The one other building on the island led to a specialized tube station, one which would bring them deep underwater and to Thalassa.
“We, of course, have provided accommodations in the city itself.” minister Sally said as they travelled down. “But all synths before you have preferred to sleep in their ship. Should you wish to do otherwise, I welcome it.”
TO couldn’t see outside. The tube was solid metal so far, so all they could see outside the glass tube was darkness and their own reflection. Noss was sitting next to TO, and as they looked across the carriage at Minister Sally, they could see Noss’ reflection as well. As Sally spoke, Noss tightened his grip where he rested his hands on his knees. “Of course, I’ll have to have our people perform an inspection.” Noss said, “Should anything happen, it will of course be my responsibility-”
Sally looked at Noss like he was some small bug; harmless, almost unnoticeable, but disgusting all the same. “I am certain you’re not suggesting that I would provide our Honored Synths with anything less than the best and safest of accommodations.” She tilted her head, “Am I correct.”
“Of course not! I mean, you are correct!” He laughed and dabbed at his face. “Of course, I am not suggesting that, but any accommodations provided have to be cleared by planetary authorities, not local ones. All just formalities, I assure you.” He gave a sickly smile. “Minister Sally, I am positive that whatever accommodations you might have provided for our Honored Synths, and for myself, will be nothing less than glorious.”
“Ah, that is right.” She said, her voice soft as she looked away, “I suppose I should find accommodations for yourself as well. I thought your people would handle that. Well, it doesn't matter.” She checked something on her communicator, then looked back to TO and DH. “Honored Synths, we will exit the protected pipeline now; you’ll have a proper view of Thalassa and its surrounding ocean properties if you look out.”
Only moments after she said that, the metal tubing ended and their world lit up in blue-green light from the vast sea around them.
Thalassa lay below them, protected from the water by an enormous glass dome, and illuminated with white-blue lights that ran in a spiral on the inside of the glass. The light caught on through the haze in the water and made the city appear to glow. Tall buildings, as much art as they were architecture, sat evenly spaced out in this underwater city, providing the luxury of space that Okoia simply didn’t have. In one spot, TO could even see a park with trees and grass.
“We pride ourselves on having proper green space here.” Sally said, catching TO’s stare, “Have you ever seen such a thing before, Honored Synth? Real trees growing underwater”
“No, I haven't.” TO said, their voice soft under their helmet, their ears low. They had never seen real greenery before, never touched real grass or an actual tree. Would they get to go there? Would they get to visit that part and see actual fauna? What did it feel like? Was the air actually crisper around real plantlife?
“I am surprised you’ve not converted those spaces to residential buildings.” DH said next to them, the translation harsh and cold, “This planet has an overpopulation issue.”
“Oh, of course.” minister Sally said, “But down here, it’s not so much of a problem. Thalassa is different; the people who come here are looking for space, and quiet. They’re looking for an escape from the hectic, noisy life that waits for them on the surface. If we run out of space, we simply build a new dome. The residents here are wealthy, and pay their taxes to keep Thalassa beautiful and clean and quiet.”
TO frowned, “What of the indebted.” They asked, “You were rather concerned about them; I am certain that they have little to offer in terms of taxes.”
“Oh, they don’t pay taxes, of course.” She said, “They pay their debts, but they’re not really citizens of Thalassa. They live here, of course, but they have different accommodations which we have built for them, and have access to their own section of Thalassa.”
“Like the outer ring in Okoia.” DH added.
Minister Sally gave a soft, staccato laugh. “Oh my; nothing like that, I assure you.” She said, “We keep everything here organized and clean. You won’t see anything even close to the level of filth you’d see in the nicer parts of Okoia, let alone the Outer Ring.” Her mandibles clicked, prompting an alert from TO’s helmet.
==Sign of disapproval, irritation==
“I should mention as well,” Minister Sally continued, “since you seem concerned about the indebted, that Thalassa is the most highly demanded work area. The indebted aren’t technically citizens of our city, so the same taxes and fees they’d pay anywhere else need not come out of their pay and they end up with more money to either save or spend as they see fit.”
“But not being citizens, I’m guessing there are essentials they don’t have access to. Certain medical facilities for a start.” TO said, remembering only too well the problems Lendulin had.
