When his alarm sounded the next morning, Chris turned over in bed with a groan. From the sanctuary of his duvet, he blinked blearily at the alarm clock beeping away on his bedside table and wondered if he had the strength to reach over and turn it off. When it ratcheted up a notch, the tone sounding louder and more shrilly than before, Chris quickly found the needed energy, if not the necessary coordination, to knock the damn thing onto the floor. Thankfully, the action also managed to silence it, and Chris flopped back down onto his back with a sigh of relief.
What had he been thinking, setting his alarm so early after the nightmare of yesterday’s mission followed by another long night in the lab? Oh, yes, right, another mission. Wonderful. As if the trauma of yesterday hadn’t been enough. Thank goodness for Harris and his need to rush to everyone’s rescue.
Lying in the safety of his bed, Chris couldn’t help cursing aloud at the memory of the bullets heading straight for him. His forehead still stung from the cut he’d received, and the impulse to reach down and drag his duvet over his head got more and more tempting by the minute. It was times like this that he wondered what exactly had made him decide to give up his cozy lab for the chance to work in the field. Something to do with Jason, no doubt. That, and possibly also the chance to work with Duncan again—there was something about the man that struck him from the start. He had thought they could be friends, but that had initially gone nowhere. Now, however, they were teammates and well on their way to being friends—potentially lethal missions notwithstanding. Shuddering again at the memory, Chris had gone so far as to reach down and grab hold of his duvet when his radio chirruped. Deciding that the universe was obviously against him this morning, Chris gave in to the inevitable and sat up, reaching out for his radio as he did so.
“Vabre,” he said as he slotted it into his ear and heaved himself out of bed altogether.
“Chris, were you accessing the CPU protocols last night to run your simulations?” Jason asked, sounding far too perky for Chris’s current state of mind.
“Um, yes, I believe so,” Chris replied hazily, his mind flicking back to his work of the evening before. His thoughts suddenly crystallized when he was midway to the bathroom, and he grinned in delight. “Make that a ‘yes, definitely’,” he corrected. “I was going through the subroutines to isolate a network in the CPU in which to run the advanced AI simulation.”
“Ah,” Jason said, sounding hopeful. Chris knew that meant he’d understood what Chris was carefully not saying. “And?” Jason prompted.
“And I think we’re ready for a test run,” Chris replied, grinning at himself in the mirror as he listened to Jason’s crows of delight through his radio.
“This is excellent news,” Jason said once he’d finally managed to regain his coherence. “Have you got Jane’s permission to run a full trial on a portion of the CPU?”
“Not yet, but I did mention our plans to her last week, so I don’t see that it will be a problem,” Chris said with equal glee. “I’m pretty sure that last simulation I ran last night has ironed out the last of our problems, so the only thing left to do is for you to—”
“Yes, yes, of course,” Jason interrupted seamlessly. “I will check through your results,” he continued, “and then upload the protocols into the new network you’ve created.”
“Excellent,” Chris replied, reaching out for his toothpaste and toothbrush. “I’ve a mission this morning, but you’re not on again ’til next week, are you?”
“No,” Jason said. “I’ll go speak to Jane first thing, and we can set up the first run when you get back.”
“Looking forward to it,” Chris replied and then signed off, unable to stop the grin that had spread across his face. This was the reason he’d joined the Argo Expedition—the opportunity to do groundbreaking research with the best people in the field. The grin stayed with him as he continued getting ready for the day. The talk of their successful project had succeeded in chasing away the last of the cobwebs from his sleep-muddled brain. Humming to himself as he rinsed his teeth and started up his shower, Chris thought that maybe it was going to turn out to be a good day after all.
Having managed to get ready with surprising promptness, Chris headed for the commissary. He let his mind wander as he walked, half of his brain still musing on the simulation results while the other half pondered the upcoming mission. Such thinking had become par for the course for Chris—his split role on Argo as both an active exploratory team member and deputy head of science was a far cry from his days as a lone academic researcher. Even his time at Space Tech, the Union’s most prestigious research institution, where he’d worked as the head of a large research team, had not quite prepared him for his various roles on Argo. He had to hold down an active research role while also helping Jason run Argo’s science division and keep up with his newly acquired position in the field as the civilian scientist on one of Argo’s main exploratory teams.
