SODIUM:4 Gravity by Stephen Arseneault Read Free Book Online Page B

genius.
    Shepard took the same test and came in at 151, again, 12 points higher than her previous best. The faster-than-light spacewalk had added nearly a dozen IQ points to our intelligence scores and potentially dozens of years to our lives. Shepard then ran vision tests and compared them with the health database.
    In the short time since the spacewalk I had gone from a corrected 20/20 to a clean 20/12. What others could clearly see at twelve feet I could now see at 20. Shepard explained that it was an excellent ratio for the human eye. Birds of prey were the only animals we knew of that had significantly better. An eagle would typically have 20/4 or 20/5.
    We next did a hearing test that yielded similar results. It seemed all of our senses were heightened and abilities increased. After exhaustive testing of our new found health we got back to the business at hand... preparing for the alien fleet. Shepard continued with her language translations while I returned to my simulated battles. Within hours my kill ratio had increased by 30%.

Chapter 4

    Nine days later our speed had slowed to 0.99 SOL and our QE comm link once again became active. The teams back home had come up with the same discovery as Shepard regarding the alien's language. Shepard quickly forwarded her achievements to be combined with that of Command's.
    Shepard next transmitted our health stats and the sensor data from our spacewalk. The medical corps officers were in a state of disbelief. She then chimed in with a warning. Before they could begin trials on attempting to make something of this, they had to reproduce the conditions we had gone through, and before testing on humans they needed to see if we survived it first. We didn't know if we were truly blessed or would we be dead in a month.
    In our final day of travel we came to within 200 million kilometers of the alien fleet. After matching their speed I punched in the numbers and waypoints that would take us to within 2,000 kilometers of the largest mega-ship.
    We would burst to increase our speed and then move past in stealth mode. The maneuver would take 16 hours and it would yield our best data on the fleet to date. We were down to ten months before zero hour. Everything was on the line.
    At 100,000 kilometers we began to get our best visuals. The carriers began to take on their long rectangular shape and the 40 km mega-ship was now showing color. A thin green glow bordered the rim of its disk shape.
    At 20,000 kilometers rows of fighters were clearly discernible. The green glow of the rim of the mega-ship continued to brighten. The remaining saucer shaped ships were a dull dark gray.
    When we reached 4,000 kilometers the individual fighters could be counted. The computer quickly posted 8643 which we doubled to account for those on the opposite sides. Upon further inspection we could make out the slightest details of damage to one of the carriers. Some of the Drillers from an earlier mission had evidently found their mark.
    Command then came in with new orders. Perform another micro-burst and keep our ship at the 2,000 kilometer range. We were to be the eyes and ears for Earth for the next ten months. Our trip out to Epsilon Eridani had taken only a month’s time. With the extended mission I suddenly felt a bit claustrophobic in our tiny ship.
    We had food, we even had enough Sodium to easily sustain us at the current speed, but I wondered what we would do to occupy our minds. A ten month stakeout was not my idea of an adventure. But orders were orders and we were at war. Whatever sacrifice we had to make was trivial compared to the sacrifices that were coming.
    My handler back at the base then came over the QE comm. He would be doing what he could to provide me with entertainment, instruction or with whatever digital offerings I sought. Movies, music and calls home would all be made available over the quantum link.
    With calls home, any discussions related to our position or our mission were off