Incoming Press Report, Five Light-Years Away (Petroiska System Network Relay - DSA Controlled):
An unfortunate but widely expected attack in the FEG colony of Venkfurt occurred this morning. During the joint Bourgeois negotiations between the Union and the FEG for days, a local socialist resistance movement against the exploitative trade deal launched a surprise bombing, disrupting their collusion to further oppress the working class of Venkfurt.
- The Vanguard
Incoming Press Report, Thirteen Light-Years Away (Nordhein System Network Relay - FEG Controlled):
This morning, local terror cells conducted a surprise bombing against the Eliese Colonial Administration Center in Venkfurt during the ongoing FEG-Union trade negotiations. Local authorities arrested eighteen gunmen and multiple suspected plotters. Governor Alberto Rocialles declared that the situation is now under control. Preliminary reports point that Union officials possibly colluded with local rebels for a ‘false flag’ attack. Citizens however are instructed to stay alert. Remain calm and stay vigilant.
- Rubenfolt Post
+++
+++ Jonathan Jones +++
Outer Sector
Hyperspace
En Route to Cryesa System
August 29, 327th Cycle
I woke up with the annoying alarms blaring out. Who dared to change the damned alarm to whatever cutesy song that was, I was too sleepy to deal with it. Sometimes, I wondered if a cryosleeper would be a good option. But, then again only wankers on a life-long expedition toward the Orion-Cygnus Arm would do that. Not that we even had ships capable of logistically traveling there without running out of AM fuel, of course, but still…
Damn that tin can. I shook my head. Damn her. At least let me wake up with my superior alarm.
“Goood Morning, lone human crew of the ISS Jukebox!” I couldn’t really believe it. Somehow, she had the ability to still remotely control the Jukebox from her ship. No, it was worse. Apparently, her Avatar Model could function even at ten-light years away from her ship. I didn’t trust her. It had to be bullshit. That violates physics. “How’s your morning?”
“Can you silence yourself, pipsqueak?” I stood up from my bed. My cabin wasn’t exactly that spacious. Well, quite frankly, much of the quarters and officer cabins of the ISS Jukebox, as expected of a small Reaper-Class Corvette, was cramped and small. “And on second thought, you should definitely have no access to the security systems. Letting you have the intercom should have been enough, but you pushed.”
“Oh come on…SYS is good, but not as—”
“Yeah, sure. Please spare me your nonsense.” I took my trench coat and hat. While not exactly fit for spacefaring, unless I had to wear a more specialized suit for special operations, I preferred what I had always worn back in Loran with the gang. I left my cabin, making my way back to the CIC, a cup of coffee in hand after a short detour to some dispenser, and there she was, fiddling with…everything.
It was…I should say, her hair was definitely unnatural. She said she used her Avatar Model to “blend” with human populations, but I couldn’t fathom how that nonsense would work. Perhaps she just loved messing with me. Or perhaps this was really her preferred look. I mean, this damned AI didn’t seem to be the most logical since I met her. Quite frankly, she’d probably count as more emotionally subjective than I am. Strange. Extremely strange.
But she’s strange as shit anyway. I took a sip of my coffee. Whatever.
And she even had a cup of tea sitting beside her.
“What even is the point of that?” I asked, and she looked back at me. “Can you not drain my tea supply?”
“Come on…” She groaned. “Seriously? Look, I’ll pay for it, okay? And why would you stop me from indulging human indulgences?”
“You’re an AI.” I leaned against the wall. “You don’t need it. And your body isn’t even human.”
She scoffed. “Not really! Sure, the materials may be different, but it simulates it as closely as it can. Look, I want you, from now on, to treat me as a lady, a full, true human. Is that clear?”
“Whoah, demanding eh?”
“Of course!” She frowned. “Look, my type of AIs have human brains as a bedrock of our own consciousness. In other words, I could probably just count as an enhanced human brain inside of advanced electronics. Yes. That would be an apt description.”
“Alright, alright. Apologies for striking that nerve of yours.”
