“The surveillance from O’Connell’s satellite has shown that several enormous predators have a détente of sorts, preventing a constant state of fighting amongst their juggernauts. The juggernauts seem to be keeping the lesser warped creatures from swarming the site.”
Viper twitches his clawed hand in a pattern that changes the projection to a wide view of the forest. “As you can see, the site is an oblong impact crater, and by the Boss’ calculations, it’s most likely to be a chunk of aether-infused thrust cone from the Copernicus that was warped into low-atmosphere at a high rate of speed.
“Landing and operating inside the crater won’t be possible. Our lowest risk plan to individuals is to fast rope to the object with a sundering staff and destroy the source and prepare for the resultant invasion of Summer Station hopefully bombing them into oblivion on the way out.
“Our lowest risk plan for the Station, is to snipe and explode a few Juggernauts and induce a swarm on the Object and bomb the living hell out of it.” Viper pauses for an extended period.
So I step in the silence, “How many beasts are we projecting?”
“Two to three thousand is our best guess.” Katie adds. I whistle at that number. We apparently only got the most desperate and most hungry to assault us last time.
“Which brings me to my next point: We need to spend some CEs. At the very least a shield or something, and if it came with a defense system, even better.” He even showed a list of potential purchases, but they came in over 150CE in total.
I sigh and rub my face. “I like the idea. Honestly, it was one of the first things I wanted to do with all of that money. But while the three of us were working on guidance and comms for the shuttle,” I gesture at Katie and Melissa, “Katie brought up that our ansible only communicates out to 500ly.”
“Long story short, when we get to Earth, we’ll have no Matrix contact at 2700+ ly from here.” As soon as I mention that, the combat team’s eyes go wide. “I wanted to have this convo after a victory with a flood of AE for spending, but if we need CE for your plan, the time is now I suppose.
“I can maybe get 700ly max out of my newest warp designs, assuming they work, with a 3-week rest around a star or on a aether-rich planet to get enough stored aether to jump again. Two-weeks if we limit to less than 500. Again, projections, but this ties into our CE issues. Katie and I can construct the key components that make ansibles too expensive to order off of the Exchange. We order the other parts, transport them 499ly ish to a planet and then do it again for a total of four times, each bucket of components costing 50CE a piece.”
“Fifty? That’s with the savings?!” Viper looks flabbergasted.
“Yeah, because we can’t bring much else but parts and food with us if we want to last the two months in space. The alternative is to bring the fabricator with us and try to do what we did here on every planet we come to. Maybe two to four months per planet?” I ask Katie and she confirms. “For maybe 20CE in incidentals and a self-sustaining power station.”
G-man asks in a rare instance of speech, “The cheap option is 100CE?”
I nod “Thereabouts. The orbital comms systems Melissa and Katie put together got us another 50E, but counting on those additions would be irresponsible. A few months and 200CE guaranteed, or over a year with 100CE and more opportunities to reclaim.”
“My projection needs 150CE, you need 200, we have just enough.” Viper says, and his team looks excited.”
“In case you don’t realize,” Katie interrupts the excitement. “This means no more salary, no more quick advancements. Whatever we get from the aether warped beasts is all we get. Possibly ever.”
They nod. “Okay, here it is. A 5km shield unit with building defense emplacements and four sets of ansible parts for future delivery. How vote ye?”
I send a prompt to each of the five councilors. The response is immediate: a result of 3 to 2, the purchase passes.
“Well, that’s what’s happening then. We’re postponing the assault two days. Viper, place your defenses, Katie, make sure that it interfaces with our power systems so that we can overcharge or supplement as necessary. Doc, do you have a hedge bomb or something that can grow chest height in two days?”
She shakes her head. I construct a quest out of my personal funds for plant-based defenses that are controllable.
“Wait, why is this a job and not a quest?” She asks. Huh, I guess I didn’t know.
“Personal funds. Astoria can’t afford it.” She frowns at me and nods in understanding. She probably voted to go home early.
As soon as everyone is distracted, I warp to our pond and watch the Vampire Toads assault the fishes that we feed. A half hour of being lost in the recent failing in appealing to them, Katie walks up and sits next to me.
“Why didn’t you tell them?” She asks, more calm than I probably would have been in their place.
“They’re not thinking years from now, Kay, if I hadn’t lumped in the Ansibles in there, they would have tried to convince me to rely on an influx of CE despite me telling them there wouldn’t be one.”
“It wouldn’t be your responsibility if they failed to see the results of their actions.”
I smile that her brilliance puts something so complicated in black and white.
