by M. D. Cooper
Sabs accepted the data package, glad that she’d managed to fool the Link breach bot so thoroughly; there was no way to hide a data transmission that large in regular network traffic.
OK…that’s a lot of tunnel down there.
The old maglev line that ran under the tower connected to a hub to the east and one to the south. Both were marked as unused, but the southern hub still had a tunnel that connected to the modern system, and from there, the entire planet.
Fina and Cheeky would have to stay close, or they’d be left behind…and that could complicate things greatly. One thing Sabs was certain of: wherever Sebastian was taking her, she’d not have access to the standard planetary Link networks once they arrived.
The lift doors opened again, and her companion strode out without hesitation, following a wide passage that only took two slight turns before opening up onto a dimly lit maglev platform.
Sabs was unsurprised to see a single maglev car sitting on the track.
They boarded the car—which appeared to be as old as the tunnels they were in—and after a moment’s hesitation, they began to move. Sabs attempted to reach out to Cheeky and Fina in order to tell them which direction they were going, but found that all network connectivity was cut off.
She quickly double-checked her nullification of the breach bot that had tried to tap into her Link, relieved to see that it hadn’t connected to any of her systems.
That left only one other option.
“Why have you blocked connectivity?” she asked Sebastian.
“Merely a precaution,” he said, not bothering to force his frame’s face into a smile. “No one is supposed to be using these tunnels. If the monitoring systems detect a fast-moving network connection down here, someone might come and take a look at our little highway.”
She nodded wordlessly.
His argument was hard to swallow, given that if they were fooling whatever motion sensors and other automated monitoring kept watch on the tunnels, fooling the local networks as to where signal was coming from would be no great feat.
Still, unless she wanted to disable the system and lose whatever trust they’d established, she’d just have to deal with it.
And trust that Cheeky and Fina could follow after.
CHAPTER 37 - RIKA
STELLAR DATE: 01.12.8960 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Warsaw
REGION: Farsis System, Independent Systems of the Lupus Cloud
Rika smiled benignly at the functionary who was going on and on about his personal thoughts regarding the direction the Alliance of Sentients should take with hyper-tech. She didn’t disagree with all of his points—not entirely, at least—but his monotone diatribe was causing her to consider clamping a hand over his mouth.
Niki’s laugh rippled through Rika’s mind, the sound reminiscent of hanging crystals tinkling in the wind.
Rika finally found an out in the conversation with the functionary, begging off in order to speak with her husband about an important matter.
The man gave her a half-hearted smile and a nod, clearly upset to have his unending stream of opinions cut short.
“I’ll forward the rest of my thoughts on to you via the Link,” he said, adopting an eager smile.
“Of course.” Rika returned the smile before pivoting and making her way toward the ballroom’s balcony.
It took longer than she’d hoped to make it there, what with being forced to stop and exchange pleasantries every few steps.
Rika paused her conversation with Niki to smile and shake hands with the trio of women who had ambushed her, doing her best to field their questions before extricating herself once again.
she finally replied.
She finally made it to the balcony and spotted Chase standing at the railing next to the president’s wife, looking like a Niet fresh out of boot staring down a K1R.
“Chase, there you are, husband!” Rika called as she strode to his side, her long, sure steps ensuring no one would get in her way. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
“Rika!” The relief in his voice was palpable. “Glad to see you. Cimara here was just asking me about what it took for Caltura to be selected for a jump gate, but for the life of me, I can’t remember what it was.”
“A very flexible process for handling visitors from distant stars,” Rika replied, a hint of judgment in her tone. “Everyone wants the trade benefits of being on the jump gate network, but few consider the complexities surrounding people entering your system from thousands of light years away.”
“We have very robust customs and immigration departments,” Cimara replied, her expression impassive, though her voice bore a hint of annoyance. “Visitors to Farsis give us high marks in that department.”
“What about banks, dialect, customs, culture shock?” Rika asked. “I’ve reviewed your records and you have few visitors from further than a hundred light years, and certainly none outside of Upper Scorpio. You have ways of managing currencies with visitors from nearby your system, but what would you do if someone from Sol came here? Do you have the processes in place to exchange Hegemony credits? To deal with their disdain for AIs, or how they would consider you backward?”
