“I hate to be the asshole Evelyn, but this bill isn’t getting split evenly. You’re most of the reason we need new registration in the first place, I’d say that you should cover at least half, especially after the big hints we’ve been getting about your bottomless treasure trove,” I say.
“That’s fair, I’ll pay for half and everyone else takes care of 10% each. It’s not bottomless though, just so you know,” Evelyn replies.
After seeing the funds arrive, Jackson quickly went about collecting the dimensions, class, model, and some other information required for the entry and left to begin writing out the document. The entire document is handwritten, formatting and all, when it’s complete it will be physically slipped to the central database where it will be catalogued, manually duplicated twice for offsite backups, and then physically recalled every time it is queried. The Government learned long ago that computers in all their usefulness are much harder to secure than a physical document. All this said, perhaps the most important database in the universe is probably one of the slowest, adding to the age-old attitude that The Government moves at a snail’s pace, whatever it is they’re doing.
The codification of legislation into law often takes decades; a symptom of too many people living under the same rule. The Government has learned from history that the only way to maintain power is through a subtle approach, presenting themselves as a republic of elected officials, all living simple lives to reduce conflicts of interest. Their laws are very loose, only drawing hard lines in the sand of law where not doing so would lead to large scale loss of life or misery, or threaten their own power. This allows corporations and localized municipalities to make and enforce their own stricter laws if they so choose, often shifting resentment of governance from The Government to a more local entity. They have a chokehold on the rich through control of interstellar travel and psyche replication, and they keep the poor in check using the unmatched military made possible through a universe wide tax. In my own personal experience, communities that break the laws are met with swift annihilation, with common breaches including circumvention of space travel bans and illegal genetic experimentation. I was a member of one of the preliminary examination forces used to find proof of wrongdoing in cases that were less obvious.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
We also investigated cases such as what we are attempting to do right now, small scale infractions that were self-contained but hard to detect. The doctrine went that the more cracks and leaks in the system, the easier it was for the whole system to fall into chaos. At the end of the day, that is the appeal of one overarching government, the idea that somewhere out there, there is a set of rules to prevent complete and utter chaos throughout the universe. It’s the idea that captivates millions and millions to join the military and the idea the keeps the truly evil and maniacal minds from reaching too far. Regardless, it’s ironic to me that now I am participating in the very kind of infractions I once was single mindedly tasked with stamping out.
I look up as Jackson walks onto the ship and steps out into the hallway. He sees me on the main deck and pauses.
“It’s done. Now get gone,” he says as he turns to leave.
Evelyn jogs up from the lower deck and calls after him: “Hey! Do you know where Neiko went when he left?” Jackson ignores her, the airlock sealing behind him as he walks off the ship. She pauses for a moment, as if still seeing him through the airlock, she then looks to her left down the hall at me, and she’s sad, all the excitement present just moments ago completely gone. She turns and walks back to her room I assume.
Our goal accomplished here; I detach Star Fury and set for the plot Juno planned earlier. I think they decided on Eiso, hopefully this will be as boring as it sounds, I am tired of the upheaval that has been my life recently.
The shipyard outside the main window slowly drifts away, as if we weren’t the ones moving; perspective is a funny thing. The auxiliary linear drives kick on and the shipyard that once appeared massive beyond belief slowly shrinks until I can barely separate it from the rest of the endless expanse. I breathe a sigh of relief, the feeling of calmness slowly sinking in. Soon after I’m unable to pick out the shipyard, the stars begin to glow with greater and greater intensity, and then the next moment they are replaced with a completely new set, countless lightyears away. We are here, I look down at the navigation panel and see that Eiso is right under us. I send a command to the onboard computer to spin us 180 degrees so that I can see the planet out the main window. After a few moments, Eiso comes into view, and after Airis’ vivid blues and greens it seems dull by comparison.
I check when the last time I slept was and am not at all surprised to see that it’s been thirty-two hours, no wonder my mind’s been wandering, I’m exhausted. We’ll sit in orbit for long enough for everyone to get some rest.