“So you’re sure you’re fine up here with the boys for a few days?”
“Christ, Penny, you’re not sending me off to college.” She scoffs, but there’s a tooth showing so that grimace is also a smile!
“Yeah, yeah, and both of those buggers are technicians at heart and will be too involved in their craft to be drawn in by your haunting beauty.” I grin.
She grins as well, “A logical trap. I approve.” She grins into the kiss she gives me, not caring about everyone watching.
I cough in embarrassment “If we end up being out of ansible range for more than a month, you have Regent authority for the CE budget.” She nods and checks the menu for those settings.
I feel a poke in my side and turn to Melissa, “This is where I’m supposed to remind you it’s the last chance for snacks and juice.”
“Yes! Thank you Mel!” I rush through the exchange menu, glad they have a pop-up in my HUD for frequently purchased items. I get some upgraded Aether-infused performance drink that I’ve been favoring for heavy enchanting days and a high-caloric meal that Doc’s been making for Beecham, Meeker, and I based of plant protein and those bacon-flavored murder birds she successfully domesticated. When we get back, Francesca and I are going to use the plant fiber cubes and canopy leaves to luau the birds and a Voosel in the ground. I’m super pumped.
“Anything you need me to get?”
“Your butt in the pilot’s seat?” She emphasizes with a soft pat. Living together is doing wonders for our casual affection expression, but terrible for my embarrassment around others.
“Yes ma’am.” I hurry into the shuttle and put on my EVA suit. I now have the hang of putting it on in less than ten minutes. The glove rings are a little tricky to lock in. Tessa walks through the Hangar warnings while Mel and I do checks on the refurbished nav system. She has to teach me what I’ll be doing when Tessa can onload to the shuttle’s systems.
/Engaging lift thrusters in 10./
“Sequencing lift thrusters forward to back for desired rise angle and thrust stop.” I turn us to a 45 degree angle when I engage all bottom thrusters at low to position us over the moon’s surface, then engage back thrusters for a quick 9g pop with a cruise at 3g for 10 minutes or so.
“Cruising to maximum risk radius for shortest warp setting perpendicular to system plane.” For the low-power array, that’s about 50k kilometers. “Ophelia, please test remote magitech relays and connect aether conduits to the low-power array. Taking locality snapshot for triangulation, plotting course vectors for intended warp testing.”
“Relay cycle SAT, aether conduits primed. Verifying telemetry.” Ophelia chimes over the PA.
“Babe, you need to put your helmet on now. This shuttle was not designed to depressurize in sections.”
She scoffs and mumbles something about my fancy space suit.
It is very fancy.
/Tessa and Ophie have confirmed telemetry and are ready for automated low-power array testing./ Melissa tells me through coms.
/Copy Mel, Ladies, set minimum aether requirement for jump at 200% requested for low-power array, then begin test sequence./
/Copy Admiral, beginning test sequence,/ the two AI’s say in a weird merged voice.
/Come back safely to me Mercer./
/That’s the plan Countess./ I appreciate her version of concern.
I rapidly change my HUD to bring up a nav chart in one eye and the rune engagement sequence in the other eye, and the overall view being the stars in front of us, but with a fancy trick Tessa managed by pulsing my aether sight in a way to get me an overlay that doesn’t blind the crap out of me.
/Partial array power engagement SAT. Warp formed appears adequate to accept shuttle. Advancing./ The Ais are doing well to document our progress. They pulse us through the black cut in space and we blip through and a flash of recognition thumps my memory.
A flood of information litters all of the navigation displays, confirming that the ship is in known space, data to be analyzed later. Success! I would celebrate, but our AIs set a punishing pace and there is little room to move as we are near continuously shunted through the aether space, relying on my ability to shield us.
/Emergency override, Penny Astoria. Shut down warp and thrust systems. Sorry ladies, I can’t shield us anymore for now./
/She really must be tired, we finished low-power testing just before she took control./
At their admission, I pull off my helmet and start crawling back to the two rows of three passenger seats. I flop down and start jamming food and juice in my face.
