The second finger of the Hand of God was subatomic matter rearrangement units. Nanobots. Grey Goo with a purpose. Early prototypes were created in lab accidents more often than deliberate tests. When the successful iteration happened, it was already too late. The second finger is almost indestructible, self replicating, and impossible to contain.

The slowly brightening void called to Cassidy. When she was plotting courses through deepening gravity wells and around rapidly expanding stars she could almost hear it though her hull. It was the voice of opportunity. As she sat in the cockpit of her highly modified star corvette the "Real Fake", she hummed along to a song only she could hear. It sounded like ringing bells and pounding drums and a rising scream. She could feel it in her soul, and it felt like freedom.

Everybody who was anybody knew the Hundred Worlds were on their last legs. Fifteen years ago Cassidy wouldn't have even dreamed of flying a route close to the inner circle. The star lanes were impossible to police, but not even two decades ago they had almost done it. Now she didn't waste energy or time flying dark. The "Real Fake" was a blaze of light streaking through the inner circle and there wasn't a single sign of enforcers. Her tabs were expired and half her crew were wanted men, but the risk of getting caught was nil.

So, after checking her sensor logs one more time and seeing nothing but distant stars colliding, she stepped out of the cockpit and joined her crew in the mess hall. The dirty and well-armed miscreants were playing space poker. The pile of chits in the middle of the table and the ongoing shouting match told her the stakes were a bit higher than they usually played for. She leaned against the wall and watched.

"You saw the cards, you play the cards" Rakti said slowly.

"No shot. I'mma not ante this round" replied Mike.

"Mikey, play the damn cards" said Rakti.

Mike shook his head. "It'd be bad luck, me playing those."

Cassidy stepped into the light. "We need all the luck we can get. I'll play your hand, Mike" she said.

She slipped into his seat, careful not to shiver from the cold metal on her skin. She peeled the cards up from the table and looked at her hand. It was the Fastest Ship, the Silver Cloud, the Miniature Sun, the Genemod, upside-down, and the Singularity. "Oh hell" she said, "fellas, I'm pulling rank. We're reshuffling and re-dealing this round." Rakti looked at the other crew members and blinked their wide fish-eyes slowly. "Captain, blink twice if you're holding the Academic's Hand. Most of our shares from the last job are in the pot. We won't be re-dealing for anything less." Cassidy blinked twice. Nothing more needed to be said. The rest of the rounds of space poker went smoothly. Chits flowed around the table, and everyone tried their best to forget how close they came to disaster.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Hours passed, and the "Real Fake" approached it's destination. A nameless little asteroid station, deep in the rings of the gas giant Nru-Tas. In the cockpit, Cassidy accepted a hail from the station.

"Real Fake, this is port control. State your business" said the station.

"Port control, this is the star corvette Real Fake under command of Cassidy. We're here on appointment with Big Moogie."

The bay doors of the asteroid station opened wide, and Cassidy flew the ship inside. They could feel the floor of the landing area rumble as the bay doors closed, and hear the hiss as the area pressurized again. Fifteen years ago no station would have even thought of wasting that much air. Now it was just the way things were. Cassidy and her crew disembarked and were greeted by several grim goons with laser rifles. "Big Moogie wants to see you" said the largest goon, "Follow me." Cassidy and her crew started after him, but the goons stepped in their way. "No, just you" the biggest one said. Cassidy's crew looked at her questioningly. She nodded, and went deeper into the asteroid alone.

The internal construction of the asteroid station said a lot about the people that ran it. Like them, it was rough and held together mostly through violence. Tunnels carved directly out of the stone with plasma shots were plated in bolted-on steel, burn marks from laser blasts were sanded roughly off. Deep cuts in the steel were cheaply welded over. This was obviously a kill tunnel, and it had seen some serious action.

At the end of the tunnel the big goon knocked on one extra-large panel opposite a heavy door. Rap-tap-tapitty-tap went his hardened knuckles against the cold metal. Seconds later the secret door was lifted up and inwards by hydraulic lift. The goon ducked into the hidden room behind it and Cassidy followed without hesitation.

Inside the chamber was dark and smokey. It smelled like stale sweat and sex and the overpowering spiced perfume used to cover it up. On a round pedestal in the center of the room, a towering hulk of blinking lights and spinning dials dominated the space. An enormous bundle of wires sprouted out of it's top, spreading outward and upward like branches of a living tree. The speaker system was off at the moment, but from it's size Cassidy didn't doubt it doubled a defense system. The floor sloped gently to drains around the pedestal.

"Are you... Big Moogie?" she asked, hesitantly.

"What a foolish question" came a whispered reply through the speakers. "A much wiser question would be 'Big Moogie, what do you want from me?' or 'Big Moogie, how will you pay me for my time?' A wiser question still would be 'Big Moogie, why did you name yourself something so silly?' But you are only human, limited to a few kilograms of thinking meat. I would have to be blinded to reason to not forgive your limited perspective. I will now pause for ten seconds to allow you to process."

Cassidy was glad the rest of her crew weren't allowed in the room. Anyone else would have said something rude to the heavily armed artificial intelligence and probably gotten killed. She took the full offered ten seconds to breath, think about what she was going to say, and then say it.

"Big Moogie, what do you want from us, and how will my crew and I be compensated for helping you?"

"Well done" rumble-whispered Big Moogie. "I want to rip reality a new asshole, one big enough I can squeeze out through it before the apocalypse finishes. You, your crew, and all my chosen associates' reward for helping me will be admittance into the beyond, a new beginning. Until then, an extra large crate of fusion cells will suffice. One third now, two when the job finishes. You may have thirty-six hours to decide with your crew. They are in the lounge. Until you have chosen, you will not be permitted to leave this facility."