Incoming Press Report, Zero Light Years Away (Jahellios System Comm Network, FEG Controlled).

Communard cells were detected in New Krakow by the Federal Investigation Agency. Patrols will be tightened around New Krakow. All citizens are instructed to remain aware of their surroundings for potential communard individuals. The Colonial Administrator of New Krakow will now also impose a system-wide bounty on all communard individuals. These threats will be hunted. Remain calm and vigilant.

- Rubenfolt Post

+++

+++ Jonathan Jones +++

Jahellios System

FEG Space

New Krakow Station

New Krakow Station Docks

December 2, 327th Cycle

I sighed.

“Well, seems like that’s that then,” I said, as all of us waved at the departing civilians. All of them were naturally thankful for the rescue, and for the brief time we spent with them while en route to the Jahellios System, I would say that it was nice to meet all of them. Still, I suppose that everything had a time limit, and these folks, more productive and law-abiding people, had more important things to do in life when we docked. “We did what we could.”

Juliett smiled. “Now, we’re once again in that situation. It feels like we’re back in Lucynthia or something. This station seems a bit nicer though.”

I looked around, and indeed, New Krakow Station seemed to be more well-designed in its interior. It was clean, white, almost pristine in some ways. I suppose being one of the wealthier FEG Colonies, New Krakow would be at least half-decent with its more important facilities.

“We’re gonna be staying here for a while. The Rearguard and the Jukebox need some fixing,” I pulled out my datapad, rechecking the available refits and repairs the New Krakow Station’s dockworks offered. “I also need to replenish my ship’s magazines, fuel, maintenance parts, drones, rations, fuel, missiles, yeah…we’re gonna be here for quite some time.”

“I wouldn’t mind.” Juliett didn’t seem really bothered the moment we arrived at New Krakow. It seemed secure and well-protected, but most importantly, New Krakow was really blue from the distance. Outside of a few island cities, New Krakow was practically just a massive ball of an ocean. “I’m looking forward to what New Krakow can offer.”

“What are you, a tourist or something?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. My business here was strictly business, not leisure. Only brats like her would think of this detour that way. No, I was here to get some proper maintenance, repair and perhaps refits on my lovely ship. Nothing else. “I guess even old hags need a bit of childishness at times.”

“Whoah, how harsh, Jerkface.” She sneered at me. “I really do wonder if you specialize in ruining the joy component of humanity.”

“Oh, I’d happily do that for you, tin can.” I bit back before another annoying voice came in to disrupt our now-developing battle. I wasn’t going to retreat here, even if he sided with her!

“Well, seems like you two are getting along again!” Harold said, placing his hands on both of our shoulders, pushing us further into the rails that overlooked the rest of the busy docks. “Well, well. New Krakow, is it? My men are already quite excited at blowing away their salaries, and so am I. Quite frankly, I need a good lot of booze after what happened.”

“There goes the drunkard again,” I looked down at the rails as he laughed. “Yeah, yeah. If you both want to waste time around this place, sure. Whatever. Maybe I’ll just go find some business contacts here. Make a bit of cash perhaps.”

“There! See, Juliett. That’s how you convince this stubborn rock. I swear, I’m telling you. This man, Jonathan is gonna kill himself from boredom before dying to combat at this rate. You gotta help me turn his trajectory around.”

Juliett chuckled. “Yeah, sure, as if that jerkass would even listen to me. I bet he’d be eating his rations like a moron again when real food is present.”

I groaned. “It’s not about the food. It’s about the principles!”

“Yeah, and your principles are stupid,” Harold mocked, and I groaned further in response. Couldn’t they understand? To be used to scarcity is a virtue! I like tightening my belt to ensure that I’m always ready for it when I need it. Comforts are a lie. A dangerous lie that softens the heart! “We’re in New Krakow, for heaven’s sake. This place, they say, is quite prosperous. Would be a shame to waste this time.”

“Yeah, sure. Both of you and your boundless optimism. How lovely,” I didn’t really trust any of that. The press active in this system alone already gave off the wrong messages to my head. All these…this was a facade. New Krakow would surely be as unstable as Lucynthia. Stability and prosperity, including security, all of it, in the Sector, was a lie. A universal delusion borne from government-mandated illusion.

Remain calm and vigilant my arse.

“Well, it’s not like we’d be lowering our guards down,” Juliett said, before smirking at me, and I could already predict what nonsense would come out of that lips of hers. “Don’t worry, I’ll be keeping your soft, squishy body safe from the monsters you’re scared of.”

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“Oh, would you please shut up, you tin can.” Harold laughed again before he retracted his hands off us.

“Hehe, you two are like something.” He said. “And tin can? Jonathan, even a fourteen-year-old can come up with something better.”

“Yeah, and this eight-year-old brat calls me ‘jerkface’. I’m just lowering myself as a form of mercy.”

She crossed her arms, holding a smug expression. “I like how I’m both an old hag and a young girl to you. Your inconsistency is just the cherry on top. Harold, I suppose he’s just always a salty and hopeless guy, isn’t he?”