She huffed. “You’re quite the insensitive man, you know that?”
“What did you expect?” I took my seat near the navigation controls, checking in again on the current conditions of the ship. “In any case, we’re only a few days away from the Cryesa System. Don’t you think they would notice your ship?”
She laughed. “Notice? Seriously…no.” She snapped her finger, and immediately, the VSS Radiant disappeared from the sensor readings. I almost dropped my coffee, as my eyes twitched.
“You’re…you really are surprises after surprises, huh?” I looked back at her, and she held a smug smile.
“That I am. Still, it’s quite a taxing thing on my ship’s power supply and nanobot swarm, so I don’t do it unless absolutely needed.” The VSS Radiant once again reappeared, and I could scarcely believe it. It was really her…the Voidqueen. The very same “borderline magical” AI that my father always spoke of. A myth, she was not. Everything, everything she could do, it suddenly made sense. She was after all made for a greater purpose by the old Federation. Perhaps…it was why she wanted to save the Sector.
But how will you do it?
“Still surprised? Well, to be honest, it’s not really that great of an ability. Sure, I can shift my ship into phase space, but…”
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“You still haven’t explained to me what the hell phase space even is.”
She laughed. “Well…it’s just another alternate dimension of real space. Much harder to access than hyperspace. And time…it’s…very, very distorted in phase space.”
“Sounds scary.” I looked up at my mind. “Like black holes. Heard they still stuff warning beacons on black hole gravity wells in hyperspace.”
“Heh, I’ve seen quite a few of those. Hopefully, people still follow warning beacons. There’s other reasons why they placed it back then.”
“I heard some do not.”
“And trust me, they die in the process. Unless they bring a massive war fleet with them.” She looked at me seriously.
“You sound ominous.”
“You have no idea.” She smiled. “In any case! The Inner Sector. Oh, how much have I missed it? It has been a while since I last took a look into it.”
“Is it on a timescale of decades or centuries?”
“Just decades.” She scoffed. “I’m not such an arrogant old hag that I would turn myself into a hermit for centuries just to avoid civilization and achieve enlightenment. What do you think I am, an elf?”
“Well, if we go by any tropes, you would fit right into that category.”
“Well, how dare you point that out…”
“In any case, we should definitely have a plan on how we would crash into Lucynthia with you in tow. We cannot just simply park your almost alien ship into that station. That would raise numerous eyebrows.”
“Well, obviously.” She seemed deep in thought. “Simple. We use the Jukebox to go check the station, while I hide the VSS Radiant in some asteroid field or anything that would hide my ship’s sensor profile significantly. Then, we do whatever the hell we want!”
“What about the cargo?” I suddenly had an idea. The black market. They wouldn’t be asking for too much, so long as I strike a good deal. Plus, I would worry less about the taxes. “Oh…actually, I’ll get that problem sorted out.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I’m sure.”
+++
+++ Jonathan Jones +++
Cryesa System
Independent Space
Lucynthia Station
“The FEG investigations are still ongoing after the terror attacks. Union officials denounced Venkfurt security and the FEG as well in response to their earlier claims of a Union ‘false flag attack’…”
I looked away from the massive holoscreens in the center of the station. Commonly, planetary stations resembled massive floating cities, with quarters and habitation that could comfortably house the thousands of people that would stop to trade, refuel, or deal business in orbit.
“Jonathan!” I turned back, and would you not know it, that damned tin…woman, was holding two ice cream cones in her hands, cheerfully calling me out. How the hell did she even find where to buy those crap. I swear, I just gave her new provisional credit cards a few thousand Lucynthian Credits after I converted a few dozen Sector Credits, and she was splurging it all.
“Now how the—”
“I found this cool shop over there. They were selling all kinds of pastries, ice creams, and…and…”
“Right. Now, I said that we were going to find a potential client.” I crossed my arms. “Not waste time on that nonsense. You even bought two. Though, I suppose you don’t suffer the limitations of a human body anyway. But I should still say that mindless indulgence is decadence.”