In the field. The phrase made him smile because who’d have thought he would be engaged in something so active, or actually turn out to be pretty good at it? He’d always thought he’d be a researcher and nothing more. He knew he was smart, knew that his technical expertise, theoretical understanding, and mathematical ability made him a sound scientist, but he’d never imagined he would actually take part in any of the Union’s active space explorations. He’d thought he’d be part of Space Tech for life, tucked away in a lab, conducting experiments, examining results, and designing equipment for others to use. A life of action and adventure beyond the reaches of direct Union control had always been Jason’s dream, not his. Indeed, Chris had spent years listening to Jason wonder about the mysteries of the outer galaxies without ever becoming particularly interested in seeing them for himself.
That wasn’t to say he wasn’t fascinated by what was out there. Quite the contrary, in fact. Both he and Jason had spent many of their off-duty hours poring over the reports and schematics that flooded into Space Tech from various Union outposts, but when doing so, Chris had never had the overwhelming urge, as Jason had, to go out and see these things for himself. He had remained perfectly content to examine, analyze, and postulate about them from his lab.
Of course, for Jason, it was an entirely different story, and Chris couldn’t really say he’d been surprised when Jason had given up his high-ranking position in Space Tech to join the Argo Expedition. What had, however, surprised him was that Jason’s constant badgering actually ended up working on him. Somehow, three months before the Argo fleet was due to set off, Chris had found himself handing in his own notice and signing up to what may well have been a one-way journey through Kelkian space, far beyond the reaches of any Union ships, to the Thessalia Galaxy.
At first he’d told himself that it was all Jason’s doing—that the lure of continuing to work alongside one of the finest physicists in the Union was impossible to resist, but now he had to grudgingly admit to himself that wasn’t the full story. Of course, it had been exhilarating to work with Jason on the redesign of the supraliminal drives, but even the thrill of seeing their fleet make the journey in record time couldn’t compete with the reality of actually being in another galaxy. For the first time, Chris had found himself agreeing with Jason about seeing firsthand the aesthetic beauty of the universe he had dedicated his life to researching.
Yet, despite this, it had taken Chris another four years to finally request a position on one of Argo’s military-led exploratory teams. He had been tempted, right from the start, but it had quickly become apparent that he was needed full time on Argo, especially once Jason started spending a portion of his time in the field with Tennant’s exploratory team. In the first year, there had been an almost nonstop stream of work associated with dismantling their fleet and assembling the space station Argo itself. It was hard-core engineering, basic and dirty, and Chris had reveled in it.
Then, by the time Argo was finally fully functional and in an established and stable orbit above Ion, they’d had their first few encounters with the Zenoid. All of a sudden, their defense and weapons systems became a priority, and most of Chris’s time had been dedicated to improving those of both Argo and Ion. Again, it was the type of work he loved, a feeling that was only enhanced by the fact that it was to be used to protect not only himself, but also his colleagues and friends. When the Zenoid had launched their first major attack against both the planet and the space station, they were ready, and Chris was proud of what he, Jason, and the rest of the science team had achieved. They’d come a long way from the lab-based, Earthbound researchers most of them had once been.
Life on Argo had settled down after the Zenoid’s initial defeat. Although the exploratory teams’ shuttles occasionally ran into Zenoid colony ships while on missions, no other colony had tried launching another outright attack on Argo. The rise in Zenoid activity they’d seen several months ago had initially been cause for concern, but then Tennant’s team had discovered one of the colonies closest to Argo had become infected with a fungus that had destroyed it, and nearly also claimed Colonel Tennant’s life. In the few months since then, there had been no sign of Zenoid activity at all, thank goodness. Chris snorted at the thought, raising a hand to the cut on his forehead. Things were dangerous enough in Thessalia without the added complication of the Zenoid.
Yet, even with their threat, Chris still couldn’t regret his decision to join Argo. He was actually getting to experience and study things most of his peers hadn’t even yet theorized. The thrill of discovery drove him as it always had—the opportunity to be among the first, of knowing something, or understanding something, before anyone else. It was, after all, what had always driven him and had been the appeal of his work for Space Tech and on Argo—working at the very forefront of his science and pushing his imagination to create things that would help them survive in ever more extreme situations. Each new day spent in Thessalia, be it spent exploring new planets or researching in his lab, brought with it new mysteries to be unraveled and new discoveries to be uncovered. It was by no means an easy life, and Chris found himself grappling with life and death decisions a little too often for his peace of mind, but the wonder and amazement he felt on a daily basis made it well worth the sacrifices he’d had to endure.