“Well, that’s not a city matter; that’s dealt with by the Ministry of the Indebted; They deal with those issues and make sure the indebted here are healthy enough to work. Besides, there’s another advantage to being non-citizens; They have to purchase their supplies from shops set up for them, so we can limit the recreational drugs made available. They’re less likely to drink away all their money that way.” She tilted her head at Noss. “That’s an issue I’m certain you’re working on in Okoia.”
“As I’ve mentioned before, Minister Sally.” Noss said, once more dabbing at his face, “I have little to do with such matters; I deal with planetary security, not the affairs of cities or even quadrants.”
“Ah, I keep forgetting that. I assume that any who choose to stay there in Okoia must either cannot afford the cost of living in Thalassa, or must work for the city itself. I cannot fathom why anyone would choose to stay there otherwise.”
Another laugh from Noss, nervous and false, “Well Minister Sally, it is the planet’s capital.”
“For now, Minister Noss, for now.” She turned her attention back to TO and DH, “Maybe one day, the powers that be will decide that a new, more properly managed capital would be more fitting.”
TO wanted to see where the indebted lived here. They wanted to see if it was as bad as their friends said, or if it was as carefully managed as Minister Sally claimed it was. Of course, they were not to bother with such things. Ark-1 already told them to leave it alone, as that was not their job. They had to do their job to make sure they and DH were safe. They could enjoy their time with DH, but beyond that, TO intended to follow orders.
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They looked over the scenery, the glowing city below and the collection of more distant, hazy glowing orbs that lay further away on the ocean floor. So long as TO didn’t think too much about it all, they could simply enjoy the beauty of the view.
======
Thalassa differed greatly from Okoia. The lights that spiraled on the inside of the dome set the city aglow when viewed from outside, but on the inside the ocean was dark; the light getting sucked into the depths. There was this sense of permanent night that pervaded the area. They couldn’t see stars, but the many lights in the dome gave off a more diffuse light, a softer glow than the strong, painful light of the sun. Despite the dimmer, more comfortable light, Thalassa seemed brighter since the buildings were so cluttered and close; The streetlights were decorative; tall pillars topped with waves which held three clam shells on the furthest points, each one holding a glowing pearl. Even the pavement was more beautiful than in Okoia. Here, cobblestones in a mixture of blues, greens, and reds replaced the pavement that was found above water. Through the middle of the roads was a single track upon which an open trolley ran, carrying civilians in padded seats. There was one such trolley waiting for them when they exited the tube, with more finely dressed civilians standing on either side of the road.
“As you can see, everyone is excited to see the new synths.” Sally said, “The ones that you saw when you landed were just a small simple; a close collection of some of the finest people in Thalassa.”
“I don’t see the need for any of them to be here.” DH said into the communicator, “If they wanted to see us, they should have come to that party in the Government House.”
“I think that was invitation only.” TO said, “I’m sure not everyone could have made it.”
“I hope you don’t mind the trolly.” Sally said, “We don’t use vehicles here; the limited airspace makes it quite impractical. Of course, we also don't need to worry about the weather; it’s all well controlled here, so an open trolley car is always comfortable.”
“You will have your own vehicles, though.” Noss said, “for emergency transportation.”
“Of course.” Sally said, her mandibles clicking. “Though I’m unsure how useful a private vehicle is, given the way the city is divided. No matter, I’m sure we can sort it out.”
For a moment, TO worried about the potential for attack in such a thing, but then realized that if there were no air-vehicles, then there were no drones ready for attack either. Of course, that also meant no security drones. The area was more spaced out, so there were fewer places for people to hide for a potential surprise attack, but also less to protect them from a distant, well-aimed laser. Was there something they were missing?
“I am curious about your security measures on Thalassa.” TO said once they were on the trolley. They sat in the back where there was an area large enough to accommodate Sallys’ wide, crab-like lower half. “I note no aerial defenses, and your guards here seem more decorative than practical.” They worried that maybe that was being a little harsh, but it was true! The insurgents had drones, rogue bots, and access to a variety of weaponry. The guards of Thalassa had spears and pretty armor.