“It’s for you, moron.” Her deadpan deepened. “And you ended up in a philosophical monologue instead of saying ‘thank you’. You really are insufferable.”
I took the ice cream from her hands without extra thought, and ate it as quick as I could, ignoring the painful brain freeze it inflicted upon me. I was sending a message here. “Now, to the more important matters. Business. Do you have any idea?”
“Hmm…I suppose?” She looked down at the massive loading docks below. Massive trade ships, lined in the dozens, were being loaded by gigantic machinery with tons of heavy-duty containers. Most likely, loading industrial scales of manufactured goods, ranging from consumer appliances, vehicles, and other goods that Lucynthia’s major planetside cities produced. “Do you think we can talk to the port authorities?”
“Good idea, Juliett! And then, they’d ask us where we got these things, then they’d ask how my tiny ass of a ship shipped it. Then if we’re lucky, they’d buy it after taxing our profits. And if we’re really lucky, they’d arrest us for suspected piracy activities.” I laughed. “Very fun.”
“Yeah…okay, my idea isn’t the best. What about you?”
“The shady underworld, Juliett, of course.” I stopped walking. There was commotion, as multiple heavily armed men of Station Security passed through our path, all of them in a rush toward…somewhere. “Seems like they got wind of something again.”
“What exactly?” Juliett asked. “Pirates? Criminal syndicates?”
“Or FEG spies. Or DSA agitators. The list goes on. In any case, Lucynthia, much like most space-side stations, normally has a security force too stretched thin during its busy days.” I smirked at her. “Instead of chasing everyone who breaks the law, or infiltrates, they’d rather take that hit and let business run smoothly, and cut on the costs. All while those guns focus on the most high profile troublemakers.”
“So we have an opening?”
“A natural opening. As always. Thank god for my mentor for teaching me this crap.” We continued forward. “So, we just have to find the bastard that would get us that deal.”
I pushed on, straight into the massive holo screen advertisements that pointed to the direction of the main entertainment sections of the station. People were now everywhere, of all kinds. Businessmen taking drinks as they talked business, civilian crew from the dozens of ships docked in the station looking for a quick drink, port employees, Lucynthia State Military Police, and Station Security lined up at the checkpoints and establishments lining up on the main concourse, high alert, but in a relaxed state to promote confidence.
I looked back at Juliett, who looked around with wide eyes. Indeed, this must have been her first contact with people again after decades of isolation in the Outer Sector. I allowed her to take it all, smiling a bit. Let her enjoy this shit for a while. After all, she deserved it after all that.
I watched as her smile grew.
“I didn’t expect I’d live to see this day…” She said. “I thought…”
“Haven’t you seen the Inner Sector countless times before?” I grinned. “Hell, before I was born even.”
She turned to me. “Yes, but I have never seen the stations or anything planetside. I’d be honest, my Avatar was designed for me to blend in and enter human society with ease…but…”
“But what?”
“I just, I can’t do it!” She blurted out, and people almost looked at us. “Or, well…I was always afraid that I couldn’t do it. Without ever properly contacting humans…my entire mission didn’t really succeed. After centuries.”
Now, she looked like an anxious child. But she managed to buy herself ice creams from that crowded store. Or was that her limit?
“You really are a strange one,” I smirked. “Well, I guess I know what my job is now.”
She tilted her head. “What exactly?”
“Obviously, to help you in that mission…by finally dragging you to interact with humanity.” I pulled her hand and pulled her toward the nearest bar that I frequented the last time I docked in Lucynthia Station. “Now, let’s find our client.”
I looked back, and she smiled again.
“Alright, you lead the way. We need every resource we can for that mission, money included!”
“Heh. Well, of course. We’ll do our best to get that.”
+++
Booting up Orion Spacefarer Identity Interface…
Name: Jonathan Jones
Credits: 21, 910 Sector Credits (-90 last chapter—converted into local Lucynthian Credits).