Con-Red: Recourse Read Free Page B

of computer language?” Laria guessed as she keyed in a series of commands and watched the holodisplay change as multiple blinking dots started to appear, one by one, all around the solar system.  “It just seems to random Boss.  Why would someone trying to communicate do it in that way?  Doesn’t make much sense to me.”
    RJ smiled and let out a small laugh as he set down his coffee cup on the countertop and opened one of the hanging cabinets.  “Maybe it doesn’t have to make sense to you Laria.  We most likely aren’t dealing with begins similar to ourselves.  They most like do things their own way, know what I mean?  It could be that they don’t understand what we are doing.  You remember how apprehensive the Tin’koans were when we showed up out of nowhere and decided to scout their homeworld. 
    “We didn’t have Extraterrestrial Diplomatic Corp at that time, ” RJ bellowed a laugh and shook his head, “I remember reading the literature.  They had to throw out most of the first contact doctrines and start from scratch.  Improvisation is the key in these sorts of situations.  The rule book had to be almost completely rewritten since that day.  We got pretty lucky with the Vsskari, though.  I doubt we will meet a more welcome and accepting race anytime soon, but you never know.  Of course it helped that their ancestors told stories of visiting beings from the stars.  The Kari were pretty much expecting us.”
    He paused to laugh once again and looked over the rows of cups sitting on the induction shelf before pulling out a dark brown one, “this signal could be nothing of course, but keep at it if your gut is telling you it’s something important.  If anyone can figure it out, it’s you.”
    RJ turned on the nearby facet and filled the brown cup almost to the brim with water.  Once full, he turned off the water with a hand gesture and ran a fingertip across the bottom edge of the cup.  With his free hand RJ picked up the coffee cup he had set down.  In these few seconds the water inside the new cup was already starting to steam and swirl slowly.  As he walked towards Laria’s station the top fifth of cup slowly turned transparent as the dark chocolate powder within the cup was infused into the heating water.  By the time he set it down beside Laria the cup, which had seconds before been filled with just water, contained a perfect hot coco.
    “Thank you so much.  It’s just what I need.”  Laria smiled and looked up at her boss while cradling the cup in her hands as she took a sip.
    RJ pulled a chair over and sat down beside her, watching her body relax finally.  He had known Laria for years, but this was their first time actually working together.  In didn’t take long to get impressed by her work ethic, but she had a strong tendency to overwork herself to the point of exhaustion.  As her superior it was his job to keep her in peak performance and that meant helping her relax and focus.
    “Did you hear about Frederson?  They caught him sleepwalking again.”  RJ finally expressed as he looked over at the revolving holographic image in front of them.
    “Really?  That’s what, his third time now?  What was he doing?”
    “ He was going through the archives, can you believe that?  Just standing there flipping through Earth history.  They say he started from the very beginning of civilization and was up to the Sino-American War when they pulled away. Must be the stress or something.  My guess is that others will start to express symptoms over time as well.  Being cooped up in a floating hunk of rock under continual stress is bound to make people uncomfortable and perhaps a little stir crazy.”
    Laria took another drink of the steaming hot chocolate and turned towards RJ.  “Some have been talking about the possibility that this place might get attacked as well…like Odyssia was.  Do you think that could happen?”
    “Well, anything is possible Laria.”  RJ gave