Throttle Twenty-Six

“Welcome to Waitless, hope you have a nice stay!” the person over the comms said.

Ahvie reached over and flicked something which shut off the line. Diana figured that her little friend wanted fewer distractions so that she could focus. The station was far larger than the one they’d met in, and unlike that one, this place wasn’t a rotating tube in fairly close proximity to a planet. The station jutted out of the side of an asteroid that could have passed for a small planetoid if it wasn’t shaped like a half-chewed peanut.

Large towers stuck out of the surface, the sunward sides covered in battered solar panels, and large tunnels had been bored into the surface of the rock where the twinkling lights of habitation modules could be seen as they flew over.

Their destination was the station’s port, a section of the asteroid with a hexagonal net cut into the surface. Each opening was more than wide enough for even Ahvie’s large ship to fit in, maybe not lengthwise, but at least from the front.

There were larger dock facilities a few kilometres away, pillars that poked out of the asteroid so that bigger ships could connect to it.

“You know,” Diana began. “From the way this place was described, I thought it would be sort of uninhabited, a dreary little hole out in the middle of nowhere. But there have to be millions living here.”

“Three hundred thousand, according to public census data,” ChaOS said.

Diana frowned and addressed her AI friend who was only technically in the room. “I thought you said they didn’t have an internet. How are you getting that information?”

“There isn’t an internet as you know it, but there are transmission systems that are sending out pertinent information. The main difference seems to be that the devices sending out said data do so on constant loops, without direct interference. Essentially, they’re a one-way internet, with each site screaming its entire content into the void without expecting a reply. Most of these are pure data streams. Maintenance and temperature updates across the station, docking and work schedules, traffic information, requests, and, of interest here, census information.”

“Alright,” Diana said. She kind of understood. “But why is anyone blasting census data out into the void?”

“I can think of several reasons. Perhaps to assist merchants and advertisers, perhaps to aid rescue teams in case of an emergency. Also, there might be a societal need to know how many beings are on the station at any time. The information is updated every sixteenth of a second.”

Diana nodded. It was neat to know, but it wasn’t something she needed to care about all that much in the end. “Still, three hundred K people. That’s… less than I’d imagine for a place this big.”

“It’s not as deep as it looks,” Ahvie said. “The station is wide, but it’s not as deep into the surface of the asteroid as you’d think. It can’t be.”

“Why not?” Diana asked.

Ahvie waited to reply; she was bust aligning the front of the Slow and Steady with a row of lit up drones that led into their docking spot. “Because of heat. The station needs to vent heat all the time, and being inside the asteroid means that the station will be too well-insulated. There are ways around that, but they’re expensive. Spreading out all across the surface is cheaper.”

“Huh, alright,” Diana said.

The ship moved into the dock, and long mechanical limbs came out to meet it. They grabbed onto clamping locations on the ship’s surface and carefully pulled it into place. Clangs rang across the vessel as items settled and they were secured into place.

“And that’s it,” Ahvie said with a satisfied sigh. She tapped a few more controls before turning to Diana. “Ahvie doesn’t like this type of docking. It’s too open, and it makes moving cargo around complicated. But it does work.”

Diana flicked through a few camera views. “We’re just plugged into the rock head-first like this? I think the ship’s ass is still out there.”

Ahvie glanced at her displays then shook her head. “No, we’re entirely inside the dock. The Slow and Steady isn’t that long.”

Diana detached herself from her seat and made sure her boots were well clamped to the floor before she pushed herself upright. “Okay, now’s the part where we leave and go exploring, right?”

“That sounds exceptionally reckless and needlessly risky,” ChaOS said. “Which I presume means that you’re certain to do it. I’ll begin reconstructing my mobile platform, as well as some weaponry and equipment to be worn on-station.”

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“Ahvie isn’t going to do that. Ahvie needs to unload the cargo, and maybe start looking for new cargo. While you’re on the station, maybe try to learn about the race? Ahvie has an idea of what it’s like, but not enough to really help, and if Ahvie’s going to be your mechanic, then she needs a better idea.”

“That sounds like a great idea, yeah,” Diana said. “ChaOS, is there a bar on this station?”

“There are several. Mistress, I am worried to know why you are curious about their existence.”

“Need to find all the good racers.”

“Mistress, the statistical likelihood of… oh, nevermind. Your equipment has been printed. I’ll be meeting you in-person by the starboard airlock.”

Diana chuckled. It was nice working with an AI who knew her so well. “See you in a bit, Ahvie. I don’t know if they have bail around here, but if they do, I’ll give you a call if it comes up.”

“Wait, what?” Ahvie asked.

But it was too late, Diana was already clunking out into the corridor. She brushed off a bit of dust from her jumpsuit and ran a hand through her hair, then because she wanted to keep her hands busy, she retied her ponytail.

ChaOS was waiting for her next to one of the ship’s bulky airlocks. He was in the same robotic frame, though this one had a few modifications. Notably, little nozzles on the legs, arms, and torso, each one obviously able to twist and pivot around.

“What’s that for?” Diana asked.

“The station has no gravity, and no spin to make up for the lack. According to what I’ve listened to, most movement here is accomplished via gas-release thrust.”

Diana nodded. That wasn’t entirely uncommon back in Sol. Sometimes faking gravity was more trouble than it was worth.

“I took the time I had to bring you some equipment.” ChaOS gestured to a small crate laying on the ground nearby.

Diana popped the top open and stared at the contents. Armour, done up in a nice fire-engine red with a black trim. There were thrusters on it as well, clearly built into the gear, which, when she touched it, still felt printer-hot.

“I think I’ll need a hand or two getting into that,” Diana said. She pulled out a chest piece, then the matching back part. It wasn’t armour that would cover her entirely—ChaOS knew better than to try and trick her into a full exo-suit—but it was decent. Greaves and vambraces and a chestpiece that covered her entire torso. Then a helmet with a mask and visor. Every piece had tiny directional thrusters on it, and she suspected they were a lot tougher than they looked.

The last thing she strapped on was a belt with a pair of comfortable little handguns. “What are these?” she asked.

“The top barrel is kinetic. Each has a forty-rounds of five millimetre ammo. Standard explosive flower rounds. The lower barrel is a high-intensity laser.”

Diana tested the draw, then nodded and stuffed the guns away. “Good to have,” she said.

“If you require additional weaponry or ammunition, then I will gladly provide,” ChaOS said. “Are you ready to go? The station is currently kept at approximately nought point eight atmospheres. Twenty-percent oxygen, high nitrogen, but also hydrogen.”

“So thin air that’s also very humid,” Diana said.

“And cold,” ChaOS added.

“Wow, how very comfortable.”

“The environment was clearly not created for the comfort of the average human.”

“I’ll leave them a poor review,” Diana said with a snort. She fitted the helmet on and stepped into the airlock. The door shut, the air hissed a little, and then the light above the exit door lit up in turn.

ChaOS pushed it open, revealing a long tube with a metal grated floor and walls made of an opaque, plastic-like material that was bubbled out by the pressure in the passage.

She could feel the slight change in the air already, but it wasn’t hugely discomforting, not with the right equipment on.

Grinning, she started down the passage, boots clamping magnetically onto the grating with every reverberating step. “Come on! Let’s go make friends and find some trouble.”

“Yes Mistress.”

“Oh, don’t sound so dour, I know you love this stuff. Look at this! A whole station filled with aliens. So many cool people to meet and beat.”

“What a lucky AI I am to have a mistress that brings me to such far-fetched and bizarre places.”

“Damn right!”

***