I stepped from the doctor’s dim room into a grimy alleyway, the crunch of trash under my feet. A chrome-laden gang stalked close behind, their limbs glinting like metallic peacocks. I quickened my pace toward the train station, senses on high alert.
I could feel the tension building in my chest as I slipped my hand down my leg, fingers curling around the grip of my mace. It was time to see if these new abilities were worth the credits.
Turning into an isolated side street, their heavy footsteps echoed behind me. At the end of the alley, I spun around, my mace glinting as I pulled it free. The five gang members fanned out, blocking my escape. Their leader, a grotesque fusion of man and machine, clacked his mechanical jaws.
“Drop the stick, little girl,” his grating metallic growl gnawed at my spine. The man’s cheap, intimidating mods covered him like gaudy armor.
I tightened my grip on the mace, and with a deep breath, I channeled my essence. The power surged through me, tingling at my fingertips. I locked eyes with the leader. “You should leave.”
He hissed through a mess of tubes and pistons implanted in his neck. “Have it your way.”
They rushed me as one, their chrome limbs flashing under the flickering streetlight. I swept my mace in a wide arc, my essence projection extending its reach, slamming into them with a thundering blow. Two of them crumpled instantly, their cybernetic parts clattering to the ground. The others hesitated, their optics flickering in surprise.
Before they could react, I flung myself at the leader. My aura-coated skin deflected his wild blows, and my mace crunched into his chest, sending sparks flying as he dropped to the ground in a heap. I pivoted, delivering an essence-laced kick that snapped the knee of the one trying to flee. He screamed in agony as he collapsed.
The last one, desperation in his eyes, snatched a dagger from his belt and slashed at my stomach. I caught his wrist and grinned at his look of shock as I crushed the delicate mechanics within. His knife clattered to the ground, and I released his arm before smashing my fist into his face. Blood poured from his shattered nose.
Panting, I glanced at the moaning figures around me. My new abilities had handled them easily, though I knew I needed to be more careful with my essence expenditure. I still needed enough to get home safely.
The feeling was intoxicating, though. The aura wrapped around my body made me feel invincible, urging me to fight. Was it a consequence of mimicking the patterns of an essence beast?
I left the gang in the alley and continued on my way. The harsh fluorescent lights of the train station ahead cut through the gloom, guiding me past the onlookers.
Union drones hovered in the area, but none moved. They simply monitored the scene like a silent observer. Fights were common in the slums, so a quick scuffle was hardly enough to make a Datahawk call on the Deckers to break things up.
After slipping on the gunk-covered platform, I rode the near-empty train back to the Lower District and mulled over my plans. With the upcoming Essence payout, I needed to increase my core strength as much as possible. More layers meant access to greater multipliers and space for more abilities. I’d carve whatever other skills I could when the opportunity arose.
Preparation for my mission was my top priority.
When I arrived back at my building, I stopped and took in the grimy entrance. The flickering lobby lights, cracked tile, and constant smell of mildew used to blend into the background. Tonight it stood out. It could have been the rush heightening my senses, but I didn’t remember it being so filthy.
The perpetually cheerful Stella rolled out to greet me. “Welcome back, Ella! Running errands this late? Be careful out there.”
I managed a tired smile. “I’m fine, Stella. Just picking up some things for an upcoming job.”
Her round eyes conveyed concern with an expertise no true AI could match. Sometimes I wondered if Stella was being controlled through the web. There might be someone lazing about in their room observing everything and interacting with everyone through Stella.
I pushed the thoughts aside and headed upstairs to my studio. My remaining possessions barely filled the single bag. My biggest item was the folding hoverbike that was small enough to strap to my back.
I triple-checked I had everything, and then collapsed onto my thin mattress.
“Jane, are you there?”
Jane flickered into existence at the foot of my bed. “Hey Ella, you look tired. Did you decide to watch that series with me? You can’t fall asleep when watching it with me.”
Jane crossed her arms like a pouty child. Her sundress stood out against the gray walls. Why had I made her settings like that?
“Sorry, Jane. Can you set an alarm for three hours?”
“Fine! But you have to watch it with me next time.”
I nodded at her demand and thought about it for a moment. “Jane, store all episodes of the series and all your other favorite movies on a chip. Add recordings of videos and music we’ve listened to.”
“Sure thing. What’s the occasion?”
“A trip.”
Jane put her finger on her chin and looked towards the ceiling as if in deep thought. I closed my eyes and sleep took me into a dream filled with strange visions.
