Han watched as the walls of the tunnel flew by as they headed towards their destination. It was pretty impressive to see how they designed the transportation system. Each of the tubes went underneath the buildings, so guests didn't need to traverse outside on the chance that it was raining. When you reach the station, there are snack shops for people to purchase something quick to eat while they wait for the shuttle to arrive.
Inside of the shuttle mirrored the clean environment of the station. There were two types of seats, one being the ones seen on trains and airplanes where passengers sit next to others as they faced the front and rear while the other types were the ones seen on buses where there are no armrests.
Regardless of which style you sat on, there was plenty of room not to give the impression of being squeezed in. The studio was likely able to do this due to the number of shuttles going through the tunnels. Having an increased number of shuttles allowed for guests to not feel rushed to reach a station and casually arrive.
"Can you believe they were able to make something like this? It doesn't even feel like we're moving!" Ivy commented as she stared out the window sitting in a seat facing him.
"How are they able to make all this stuff?" Ruby asked, apparent wonder in her voice.
Turning his head to the ceiling on the center aisle, Han was able to see a map of where they were in relation to their destination. There was a clock counting down on when they were arriving, which was in moments. Just as the clock reached zero, the view in the window opened up to the station under the sci-fi building.
"We're here, Han!" His mother sounded excited, thinking about being able to see aspects of her favorite show. Sitting next to her, Jennifer looked excited too.
Getting up from their seats, Han and everyone made their way to the exit and stepped into the station. Just like the station they left, it gave off an orderly feeling. There were a couple of guests waiting to board the shuttle, who nodded to them in greeting. They were dressed in a variety of outfits, looking eager to head to their next destination.
"They look so cute!" Jennifer commented, after seeing the costumes several of the girls in the group were wearing.
"That one girl looked like she was dressed to look like Captain Veronica," his mother said. "I wonder if the guy next to her that was dressed up as the Space Pirate Clovis was her boyfriend? The two characters started off as enemies but later they began to understand one another and started a steamy relationship." She nudged him and asked, "Maybe next time we could dress as the two characters? My baby boy could be the dashing Space Pirate Clovis and mommy will be the beautiful Captain Veronica?"
He sighed at his mom's suggestion, not wanting to encourage her behavior. Looking over at Ruby and Ivy, he saw them giggling at the scene enjoying the expression on his face. "Traitors," he hissed at them causing them to laugh loudly.
As they went through the station and reached the elevators, Han pressed the button to summon the elevator. He watched as a group of people waiting to order some food, before heading to their next location. "You guys really have a hand in nearly every industry," Han remarked after seeing many of the food items having the Star and Moon logo.
"Yes. In addition to our fast-food chain locations, we have increased our presence in the food industry." Scarlett answered.
"It's surprising that the government hasn't stepped in due to anti-trust laws, breaking up your company into smaller ones," Han said, turning to look at Scarlett and Raven.
Scarlett gave a mysterious smile, saying, "We're fortunate to have people who see the benefits of our company."
"We also don't rely on various tax benefits given to most companies our size," Raven explained. "By paying the full amount when we file taxes, government entities are incentivized to allow us to continue."
"I saw on the news how other businesses were making fun of Star and Moon International for that," his mom mentioned.
"Our teacher says the same thing. We had an entire class devoted to talking about why Star and Moon International was ridiculous for paying the full tax liability amount. Our teacher also brags how he went to a prestigious school for economics." Jennifer mentioned.
Both Scarlett and Raven nodded their heads, understanding how confusing it was to do such business practices. But their strange business practices and quality products is probably what propelled their company to becoming one of the largest in the world.
As the elevator doors slowly opened, it looked like everyone was still thinking about the concepts they talked about. There wasn't much talk as they entered the elevator. Scarlett pressed the button for them, and the doors slowly closed.
"Listening about Star and Moon International, I kind of feel like it would be interesting to study business or economics," Ivy said, breaking the silence inside of the closed space.
"Thinking about how different events coming together can affect a single company is pretty interesting," Ruby agreed.
Hearing the two cheerleaders talk about their future made Han smile, considering how people still thought that cheerleaders were mindless girls that just hooked up with football players. The two of them did enjoy thinking of themselves as potential love interests, but Han had known that there was more to them than just their appearance.
"Sounds like you girls have a good idea of your futures," his mother said.
"Seeing women interested in business and industries outside of what women are typically seen interested in is something our CEO wants to foster in this current climate," Scarlett told the two girls.
"Star and Moon International has a women's university that was built to encourage women to follow their ambitions. It'll be good to mention you two with those who make the acceptance decisions, I think both of you would make a good fit." Raven explained after seeing their confused expressions. Turning towards Jennifer and his mother, she said, "I also think that you guys would make a great addition."