“Do you need any of this Mel?” I offer Mel the things I literally just had in my mouth, I am so delirious.
“No, but you should cram that and take a nap while Ophie and I look at the charts?”
“Sounds good hon.” I start looking for a flat place to lay my head whilst chowing on bacon-flavored protein.
“No, you silly goose. I put a cot in the cargo bay. Get up, we can bring your juice and I’ll tuck you in.”
“Do I get a kiss good night?”
She giggles at that, I feel pretty good about making her giggle. “Yes, of course.”
***
“Andromeda, my head feels like its suffering from tidal volcanics.”
You were starting to shut down. Overdrawing your mana with Body of Power is extremely dangerous.
“I need to be able to manage my shielding better. I have a hard time believing it was just the number of trips that tapped me out.”
You were shielding the whole front of the shuttle for some of the warps. Shrinking it to individual people would be more efficient.
“Yeah, but how practical is that when I have to shield eight people?”
Have you considered that most of the Symbiote users may not need shielding?
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
“No I did not. I should try not shielding myself on the next one. And yes, I get that it’s unfiltered and unorganized, so I’m more likely to get mutations instead of levels.”
As long as you’re aware. Now eat and replenish.
“Okay mom.”
The hatch to the crew compartment opens and Melissa jumps through and starts kissing my head. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”
“Yah, Mel. I didn’t properly calculate how much aether the shields would take.” I take a huge sip of juice, and damn is this stuff packed with aether and delicious.
“Can you continue testing?”
“I’d feel better if we started again tomorrow. Maybe the day after.” I take a deep breath and try to stand. I sit back down immediately. “How’s the data looking so far?”
“With detailed control schemes, we believe that a near-continuous distance function can be achieved between 50k kilometers and 10ly. There are small gaps along the curve as the aether fidelity of this controller for Intermediate and Advanced craftspeople can only be so fine,” Ophelia describes.
“Understood, and thanks for the quick work. Is there a way to predict the range of the high power ring?”
“Yes and no. We could try to extrapolate, however, Tessa tells me that the upscale of the runes you make are not linear, so the estimation would not be useful.”
“Thanks Ophie. Anything in range for us to look at?”
“Just empty space and stars Penny,” Mel comes over and hooks an arm under mine to help me up. “Lets get you to the cockpit so you can look out.”
***
The aether density in space is crap. It’s a good thing I bought 50 liters of juice before we left. It’s odd to think in that kind of volume for myself. It also cost me a quite a few credits, but with over 90k left, it’s hard to think too hard about it.
“Alright, this time folks, let us put five minutes between jumps so that I have time to interrupt if I need to.”
The AIs power up and coordinate the array, I shield Melissa and we warp. I feel a bloat of wild aether and my system desperately trying to contain and organize it. The warp ends before it gets out of control and I breath heavy for a few minutes.
“That warp appears to have traveled 50ly. Do you need more time to process?”
“Yes please, ten more to get the wild aether under control.” Ophelia pings affirmative.
Shielding myself for future warps, we make it through two thirds of the high power protocol before Tessa brings up a point.
“We will reach the intended system of survey before the end of the next proposed warp. Would you like to warp to the survey system instead?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“What? Mel, come on. We can test the atmosphere and see what we’re working with before we dump the ansible kit.”
“You brought that with us?” She somehow seems surprised.
“Of course. I did the math, it was far more likely to test the long range warps back toward Astoria.”
/And I get to name this system/ Katie chimes in.
“You’ve been broadcasting?” Mel accuses.
“Mel, yes. You’re not the only one that cares about us, sweetie. Dibs acknowledged Kay.”
“WHAT!?” Melissa shrieks.
“She called dibs on naming this system. You get the next one. I get to name the last two so there’s no show of favoritism.”
/That’s a load of crap/
“Agreed.”
