M D Siskind [Siskind - System Launch

System Launch

Seeds of Lysium - 1

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Table of Contents

Dedication

To my father, who never stopped pursuing his dreams.

To my mother, who never stopped conquering her demons.

To my grandmother, who advised I never take dreams into the grave.

Even the largest avalanche is triggered by small things.

Vernor Vinge

Chapter One

December 28th, 2103, 6 Hours Prior to System Launch, Neolando

I tried to get these for your birthdays, but no go. Ben Rothstein spoke to a half-circle comprised of his `younger siblings. Family dinner in the Rothstein household was a tradition that began before their father died. It remained so even after the quadruplets had moved out. None of them had moved far. Ben didnt think family dinner was the reason. That closeness made the preparation of the pile of make-up presents much easier.

David was the eldest quadruplet, by seven minutes as the others liked to remind him. Blue eyes tracked Ben with excitement that had become tempered in the years since their father was harvested. Of all five siblings, David most resembled their father in physical features. The most obvious things hed inherited from their mother were thick hair and a shorter than average height.

Davids shaggy hair shifted as he leaned forward. Neatly avoiding Leahs probing elbow while he grabbed a package. So whats the- Oh holy shit!

Surprised at Davids reaction, the other three turned to the packages stacked in front of Ben. Ben, meanwhile, was looking at David. That the right one? Check the top.

Wha-oh right! David turned the box, and saw the name. Yep. Is this why you needed our biometrics?

Yeah, Ben rubbed the back of his head. Curly brown hair shuffled over his fingers as he did so. While hed become vital to the Beta Integration Group by the end of its lifecycle, hed still been a beta tester first and foremost. A test pilot for a cybernetic and digital VR system, but still just the test pilot. Ben scanned the room with eyes as brown as good soil. His clearances and the trust extended, he mused, only went so far. No way theyd let me take these units otherwise.

Not that any of that mattered now. His non-disclosure agreement on the entire project had expired three hours ago. He, like all the other Beta Integration team members, was ungagged and could speak about whatever he wanted. Leaning the lanky frame inherited from his father back into his chair, Ben watched the quads distribute the packages. It was a chaotic storm theyd perfected over the years and all four were holding the correct biometrically-locked SoL Kit by the end.

Is this what you were working on? Rebecca, the youngest, gave Ben the perfect intro as she examined her Seeds of Lysium Kit. The tips of her nearly black hair brushed her shoulders as she shifted. Blue eyes in angular features canted up to meet Bens. Rebecca was, without contest, the shortest of the Rothstein children. I know you couldnt talk about it.

Yes and no. I was with the beta testing side of things. Neuromuscular integration and REM integration primarily.

Doing what? It was his mother who asked the question. Shed been listening in over the bartop style counter that divided living room from kitchen.

Their mother was, as usual, a contained whirlwind of activity. Shed shooed all five Rothstein children out of the kitchen upon their arrival. Every attempt to offer help was rebuffed with a stern gaze from dark brown eyes and an absent brushing of curly brown locks from her forehead. Ben spotted something on the stove, as well as a dataslate. Probably notes for her next article or three. Knowing hed just have to repeat himself, Ben waited for her to stand ready with her stylus and dataslate before answering.

Mostly making sure things worked right. The devs would tweak something, or thered be changes in other systems, and theyd need us to make sure things still worked properly.

So Ive heard it goes live tonight. His mother asked, stylus skating across the dataslate to input data. Ben didnt point out her shaking hands. He just nodded in acknowledgment. That was another piece of news he had to share. One he knew the family would appreciate.

The System Administrator Council reached a verdict yesterday. The system goes live at 8pm, 15 minutes after the announcement.

His mothers stare was ice. What was the verdict.

Ben realized hed forgotten to mention that. Sorry, got ahead of myself. The Pepedian Empire has been found guilty on all counts. Protectorate Retaliation will be enacted immediately after the announcement.

It was as though a great wind had scoured away an unseen stain. The air lightened perceptibly as the quadruplets examined the kits with renewed vigor. Bens mother looked at them with consideration. Ben anticipated her question.

Ive got another on reserve for you mom. Ill send you the address, if you want. Her yes was thick with something Ben didnt try to decode. He sent her the confirmation and identification message using his pocket link.. She nodded stiffly in thanks.

Youll need to let them synch the biometrics. Unless you want to try it manually?

She laughed. It wasnt quite a happy sound, but it was better. No, Ill take the help. Thank you.

So whats the deal with all this? Leah asked. Second eldest of the quads, her features were surprisingly mirrored to Rebeccas, with lighter hair and their mothers brown eyes. Leaning forward and putting her kit on the table, she met Bens eyes. The two darkest sets of brown eyes in the family met as Leah brushed her pixie cut light brown hair back from her face. Strong features, a curvy build, and model worthy height meant she drew plenty of amorous attention. She had driven off more than one overly aggressive suitor with a well timed threat over the years. So far as Ben knew shed only had to carry through and punch someone twice. Whats so special about this game?

Ben grinned. Its not a game. Well, not just a game. Its also our interface for the Datanet.

Galactic or stellar? Seth asked, his bright blue eyes lit with intrigue. Ducking Leahs playful jab at his shoulder and dodging her follow-up attempt to pull his dark brown hair, Seth returned his attention to Ben. Angular, almost elfin features all but glowed with deep-set technical interest. Still, Ben knew Seth wasnt just asking to satisfy his inner tech geek. Seth was the most devious of the quads, and the one their little quartet looked to for larger scale planning. It was something he and Ben had in common.

Both. Its the dedicated interface. Complete with perceptive dilation.

That caught all their attention. Each race had a single dedicated Galactic interface. Other interfaces could be patched to work with the Galactic system to a degree. Such patches always lacked flexibility and access. And all the data Ben had seen said no race had ever successfully petitioned for a new interface. Regardless of the issues or problems, Seeds of Lysium was their Galactic Datanet interface now and forever.