Lacuna: Demons of the Void by David Adams Read Free Book Online Page A

will.” A pause. “You don’t think they’re demons?” Liao’s question was laced with curiosity.
    “Well... what do you think they are?”
    Liao shrugged. “I think that ordinary men can be demons so I don’t see why these aliens can’t be. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t believe in the supernatural, James, but... certain acts of depravity can never be forgiven. If someone acts as a demon, then in my mind, tar them with the brush that fits. Why not call them demons if they’re so eager to earn that moniker?”
    “Melissa...” James smiled at her, lifting his glass to her as a toast. “I happen to agree with you, but hear me out. Our ancestors – humanity’s ancestors – named anyone with birth defects demons. They named the gibbering mad folk demons, or people with epilepsy or narcolepsy, people with mental illnesses that caused them to hear voices were thought to be possessed... the causes for all these things were eventually found, in time, and now we don’t blame these perfectly valid medical explanations on ‘demons’. We no longer fear and hate the unknown, revelling in our ignorance... Instead, we find the unknown to be a curiously enthralling place, something that encourages us to better ourselves.”
    James knocked back a little more scotch, smiling still. “So it’s not that I disagree with your assessment, but just that I detest the label. It is a rubber stamp for that which we do not understand... and I believe that all things have a reason behind them.”
    “Makes sense.”
    The man leaned forward a little, growing a little serious. “Do you doubt yourself ?”
    Liao couldn’t answer that question right away. She stared into her drink, considering her response. When it came, it was measured and even.
    “I know I can command this vessel,” she said, sipping at her drink. The burn on her throat helped relax her. “...and I will give this endeavour my all. But so much rests on what we do here... rests on our actions… rests on sheer, blind, dumb luck. We're going out into space with basically no idea what we're about to face... if anything. And if the Demons – aliens – whatever, come... and we fail... if we fail here, then…”
    “…then don’t fail.”
    Liao gave a cocked, uneven grin. “That simple, hey?”
    *****
    Operations
    TFR Beijing
    Lunar Drydock
    The next few weeks passed faster than Liao cared to think about. She was able to spend a surprising amount of time with James, and his presence was of great assistance as the ship underwent its final preparations. Liao and James enjoyed an easy, close friendship and she found the Belgian man’s company to be an essential part of unwinding from the stresses of leadership.
    But now, finally, the great day was upon them.
    Liao sat in her Captain’s chair in the starship’s Operations room, a heavily built structure packed with computers. The area was sometimes known simply as “Ops”. Buried deep within the vessel’s forward section and running along the ship’s centre axis, it was the most armoured and protected of all the sections, along with the jump drive, nuclear reactors, atmospheric processors, and weapons and ammunition storage. Sheng stood next to her as she took her seat.
    A fresh-faced Junior Lieutenant (the Chinese equivalent of an Ensign) handed Sheng a printed message. Her XO read it, then nodded to Melissa. Sheng’s voice was charged with excitement as he spoke. “Final tests complete, Captain. All sections report alert status. Systems are green across the board.”
    This was the signal – it was time for launch. From its berth on the lunar surface, the crew had conducted every conceivable test they could... Now, the only way they could stress the ship further was to take him out for a spin.
    Liao tugged on her uniform jacket, nodding up to Commander Sheng. “Very good, Command. Warm up sub-light engines and bring reactors two and six to full power. Keep the remainder on standby. Prepare to disengage