Robot Awareness: The Inner Circle

by B. C. Kowalski

  Porter was somewhat confident. He hadn't taken any jobs. They’d had enough to cover them for awhile, at least until they got the repair bill. But there’d been no time to take any new jobs after the explosion. So for once they were in the clear.

  "Nothing but a few passengers, ma'am," Porter said, confident.

  "Well, I'd like to hold you for questioning," the woman said, crossing her arms.

  "What for?" Porter asked. "I told you we aren't carrying anything illegal, you can check yourself."

  "Oh, I'm sure," the woman said. "I still want to hold you for questioning," she said, pulling her helmet off, revealing a middle-aged but beautiful face, "to find out what you've been up to these past years."

  "Candra?" Porter asked, stunned.

  ***

  "You look good," Porter managed, after settling into Candra's office on the launch pad. The others milled about the launch pad, save for Joey, Isellia and the robot, who returned to their restoration project. Porter caught a glimpse of Rex and Celia walking across the launch pad through the large-paned glass window in Candra's office. On her desk sat holo pictures of Candra's children.

  "Thanks," she said. "You're looking good yourself, save for the legs. What happened?"

  "Never were one to mince words, huh?" Porter said, smiling awkwardly.

  "Nope," Candra smiled.

  "There was an accident."

  "An accident?"

  "Well, that's a nice way to put it."

  Candra sat back in her chair. "Look Porter, I know what kind of work you got into. You don't have to mix metaphors with me. Just tell me what's going on."

  Porter looked out the window at his ship. "Honestly, I don't know what's going on half the time anymore. I'm not even sure the work you just mentioned is my business. Isellia is entering the XR race here. She's pretty good. She took fifth at the Farven Point 400 — and honestly, she was one mistake away from winning."

  "So it goes in XR racing," Candra said.

  "Didn't know you were a fan."

  "My late husband was into it. I watched my fair share of races, some in person even."

  "I see."

  "But you're right, that is impressive. And I'm happy to hear that — a change of business will do you good."

  "Thanks," Porter said. "And I'm sorry to hear about your husband."

  Candra nodded. "It was a few years ago. He was a good man."

  "I remember."

  "Well, so what's going on? And who are those people you are with?"

  "Passengers," Porter said, looking out the window at them. "I don't know what else to say about them."

  "So what about you?" Candra asked, a slight flutter in her voice. "Any significant other?"

  Porter rolled his eyes. "Not exactly a lot of women interested in living on a cargo ship." He then thought about his encounter with Celia and felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him.

  "No?" Candra looked at him playfully. "You were always a dear. Stubborn-headed, but a good heart."

  Porter nodded. "Probably too stubborn. Ever wonder what would have happened if we'd stayed together?"

  Candra looked stunned a moment. "Well, I ... I mean, you probably wouldn't have run off and become a pirate!" Candra laughed nervously.

  "Smuggler." Porter said, feigning seriousness before laughing a little, too. Their eyes locked a moment, they smiled at each other. The emotions became a little too intense and they both looked away.

  "Well," Candra said, breaking the awkward silence. "Your ID is all clear. You're free to go. I just saw your ship's name on the manifest and wanted to see if it was really you. I was about ready to leave for the day... Anyway, I arranged an escort with a tow-vehicle so you can get to the start line quickly."

  "That's kind of you. It has been good to see you again, Candra."

  Candra nodded.

  Porter wheeled his chair to the side, aiming it at the door. "OK, I better go check on the ship and see if everyone is ready to go. Not much time to lose."

  He got to the door when Candra stopped him. "Porter," she said. He wheeled his chair to face her.

  "I've always wanted to tell you. That night on Seleendra. On the pier? With the sunset?" She looked down a moment. "Well, I'll never forget that. I never have. I just... I just want you to know that."

  Porter started to speak, but she continued. "That's all, I just wanted to— well, you've got a space, er, I mean a race to enter. Good luck." Candra had turned bright red.

