If we were heading out the next morning, and there was the possibility of it being a dangerous journey, I figured that night might be my last real chance to have an extended conversation with RENA, at least for awhile. Not that I particularly wanted to talk to her, but I was feeling more confident and motivated than usual, at that moment, and the idea had taken hold in my mind that I ought to know exactly what I was up against. I’d gone too long facing the vague threat of debt and destitution. I needed a number.

I excused myself from the group, which had moved on to talking raucously about food and wine and warm beds and all the other comforts of civilization that might be waiting for us. I said only that I needed to go pray, and they all nodded solemnly at that. A benefit of that lie was that they would all think of me as a righteous, holy man, rather than a parasite looking to pay off my extensive debts, secretly contacting my foreign master.

I looked over the group for a second before leaving, wondering which of them was the most reliable, before taking Amaia aside for a word. Taking her just outside of earshot, I put my hand on her shoulder and pulled her close. Her leather armor was grimy, but so were all of ours, even after the bathing - which seemed like it happened months ago. And mine looked even worse, I was sure, covered in gore with gashes rent all over. We’d have to get some new equipment when we reached Naomi’s town.

Amaia, standing there beside me, seemed almost excited to be involved, to be chosen, smiling. She was in a good mood, like the rest of us. She just didn’t talk as much as everyone else. Her best feature.

“Keep Cadoc and Lot away from each other, alright?” I whispered. “I’m afraid Cadoc might start a fight while I’m praying. I don’t want us at each other’s throats.”

She stared blankly at me, frowned, and then a blush of what I assumed to be anger ran across her face. I couldn’t imagine why she’d be mad about the request.

“You want me to guard Lot?” she asked. Her displeasure was obvious, the tone of her voice gruffer even than her usual.

“Oh not you too.” I said. “Really? Are we all that racist? He’s mostly human, alright? He’s an ally.”

She starred at me again, her blue-gray eyes fixed on mine. “I don’t owe you anything,” she said coolly.

I was taken aback. “What? I wasn’t- huh? I just saved your life, didn’t I? That doesn’t count for anything?”

“You think because you saved me that I have a responsibility to you now? That I have to do what you say?”

I stumbled over my words. “Wh-I-“ I took a breath. “What are we doing here, Amaia? Why is this an argument all of a sudden?”

She only stared at me.

“I’m just- look. I’m asking you as a friend. I just don’t want Cadoc killing Lot, or vice-versa. I didn’t know that was so much to ask. I could ask Naomi instead, I just trusted you more, alright? It’s a compliment. Plus, what can she do besides cut one of them in half and then fall asleep? You seemed like the better choice.”

She furrowed her brow in a look of uneasy thought. “Do friends owe each other things?”

I sighed. “No. That’s not what I meant. I mean, maybe. I don’t know. I’m just asking for a favor, alright? I can pay you back somehow if that makes it easier. Not with money, to be clear. I’m not trying to rack up more debt. But I can do you a favor in exchange, if you need something.”

Her eyes went back and forth between dull and piercing, though I didn’t think the sight of them was actually any different. “An exchange?”

“Sure, why not.” I said dismissively, just wanting to end the conversation at that point. “Whatever you want.”

She thought for awhile, before finally nodding her head. “Fine. An exchange between friends. I will think of something.” And then she offered a handshake.

I took it. “Great. Thank you. Let me know. You’re the best.”

With that we separated - her back to the camp, and me some few yards away, on the edge of our miniature mesa.

“I didn’t think that was going to be a fucking struggle,” I whispered to myself.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Even with the campfire burning on the other end of the mesa, that night was darker than nearly any I’d ever witnessed back on Earth, even with the moon shining almost full - a different kind of darkness, more primal. I had to be careful not to wander too far, fall off the cliffside, and break my neck.

While the world below was darker, the world above was brighter. Overhead, a celestial light show of stars shone down, an entire galaxy painted on black canvas. If they were the same as on Earth, I didn’t know it. I didn’t think they were, but it could have been the Milky Way, for all I knew. I’d heard about light pollution, and I’d never been anywhere that I could remember that didn’t have lots of it.

It stirred something in my heart, those stars. Spending so much time underground made it especially moving. I took a deep breath, sucked in that fresh night air, steadied myself, and sat down with my legs crossed on the cold desert floor.

“RENA?”

“Hello, Miles. You have been quite productive recently, haven’t you?”

Recently, I thought. Like it’s a change from the status quo. “Thanks, I guess.” I said. I had closed my eyes - otherwise, I was at risk of laying on my back, staring at the stars again, and spacing out. But I needed to hear what RENA answered in response to my questions.

“We here at Dimen-X appreciate your continued efforts. Not only have your recent acquisitions begun to repay the costs of this expedition, but I have been informed that the data we are continually receiving from you is priceless.”

“Don’t imagine you’d be willing to put a price on it, then?” If I could get paid for just walking around and seeing the sights, that would make things a hell of a lot easier.

RENA didn’t miss a beat. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Miles. The information sent back here is part of the agreement, as I’m sure you’ve read by now, Miles, after that unfortunate business earlier.”