Another low chuckle came from minister Sally. “Oh, I assure you we’re far more secure than you might think.” She said, “Who wants to live in a place that looks and feels like a prison? Not me, and not my citizens; that’s why many of us left the surface cities. Making it look too secure would be stressful and, frankly, ugly. It’s far more relaxing like this.”
“And at the cost of your safety.” DH asked.
“Oh no, not at all.” She settled into the larger set, arranging her dress before her as the trolley started off. “We pride ourselves on invisible security.” She gestured above. “Physical barriers first, of course. Nobody is going to sneak in easily through the leagues of open ocean, nor through the glass domes. There’s security, unseen, outside the dome to protect us from anyone who might try to reach us that way. Of course, you cannot see that from in here.”
“So it’s safe as long as nobody sneaks in.”
“Those who do enter must pass a rigorous security check.” She said, “Hypothetically, should someone with more money than King Decon himself wish to live here, but they had a criminal past, then simply they wouldn’t be allowed here.”
“There’s still the indebted.” Noss piped up, “Good luck finding enough of them without a past.”
Sally gave a tired sigh. “The poor things have an unfortunate predisposition to a criminal life, but we manage that as well.” She said, “While a clean record isn’t necessary for the indebted, certain kinds or amounts of crimes will keep them from coming to Thalassa. They may bring nothing with them from their past life, so they cannot bring weapons, and their clearance here doesn’t allow them contact with people outside of Thalassa. What they can acquire here are necessities; food, beverage, clothing, and of course there’s some entertainment to be had; shows, for example, but nothing that one could cause trouble with. We carefully curate even the media we allow the indebted to view to prevent them from getting ideas.” Her feelers twitched as she tilted her head at TO, “Here, even the most dangerous of criminals, under the strict rules set for the indebted, could not cause problems.”
“I’m sure the insurgents who escaped recently had even less than your indebted.” DH said, “But they caused problems, regardless.”
“Hmm, yes.” She said, “But if I read the briefings properly, that was caused because of outside influences; an attack on the prison, and a blackmailed guard bending over for the insurgency.”
“And hypothetically.” TO said, “If there was an attack here; say the insurgents were to attack from the outside.”
“From outside the domes?”
“Yes.” TO said. That was what happened to the prison. If the insurgents could break through the dome…”
“If they got past the drones outside the dome, and fired at us directly?” she shook her head. “I’d like to say it’s impossible to break the dome.” Sally said with a sigh, “But it’s not. Still, the coordinated attack needed to destroy one of our domes would be impressive. The insurgency could not manage that level of -”
“I’d not make assumptions about what the insurgency can or cannot do.” TO said quickly. “They seem to have more resources than we thought.”
“That is perfectly fair; and you are correct; we must not underestimate the enemy.” She nodded, “But we’d see them. The moment they attacked, we’d see them and we’d be able to issue a counterattack. Now, along with the patrol ships, we have also worked on water-based weaponry. We could reduce a ship to scrap-metal in less than three seconds.” She turned to Noss. “Well, the proper number, according to my reports, is 2.87 seconds. We are working on reducing that via automated targeting systems, but it’s difficult. My engineers are suggesting a wave to neutralize all communications within a certain radius, followed by the sub-sonic attacks… but if we’re simply counting the time to neutralize an individual ship, that doesn’t affect the numbers much.”
“And should all that fail?” DH asked.
“Well, even if the insurgency - or anyone- destroyed a single dome, we have safety procedures for rescuing the citizens inside, and lockdowns to protect the other attached domes.” She looked at DH. “No single place in the galaxy is perfectly safe, but I am confident in the safety of our little underwater paradise here. And of course, so are all my citizens. She tilted her head, gazing up at the dome above them. “I’d say… it’s at least as safe as a large space-colony; likely safer.” After thinking about it for a moment more, she said, “I’d say the best way for someone to take down the dome is from the inside, but as I just said, we regulate all items that come in, a weapon strong enough to do the job falling into the wrong hands is highly unlikely.“
“And aside from larger catastrophes, what about basic security?” DH asked. They gestured to the nearby guards, who were following along on air-bikes. “Spears won’t do much if someone comes at you with a multi-gun.”
Sally grinned. “Perhaps when you’re settled, you might visit the training grounds.” She offered, “You’ll be able to see what our spears can do there, and I promise you won’t be disappointed.”