“I suppose. He’s a cool loser though.”

“And so are you,” I said back to him, and he laughed.

“Never denied that, my good man. Well, I think I’ll go search for cool places around here.” He had already begun walking away while waving goodbyes with his hand before I threw a true tantrum. I didn’t expect that I would be ganged up by that drunkard and this tin can out of nowhere. How absolutely devious, the both of them. “See ya both!”

“See you too, Harold!” Juliett said before she turned to me. “You look like a dog who’s about to bite.”

“I am. I am very close.” I frowned before I barked at her. “There. Take that.”

She placed her gloved hand on her mouth for a few seconds, before she giggled as if she was dying. It was too soft though, as if she was holding it inside desperately, and I couldn’t help but smile a bit at the sight of her dying after I unironically barked at her.

“What?”

“It’s just…you just…you barked at me?”

“I did it because I can. You can’t stop me.”

She devolved further into her dying fits. Quite frankly, I found it curious how her Avatar Model could do this. She was…practically simulating humans without fail at this point. Still, what a childish brat. I just barked to insinuate a childish amusement from her, and she actually fell for it.

“I just…Jonathan…” Was she actually in tears at this point? No wonder people were starting to look at her weird now. Yeah, not because she was a pretty woman who looked like an aristocrat of some sort, no, it was because she looked like she was a lunatic in her recurrent sessions of brain scramble. How fitting. Quite frankly, they wouldn’t be too far from accurate if they judged her that way. Indeed, indeed.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. Very funny. Pick yourself up. We have more important stuff to do.” I breathed out, turning around as she followed me, still laughing at what I did. What a goddamned child. Still…I would be in denial if I didn’t find it nice that I made her laugh.

I guess that ‘making someone happy feels nice’ quotes are actually real. I grumbled internally. Stupid people and their sentimental nonsense.

+++

+++ Jonathan Jones +++

I looked up the office name, checking my datapad and the navigation guide I received from the restaurant we ate at. Kalista Receiving. Hmm…Kalista Receiving. I looked up and down, again and again, to verify it like an idiot, all while Juliett waited behind me. I looked back at her, and she was subtly pouting.

“You’re taking too long,” she mumbled, and I groaned.

“You don’t even need to take a rest,” I countered. “You can’t even deny that.”

“Just go, I’m sure it’s the right place anyway. Plus, you can always ask them. Human interactions, Jonathan. It’s simple.”

“Yeah, great to hear that from someone who ran away from humanity for three hundred years.”

She chuckled. “But you’re still worse. In a way.”

Is her entire sole mission now just to annoy me? I shook my head and looked back at the office. I decided to go in because screw it all. Why would I even care at this point?

“Welcome to Kalista Receiving!” An overly cheerful woman greeted me as the both of us entered. “Welcome, welcome. You’re the spacefarers who docked with those piracy victims, no?”

I removed my hat before I replied. “Yes, we are. We heard you guys give out short-term contracts to people. And since you called us, we went in.”

The woman looked at both of us, smiling to herself. “Indeed, after all, people do always need money in this day and age. And, it would be a waste of resources to not use a ship captain willing to do something for a price. Say, could you please hand over your data profiles? The ships and their condition, equipment, your skills…”

I compiled it all and sent it to her using my datapad before she began reading it out thoughtfully. Naturally, Juliett probably did the same sneakily, because she was reading her file as well. Most likely, she was already inside my own datapad and just sneaked it when I sent it. And I knew that because she was smirking at me.

I can’t believe she can just play with my device like that. Truly, nothing could be hidden from this devious woman. She knew everything. She would know everything. I bet her slimy tentacles had already infiltrated every damned electronic in the Jukebox and the Rearguard. Heck, maybe she was already cracking every cyber defense of the New Krakow Station silently. Was that why she was having a laugh at me when I got confused about navigating this gigantic station?

I knew it. She just loves toying with me. I bet she already has the entire station layout in her data stores. Why hadn’t I noticed that? It was the only explanation possible. She couldn’t just find those ice cream stores that rapidly. Her digital tentacles naturally fetched the data for that. I would know. We were almost lost when it was me searching for it.

“You two seem to be quite the interesting characters, I believe,” the woman said, as she tossed her ID chip at me. Naturally, I caught it clumsily before she settled down on the sofa with a bored expression. “Name’s Olga Kalista. I administer the port services of this station.”

“Oh…” So that was why this office was specifically searching for me. I felt my skin’s hair rise. Was it about to turn into a clown show again?

“Don’t worry, I didn’t call the both of you here to arrest you. On the contrary, after seeing the vessels you three held, and now your profiles, I believe you three would be useful. I think you three can definitely pull it off. Though, I don’t see the other guy of your little party…”

I awkwardly chuckled. “Oh, yeah…that guy. He’s probably being wasted on a random bar somewhere.”

She chuckled.

“Regardless, I think I have the perfect task for you three. You see, I have a friend who needs help planetside…”