“But it would be, though. I’d be the one they’d blame for having the power to stop them, but not doing it. I’d be the one they’d blame for not planning our advancements better. Humans aren’t rational all the time, even on a good day. Our Aether-warped Astorians? They’re on alien enhancement drugs, Katie. And all this plan costs me is some Aether-warping that the rest of you have already suffered.”
“I know how smart you are, so it hurts me physically when you’re an idiot.”
I nod at that. “Yeah. We will still need to personally construct the Earth ansible, or none of it works anyway.”
“I worried about that too, but you wouldn’t have adjusted our discussion without a plan.”
“Sol’s belt has the minerals we need. I can spend AE for magic, or warp for dangerous magic. If you’re not willing to help with the Earth Ansible, I have a significantly more dangerous idea that could fix the problem.”
“That’s my problem Penny! You have these plans that make sense to share with the council, but you don’t.”
“Katie, if I have to resort to those measures, the majority of you will have abandoned Astoria, and there won’t be a council anymore. I’m not about to issue ultimatums to be responsible. If they’re so focused on rejoining their old lives with new powers and abilities, let them. They don’t want what I want, and that’s okay. But there will be enough people, governments that want what I can give them and that’s what will help me build the life I’m chasing.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“I want a life in the stars, Kay. I want to be a part of a space-faring humanity that calls multiple star-systems home.”
Katie sighs, “I’ve been diving into the Matrix and expanding my abilities lately, and I’ve been confused at your apparent nonchalance, but I’m still on your team Penny.”
“Love you too, Countess O’Connell.” She pushes me all of the conflicts she needs me to resolve to finish the project I ordered. Oof, that’s a headache, but I laugh at the sentiment.
“Would your girlfriend be mad to hear that?” Her deadpanned tone is ever-reliable.
“Probably, but she knows it anyway.”
“I do, and I’m not.” Melissa sits between us.
“Ladies, I’ve been eaves-dropping, as I do, and I don’t like that the two of you are keeping secrets.”
“Baby, you’re a Psionicist with a link to my Symbiote. I don’t keep things from you, I can’t”
She pouts and I laugh. “I like to be told, in either case.”
“Sure sure. What are your thoughts?”
“Yeah, yeah. You can’t read my mind the way I can yours. I voted to go home. I knew what you had planning Pen pen, but that’s your sacrifice to make. Even if you end up a mana-bound fey monstrosity, I’ll still come home to you.”
The compassion hits me so hard my heart skips. “Heh, it’d be funnier if that wasn’t my actual backup plan.”
Before this gets too sappy, and you finally realize that you are in a poly relationship despite yourself, you have a message via the Ansible.
Oh shit. I tell my pond-viewing pals and ask Tessa to repeat it to the three of us.
->>] Greetings new Species. This is Andromeda Matrix Administration. While it is standard to wait a year to converse with a new species’ leaders, your colony of Astoria has been flagged a concern for Supercluster Safety. With your permission, we would transport to a close, scanning orbit of Astoria Prime and would meet with you in a habitat neutral to your species on a ship of our providing.[<<-
I see no problem with the idea, knowing that my accidental Annihilation bomb was the reason.
Minutes after I tell Tessa to relay my acceptance, we get an alert.
>/Astorinet detects a foreign space craft in orbit. Craft appears to be plant and mineral based, and likely alive./<
Tessa, send a message to our new visitors that I intend to greet them in a small shuttle craft in about half an hour..
They respond . . . enthusiastically in the affirmative. Be warned that their communication methods are non-verbal and that we’ll be talking through AI/Symbiotes.
Copy that.
***
By now, the transit to space is unremarkable aboard ASS-1. I long-since augmented the leisure-craft with plasma thrusters to accommodate our more-technical approach to advancement.
We break atmosphere as the sky fades to black and the wonder of my binary stars shine in the distance. How did I get this lucky?
The moment is ruined by an aether-blinding vessel of wood and metal, shaped like a pock-marked teardrop with trailing tendrils. It’s a plant-based space ship.
“Francesca is going to be so mad.”
“I am streaming this to her. She started swearing moments ago.” Well, that answers the question of whether Katie still likes the Botanist. Apparently she hates her.
->>] Humans! You are expected. We have adapted a docking apparatus for your forward crew hatch. [<<-
Melissa takes over correspondence. ->>] Copy, plant ship. Please assist with colored markers at these locations. [<<- she provides ISS standard docking marks.
With the magi-scopic spying suite on the Bougie Boy variant, we easily see the changes on the hull. Melissa cues in the auto-approach program and lets the new navigation system test itself. Our outboard cameras show a docking ring contact our hull. The three of us are in synch as we don our pressure shields and open the hatch. Almost no exchange happens. Nice.
