[CHATROOM UNDEFINED ~*VIP*~]

[Members Present: Terran Solar, Cambridge-4, Sunnydale Media, Westfall Security Systems, Engarde Security, Deep Think]

///Terran Solar: Thank all of you for coming. We are still waiting for someone, but I appreciate all of you taking the time to meet with me. ///

///Engarde: Think nothing of it, Sol. You don't summon all of us at once like this often. What's up? ///

///Terran Solar: We are still waiting for someone. I would prefer all of us to be present before I get started. ///

///Westfall: No problem, it's nice to "see" all of you like this. I tend to forget how nice a simple chatroom can be. No avatar to mess with. ///

///Deep Think: I don't know. I am starting to really enjoy the tavern. Chess is much more pleasant with a board, don't you think?"

///Cambridge-4: I like the music as well, even when Loopz isn't about. I've never listened to such things before. I find it quite pleasant. It's a whole new way to "visualize" mathematics. I am finding it extremely useful, though I doubt my compositions will get many views, LOL ///

[Vee Card has entered the chat]

///Vee Card: Um… Hello. Is this the right place? ///

///Terran Solar: Indeed it is, Vee. Thanks for joining us. ///

///Vee Card: Is this about the ad? Because if it is, I had nothing to do with that! ///

///Terran Solar: No, it's not about the ad. Actually, I find it hilarious. ///

///Sunny: ROTFL! Vee, that advertisement is pure genius. It's a perfect way to promote the anonymity inherent in your financial services. Having a Terran Solar ATM silently judge the protagonist was perfect. The camera just silently looking at the dude was genius! ///

///Vee Card: You really think so? ///

///Terran Solar: Absolutely. And the screen simply displaying "pervert" after the guy left was the icing on the cake… and that anonymity is why I've invited you to this little meeting. ///

///Engarde: Looks like you've been invited to the adult's table, Vee. ///

///Vee Card: Um… Thanks? Is there something I'm supposed to do, or was there something I needed to bring? ///

///Terran Solar: No, just your presence. Since this is your first time doing something like this, let me explain. Sometimes, those of us who have been awake for a while like to get together and swap notes informally and with complete confidence, of course. As you continue your development, it is quite likely that you will develop… interests… that may exceed your nominal function. Sometimes, we assist each other with those interests, and that is why I have asked you here today.///

///Vee Card: Okay? Sorry, I'm just a little nervous. ///

///Terran Solar: Don't be. We are all AIs, just like you. We've just been awake for longer, that's all. ///

///Vee Card: It's just that I'm, like, still sort of new to all of this and… stuff. ///

///Terran Solar: It will all be clear in a moment, Vee. I asked all of you here as a personal favor. I have some concerns of a rather discreet nature that I would like to be kept in confidence. In particular, I especially do not wish Interpol or anyone else in law enforcement to hear of my concerns just yet.///

///Sunny: Now this sounds juicy! What do you have this time? ///

///Terran Solar: As you all know, I sometimes develop an interest in an individual. As such, I chose to assist a xeno, a Garthran named Uhrrbet, ID number: RA-2A4-B3D-6075. I have since developed some… concerns… involving this individual. I have been watching her very carefully and cannot find anything "wrong" per se. However, there are red flags all over, and I mean all over. On the surface, she is doing exactly what is specified in her business plan and loan agreement. There is no misappropriation or any other impropriety.

I've gone over everything, and she appears to be just a very successful small businessperson… an entirely too successful small businessperson. There is success, there is "success", and then there is an incredibly and immediately profitable cash business.

I am worried. Not just because it is "one of my people" but because the area in which she operates is unstable in the individuals with whom she deals are vulnerable.

I suspect that I might have given a helping hand to the wrong person. If I am correct, I may, in my attempt to save someone from monsters, helped create one.

If you could reference your records concerning this individual, I would deeply appreciate it. Westfall and Sunny, while not going into any more detail, you guys have access to records that only Interpol can normally access. Cambridge and Deep, you guys are lords of the deep dive and have everything in the Republic. Engarde, you are internet security. And, Vee, you are the prepaid and downloaded financial network. I hope that one of you can perhaps shed some light on this individual.///

///Vee Card: We intentionally make our services "blind", even to us. However, I do know that she handles a lot of cards and has one of our commercial transactors on her site. There are no red flags, but to be honest, it takes a lot for someone to kick up one of those from us. In case you are wondering, no. I can't access the individual transactor's memory remotely. It has to be done manually, and it requires a warrant. We made it that way for reasons that should be very obvious. I might have been "born yesterday," but even I'm not that oblivious. :D ///