  Porter looked at her, feeling as if he were about to spill a whole bunch of emotions, then just smiled.

  “I’ll never forget that night,” Porter said, wheeling himself out the door. “Not as long as I live.”

  ***

  Porter wheeled himself up the plank and onto the ship. He rolled his way toward the cargo hold to see how Isellia, Joey and the robot were doing on the ship. They appeared to be in the middle of an altercation.

  "You can't cross those wires, bucket head! Look, it'll short, right there!" Isellia was flailing her arm as she spoke, her other holding up a electro-schematic.

  "Incorrect," the robot responded calmly, as it typically did. "The polarity conductor will prevent the circuit from crossing."

  "But they don't have to touch for it to be a humungo problem!" Isellia argued. "Just crossing in proximity is enough to do it!"

  "Why don't we just try it?" Joey said.

  "Because, Joey — if metal nuts is wrong, we fry the whole circuitry. And that'll set us back too far to start the race. You never cross those relays. It's just a rule."

  "Crossing the relays will improve efficiency." The robot stared at her coldly.

  "I agree with robot — that's two to one Isellia!"

  "This isn't a democracy, this is my ship!" Isellia fired back.

  "So, things are going well?" Porter said, wheeling into the argument.

  "We're close, actually," Isellia said begrudgingly, arms crossed. "Until they started insisting on frying my ship!"

  "But it won't!" Joey pleaded.

  "It might!" Isellia argued. "And I can't have 'might' when I'm flying in a race!"

  "All right, well, listen, we've been cleared, and will even get an escort to the start. So you’re going to have to be ready to go once we get there."

  "That went awfully well," Isellia said, her arms still crossed. She eyed Porter suspiciously. "Not that I'm not happy about it, but we're being treated much better than I expected. You know that woman?"

  All eyes were on Porter. Joey was curious, too.

  "Um, yeah, I used to. Before your time Isellia. We used to care for each other."

  Isellia eyed him more suspiciously. "Used to, huh? Well, we should have my XR ready to roll within an hour. No practice though. All right, buckos, back to work— robot! I told you not to cross those! Come here!"

  Porter chuckled and started wheeling toward the cargo door.

  "She still loves you, you know," Isellia said before he left.

  Porter stopped his chair. "Oh, I didn't say—"

  "You didn't need to. It was on her face."

  Porter paused a second before wheeling himself out.

  ***

  The screams of XRs on practice runs roared overhead as Isellia, Porter and the robot continued their work on her racer. At the very least, the ship itself now appeared to be in one piece. To an outsider, the ship would have looked intact and ready to fly; quite a change from its earlier state. In reality, there was much fine-tuning to be finished, and Isellia kept Joey and the robot busy barking orders and checking stats.

  The three hardly had a chance to observe the atmosphere in the XR stadium: bright shining lights against a dark orange sky that never seemed to go completely dark over the busy city. The field was about the same size as the Farven Point 400's, though her competition would be a little more stiff — this race was invite only, there was no open entry. Veda likely wouldn't be here, but she caught a glimpse of Allister Barkley's crew, as well as Chipper Jones. She found the familiar faces
comforting in some small way.

  She didn't really pay much attention to the atmosphere as she stayed focused on her still-not-race-ready XR. There was a much more subdued and disinterested crowd than on Farven Point, where residents treated the annual race like a yearly festival. The stands were filled with businesswomen and businessmen, groups of Company men and women in suits. There were some client guests from off world, many far beyond the Inner Circle. The races were a popular way to entertain business clients and were a prestigious place to be seen for the purposes of career advancement. Many of them only half-heartedly paid attention to the race.

  Isellia noticed none of that as she focused on getting the ship in tip-top shape. Time dwindled as the start of the race neared, and she tried to keep it out of her mind as she focused on the task at hand.

  She didn't even notice One-Lung Alice on the start pad two spots down from her. But One-Lung noticed her, and she noticed the robot.