Chris neared the commissary with his stomach already growling in anticipation. As he approached, the doors slid open to reveal that the large open-plan room was already more than half full. There was a beautiful view out into space from the windows, the stars sparkling in the dark, bright and enticing. The view was stunning. Definitely worth it, Chris thought with a pleased smile. Even the small stab of pain in his forehead as the skin pulled wasn’t enough to ruin his mood. Spotting Jessica and Corrin sitting at their usual table at the far corner of the room, Chris nodded to them in greeting and then hurried to join the queue of people waiting for food.
Chris couldn’t yet see Duncan either ahead of him in line or in the seating area, so Chris assumed that he had yet to arrive. He and Corrin usually went for an early morning run, often with Colonel Tennant and another member of his team, and even though they finished their run at notionally the same time, Duncan was normally some time behind Corrin to breakfast. Chris really hoped he’d manage to make it before they had to report to their pre-mission briefing; he wanted to tell Duncan about his newest simulation results.
Over the past few months, starting when Chris joined Duncan’s team, Duncan had started asking him more about his work. When they’d first met, as part of the wider team that had planned and coordinated the Argo Expedition under Dr. Carter’s command, Duncan had seemed interested in hearing about Chris’s work. But that had changed very suddenly only a few weeks into what Chris had thought was a developing friendship. For some reason Chris had never been able to fathom, Duncan had backed off entirely. He hadn’t been rude, but the conversations they’d had about subjects not directly related to the Argo Expedition disappeared entirely. Since then, Chris had become used to seeing Duncan only when there was business to be discussed.
It was this abrupt change in behavior that had made Chris initially uncertain about joining Duncan’s team. It had already been a nerve-wracking decision to make, deciding to leave the relative safety of his lab to participate in the exploratory missions, but one that was made even more so when Jason had told him he was to replace Christine on Major Harris’s exploratory team. The thought of serving directly under Duncan had made something in his belly twist with what had felt like nervousness. That feeling had never completely gone away, not even after the first few weeks or so when Duncan finally seemed to realize that Chris could be of use after all.
In the beginning, Chris had felt as though he was on probation. Duncan seemed to watch his every move, as though he was just waiting for Chris to slip up. But Chris had no intention of slipping up. On the contrary, Duncan’s watchful eye made Chris even more determined to do well. He threw himself completely into his new role, doing hours of field training with Duncan in preparation for their missions and putting in extra hours in the lab to ensure he analyzed fully all the readings he took during them. Gradually, Chris had come to feel that Duncan had begun to see his worth. Bit by bit, the quiet but friendly man he remembered from the first few weeks of their acquaintance reappeared, and now Chris was confident that they could be friends. In fact, he actively looked forward to working so closely with Duncan and was keen to tell him about his and Jason’s latest plans for Argo.
With that in mind, Chris grabbed a plate and filled it quickly with a few slices of toast, butter, and some of the cold sliced meat on offer. He vacillated over the fruit for a moment before deciding to play it safe and selected something he recognized—an Ionian fruit that tasted very much like a banana. He also picked up the largest coffee pot he could find—a day on Argo was, in his opinion, made infinitely more pleasurable if begun appropriately caffeinated. He then moved across the room to the table at which Corrin and Jessica sat and greeted his teammates, earning the characteristic midmeal grunt from Corrin and a bright smile from Jessica.
“You are looking very cheerful this morning, Chris,” she commented from across the table, her usual cup of Ionian tea cradled in her hands.
“Well,” replied Chris, beaming at her from over the top of his own steaming mug of coffee. “The stars are shining; the birds are….” He glanced out the window at the decided absence of birdlife. “Well, I’m sure they’re singing somewhere down on Ion, and Jason and I have a major new project that’s just ready to be tested. In short, life is good.”
Jessica laughed, her eyes shining as she seemed to be captivated by his enthusiasm. “That’s good to hear,” she replied. “I’m glad what happened on the mission yesterday hasn’t dampened your spirits. After all, it was your first real combat situation. We were worried.”
“What? This?” Chris asked, gesturing to the healing cut on his forehead, his excitement making him flippant. “It’s nothing. Helen had me patched up and out of the infirmary within minutes. I had plenty of time to get back to the lab last night and run the last few tests on the aforementioned inspirational and revolutionary piece of work. Jason’s words, of course, not mine, you understand,” he finished with a grin.
From beside him, Chris could see Corrin look up at his comments, and Chris thought he saw Corrin’s eyes narrow as he took in the gash still visible on Chris’s forehead before he focused his attention back on his meal. “Did you see Harris again last night?” he asked as he started in on his own pile of eggs.