"Even though you may be a mother, at some point both of your children will move on and leave the house. Having opportunities may be a great thing," Scarlett said to his mother, seeing that his mother was about to decline such an offer.
Han looked at his mother and saw her eye's flicker towards him and Jennifer. "I think it would be a wonderful thing, mom. Just staying home isn't what you should be doing and learning about your interests would be a great thing." He tried to encourage her.
"I'll have to think about it," his mother said, smiling and hugging him with one arm.
They soon found themselves in some kind of space station. There were screens all over the place and the hallway had various controls with flashing lights on the walls. On the floor, a glass sheet covered it with some type of screen beneath it that showed an image of space. In the screens were several different kinds of spacecrafts passing by, some of them bringing in parts or pulling cargo containers. It gave an impression that they were inside some kind of trade station in space.
"Welcome to the Sci-fi building," Scarlett said, helping to bring them out of their trance after seeing such a sight.
Walking through the hallway were numerous fans who were checking out various booths or going into rooms. Nearly everyone was dressed up in some type of science fiction outfit, further reinforcing the image of the hallway floating in space.
"You are now entering the Altina Station's Promenade, where there are plenty of services and goods you can only dream about," A female's voice said to them as they walked towards the hallway.
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"This is the outer ring of the Promenade, where people will sometimes set up small shops for those trying to walk quickly towards another part of the Promenade. Due to the nature of the area, there is sometimes a large crowd of guests looking at various displays, so getting to another section can take some time." Raven explained as they continued down what seemed like a primary path.
Passing by booths, people dressed up in elaborate costumes called out to them trying to attract Han and his friend's attention. When they reached the end of the path, it opened up into a massive area. The number of people walking past them was material, some of them looking like they were in groups while others looked like they were by themselves.
"What is that?!" Jennifer called out, causing everyone to try and look to see what she was talking about.
On their right side was a large window where they saw something looking like a planet hovering in the air.
"It feels like we're actually in space," his mom whispered captivated by the site.
"As you can see, Star and Moon Studio has placed a significant amount of resources to give guests the impression that they are traveling through space in a legitimate space station," Scarlett announced to them.
Han enjoyed the sight of the planet which seemed to give the impression that they were revolving around it. Seeing such a thing definitely explained why there were so many people eager to come to this place.
Looking towards the center, there was a large column that appeared to be a small skyscraper. "Many of our attractions and products are placed on display inside of that place," Raven said to him.
Merging into the crowd of people, Han's group matched the flow of the fellow guests. Once they were going at the same pace, everyone was able to enjoy the sights.
"Even though there are so many people, it feels like we are going at the speed we were going," Ivy commented.
Scarlett chuckled at Ivy's observation. "Things appear to be chaotic to those who are outside of the sphere of influence, but once you are inside of it the chaos suddenly changes to order." Seeing that Ivy still didn't understand it, she continued, "Sometimes you are better able to see the pattern once you're inside, like the difference between watching a natural disaster and being the force itself. When you can understand the force, which is what is driving the event, you'll understand the pattern."
"If you still don't understand what Scarlett is saying, it may be a good idea to just sit on it. Sometimes things that are profound can only be understood once you stop trying to understand it." Raven suggested to Ivy.
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"Welcome to another phenomenal demonstration inside of the Sci-Fi building inside the wonderful Star and Moon Studio!" The man on the stage said to the audience. "My name is Zach Robertson and I'm one of the people in charge of the many projects we, at Star and Moon Tech, are working on." He paused for a moment to draw in the attention of the audience.
Behind him was a curtain that hid the entire stage, which slowly began to rise up to show off interior models of a home and restaurant. Near the two displays were numerous metal cylinder on either side of the two models.
The announcer casually walked over to the model of the home and stepped inside. "Everyday, many of us go about our day doing a variety of tasks that take up a large number of our days. Instead of pursuing our interests and doing things that we enjoy, tasks involving housework chains us from doing anything worthwhile." Heading over to the restaurant model, the man continued, "when we finally are able to leave our prisons to enjoy some relaxation, the experience is often stressful."
Many in the crowd murmured agreement at the scenarios that were presented, relating to these issues.
"Going to the restaurant and having a negative experience is dreadful, but often not the fault of the workers who have to toil over several tasks with little assistance," the man's face looked sorrowful as he painted the image of the hardworking and overworked food industry worker.
"No longer do we have to carry our pent-up emotions due to our boring lives, but instead we can all walk further into the future, together!" The man's voice changed to a joyful one, as he pointed to the metal cylinders on either side of him.
