Dragon Club. The lady at the desk had informed him of the local
shuttle services and given him a schedule. He was looking at this now as he
made his way to his room. The credits the secretary had given him had been
just enough for a nights stay and a ticket to Inika System. Hopefully, his
credit would be good there. Losing his ship was one thing, but the loans he
had out made his credit dip below the line.
He glanced up from the flight schedule and discovered he'd arrived at his
room. He entered the access key and walked into the room. It was pretty bare,
with only a bed and a televiewer. He immediately rested his body on the bed
and ordered the lights off.
In the sudden darkness, he commanded his wetware to offline. A sign appeared
in front of him. It displayed his current situation and options.
He chose the Sleep option and felt a tingling sensation in his skull. He
closed his eyes.
When he opened them again he was looking out into the dark again. He ordered
on the light and blinked fiercely. The room he looked out on was not the room
he had just been in. Pierce reached up and removed the wetware interface
helmet.
Coming off line from the Game always made Pierce sad. He was losing precious
time being here in the real world. He wished that he didn't have to go
off-line at all. There were some who had managed to rig their set ups for that
kind of run. Staying on-line for days at a time. Sleeping inside the Game
itself. Of course there were dangers to that. The mind gradually lost its
ability to distinguish between the two worlds, reality and the ethernet.
Cyber-pychosis, as it was called. Very unpleasant. Some had to undergo weeks
of counseling. Even more dangerous were the occasional bugs that popped up in
the system itself. It had originally been a secret military program.