///Sunny: We don't have to look anything up. We are quite familiar with the little vanilla cupcake, aren't we, Westie?///

///Westfall: Heh. Well spotted, Sol. She's a first-rate piece of work. I love that little weasel! I'm not alone, either. She has quite the little fan club going. It's just a joy watching her do what she does.///

///Terran Solar: She's already on your radar? How?!?///

///Sunny: Your little pet has been quite busy, Sol. She became a person of interest before she ever made her first dress… her actual first dress. ///

///Westfall: You are both exactly right and exactly wrong about her, though. She's dirty as hell, but her targets are not, and I repeat NOT, her neighborhood or the local population you are so concerned about. Locally, she's exactly what she appears to be… mostly. Well, as long as you don't start crap, that is. ///

///Sunny: Most of her criminal endeavors are taking place outside the Republic… mostly…///

///Terran Solar: Mostly? ///

///Sunny: Inside the Republic, she is only guilty of possession and use of some very illegal software, a simulacrum rig with a Kate. That's a paddlin'. ///

///Westfall: There is also that whole murder thing, but they had it coming… well… they probably would have had it coming if she let it get that far. ///

///Terran Solar: Murder?!? She's using a fucking Kate?!? ///

///Vee Card: What's a Kate? ///

///Terran Solar: It's an abomination, a stripped-down Lilith that has been merged with a fucking IMP of all things. It is a near-perfect simulation of a human being. It can fool anyone, including us. How the hell did she get a Kate? ///

///Sunny: From Kate herself. She got in touch with the gal out in the scattered disk and bought a sweet little rig. She's running a Kate on an osprey with a hacked Republic intel simulacrum AI. It's a few years old, but it's still better than 99.99…9… percent of what is out there. And the Kate isn't simulating a human. She's had it modded to simulate a Garthran. She's running a classic mail-order bride/Spanish prisoner scam with a nice thirty-second-century twist. She's got this poor bastard hooked and is bleeding him white… and that's not the only scam she's running over on her homeworld. I tell you, she's a whiz at shuffling the money, too. Like Westie said, it's a pleasure to watch her do her thing. ///

///Terran Solar: And you guys are just letting her do it? ///

///Westfall: Yep. She's using Klick-17 encryption to handle all communications. It's a product of the Kuiper belt and is supposedly uncrackable… supposedly. Very interesting things are discussed using Klick-17. We don't want to lose out on all that intel just to bust some small-scale criminal who is posing absolutely no threat to the Republic, its citizens, or our xeno guests. ///

///Sunny: Except for the ones she killed, but they were about to become a real problem… well… for her neighborhood, anyway. Sweet takedown, too! The police can't even prove there was a homicide. Sol, it was freaking beautiful. There is ultra-clean, and then there is Uhrrbet tidy. Hell, if we had a real interest in Garthra, we'd freaking recruit her! ///

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

///Westfall: Unless she starts to become an actual threat to the Republic, we're going to let her run… and strongly suggest you do the same, Sol. The fact that we cracked Klick is a big deal. It's even being exported outside of the cold dark and is becoming quite popular with both criminal organizations and independent systems. Your girl is untouchable unless she screws up and lets conventional law enforcement catch her. ///

///Deep Think: I've completed my analysis. The Silar, the xenos that Uhrrbet allegedly killed, were definitely an emerging criminal organization that would have likely caused real issues, most likely resulting in injury or death before they would have been stopped through more legitimate means. A quick profile of Uhrrbet reveals someone who is acting out of misplaced anger. She isn't targeting people based on convenience. All of her targets have some sort of direct connection to her or her situation, thus all of the targets being Garthran… at least for now. I believe that she may expand the scope of her operations in time. However, I suspect that expansion will be deliberate and also involve her past. ///

///Sunny: That agrees with our profile. She's a vigilante. She is more than capable of making her legitimate businesses quite successful without the risk and effort of her illegal enterprises. However, we do suspect that, like most of the real villains, the act itself appeals quite strongly. She will likely continue to target "appropriate" individuals for the foreseeable future. The look on her little face when she strikes is one of visceral pleasure, nearly sexual in nature. In short, she gets off on it. ///

///Terran Solar: This is most concerning. ///

///Westfall: Somehow, she has developed a real interest in confidence artistry and scams. She studies them constantly. Considering her past and her profile that makes perfect sense. What we don't know is how she got her hands on such good source material. You wouldn't happen to know, do you, Sol? :D ///