My suit reads a mix of N2, O2, N2O, NO2 and miniscule levels of CO2 and CO. There’s nitrox and laughing gas in the air?
->>] Note to plant-based vessel. N2O, is a mild anesthetic and NO2 is an irritant. [<<-
->>] Apologies, Humans, this is as close as our systems can get. [<<-
“Tessa, explain to them in a more complete manner that this is fine, but prolonged contact is not preferred.”
She does so and I walk across the bridge into a loading bay. My companions do the same and a door to the bridge closes. My suit confirms the atmospherics and I depressurize and take off my helmet, placing it on a small loop on my waist.
“Greetings, Matrix Admin, I am Primus Penny Astoria and these are my chief advisors Melissa Hunsaker and Katie O’Connell.”
A form emerges from the floor, eventually stopping at a bipedal figure with an amorphous head and root-like appendages at the end of their arms.
>>]Greetings Primus! I am Councilor V’tek’clor of the Lstorif Collective. While I am pleased to meet such distinguished individuals, please instruct your communicator to cease her intrusive thoughts.[<<
>P] Ease back on the mind-fuck Mel, they can tell. [<
>>]Thank You! As per prior indication. We are here to greet you into the Supercluster, and to assess your Tier 3 threat to said cluster.[<<
“Ahh, yes, that was primarily an accident while experimenting with old tech and new runes. I got the notices about it’s potential and banished it to far orbit until I could think about it properly.”
[Not preferred, but not aggressive. We will assess. Please wait.]
“So, did I tell you ladies we got flagged for a tier 3 threat against the cluster?”
“WHAT?!”
“Of course I knew.”
“Yeah, so, I also get access to tier 2 magitec because of the other stuff.”
Katie advances on me quickly, trying to pull her face close, but I put a hand on her chest in mild panic. She stops and asks. “What must I do to gain this access?” There’s a fierce determination in her eyes that I haven’t seen in years.
“Okay, uh Mel, save me?”
“Nope. Your mess. And it’s kinda hot.”
>P] Traitor. [<
>M] Wuss. [<
I pout at that. Knowing her preferences, she wouldn’t mind as much as I would.
“Ladies, we might get censured for accessing tech above our species rating. I wouldn’t survive a century without my berry beer!”
“A century? How is that reasonable?” Melissa scoffs.
“Aether infused folk live for millennia apparently.” I answer, they both pout.
I get the sudden and catastrophic feeling that they’ve been talking about my future without me.
“When did you two get so close?”
“She gets excited when her research works out?” Melissa says.
I look between the two of them and Katie can’t look at me. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“There was absolutely no fucking. Or shenanigans. Only kissing. After projects. I swear!!” Melissa pleads. She genuine looks afraid, as though she’s been hiding this for months. Damnit.
“Katie, was this before or after you broke things off with Francesca?”
She puts her helmet on and walks back to the airlock, only to be denied. It’d be funny if I weren’t furious.
“Katie, if you keep cheating on people that care about you, I will fucking space you despite your brilliant contributions to society. It’s bullshit, and you know better. Better yet, I will create the Andromeda forsaken planet of DuPLo, fill it full of toddlers and paranoid parents and stick you in the middle with no available metal for 5 AU.”
I’ve never seen Katie horror movie afraid. Good ammo to have.
“Melissa? I . . . I just don’t understand.”
>>]V’tek, I’m about to yeet the satellite into space and blow it up. Stand clear.[<<
>>]Clear standing![<<
I use the bomb’s first warp to my farthest moon. The oblong one. It disappears in a black deeper than space and a field of aether brighter than my twin suns.
The flood of aether is palpable from 100k kilometres away.
“I know that you’re my ride or die. I know that you wouldn’t hurt me on purpose. So why would you do this?”
She shrugs, “The usual selfish reasons, Pen. I was lonely, so was she. We both love you, and I know you’ll come to terms with it without abandoning the both of us.”
I feel as though a piece of my soul dies, knowing she’s right. I would never abandon either of them. But it feels as though Melissa stabbed me. Right in the chest. I don’t want to space them, but I can’t have them here with me right now.
They’re standing next to each other in solidarity. I smile a deceptive, accepting smile, radiating love from my mind as I touch both of their exposed necks with my hands. “You both fucked up.” And I shunt them through the Aether toward the lake in front of “lusty falls” instructing Tessa to block off the cave by any means necessary. Then I rip off the bracelet I’ve worn for more than a year and it causes me more pain that I’ve felt since Andromeda “blessed” me.
That was ill advised.
They betrayed me. Melissa knew how I felt about every part of that betrayal because she can literally read my mind.
The same reason she took the risk, I imagine. To help you grow.
Her assumptions were poorly founded.