  ***

  -- "Today's race will see the absence of one of the top XR racers in the league, but that will only pave the way for a grueling contest that will pit some of the top contenders for the start line. Hi, I'm your host Brill, and to my left is Jeft, and we're here to bring you the Xeno 750, one of the first races to ever be held in the Inner Circle.

  -- "Brill, if some lesser known racer wanted to make a name for themselves, this race is the one to do it. Veda is not here, and several other names are also not in the lineup, resting themselves up for the final stretch to the Gran de Lix. We’ve seen a few names do just that, haven’t we?

  -- "We sure have Jeft, in fact, speaking of, Allister Barkley is easily the top dog here, the wily veteran if you will, but he once made a name for himself at this very race. And Chipper Jones warming up could be said to do the same, although it was part of a run of three races three years ago that really launchesd his star. Both of these racers qualified for the Gran de Lix, though, so I wouldn’t expect too much out of them. And in fact, there’s a lot of talk about Barkley retiring at the end of the season.”

  -- "We caught up with Barkley earlier this week, and here's what he had to say:"

  -- "A lot of people have asked me if this is my last season. I don't understand where those comments come from. I'm going to keep racing until I can't do it any more. A lot of people keep asking about it. Am I slowing down? Does it look like I'm slowing down? When I can't climb into that cockpit anymore, that's when I will throw in the towel."

  -- "Brill, a great racer who once went head-to-head with the late, great Wallace; a true veteran of this circuit. Rumors have been flying about his retirement after this season, but that speech didn't sound like he plans to quit any time soon."

  -- "Well certainly not, and let's not forget we have Isellia Antoinette on the start line today too. Not quite a breakdown, but maybe not the finish she would have hoped for last week?"

  -- "Jeft it was nearly the Cinderella story this circuit needs, and frankly it’s still a great story. Out of racing since she was a child prodigy — still a child prodigy, really! A disastrous start to her career, disappears, now she's back and earns a top five finish. Not a Cinderella story, exactly, but certainly a good one nonetheless."

  -- "Looks like she's still making some last-minute repairs with her crew — Brill, she was one of the last racers to roll her XR onto the platform. I would say that owes to the fact that, unlike most of the racers here, she doesn't have a professional crew, she isn't sponsored — the fact that she's done so well so far is truly a testament to the potential she represents."

  -- "She'll have to do pretty well to earn a decent spot in the Gran de Lix. And Ghust LUX is here — she's had a decent season, nothing to write home about, but did well in the Farven Point 400 and is looking to capitalize on that here at the Xeno 750."

  -- "We talked to her and some of the other racers here today, and we'll show you that in a minute. Don't go away! You're watching the Xeno 750!"

  ***

  Isellia connected the power line, humming with energy as she snapped it into place. Her XR purred, running perhaps more efficiently than it had before. Between the three of them, they tore it almost completely apart and put it back together in less than a day. It would have been impossible without the robot — its efficiency was only interrupted by her orders, calling a halt to the action while she redirected work. The robot might have been the efficiency expert, but Isellia was the expert in how XRs were supposed to work, and what she would need when she was flying.

  Pre-race jitters danced in her stomach, and she tried her best to ignore them as she took to the cockpit. There was no time for a practice run — the last XRs were coming in from theirs to set up for the launch. Joey’d managed to obtain a proximation of the course from the Buzz, but otherwise she'd be flying blind.

  She turned back, hanging from the side steps, to look at Joey and the robot. "Thanks guys. Really. You worked so hard. I couldn't have done this without you."

  "No prob, Iz!"

  "XR is running 20 percent more efficient than the previous version," the robot stated.

  Isellia couldn't help but grin. "Darned right it is. Thanks to you guys. OK boys, see you at the finish line!"

  Joey waved as she closed the cockpit over her head, cutting off something the robot was saying about likely seeing her on the screen before then. It was time to earn her spot at the Grand de Lix.

  ***

  -- "The engines are roaring, the racers are lined up, and we are ready to go here at the Xeno 750! If you're just joining us, I'm Brill, and this is my cohort, Jeft."