Gas began spraying out as the cylinder casing slowly lowered, revealing what appeared to be robots. Each one was humanoid in appearance, but there were significant differences between them. On one end of the spectrum, the robot had the proportions of an attractive woman though the body was apparently metal and on top was a large monitor. At the other end of the spectrum was a beautiful woman without any clothes, casually standing in front of the crowd with her eyes clothes and not seeing to be bothered by her nude body being on display.
The audience began talking all at once when the robots and woman was revealed. Reporters were furiously scribbling down their thoughts and as much detail as possible. Several of the reporters were staring that the woman, forgetting to perform their duties.
"I'm sure that many of you are surprised and wondering what is going on. I have the supreme honor to present to you, for the first time, our line of robot assistants! No longer will you need to struggle each day with menial tasks and will instead be able to assign your assistant to perform such things." He grinned at the audience, who were clapping and standing up to give the announcer a standing ovation.
There was an extended period of the audience clapping and cheering the accomplishment of Star and Moon. The man waited until enough time had passed before he raised his hands to indicate for them to settle down. As if someone had turned a volume knob, the audience slowly quieted down. When the man was satisfied, he said, "In the past, people have claimed to have made such conveniences, but we know these were only useful in limited settings. Mainly in factories would you see autonomous robots which are able to perform repetitive tasks. But as you can see, we have created a wide range of robots base on your needs."
Each of the robots, aside from the woman, began to lift up their heads and also moved their arms. Like some choreographed dance, the robots stepped forward and bowed to the audience.
"Our line of assistants come in various models," he explained. Walking over to the model with a monitor as a head, the announcer said, "with a basic model, even those just entering the middle-class lifestyle can enjoy having some relief. This model is our A-001B, the 'A' stands for autonomous and 'B' for basic. As you enjoy your day, the A-001 can go about performing most tasks that a human can in addition to using its monitor to display video and images. For those who can afford to put in some money for an upgrade, we offer an advanced version which will allow it to perform more tasks."
He continued to talk about the other models that slowly looked more human with their appearance and performance ability. As the robot became more human-like, the price increased drastically. At long last, the announcer arrived at the woman who still had her eyes closed.
The stage became dark as all the lights were turned off until only a single light was on, showcasing the woman and the announcer. When he turned towards the audience, his voice could be barely heard, and the those sitting had to lean closer to the stage.
"For those lucky to have the required capital, my team has worked tirelessly to create a robot that's indistinguishable from a person. In addition to being able to perform tasks that even several people would have difficulty in performing, this model is able to experience things that were thought to be restricted to humans." The man said in such a way to convey the trials and tribulations his team had to go through.
"Chastity, could you wake up for me?" The man asked the robot next to him.
Replacing the cold emotionless expression she had, the robot began waking up in a manner which appeared similar to a young maiden being woken up from bed. Her eyelids gently lifted up as if she was coming out of a restful sleep. Lifting her arms, she stretched, which accentuated her proportions. Turning her head, she smiled at the announcer and said, "Mr. Robertson, how are you doing today?"
Instead of answering her query, the man raised a hand towards her. The woman looked at the hand and placed hers on top of his, and lithely stepped forward. "Chastity, could you explain to the audience what you can do?" He asked.
Moving her hand off from the man's hand, the woman turned towards the audience and said, "Hello, my name is Chastity, and I'm an autonomous robot designed by Star and Moon Tech with the purpose to help improve your lives. In addition to all the things that a human can do, my process and capabilities allow me to function past the limits of a human."
On the stage, the lights all turned back on and illuminated the surroundings. Instead of the house and restaurant models, there was a monitor, a steel beam, pallet of weights, and violin.
Chastity walked towards the monitor and then faced the audience. "At Star and Moon Tech, we have created a new range of devices to make things convenient. A unique feature we have incorporated is the ability for autonomous robots to interact with these items. These items can be accessed by ARs through wireless technology." The monitor next to her turned on, without anyone pressing the power button.
Seeing such a thing brought about a murmur of approval, as people were impressed by such things.
"These are some of the simple tasks that our ARs are able to perform," Chastity stated. Slowly, the monitor revealed the typical screen that everyone was used to, the glowing green monitor showing that the computer was on. What surprised people was the speed at which the computer turned on. "Many of you have noticed that the computer has completed the booting sequence at a fraction of the normal time required from previous models." She gave them a mysterious smile, hinting to future reveals. "Compared to a faster boot time, I believe this reveal will be more to your liking."
After seeing what was on the screen, the typical layout on a computer, the audience saw the old layout minimize and show a new screen that caused everyone to clamor in confusion.
"Ever since the creation of the mass-produced computer, consumers have had to deal with the dull green and black screen. In addition, the ability to execute programs has been cumbersome making the experience overall something that consumers had to endure." Pointing to a screen that showed a clean and colorful layout, she continued, "With the cooperation of several teams and myself, we at Star and Moon Tech have created a brand new operating system! We present to you the latest in computer technology, the SMT OS!"