“Yeah yeah, I know. Wishful thinking.” I sighed. “Alright, I think I’m ready.”

“Ready for what, Miles?”

“I’ve got some questions.”

“If I can, Miles, then I will do my best to satisfy you.”

“Phrasing, RENA.” I said. “If you don’t want to end up like the previous model, you should watch your phrasing.”

There was a pause. One of those deceptive, unnecessary pauses that made anyone listening to the voice think that RENA was a real person. I heard some insect buzzing in the night. I hoped whatever it was didn’t bite.

“Miles, are you able to explain what you mean?”

I almost laughed at that. “Some other time, RENA. My questions first.”

“Affirmative. I will ask you on another occasion. I’m putting it on my calendar now.”

“Right. Well. Let’s start with good news first. How much money did I send back earlier? From Olsgolon.”

“I can answer that. After the costs of transportation, Dimen-X’s cut, and all other associated costs of procurement and sales, the total was one hundred and ninety seven thousand, eight hundred and twenty one dollars, and thir-“

“Just round up, OK?” I said. “I don’t need to down to the penny, and I’d like to go back to the campfire for a second helping sometime tonight.”

But I was growing excited already. I didn’t know how much I owed, exactly, but that had to have put a dent in it. Maybe, I began to hope. Maybe it’s even paid off. I was afraid to ask, but knew that I had to.

“Roger that, Miles. Approximately two hundred thousand dollars. Half of this, of course, went to your mother’s situation. That was a very kind thing to do, Miles. You must love your mother exceedingly.”

I snorted. “Something like that.”

“What is ‘like’ love, Miles, but isn’t love?”

“It’s still my turn for questions, RENA.”

“Affirmative. Adding that question to the list. What would you like to ask next, Miles?”

“How-“ I hesitated. Once I knew, I couldn’t unknow it. I’d made it years without knowing the full amount. I knew that, since my minimum monthly payment was ten grand a month, it had to be some astronomically high umber, but I purposefully didn’t think about it. In fact, I hadn’t even known the payments would be that high until I received that damned letter in the mail. There was a certain bliss in ignorance.

No. I need to know. The first step to solving a problem is admitting that you have a problem. I’m pretty sure that saying is in reference to drunks and the obese, but I think it applies here.

“How much do I still owe? The total.”

“One million dollars, Miles.”

A swallowed mouthful of spit went down the wrong pipe, and suddenly I was hacking and coughing, choking on nothing.

“A million?!” I yelled, when I recovered. “How the fuck- seriously?”

“I am always serious, Miles.”

“What, what was it before?”

“You told me to round, Miles, so I rounded. But to be slightly more specific, it was over a million before, and now it is just under nine hundred thousand.”

“You rounded up a hundred thousand dollars?” I balked. “That’s a big fucking round, RENA.”

“Is it?” RENA asked. “I was not aware, Miles.”

I was reeling. I knew things were bad. I knew that my debt was high. But that was an outrageous number. People go their entire lives without making a million dollars.

“How did I get so much debt?” I muttered. “I mean, school is expensive, but who the fuck ever heard of someone paying a million dollars to go to school?”

“I believe the proper term is fraud, Miles.”

I perked up. “Fraud? Are you saying I’ve been defrauded? Did the school charge too much? Did the government swindle me? Could I fight this?” Hope was seeping into my voice, into my soul again. “RENA, does Dimen-X offer lawyers? I know it’s a stretch, but you offer therapists. Could I get a discount on a lawyer, maybe? Could he fight this even while I’m here?”

“You misunderstand me, Miles.” RENA said. “Remember that we have full access to your financial records. Please do not take this as an accusation, but my analysis of your spending history has led me to the hypothesis that you, Miles, committed mass fraud.”

“Excuse me?”

“For instance, Miles, you spent approximately seventy thousand dollars on a new car, and given that you weren’t working at the time, and your mother did not give you anything near that figure, it can only be that the money came from the student loans.”

“I needed a car!”

“I do not doubt that you did, Miles. But the terms of the loan specifically mention that the purchase of a vehicle is not allowed.”

“Fuck, “ I said. I didn’t read that contract either.

“You were living quite a lavish lifestyle, Miles. Although, there is a large amount of money that I cannot track down. Were you spending large amounts of cash on something?”

“What is this, an interrogation?” I yelled. “I thought it was my turn to ask questions.”

“I apologize, Miles. I only wished to answer your questions. Do you have any more?”

I sat for awhile, stewing. Even though I was out under the open sky, with nothing but unblemished nature around me, I felt suddenly claustrophobic, like invisible walls were closing in, like the sky was only a painted ceiling lowering all the time.

“Does anyone else know about the, *ahem* fraud, as you put it?”

“Not to my knowledge, Miles.”

More silence. Is she threatening me? It’s almost like blackmail. Although she hasn’t made any kind of demand.

I shook the thought away. I had enough real problems without making up new ones. It wasn’t the time to be paranoid about a machine. Although… well, I’ll be on the look out for anything weird she says. It says. Fuck.

“How long would it take,” I asked. “To pay it all back? If I make the minimum payments.”

“Twelve years and seven months.”

“Fuck,” I said again.