Home Front (Star Kingdom #7) - Lindsay Buroker Page 0,9
maybe the entire star system, “—my department has been working on finding a way to nullify it in case it’s ever used on us again. We believe we’ve now got a subroutine in our anti-virus software that accomplishes that.”
Casmir nodded, though it wasn’t apparent, at least to Kim, what Grunburg was getting at. She’d assumed Intelligence also wanted to question Casmir about Rache.
“We’ve also been trying to figure out how to deploy the virus ourselves, as a weapon to deal with enemies such as those blockading System Lion’s gate, but we’re missing something.” Grunburg frowned. “We tried to use it against Dubashi’s base, but they wouldn’t accept a file from us. The mercenaries weren’t as bright—we tricked some into taking it. But nothing happened. Unless everybody in the Twelve Systems now has a defense for it, we’re missing something.”
“I doubt the mercenaries have a defense,” Casmir said. “Dubashi probably would have, even if one of his minions had been fooled into accepting it. He’s an astroshaman himself.”
“Yeah, Meister dug that up. But will you work with us on this, Professor? Right now, Intel hasn’t been able to locate Dubashi’s ship, but I heard Sultan Shayban might give us his slydar detector.”
Casmir snorted. Kim didn’t know the story there, but she doubted Shayban would give the Kingdom anything more helpful than a case of space shingles.
“Once we can locate Dubashi’s ship,” Grunburg went on, “we can go after it and unleash the virus. Maybe it won’t work, but if it does, we could blow up his powerless ship—and destroy the virus-laden rockets he has—and maybe put an end to the war at home before we even arrive.” He raised his eyebrows, looking hopeful. And naive.
“Didn’t you just say Dubashi would have a counter to the computer virus?” Kim asked Casmir.
“I don’t know that he has one. I just wouldn’t be surprised if he had prior knowledge of it and is prepared.” Casmir tilted his head. “But that doesn’t mean all the ships he sent to System Lion would be prepared. It’s worth getting it ready so you guys can try to send it when we get there.” Casmir nodded to Grunburg.
“Oh, good. Come this way, Professor. I’ll show you our computer lab and introduce you to the rest of my team.” Grunburg smiled, as if they were on their way to camp and would have a delightful time making fires and toasting marshmallows. Or, more likely, programming robots and computers.
Why can’t you make friends with our world leaders as easily as you make them with random enemies and the common man? Kim messaged as Casmir left the lab, Zee trailing dutifully behind him.
I don’t think Grunburg is representative of the common man.
That’s true. You make friends with geeks and nerds.
Precisely. The problem is that those aren’t the people who rule the Kingdom.
Kim sighed, wondering if there was any way she could avoid Meister’s drug needle for the rest of the trip. Maybe that is the problem.
Sweat bathed Asger’s face as he and his father broke apart. They’d been sparring for over an hour. The low gravity on the Osprey made it less onerous than it would have been on Odin, but they were both breathless.
Asger had been ready to stop twenty minutes ago, but he hadn’t wanted to be the one to suggest quitting first. He was relieved that sweat also bathed his father’s face and dampened his short gray beard.
“Towel?” Asger stepped off the mat to grab two.
His father grunted. He hadn’t spoken much during their match, and Asger had gotten in a few blows that suggested he was preoccupied.
Thinking about Bonita? Asger wasn’t sure how close they were, but he’d seen them flirt—if throwing insults at each other could be called flirting.
Asger himself was worried about Qin and frustrated that the person who held her wasn’t a person he could attack. How the hell were they supposed to get Qin and Bonita off Jorg’s ship?
He tossed a towel to his father. They’d exercised together each of the three days since leaving Dubashi’s moon base, where they’d formed an unspoken truce. Asger wasn’t sure what had happened, but during that incursion, his father had opened up to him for the first time that he could remember.
It was good not to be arguing with him or stomping around in anger, but their new bond was hard to appreciate when Asger was worried about Qin. There had been a time—a long time—when he never would have believed a friend could be in