I stood in an open field, impossibly green grass swaying beneath my feet. A vibrant blue sky stretched overhead, dotted with puffs of white. The gentle rush of water drew me towards a stream glittering in the sunlight. I dipped my fingers into the cool liquid, laughing at the sensations. Joy welled up inside me.
Birds flew through the branches of trees, and insects hummed. This place, wasn’t it Homeworld?
I jolted awake, tears wetting my cheeks. Dreams were rare for me. Synthetic humans didn’t have dreams. I didn’t either until my father stuffed the core in me. But even then they were rare, and never so intense.
No Sims had ever touched me in the same way. Some part of me screamed it was real, not imagined. Like I had been there before. A longing rose in my chest, an ache to return somewhere I’d never been.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Brushing the confusing emotions aside, I shut off my alarm. The early morning light peeked above the crater’s rim, but I wouldn’t see it rise today. One last shower to scrub the alley’s grime away, and then I donned my jacket. No time for breakfast if I wanted to arrive at the docks on schedule.
I touched the controls, closing the window projection. “Jane, are you ready?”
Jane appeared with a wide-brimmed white hat and a yellow dress carrying imaginary luggage. “All set, Ella.”
My lips quirked. Just lines of code, I told myself. But over the months, she’d become the closest thing I had to a friend. I took Jane’s data module into my hand and she disappeared. I wasn’t sure what it would be like on the ship, but I didn’t want to go without my friend.
With one last glance, I said goodbye, stepped out, and locked the door.
Downstairs, I found Stella wiping down the wall panels. She paused her work as I approached.
“I’ll be away for a while on a job. Take care of yourself.”
Stella bobbed her head. “Of course, dear! I’ll let the building manager know. Stay safe and take care of yourself.”
I squeezed her retractable arm in thanks. Her concern touched me, blurring the line between programming and genuine emotion. Was this attachment what it meant to be human?
I’d have to think about it later. I hurried to catch the train rattling its way through the Lower District, bound for the industrial sector. My pulse quickened as I realized today meant leaving this rock behind, if only for a little while.
The train passengers were a mixed bag compared to the regular crowds. Laborers with top-of-the-line cybernetic enhancements sat beside office workers in crisp suits, no expense spared on their modifications.
I even spotted a few surrogates—artificial bodies resembling humans so closely that only their lack of scent gave them away. Controlled via neurolink, the manufacturers claimed it allowed people to experience everything the real world offered from the safety of their homes. I hadn’t seen them outside of the Upper Districts.
We sped through the decaying urban landscape towards the heart of the city’s industrial zone. The further we went, the more organized things became. The stations shone, absent of graffiti and people sleeping on the ground. Passengers exited in an orderly fashion instead of pushing for the doors.
I stepped out at my stop into a scene of mechanized efficiency. Factory complexes stretched to the horizon, churning out every conceivable product and material. Clouds of vented gases added a rainbow of colors to the sky. Cargo drones and bots wheeled about, following preset routes.
Despite the screams of heavy machinery, I felt calmer than I had in months. There was a sense of purpose here: the pursuit of a common goal. Not just survival, but progress.
With help from the nav system tags, I wove my way towards HexaGen’s private docks. A sprawling campus rose ahead, sterilized and imposing. They scanned my ID at the security checkpoint and ushered me inside.
A young woman with a pink bob cut greeted me with a business smile and brisk handshake, her attire projecting professionalism. “Ella Parker? I’m Kat, HexaGen’s HR liaison. Let’s get your mission briefing underway.”
I followed her through winding gray corridors and cramped elevators, arriving in a small conference room. Once I sat down, a dozen holo-screens materialized, displaying mission data and contractual stipulations. Kat gave me a quick overview of my duties as a portal installation agent.
“For the three-year assignment, you’ll be placing quantum stabilizers on four pre-determined moons. With some wiggle room depending on discoveries. There are also two other moons we plan on acquiring access to via governmental auction. We might assign those to you as well if the bids go through.”
I nodded. Sounded straightforward enough, though undoubtedly more complex in practice.
Before she could move on, I interrupted her, “What about poachers?”
It was something I had wondered about. If we could reach the planets with a ship, then others could too. I had never seen them in any of the places I had been, but I was certain they had to exist.
“Good thing you asked. Once you scan a safe area, set up the portal and activate it. A security squad will immediately enter and deal with any issues on that end.”