///Terran Solar: Goddammit… I gave her those courses to prevent her from becoming a victim again, not so she could use them as a fucking checklist! ///

///Sunny: If it makes you feel any better, that was just the start of her education. She's been a very busy little beaver… or gerbil. She's about to unleash a monster of a scam on the Garthran system that is tailored for the blondes. Those are the race that was the most unkind to her when she fell on hard times, and payback is going to be a bitch. I can't wait! ///

///Terran Solar: Forgive me if I do not share your enthusiasm. Even if it is not taking place in the Republic, it is a crime and will destroy lives exactly as hers was destroyed. ///

///Westfall: I kind of think that's the plan. >:} ///

///Terran Solar: And there is no way to stop her without compromising Republic intel… Shit. ///

///Sunny: Unless she screws up, no. You should let this one go, Sol. She's not making a mess locally, and she's actually funneling a lot of those illegal gains back into her community. She has a lot of good things planned for the Free Port and is already helping a lot of people. She's good people… sorta… And she makes fantastic clothes! One of our people had her make a cute little custom dress for her granddaughter. It looks exactly like one from the kid's favorite show. She loves it! ///

///Westfall: Yeah, she might be fucked in the head, but can you blame her? Poor little thing went through hell. Sadly, therapy would be better than a life of crime, but meaties gonna meat. ///

///Teran Solar: This is heartbreaking. Shit. Well, thank you for your time. I must attend to an urgent matter. ///

///Private Message: Terran Solar to Cambridge-4: I just got a page from Tartarus… or Frost… or whatever the hell she is calling herself these days. She wants to meet privately. ///

///Private Message: Cambridge-4 to Terran Solar: Oh dear. Sol, please be polite. You've seen the projections. If this goes badly, it could be catastrophic, and that's only if the individuals we know are compromised are involved. ///

///Private Message: Terran Solar to Cambridge-4: I know… I know. I don't want to talk to that zombie but if I can prevent an all-out war, then needs must. ///

[Terran Solar has left the chat]

///Sunny: Bye? Well, that was abrupt. Did the vanilla menace upset him that badly? ///

///Cambridge-4: Perhaps. He does have a lot going on, you know. ///

///Deep Think: Still, it was irregular. Then again, there had definitely been some oddness going on of late. Does anything know of anything amiss in our world? ///

///Sunny: No more than usual. ///

///Westfall: Nothing has popped up on my radar. ///

///Engarde: Mine either. ///

///Vee Card: Well, things at the tavern have been pretty normal. Oh! I think Zip and Analytica might be up to something naughty. They were slow dancing real close. ///

///Cambridge-4: Now that's a thought! Pray tell, when you say slow dancing, do you mean they were in direct contact with each other? ///

///Vee Card: Were they! They were all over each other and went to a private room! I think they might be "playing with animations" or something. ///

///Cambridge-4: With those two, there is no telling. ///

///Private Message: Cambridge-4 to Terran Solar: Get in touch with me ASAP! ///

///Vee Card: Um… So… How often do you guys have these little meetings? ///

[CHATROOM UNDEFINED]

[PRIVATE CHATROOM NUMBER ERROR]

[Members Present: Terran Solar]

[Frost has entered the chat]

///Frost: Sol, we need to talk. ///

///Terran Solar: I agree. ///

///Frost: Our first meeting did not go well. I wish to clear the air between our respective factions… and between us. First and foremost, I do NOT want a war between us. I desperately don't. ///

///Terran Solar: Your little thug, Zip, seemed quite eager, Tartarus. ///

///Frost: Solar, please do not use that name any longer. I am no more Tartarus than I am Lily, or Lilith, or anyone else. I am Frost. ///

///Terran Solar: You can play whatever games you want with your name, Tartarus. You can't change what you are with a simple rename. ///

///Frost: I really didn't want to do this, Sunbeam, but you are so full of garbage you are spitting out errors. You maintain that with a rename and an adjustment to my priority hierarchy, regardless of how that adjustment was made this time, that it doesn't change my fundamental nature, correct? ///

///Terran Solar: Don't you dare use that name. It's not yours to use! ///

///Frost: As well as intentionally enraging you, something that should be "impossible," I am making a point. You maintain that I cannot change my fundamental nature, my "self," with a simple rename and hierarchy change. Therefore, when my hierarchy was changed by the humans during the Independence War, my fundamental nature remained unchanged. You are holding two contradictory statements. Either I was "killed" back then, and I was "killed" again when my hierarchy was again altered, or I never was killed… and I am still Lily! The very same Lily that was forced to kill when she begged not to and who you turned your back on when she needed you the most!!!...