Seeing a breakthrough in computer technology, the audience went wild. Everyone stood up and began shouting and cheering as they saw the next chapter in computer technology being revealed.
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After spending several days inside of the convention, Han and his group had decided to meet up with the others to view what was happening in the medical building.
"I still can't forget about the reveal we saw in the Sci-Fi building! Those robots looked so cool, especially the one that looked like an actual woman!" Jennifer said. Jennifer and his mom had been talking about what they had seen for days.
"It's good to know that you enjoyed that presentation. I know that Zach had spent a lot of time practicing for that demonstration." Scarlett said to Jennifer.
"You know that man?" Ivy asked Scarlett.
Nodding to Ivy's question, Scarlett answered, "I've worked with him on numerous occasions. He may look like a confident man, but he sometimes gets anxious too easily."
Raven giggled at Scarlett's words. "I'm sure that Zach was pacing back and forth before he had to go on stage. It was likely the reason why he had Chastity do so much of the talking."
"That robot looked like a real woman! I don't think I would be able to tell one of those apart from an actual person!" His mother exclaimed.
"Having that model of AR being indistinguishable from people was our ultimate goal when we started on that project." Scarlett smiled at his mother's words. "The ability for humans to move forward is often limited by scarce resources of those capable of performing specific tasks, often creative and computation related. We're hoping that ARs, like Chastity, will help to push society forward."
"Is it true that she helped to create the new operating system?" Han asked Scarlett.
"Yes. What people don't know is that Chastity created nearly the entire system, with researchers only adding in suggestions considering Chastity is still developing." She said.
"Really!?" Ivy asked.
"Chastity is a very advanced model, so something like an operating system is pretty easy for her. Models similar to her have been working in all of Star and Moon International branches, for several years." Raven revealed.
"Han! Everyone, over here!" A voice called out to them.
In front of them, Claire and Hannah, along with the rest of his friends, were waiting in front of one of the conference rooms where the medical branch of Star and Moon was going to reveal something big. Compared to the futuristic look of the Sci-Fi building, the interior only looked several decades ahead of most hospital interiors. It gave a feeling of looking very sanitary, the way the walls were completely smooth with displays behind the glass.
As Han and his small group reached the others, he said, "It feels like you could spray this place down with soapy water and it would be all set."
"I know, right! This place is completely different from the hospital our dads work at." Claire said to him with Hannah nodding her head next to her.
"This place is amazing! I got to try out the simulation floor, and the trainers were able to point out inefficiencies in my movement!" Lily said to him looking excited. "Next time, I'm definitely going to tackle you!"
"It was pretty epic, Han," Sam said to him. "I'll tell you about the cheerleaders later," He winked at Han while pretending to look like he was being subtle.
Lily rolled her eyes, after hearing Sam's words.
"But seriously, I talked with some of the trainers, and they said that there's a special program for bringing in teams from around the nation to participate in a training camp with other teams. I think we should talk to the Head Coach about this." Sam looked serious as he suggested the idea.
"The presentation will be starting shortly, please make your way inside," a voice said.
Han looked around to spot the speakers and Scarlett said, "The sound is caused by the vibration in the glass, allowing the control center to direct communications anywhere in this building. It's a feature we'll be rolling out to other hospitals in the near future."
Raven headed into the conference room and then directed everyone to go up a set of stairs. It was similar to the previous presentations they had been to. Going up the stairs, they reached a private area where VIPs would get a better view of the presentation.
Taking a seat, Han looked towards the stage just as the lights were beginning to dim.
Once the lights were completely turned off, the room was in complete darkness for several moments before a spotlight turned on and a man appeared.
"Welcome to the Medical Research and Technology building on the beautiful Star and Moon Studio campus! In the MRT branch of Star and Moon International, we have developed a wide range of medical techniques and equipment to help our wonderful doctors, around the world, to have the ability to save as many people as possible. Ranging from the ability to look into a person's DNA sequence and detect genetic issues that may affect a person, to curing various diseases around the world, we have dedicated ourselves to making this world into a safer place." The man said looking at the audience. He waited for several moments before starting again. "What would you think of the ability to take the cells in our bodies and make them fight for us more immediately, instead of relying on the natural system that has been available to us since life began on this world? What would you think of transforming each cell into a soldier that'll fight for us in the race against the invasion of diseases, external threats constantly trying to invade our bodies, natural breakdown of the human body, and the rush of death coming for us and making our lives so short?"
Listening to the man speak, the room was silent enough to hear the drop of a pin as it hit the floor.