Андреа Хёст - The Starfighter Invitation

Здесь есть возможность читать онлайн «Андреа Хёст - The Starfighter Invitation» весь текст электронной книги совершенно бесплатно (целиком полную версию без сокращений). В некоторых случаях можно слушать аудио, скачать через торрент в формате fb2 и присутствует краткое содержание. Год выпуска: 2018, Жанр: Фантастика и фэнтези, на английском языке. Описание произведения, (предисловие) а так же отзывы посетителей доступны на портале библиотеки ЛибКат.

The Starfighter Invitation: краткое содержание, описание и аннотация

Предлагаем к чтению аннотацию, описание, краткое содержание или предисловие (зависит от того, что написал сам автор книги «The Starfighter Invitation»). Если вы не нашли необходимую информацию о книге — напишите в комментариях, мы постараемся отыскать её.

The only thing bigger than the world’s first full virtual reality game
is the mystery surrounding its origins. Who is behind Ryzonart Games?
How was such a huge advance in technology achieved?
Taia de Haas loves having her own virtual spaceship, and wants nothing
more than to visit every planet in the solar system. But she cannot
ignore the question of whether such a magnificent gift comes with
strings attached. Is the game a trick, a trap, a subtle invasion? Or an
opportunity to step up and fight for her own planet?
Caught in a tangle of riddles and lies, Taia can’t resist trying to win
answers from Ryzonart’s mysterious administrators. But will finding the
truth cost her the Singularity Game?

The Starfighter Invitation — читать онлайн бесплатно полную книгу (весь текст) целиком

Ниже представлен текст книги, разбитый по страницам. Система сохранения места последней прочитанной страницы, позволяет с удобством читать онлайн бесплатно книгу «The Starfighter Invitation», без необходимости каждый раз заново искать на чём Вы остановились. Поставьте закладку, и сможете в любой момент перейти на страницу, на которой закончили чтение.

Тёмная тема
Сбросить

Интервал:

Закладка:

Сделать

" Anyone hurt? " Nina asked, moving one arm gingerly.

" I’d hate to know the long-term effects of exposure to that stuff ," Silent said. " I don’t feel healthy, but I expect—" He broke off, and I could hear his sharp intake of breath.

" The Renba ," Imoenne said. " Mine, it is gone ."

I’d completely forgotten Renba management: a stupid lapse. But mine was still sitting quietly on top of my helmet, and Nina’s on hers. Silent, Imoenne and Arlen’s had been outside our shields, and only Arlen’s was still there, hovering near the top of the dome. From the exclamations of dismay, the other team had suffered similar losses.

" Dio ," I said, into the group channel, " Can we use each other’s Renba? "

[[[[Renba cannot be shared.]]]]

Ryzon’s multilayered voice seemed to echo in the dome, answering a question I guess both teams had posed.

[[Bios too often brought along sacrificial companions purely for use of their Renba,]] Dio added privately to me. [[We encourage teamwork, but the risk must be personal.]]

And the risk, right now, was permadeath in the game. Exile from The Synergis.

" Well, this is a complication ," Silent said. " Perhaps the two of us could hold here while you three go ahead? "

No-one answered immediately, then Nina said slowly: " It may be the only way. But if this other team attacks you… "

" Forget the other team ," I said, mouth dry. " Look at the base of that pillar ."

Around each pillar the rounded piles, collapsed blancmanges of indefinite shape, quivered and writhed as black creatures emerged. Not hatching, but from in between the lumps, as if from a nest. Four tapering legs in the shape of a flattened X. No obvious eyes or mouth. A suggestion of hair, like a tarantula, but shorter, and downier. The tips of each leg tapering to a flattened hook shape.

The audience had dubbed them Cutters. I’d only seen the things in flashes on the streams of the other groups, but that had been more than enough. Fast, deadly, and strong enough to bring shields down with a little persistence. A roaming handful had ripped through players on the hydroponic level. And here there were dozens .

"Oh, sh–," someone above us began, then hastily quieted.

The Cutters paused, but didn’t respond further, continuing to spread from the base of the pillars. At least three were meandering toward us, not as if they saw us, but because they were going in a direction and we were in the way.

" What are the chances they crawl over the top of our dome? " I asked.

" Mild repel on the outside of shields ," Nina reminded me.

" That could be to our advantage, " Silent said. " If they then crawl around us. "

A distant echo of sound sent a stir of reaction through the advancing horde. And then they drew their legs together like collapsing umbrellas and launched themselves forward, almost all of them vanishing off to our left. Almost all.

