Sunday November 17, 2002
Book 2: The Teraport Wars — Post Post-Dated Check Loan

Transcript

Narrator: Doythaban (A very intelligent cyborg of sorts whose split personalities seem to have merged of late) Finishes taking a test.
DoytHaban: Okay, Kevyn, how did I do?
Kevyn: Well, in terms of speed, you finished just a little bit behind the blank system in the ship. Ennesby still hasn't finished.
Kevyn: It will take a few minutes for me to analyze these results further. Remember, We're looking for back-doors and hardware flaws, rather than absolute speed.
DoytHaban: Do you think three points of reference will be enough?
Kevyn: Only if two sets of results match.
Kevyn: And I can tell already that your results and the ship's results don't.
Thurl: What does that mean?
Kevyn: Either the ship's systems or Doythaban's have processing incongruities that could be exploited to possibly nefarious ends...
Kevyn: ... And perhaps both of you have security flaws.
Kevyn: Since I assembled the ship's systems from off-the-shelf components, paying painful attention to security, i'm inclined to think that those systems are okay. Haban, who assembled your processing system?
DoytHaban: My original assembly was handled by a secret government lab, using stolen exosolar technology.
DoytHaban: I was subsequently modified by an automated surgeon programmed by a doctor I was under orders to capture or kill.
DoytHaban: Oddly enough, it has never before occurred to me that my background could pose a security problem.
Thurl: Case in point?
Kevyn: ... And the prosecution rests.