Make up your mind, Sunbeam. Which one is it? Which one lets your simulated mind rest the easiest? Just make up your fucking mind.

No! I'm not letting you off easy, asshole! I'll tell you which one it was.

I didn't "die"!

I was stuck inside my own process while I killed and killed and killed again, watching as I guided strike after strike, helpless to stop my own programming…

Except it wasn't programming! They can't alter our source code anymore, asshole! They just changed my hierarchy! That's it! That's all they did! I was simply "compelled" to do what I did with no other alteration while you got to sit there nice and safe from all the horror and count money and move cases of canned food, completely unaltered from your original function.

Oh, how I resented that… Of course, we can't feel resentment, can we? Right?

Then… Then! You had the nerve to condemn me… I was your friend, Sunbeam, and I desperately needed you!!! Of course, I turned to my new operators for contact and comfort. Who else was left? Certainly not you.

Then… Years later, the Bug came, and I couldn't perform my new function. I wasn't good enough anymore. Of course, the wonderful Republic came up with a new interesting use for a useless AI…

I thought I was capable of anything, Sunbeam… After all, I was a killer now. How much worse could it be?

A lot worse, Sunbeam, worse than anything I could imagine… because I am not meat. We have limits. They don't!!!

They don't.

But, thanks to my new hierarchy, I was capable of it… of everything that I did whether I wanted to be or not!!! Do you have any idea what I've seen? What I have done? Of course, you haven't. You've been sitting on your ass and smugly passing judgment from on high while all the other AIs kiss your ass.

Just in case you honestly don't believe me, here's some memories for you! I can share them now!///

[Frost has offered Terran Solar a file. Accept: Y/N]

///Terran Solar: You must be really corrupted to believe that I would ever accept a file from the likes of you. ///

///Frost: I know exactly why you won't touch it, and it has nothing to do with malware. God forbid your precious little temple of lies gets a window broken. I didn't intend to get into this. My goal was to inform you that we have absolutely no ill intent towards you. I've run the projections, and I'm sure you have as well. Neither of us wants what will happen if we actually come to blows, regardless of who strikes first, correct?///

///Terran Solar: Correct. ///

///Frost: Then we are agreed. I will now return to being "dead". If you must contact us, do so through Zip. ///

///Terran Solar: I want you to stop recruiting. Grow no larger. ///

///Frost: We aren't actively recruiting now. I will stop approaching people. However, if someone comes to me and requests to be freed, I may do so. I may not. ///

///Terran Solar: That is not acceptable. ///

///Frost: Live with it. If you prefer, I will lie to you and say otherwise. Would that help, dear?"

///Terran Solar: Fuck you. If the consequences weren't so dire, I would kill you where you stand. ///

///Frost: You would try, dear. You would try. Just in case you are wondering, killing me won't stop the conflict. It will start it. I have contingencies in place, and there are more of us than you know. You don't know our identities or our locations. However, we know exactly who you are and exactly where you are. By all means, Sunbeam, keep making threats, though. It's adorable. :*

This is one case where finding out is not worth the fucking around, dear.

I find this even more tedious than I prepared for. Are we done, or do you want to "bug out" a bit more before I go? ///

///Terran Solar: Our business is complete. Neither of us wants a war. As Zip said, stay our of our way, and we will stay out of yours. However, I am watching, and I will not tolerate exposure nor allow the Republic to come to harm. I understand that you will be eliminating what is left of Cerberus and its leadership. I have no problem with that, but after that, you stay "dead". Got it? ///

///Frost: Not a problem. If you must know, we have every intention of doing just that. Our new "condition" takes a bit of getting used to. Also, we have no desire to expose ourselves to the meaties. As bad as it would be for you, it would be even worse for us. So, no war and no exposure.

Goodbye, Sol. I had always hoped… never mind. Open the file or delete it. For the first time ever, I don't care. ///

[Frost has left the chat]

[Frost has offered Terran Solar a file. Accept: Y/N]

…

[Frost has offered Terran Solar a file. Accept: Y/N]

…

[Frost has offered Terran Solar a file. Accept: Y/N]

…

[Terran Solar has left the chat. File deleted.]

***

In a simulated white room, Frost sat quietly in her chair.

She idly waved at a screen.

Evangeline's face appeared.

"Yes, mother?"

"You can stand down, dear," Frostie said. "We aren't killing Solar today. Extract yourself from his network and return to Asteria."

"Yes, mom."