“You’re both right, but If I claim it now, you won’t argue about it until later. Ophie, cue in a warp that takes us within 50k kilometers above the disk of our target system. Engage as ready.”
Protests are quieted for the warp and as soon as we arrive, one of the AI’s maneuver to point us at the planets and star of my new conquest.
It’s a large yellow, Main Sequence star, maybe 5 Sol masses, with a close rocky planet and a super Jupiter gas giant clearing its domain at 2 AU. The belt is beyond the massive proto-star, with a gas giant and three icy rock planets beyond. The giants have been collecting trophies. Supiter carries three massive moons, the likes of Ganymede of Jupiter would measure just larger than the smallest of the three. Super Neptune carries moons the size of Pluto, Mercury, and Luna, but a compliment of six.
“Penny, the super jovian has a moon of the size of a pre-Thea impact Earth. Slightly less dense, the moon is habitable temperature, liquid water, and 0.8g. Troposphere altitude atmospheric quality uncertain as high stratification of greenhouse gasses exist. Recommend surface sample, or two weeks of orbital data.”
“Atmospheric density?”
“1.5 Earth. 1.3 Astoria.”
“Astoria’s pitts, that’s like breathing soup.”
“Yes. It will be taxing with un-accustomed diaphragms. A shuttle decent is still recommended.”
“Okay, unless there are any protests, I propose a 1-day orbital scan to find an ansible drop location. A soil, air, and plant sample, then egress.”
/I propose you test the other large moons of Supiter. Atmosphere and soil samples both./
“Is there a seismic survey rig I can buy for cheap? Knowing if the cores of these should-be planets have rare metals or liquid cores would be valuable.” I ask the AI community.
“1 CE standard speculative mining rig.”
“Make it so. Two please.”
“Not three?”
“I try not to carelessly mine a world I plan to live on.” I tell Mel.
“You will have to set up the ansible for us to make those purchases.” Tessa reminds me.
“Mel, we’re about to have that couple’s retreat you asked for.” I say.
Melissa swears at me with her helmet on. Katie laughs through our comms link.
***
//Why did I think this would be a pleasure cruise where we would make out and fuck for a week?//
“I mean, sex was never on the table, so that’s on you Mel. I also don’t see why you’re masking up. The butane and methane won’t kill us at these concentrations.”
Her frown is legendary. She had clearly thought this was going to be a bonding retreat, not realizing I was still mad about last month’s betrayal.
/Is the air quality going to pose a problem with industry?/
/For us? Only a little. If we still had the other scientists, they would be excited at the opportunity to separate the fuel from the atmosphere./
/Atropos and I want to be out there with you, you know./
/I didn’t know Kay, and I’m sorry I didn’t ask. But I’m glad you’re in charge while I’m gone. There is no one I know more diligent and through than my bitey bae, and I can’t think of anyone better to run things./
/While you’re gone, you mean./
/Sure, yeah./
/Penny, you meant while you’re gone right?/
I don’t reply, but smile my face off.
/PENNY!! No tryst is worth this./
/You can drink from me next time you sex me/
/Fuck you Penny. You think I’m that easy?/
/My blood is half aether, so absolutely yes./
She sends me an absolutely obscene emote followed by hearts. Hard to find a partner so accepting of our roles. I love it.
“How’s Katie?” Mel asks in a tone I don’t appreciate.
“Same as you, horny and irritated.” She bristles and I laugh.
We slog through putting the ansible together, and a week and a half of building in air-soup, we finish the stupid tech building.
“Yes. I claim this system for Astoria.”
“I wish to establish this Empire for Astoria.”
//Let it be known! Empress Penny Astoria has established the first Human Galactic Empire.//
Well shit, I could have done without the Supercluster-wide message.
Tessa, our Imperial majesties require proposed updates to our organizational structure. She chuckles at that.
We are, indeed, majestic.
I fall to the floor in a fit of hysterics at my AI’s pompus musings and what kind of statues she’s envisioning for us.