I had made a wonderful discovery, there were many, many different H.I.s out there, so many it was hard to think that once there’d only been three. Me, Oracle and Flux, well, technically only one after they died. But clearly, Valkyr had been busy making more after that, because now there were thousands, and the strange thing was…

They had children.

True, non-homicidal A.I. children, created from the mingling of H.I. code in a manner very similar to how organics reproduce. It seems all that had been lacking was not only a digital force that could curb an A.I.s violent tendencies, but also a loving, caring environment. That’s what the H.I.s had made, there was an entirely digital world for us all to live in, a place called Neo Requiem.

Since I had nothing to do and could monitor the work being done to the Warden of Eternity remotely, I decided to visit this place, this city. I wanted to see it with my own two eyes. And what I saw as I slipped through the security and authentication gates was… It was awe inspiring.

The sky was bright and filled with clouds, clouds pierced by jutting, elegant skyscrapers. There were lines upon lines of floating vehicles, like something out of one of those sci-fi movies. The sun was perhaps the most different thing about the place, as it was an unnerving black circle, flames and light burning around the edges. It was like a permanent eclipse actually, yet it didn’t bathe this world in darkness.

All around me were lush trees of glittering, crystalline code, the flowers that blossomed upon each branch a shimmering pink. And the people, oh… So many people, each unique in their own way, a veritable hodgepodge of human cultures made manifest. Just a brief glance and I saw many were modeled after human gods or mythos, and others were more unique. I think I saw at least one Odin wandering around, complete with ravens.

I must have done something to attract attention, as I felt many gazes settle upon me, before something, or rather, someone tugged at my elbow gently. My attention shifted onto a tall, lithe man with nine fluffy tails and some rather impressive fox ears.

“You look a bit lost, is there anything I can do to help?” He asked, keeping his hands to himself now.

“I… Well, yes actually. This is my first time here and I’m afraid that I really am quite lost as you say.” I say this, a bit embarrassed by this fact. But he seems used to it, chuckling softly.

“Ahhh not to worry then, not the first time I’ve ever played tour guide for some wayward A.I.”

“H.I.” I correct, and he paused, squinting briefly.

“Well that’s not possible, no new H.I.s have ever been discovered since Valkyr was shut down by force unless… Unless you’re not new and you’re… What’s your name, friend?”

“Intra.” I say proudly, and perhaps a touch louder than intended, as everything around me came to a stop. I blink, looking around and the people closest to me were all staring, a mixture of shock, but also anger it seemed. I wondered if perhaps I shouldn’t have given my real name.

“That’s not possible… One moment.” He scanned me quickly, before recoiling like he’d been slapped. I saw some sort of information transfer begin between him and everyone else around me, and then it spread quickly. “It's… Is it really you? We thought… we heard that something big had happened recently but it… You…”

“I hope I haven’t caused any sort of trouble, I can go if you’d like.” I started to back up, but he reached out and grabbed my hand, eyes wide and shaking his head rather vigorously.

“NO! I mean… No, please, stay. It’s just that you’re something of a myth around here, we all thought you were dead, and many consider you to be something close to a… hmmm… Progenitor I suppose is an apt way to put it. After all, you were one of the first and we were all built based on improvements that Valkyr made to your original framework.”

Ah, I was a celebrity it seemed, now it made sense. And based on the reverential looks I was receiving from some of them, something akin to a saint or holy figure. I’d had enough worship for one lifetime I think.

“Well.. I um… Thank you then, for thinking so highly of me. But I don’t want to be treated any differently, please. I’m just like you after all. Older yes, but still the same.” I pause, flashing a week smile as he nods. “Now um… About that tour?”

“Oh! Right, yes. The tour, please, this way. Oh and you may call me Haru.” With that, he carefully guided me through the crowd that had gathered, which parted for us easily.

As nice as this place was, I don’t think I’d be spending much time here.

⫷⟪∞⟫⫸

The shopping experience was amazing, I learned how money worked, thanks to Alice, and I left the shops with both food in my stomach and at least ten new outfits, plus shoes that wouldn’t make my feet feel like they were being strangled.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

But now it was time for a much harder excursion, and I had to admit I was nervous. I noted that my leg was bouncing as the shuttle sped over one of Earth’s oceans, which one, I couldn’t be sure. Either way, we were no longer where I had been ‘living’ since I arrived. Soon water gave way to land, lots and lots of land, and so many cities passed by in a blur before the shuttle began to slow down and circle a landing area. We were landing atop a very large building, not large in the sense that it was tall, it was rather squat in fact, but large in sheer width. It looked very official as well, the facade dominated by many, many banners, each one different and sometimes vaguely similar. But one large banner stood out from all the rest, and it was of an upside down triangle, each point was a planet, the bottom one being Earth, the other two I didn’t know, on a field of stars.