“I—” Cimara placed a hand on her chest. “We are not backward.”
Rika ensured that her tone was entirely placating as she said, “Of course not. I don’t think you are, but this is the Hegemony we’re talking about. They’re famous for looking down their noses at others. And that’s just one of millions of other systems and nations that will be within easy reach once you get a gate. There
is a lot of preparation to be made in order to have commercial gate travel connect you to the galaxy—not the least of which is access to the QuanComm network. Knowing who and what is coming is crucial, and only QCs can ensure that smooth operation.”
Cimara’s brow furrowed. “I thought that access to the QuanComm network was included with being on the gate network.”
Rika shook her head. “No, one has to get on the QC network first, which has its own mess of requirements—the ability to secure the blades being first and foremost.”
“I’m getting the feeling that you don’t intend to offer us either of these things,” Cimara said, her arms folded across her chest. “Are you just wasting our time?”
“I certainly hope not,” Rika replied. “My time is valuable as well. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think there was a possibility of getting a gate up at Farsis, but I’d be lying if I said it was the sort of decision we can arrive at in the course of a day or two.”
“Alright.” Cimara appeared at least somewhat mollified. “How long does it take?”
Rika held back a sigh that desperately wanted to break free. “Rest assured, we will be setting up a gate in the Lupus Cloud, but first we’re going to need to tour more systems to ensure we pick the best candidate.”
Cimara seemed as though she was going to say something combative, so Rika quickly followed up with, “But Farsis is a top-tier candidate. You’re our second stop for more than just navigational expediency.”
Rika nearly quirked a smile, but managed to hold it in check.
Niki had no such need to hold back, and laughed loudly in the confines of Rika’s mind.
“Ah! There you all are.”
Rika turned to see President Estee approaching, with the secretary of state, Tria, in tow.
“Hi, honey,” Cimara said, stepping to her wife’s side. “The Alliance’s ambassador was just telling me how Farsis is a top-tier candidate for a jump gate.”
Rika offered her hand to Estee, followed by Tria. “Thank you for throwing this event, it has been great to meet so many people eager to get on the galactic stage.”
“Yes,” Estee glanced over her shoulder. “Some more so than others, but I assume it’s not a sure thing?”
“That’s true,” Rika confirmed. “We have a few candidates to visit, but even if we don’t select Farsis now, that doesn’t mean a gate isn’t in the offering later. We’re still getting started on the first wave of expansion.”
“Oh, nothing serious—at least, not here.” Estee waved her hand in dismissal. “You must understand, of course, the Lupus Cloud has been relatively disconnected from the rest of the galaxy for some time. The dark matter halo around our systems takes us off many trade routes, and some systems are rather…fond of being isolated.”
“It’s not as though systems that don’t want one will be made to get a gate,” Chase replied.
“True,” Tria chimed in. “But am I correct in my belief that it’s possible to jump anywhere in the galaxy with a gate? No gate at the destination system is necessary, right?”
Rika nodded. “That’s correct, but any ship that jumped to a system without a gate is still going to have weeks or even a month’s travel to get to the closest gate. Unless someone is willing to pay an exorbitant amount to take up that much of a gate tug’s time, it won’t be a common occurrence at all.”
“And more commerce is always good,” Estee replied, nodding slowly. “Especially after the supply chain issues that arose after the war.”
Chase cocked an eyebrow. “With how isolated you are, I wouldn’t have expected you to be hit by those types of disruptions.”
The president’s head bobbed, a look of resignation on her face. “You’d think so, until you discover that some small lynchpin component of your civilization comes from elsewhere, and they’re not delivering anymore because something they need to make it got disrupted.”
“I’ve heard a lot of stories like that,” Rika said. “I hope it wasn’t anything that caused too much hardship.”
“We managed to work around it,” Tria replied. “It did make for some periods of uncertainty, though, that’s for sure.”