A little surprised at the question—because why should he have?—Chris shook his head. “No,” he replied. “I mean, at least not after dinner. I went straight back to the lab afterward and didn’t get back to my quarters ’til quite late.” He paused, wondering what Duncan would have most likely done after their team meal. “I guess he went to do his own mission report,” he finished with a shrug.
“Hmm,” Corrin grunted noncommittally, but his expression was thoughtful as he turned to look across the table at Jessica.
“What?” Chris asked, turning his head from side to side so he could look between his teammates. “What is it? I mean, didn’t you see him for your run this morning?”
Corrin nodded in response, but his gaze was still locked on Jessica’s.
“Okay, out with it,” Chris snapped in exasperation. “Is something wrong with Duncan?”
Jessica returned Corrin’s stare for a moment longer before turning her attention back to Chris. “Oh, nothing really, Chris,” she reassured him. “We were just a bit concerned about Major Harris, that’s all. I know you haven’t been with us for long, but he was acting a bit oddly in the field yesterday.”
“Oh,” Chris replied, still a trifle confused. “Was he? I mean, he seemed fine to me—what with him coming to my rescue and everything.” He grinned self-deprecatingly as he spoke. “I can’t fault him for that, after all.” His words, however, didn’t seem to appease either Jessica or Corrin.
“He broke protocol,” Jessica said, a concerned frown creasing her brow. “That’s just not like him, not at all.”
“And he was worked up as hell on the ride home,” Corrin added.
Chris paused for a moment to consider their words, his mind harking back to the previous day. With the benefit of hindsight, Chris had to admit that Duncan had been rather distracted and tenser than normal, especially in the way he’d hovered over Chris as Helen had treated Chris’s injury. Then again, it was always hard to tell with Harris, he kept so much of himself hidden under the guise of quiet politeness that Chris was always hard-pressed to differentiate between what Duncan was really feeling and what he wanted everyone else to believe he was really feeling. “I’m sure he’s fine,” he said at last. “Or as fine as I imagine he can be after a close call,” he said, qualifying his earlier statement. “True, he was a bit… well, twitchy at first, but he settled down just fine after a while. I mean, he was fine at dinner, wasn’t he?”
Jessica seemed to accept that point, but Corrin just snorted again. “If he gets any twitchier, he’s going to wind up dead,” he said, glaring down at his plate before looking up at Jessica as if daring her to refute his assessment of the situation.
But Jessica only sighed and nodded slowly. “It’s definitely something we should keep an eye on,” she said, glancing over at Corrin as she set her tea back down on the table. “Especially if something like that happens in the field again today.”
“Happens to Vabre in the field, don’t you mean,” Corrin added darkly.
Chris frowned, not following the conversation at all. “What on earth are the pair of you going on about?” he asked in exasperation. “As far as I can tell, Harris has always been a bit gung ho in the field—isn’t that one of the prerequisites of being Union military? Rushing in and saving the day? Which is, might I add, something for which I, for one, am very grateful.” He then turned to Corrin directly, determined to address his last comment. “And I’m going to be very careful in the field today, I assure you. I know I’m new to this, but I have no intention of getting caught in the cross fire ever again.”
Corrin shot him a look that seemed to say that Chris still wasn’t getting it, but otherwise held his peace. Chris glanced over at Jessica, but she too seemed to be reluctant to say any more on the subject. “Well, we’ll just have to keep a close eye on Duncan on the mission today,” he said, nodding firmly at his teammates.
“That we do,” Jessica agreed.
“And you do, don’t you, Vabre?” Corrin said with rather thoughtful expression on his face as he studied Chris closely. “Keep a close eye on him.”
“Of course I do,” Chris replied, frowning slightly at the odd tone in Corrin’s voice. “He’s our team leader and, I hope, my friend.” He paused for a moment, aware that he wasn’t all that good at this kind of thing. “We look after each other—all of us. Don’t we?”
“Yes, Chris,” Jessica replied, reaching her arm across the table to lay her hand over his. “Of course we do.” The smile was back on her face, and her expression was warm and happy again.
“Absolutely, Vabre,” Corrin echoed, reaching his arm across to tap Chris once on the shoulder.
“Well, good,” Chris replied, a warmth spreading through him at the actions of his teammates. This closeness was what being part of an expedition like Argo was all about.