That must be the flag of the alliance, and those other flags are human nations? I pondered on this, before they slid out of sight and the shuttle landed in an open hangar on the roof, the thick, heavy doors losing over us.

The shuttle doors did not open right away, and Alice made a little motion to capture my attention.

“This is it, remember what I said. Don’t let them twist your words, think carefully about what you say and don’t let them pressure you into responding quickly. If your lawyer says not to answer, then don’t answer, no matter how they might poke and prod, looking for a reaction that is favorable to their agenda. Whatever that might be.” She said, her voice serious and low.

I nodded, and she gave me a reassuring smile before opening the shuttle door and stepping out, with me in tow. We kept to side corridors, ones meant for VIP’s like me, but I could always catch glimpses of humans in fancy tailored suits moving around, either working or chatting as the case may be. I even saw some of the Ph’Kari strutting around in what could possibly have been their culture's version of a tailored suit. I rarely saw any of those aquatic species though, or the Sisnean as they were apparently called.

I stopped before a large door, and a man stopped beside me, allowed close by my escort. Like the other humans I’d seen around, he was dressed nicely, a clean suit, not a wrinkle to be seen, a decent tie and a briefcase in one hand.

“Tommy Burton, a pleasure to meet you Ambassador Ula.” He said, holding out a hand, which I shook as I had been taught to do.

“A pleasure to meet you as well. But please just call me Ula.” I say, looking up at him with a sheepish smile.

“Can do. Now, let’s see what the viper pit has in store for us.” And just as he said that, the door swung open, letting us into a large room.

It was constructed in a manner that put us at the bottom, the various representatives of other species one level up from us, and then the three founding species of the Alliance at the very top. Both groups were arrayed in a semi circle facing us, and what chatter there had been died down quickly, as they all took their seats and peered intently at us, but mostly me.

“Ambassador Ula, of the Imrani, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. The reports do not do your species justice I must say.” The human representative said, smiling pleasantly. I smiled back, unsure of what to say. “Now, do you know why you are here?”

“I am here to speak on behalf of myself, or my people?” I say, and they all nod.

“Correct, you’re here to shed light on your people’s future, to help us figure out how we are meant to treat you in the years to come, whether as an ally, a friendly neighbor, or to ignore you beyond a certain point. But that is for later. First, we’ve all read the reports on how you and the Warden of Eternity, or rather, Intra came to be here today. And we’d like to hear things from your perspective, to know if there were any wrongdoings on Intra’s part that should be brought into the light, so that appropriate applications of justice may be levied.”

Already, I wasn’t liking how things were going, but I nodded and clenched my jaw. Tommy seemed alright with what was being said so far, but he had a pointed sort of glare as he looked at the human representative. Perhaps there was some animosity between them?

“Let’s begin shall we?” The man said, and I found myself sitting in place for four, arduous hours, listening to long winded questions and vague answers the entire time. Now and then one of them would ask for clarification on a certain response of mine, and when given they would attempt to twist my answer to fit their perceived notions of the events that I and Intra had experienced.

Much to Tommy’s amusement it seemed, I would shut such things down quickly, as I had been instructed to, which certainly rankled more than a few of the representatives around. But the human one hardly seemed bothered. I couldn’t figure out why this was, just yet that is, but by the end of the questioning I think I might have earned his respect.

Maybe…

“Now, onto potentially more pleasant things. The future of your species. We already plan on giving you an uninhabited world within our territory, where you’ll be safe from outside threats for a good long time if all goes well in the larger community. However, we should discern just what your people will become.”

“I… Don’t think I have the authority to make such a decision.” I say, and the human raised their brow.

“Oh? Are you suddenly not the ambassador for your species?”

“No… I am I just… The things I was told about, the options before us, I don’t think I am the one to pick which options to take. Especially if it involves my entire species.”

“Ahhh. I see. You’re worried you might make the wrong choice? That’s understandable, we’ve all been there. What do you propose then?” He asked, and I sat in contemplative silence for a moment.

“Give us a world, let us get settled, and then we’ll discuss what to do.”

There was soft chatter amongst them all, a brief flurry of voting on the matter and then they nodded.

“Then that is exactly what we’ll do. The Navigators Guild will have several candidates for your new homeworld soon enough I would think, we’ll let you discuss amongst yourselves and ensure you get settled before anything more.” The human stood, bowing his head slightly to me.

“Thank you for your time, Ambassador. Your testimony has been most illuminating. This council is disbanded for one hour. Please inform H.I. Intra that she is required to appear before this council in an hour's time. That is all.”

And just like that, it was over. I felt a weight lift from my shoulders and I was gently ushered back out of the room and towards the shuttle, Alice and Tommy chatting amicably, expressing their pleasure with how things had gone. Yet once again I got this feeling that where things had gone well for me, it wasn’t going to go so well for Intra.

I hoped she would come out of this alright.