  -- "We just heard from Ghust LUX, about how she overcame her addiction to nebula, had her ban overturned because of her success in kicking the habit, and now she's back on the start line this season."

  -- "It's a great story, Jeft, and I'll be looking for her to do well today. And speaking of comeback stories, we have Isellia Antoinette, daughter of Wallace Antoinette, one of the greatest racers of all time in this circuit. She and some others were still working on her ship during the warmups but it looks like they've fixed what they needed to and now she's ready to start."

  -- "Brill, that could prove to be a huge disadvantage today — I hope she managed to get some information about the course because without flying it she's not going to have a clue what she's coming across."

  -- "Let's hope so, for her sake. There's a lot riding on this race for her, Jeft — with her finish at Farven Point, there's a good chance she could earn a Gran de Lix entry today."

  -- "Meanwhile, Brill, with Veda sitting this one out, already safely at the very top of the series board on points, you'd have to say Allister Barkley is the top dog at this race, wouldn't you Brill?"

  -- "He's going to have the target on his back, that's for sure. But I think with a Gran de Lix spot already secured, we could see him hang back out of the fray if it gets a little too contentious at the front. He’s in a great position to hang back, wait for his moment and pounce it if comes, or finish a respectable top five if it doesn’t.”

  -- "They're ready to blast off, and we'll have the start after this. Don't go away! More Xeno 750 action coming up next!"

  ***

  It happened before any of the racers had even crossed the first ring.

  The race had blasted off with little fanfare. Isellia started toward the back, as expected of someone just re-entering the circuit after a long absence. The ships surrounding her were manned by either locals who manage to get invites to just this race, or a few who just weren't having good seasons. She didn't start dead last, like at the Farven Point 400 — her points from earning fifth place were enough to push her up a little in the pack.

  Her XR was cruising better than ever; it felt like a cloud under her seat. It responded quicker, felt like she just had to think to get the ship to move. It was nearly indistinguishable where the ship ended and her body began, she was so in sync with its controls.

  She quickly overtook the first wave of racers, many of whom were either racing their
ships stock, meaning they had made little to no modifications to them, or were very conservative. Isellia felt her XR's increased efficiency, but she also acted a bit more cautiously with her throttle — she wanted to make sure this time she had plenty of fuel to burn toward the finish, not repeating her mistake at Farven Point.

  Before the first ring, she noticed an XR losing ground on the main pack. She maneuvered so that they wouldn't collide — she wondered if it were having some kind of engine trouble.

  But as she moved, the XR seemed to track with her. She furrowed her brow, moving her ship further out of the way. As she did, however, the other ship moved in response.

  "What the —?!" She had time to yell, making a last-minute dodge as the ship steered itself toward her again. She was able to avoid the main body of the ship, but their XR wings collided, spinning Isellia's vessel temporarily out of control.

  She made adjustments and quickly righted the ship, aiming it back toward the main pack. As she sped up to catch the rest of the racers, she frantically looked around. Was that racer aiming for her? It sure seemed like it. She saw no sign of the other ship. Where did it go?

  She jolted forward as something thumped the bottom of the ship. That XR had gotten underneath her! She screamed in anger and blasted her ship forward. She could see the other ship in her rear sensors.

  Isellia slammed on the throttle, catching up to the other pack. She looked back, wondering exactly what was going on. Her conservative fuel usage went out the window. Survival instinct took over.

  ***

  -- "We're back with Xeno 750 action, and so far, well, we've definitely had some action, but not the kind we would expect Brill."

  -- "Well I'm as baffled as you, Jeft. There seems to be some kind of battle in the middle of the pack. The racer known as One-Lung Alice seems to be trying to intentionally crash into Antoinette — you can see on your holo, we're showing you the frayed edge of Antoinette's wing after one of their encounters. This is highly unusual."

  -- "That's right Brill. Allister Barkley in the lead at the front, as to be expected. This would be an uneventful start otherwise, everyone got off, there were no crashes at the start of the race. Just what do you think is going on there?"