“And it’s why we’re working so hard to bring the gate network up,” Rika added. “The faster we get it in place, the sooner we can rectify the issues caused by these long, fragile supply chains.”
Estee and Tria shared a look before the secretary of state spoke. “I have to admit, there are some concerns about how the gate network gives the Alliance control over the galaxy’s economy.”
“That’s understandable,” Rika replied. “Eventually, it’ll be commercialized—it already is in the Transcend and parts of Orion. The problem we face is that there are still too many people who would use the gates to make war on their neighbors. Until the disruptions from the war die down, it’s best for the AoS to manage them.”
“That doesn’t seem entirely fair,” Cimara said. “Sounds like a monopoly for corporations that already have access to the tech.”
This time, Rika didn’t bother holding back her annoyance, and let out a frustrated sigh. “We’re doing our best. You have to keep in mind that while the Inner Stars are a smaller swath of space than the Transcend or Orion, there are many, many more people living here. More chances for abuse.”
“I just hope you all don’t use this as a tool to exert control,” Cimara said. “I’m definitely in favor of places such as Caltura getting on the network, but I want us to also have a fair chance, not end up a vassal state.”
Chase shifted and splayed the fingers of his right hand, a sign he was annoyed. A second later, a private comment of his reached Rika and Niki.
Rika didn’t reply to the conversation in her head, instead addressing Cimara’s comment. “Trust me, Hegemon Richards doesn’t want to be in the business of policing the galaxy any longer than she has to, and I sure as starfire have no desire to take the reins, either. We’re trying to make something that’s of previously unimaginable scope and scale. It’s going to take time to get it in place and iron out the kinks.”
Estee nodded. “I couldn’t agree more. No one’s perfect, though we should all strive for it.”
“So,” Rika cleared her throat. “Along the lines of determining Farsis’s viability, I assume our tours are all lined up for tomorrow?”
Tria ducked her head. “Oh, absolutely. I’m excited to show you around our departments of commerce, customs, and immigration.”
“And your military complex?” Rika pressed. “We’ll meet with top leaders there, and be allowed to inspect a variety of facilities?”
“That’ll be trickier,” Estee said. “I have yet to win over all of our top commanders.”
Rika nodded, maintaining a sympathetic expression. “I understand. We’ll be on our best behavior. Perhaps that will convince your mi
litary leaders that we can be trusted.”
Cimara snorted. “Don’t hold your breath.”
“Well.” Rika gave an apologetic shrug. “It’ll be necessary for approval. I hope you can work it out.”
The president nodded, her eyes suddenly looking very tired. “I suppose we should start down that path. A few of the fleet admirals are here, allow me to introduce you.”
Rika smiled graciously, and the group filed back into the room.
* * * * *
Later that night—or rather, early in the morning—Rika and Chase returned to their quarters aboard the Overwatch.
Rika collapsed onto the bed, while Chase pulled off the formal suit he’d been wearing, revealing the matte grey skin that covered his body—the organic segments, at least.
“Don’t take those legs off,” Rika said as he eyed the rack of arms and legs on the bulkhead. “But get rid of those spindly little hands.”
Her husband laughed. “You used to like my hands, back when I had organic ones.”
“I was misguided,” she said with a shrug as she watched him swap his arms out, setting the four-fingered appendages of an AM-4 model in their place.
As an SMI-4 model of mech, Rika’s cyborg limbs were much closer to her original, lithe human form. Before her upgrade at the hands of the ISF, her SMI-2 form had been much more angular and utilitarian. But now, as a Mark 4 mech, she was smooth and svelte, her hands even bearing five fingers.
She held up a hand, making a fist and unfurling each white digit one at a time.
Once, the more human, more feminine look had unnerved her, but over the years, she’d gotten used to it. Now the utilitarian appearance of her battle armor felt unnatural.
Chase, on the other hand, looked better with all metal and hard angles. Feeling his armored body slide against hers brought indescribable pleasure—something squishies would never understand.
A laugh burst past her lips, and Chase glanced up at her from where he stood, inserting the last of the coupling rods into his arms. “I do something funny?”