UGT: 31th Ascent 280 a.G.A. / 03:54 a.m.
Location: New Hamton, Au'Shalis Prime, Clinton's Beak system (red dwarf), Republic of Nox, Second Human Federation, Milky Way
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[ May, time to wake up. We‘re close to our destination. ]
With that, my eyes snapped open instantly. And indeed the shuttle seemed like it was landing, with Admiral Thorrison already standing next to the pilot and quietly talking with him. How long was I out for?
[ Just barely four hours. ]
Well, I'm a High-Aetherian. That should be enough sleep for me this night. The earlier I started, the better. "Admiral Thorrison, how long do you plan for us to remain here?", I asked loudly.
"I would like to leave Au'Shalis Prime before midnight. Therefore it would be nice if you could be back here at 7:00 p.m. giving you a solid 15 hours to explore. By shuttle, this is enough to reach half of the fragment in the given timespan and to still get back here in time.", he replied absentmindly.
"Very well, I'll keep that in mind.", I said. Fen, open the airlock, I know you hacked the shuttle system.
[ Done. ]
Promptly the airlock opened and under the shocked looks of the shuttle pilot and Admiral Thorrison, I jumped out. As the shuttle only hovered a few metres over the ground, that proved to be no problem at all. But the moment i looked around I froze, stunned. From a relatively big landing space for shuttles, I looked directly into a gigantic modern city by night. But that wasn't what surprised me. I logically knew I was inside the fragment of a space station, but I was able to see clods and sky!
image [https://i.imgur.com/xCecWkL.jpeg]
A picture of New Hamton, made by AI
This was clearly aetherian technology. There was no way the SHF could have created something like that, especially with how impractical it actually was in most cases. And in the same vein, it was as of now worthless to me. Instead, I focused back on the city. It was empty and eerily quiet. The lack of humans was... distrubing.
[ Based on everything I could find out, because of the occupied state of the Clinton's Beak system, a curvew from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m is currently imposed on Au'Shalis Prime. It seems to be a standard measure. We can expect the first humans to get to the streets any minute now. ]
That was good to know but ultimately not what I was here for either. Fen, where to now?
[ Well, I for once have no idea. We'll need to find out how the Second Human Federation found the locations of the defensive weapons. And I think our best place to start would be the local tourist information. After all, these areas must be strictly forbidden. ]
Good point. And afterwards we can make a quick stop at the local police station where we might be able to find out more details about the forbidden areas. If that doesn't work, we can straight up hack them. You should be more than capable of that Fen.
[ I'm afraid it won't be that easy. Around 97% of the built-in high-end quantic compression computer's hardware is used just to keep me councious and functioning. Everything else I'm currently doing with the remaining 3%. The harware of the ASF Aurora has been significant to ensure absolute efficiency. Just the two of us without any additional hardware will probably have quite a challange in hacking the local police station servers unnoticed. And I assume you want it to remain unnoticed. ]
That... did complicate matters significantly. But if that was what it took for them to be sucessfull... "Well, Fen, lead the way. For now, the local tourist information it is.", I muttered. While I followed Fen's directions the streets of the city truly became slowly but surely more lively until it looked exactly like on the pictures of a city I'd seen via the holopad. Aetherians outwardly looked mostly like humans, except for some small details. The true differences were all internally. Accordingly I had no problem to blend into the mass of humans while continuing to insepct my surroundings.
Having humans around was way better than the city being all silent and empty, but it still made me nervous to be around so many humans at once. The most humans in one place I had seen before were around a dozen, this had to be hundreds in every street! But the further I moved towards the local tourist information, the more the city cleared out around me, marking the transition towards a more peaceful part of the city. Why? That was because I stepped into the tourist sector of the city. And a system constantly under occupation or threat of one for more than a dozen years didn't make for the best tourist attraction.
The tourist information center stood in the heart of a quiet plaza, its bright displays announcing nearby attractions in soft glowing colors. It looked completely out of place given the ominous silence surrounding the tourist sector of the city. As I entered, the automated doors hissed shut behind me as I approached the reception desk. The single human attendant, a bored-looking woman in her late twenties, looked up from her desk terminal.
“Good morning, welcome to the New Hamton tourist information. How can I assist you?”, she asked in a monotone voice clearly not very enthused at her job. Understandable. Most of the time it had be very boring with no tourists around at all.
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I offered her a polite nod. “I’m here to learn about restricted areas. Historical sites, defensive outposts... anything with a lot of red tape.”, I stated, deciding for one of the more direct approaches. She blinked, visibly startled by the directness of my question.
“Restricted areas? Those aren’t exactly open to tourists. Why would you...”, she asked, trailing off at the end. I leaned slightly closer, lowering my voice.
“I’m an independent researcher documenting sites of historical significance. No, I don’t have clearance, but I’d appreciate any publicly available information. It would greatly help my research and cause trouble to no one. It's clearly the best option for me.”, I whispered. The woman hesitated before gesturing toward a console embedded in the counter.
“You can browse available data on local attractions and restrictions here. Publicly accessible areas are highlighted in green. The red zones are, well, off-limits. And do not even dare try to get near them.", she stated.
“Thank you, I won't. That’s all I needed.”, I said smiling while turning to the console.