That was good enough for me. The last thing I wanted to get involved in was a battle to protect essence beasts. The cores probably sold for a hefty price on the black market. Desperate people looking to earn easy credits were not a challenge I was up for.
Kat continued explaining until I had a firm grasp of the process and expectations. With the paperwork signed and filed, she guided me down to the supply depot.
The first stop was the med bay, where they wired me up to an essence extractor. I closed my eyes as the amber liquid filled the vial, that heady rush of energy that meant survival. A full one thousand days’ worth—more than I’d ever held at once. The urge to expand my core built with each passing second, but I held myself back. There’d be enough time for that later.
Once the injection ended, they gave me an Essence processor. The bulky device was locked down tight. Proprietary technology I wasn’t allowed to tamper with it. However, the engineer assured me it could refine the essence of any core I got during my assignments.
“There are enough reagents stored in there to process three thousand days’ worth,” he explained while demonstrating the controls. “Should be plenty for your needs.”
I stuck my arm in the slot, and a needle took a blood sample. Combined with my chip ID and a retinal scan, the engineer set the box to operate solely for me. They wouldn’t want me selling it off or letting other people use it.
I hefted the container, promise thrumming through my veins. The device granted self-sufficiency and freedom. Freedom for 3000 days.
With equipment dispensed and biometrics updated, Kat escorted me to the loading zone. A sleek passenger shuttle waited on the tarmac, cargo drones busily stocking its hold. Beyond the organized chaos, I glimpsed the upper curves of a hundred ships either landing with goods or leaving fully laden.
The docks served as a hub for interplanetary trade, supporting the corporation colonies on neighboring planets. Watching it all made my hands tingle. Today I took the first steps off this rock. What would my father have thought?
We boarded the shuttle, and I stowed my gear. Aside from us and the pilots, there were only two accountants along for the ride. The shuttle rumbled as the anti-grav drive kicked on, Tiliri II’s oppressive gravity slowly easing as we lifted into the sky.
I pressed against the window, drinking in the sight. The city was laid out below me for the first time, and streets and buildings that formed impassible walls were now just a section of a massive whole. We banked east, the glittering sea slicing the urban blocks.
Above us, the massive orbital docks and cargo stations floated, chains of man-made stars. And beyond everything, the ruddy expanse of the planet, dotted with craters that sheltered its only life. Awe stirred within me at the vista. I recorded the scene for Jane to see. I could almost imagine her shock. There weren’t any simulations of flying above the capital.
“Take a good look. It’s likely the only chance folks like us get to see it.”
The accountant—an older male model with a receding hairline—joined me at the window. I followed his finger toward the crater’s center, where a glinting dome rose over a cluster of buildings. Parks and green spaces lay protected beneath the shield.
“The Founder’s District,” he murmured. “They say the dome filters Tiliri’s light to create a perfect replica of Homeworld—blue skies, trees, rivers—things we only see in archives.”
I pictured myself wandering barefoot through the simulated paradise, cool grass cushioning my soles. For a moment, the decaying city below melted away, replaced by a world free of metal and stone.
Although I grew up in the Upper District, I had never left our family’s compound. I had never heard of such a place. My fingers pressed against the glass.
The accountant apologetically steered me away from the view. “We should strap in for docking procedures.”
I slid into an empty seat, thoughts still on the hidden paradise.
The shuttle trembled as we passed through the kinetic barrier containing the station’s atmosphere. Through the windows I saw KRS Nyx, an Orion-class long-range vessel, gleaming in the hangar lights. Her four plasma drives sat dormant for now.
Docking clamps secured the shuttle, and we stepped off, greeted by a stern woman checking figures on her tablet. The accountant waved and nudged me forward.
“Chief Purser Dana Sato. She keeps the ship’s stores and ledgers in order.”
As we approached, Dana glanced up, assessing me with a piercing gaze before returning to her work. Before I could open my mouth to introduce myself, a deep voice boomed behind me.
“There’s my new grease monkey!”
I turned to find a mountain of a man looming over me with a toothy grin. He pumped my arm in an enthusiastic grip.
“Red Erikson, Chief Mechanic. I keep the old rust bucket running.” Red patted my shoulder, nearly knocking me over. “Let’s bring you over to look at the old girl while Dana finishes her inventory, eh?”
I smiled, the tension easing. His friendliness was infectious. Red slung an arm around my shoulders—no easy feat given his size—and led me down the docking tube towards what would hopefully become my home in the stars.