A comfortable silence descended over their table as each returned to their respective meals, but Chris found that his earlier euphoria had been dampened somewhat by their conversation. He realized that he was worried by Corrin and Jessica’s concerns regarding Duncan, despite his own reassurances. Looking back on the mission, he could see that perhaps Corrin had a point—that maybe Duncan’s actions had been a little too reckless, even for him. After all, Chris had been taking part in off-world missions for quite a while now. He knew what to do in a firefight—Duncan himself had taught him—and it was only the fact that he’d been initially taken unawares that had caused him to be injured. Indeed, he’d been in the process of seeking cover, albeit rather late, when Duncan had charged in. So, yes, perhaps Corrin did have a point. Chris frowned down at the dregs of coffee still remaining in his mug and resolved to keep a very close eye on Duncan during today’s mission.
“Need a top-up there?” came a soft, familiar voice, the sound of it enough to startle Chris out of his reverie.
Chris looked up to see Duncan approaching, a pot of coffee, a mug, and a plate of what was presumably his own breakfast balanced precariously in his hands. He was dressed in the standard Union military uniform, and his short brown hair was still damp from his post-run shower. Chris inspected him carefully as he approached, trying to see if there was anything different about him, something Chris, in his perpetual state of scientific abstraction, had perhaps missed. But Duncan appeared the same as ever, right down to intense green eyes and the small smile of greeting that he shot to Jessica and Corrin as he sat down in his usual place opposite Chris.
“So, coffee?” Duncan asked again, holding up the carafe in Chris’s direction.
“What? Oh, yes, please,” Chris replied, blinking rapidly to clear his thoughts as he held out his mug for a refill.
“So, are we all up for another exciting day of exploring the galaxy?” Duncan asked as he poured first Chris and then himself a cup.
Chris lifted his mug toward Duncan in thanks and took a deep swallow. “Wait, I’m sorry, but what?” he asked as he finished his mouthful. “I thought we were only scheduled for a short mission? A preliminary meet and greet?” His thoughts whirled as he tried to work out how to juggle his schedule so he’d still have time to run his simulations with Jason. Although his work with the team was important, the breakthrough he’d had last night with his programming had the potential for being of far greater importance to Argo. His thoughts then took a detour as he recalled what Jessica and Corrin had just been saying about Duncan’s behavior, and his worry increased. He didn’t want to end up in another fight and force Duncan to put himself at risk again. “I mean, we have heard about this planet from our allies, haven’t we? We’re not expecting trouble?” he asked worriedly, looking over at Duncan in concern, determined not to let anything happen to him.
Duncan looked immediately contrite, shaking his head and lifting a hand toward Chris as if he was going to touch him. “No, Chris,” he said. “I’m not expecting trouble per se; it’s just that trouble sometimes finds us anyway.” He glanced over at Jessica and Corrin. “Okay, so what have you two been telling him? He did well in the field yesterday, and now he looks as worried as he did on his first mission with us.”
“I am not worried,” Chris was quick to assure him. “Merely justifiably concerned, particularly after our encounter yesterday.” He took another large swallow of his coffee and then leveled Duncan with a serious gaze. “So no doing anything risky on this mission—which I’m sure will be short, productive, and completely ambush free.”
Duncan exchanged an amused glance with Jessica. “So, what’s he working on?” he asked her with a smile. “There must be some project on the go down in the labs for him to be this twitchy about getting back.”
“Well, you’d be right there,” she replied, smiling brightly at Duncan in return. “But we haven’t heard the details yet.” She paused then to cast a sly glance in Chris’s direction. “I think he was waiting for you, sir.”
“Excuse me,” Chris interrupted, tapping the table to get everyone’s attention. “But I believe what actually happened was that we got sidetracked. But,” he continued, glancing around the table to each of his teammates in turn, “now that we’re all here, I will tell you all about it.”
As he spoke, Chris couldn’t help but notice that Duncan leaned forward in his chair slightly, lowering his cutlery to his plate, and focusing on Chris completely. For a few seconds, Chris lost track of his thoughts, momentarily entranced by the intense look in Duncan’s eyes.
“Well,” Jessica said, breaking the spell Duncan had managed to cast over Chris. “Are you going to tell us or what?”
Shaking his head to clear it, Chris forced his gaze away from Duncan to Jessica instead. “Of course,” he said, gathering his scattered thoughts as quickly as he could. The project snapped into sharp focus in his mind, and he felt a grin spread across his features as the excitement associated with it also came rushing back. “It’s a project Jason and I have been working on for a while now, based in part on our research into the way the computing networks on the Zenoid colony ships are structured—”
“Why would you want to do something like that?” Corrin asked, glaring at Chris for even daring to mention the word “Zenoid” in his presence, let alone suggest their technology could be helpful.