" Hatch opening? " Nina said.

" Yeah ." Silent paused, then added: " Only one person had started through and they got back down in time, but haven’t closed it yet ."

" Our hatch, it is still open ," Arlen said.

It wasn’t even all that far away. If not for the handful of Cutters that hadn’t moved.

" Temi, what would happen if Silent and Imoenne put full shields around themselves? " Nina asked, into the team channel.

Nina’s Cycog’s response came over the same Channel, rather than being projected to the room as Ryzon’s had been.

[[_Skipping without a vehicle is a tactic Bios often employ during extremis. We recover less than 1% of them, and fewer alive. Most do not have the advantage of wearing environment suits, however._]]

" So that’s probably the best way out of this? " Silent asked.

[[_If you formed a full lan sphere and then immediately released it, you would very likely be transported somewhere else within The Wreck, ]] Artemis replied. [[_Skipping within an object is almost invariably fatal, although there are larger gaps within this structure than most. Not releasing immediately may put you out of the transmission range of your suits. ]]

" Not such a good way, then ," I said, eyeing the nearest of the remaining Cutters, and watching with a fragment of my attention the stream of the third team, currently trying to force the main swarm back through their open hatch. " But I don’t think just leaving Silent and Imoenne here is an option, either. These things are patrolling. "

" They respond to sound ," Arlen said. " Perhaps if we throw a canister? "

" Primarily to sound ," Silent said. " But Amelia says the consensus is that movement draws them too. "

The third team finally managed to get their hatch shut, and retreated hastily into a nearby room, pulling the door closed.

" Hatch looks like it’s holding ," Silent said, grimly. " You three better move on before that mob heads back here. Imoenne and I can make a break for our own hatch. If we shut it behind us—and then hole up in that possible shuttle we found—we should be fine. Even if the thing doesn’t work for an escape, we can lock ourselves in until someone wins this thing. "

" You’ll never make it! " I protested.

" It’s a better chance than sitting here. If we wait until the other group move, or something distracts the ones immediately around us, it should be achievable. Though—" He hesitated. " It would help if we had the sled ."

The end in sight, and it was time for the sprint. Giving the sled to Silent and Imoenne would drastically decrease our chance of winning, but we still had a chance if we stuck with slow and steady. I started to nod, repressed the pointless movement, and said: " Makes sense ," at the same time as Arlen agreed.

" No ."

Nina spoke the single word in a tone that brooked no argument, and I stared at her in dismay. Of course, she had no real stake in our gamer lives. Why would she abandon winning the System Challenge for people she barely knew?

Then she added: " I’ll head into the centre, distract them, you four shield up and get out of here. Our priority is avoiding permadeath, not chasing reputation ."

I felt a rush of relief, but then another option occurred to me. " Dio, can we use the Boon to undo permadeath ?"

[[_No._]]

" Damn. Alright, but it doesn’t make sense for you to be the distraction, Nina. We want the strongest shield on Silent and Imoenne. "

" I will be the distraction ," Arlen said, firmly.

" Arlen and I will be ," I said, equally as firm. " As soon as you three are through the hatch, we can Evacuate. "

" I want to argue, but I don’t think we have time ," Silent said. " Let’s try to split this bubble into two groups. "

With no way to be sure when the main group of creatures would return, or the handful remaining encounter our shield bubble, we planned as we divided ourselves into two groups, doing our best to make no rapid movements. Arlen and I placed our Renba a short way above us, gambling that no-one would set off the arcs of light again. The biggest danger moment was going to be when Nina, Silent and Imoenne first departed, and so Arlen and I next worked on a distraction mechanism, gathering used oxygen canisters from the sled and placing them just outside our shields.

" Ready? " Nina asked.

" As we’ll ever be ," I replied.

" See you back at the ship, then ," Silent said. " And…thanks ."

Читать дальше
Тёмная тема
Сбросить

Интервал:

Закладка:

Сделать

Похожие книги на «The Starfighter Invitation»

Представляем Вашему вниманию похожие книги на «The Starfighter Invitation» списком для выбора. Мы отобрали схожую по названию и смыслу литературу в надежде предоставить читателям больше вариантов отыскать новые, интересные, ещё непрочитанные произведения.


Отзывы о книге «The Starfighter Invitation»

Обсуждение, отзывы о книге «The Starfighter Invitation» и просто собственные мнения читателей. Оставьте ваши комментарии, напишите, что Вы думаете о произведении, его смысле или главных героях. Укажите что конкретно понравилось, а что нет, и почему Вы так считаете.

x