[ Not the subtlest approach, but effective. ]
Maybe not, but as long as it gets the work done, I'm okay with my methods. The console’s screen flickered to life as I tapped it. Instantly I noticed Fen starting to scan the system for overlooked data streams. Maps of the Au'Shalis Prime ringworld fragment expanded before me, showing bustling urban sectors, recreational facilities and transit networks. My gaze shifted to the red zones scattered across the display. Most of them suspiciously small and confined areas marked only by nondescript codes. That was definitly not standard.
[ Interesting. These restricted zones aren’t labeled with any explanations, but their proximity to historical landmarks might not be coincidental. ]
I studied the map further, noting the placement of the largest restricted zone near a greenly highlighted zone. The so-called Aurolin Ruins. These were ancient Aetherian structures partially accessible to tourists but still surrounded by mystery. The connection was too convenient to ignore. I shut of the console again and prepared to leave.
“Done already?”, the attendant asked, looking mildly surprised. I nodded confirmingly.
“This will suffice and I got everything I needed. Thank you for your time.”, I said and with these words left the tourist information, stepping out into the early morning streets.
[ We should proceed to the local police station. They’re likely to have more comprehensive data on these restricted areas, even if we have to dig a little deeper for it. ]
I exhaled quitely. This second part of my information gathering would most likely be so much more risky. “Sure, let's do this. Lead the way.”, I muttered anyway. It was the only way forward for me after all. And only a few minutes later I reached the police headquarters of New Hamton. The station itself was a sterile utilitarian structure flanked by two towering statues of armored Federation soldiers. Its entrance was guarded by a checkpoint manned by two officers who eyed me warily as I entered. The interior smelled faintly of disinfectant and the hum of activity was palpable, completely different from the tourist information where I was before.
“State your business with us please.”, said the officer manning the front desk, glancing up at me.
“I’m an independent researcher looking into the Aurolin Ruins and other restricted zones. I was hoping to access local data archives for context.”, I said while trying to keep my tone as neutral as possible. The officer only snorted, leaning back in his chair.
“Access to the local archieves regarding the Aurolin Ruins? You’re joking, right? That’s classified information. Unless you’ve got clearance, you’re wasting your time. I cannot and will not give you this information. And I'm very sure an independent researcher has nothing like the clearance needed for that specific ruin. So go away.”, he stated dismissively.
“Yes, that much I understand and that's not what I'm asking for. But surely there’s some public documentation or-”, I tried again only to be rudely cut off.
“Public data’s available at the tourist center. Right now all you're wasting my time and there is nothing I hate more than people wasting my time. So get a move on.”, he said.
[ Stall him. I need at least thirty seconds to breach their network. ]
Fen needed more time? Very well. I leaned forward, feigning frustration. “Look, I’ve traveled lightyears for this. Everything you can get at the tourist information is utterly useless and you know it. Surely someone here can help.”, I said, even trying to sound a bit desperate. The officer’s glare deepened.
“I said no. Get out. You’ve got five seconds to leave before I call the true security. Because right now, you sound more like an enemy spy than anything else, however you would have gotten on the fragment.”, he threatened.
“Fine. I just don’t understand why a simple question is so difficult to answer.”, I said, raising my hands in mock surrender.
[ I’m encountering resistance. You need to keep him distracted. Another twenty seconds for sure. ]
Twenty seconds? Hard but manageable. I let out an exaggerated sigh. “Is this really how the Federation treats everyone who comes through the door into official government places? Or is it just a wrong-guided hate for independent researchers and their highly important work? It’s no wonder the Federation is at the verge of falling apart.”, I said, my voice full of indignation and venom.
The officer slammed his hand on the desk, rising to his full height. “Get out!”, he screamed completely enraged. Behind him another officer approached curiosity flickering across his face. I felt my chest tighten. If I took up to much attention or made to much trouble, I wouldn't be able to get out of the situation easily anymore and that would be bad if Admiral Thorrison heard of it.
[ We're almost there, five more seconds an I'm done. You can do it. ]
I backed up a step, raising my voice. “This is ridiculous! I’ve done nothing wrong, and you’re already kicking me out just like that!”
[ Done! Let's leave. ]
Without another word, I spun on my heel and left, ignoring the officers’ angry muttering behind me. Outside, I ducked into an alley, pressing my back against the cold wall. “Did you get it?”, I whispered.
[ I accessed their archives long enough to extract relevant files on restricted areas. The encryption on their deeper records was too advanced for my current capacity, but I’ve retrieved something useful. The Aurolin Ruins are indeed significant. They’ve been under heightened surveillance due to suspected ties to ancient defensive technology. It seems like the SHF didn't give up trying to reach the old ringworld weaponry after all. ]
“That’s a lead. What else do you have?”, I asked.
[ The ruins are open to the public during the day, but certain sections are cordoned off. From what I’ve gathered, those areas are heavily patrolled, even for federaton standards during war. If the Federation suspects a way to gain acess to the Aetherian technology there, it makes sense. ]
“Then that’s where we’ll start.”, I said decisively, jogging towards my next stop. A shuttle that could bring me to these mysterious Aurolin Ruins. Because that would be my next stop on this fragment.