“Because there’s a lot we can learn from them,” Chris responded promptly. “They have managed to survive for generations in Thessalia despite their nomadic lifestyle and the fact that, as far as we can tell, colonies rarely work together. Regardless of their questionable morals, their systems are highly sophisticated.”
“You mean the fact their technology has a biological basis?” Duncan asked, the question calling Chris’s attention back to him.
“Exactly,” Chris replied, lighting up as he realized that Duncan understood the vital part of their project. “Precisely because of the way their ships are structured and powered, there is much we can learn from the architecture of their systems.”
Duncan nodded at this and then asked more questions. “So you and Jason have been… what? Studying Zenoid ships? To do what?”
“Well, my initial proposal was that by using something similar ourselves, we may be able to find a more efficient way to organize and power Argo,” Chris replied.
“I thought that Argo’s central computer handled that,” Jessica said. “That and our cellium reactor.”
“Up to a point, yes,” Chris replied, nodding at her. “But,” he continued, raising a finger to emphasize his point, “I don’t believe that the use of a single power source run by a completely centralized core is the safest, or even the most efficient, way of doing things.”
“You mean because the cellium supplies are limited?” Corrin asked.
Chris blinked, at first surprised by Corrin’s obvious interest, but then nodded, more than happy to encourage such curiosity. “In part, yes,” he replied. “I mean, as Corrin so rightly says, we can’t rely on our cellium supplies lasting indefinitely, despite the fact that, at the moment, we have plenty to power Argo. And, obviously”—he gestured at the blackness of space all around them—“who knows what else we might encounter out there, not just the Zenoid, that will be a drain on our resources.”
“So what you’re talking about is something that will up our ability to power Argo,” Duncan said, leaning forward in his chair eagerly. “Increase our defense systems.”
“In a nutshell,” Chris replied with an easy shrug. “I mean, we already know what we’re capable of in our current configuration—the fight with the Zenoid fleet pushed us about as far as we could go—but that doesn’t mean that Argo isn’t capable of more.”
“Or that we’re not capable of more,” Duncan added.
Chris raised his coffee mug in salute. “Exactly,” he said with a grin as Duncan raised his own in a mirror of Chris’s toast. “If my idea works—and Jason and I should be able to figure that out with only just a bit more work—who knows what kind of power we’ll be able to generate.”
Duncan took a sip of his coffee and then replaced his mug on the table, looking thoughtful. “So, do you think you’ll be able to give me some more power for the shuttles?” he asked. “Colonel Tennant’s been on me about expanding the range of our exploratory missions, but I can’t do that to the full extent of what he’d like without seriously pushing our fuel supplies.”
Chris determined then and there that Duncan would get his additional supplies. After all, it shouldn’t prove too much of a challenge given that the shuttles were powered from Argo’s main core. Besides which, if it was something that Colonel Tennant wanted as well, then it would be easy enough to get Jason on board with the idea of increasing their shuttles’ range.
“I’ll do my best,” he promised.
“So, your idea will make the station more efficient?” Jessica asked.
“We think so, yes,” Chris replied. “Like I was saying, the idea originally came from our research into the distribution modules used in Zenoid colony ships to connect to each other and their fleets of raiders. It’s taken months of coding, but Jason and I think we’ve found a way to partially restructure our network in a similar manner to improve our efficiency and our security.”
“Parallel instead of serial,” Duncan said, nodding. “That sounds pretty cool.”
Chris beamed at him—he knew Duncan would appreciate it. “Well, it is slightly more complicated than that,” he had to add, still beaming. “But that’s the essential idea, yes. I made the final simulation run last night, so I think we’re ready to launch into our first live test on a portion of the network.”
“Ah,” Duncan said, as understanding dawned. “For which you need Jane’s approval. I take it you and Jason are due to see her after the mission today?”
“Actually, Jason’s speaking to her this morning, and we’re hoping to have the simulation up and running today,” Chris replied with an excited nod. “I’m sure she’ll give our plan the go-ahead once Jason’s explained the potential benefits. So,” he continued, sending an optimistic look Duncan’s way, “I was hoping that today’s mission wouldn’t take too long or, you know, involve anything too life-threatening.”
Duncan laughed. “You and me both, Chris,” he replied warmly, his smile easing something deep down in Chris’s chest. Duncan then pushed his chair back from the table and rose. “And,” he continued to the group as a whole, “with that in mind, we’d better get going.”